The Great Qin Empire---Qin Li

The Qin State has always had a tradition of reassignment to other places. The three chief officials in the county, namely the county magistrate, the county magistrate, and the county right lieutenant, cannot be appointed by people from the county.

Du Xian, the right lieutenant of Anlu County, was a Qin person from Guanzhong. Although he came to Anlu to take up his post, his family stayed in his hometown. Therefore, Du Xian did not buy a house as his own residence, but only lived in the courtyard behind the official temple in the county town, which was specially provided for officials.

The courtyard was not big, only two steps, and the furnishings were not luxurious. There were only a few slaves and concubines in the courtyard to serve. There was originally a piece of elegant bamboo forest planted by the scholars and officials of the Chu State, but Du Xian had it cut down, and a corner of the courtyard was vacated as an open space for practicing martial arts - a typical Qin military official thinking.

On the evening of that day, Du Xian had just asked his servant to escort Heifu, the head of Huyang Pavilion, who had come to visit him, away. Then he heard from a servant who had returned from the market that Heifu's "generous and righteous" deeds were being spread outside.

"Is there such a thing? I didn't hear him talk about it just now..."

Du Xian knelt behind the table, wearing ordinary clothes, and said in surprise. Heifu had come to visit Du Xian to thank him for his "favor of knowing him". The head of the pavilion was a direct subordinate of the county lieutenant, not to mention that Heifu was recruited by Du Xian himself, and he was considered to have joined the right lieutenant system.

Du Xian was very happy to see that Heifu had made great contributions just after taking office and was promoted to Shangzao, so he kept Heifu for a feast, but in front of him and Chen Baijiang at the table, Heifu did not mention the matter of spending money at all.

Chen Baijiang, who was sitting with him, said with some jealousy: "This Heifu is really not taking money seriously. Four thousand yuan is not a small amount. Why use it to repay others' debts? That person is just an anonymous criminal who wrote a letter. He has no relationship with him. Why bother..."

Chen Baijiang was a little jealous of Heifu's rapid promotion and his frequent praise by the right lieutenant. This guy's luck was too good, so there was some sarcasm in his words.

Du Xian said to General Chen, "Do you think his four thousand dollars were not worth spending?"

General Chen heard the dissatisfaction in the right lieutenant's tone and was a little at a loss, but Du Xian taught him, "You are still too short-sighted. Let me ask you, what do we officials want most?"

"Is it the military title and power? And a steady stream of money and food?"

General Chen answered carefully. In the Qin State, titles and wealth are linked. The higher the title, the larger the land and house, the more servants, and the richer the output.

Du Xian nodded: "Yes, I heard that the Tingwei said a sentence when he entered Qin, saying that there is no greater humiliation than being humble, and there is no greater sorrow than poverty. A real man born in the world, how can he stay in a humble position and a difficult place for a long time? But what the officials pursue are only these two things?"

Chen Baijiang bowed his hands and said: "I am stupid and can't think of anything else. Please help me, Right Lieutenant."

Du Xian pointed at Chen Baijiang and said: "There is also fame!"

The so-called fame is achievements and reputation. In the eyes of the world, if a career is successful but unknown, it is not enough to show off success and wealth.

Because of this, twenty years later, the man who shouted "If you don't return to your hometown, it's like walking in brocade clothes at night" missed not only the scenery of his hometown, the sound of Western Chu, but also the praise of his fellow villagers.

So in Du Xian's view, Hei Fu got a reputation in the county with 4,000 coins and was praised by the county people. It was really a good deal. Fame is something you can only encounter but not seek. It is not something illusory. It can even be transformed into actual benefits.

Although the Qin State promoted officials based on their political achievements, reputation is also part of their ability. The "Five Virtues" of being an official are summarized in the "Ways of Being an Official", one of which is "being happy to do good deeds". If a Qin official can do more good deeds, he will have a very good reputation in the local area, and it is easy to get the attention of his superiors, and he may also be recommended for promotion.

"This Heifu will have an extraordinary future."

Du Xian stroked his beard and began to feel fortunate that he had recruited this man. For Du Xian, the more capable and praised Heifu was, the more it proved that he, the right lieutenant, was good at identifying people and appointing them to positions...

...

While Du Xian was praising Heifu's "good deeds and righteous actions", the left lieutenant Yunman, who lived in the south of the county town, was cursing Heifu's behavior.

Yun Man is a descendant of the ancient Yun State. In the Chu State, he was a doctor under Yun Jun Ruo Ao Shi, responsible for managing the car garden. During the Qin Dynasty, Yun Shi became the largest clan in the area due to active cooperation.

Even with the restrictions of the separation order, their family is still extremely wealthy, with a high gate and a large courtyard, white walls and red tiles, pavilions and terraces in the house, a garden pond and bamboo forest that the Chu people like, and dozens of slaves in green hats and good clothes and maids in beautiful clothes and thin skirts.

The hall is decorated luxuriously and filled with lacquerware. The lamps are bright. Yun Man is discussing what happened in the market today with several of his nephews.

"This Hei Fu caused trouble as soon as he took office, and used it to gain credit. Now he has been promoted to Shang Zao. His luck is really good!" said a nephew of Yun Man indignantly.

Yun Man also looked unhappy and responded: "This man seems simple, but he is actually cunning. The so-called righteous act is also hypocritical. Have you heard of the story of Mengchangjun of Qi State who burned the contract to buy righteousness? In my opinion, this Heifu is definitely a person who seeks fame!"

Although Yun's family hated Heifu because of the previous two incidents, now that Heifu has joined the county right lieutenant's big ship and gained fame in the county, it is a bit difficult for Yun Man to deal with him.

"Father, let that boy be proud for a while."

Yun Man's son suggested: "After a year or so, when Du Xian is transferred, the Anlu County Lieutenant's office will still be under the control of father! It will not be too late to deal with Heifu then!"

...

The family of Yu Yuan Xi also lived in the south of the county town, but the house was simple and did not look like an official's house. A small courtyard with three entrances, trees and vegetable plots in the courtyard. The house is slightly old, but very clean. The house is very tidy. There are no extra servants and concubines. There is only an old servant serving in the kitchen.

Xi has two sons. The eldest son Huo was born in November of the eleventh year of Qin Wangzheng and is already 10 years old. The second son Hui was born in the eighteenth year of Qin Wangzheng and is only 2 and a half years old now, still a babbling child.

Every day after work, Xi would sit in front of the table with his wife and son to finish the feast of the day. The food was light and there were not many words, but his wife was virtuous and his son was filial, and the family was warm and harmonious.

Xi was not a very interesting person. He did not have more entertainment activities. For more than ten years, he would sit in front of the table after eating and copy down the cases he worked on every day.

This habit originated from when he just became an official and witnessed a false and wrong case caused by the prison guards who were not proficient in laws and regulations and tortured them into confessing.

On that occasion, an innocent soldier was considered a cattle thief and was sentenced to tattooing his face and serving a prison sentence. Finally, after appealing to the county, the injustice was redressed. Although the Qin government took the initiative to help the soldier buy back his wife and daughter who were sentenced to be slaves and concubines, they had already suffered a lot. The society of Qin was not tolerant of a tattooed man, and the family could only spend the rest of their lives in seclusion.

So Xi, who witnessed all this, always warned himself to remember every law and treat every judgment with caution, and never allow injustice to occur in his hands.

When he was copying the laws, his younger brother, who was a teacher in the school, often smiled and said, "Brother, what's the point of copying these? It's hard enough to be busy with documents every day, do you want to copy them down and take them to the grave?"

In response, Xi just smiled and said nothing, and the habit became natural. He always felt that he had an obligation to record the various cases that happened in Nanjun every day. The various forms, good and evil of this small world were all concentrated in the prison case files. This is equivalent to the "three self-examinations a day" of the legalists.

That evening, when he was halfway through copying, his younger brother Gan came to visit again and told Xi about the "righteous act" that the Huyang Pavilion Chief Heifu had done at the market today.

"What do you think, brother?" Gan asked with a smile while sitting opposite Xi.

Xi pondered for a long time. Unlike the right and left lieutenants of the county, who were concerned about Heifu's fame and fishing, Xi was concerned about whether Heifu's actions violated the law.

"Heifu lent money to Quji to let him pay off his fine. The Qin State only did not allow the use of houses and other properties as collateral for borrowing, but simply lending money was not illegal as long as the contract was in accordance with the regulations. As for Heifu's breaking the contract on the spot and not wanting the four thousand coins, it was his own decision, and no one could hold him responsible, but..."

Xi picked up a bamboo slip on the table, which recorded his judgment on Gongshi Quji today. The concise sentence could determine a person's second half of life and the survival of a family. The bamboo slip was light, but also heavy.

Xi understood its weight very well. He was not a heartless person, but he felt that the greatest justice in the world was to do everything according to the law. In this process, all his likes and dislikes should be put aside.

"Shang Jun said, if the words are not in accordance with the law, do not listen; if the actions are not in accordance with the law, do not respect; if the things are not in accordance with the law, do not do."

This sentence means that anything that is not in accordance with the law should not be listened to, advocated, praised, or done.

In Xi's opinion, what Hei Fu did did not violate the law. But Hei Fu's private favor to the criminal, although praised by the whole county, has exceeded the spirit of Qin law and is a dangerous behavior.

Who does he think he is? He is just a small pavilion chief. He has only been in office for a few days and has only handled a case. He thinks that what he has done is fairer than the law. Can he reward and punish on behalf of the law?

The people of Anlu County are also confused. How can they blindly praise and admire such behavior?

Disasters and blessings are born from the law, not from love and hate.

"Brother, are you going to investigate and reprimand the head of the pavilion?" Not every Qin official obeyed the law like a god. Xi's younger brother could not understand his brother's extreme idea. Like the people of Anlu County, he appreciated Heifu's righteous act.

Xi shook his head: "As a law official, I cannot be tolerant of things within the law, nor be harsh on things outside the law."

The standard is there. Law enforcers only need to see whether people have exceeded it. They must not expand the standard infinitely because of their likes and dislikes, and include people who are clearly outside the line.

Although he was a little unhappy, Xi would not investigate Heifu for this. In that case, wouldn't he become the kind of person who acts according to his likes and dislikes?

"As long as what he does is still within the law, let him go!"

After sending his brother away, Xi looked at the half-copied legal documents on the table, and suddenly thought of what Heifu said when he asked him for advice today, and remembered the unjust case he experienced when he was just an official.

"Have I really done the right reward and punishment, and the innocent and innocent?"

But after a moment of hesitation, he resumed his old persistence.

"I have a clear conscience, at least, I am worthy of the law!"

...

At this time, Heifu did not know the various praises and criticisms of him by the people and officials of Anlu County.

He did not care much, because Heifu always felt that the responsibility of honor and disgrace lies with oneself, not others! This time, he dared to pat his chest and say that he had no regrets.

After getting rid of Gongshi Quji, Heifu first walked around the cattle and horse pen in the evening market and looked at the oxen. This was the first thing Heifu wanted to buy after receiving a huge sum of more than 10,000 yuan.

"Spring plowing is coming. Although there will be no more local officials to make things difficult for my family this year, if there is a plowing ox at home, my brother and I can plow the fields less tired."

Heifu considered that he had few opportunities to go home this year, so no one would help with farm work, and an extra ox at home was equivalent to three more laborers.

You don't know until you see it. After he walked around the cattle and horse pen and asked about the price, he realized that he thought too simply.

It turned out that the cheapest plowing ox cost 7,000 to 8,000 coins, and the better ones even cost tens of thousands. At this time, Heifu felt that the 4,000 coin bonds that he had just burned in the blink of an eye were indeed a bit too much. But he did not regret it. A real man has his own way of doing things and his own way of not doing things. Heifu thought that was what he should do.

The oxen are so valuable that they are the most valuable property of many middle-class families. It is equivalent to buying a car in the future. You can't just pick one randomly...

Picking oxen and horses is a science. There are even special horse and ox judges in the folks. They have also made up some catchphrases. For example, when looking at oxen, "round and big eyes, whites of the eyes and pupils connected, long necks, big legs, wide buttocks and short hair are the best", but Heifu only heard about it from others. When he saw it himself, he was still confused.

So Heifu temporarily gave up the idea of buying oxen and decided to discuss the matter with Zhong Zhong when he returned home on vacation. His elder brother was a good farmer and he knew the business.

Then, Heifu bought some gifts and visited Du Xian, the right lieutenant of the county. You should always have a good relationship with your leaders, especially those who have helped you. Heifu also had to rely on the right lieutenant to make the left lieutenant dare not touch him. He knew very well that although he was a pavilion chief, he was still a small figure in Anlu County.

When he came out of the Right Lieutenant's Mansion, it was already dark. Heifu hurriedly walked through the streets and alleys and arrived at a courtyard next to the woodworking workshop in the county before the curfew.

His brother-in-law, Yu, was kept in the county by the county engineer because he donated a treading pestle. He was responsible for teaching the craftsmen how to make treading pestles and arranged a place for Yu to live. The treatment was quite good.

These days, whenever Heifu came to the county to participate in the trial and testify, he would come here to sleep on the floor when he couldn't return to Huyang Pavilion late at night.

He never thought that when he arrived at the gate of the small courtyard today, he saw Yu rubbing his hands and pacing anxiously at the door.

"Brother-in-law, what happened? Did you forget to bring the flute again?" Heifu walked over and asked.

It's funny to say that his honest brother-in-law always forgets to bring the key to his own place. One day, he knocked on the door and called Heifu's sister's name, saying, "Wife, please come and open the door quickly..."

He must have been away for a long time and missed home.

But today, there was another reason why Yuan was wandering outside the door.

Seeing Heifu coming back, Yuan was overjoyed. He came over and patted Heifu's shoulders with his big hands, almost dislocating him...

"Heifu, it's a good thing!"

Yuan grinned and said, "We offered the reward of treading the pestle, and the county finally issued it!"

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