In the autumn of the first year of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Yang Fan officially became the Minister of Autumn Official. Summer had just passed, and autumn had just arrived. The sky was clear and the wind was clear. Yang Fan braved the autumn scenery, wrapped in the autumn wind, and stepped into the Autumn Magistrate's Yamen, which was the main hall of the Ministry of Justice.
Yang Fan had already gone to the Ministry of Appointments yesterday and reported to the Ministry of Justice after receiving his appointment. Today was the first day he officially took office, so he paid his respects to the chief official.
The Ministry of Justice of the Great Zhou followed the Tang system. There was a Minister of Justice and an Assistant Minister who were in charge of the punishment of the world. The Ministry of Justice had four departments. The first was the Ministry of Justice, the second was the Ministry of Justice, the third was the Ministry of Justice, and the fourth was the Ministry of Justice. They were led by the Minister of Justice and the Assistant Minister of Justice.
Among the four departments, the Ministry of Justice was the main department of the Ministry of Justice. It was called the Small Ministry of Justice. This was where the Ministry of Justice was in charge of the punishment of the people. When Yang Mingsheng was still in office, he held the position of Minister of Justice. The Minister of Justice was Zhang Chujin, who was also an extremely powerful judge in the three departments of justice of the Tang dynasty. The Assistant Minister was Zhou Xing, and the Minister of Justice was Yang Mingsheng.
Now the Minister of Justice was vacant. The Assistant Minister of Justice was Cui Yuanzong. The Ministry of Justice shall have two provincial officials, two yuanwailang, four managers, nineteen official censorates, thirty-eight secretaries, six pavilion chiefs, and ten zhanggu (zhanggu). The other three departments were not as important as the Ministry of Justice and did not have as many affairs, so they had fewer officials. For example, there was only one Minister and one Assistant Minister.
Before Yang Fan took office, the position of the Left Minister of the Ministry of Justice was also vacant. Only the Right Minister Chen Dong was in the position. The Left Minister was above the right. Now that Yang Fan was here, he would have to suppress Chen Dong. Moreover, the Minister of Justice was a third-rank official, the Assistant Minister of Justice was a fourth-rank official, and the Minister of Justice should have been a fifth-rank official. Yang Fan was transferred here with a fifth-rank official, which was three ranks higher than Minister Chen, so he naturally became his superior.
The main hall of the Ministry of Justice was located in the first courtyard, while the offices of the various departments were located in the second courtyard. Each of the four departments occupied a large side courtyard, and in each side courtyard, according to the rank of the official, they were allocated rooms for each official. The offices of the Assistant Minister and Minister of Justice were located in the third courtyard.
Currently, Cui Yuanzong was the acting minister of the Ministry of Justice, so he alone occupied the third courtyard. After Yang Fan took office, the first person he had to pay his respects to was this Assistant Minister of Justice, who was now the true head of the Qiu Guan yamen, Cui Yuanzong.
In the past, when Yang Fan was a military officer in the palace, although he saw the court full of red and purple people coming and going every day, it was only for fun. At most, he was somewhat familiar with these officials' faces, but it could not be said that he was familiar with them. It was even more difficult to match their names with their appearances. This was the first time he had seen this Assistant Minister Qiu Guan carefully.
Cui Yuanzong's office was very large, with a high and wide pavilion. However, there were no paintings, calligraphy, or paintings inside. The entire room was very simple and elegant. The walls were not decorated with antique shelves, but rows of bookshelves, densely packed with thread-bound books.
From the layout of a room, one could roughly see a person's personality. From the clean, spacious, and uncluttered layout of the room, one could see Cui Yuanzong's strict personality. This person must like to be meticulous in his work.
Such a meticulous judge, who was in charge of the world's criminal law, should have a stern expression and a dignified air. Even if he was not like Yang Mingsheng, who had two deep wrinkles on his face that made people feel uneasy, he should still be filled with a dignified air. However, when sitting face to face with this person, even if he was dressed in official robes, one could not feel the slightest trace of authority.
Cui Yuanzong's appearance was simple and honest. His skin was like Yang Fan's, slightly dark and somewhat rough. His face was slightly round, and his facial features were not angular. He had a pair of thick lips and a short, fleshy nose. Although the beard under his chin was neatly trimmed, it was not thick and thick. The sparse beard could hardly show off his noble temperament.
With his appearance, if he were to change into an ordinary old farmer's clothes and walk in the fields, one would not be able to see any difference between him and the ordinary people who worked in the fields. Such a person was born in the Cui family of Zhengzhou. He was the son of the branch of the Cui family of Qinghe, which was one of the five families and seven princes in the world.
As the saying goes, one can be firm without desires. In the past, Yang Fan only regarded being an official as a way to get close to his enemies. He did not care whether he was a good official or not. However, it was different now. This was his career. How could he not feel a little nervous when he was suddenly transferred to a completely unfamiliar judicial yamen?
Although he was laughing and playing with Xiao Man at home, as if he did not care about this new official, in fact, he just did not want Xiao Man to worry about him. Now seeing Cui Yuanzong's good-tempered appearance, Yang Fan secretly felt relieved. A good-natured official was always easy to get along with.
The way Cui Yuanzong looked at him was a little strange, as if he had heard of him for a long time. Now that he suddenly saw him, he felt a little curious and ruminating. Yang Fan noticed the look in his eyes and instinctively thought that it was because of Princess Taiping. After all, his love affair had been spread all over the city.
But looking carefully, Yang Fan could not see any warmth, envy, or contempt in Cui Yuanzong's eyes. Assistant Minister Cui's eyes had a sense of exploration. His eyes seemed to contain some secret, but it had absolutely nothing to do with any romantic affairs that people liked to hear and see.
Cui Yuanzong quickly restrained his strange expression and began to talk with him seriously. Yang Fan then learned what it meant to not judge a book by its cover. Cui Yuanzong had already learned everything about his history, and he was very familiar with it. He was even more familiar with it than Yang Fan himself.
Once they talked about official affairs, his tone also became sharp. There was not a word of idle talk. Every question seemed to be carefully thought out and interlinked. Unconsciously, one's thoughts would follow his thoughts, and one could not even think of resisting.
Yang Fan could not help but secretly admire him. This person was indeed an important person who had been immersed in the officialdom for decades. Although he was far from the domineering and domineering Deputy Prime Minister of the Censorate, his sharpness was restrained and he was quite shrewd. After Cui Yuanzong asked Yang Fan some things he needed to know, he said solemnly, "His Majesty has summoned me and talked about you. His Majesty has high expectations of you!"
Hearing him mention the Emperor, Yang Fan bowed slightly.
Cui Yuanzong continued, "Zhang Chujin and Zhou Xing from my Qiu Guan yamen have committed crimes one after another. Our yamen's strength has been greatly damaged and many positions are still vacant. We are seriously short of manpower and the accumulated cases cannot be dealt with in time. Now that you have come to assist me, I am also very happy. I hope that Yang Langzhong will fulfill his duties, be diligent in government affairs, and be honest in performing his duties!"
Yang Fan said, "This lowly official will solemnly follow Assistant Minister's instructions!"
Cui Yuanzong nodded and continued, "Our yamen has four departments: the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Justice. In the future, the Yongzhong, Minister Counsellors, and managers of each department will often have dealings with you. I have already summoned them. You should meet them and get to know each other! "
Yang Fan hurriedly stood up and said, "Many thanks for Assistant Minister's guidance!"
Cui Yuanzong said to a servant waiting in front of the hall: "Summon Chen Dong and the others!"
A moment later, the Yongzhong, Minister Counsellors, and managers of the four departments who had already received Cui Yuanzong's summons walked into the hall one after another. Cui Yuanzong stood up and introduced them one by one, such as the Ministry of Justice's Right Minister Chen Dong, the Ministry of Justice's Right Minister Sun Yuxuan, the Ministry of Justice's Right Minister Pi Erding, the Ministry of Justice's Right Minister Yan Xiaojun, the Ministry of Justice's Right Minister Zuo Yuanqing, Cao Qigen, and others.
Just among these managers of the various departments, there were four Yongzhong and eight Minister Counsellors, let alone the sixteen managers. As Yang Fan listened to Cui Yuanzong's introduction, he barely managed to remember the officials of the Ministry of Justice he was responsible for. He didn't care about the names of the officials of the other departments, only clasping his hands in greeting in a daze.
When these officials saw Yang Fan, they all smiled from ear to ear and treated him warmly, especially the Yongzhong from the four departments. They chatted with Yang Fan, laughing and joking. The hall immediately became lively.
The Ministry of Justice's Right Minister Chen Dong was thirty-four or five years of age, a bit chubby. He had a medium build, square face and big ears, his face full of happiness. Because he and Yang Fan were in charge of Ministry of Justice together, their relationship was the closest. Together with the fact that the Ministry of Justice was the leader of the four departments, his status among his colleagues was also the highest, he was especially loud when he talked.
"Yang Langzhong's great name, we have long heard of it. To be able to work together with Yang Langzhong in the future, this Chen feels deeply honored! Yang Langzhong has just taken office today, there are still all types of rules and regulations that he needs to familiarize himself with. How about in a few days? In a few days, this official will be the host, inviting all colleagues to attend a banquet, hold a welcoming feast for our Yang Langzhong. "
Chen Dong said with a smile. He then cupped his hands towards Cui Yuanzong and said, "I hope that Assistant Minister can also do me the honor!"
Cui Yuanzong smiled slightly and stroked his beard, saying, "This old man doesn't like to drink, and I don't like to chat and laugh. Aside from official business, I am a taciturn person. Wouldn't it spoil your mood if I went? This official won't participate. If you colleagues want to have some fun, go ahead. Just don't drink too much, it will affect your work the next day! "
All the officials laughed loudly and repeatedly said, "We don't dare." Cui Yuanzong smiled and said, "Alright, I called you all over. Let's meet each other and get to know each other first. We still have a long time to interact in the future. Since everyone has met, let's disperse. Chen Lang Zhong, you and Yang Lang Zhong return to the Ministry of Justice. Tell our department's official, secretary, constable, chief, and others to meet Yang Lang Zhong first. You will also be in charge of the internal affairs of the department to Yang Langzhong! "
Chen Dong said repeatedly, "It is my duty! It is my duty! Assistant Minister, please continue with your work. We will take our leave now! "
Everyone bowed to Assistant Minister Cui and escorted Yang Fan out of the office. When they reached the corridor, all the officials beamed with joy and apologized to Yang Fan before dispersing. Right Minister Chen Dong, Assistant Minister Zuo Yuanqing, Cao Qigen, and the four managers accompanied Yang Fan back to the Ministry of Justice.
The entire Qiu Guan yamen was divided into three large courtyards along the central axis. Each of the three courtyards had a main building complex at the center. They were the main hall, second hall, and third hall of the Qiu Guan yamen. The offices of each department were arranged in the left and right side courtyards. The Ministry of Justice was the core department of the Ministry of Justice. It had the most authority and was also the most staffed. Therefore, it had the largest building complex in the second courtyard.
Entering from the side door, there were countless courtyards with large courtyards. These were the offices of the assistant ministers, managers, officials, and officials of the secretariat. In the middle of the courtyard was a large courtyard. This was the office of the left and right disciplinary officers.
Entering the red lacquer door, they were greeted by a complete relief mural on the opposite wall. The mural depicted a strange beast surrounded by auspicious clouds. It looked like a Qilin and was as strong as an ox. It had a single horn on its forehead and looked majestic. It was the mythical Xie Zhi (Xie Zhi) beast that could distinguish right from wrong, good from evil, and loyal from treacherous.
In each of the four corners of the courtyard, there was a large water tank used to extinguish fires. Water lilies were planted inside and the green lotus leaves covered the surface of the water. In the middle of the courtyard, there was an osmanthus tree. The flowers had not bloomed yet and the entire tree was green, giving it a very peaceful appearance.
Chen Dong smiled at Yang Fan and said, "Yang Langzhong, the office on the left is my office. After knowing that the Minister is about to take up his post, I have ordered people to clean up the place. Come, let us go in and take a seat. The officials of this department will soon come to pay their respects! "
Yang Fan followed him into his office and took a look at each room. The central hall was partitioned by a folding screen. There were two reception rooms, one at the front and the other at the back. The left and right wing rooms had secretaries and servants. Further in, there was a large room. One was used as a private study and the other as an office. Inside, there was also a small space separated by a folding screen. There was a bed inside, where one could rest in the afternoon.
The two of them sat down in the inner study room. After chatting and laughing for a while, the Ministry of Justice's subordinates, other than the two deputy counsellors and the four managers whom they had just met, the other nineteen official officials, thirty-eight official secretaries, six pavilion chiefs and ten zhanggu officers, came in in groups to pay their respects.
Yang Fan received them one by one. He did not expect that there would be more than seventy officials in a department under the Ministry of Justice. If he included the servants and servants, wouldn't there be more than a hundred people in this department? On second thought, this department was in charge of all the prisons in the world. He felt relieved.
Every time a group of people came in, Chen Dong would introduce them to Yang Fan. These people would come forward to pay their respects and Yang Fan would say a few words of comfort and encouragement. After all the officials had come in, it took almost two hours. When these people had all left, a scribe dressed in a green robe, who was as thin as a bamboo pole, floated in and whispered a few words into Chen Dong's ear. Chen Dong smiled apologetically at Yang Fan and stood up, saying, "There is a 'matter'. It has been ten days and I must 'collude' today. I will go and settle it!"
Yang Fan did not understand these terms and quickly stood up, saying, "Brother Chen, please go ahead!"
Chen Dong smiled and cupped his hands at him, then left with the scribe who was as thin as a bamboo pole. Yang Fan smiled as he watched him leave. He was very happy in his heart. Originally, coming to an unfamiliar yamen and coming into contact with some completely unfamiliar matters made him very nervous. He did not expect that his colleagues here would be so easy to get along with. The nervousness in Yang Fan's heart was swept away.
He sat quietly in the room for a while. The room was quiet and there was no movement at all. Yang Fan could not help but have a strange feeling in his heart. He stood up and left the inner study. He strolled to the central hall and looked outside. He saw that outside the door of Doctor Chen's office, there were people going in and out. It was very lively.
It was not only the minister counsellors, officials, secretaries, and even the officials of the Ministry of Justice and the Imperial Court. There was also the Luoyang government, the Supreme Court, the Imperial Censorate, and even some travel-worn officials who had rushed over from other places to hand over their files. They were all going in and out of Doctor Chen's office. But Yang Langzhong's office was deserted. The smile on his face could not help but stiffen.
"Perhaps it's because I have just taken office and they do not know that the main official of this department has already taken office. I still have no idea about the various matters, and I really can't do anything right now. "
Yang Fan comforted himself like this. But when he saw that the officials of this department who had just come to see him, when they came out of the office and saw him standing in the hall opposite, their faces revealed a somewhat unnatural expression and they deliberately avoided his gaze, Yang Fan gradually understood.
All this time, if Yang Fan was not dealing with Jianghu people, he was dealing with the military officials of the court, and then with the nobles of the court. These people's temperaments were somewhere between Jianghu people and military officials. Yang Fan had never had any experience dealing with people of this kind of civil yamen. Now, he could be considered to have seen it for himself.
Yang Fan stood there quietly. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly smiled. "These scholars are really interesting!"
…
Yang Fan did not stand for too long in the central room. He slowly strolled to his office room and sat down behind the desk. His hands were placed on the side of the table. Suddenly, he felt that something was missing. His hands gently stroked the glossy black, smooth and flat surface of the table. Yang Fan suddenly laughed involuntarily. "Yes! The four treasures of the study are missing. "
Thinking back carefully, the study on the other side seemed to be exactly the same. While there were no official documents, even the four treasures of the study, such as paper, ink, brush and inkstone, were nowhere to be seen. Although the room seemed to be full of decorations, it was empty and there was nothing useful. This … wasn't it too obvious?
Yang Fan sighed. He stood up and walked around to the back of the screen. There was a single bed there for him to temporarily rest on. The bedding on the bed was complete. It was clean and dry. It looked like it had just been changed for him. Looking at it, they only wanted to make him a figurehead in official affairs. As for the various kinds of treatment, they did not want to make things difficult for him.
Yang Fan took off his official boots. He was not afraid of the wrinkles on his official robes. He lay down on the bed, put his arms behind his head, and closed his eyes. Thinking carefully about what had just happened, Yang Fan couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly. This matter could not be blamed on others. It was he who had thought things too simply.
Not to mention others, at least how could the Minister of the Right, Chen Dong, welcome his arrival so warmly?
If it was him, he had worked hard for many years and there was an empty position in front of him. He was just one step away and only needed a little more effort to sit on it. In the end, someone dropped down from nowhere and destroyed his hope. This person was not only a junior, but also had no achievements in this line of work. Would he accept it?
However, if it was only Chen Dong throwing a tantrum, it would be fine. Looking at the situation, it seemed that the entire Ministry of Justice had joined together to give him, an outsider, face. If the entire Ministry of Justice had joined together to ostracize him, could it be that this came from Assistant Minister Cui's orders and Chen Dong was just an executor?
Yang Fan pondered for a long time but still could not find an answer. He had just arrived and had no understanding of the Ministry of Justice. Now, although he understood that they did not welcome his arrival, he could not immediately figure out who was the one who led this.
He did not believe that the Ministry of Justice was a monolithic block. As long as there was fame and profit, which yamen did not fight for power and profit and form cliques? The Ministry of Justice was no exception. Right now, faced with this outsider who rode on top of everyone's heads, everyone was temporarily working together to face a common enemy.
"You want to make things difficult for me? Tsk! Who's afraid of who? "
Yang Fan sneered and crossed his legs. "When I first entered the palace, Commandant Zhu and Xie Duwei also made things difficult for me. Now, one has died, and the other has become my wife. It's a pity that the main hall of the Ministry of Justice is full of men. There isn't a single beautiful girl!"
At the door, a yamen runner quietly walked in. He stuck his head in to take a look but did not see the shadow of the newly appointed Minister of Medicine. He only heard a woman's voice behind the screen humming and singing, "I say you're stupid, you're not stupid, but you act like a big idiot! Be careful of my sharp knife cutting a cold melon, chirp and crackle … "
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