"Then I'll leave Wude Street to you, Little Constable Zhang." Fang Yun smiled as if he was really congratulating Zhang Jingan.
Zhang Jingan chuckled and said, "Watch how I display my talents, Big Constable Zhang!"
"I'll go to the pavilion on Jiangjin Street now. Goodbye." Fang Yun got on the carriage and asked the coachman to drive. The coachman hesitated for a moment and waved his whip.
Zhang Jingan was stunned for a moment. Seeing the carriage moving slowly, he shouted, "Why don't you take me there?"
"You and I are both constables. You have to earn your own living!" Fang Yun's voice came from the carriage.
Zhang Jingan stared at the carriage angrily and humphed. He muttered to himself, "Without you, I can still live well. It's just a street! In Jingzhou City, I can be considered a local bully! Don't think I don't know what it means to show off your power. I'll go to the South City to find my brothers and ask them to help me be constable! "
The sun hung high in the sky, making the afternoon in Jingzhou City even more lazy.
At the end of Wude Street, there was a two-story building with a courtyard facing the street. The words "Wude City Pavilion" were written at the entrance of the courtyard.
Although the pavilion was small, it was equivalent to governing a village or town. In terms of wealth and population, it surpassed most villages and towns. The constable of such a prosperous place had a lot of power.
The entire street's public security, taxes, corvee labor, disputes, trade, and civil affairs were all managed by the constable. Only important matters were decided by the City Guards or the Jingzhou Prefect.
In the afternoon, Wude Street was a little quiet. There weren't many people coming and going. Noon and night were the busiest times of Wude Street.
Manager Gao sat at the entrance of the pavilion, taking a nap under the sun. He had been in Wude Street for many years and was used to seeing constables coming and going. He had also seen many disputes, so he was indifferent to everything. Even when he heard that there would be a new constable today, he didn't care as usual. Moreover, he had received news that the new constable was a little special. He wanted him to speak less and do less.
"Old man, is this Wude Street Pavilion?" A deliberately rough voice came.
Manager Gao slowly raised his head and looked at the sun. Narrowing his eyes, he looked toward the source of the voice.
It was an eleven-year-old child with seventeen or eighteen people following behind him. There were seven or eight year old children wiping their snot with their sleeves, as well as youths around the same age as the child. There was a tall and sturdy young man with a childish face and two robust men in their thirties.
Manager Gao only glanced at them. He couldn't tell who the leader was, but he could tell that these people were from the South City. He could also tell that these people were from the South City. There were people who worked at the docks, thieves, idlers, and even one who had a broken arm.
The tall old man recognized the one with the broken hand. It was the leader of the Qiao Shou Sect. When these people saw him, they would definitely bow their heads and bow. After all, he was wearing the uniform of a government official, representing the country of Chu. But today, old man Gao didn't see any flattery or uneasiness in these people's eyes. He only saw excitement and elation.
The tall old man didn't reply like a hothead. Instead, he stood up and looked at the young man with a smile. Although the clothes were old, they were indeed made by the Auspicious Heavens. Small families couldn't buy them even if they had the money.
"Young master, what business do you have with the pavilion?" The tall old man asked.
Before Zhang Jingan could open his mouth. One of the youths behind him shouted: "From today onwards, Zhang Jingan is the Village Constable of Wude Street. From now on, everyone on the street will listen to him!" After that, the youths snorted. It was as if a transparent worm had crawled into his nostrils.
Zhang Jingan smiled. He didn't show any arrogance. He took out the document from Magistrate Qiao. The document was clearly printed.
Manager Gao was stunned for a moment. He immediately bowed and smiled: "This old man welcomes the Village Constable. We have been waiting for you for a long time. Please come in."
Zhang Jingan nodded proudly and walked into the house. The people behind him wanted to follow, but Manager Gao raised his arm and stopped them.
"This is the Village Constable of the Chu Country. Unauthorized people are not allowed to enter." As the tall old man spoke, he straightened his back. His eyes were filled with arrogance and coldness that made it difficult for anyone to approach him.
"Magistrate, he is not allowed to enter!" A strong youth with a hemp rope on his back said anxiously.
Zhang Jingan turned around and frowned at Manager Gao. He said: "I am the new Village Constable. I found these people to help me. What? You don't listen to me?"
Manager Gao stared at Zhang Jingan's eyes for a while. He found that Zhang Jingan didn't show any signs of weakness. He smiled and asked: "Village Constable, are you really going to let them in?"
"Is there a problem?" Zhang Jingan was a little impatient. He didn't want to lose face in front of his friends.
"Then I won't say anything. Please come in!" Manager Gao took a step back. Maybe it was because of the light, but his face was covered with shadows.
Zhang Jingan's friends were very happy. They followed Zhang Jingan inside.
Zhang Jingan smoothly took over the Wude Village Constable's office. Soon, he had a basic understanding of this place.
In addition to the Village Constable, there were two secretaries and four bailiffs. Manager Gao was one of the four bailiffs. If the Village Constable didn't have enough people, he could directly transfer people from the Jingzhou Government.
There were a lot of people in Wude Village. It was divided into ten "Li". Each Li was under the jurisdiction of more than a hundred families. If there was nothing important, the Li wouldn't come to the Village Constable. The Li were elected by the residents of each Li and appointed by the Government. Although they were under the jurisdiction of the Village Constable, the Village Constable didn't have the power to replace them.
So, Zhang Jingan took a large group of people and officially settled down in the Wude Village Constable.
A few days ago, everything was in order. Zhang Jingan met with the ten Li leaders. As for the management of the Village Constable, he did what the previous Village Constable did. Everything was the same as before.
However, Zhang Jingan soon heard the news that the nearby Jiang Jin Street Constable was carrying out a bold and decisive reform. Jiang Jin Street was filled with complaints and was exceptionally happy. Thus, he continued to deal with the changes by remaining unchanged and being a leisurely Constable.
Time quickly came to the end of September. A sudden document broke the peace of the Wude Village Constable.
"It's all Zhang Longxiang's fault!" Zhang Jingan looked at the document from Magistrate Qiao. He felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.
As early as a few days ago, Zhang Jingan received the news that the Censorate launched a fierce attack on him and Fang Yun. Dozens of memorials appeared on the King Of Chu's desk.
The Censorate criticized Fang Yun for carrying out construction projects, wasting people's money and issued some improper rules. At the same time, they didn't let Zhang Jingan go. They reprimanded Zhang Jingan for associating with snakes and rats and being useless and incompetent.
Magistrate Qiao immediately reprimanded the two of them as the official in charge and asked them to write a document to admit their mistakes. Otherwise, they may be dismissed and investigated.
Zhang Jingan looked at the document from Magistrate Qiao. He felt uneasy. He didn't expect that he didn't do anything, but they found an excuse to attack him. Obviously, it was because of his identity, not because of what he did.
Zhang Jingan got up and walked around the room. Finally, he found that he didn't know how to deal with this matter. If he admitted his mistakes, it was equal to giving people a handle. If he didn't admit his mistakes, it was likely that he would be dismissed and investigated, which meant that he couldn't be an official anymore.
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