After Shen Zhixian took office, he didn't do much in the first two days. He didn't even hold a yamen appointment ceremony and didn't go out. He spent all his time in the courtroom looking at various local archives.
This is normal. Many local officials are like this. How can they govern the local area if they don't know all the local information by heart? Even if you want to be a peace officer who does nothing, you still need to understand the situation of the local wealthy families and gentry.
Then the magistrate of Shen County issued a message to start arranging the government offices and appointing directors tomorrow. Of course, Qin Dewei could not hide these arrangements from the county government, but he did not say anything to his acquaintances in the county government.
Yamen with judicial power, such as government offices or county offices, often have a drum near the gate. This is the origin of the drum beating in the novels or in later movies and TV shows.
In fact, this drum is rarely used. There is no need to beat the drum when making a normal complaint. After the complaint is approved on the day of complaint, it is enough to wait for the trial day.
Only under special circumstances will someone beat the drum and ask the government to hear the case immediately or intervene in something. But the result is often a beating, if the case is finally considered to be able to go through normal procedures.
But today, the news drum of Yingtianfu Yamen was beaten.
The two government officials on duty near the gate were standing lazily on the wall chatting when they suddenly heard the sound of drums. They were so surprised that they didn't react for a while.
Because the drum of the government office does not ring every few years, complaints usually start from the county government office, and appeals beyond the level are prohibited except under special circumstances.
Therefore, there are not too many cases directly heard by the government office. Most of the time, the results of the county government's trial are reviewed. There are even fewer people who come directly to the government office to file complaints, let alone things like drumming.
is extremely rare.
Two yamen servants hurried over, only to see a short scholar standing on a small drum, with his back to them, holding a mallet he found from nowhere, and beating the drum head again and again.
.
"Who's beating the drum! What's the matter!" the officer on duty shouted.
When the drummer heard someone saying hello, he knocked hard one last time. Probably because it had been in disrepair for many years, there was only a muffled "pop" sound, and the drum surface was actually broken.
The officer on duty subconsciously shouted again: "How dare you damage public property!"
The drummer turned around in embarrassment and jumped down again.
The two government officials who were about to curse a few times felt as if their throats were being strangled, and they did not dare to utter even a single curse word.
A boy of fourteen or fifteen years old, wearing a student's robe, handsome in appearance, arrogant in temperament, and looking like he deserves a beating. Putting these signs together, as long as he hangs out in the yamen, who can he think of?
Especially last year, the government office was almost used as a toilet by primary school students, who cleaned it over and over again.
Qin Dewei threw the gavel on the ground, patted the dust on his hands, and said as if no one else was watching: "Bad drums, rotten plaques, rotten government officials."
The yamen officer on duty secretly complained that today was really bad. He could only smile when he was scolded. This is the bitterness of a middle-aged man in the workplace. "What is Mr. Qin doing?"
Qin Dewei took out a petition: "Of course it's a complaint! Why don't you take me to see the judge!"
The officer on duty led Qin Dewei across the courtyard to the east. Qin Dewei shouted again: "This is not the way to the main hall, where are you taking me?"
The Yamen servant could only explain: "The Tuiguan in the Yamen is the criminal officer. Anyone who files a complaint will be accepted by the Tuiguan."
But Qin Dewei insisted: "My case cannot be tried by the magistrate! I can only file a complaint with the governor!"
The yamen servant had no choice but to say: "I can only report it to Mr. Qin. As for the Fuyin Master, he will ignore it and stop doing my business."
At this time, Yan Song, the governor of Yingtian Prefecture, was in the court hall, discussing matters with several government officials. He heard the sound of drums in front of him. Although he was surprised, he didn't care.
Not long after, a police officer reported: "Qin Dewei, a student member of Jiangning County, is beating a drum outside to complain!"
Hearing the words Qin Dewei, everyone in the hall looked at him with suspicion. The primary school student actually complained to the government office. What the hell is going on?
Yan Song didn't want to see Qin Dewei at this time, because he had already made up his mind to stay out of the fight between his son and the primary school student before the outcome. So he ordered: "Complain to the official office!"
After a while, another officer reported: "Qin Dewei said that he wants to sue Jiangning County Magistrate! The official office is at the same level as Jiangning County. He is not qualified to judge. It must be the governor Yin!"
Yan Song was speechless. When Qin Dewei started things, he turned out to be just like the legend.
Yan Song had been working in the Qingliu position and did not have much experience in prefecture and county yamen work. He asked his left and right: "In this case, can I refuse to see you?"
The left and right replied: "This is a drum-beating complaint. It is not a private visit. The complaint is against the county magistrate. The eldest master must handle it. Otherwise, if Feng Xian finds out about it, he may be accused of dereliction of duty. Besides, apart from the eldest master, there are no other officials in the government.
Indeed, no one in the government can handle such complaints."
This horse-riding, elementary school student is simply forcing good people to do it. Yanfu Yin has no choice but to pass it on to the court.
And because the complainant was a member of the civil service, he couldn't even find an excuse to kill him.
Qin Dewei first bowed his hands to Fu Yin, then presented the petition and said: "Qin Dewei, a student member of the lower county, is suing the county citizen Xiang Jindou and the county magistrate Shen Que!"
Yan Song was too lazy to read the paper and asked casually: "What's the matter?"
Qin Dewei said loudly: "I'm telling the people of the county that Xiang Jindou falsely accused me of seizing houses and killing people!
He also informed the county that Shenzhen did not distinguish between right and wrong. He sat back and watched the county scholar being falsely accused and did not investigate the cause and effect of the false accusation. He could not remain innocent. Instead, he trusted others and disparaged me in public, committing the crime of dereliction of duty!"
Yan Song knew as soon as he heard it. He was talking about what happened at the welcoming ceremony outside Sanshan Gate on the day Shen Magistrate took office. Xiang Jindou was probably the citizen who knelt down to complain that day.
There is a saying that officials protect each other, and the trend of blindly accusing officials, especially one's own disciples, must be curbed, and 90% of this matter is related to one's own son.
When Yan Song thought of this, he slapped the case and said: "You, a freshman, dare to sue an official without any evidence! If you didn't consider that you are a scholar, you would have been dragged down and tortured!"
"Why is there no evidence? It's all facts in plain sight!" Qin Dewei defended without showing any signs of weakness: "Dozens of gentry were present that day. Everyone saw that I was falsely accused, and everyone also saw that the magistrate did nothing and intentionally
The favoritism and letting go of Xiang Jindou have not been dealt with yet!"
"Maybe Mr. Shen has just taken office, and everything is pending, so he doesn't care about what you said!" Yan Song did not want to offend Qin Dewei, "I will send the case back to the county government and urge Mr. Shen to review it first!"
Qin Dewei seemed anxious and argued again: "What Jing Zhaoyin said is wrong. The person I am suing is Shen County Magistrate for dereliction of duty. Wouldn't it be ridiculous to send it to Shen Magistrate County for trial?"
It is precisely because I trust the governor that I went to the government office to file a complaint. Otherwise, I would have gone directly to the Metropolitan Procuratorate today to beat the drum and ask the Metropolitan Procuratorate to interrogate this matter!"
Yan Song finally felt directly how difficult it was for the primary school students. He, Yan Song, was not a man who could control everything. Once the matter reached the Metropolitan Procuratorate, it would be out of control.
The main reason is that his own son is probably involved in this matter. It will be troublesome if he is pulled out in the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and the magistrate of Shen County is still his protégé.
This primary school student is too cunning. The matter is over as it is. The most he can do is find Xiang Jindou in private to take revenge, but the primary school student actually goes to the official to file a counter-complaint!
Instead of beating people, you come to file lawsuits. Is this what you, a local bully, should do?
