Early on the second day, after the last watch of the drums, the sound of roosters crowing came one after another in Tongcheng County.
When it was still dark, Pang Yu got up early, urged by the rooster's natural alarm clock. After rubbing his eyes, Pang Yu first touched the money bag next to the pillow, opened the bag and poured it down, and a cup of money fell out.
A small pile of white silver taels.
Coupled with the pocket of copper coins under the bed, Comrade Pang Yu, who was still penniless the day before yesterday, could enter the middle class in Tongcheng in terms of working capital alone, not counting the 38 taels of mortgage the Zhou family owed him.
But Pang Yu didn't plan to marry the Liu family fairy back yet. After all, she was too beautiful to be eaten. The Pang family's capital chain crisis had not been overcome yet, so they had to keep enough money to support their father and mother.
Counting money is one of his hobbies, but silver bullion has no face value, which always makes him less happy.
After ordering, Pang Yu took out a few larger ones and put them on the table. These were for the yamen-related staff today.
Pang Yu wrapped up the rest and gave it all to Cheap Mom. After all, this pharmacy is the foundation for the Pang family to live and work, so it still needs some help.
Pang Ding brought a tub of water. After Pang Yu finished washing, he began to dress.
First he took the Zaoli towel, which is a square hat, and put it on with one corner facing forward. His hat originally had a tassel, but it fell off at some point.
It is said that this style of hat was used by high-ranking officials in the Yuan Dynasty. After Zhu Yuanzhang drove away the Mongols, he deliberately left this style of hat for only government officials to wear. In the early Ming Dynasty, government officials were not a position, but just a type of labor.
They were also considered lowly servants, so they were called yamen servants.
Zhu Yuanzhang let the humble servants wear such hats, which meant to humiliate the high-ranking officials of the Yuan Dynasty, and also insulted the yamen servants. It is probably because Zhu Yuanzhang had suffered a lot from the yamen since he was a child, so he wanted to take revenge after he became the emperor.
Pang Ding then helped him put on the green shirt. This green shirt was also the uniform of Zaoli. The color was soap blue. This was also the origin of the name Zaoli for the Yamen servants in the Ming Dynasty.
After putting on his clothes and hat, Pang Yu didn't bother to change his shoes. He tied a red cloth belt around his waist. This cloth belt is called a girdle. When tied, it can be used as a belt. When taken off, it has two openings in the middle. It can also be used as a pocket to carry things.
It is very convenient to hang it on the shoulder. It is the standard equipment of Zaoli. It is very suitable for collecting agricultural products such as eggs, pears and apples in the market.
After dressing up in this way, Pang Yu was freshly dressed. There was no big mirror at home, so Pang Yu looked up and down by himself and felt quite strange.
Pang Yu walked through the front door. At this time, the medicinal material shop opened on the lower door panel. Dad stood on a stool and hung up the shop sign. On the shop sign, there were four words "Anping Medicinal Materials" written on it.
Old Pangtou has been smiling since he discovered that Pang Yu can read yesterday. This morning Pang Yu handed over more than ten taels of silver, which suddenly gave Old Pangtou hope in the gloomy days.
At this time, seeing Pang Yu come out, Old Pangtou came over with a smile, "Yu'er, your head still hurts, where are you going?"
Pang Yu could only stand and said respectfully: "Go to the Yamen and have a look."
"Although it's important to be on duty at the Yamen, you still have to take care of yourself. It's better to have a fresh head injury."
"knew."
Old Pangtou saw that Pang Yu had indeed changed. He was in a good mood these two days. He touched Pang Yu's head kindly and said, "But after we met, someone first said that you had been beaten to death, which made me anxious at the moment.
Fainted.
Hey, who knew it was a blessing in disguise."
Just as he said this, a woman's voice behind Old Pangtou coughed.
Pang Yu looked over and saw Zhou Yueru standing awkwardly on the street, holding the corners of his clothes with both hands, with a rare timid look. Sure enough, he came to work on time.
Pang Yu suddenly remembered that he was a servant with a maid. Now he could get over the addiction of having a female secretary. He immediately shouted to the back: "Pang Ding, you don't have to come with me today. I have found another helper."
The father looked back and forth, and asked his son in surprise, "Did you find a female helper?
"This, this, I've never heard of a female helper..." "Don't worry, dad, I'll find someone to take care of the injury. It won't be a problem."
Pang Yu cut the mess with a knife and interrupted her father, not wanting his father to know that she was a daughter of the Zhou family, and he would inevitably cause trouble.
After saying that, Pang Yu ran away towards the county government office. Miss Zhou looked up at Old Pangtou, moved her mouth to explain a few words, but in the end she couldn't find the right words and ran away.
...Because it had just rained yesterday evening, the bluestones on Tongcheng Street were clean, and there were few pedestrians on the street. It was very clean along the way, without any hustle and bustle of modern cars and horses.
Especially in the early morning, when dogs bark and roosters crow, and smoke lingers in the streets and alleys, Pang Yu stays in the city for a long time. Although he felt bored in the Ming Dynasty, he also felt a rare tranquility.
The only thing that Pang Yu was not used to was the smell of feces and urine that always lingered on the street. In the cities of the Ming Dynasty, most houses did not have special toilets. In the past, there were drainage ditches on the streets, but later they were included in various areas due to encroachment by people facing the streets.
From now on, it is difficult to clear all the houses.
As a result, the grain cycle products have no place to be discharged and are often piled up in various places in the streets and markets.
The problem is more serious in larger cities. The capital city where the emperor lives is considered the best among them, and third-tier cities like Tongcheng are relatively good.
At this time, the sky was getting brighter, the city gates had been opened, and all the shops were also opening. When the neighbors saw Pang Yu coming out in his uniform, they all greeted him, "Brother Yu, we've met."
Pang Yu smiled and thanked her, saying that these neighbors are pretty good, many of them are old neighbors, and they really try to help out when needed.
Of course, it doesn't stop them from gossiping about the Pang family behind their backs. Because of the bad things old Pang Yu did in the past, everyone really has a big opinion against him.
Now I saw a woman following Pang Yu, who looked confused and whispered to each other.
After walking five or six storefronts, I saw Aunt Liu also opening the door. She was a woman and was not qualified to open a shop. She was just helping to remove the door panel. When she saw Pang Yu coming over, Aunt Liu thought about the loss of so much money, and her face turned pale.
stand up.
Pang Yu happily raised his hands and said with a smile: "Good morning, Aunt Liu, have you had breakfast?"
Aunt Liu felt a little embarrassed after hearing this, and she forced out a smile. Suddenly she saw Zhou Yueru behind her, thinking that Pang Yu was leading a woman to demonstrate to her, so she turned around and entered the house with a sigh.
"Not polite."
Pang Yu said with a smile.
Zhou Yueru was looked at by the neighbors all the way. She blushed to the root of her neck and fell far behind. After walking for a long time and leaving the range of Pang Yu's neighborhood, she caught up a few steps and shouted, "Hey, then, who is that?
Wherever you take me, I am just a servant, not a helper. There are no women who work as helpers, they are all done by bachelors."
After hearing this, Pang Yu turned around and walked over, "You were originally responsible for taking care of my injuries, young master. What if I get a head injury and faint when I'm on duty at the Yamen? No matter if the servants are helping me, they are always by my side. What's the difference?"
.
Also, if you ask someone to call you "young master" from now on."
Zhou Yueru sighed softly, "I didn't sell you the maid to your family, so why should I call you young master?"
"Then call me brother."
"No, you are afraid of being younger than me."
Pang Yu was stunned for a moment before he remembered that he was indeed only seventeen, but his mental age was much older. He couldn't help but smile and said, "Then I'll call you sister."
"Well, that's not okay, it's a joke."
Pang Yu suddenly widened his eyes and said loudly, "Then what on earth do you want to delay me for so long with just one title? Do you know that my time is very precious? Let me tell you, you ancient people are very particular about having too many useless things. All of them are useless."
Wasting time in vain, do you know the time?
Tell me, what is the time?"
"I..." Zhou Yueru was stunned by him and couldn't answer. She didn't know what the time was.
Pang Yu took the opportunity and continued to yell: "Time is money, time is life, you are asking some inexplicable questions to delay my time, you are robbing me of my money and murdering my life. Tell me if you want to kill me."
"Ah, no, no, I didn't think about it."
Zhou Yueru had actually thought about killing Pang Yu countless times in her mind, but suddenly she was asked if she wanted to kill Pang Yu, and she panicked and said nothing.
"Just don't think about it. You can call me whatever you want. Master, I am a good person, but you can't waste my time."
After Pang Yu said that, she turned around and continued walking. Zhou Yueru gasped with anger. She originally wanted to ask Pang Yu why he asked the Zhou family to pay so much money and asked her to help when Pang Yu couldn't see any injuries at all. Instead, she asked about the title.
After being scolded for nothing, I lost my momentum and didn't dare to ask again for a while.
"While I'm on the road, I'll tell you about the main job of a maid.
Before noon, I worked hard in the Yamen. Your female assistant can't go in, but it's not a problem. Let's book a place for lunch first. The food should be a little heavier. Master, I am a person who lives a delicate life. I need to eat something before meals.
Fruit, remember, not after a meal, eat it before a meal for better absorption and help digestion. After a meal, rinse your mouth with salt water, and then make a pot of tea... I haven’t decided what tea to make yet. You can check the price later...
"While Pang Yu was chattering, he arrived at the eight-character wall of the county government. Pang Yu stopped and casually drew a big cake to Zhou Yueru: "Today is your first day as a helper. Master, the induction training I will give you is one sentence, three hundred and six.
If you are a top scholar in any of the ten professions, don't look down on the helpers. You have to do what you do and love it. If you do well, you can get ahead..." Zhou Yueru rolled her eyes at him, "I've never heard of helpers being able to get ahead."
"Don't talk back. The helper depends on who you help. The helpers in Master Pang's family are able to stand out. If they do well, they will get bonuses. Maybe I won't be your helper for half a year, and I can still make some money to help support the family."
Zhou Yueru has been preoccupied with money in the past two days. The Zhou family suffered heavy losses after this battle, even worse than the Pang family. Not only did shopkeeper Zhou suffer a great deal, but there was no liquidity in the shop at all. When he heard that there was money,
My spirit suddenly lifted.
Zhou Yueru said hesitantly, "Then what should I do now?"
"Wait here, young master, I'll go in and see if there are any errands to send.
If I have it, I’ll take you there; if not, we’ll get a room together.”
"Wait here?"
Zhou Yueru didn't understand the meaning of opening a room, but she could see the surrounding environment. There were many helpers and the like who were eating public meals nearby, and there were many crooked and ugly people. Many of them were still looking at her with ill intentions.
Look at.
"How about I go in with you? I'm a little scared of those people."
Pang Yu followed her gaze and suddenly grabbed Zhou Yueru's arm, dragged him over and put his arms around his shoulders, and then said loudly to the crowd standing on the splayed wall: "Everyone standing at the door, listen up. I am Pang Yu from the soap class. This is
The woman is my helper, no one should have any ideas about her, if anyone has any ideas, please come out and tell me now."
Zhou Yueru was stunned and didn't even think of how to react. She stared at Pang Yu blankly.
As expected, all kinds of people on the eight-character wall looked over and showed various expressions. Some were indifferent, some were watching the fun, some were mocking, some were sneering, some were contemptuous and some were fierce.
Since the early Ming Dynasty, the establishment of the local government in the Ming Dynasty has never been able to meet the needs of governance. There are many non-staff personnel in various places. In the early Ming Dynasty, they were added to the labor force or sent to each district. After the middle Ming Dynasty, with the development of the commodity economy
, there are more and more affairs that need to be handled in the local area, and there are more and more non-staff personnel, commonly known as helpers, who follow the government to eat. Some have the ability to do practical work, such as He Xianya, but there are more
He is a green-skinned man, not a kind person.
Pang Yu hugged Zhou Yueru and looked around carelessly. Whenever he encountered a fierce look, Pang Yu would look directly at him and write down those features.
After sweeping down the circle, Pang Yu smiled and said: "Since no one comes out to speak, it means no one has made any decisions."
After saying that, he let go of Zhou Yueru and said, "See, there are good people here. No one dares to touch you at the gate of the county government."
Zhou Yueru didn't even have time to pursue the matter of hugging, and said: "I think they are very fierce, but they still want to get in."
Pang Yu stared at her, "Then do you have any money?"
"If you don't bring it, all my money will be given to you."
Pang Yu pointed to the six door leaves in the middle of the ceremonial door inside, "Why are you going in without any money? I've never heard of the six-leaf Yamen opening, so don't come in if you have no money."
While Zhou Yueru was stunned, Pang Yu had already entered the gate.
At midnight in the morning, there were the most people. Pang Yu followed a group of government officials and entered the lobby from the Yimen. The Yimen of the county government had three horizontal bays, each with two leaves, for a total of six.
Yamen in the Ming Dynasty were often commonly known as the Six Gates, which is how they came about.
As for the martial arts-oriented Six Gates of the Ming Dynasty’s secret service, it was just made up by novelists.
However, these six doors belong to the main entrance and can only be entered by officials. Pang Yu and others are not qualified to enter. There is a convenience door on each side of the Yimen. It is usually used to drive on the right when going east or west.
Entering from the side door is the county government lobby. The lobby is not only a hall. There is a pond in front of the Yimen. The pond is still running water. It is the river where the lights were placed the day before yesterday. It is surrounded by green trees. There are rockeries on the left and right of the pond and a stone bridge.
Across the pond, Tongcheng people call it Tangqian Bridge. After crossing the bridge, there is an open space covered with bluestone slabs. There are two rows of wing rooms on the left and right, with a total of eight large bays on both sides, which are the important six-room offices of the county government. Above the wing rooms are the county offices.
The Yamen Hall is where the magistrate handles official business.
At this time, the open space in the middle was full of people, including various people from the county government. Six-room clerks, prison chiefs, yin and yang, medical officers and others stood in the front row.
Ce Shu and others stood behind, chatting in low voices to pass the time while waiting for the morning service.
What Pang Yu saw in his eyes was that those with certain positions were all very arrogant, while the government servants had a bit of a vulgar image. They either surrounded the officials and fawned over them, or they stayed back and did not dare to talk. Pang Yu felt that he should be the most elegant government servant.
Pang Yu passed through the crowd and finally squeezed to the top of the right wing.
This room is still above the official's room, where the county government's official office is located. It means "shangchengxiafa". It mainly handles documents and conveys instructions. It is similar to the offices of various institutions in later generations, such as the official office (Note 1)
He is the director of the Tongcheng County Government Office, a very high-status official in the county government.
Official Chengfa's surname was Tang. He was quite old. He had a neatly trimmed yellow beard, wore a black Qingjin jacket and a square scarf on his head. The government officials called him Tang Chengfa.
This official is the real power department in the county government. Attendance is one of them. There are also lawsuits, reports, and documents. As long as it is not designated by the county magistrate, it will be dispatched by the official of the official. Whoever offends him will be fine.
There is no division of errands, and drudgery is inevitable one after another.
As for Pang Yu's lawsuit, Chengfa Guan not only can peel off the skin of the Zhou family, but also Pang Yu, because the ranking of lawsuits is in the hands of Chengfa Guan, and he will always rank you last.
, after a few months of not being able to go to court, even if you want to go to Shenmingting, as long as the official says that the matter is too serious and should not be taken care of by Shenmingting, there is nothing you can do.
Therefore, for Zaoli, this official Chengfa cannot be offended at all.
There is a long table at the door of Chengfa House, with a pile of bamboo pieces and two bamboo baskets placed on it.
Tang Chengfa is sitting behind the long table. This is the place where the county government's attendance is checked. The Chengfa clerk is responsible for signing in at Mao o'clock every morning. The later mentioned "Dian Mao" comes from this.
That is to say, in future generations, you have to go to work before seven o'clock. This working time is not ordinary early, and there is no such thing as a weekend in the future. You have to go every day when you need to.
When Tang Chengfa saw Pang Yu coming over, he expressionlessly picked up a piece of bamboo from the table and threw it into the bamboo basket on his left.
He can save paper by checking attendance in this way. In the end, the people whose signs are not framed are those who are late or absent from work. Just recording them does not cost much paper.
Before Pang Yu could speak, Tang Chengfa said with a cold face, "Pang Yu, I heard that you had a cut on your head and the lawsuit was settled without filing a lawsuit. Did the injury heal early? Then why haven't you been there for so long?
Come to the Yamen for duty."
Pang Yu heard that his tone was wrong, but it shouldn't be the prisoner's complaint, because neither He Xianya nor Jiao Guozhao mentioned any serious relationship between the prisoner and Chengfafang. After thinking about it for a moment, he leaned close to him and whispered: "Alright?
It's not thanks to Tang Chengfa's blessing that his injuries have healed greatly. The lawsuit was just settled yesterday, and he is here today. Asking for leave these days has caused trouble for you. The dismissal of the lawsuit is all due to your convenience. Xiaoxiao
Please don’t dislike it.”
After saying that, he put the two pieces of silver he had prepared in his sleeves and put them into Tang Chengfa's hands. Tang Chengfa weighed them in his hands and found that there were four taels. Forty taels of silver was not a small amount for a small lawsuit. He was a little surprised.
, but he didn’t say anything.
This was also due to Pang Yu's lack of experience in using money, but Tang Chengfa understood that Pang Yu was deliberately trying to please him, and he felt that this fool from the Tang family had finally figured it out.
Pang Yu also breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that yesterday's withdrawal of the lawsuit had to go through the Chengfa official. After getting the money yesterday, he should first come to share the profit with Tang Chengfa. It seems that Tang Chengfa didn't see the money, so he had already made a note of it in his heart. Fortunately,
The amount I gave was not too small, so I managed to get through this.
However, Tang Chengfa had always looked down upon Pang Yu, and he didn't show any expression after accepting the money. Instead, he looked at Pang Yu coldly and said, "Remember this in the future. When the Shenming Pavilion is settled, it's not just the execution room. The Chengfa room is also numbered.
It also needs to be settled, otherwise what will happen if it is accidentally sent to the hall? Who can afford to delay the important matter of the hall?
Even if you are stupid, you still have to understand the rules when working in the yamen."
Pang Yu cursed in his heart, he was so seriously injured, and his colleagues didn't even say hello to each other, and they looked fierce. Could it be that the relationship between colleagues in the Ming Dynasty was like this.
After a while, I have to go to the execution room to make some arrangements for the clerk. After careful calculation, all parties have settled the matter. I only got a dozen taels of cash from this lawsuit. He is still an insider with the convenience. If he were an ordinary person, he would
You can't go to Shenming Pavilion. Once you go to court, you have to bribe the relevant people through litigation sticks. It's not just the commission, the yamen inside and outside have to take away 70-80%.
"This is a fucking lawsuit. I can't do this shit anymore. I have to find a big business to do it."
Pang Yu murmured a few words in a low voice, bowed his head to Tang Chengfa a few times, retreated to Zaoli's position at the back and stood up, looked around and found Jiao Guozhao.
Jiao Guozhao probably just got his money, and he looked refreshed.
"Brother, what happy event has happened to you?"
"That's not all. Last night, I used the little capital I shared to win another seven taels. I'm so lucky. If Yin Mazi hadn't started a fight with someone and ruined the situation, I would have won twenty or thirty taels.
.”
"so many?"
Pang Yu was still waiting to ask again, but there were three bangs on the right side of the lobby in the direction of the County Government Office. This was the third bang, commonly known as "Three Bangs", which meant that the official had finished washing and was about to go out to work. Everyone in the hall
They all stopped talking and stood quietly in line.