Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 652: Responsibilities
After greeting the shopkeeper who looked frightened and a few waiters who were like headless flies, Zhang Shou moved from the table in the corner to a large round table by the window. After Zhang Shou and the others sat down together, he once again comforted Lin Lao Hu to stay calm, then he leisurely picked up two raisins and ate them, and then looked down from a high position.
The man who was beating the gong did not go far away, but walked back and forth in this area, shouting the news that the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department had been dismissed. When someone pulled him aside to ask more questions, he could not say a word.
After a few times, Zhang Shou realized that the man beating the gong was not being ambiguous, but was simply not mentally normal. Apart from a few over and over again sentences, he seemed unable to speak anything else.
But just because of his commotion, the people who gathered from all directions made up all kinds of details in their own minds, especially some scholars, who were showing off by discussing and analyzing. When ordinary people came over out of curiosity, the sound of their loud discussions spread directly to the second floor of the Xinglong Tea House, and Zhang Shou and others who were sitting by the window could hear it clearly.
"The head of the Imperial Household Department, Chu Kuan, has always abused his power. Although he is a eunuch, he keeps concubines and maids at home, and has adopted a bunch of godchildren and grandchildren. He eats silk and satin, delicacies from land and sea every day, all of which are the people's money! If there were no upright gentlemen in the court who could not stand it and impeached him regardless of their lives and future, how could this powerful eunuch be brought down!"
"The two clerks of the Imperial Household Department are not good people either! I heard that their nephews and nephews took advantage of their status to bully others and forcibly married the daughters of scholars..."
"My dear friends, this is hearsay, right? The eunuchs in the Imperial Household Department don't recognize their relatives, they are disloyal and unfilial, they don't recognize their parents at all, how can they have nephews and nephews? The children they raise at home are not their children or grandchildren, nor are they their slaves. They are secretly raised to suck their bones and marrow! The history books also say that these eunuchs who have lost their masculinity are used to cannibalism!"
As the arguments became more and more distorted and bizarre, Lin Lao Hu's face turned pale. He had realized that there was something fishy behind this matter. Maybe some big shot was planning to take advantage of this opportunity to attack the fallen officials of the Imperial Household Department and wipe out the root of the problem. But as the head of the criminal department, he avoided such a chaotic situation because he was really afraid of being held accountable later.
But he had also scolded him when he was downstairs just now, but it was not as intimidating as when Zhang Shou's identity was revealed before. Not only did the person beating the gong continue to beat it, but the bystanders also didn't listen to him at all...
Some people even took advantage of the chaos to shout, not only to overthrow the powerful eunuchs, but also to exterminate the eunuch party. If Ah Liu had not pulled him out of the crowd, he even wondered if he would be labeled as a eunuch party member by those guys who were instigating the riot!
Seeing Lin Lao Hu's panic, Zhang Shou was about to say something to comfort him when he heard Ah Liu's voice. After hearing it clearly, he smiled and said, "The people from the South City Military Command are here!"
Hearing Zhang Shou's words, not only Lin Lao Hu, but even Zou Ming, Ye Mengqiu and others couldn't help but look out the window. They saw a group of people appearing at the intersection on both sides of the Xinglong Tea House almost at the same time. Several burly men directly pulled the rope to block the intersection, and then the sound of drums, which was louder and more rhythmic than the previous chaotic gong sound, suddenly sounded.
The man who had shouted first didn't even have the time to hit the gong hard to fight back, before a tall man next to him stretched out his arms and snatched the gong from his hand, then threw it heavily to the ground with a loud bang, which made the crowd suddenly quiet.
Recognizing that the person who suddenly attacked was Zhu Yi, Zhang Shou couldn't help but cheer secretly. As expected, without the sound of the gong as a counter, the sound of the drums seemed to ring in everyone's heart, suddenly covering up all the shouting voices.
Even if someone was planning to incite the crowd to resist, as soon as the voice was uttered, someone would immediately attack from behind or beside them . Ah Liu, who had very good eyesight, could even clearly see the knife attacks from different directions but with very similar techniques, and he couldn't help but curl his lips.
Zhu Yi and his gang were really rough! After knocking someone unconscious, they would cause a commotion among the people around them. If he took action, he would definitely be able to drag the person away without anyone noticing... If there weren't so many people in the crowd, I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to suppress it at all.
While Ah Liu was thinking this, Zhang Shou also discovered that those who were leading the commotion had been pinned to the ground. All those who had taken action had hidden in the crowd beforehand. He only recognized Zhu Yi, and the others did not seem to be the guards of the Duke of Zhao's mansion. Under such intimidation and the sound of drums, the originally noisy crowd finally quieted down.
In an instant, the drumbeats stopped abruptly. Then a loud voice sounded: "Master Zhu, the commander of the Five Cities Military Department, is announcing that someone has instigated Crazy Chen behind the Guiyi Temple in Xuanbeifang, the outer city, to beat the gong and cause trouble. Their intentions are suspicious. Master Zhu will personally investigate!"
After revealing the identity of the person beating the gong, the people shouted again: "If scholars want to discuss politics, then they should write a letter to express their opinions. Don't gossip like gossipy women on the street, chattering endlessly and making up stories. This is just a warning for no reason. If you do it again, don't blame Master Zhu for submitting your names to the provincial education commissioners and inspectors to remove your reputation!"
As the loud voice ended, there was a call to disperse. In an instant, the crazy Chen who was beating the gong was taken away directly along with the gong by the two men. As for the others who were subdued after the shouting, they were thrown where they were like unwanted rags, and the people who attacked them left without even a glance at them.
When the people from the South City Army who had just pulled ropes to block both ends of the street also retreated, a few voices gradually came from the once silent street, but without exception, they spoke in very low voices.
Seeing those unlucky guys on the ground groaning and getting up, some people in the crowd who looked like scholars in Confucian robes quietly slipped away, and even ordinary people hurriedly dispersed. The street that was as lively as a market just now became deserted almost instantly, with only a few scattered people left. Zhang Shou couldn't help but laugh at the stunned Lin Lao Hu and said, "The South City Army and Horse Division really came quickly."
"This attack was so powerful that it suddenly disappeared. Young Master Zhu is indeed worthy of being a descendant of a general. He has applied the military tactics he used in war here!"
Lin Lao Hu's eyes were slack and he was shaken. Before he could reply, Zou Ming could not help but applaud. Not only him, but others could not help but echo him. They all felt that the reaction of the South City Army was extremely fast and simply wonderful.
But Ah Liu couldn't help but narrow his eyes, and then said without thinking: "Someone is coming upstairs!"
As the landmark building of the outer city, it was not surprising that someone was going upstairs in Xinglong Tea House. However, Ah Liu warned Zhang Shou that he was worried. Sure enough, a person came up the stairs after the sound of slow and steady footsteps.
The man was wearing a plain dark blue robe and looked like an ordinary scholar, but the scar on his face made his originally handsome face a little disfigured. He was wearing a pair of half-worn black soft boots and a sword at his waist. The sword had a black scabbard and a black handle. It was not inlaid with gold or jade, and it didn't even have a tassel. It was extremely simple.
But when Zhang Shou saw him, he stood up with a smile, bowed politely and said, "Brother Zhu."
Zhu Tingfang seemed a little surprised to see that there were actually several people standing up after Zhang Shou, some of whom he knew and some of whom he didn't. He also nodded politely.
He did not avoid the crowd and said directly: "After Yingying came back last night, I heard the whole thing from her. I expected that someone might want to strike while the iron is hot and catch the enemy, so I made some arrangements in advance. I didn't expect that someone would be so stupid."
"Jiuzhang, I heard that your Jiuzhang Hall has moved to the inner city, and you plan to choose a date for an open day to hold public classes. Will all the astronomy and numerology talents who were summoned to Beijing come to listen? If possible, it's best to postpone it for a few days. With such a big thing happening, there may be chaos. Be careful that others will target your Jiuzhang Hall again, and this arithmetic hall that has attracted much attention even before it was built."
Seeing Zhang Shou smiling indifferently but avoiding the question, Zhu Tingfang remembered that this person's ability to stir up trouble was even greater than Zhu Ying's ability to cause trouble in the past, and he couldn't help but feel a headache.
However, Zhang Shou was his future brother-in-law, so even if he didn't want to listen, he had to persuade him: "Don't think I'm exaggerating. You know, there are many candidates who are colluding with each other. Since your open class is open to the public, there may be many people who will go to listen."
"That requires them to understand." Zhang Shou smiled nonchalantly, "In the past, Jiuzhang Hall also had open days in the Imperial College, and even open classes. With more people coming to listen, it didn't matter if there were more scholars watching. They are naturally top-notch in reading the books of sages and writing contemporary essays, but if they really have the ability to find faults in the arithmetic classics, it would be a pleasant surprise for me."
Zhang Shou's words also required them to understand, and Zou Ming and the other two scholars were immediately embarrassed. They had also visited Tiangong Workshop and read the "Ge's New Compilation of Mathematics" that could be seen everywhere in Zhang Garden. They could still read the first two volumes, but the later volumes were like reading a book from heaven.
Ye Mengqiu and the other three thought of their stupid criticisms during Lu Sanlang's coming-of-age ceremony, and felt even more ashamed. They had studied astronomy and numerology since childhood. If they were replaced by those scholars who only read books of sages...
I'm afraid that would be a repeat of the day of the imperial lecture, when Zhang Shou was demonstrating in public and a group of court officials were shouting and talking nonsense about the witchcraft!
Zhu Tingfang saw the expressions of Zhang Shou and other guests and couldn't help but feel a little strange. However, Zhang Shou was so sure, he remembered that his teacher Liu Zhiyuan was now also a public school, so he said lightly: "It's good that you are sure. I have sorted out this outer city these days. Although I can't say that I have missed everything, I will not let anyone run rampant again."
Lin Lao Hu had long wanted to meet Zhu Tingfang alone, but he had never found the chance. Today, he finally got the chance. When he saw Zhu Tingfang turn around and leave after saying this, he was not willing to let it go, so he hurriedly chased after him and saluted.
"Master Zhu, I am Lin Lao Hu, the head of the Shuntian Prefecture Criminal Division. When someone was causing trouble just now, I rushed down to stop them, but I was powerless. Thanks to Master Shou's Sixth Brother, I was able to escape. Should I go back and lead people to patrol the city just in case?"
Zhu Tingfang suddenly stopped and looked back at Lin Lao Hu. He said casually, "You are the head of the criminal department. Just focus on thefts and other criminal cases. As for those who incite trouble with ulterior motives and involve some important people, you should ignore them. As for if there is any trouble in the city... I have already sent orders to the military headquarters of the east, west, north and center cities."
"If they are afraid to take action to suppress the incitement, I will hold them responsible! And if they offend someone they cannot afford to offend during the suppression, I will take the blame! I may not be in the outer city all the time, I may be watching them from somewhere!"
At this moment, Lin Lao Hu felt as if he saw his former boss, Wang Jie, who was also a person who took on all the responsibilities and was strict with his subordinates. Back then, the officials and servants in Shuntian Prefecture were very conscientious and did not dare to slack off, but they were also very at ease.
Because Wang Datou really took all the responsibilities on himself! And Wang Datou also spread the word that if anyone dared to harbor resentment against the clerks who were performing official duties in Shuntian Prefecture Yamen and took revenge on them, he would make them suffer the consequences even if he had to give up his official hat!
Although the current Duke of Qin Zhang Chuan also delegated power internally and took on external responsibilities, Zhang Chuan himself said that he followed the same rules as his predecessor, and everything was the same as before. In addition, Zhang Chuan's status was already very strong, so he naturally admired Wang Datou more. So, facing Zhu Tingfang who took the initiative to take on the biggest responsibility, he couldn't help but bow again with sincere admiration.
"On behalf of all the three shifts of officials in the Shuntian Prefecture and Wanping and Daxing counties, I would like to thank Master Zhu!"
"This is what the Five Cities Army should do. Why should I even say thank you?"
Zhu Tingfang paused and said calmly, "Patrol and arrest thieves, tidy up the streets and ditches, inspect prisons, and pay attention to fire bans. All vagrants and evil people who cause trouble will be arrested and punished immediately... These are all the responsibilities of the Wucheng Bingmasi. If they are all kicked out, what is the Wucheng Bingmasi for?"
Hearing this, Zou Ming finally couldn't help but ask, "Master Zhu, you have done all these things, but what about the imperial inspector?"
This time, Zhang Shou said with a smile: "As for the city inspectors, in addition to urging the Five Cities Military Department to perform their duties, they are actually more to prevent foreign officials from seeking favors and bribes after entering the capital. However, looking around, among all the previous city inspectors, how many dared to report that foreign officials were colluding with court officials? And how many could find favors and bribes?"
"Over the years, the Censorate has almost become the domain of the cabinet and ministers. Those who are truly strong and capable have a hard time gaining a foothold." Zhu Tingfang replied indifferently, then looked at Zou Ming and others and said, "I really hope that among the new Jinshi this time, there will be a group of decent censors."
"In order to show that they are not afraid of power, they nitpick the so-called powerful and wealthy; in order to please the superiors, they act as pawns; they seek fame and reputation, or even sell their integrity; these are all shitty censors! Real censors punish wrongdoings and correct mistakes, and they uphold justice and the law!"
