On August 31st, the sun rises and the autumn air is clear and crisp.
The spring is bright and the room is bright.
Jiang Yushu sat upright in front of the mirror, wearing a plain white middle-length dress and single pants. She stared at herself in the bronze mirror and said softly, "No need for makeup." After that, she picked up the eyebrow stone, leaned over, and drew her eyebrows in front of the bronze mirror, fading the curvature of her natural eyebrows and slowly drawing two heroic eyebrows that were half sword-shaped.
"ah?"
"This, this..." Cuimei and the two maids were surprised and asked hesitantly, "Madam, you are taking office today and will be meeting many subordinates later. Shouldn't you put on some rouge?"
Jiang Yushu shook her head and replied slowly, "I've never been too lazy to dress up. Besides, 'women dress to please themselves.' Your Second Master is not here, so who would I dress up for?"
Cuimei and the other three couldn't help laughing and covered their mouths.
"When meeting with subordinates and important figures in this county, I shouldn't dress up too elaborately. I'm a court lady, and people are already talking about me. If I dress too extravagantly, who knows what they'll say." Jiang Yushu sighed, but a smile lingered in her eyes. After a moment, she put down her eyebrow shavings, looked left and right in the mirror, and nodded with satisfaction.
Cuimei was indignant on her behalf, "Appearance is innate. Madam is naturally beautiful. Even without makeup, she is still beautiful!"
Jiang Yushu picked up the comb, nodded to her confidant with a smile, and praised: "Not bad, after learning calligraphy and reading, your flattery has become more and more beautiful."
"I'm just speaking the truth, how am I exaggerating?" Cuimei took the comb, and Xiaoshuang and Xiaoxia came closer to agree: "Her appearance is obvious to all. Beauty is beauty, and it is definitely not exaggerated."
“That’s right!”
Jiang Yushu said happily: "You guys are all so sweet!"
The master and servants chatted for a while, and Cuimei leaned over and asked, "Have you combed all your hair? Tuck it into your hat."
"Um."
After a moment, Jiang Yushu stood up and opened her arms. Two maids brought her an official robe, unfolded it, and carefully put it on her.
"The waist remains unchanged. I only altered the shoulders, sleeves, and hem. Do you think it fits?"
Jiang Yushu looked carefully at the large bronze mirror: a seventh-rank civil servant, wearing a blue official robe with patches embroidered with egrets, which were wide and straight.
With every move she made, her official robe fluttered, making the tall woman look even taller, with a graceful figure, a calm expression, and a sense of elegance.
"Oh, the length is just right, it looks good."
"It looks good!" Cuimei and others surrounded the female official and praised her, feeling proud of it.
"Where's the belt?"
Xiaoxia was delivered quickly, and the three of them worked together to tie the wide belt so that it was neither loose nor tight.
Finally, put on your hat.
Jiang Yushu stared at herself in the bronze mirror, adjusting her black gauze hat with both hands. Her heart was in turmoil, and she sighed, "I don't know if I can wear this hat properly, and I don't know how long I can wear it."
"It will definitely go smoothly and last forever!" Cuimei hurriedly reminded: "Today is a good day to take office, don't say anything unlucky."
Jiang Yushu smiled, turned around, and took a firm step, "Let's go to the front hall!"
Soon, the front hall
The border area is vast and sparsely populated, unlike the capital where every inch of land is valuable. Although the county government office is old and even dilapidated, it is very spacious, square and solemn, and clean.
Jiang Yushu walked forward in her official robe, observing the unfamiliar environment as she walked.
In addition to a few of the magistrate's close associates, the county magistrate, the chief clerk, the registrar, etc., surrounded and followed him. No matter how they doubted themselves in their hearts, they were respectful on the surface.
"Which parts of the entire county government office have been renovated?" she asked in a clear voice and calm manner.
County Magistrate Huang Yichun approached and replied briefly, "The court hall, the study of the sixth chamber, and some of the wing rooms in the back hall. During the fall of Yongzhou, the county hall was ravaged by enemy soldiers and left in a mess. Well, due to financial constraints, we couldn't come up with enough silver right away, so we can only repair it slowly."
Jiang Yushu nodded, and in a moment, she walked into the side hall and sat down, looking down at the two rows of chairs from a high vantage point. "It's not time yet, everyone, take a seat."
"Thank you, sir." The county magistrate led several clerks and sat down according to the old rules.
Then, the yamen runners served tea. Everyone had never dealt with a female official before, so they didn't dare to look at her or know what to say. They simply lowered their heads and sipped the tea in silence, fearing that they might accidentally offend their superiors.
Jiang Yushu drank a sip of tea, flipped through her resume, met with her subordinates, received many gifts and compliments, and spoke a lot of polite words.
After a while, she noticed that someone was missing, so she asked gently, "Teacher, Jing Yuanshan—oh? He's over sixty. Has the old man arrived?"
The subordinates did not respond, and there was complete silence, with a slight glint of watching the show in their eyes.
Huang Yichun felt obliged to do so. He leaned sideways and looked up, explaining, "Mr. Jing has asked for leave. Firstly, he is old, secondly, he was injured in the war and has difficulty walking. Thirdly, he caught a cold recently and is bedridden. He is unable to see you for the time being. I believe he will come to see you once he recovers."
"I see."
Jiang Yushu nodded, pointing her index finger at the resume booklet, praising, "It says here that the old gentleman was a juren (a successful candidate in a juren degree), has spent half his life teaching, and has produced many students all over the world. Despite injuries and illnesses, he should have been enjoying his retirement, but he still cared about his students. Quite true, very admirable."
The clerks, each with their own thoughts, listened with forced smiles. Huang Yichun's face grew uneasy for a moment before he chimed in, "Yes, Mr. Jing has indeed been teaching for most of his life."
Haha, that old sour scholar will come, wait and see the fun! Wen Xi chuckled, and glanced at Li Qigong. The uncle and the husband understood each other tacitly and waited secretly.
A moment later, a clerk came trotting in, stopped at the door, bowed, and respectfully announced: "Your Excellency, the time has come, and the people are waiting for your arrival."
"good."
"Sir, please." All the subordinates stood up and let the magistrate go first.
It was a complicated formality, but it was necessary to go through this simple process to officially announce the arrival of the new official. Jiang Yushu stood up. Her official robe had been shortened, but the waist had been deliberately kept loose. As she walked, she looked graceful and unexpectedly heroic.
She led the crowd to the ceremonial gate of the county government office without looking around and stopped.
At this time, the three classes and six departments, as well as the prominent figures in the county, had already lined up in two rows to wait. Young and old, all men, more than a hundred of them, were extremely curious and secretly looked at the female magistrate.
The sun was rising above the treetops, and a group of people were gathered under the autumn sun, but it was quiet, without any whispers.
The master of ceremonies was naturally the clerk from the etiquette office. He cleared his throat and solemnly announced, "The new magistrate, Lord Jiang, has arrived. He pays homage to—"
Instantly, except for those with achievements who bowed, the rest of the people knelt down and shouted, "Common people pay their respects to Lord Jiang!"
The six ministries of the imperial court—personnel, household, rites, military affairs, punishment, and works—were the same six departments as the county yamen. The state had its own laws, and the county had its own regulations, all strictly enforced. For ordinary people, the emperor was far away, the county magistrate was their father and mother, the supreme ruler, and the county yamen was their "small imperial court."
Jiang Yushu was filled with emotion. She slowly scanned the crowd and said loudly, "Everyone get up."
"Thank you, sir." Everyone obeyed the order. There was no sound of discussion, only the rustling of shoes and clothes.
The next moment, the master of ceremonies waved his hand and several yamen runners nearby immediately lit firecrackers.
In an instant, the sound of firecrackers "crackling" became continuous and deafening. Amid the noise, the smell of gunpowder filled the air. The autumn wind blew up red debris, and the crowd finally began to talk, and the atmosphere was very lively.
The master of ceremonies bustled back and forth, then approached slightly and reminded, "Sir, please enter the hall and bow to express your gratitude for the emperor's grace!"
Jiang Yushu nodded, her back straight as she entered the hall. Facing the direction of the capital, she knelt three times and kowtowed nine times, thanking the emperor from afar. She said solemnly, "Your humble servant, Guo Jiang, kowtows to thank the emperor for his grace. From now on, I will do my best to serve the public and the people, and will never let the court down."
Then, the master of ceremonies skillfully led the way and shouted, "Please go to the back hall to offer sacrifices to the Kitchen God!"
She patiently led a group of key clerks to the back court to offer sacrifices to the Kitchen God according to etiquette. Then, returning to the front court, she entered the spacious courtroom, solemnly accepted the seal, and took her seat. She supervised the six officials in charge of finances, who each took their own registers and signed their names one by one, making it easier for the new official to recognize his subordinates.
Everyone was in high spirits and appeared harmonious. In the midst of the excitement, the sound of "dong dong" drums suddenly rang out outside. The drummer was obviously using great strength and the sound was clearly audible.
"What's going on?"
"What's going on?"
Everyone was stunned, stopped talking, and looked at each other.
Jiang Yushu was stunned for a moment, then came to her senses and asked uncertainly, "Is this...beating the drum to complain?"
"Yes. The entire county government office has only one drum, which is used by common people to report crimes." Huang Yichun frowned in confusion, wanting to speak but stopping himself.
Outside the hall, a petty official was anxiously standing on tiptoe, looking for the county magistrate, hoping to see him. However, he was stopped by several constables: "Go away!"
"What are you doing?"
"The new magistrate is a female official. Without permission, no one is allowed to approach her to avoid offending her."
The court was solemn, with a plaque reading "A Clear Mirror Hanging High" hanging above the desk.
I just took office, and there's already a case? Jiang Yushu's mind raced, her face calm as she asked softly, "Should I file a complaint first?"
"Yes. But occasionally, when there's a more urgent case, or when the plaintiff doesn't know how to ask a lawyer to write a complaint, they'll beat the drum." Huang Yichun, not understanding the female official's personality, asked tentatively, "Your Excellency, you just took office today and received the seal. Do you need a rest?"
Many people heard the drumbeats, and the new official had to bite the bullet and handle the case even if he was unfamiliar with the job!
Jiang Yushu was nervous but inexplicably excited, and she answered firmly, "No. Since I have already received the county magistrate's seal, how can I ignore someone who has reported a case? I will immediately go to court to see who has reported the case and what the grievance is."
Huang Yichun, as the county magistrate, was used to handling cases. He had no objection, nodded, and ordered: "Prepare for the court session!"
"Yes." The relevant clerks received the order and quickly arranged their men to act. After a short while, everything was arranged and the magistrate was respectfully invited to review the case.
Although Jiang Yushu often went in and out of government offices in various places and had watched officials try cases several times, she was just passing by and had never watched the entire trial seriously... She had no experience in trying cases in court. Fortunately, the county magistrate was present and assisted her, so she didn't make a fool of herself.
The gavel banged with a crisp sound, and the county magistrate shouted on his behalf: "Open the court, bring the plaintiff!"
Then, under the gaze of everyone, a white-haired, lame old man, wearing a washed-out blue robe and reeking of alcohol, limped into the court.
Instantly, everyone was dumbfounded and whispered to each other: "Why is it him?"
"Alas, the old man is drunk again!"
"He didn't make enough trouble last time, so he's here again. What does he want to do this time?"
…
Jiang Yushu perked up, examining the plaintiff. Just as she was about to ask, the county magistrate asked in surprise, "Mr. Jing? W-why—were you beating the drum to protest your injustice just now?"
"Mr. Jing?" Jiang Yushu was surprised and asked softly, "Could he be the county's instructor?"
"Yes." Huang Yichun said helplessly: "He is Jing Yuanshan."
Jing Yuanshan, with snow-white hair and beard, was drunk. He raised his head proudly and asked, "You, you are the new magistrate? Oh, as expected, you are a woman." After speaking, he sighed deeply, stuck out his tongue, and mumbled:
"It is unbecoming for a hen to crow at dawn."
The hen crows at dawn?
Jiang Yushu heard it clearly and her face changed suddenly.
“Bold!”
"Old sir, please don't be so rude!" Li Qigong stood up suddenly, his voice righteous and awe-inspiring. "This is the new county magistrate sent by the court. He is the father and mother of the country. Although you are a juren, you don't need to kneel, but you still have to pay your respects."
Jing Yuanshan stood straight, showing obvious disrespect, and looked at the new peak in silence.
Jiang Yushu frowned slightly, then calmly waved her hand to stop Li Qigong. She asked knowingly, "Who is this person in the hall? Why are you beating the drum to protest?"
Jing Yuanshan was furious and shouted, "I'm going to sue the county magistrate!"
The author has something to say: I originally wanted to ask for leave today, but I have to cancel it. I am desperately trying to update before midnight. I have become ingrained in my habit of getting a red flower for updating every day. However, I rarely get perfect attendance. I am always absent for one or two days every month for various reasons.
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