Qin Mu also understood the seriousness of the matter. The fact that they could train military officers to become suicide soldiers meant that the forces behind them had big ambitions.
“From last night until today, a large group of people have been making a ruckus. I just finished court. Don’t forget to bring guards when you go out during this time,” Qin Qiong reminded him.
Qin Mu nodded to indicate that he understood. He had also taken action yesterday. Since the mastermind behind the scenes couldn't deal with Li Shimin and Cheng Zhijie, it was hard to guarantee that they wouldn't vent their anger on him.
Li Shimin likely established the Six Doors (a government agency) with the intention of thoroughly cleaning up Chang'an and strengthening the crackdown on clandestine forces. At the very least, he wanted to prevent so many troublesome incidents from happening near his home.
Qin Mu had a deep impression of the Six Doors because they had appeared many times in the movies of another world. Therefore, when Qin Qiong asked him to produce a plan, he quickly got some ideas.
Li Shimin has now appointed a chief constable and a registrar. The registrar is likely to be a supervisor and also his informant, which is not important to Qin Mu.
In addition, there are four patrol officers. I, along with Yuchi Baolin and Cheng Huaimo, will occupy three of them. The third will depend on my father's arrangements. However, their martial arts skills are relatively weak, so we will need to arrange for some better fighters.
The Bu brothers themselves were unwilling to serve in government, so it would be inappropriate to arrange for them to join the Six Doors. It would be better to establish an honorary constable position instead!
The constables of the Dali Temple and the prefectural government were called yamen runners, while those of the Six Doors were called constables, which made it easy to distinguish them. Constables were divided into four levels according to gold, silver, bronze, and iron. In addition, an honorary constable was set up, which was specially set up for external support and was equivalent to the gold and silver constables, and was divided according to strength.
In addition, another title of "Divine Constable" will be established, but this title must at least be equivalent to the strength of a general. This is specifically for recruiting experts. Li Shimin would definitely have no objection to exchanging a general-level expert for a third-rank Divine Constable position, since this third-rank position doesn't have much real power; the power to mobilize constables is in the hands of Qin Mu and his team.
As for their responsibilities, Li Shimin had already defined them very reasonably: independent of the Six Ministries of the court, they only had the power of arrest and interrogation, while sentencing was left to the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review. This prevented the Six Doors from having too much power and abusing their authority, which was a good thing, so Qin Mu did not dwell on this point.
As a new department and one of the leaders in charge, Qin Mu couldn't help but feel excited. He not only set up the hierarchy, but also wanted to come up with unique clothing.
He drew inspiration from samurai and flying fish robes, modifying the clothing to be more form-fitting and less baggy, including the underwear, which consisted of boxer briefs. Ordinary constables did not wear capes, while silver and gold medal constables did.
Of course, a flying fish robe is inseparable from an embroidered spring knife. Nowadays, the main type of knife used for foot combat is the horizontal sword. Compared with the embroidered spring knife, the horizontal sword is wider and heavier. For constables, the embroidered spring knife is more suitable.
Not only that, once Qin Mu got into the design mood, he drew another twenty or thirty unique and exaggerated weapon designs.
Those were swords from another world of movies and animation. Some of them were not physics-compliant, so he removed and modified them, but the overall design is much more beautiful.
One of the main design styles is to divide the knife into two parts, with the blade in front and the handle longer than the blade, like a bow, except the bowstring is the handle. This design reduces the impact during combat and eliminates the risk of being easily injured.
Of course! This was just something he came up with on a whim. Whether anyone likes it or not is another matter. Besides, it's only for experts. Ordinary constables can just use the Embroidered Spring Blade.
People are all about interest! Once they're really interested in something, they can do it quickly and well. Before noon, Qin Mu found Qin Qiong with a stack of Xuan paper.
"Your demands are too many. Not only are the clothing and waist badges new, but the weapons are also all new styles. How could His Majesty possibly agree to that!" Qin Qiong said with a smile.
"Father, how will you know His Majesty won't agree if you don't try? The new department represents the image of the court and embodies its majesty, so of course it must be different from others. Besides, these uniforms look beautiful, pleasing to the eye, and full of spirit, making it easier for the people to trust them, right?" Qin Mu persuaded.
"I'll give it a try," Qin Qiong nodded. It must be said that the clothing and weapons Qin Mu drew were indeed more attractive than the soldiers' current uniforms. Based on his understanding of Li Shimin, he might actually agree, because Li Shimin was very concerned with his image, and naturally wouldn't want a new department to be poorly managed.
Qin Qiong agreed to Qin Mu's request and then went to the palace again. He was an impatient person by nature and of course wouldn't dawdle.
Yesterday, someone dared to assassinate Li Shimin, and today the atmosphere in Chang'an is much more tense. Not only are the local ruffians hiding in their homes, but even ordinary people are hurrying about. The Yuchi brothers and the Cheng brothers, who have been reporting to the city every day recently, have not been seen.
Fortunately, Qin Mu wasn't bored. He had plenty to do. He entrusted the snotty-nosed Luo Tong to Qin Huaiyu, while his younger siblings studied and wrote upstairs. Of course, when Qin Mu wasn't around, the room was filled with laughter and chatter. Only when he moved around did the room fall silent.
The most diligent student was Qin Yuxin, who meticulously completed the reading and memorization tasks as instructed by Qin Mu. Not only that, but while her younger siblings played, she would practice the guqin (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument) and do arithmetic.
Qin Mu taught differently from others. He believed in teaching according to aptitude. Apart from literacy, calligraphy, and arithmetic, which were essential to learn, other subjects like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting were entirely up to their personal interests.
While supervising his younger siblings' studies, Qin Mu began to organize his own poems and reading notes, binding all his previous works, including "Summer Quatrains" and "Elementary Primer of Prosody," into a book.
To make learning fun, Qin Mu told them a passage from the Analects, then let them go downstairs to rest and play.
Playing the flute horizontally and the xiao vertically, facing the setting sun, Qin Mu took out his flute on the second floor, tried it out with a "toot! toot-toot!" sound, and then began to play. After a period of practice, his flute playing was quite decent. The key was that music could relax people, and also make them feel refreshed, invigorated, and elevate their spirits.
Teaching others is also a learning process for oneself, so Qin Mu taught with extra care, even taking time every day to prepare lesson plans. If he didn't have time to prepare them, he would assign a lot of homework for Qin Huaiyu and the others to practice.
Recently, Qin Qiong has taken to stand quietly outside Qin Mu's courtyard every day, listening to the sounds of reading or laughter coming from inside. At these times, he feels incredibly happy and content, as if this is the life a family should have.
Noticing Qin Qiong, Qin Mu went downstairs to greet him, looking at Qin Qiong with a hint of expectation and asking, "Father, has His Majesty agreed?"
"I agree! However, the court will only allocate 200,000 strings of cash; we'll have to find our own weapons and clothing." Qin Qiong said, adopting the authority of a father, as he walked into the courtyard with his hands behind his back.
"Huh! You'll handle it yourself? How do you do that? With so many weapons and uniforms, are there only a few personnel? And where's the office space?" Qin Mu asked in surprise.
"It's alright, as long as we have money. Some standard weapons issued by the imperial court are distributed to the people. Some families engaged in forging have quotas every year, so we can just contact them."
"The office location has also been decided: the former residence of Yang Xuangan of the Sui Dynasty. Yang Xuangan and his entire family were executed, and the residence fell into disrepair," Qin Qiong said.
"Abandoned? Will the government office also need to be rebuilt?" Qin Mu asked with a sense of foreboding.
"Ahem! That should be the case, but the Ministry of Works will send someone to help," Qin Qiong said somewhat embarrassedly. He certainly wouldn't do it himself, meaning that currently only Qin Mu, the newly appointed patrol officer, could handle it.
"Father, can I resign from my official post now?" Qin Mu asked cautiously. He was already busy enough with the restaurant, teaching his younger siblings, and cultivating, so he didn't want to spend too much time taking on other things.
"Do you really want to do it yourself for your father?" Qin Qiong asked, his eyes wide.
"Alright! I'll go see where the government office is and how to repair it!" Qin Mu nodded resignedly.
"Take Qin Yong with you! He knows the location!" Qin Qiong nodded and smiled.
After Qin Qiong finished speaking, he left. As a hands-off manager, he still felt somewhat apologetic. Of course, he didn't do it on purpose. The selection, training, registration, and handover of personnel to the court all needed to be handled. It wouldn't be convenient to leave these matters to Qin Mu, since Qin Mu was still young and not familiar with the personnel affairs in Chang'an.
Yang Su's residence wasn't far, located in Buzhengfang, just outside the imperial city. It occupied a vast area, at least three or four times the size of the Qin family's residence just by looking at the outside. However, it was overgrown with weeds, dilapidated, and the outer walls were crumbling, clearly showing signs of long-term neglect. It was truly unexpected that such a run-down place existed so close to the imperial city, uninhabited and unused. But thinking about it, it wasn't surprising. The Tang Dynasty had only been established for ten years, navigating internal and external troubles, and needed to focus its limited resources and energy on other important matters.
"Young Master, back then, Yang Xuangan rebelled, and his entire family was slaughtered, and this house was also damaged at the time. However, Yang Xuangan was, after all, a member of the Hongnong Yang family. Even though Yang Xuangan's branch was gone, the Yang family still existed, so no one wanted to take over this place. Yang Xuangan was killed for rebellion, which, although belonging to the previous dynasty, is still a taboo subject, so the Yang family was unwilling to take over this place. Therefore, it has remained vacant," Qin Yong explained.
"Ha! I didn't realize you were so smart, Qin Yong! You've figured things out so clearly!" Qin Mu said in surprise.
"Young Master, please don't flatter me. I've only heard about this. After all, it's right next to the capital and has been empty for a long time. It's a big deal, and many people are discussing it. This is the most reasonable explanation I can think of," Qin Yong said apologetically.
“That’s right, it’s probably true! Now that a new government office has been established, His Majesty has taken the opportunity to use it. This way, it’s not considered private use, and it’s better than giving it to someone else. No one will be in a difficult position.” Qin Mu nodded in agreement, then led the way towards the dilapidated gate.
The copper rings and nails on the gate were rusty, but fortunately the wooden gate itself was still intact. Qin Yong stepped forward and pushed it, and with a creaking sound, the gate slowly opened.
Upon entering the gate, Qin Mu found the interior even more desolate. Under the setting sun, the weeds were almost waist-high, the former artificial hill was covered with moss, and broken furniture was scattered everywhere, hidden among the weeds. Only a few remnants of paper remained on the windows, and the collapsed gate made it look like a secluded temple.
To be honest, there's nothing to see here. It's just dilapidated and run-down. All the valuables have been taken away long ago, and what's left is stuff that can't be moved. It's cleaner than a bandit raid.
The dilapidated wall had collapsed in some places, making it easy for people to enter. Qin Mu estimated that many daring people had already visited it countless times.
"Aren't the construction workers free at the restaurant? Call them over and have them demolish this whole area. I'll draw up the blueprints and rebuild the government office," Qin Mu instructed after looking around.
"Yes, young master! Should we level it all?" Qin Yong nodded to confirm.
"Good, level it all. Keep the useful materials and get rid of the useless ones!" Qin Mu nodded. He had already checked it earlier, and only the artificial hill, the big trees, and the beams and pillars inside the house could be kept.
This is an office building, so it doesn't need to be fancy or complicated. However, this place is so big that it won't be used up just for offices, so it's perfect as the headquarters of the Six Doors.
After taking a quick look around, Qin Mu had already decided: a government office would be set up in the front, responsible for hearing cases and accepting complaints. Offices would be located next to it; archives, interrogation rooms, and temporary detention facilities would be built in the middle; and a dungeon would have to be built underground to hold serious criminals, otherwise, if prisoners from the Six Doors headquarters escaped, it would be a laughing stock.
As for the sides and rear, these are where the constables live, and there are also training grounds and stables, all of which are essential.
Although the architecture is much simpler, the requirements for construction are significantly higher, with many areas needing special design. This is a challenge for me, considering I've seen so many design drawings from Yan Lide and only have a superficial understanding of mechanisms. However, the production will still require the help of skilled craftsmen from the workshop.
As for weapons and clothing, he could ask the Yuchi family for help; they should have connections. Regarding quantity, he wasn't worried; the Heavenly Mystery Tower had plenty, which he could simply melt down and reforge. He had originally planned to present them to Li Shimin, but now, handling them this way meant they were being used for the court.
Back home, it was another busy evening. I finished the renderings, but the actual house construction drawings still require a lot of calculations.
The next day, before he could go to find Yuchi Baolin, an unexpected person came to visit him at the Qin family.
"Miss Yanran, Senior Xiangli, when did you arrive in Chang'an!" Qin Mu greeted them with delight upon seeing the greatsword that was almost as tall as a person.
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