cite Han

Chapter 154 County House

After Liu Jing had a face-to-face meeting with the county officials, he boarded a black silk-covered cart specially prepared for him, and seriously boarded a black cloth cart.

Dozens of knights opened the way in front, nearly a hundred infantry guarded the sides, and the officials of Ling County followed behind. They went straight to the Dongguo Gate of Ling County.

Ling County faces Leishui in the east, Xiangjiang River in the north, mountains in the west, and the vast plain formed by the Leishui in the south, stretching as far as the eye can see.

It can be seen from this that Ling County has a favorable geographical position. Once a war breaks out, it is difficult for the enemy to launch large-scale attacks from the east, north, and west. They can only attack from the south.

In other words, as long as Ling County leaves a small amount of troops to monitor the other three directions and concentrate on defending the south, it can sit back and relax.

Liu Jing speculated privately that this might be the reason why he chose to build the city in this low-lying area.In that era of frequent wars and wild violence, the first thing to consider is safety, and everything else is secondary.

The city of Ling County is not far from Leishui. Sitting in the car, Liu Jing could clearly see the solid city wall of Ling County rammed with loess.

Ling County, like Hengshan Township, took advantage of its proximity to the river to divert Leishui into a moat, several feet wide, with weeping willows and flowing water, on which even small boats can be floated.

The city walls of Ling County are in the shape of a rectangle, with a circumference of about four miles. Most of the city walls in Jingnan area are of this size.

The convoy entered the Dongguo Gate of Ling County, turned north, and soon came to the gate of the county temple.

Lingxian county temple is like the tradition of the Han family. It has four gates, the south is the front, and there are two beautifully carved stone pillars in front of the gate. These are Huanbiao, also known as "Huabiao".

According to legend, during the reign of Emperor Yao, wooden plaques were set up on important traffic roads for people to write advice and criticize current malpractices.The ancient Huanbiao were all made of wood. Since the present dynasty, stone pillars have been gradually used as Huanbiao.

In addition to Huan Biao, there is also a big cowhide drum at the gate of the county temple. The main purpose of the drum in the county temple is to gather the people and give orders.

Like the county government, there are also "shu" on both sides of the gate of the county temple. Pass through the temple gate in the middle of the two schools, bypass the Fufu, and enter the court.

Although the city of Ling County is not big, the county temple occupies a very large area, almost "half the length of the city", and the houses and buildings inside are very new and beautiful, surpassing Changsha County Mansion, Liu Jing frowned secretly.

The most prominent and magnificent building in the county temple is undoubtedly the main hall, which is the place where the county magistrate is promoted to listen to affairs.

Most of the county magistrates usually work in the "sitting seat" next to the main hall. In the Han Dynasty, the magistrates of counties and counties were able to listen to affairs once every three days and meet once every five days. at this point.

After the main hall is the residence of the chief officer, which is called "county house", the house of the county magistrate is called Ling's house, the house of the county magistrate is called Chang's house, and the house of the county magistrate is called Cheng's house.

The main hall and the long house are separated by a wall, and there is a door in the wall. This door is called He, because it is the residence of the chief, and those who can enter and exit are close people.This is also the origin of the close officials such as Gongcao, Master Book, Master Ji, and Thief Cao.Therefore, all the officials in the county stopped here.

The solemn prime minister's house is next to Liu Jing's long house.In the past, Wu You, a famous scholar from Chenliu, was the prime minister of Jiaodong. Every time he walked in the back garden, he could often hear the satirical voice of the son of the county magistrate next door.The proximity of the two residences is evident from this.

The house of Changshe has been cleaned, and all the appliances have been replaced with brand new ones. There was no need to waste it like this. However, the former county magistrate died unexpectedly in office. Naturally, these things can no longer be used, so they were all replaced.

Accompanied by Gong Ying and others, Liu Jing visited all the rooms in the long house, and went around the backyard, quite satisfied with the living environment.

The group returned to the Changshe Hall, and Gong Ying asked, "The officials have the courage to ask, why didn't the Ming court bring along family members and maidservants?"

Liu Jing said with a smile: "My wife is from the north, not used to the water and soil in the south, and I was afraid of getting sick, so I never came here." This is of course an excuse, the real reason is that the situation in Ling County is unknown, and Deng Yuan is temporarily detained for safety reasons at home.

Deng Yuan couldn't come by himself, but he intentionally sent two servant girls to follow him around to take care of his daily life, but he refused. As a human being in two lifetimes, he has always been self-reliant and not used to being served by others.

This time, Liu Jing only brought a child cook who was an apprentice from Zuixiangju with him, and he was responsible for three meals a day.During the more than a year as an official in the Changsha County Mansion, his only complaint was that he had to light a fire and cook by himself every day, and now he was finally free from it.

Gong Ying said solemnly: "What kind of honorable person is the Ming court? How can I live without maidservants around me? I have several clan sisters, all of whom are beautiful and sensible. If the Ming court doesn't dislike it, the officials will immediately send someone to pay them back. home, call them here."

Without even thinking about it, Liu Jing smiled and shook his head and said, "I appreciate Gongcao's kindness, so don't mention it again."

Gong Ying said calmly: "This official is taking the liberty, please forgive me from the Ming court."

Liu Jing smiled without saying a word, and then asked: "Does the meritorious Cao know Chu Ziping?"

Gong Ying nodded and said, "Naturally. In Ling County, even a three-year-old boy knows that Chu Ziping is 'unparalleled in filial piety and bravery'. It is so high that no one can match it. ——Why did the Ming court ask about Chu Ziping?"

"These words seem to be flattering." As soon as Liu Jing heard Gong Ying's words, he knew that the two were not the same.

"I've heard of Chu Ziping's 'Xiaoyong' name for a long time. This time he was appointed here by the government, so he naturally wants to visit." Liu Jing then asked: "I heard that he built a hut next to his mother's tomb and kept the filial piety. Years, now the filial piety will come?"

Gong Ying replied: "To the Ming court, Chu Ziping took off his filial piety yesterday, and went home to have a grand banquet with guests. All the counties in Lingxian County arrived, and the roads were filled with vehicles. The grand occasion was unprecedented, and it was eye-catching."

Liu Jing clapped his hands and sighed: "It's a pity, a pity, if I could arrive one day earlier, I would be able to participate in such a grand event."

Gong Ying was very disapproving, and said: "Although Chu Ziping is a hero, he is only a knight-errant soldier. Ming Ting is a famous scholar in southern China, how can he lower his self-esteem and make friends with him?"

Liu Jing shook his head and said, "In the past, with the honor of Lord Xinling, he was still troublesome for drunkards and gamblers. Gongcao said so, do you want me to learn from Lord Pingyuan?" As a result, after the words spread, most of their followers dispersed immediately, and all of them ran to Mr. Xinling.

"The subordinate officials failed to understand the Ming court's intentions, and were extremely terrified." Gong Ying said so, but his face was very calm, and there was no look of fear.

Liu Jing asked again: "Chu Ziping's family lives in Ling County, right?"

"Yes." Gong Ying replied.

Liu Jing got up immediately and said, "There is nothing left and right, why don't Gong Cao take me to visit Chu Ziping's house."

"Ming Ting has just settled down..."

"Why not?" Liu Jing said lightly.

(End of this chapter)