The first work of the imperial prison

Qiu Xunqing asked Li Guangji a few more questions. Some of Li Guangji answered quickly, while others hesitantly. I don't know if it's inconvenient to say, can't say, or really doesn't know.

"Okay, you can continue to work."

Upon hearing this sentence, Li Guangji couldn't help but heaved a sigh of relief, saluted, sat down, and buried his head in the seemingly endless pile of official documents again.

Ye Baiting received Qiu Yiqing's eyes and knew what he was thinking. This Li Guangji was very cautious, and he was very nervous when he heard a slightly sensitive question. He almost glanced at Zhao Xingde every time he said a word. This kind of behavior is not as simple as being cautious. , he is unwilling to do anything that disgusts the leader, or say anything that disgusts the leader...

Be careful with overdoing it.I'm afraid there will be some moisture in these words.

Zhao Xingde smiled and led Qiu Yiqing: "Commander, this is Jiang Yiqing."

The two were led to the next public case.The person standing up looks to be about 24 or [-] years old. He looks very upright, with a thin body and a smile on his face, but this kind of smile is not a kind and warm smile. There is a different kind of... well, romantic temperament.

Jiang Yiqing looked flamboyant and bold, and he spoke boldly: "See Commander——Our household department has been repairing these past few days. It's very messy. There's no need for you to condescend to come here. If you have something to tell, tell us to go over and ask Already!"

Ye Baiting looked at his koan, there were pens, ink, paper and inkstones, documents and files, but compared with Li Guangji, they were nothing compared to Li Guangji, who could count on one hand, the gongan was as big as an open mountain, so empty.

Look at the number of places around the charcoal basins, this location... He gave Qiu Yiqing a wink, Qiu Yiqing obviously saw it, and nodded slightly to him.

With the immediate leader and Jin Yiwei Shangguan present, Jiang Yiqing's words are actually a bit inappropriate, and he is suspected of overstepping. For example, Li Guangji just now, he would not dare to say that if he gave him ten guts, but Zhao Xingde seemed to be unaware, far worse than Li Guangji He was stern and formal, and patted him on the shoulder with a smile: "Did you hear the commander's question just now? Answer well."

"Yes."

Jiang Yiqing bowed to Qiu Yiqing again, not missing Ye Baiting, very polite and courteous: "Your Excellency, do you want to ask about Guan Xiuzhu? Excuse my impoliteness, I want to ask for brother Guangji's favor. The matter is actually... There is really nothing to say. Last year when the Ministry of Criminal Affairs asked the case, we said everything we should say, and we did not dare to hide anything. Now that it has been so long, let us think about it, and some things really cannot be remembered. If we want to understand As for the details of the case, if you ask us, it is better to go to the file at that time... The official dared to say that the case had just happened and everyone was shocked and regretful, and the details should be remembered more clearly, and the confession recorded by the Ministry of Criminal Justice must be richer."

He also knew that it was a little rude to speak like this, so he didn't pause at all, and continued to smile: "What I still remember now is probably the impression of Guan Xiuzhu, who doesn't look like a bad person at all. He looks the same, if you stand in front of people and smile slightly, everyone will be able to have a good impression of him, but after getting along for a long time, you will feel that such a beautiful face is really white."

"He's too independent, too twisted, he just does his own thing, he doesn't ask others for help, and he doesn't help others. Not to mention the communication outside the officialdom, even in our official office, there are many official duties that must be cooperated. I want to rely on one person to do it alone. , how is it possible? When encountering a big task, you can’t even get Shangfeng’s signature. It’s been a long time, so there’s no problem?”

"Your desire to do things well, everyone understands and can see it, but the work you are doing is going in the wrong direction, and you don't listen to what others say, and you have been working for a long time without any results, so you will be disappointed. Horny? This person, you can't think in a wrong way, once you think in a wrong way, and go the wrong way, you won't be able to come back..."

What Jiang Yiqing said was sincere, earnest, and slightly ironic.

Qiu Xunqing: "Do you know he made a mistake?"

Jiang Yiqing just laughed: "How can the lower officials know in advance? Isn't it because he was caught committing a crime, and we only know about it."

Qiu Xunqing: "Whether there are his enemies here, or someone who is very kind to him, what were you doing and what you saw on the day he died, tell me one by one."

Jiang Yiqing: "If you say it's not pleasing to the eye, there should be something up and down here. Does his style of doing things affect everyone's efficiency? But if you say he has hatred to the point of killing someone, it's not that bad. He's very good to him... also No, when he first came in, with that pretty face, he gained a lot of kindness, and everyone liked to talk to him, but after a while, there is no one left."

"The day he died... It was a coincidence that the Ministry of Criminal Justice said that new clues had been found, and that all relevant people from the Ministry of Household Affairs were here. Lord Shang Shu was brought back, and the next official was also here. It is a lie to say that he is not nervous at all. After all, it is a matter of the Ministry of Households. The lower official is worried about being implicated, but the lower official has never done anything bad, and his heart is not guilty. , Xiaguan thought of all kinds of bad results, so he was relieved, thinking about doing more and making more mistakes, doing less and making fewer mistakes, so he just read in the study, except for making tea, he never went out of the house, and he didn't see the manager. Xiuzhu, I don't know what he did, what experience he has..."

Qiu Yiqing was asking questions, and Ye Baiting noticed the empty table on the side. Its length and style were exactly the same as the long table used by Li Guangji and Jiang Yiqing, but the table was empty and dusty, and the matching chair was also dirty. No one was sitting.

When the hall was completely quiet, Qiu Xunqing finished his questioning, and when he didn't want to ask any more questions, he pointed to the table: "Who is sitting here?"

"Oh, if he is here, maybe you can get more details," Jiang Yiqing said with a meaningful expression, "His name is Meng Nanxing, but in the twelfth lunar month, his mother passed away, and he returned home. The roof leaks. Although he is not here, We also have to take care of it, right? Just move his case table out."

"sorry……"

While he was talking, a person holding an official file came over. It seemed that the files were piled too high, blocking his line of sight. He didn't see the person who was suspicious of him. He bumped into him while passing by and apologized quickly.

Although Qiu Yiqing looked dignified and majestic, he was not one to criticize others, so he didn't say much, and turned away.

The man put the dossier on Li Guangji's desk, hurried over to salute, and apologized again: "I don't know that a distinguished guest Shangguan came here, so I was rude just now, I hope my lord will forgive me."

Only then did Ye Baiting see the young man's face clearly. He had long eyebrows and handsome eyes, was fair and clean, and looked very well-behaved. He was not wearing an official uniform. He should not be a serious official of the household department, but he was not an insignificant servant. , The official office is an important place, and the little servant will not be allowed to touch the official documents.

Qiu Yiqing: "It doesn't matter."

The man breathed a sigh of relief, as if he wanted to make amends, he brought a tea set from somewhere nearby, poured a cup of hot tea for Qiu Yiqing, and handed it over to him: "It's cold and windy outside, my lord has something to ask, please sit down." Come down slowly."

Qiu Yiqing didn't take the cup of tea, because when the other party handed it over, he didn't know whether it was intentional or unintentional, and it seemed to touch his sleeve.

Ye Baiting was by his side, saw this little contact, and smelled the young man's scent, it was very refreshing, with a faint sweetness, not annoying, but too strong sweetness, which was very attractive.

This person was not embarrassed when he saw that Qiu Xingqing didn't answer, as if he just met him unconsciously, and he didn't notice, he put the teacup on the side table and smiled with hands tied.

Qiu Yiqing: "What's your name? Do you know Guan Xiuzhu?"

The young man glanced at Zhao Xingde.

Zhao Xingde: "What are you looking at me for? The commander is asking questions, just tell the truth."

"The villain's name is Lin Bin," the young man stood upright, his eyes drooping slightly, "he works in the stall of the household department, he is not a serious official of the household department, and he is in charge of files and documents that are not very important. Those who are allowed to spy on official affairs and come here often, therefore know Guan Xiuzhu, but not very well."

"Last year's Qixi Festival, where were you?"

"At that time, there was a corruption case, and the Ministry of Criminal Justice sent officials to investigate. Everyone below was in danger. The villain was not allowed to enter the main hall without being summoned. He left the official office very early that day and stayed at home that night."

"Do you have any witnesses?"

"Yes, family members can prove it."

……

Qiu Yiqing asked a few more questions, waved people down, and Zhao Xingde led him and Ye Baiting around the main hall: "...the household department looks quite big, but in fact the personnel are very simple. I've been transferred a little more, and the newcomers haven't come this year, so that's all the adults can see."

Several people had just passed by Zhao Xingde's case, and the last and most conspicuous one in front of them was still an empty case. Unlike the previous empty case, this case was completely empty, with a neat and clean surface, without a trace of dust. , obviously cleaned well.

There should be people sitting here, but people are not there.

Qiu Xingqing pointed at the table: "Whose case is this?"

Zhao Xingde curled his mouth slightly, his mocking expression couldn't be concealed at all: "Deng Huaqi, just like me, is a servant, but I don't have the same fate as other people. People don't have to work like low officials. Anything that is good, hard, and annoying It has to go on, people come if they want to come, and they don't come if they don't want to. In a family of officials and officials, there are high-ranking officials in the family for generations, and he is the most favored in the family. There are more opportunities, more paths, and you can change your choice at any time."

Ye Baiting: "Master Zhao is very envious?"

Zhao Xingde looked left and right, and had already walked far away from the work area, so he said in a low voice: "Compared to envy, it is more helpless, who said we don't have that kind of parents? Even if people don't do anything, we have to accept Come here and work hard, others don't want credit, we have to, after hard work and exhaustion, but we can't do anything to others, this work for others... Who would be happy?"

The entire household visit and questioning process is not fast, one question after another, one person after another, in addition to asking for information and distinguishing the true from the false, you also have to observe, the environment here, everyone's mentality...

More than an hour passed quickly, and it was almost noon, Zhao Xingde checked the clock again and again, Qiu Yiqing and Ye Baiting did not stay any longer, and offered to leave.

On the way back, the two rode slowly, chatting about what they had just seen and heard.

Qiu Yiqing asked Ye Baiting: "Can you see anything?"

"Workload."

Ye Baiting frowned slightly: "The workload of these people is very different. For example, Li Guangji's public case has too many files and papers to fit, and the newcomers have to put it on his desk. Jiang Yiqing is obviously working, but his desk There are far fewer things on the table, you can count them with one slap, and you can definitely finish it in the afternoon, and if you look elsewhere, some tables are simply empty, such as Deng Huaqi..."

Even Zhao Xingde, and Shang Shu Wan Chengyun who is not on business today, they have all read the cases, and it seems that putting on a posture and making an appearance of 'I am very busy' is more important than what they actually do.

why?

"If Deng Huaqi is because of his family background, and Zhao Xingde and Wan Chengyun are in the first and second positions in the household department because of their positions, what about the others? Ding You's people are not there, and there is nothing on the table, but Li Guangji and Jiang Yiqing are clearly Subordinates at the same level, even though the division of labor is different, the amount of tasks cannot be so different..."

Why are the same people treated differently?

Qiu Xunqing: "And the location of their case."

"Yes," Ye Baiting recalled the various locations in the hall just now, "The hall is so big, it's inconvenient to keep warm, the charcoal basin can't be placed at the door, it can't be at the air outlet, and it can't be next to flammable objects. No one mentions it, just say Li Guangji and Jiang Yiqing are of the same level, Li Guangji is the farthest from the charcoal basin, and the coldest, Jiang Yiqing's case is located, and is very close to several charcoal basins, obviously the best location."

There are many unspoken rules in the workplace. What everyone is fighting for is not the job itself, but something outside of work, such as credit, performance, opportunities for promotion and salary increase, and the sense of being respected at the social level. As well as a certain sense of accomplishment, how can it be possible for colleagues at the same level to be taken up by one person?No matter how bad a person is, if he can join the team, he has advantages and is good at something.

"...Why is Li Guangji acting submissive and cowardly, as if he can't get any benefits? Is it just because he is not as good at talking as others, and will come to trouble?"

Qiu Yiqing pondered for a moment, and said: "According to the roster of the household department, Jiang Yiqing came three years earlier than Li Guangji and Xiu Zhu, and has not been promoted yet. It is not uncommon to see people with such qualifications in the official office. Some people came earlier than Jiang Yiqing. He hasn't been promoted yet, but he is not as flamboyant as him, so he is appreciated by the top."

Ye Baiting: "Is he the only one with this style of behavior in the household department?"

"Probably." Qiu Yiqing nodded.

Ye Baiting mused, could there be workplace oppression and bullying in this case?

"There is still a sense of distance..." Ye Baiting feels that this matter is also worthy of careful study, "There is a safe distance between people when they get along with each other. Once they are familiar with each other and become friends, they will involuntarily get closer. Subconscious behavior, non-deliberately disguised stance and sense of distance, can explain some things."

Qiu Yiqing: "Sense of distance?"

Ye Baiting nodded: "I noticed that although Zhao Xingde patted Li Guangji on the shoulder as a sign of encouragement, he stood the farthest away from him. He tolerated Jiang Yiqing's jokes and even encouraged him to act boldly, so he stood closer to him. Many, the most recent one... only this time, I'm not sure, because Lin Bin was walking around at the time and appeared unexpectedly, but the distance between him and Zhao Xingde was the smallest."

Not to mention the absent servant Deng Huaqi, Zhao Xingde didn't even want to get close to his case, which shows how disgusted he is.

In it, the relationship between people and people, each one's minds are used openly and secretly... A hall of the household department, whether it is big or small, shows the workplace ecology to the fullest.

"Where is the stall...?" Ye Baiting was a little unfamiliar with the officialdom system, and asked Qiu Xunqing, "Who can work in the household department, don't they have to go through the imperial examination to select officials?"

Qiu Yiqing said: "Do you know that even if you fail the Jinshi examination, you still have the opportunity to be elected as an official if you win the Juren?"

Ye Baiting nodded: "It seems that it is not easy. The selection of officials can only be made by small county magistrates in remote areas. The upper limit of official career is limited, but according to the rules, it seems to be possible."

Qiu Yiqing: "Officials are elected in the imperial examination, but under the officials, there are still officials. Many things need the cooperation of subordinates. Even in the county government, there are masters of grain and grain, masters of punishment, masters are not officials, and have not passed the Jinshi. , but can assist Shangguan in many matters.”

Ye Baiting understood that if there are too many officials and too many things to do, if they can't handle it, don't they have to ask for foreign aid?For example, in his era, where there were civil servants and state-owned enterprises, didn't there also be contract workers?Therefore, this kind of work is also a good way out for those who are talented in reading and writing, but fail to pass the Jinshi exam...

"One more thing, have you noticed?" He thought of another thing, his eyes flickered, "The thing they are busy with recently should be relief..."

Qiu Yiqing: "Snowstorm."

The corners of Ye Baiting's lips curled up: "I knew you saw it."

Since the beginning of winter, there have been several heavy snowfalls. The capital is fine, and there are no particularly terrible disasters. The government office of the Ministry of Household Affairs is just an example. It is different in places further north and farther away. As long as someone suffers a disaster, Zhezi It was submitted to the imperial court, and the emperor approved it, so the Ministry of Household Affairs had to do it.

"Disaster information, approval slips, rough account books... a lot of official documents are piled up on Li Guangji's case table, so urgent matters, others won't help take care of them? What if the efficiency is too slow and things are delayed? Don't ask?"

"Also, I feel that they are all on guard. What are they guarding against? Is it just your status as the commander of Jin Yiwei, or is it because this matter is very sensitive? But what is sensitive about disaster relief? Isn't this what the household department should do?" What you do is not a secret, and there is no need to cover it up."

Qiu Yiqing added: "There is another person in this bureau, who likes Guan Xiuzhu, who is it?"

Ye Baiting shook his head, still not sure.

The amount of information is still too little, and the time is not enough. They can't fully understand everyone, but this household department is really, some people are indifferent and alone, some people will come to things, some people don't care about anything, and some people may work hard in other places... …

A small workplace, full of all kinds of living beings.

"There are too many things to ask later, but now at least we have some understanding. After the evidence collection process, we know what to pay attention to, what to pay attention to, and the next thing to do is also obvious—"

Ye Baiting looked at Qiu Yiqing: "First, we need to continue searching for the broken bones, and Guan Xiuzhu's interpersonal relationship must also be investigated; second, disaster relief—"

Qiu Xunqing glanced at the other person's eyes and knew what he was going to say: "The Ministry of Households has its own set of procedures for disaster relief. Last year's floods should have been done in the same way. If you follow along, you may be able to find loopholes in the clues. I know where the corruption case last year started and what methods were used."

Ye Baiting nodded straight after listening: "There is also Ding You's Meng Nanxing, do you have to go and see?"

Although his mother had just passed away in the twelfth lunar month and was in mourning, since he was a witness to the case last year, it was necessary for him to ask about the situation.

Qiu Xunqing: "I will assign it to others and let people find it."

There is good news, of course. The housekeeper has already communicated with him, and the coffin can finally be opened for an autopsy.

Of course, at the housekeeper's place, this is not an autopsy, it's just to prove that the death of the third young master was not a cat's hide, he really died long ago, and the grave has really not been touched, will not be dug up, and will not be gnawed by wild dogs Lose.

Xu Shi Beizhen's Fusi was well-known, and the commander had already let go of his words. The housekeeper didn't dare to delay, and really didn't dare to exceed three days. They came to report early, and the day was set for the afternoon of the eighteenth day of the first lunar month.

When the day came, Ye Baiting followed Qiu Yiqing, followed by Shen Jiang, and Shanglu who was carrying a box as a box, and the group followed the housekeeper's old servant to the suburbs, near Guan Xiuzhu's grave.

The wind in the first month is still hard, the temperature is not high, and it is cold on the face, but the sun is sunny and the view is wide. For the autopsy, it is a good weather.

Others cooperated with the government to investigate the case, and even allowed the grave to be dug, so they also showed enough respect. The old servant wanted to bring people incense and burn paper, and he wanted to calm the nerves. , they can afford to wait.

After all the preparations were over, the old servant led the servants to start digging the pit. The grave was leveled out bit by bit. The pit dug deeper and deeper, and soon we saw the coffin...

At the same time, Ye Baiting was also making various preparations before the autopsy.

This is a body that has been dead for half a year. It was buried underground. The degree of corruption is unknown. Some basic protective measures still need to be taken. For example, he wore an extra blouse today, which was made simply, with a rope tied on the back, and a cotton mask. , with a hat on his head, tightly packed.

A pottery pot was placed on the ground, and the herb and saponins were ignited, and the green smoke rose straight up, shaking away with the wind, and even the smell of the nearby earth was washed away. He also took a piece of freshly cut ginger in his mouth. piece.

"The coffin appears—the nails—"

A simple table was set up not far from the grave to place the corpses. Under the sunlight, all the details can be seen at a glance.

The servants of the housekeeper sent out the corpse. At the first glance, they couldn’t calm their emotions. After all, they were dead. After a second look, they were sure: “This is the third young master of our family. You can’t be wrong! corpse!"

This time there is no need for Ye Baiting and Qiu Yiqing, Shen Jiang can go back: "It's not that your young master was dug up by others and his body was broken up. The broken body was still found in your young master's yard. Maybe it's your young master. What if it was killed? What if your young master felt that death alone was not strong enough that day, so he insisted on bringing one with him? The bones in the yard are clear, so are you trying to stop Jin Yiwei from handling the case!"

Crowd: ...

The old servant sighed: "I don't dare, my villain. I have already reported to the Patriarch what happened today. Since it is necessary for the Fusi of Beizhen to investigate the case, I dare not stop it. I just ask the commander to explain it. For safety, I don't want to bother you too much..."

His eyes slid over Ye Baiting's armor, the clay basin on the ground, and the wooden box next to him...they have everything ready, and this is what they came here for today, how could they retreat?

Qiu Yiqing's head: "Your Patriarch's sincerity, I have fully known the emissary, please rest assured, this time it is only necessary for investigation, and will not come again and again."

The old servant stretched out his hand: "So, Commander, please—"

Ye Baiting walked to the temporary morgue.

The corpse was sealed in a coffin and buried in the soil for half a year. Due to the isolation of the environment and the stagnation of the air, the oxidation would be much slower. Guan Xiuzhu's corpse was not completely ossified. Most of the hair and nails are good, but the internal organs. It is estimated to see no more.

As soon as Shen Jiang came over, he covered his nose... The smell is too strong!

But the housekeeper was still nearby, and his reaction was too strong for fear of affecting other people's mood. He pinched his nose and leaned over, and asked the young master in a low voice: "It's so rotten, can you still test it?"

Ye Baiting briefly glanced at the corpse, but there was a faint glow in his eyes, quite confident: "We are very lucky this time."