The Great Qin Empire---Qin Li

"Brother Zhong, you came here to learn the law by yourself, why did you drag me here?"

Jing held a bamboo basket with four pieces of dried meat in it, looking reluctant.

He had originally got a new sword and was about to show it off in front of his servants, but Brother Zhong came to Bianli to find the old official Yan Zheng to learn the law, but insisted that he follow him.

"Just come when I ask you to come, why are you talking so much nonsense?"

Hei Fu glared at Jing, and he had his reasons for being surprised, and then he bowed to the farmer on the roadside and asked: "Excuse me, where is Mr. Yan's home?"

This "Hei Fu" learned to read and write from Mr. Lu Ying in Xiyangli, and his elder brother came to Bianli to learn from Yan Zheng, so Hei Fu did not know where he lived.

Fortunately, this Yan Zheng was very famous in Bianli, and everyone knew him, so he pointed the way for them when he asked the first person.

"Keep going forward, past the bamboo forest, the house with high walls and tile eaves, and the door painted red is Yan Zhang's house."

The plaque is a bamboo strip woven tool, with a round bottom and a shallow frame, which can be used to raise silkworms, store grain, etc. The reason why the plaque got its name is because there are many bamboos nearby, and every household can make plaques.

The Heifu brothers followed the instructions and kept going forward, but saw plaque baskets drying in front of every house, and then passed through a few acres of bamboo forest. Although it was late winter and the bamboo leaves had turned yellow, the bamboo poles were still green and straight, and the branches were connected, with a good density.

Jing said regretfully: "If it's around the beginning of autumn, we can definitely dig up winter bamboo shoots, and then go down to the river to catch a fish and cook them together... Oh, brother Zhong, you hit me again."

Heifu knocked on his head: "Don't think about food all day long. If you listen to me obediently today and don't talk nonsense, I will give you fifty coins and let you eat whatever you want."

"Are you serious?" Jing was like a child who was promised candy, showing joy.

As they were talking, they had arrived in front of a big house. The wall was ten feet high, stained with white lime, covered with brand new tiles, and the door was stained with dazzling red paint, which could accommodate three people walking side by side.

Just from the appearance, let alone Heifu's family, even the village head and Tiandian's family in their village were much inferior. At first glance, you can tell that they are either rich or noble.

Heifu thought to himself that fortunately, in addition to four pieces of dried meat, he also packed a hundred coins. Even so, this little gift still looked shabby, and Yan Zheng might not take it seriously.

He straightened his clothes and began to knock on the door.

After a long while, the door finally opened a crack. A servant in black clothes looked through the narrow crack of the door and saw that it was two common people, so he asked unhappily.

"Who are you? Who are you looking for? What's the matter?"

Heifu bowed and said, "I am Heifu, the official in Xiyangli, and I want to ask the Lord of Hell about the law. I hope you can report it on my behalf."

"You are here to ask about the law again..."

The servant looked up and down at Heifu and his brother. He had seen many similar peasants. Most of them came to the Lord of Hell for help because their family members violated certain laws and were sued.

Heifu was not wearing the coarse brown clothes he wore two months ago. He was wearing clothes that he bought last month. The clothes behind him were also clean, but in the eyes of the servant, they seemed to have some stains on them.

"Wait a minute, I'll go ask the master."

The red lacquered door slammed shut.

Jing said indignantly: "This guy has a gloomy face, as if we owe him money. And how long has he not been out? The plaque clearly says that he is next to the sunset, but he doesn't even know the name of the second brother?"

"My reputation can only be spread among the people in the market, but it can't be seen by the officials."

Hei Fu saw clearly that his deeds could only be boasted in front of ordinary soldiers and common people. Old officials like Yan Zheng, who had a lower title and had served in the township and county, were people who had seen the world and looked down on him.

Moreover, he was asking for help today, and the other party was an elder, so he should be humble.

Jing complained again and again, saying that it would be better if the father-in-law Lu Ying in the sunset had not gone to the county town. He knew his family, so why should he be so humble.

After waiting for a long time, Jing's feet were numb from standing, and he walked back and forth impatiently, and the door finally opened again. It was the same servant who looked at them coldly and said, "Come in with me."

Heifu made a gesture to Jing to keep quiet, and the two followed the servant into the house.

After entering Yan's house, Heifu immediately found that this family was not as magnificent as it looked from the outside, but rather quite ordinary: there were stables and chicken coops to the west of the entrance; a vegetable field was cultivated along the wall to the east, divided into several plots by ridges, and onions and leeks were planted; there was a hall in front, probably used for meeting guests.

However, the servant did not lead the two into the main hall, but took them around, along the corridor, to a smaller room. This was probably a study, because through the window, you can see that there are bookshelves on three walls inside, all of which are full of scrolls of bamboo slips.

Although Yan Zheng was no longer in office, he copied a lot of laws and decrees when he was in office. Although not as good as Judge Xi, it was the best in Yunmeng Township. This was why Heifu came to visit.

Just as Heifu and his brother were about to go in, they were pulled back by Shu Ren. He widened his eyes, pointed at the threshold of the house and shook his head, and asked the two brothers to stand outside...

Obviously, they were not treated as guests and were not qualified to enter the house. Shu Ren was even afraid that the breath of the two would make the host unhappy, and that the muddy shoes of the two would dirty the clean floor...

Jing was so angry that he was shaking, but Heifu asked him to be patient.

The door curtain was pulled open, and Yan Zheng, whom Heifu was looking for, was sitting in this study. He was quite old, in his sixties or seventies, with a white beard under his chin. He was wearing a thick winter coat and a sheepskin coat, which made him look a little bloated.

Behind him was a bronze lamp stand, in front of him was a low-legged lacquer table, on which were spread bamboo slips. Yan Zheng squinted his eyes, his hand holding the pen trembled slightly, and he wrote very slowly...

The servant entered, bowed to the ground, and said:

"Master, the gentleman in the sunset is here."

Yan Zheng did not even raise his eyes and asked: "Sir, do you know me?"

Hei Fu stood outside the house and bowed to him and said: "I have never seen Lord Yan, but my brother was fortunate to learn reading and writing from Lord Yan in the village when he was young."

"What is your brother's name?" Yan Zheng still did not look up.

"Zhong."

"Zhong?" Yan Zheng finally stopped writing, lowered his head and thought for a long time, and then said: "I am old and don't remember."

The atmosphere was a bit awkward, but that was more than ten years ago, and Yan Zheng was just a village elder and had not yet become an official in the county. The three elders were in charge of education, and they taught the children of noble families in large classrooms, so it was normal for them to forget a few people.

Hei Fu simply handed the salary to the servant and explained his purpose directly.

"I came here today because I have heard that Master Yan is familiar with laws and regulations. Every year, the laws and regulations newly issued to the counties are also copied, so I want to borrow the "Law on Theft" and "Law on Arresting" to observe and excerpt, and I want to ask Master Yan for advice on any difficulties..."

Yan Zheng finally raised his head, looked at Heifu in surprise, and asked: "Young man, why do you want to learn these laws and regulations? Are you going to be an official?"

"That's right."

Yan Zheng is knowledgeable. Heifu smiled and said: "Because of my meritorious service in catching thieves, I was appointed as a public scholar from the Shiwu. I was lucky enough to be favored by the county's right lieutenant and recruited to be a pavilion chief. I will take the examination next month. But I know very little about laws and regulations, so I came to ask Master Yan for help. I hope Master Yan will give me some advice for the sake of our fellow villagers..."

"Pavilion chief?"

Yan Zheng squinted his eyes for a long time, and finally opened them. The pavilion chief is not big, just a fighting official. It is not small either. It is in charge of a ten-li area, directly under the county, and has military equipment.

Therefore, as an old official who had retired and had no power and influence, but only a little reputation, Yan Zheng could ignore the local head of the village and the field official, but he dared not be too negligent to a future head of the pavilion.

On the other hand, if he could point out a head of the pavilion, it would also be beneficial to his reputation.

Yan Zheng once again carefully looked at Hei Fu and found that he was so young: "How old are you this year?"

"I will be 18 in a few days."

"At the age of 18, you can be recruited as a head of the pavilion. It's amazing, amazing. When I was 18, I was just an official studying law in the school."

Yan Zheng was really surprised. A soldier with no background was actually a head of the pavilion at the age of 18. What kind of future will he have in ten or twenty years?

He put down the pen in his hand, and suddenly praised Heifu, and then glared at the flattering servant who came to him to report the amount of the salary, and scolded:

"Impertinent servant, who taught you how to entertain guests? Hurry up and welcome these two young men from the same hometown in, seat them, and serve hot soup!"

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