In the evening, Zhu Ping'an settled Hua'er and others and set off to attend the welcoming banquet organized by the Minister Zhang. Hua'er and the demon girl Ruonan moved into the independent pavilion in the inner house of the government office that was allocated to Zhu Ping'an, while Liu Mu, Liu Dadao and others lived with the six clerks. Since Liu Mu and others were military officers, each of them had an independent room, and the living environment was several times better than that of the Jingnan County Government.
"Hehe, little brother Zhu, our Lord Neitai is a very simple person, and the welcoming banquet may seem shabby. But don't mind, little brother Zhu. After the banquet, we will welcome you back at Xiyaolou." Chu Xiong waited for Zhu Ping'an on the road and said to him, and when he mentioned Xiyaolou, he winked.
"Brother Chu, you are worrying too much. Ping An was born in the countryside and doesn't have much pursuit or attention to food."
Zhu Ping'an smiled and said that this was the truth. Although he liked delicious food, he was not picky about food.
The King of Chu loves a thin waist, and many people in the palace starve to death...
The Xiyaolou that Chuxiong mentioned? Why does the name sound like it doesn’t sound like a good place? Zhu Pingan thought to himself.
And who are the "we" that Chuxiong is talking about? Anyone else besides Lord Neitai
At 5 p.m., the welcoming banquet started in the kitchen of the government office. Only the officials of the government office attended the banquet, and there were no clerks. Zhu Pingan sat at the last seat.
Braised fried tofu, tofu with green onions, fried peanuts, scrambled eggs with leeks, cold-mixed watercress, deep-fried small yellow croaker, sour bamboo shoots and pork stew, spinach and egg soup... ... six dishes, one soup and two large jars of wine.
After the dishes were served, Chu Xiong gave Zhu Pingan a look that was indeed very shabby, and sincerely felt that he was wise to prepare a backup plan in advance. Then he winked at Zhu Pingan and mouthed "Xi Yaolou"... ...
Shabby?!
Not really. Although these six dishes and one soup are not delicacies from land and sea, they are not shabby either. Perhaps for officials, such a meal is a bit simple and homely, but for most ordinary people, such six dishes and one soup are already the standard for New Year's Eve dinner, which is very rich.
Zhu Pingan was born in the countryside and knew that life was not easy for ordinary people. Officials were paid by the people, and if officials lived a simple life, the burden on ordinary people would be relatively reduced. Zhu Pingan not only did not mind such a welcoming banquet, but also supported it from the bottom of his heart.
If today's welcoming banquet had been a table full of abalone and sea cucumber, Zhu Ping'an would probably have felt uneasy and had difficulty swallowing. However, with such a homely welcoming banquet, Zhu Ping'an was very at ease and ate with relish. Even Chu Xiong, who was eating behind him, looked at Zhu Ping'an with sympathy. Alas, little brother Zhu, you have worked so hard to leave a good impression on Lord Neitai. I will definitely compensate you well in Xi Yaolou later.
"Haha, today is the day that Zihou is going to take up his post. We made an exception and served a few more dishes than the standard. The kitchen staff put the bill on me and will deduct the money from my salary later." After the food was served, the Minister of Justice raised his wine glass and said, "Come, let's drink this cup together. Welcome Zihou to join the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Judicial Inspection Office and work together with us to forge ahead."
"Thank you very much for your kindness, Your Excellency." Zhu Ping'an raised the wine glass with both hands to express his gratitude.
"Haha, today we are also benefiting from Zihou's kindness. Not only do we get to eat more dishes, but most importantly, we finally get to drink the rice wine brewed by Lord Neitai again." Chuxiong and others raised their glasses together and said with a smile.
Only then did Zhu Ping'an realize that the two jars of wine at the banquet were rice wine brewed by Lord Nietai himself.
"Zihou, you may not know this, but this rice wine was brewed by the wife of the Neitai herself. There is only one of its kind in the world. Once the wine is opened, the whole government office can smell the rich aroma of the wine. It is not an exaggeration at all. It can be said that 'the fragrance of Yaochi rice wine lingers in the world and will be enjoyed by generations'. We asked for it many times before, but the Neitai was reluctant to give it to us. When you came, the Neitai took the initiative to give it to us. This is a great honor. Zihou, you should drink a few more cups."
Chu Xiong raised his wine glass and said to Zhu Pingan with a smile.
"Of course, the new generation is better than the old... We are all yesterday's flowers..."
Deputy Envoy Bai Jinhu joked with a smile.
The others followed suit, and the banquet suddenly became harmonious.
"You guys, stop being so sarcastic. You shouldn't drink too much when you go to the government office. Today is Zihou's welcoming banquet, so I'm making an exception. There will be plenty of wine, so you can drink as much as you want. I'll ask my wife to brew a few more jars later, and by the end of the year, I'll give each of you a jar."
Lord Neitai pointed at Chuxiong and others, shook his head with a helpless look, and made a promise to everyone.
"Thank you, Lord Neitai." Chu Xiong and others were overjoyed.
After that, everyone raised their glasses and drank it all. After Zhu Pingan drank it, he savored it. Although this rice wine was not as exaggerated as Chu Xiong and others said, it tasted good. After drinking it, there was a sweet taste lingering on the tip of the tongue.
Lord Neitai put down his wine glass, and the two deputy envoys each raised a glass of wine to express their welcome to Zhu Ping'an.
Zhu Ping'an expressed his gratitude one by one.
Next, everyone came and went, and soon, the jar of rice wine was empty.
"The origin of our Judicial Inspection Office is that it follows the old system of the previous dynasty. After the pseudo-Yuan Dynasty established the 'Law of Inspection Offices to Tour Counties', the inspection system of inspection offices was formed. When our dynasty was first established, only Judicial Inspection Offices were set up in various provinces, and no inspection sub-offices were set up. It was not until the 14th year of Hongwu that the 'Inspection Sub-offices' were set up. At that time, in addition to Zhili, our dynasty had 12 Judicial Inspection Offices, with a total of 53 sub-offices, and the sub-offices did not cover all prefectures at that time. For example, we had four sub-offices in Jiangsu and Zhejiang at that time, namely Ningshao, Wentai, Jinchu, and Yanqu, all of which belonged to the eastern Zhejiang region. There were no sub-offices in the three prefectures of Hangzhou, Huzhou, and Jiaxing in western Zhejiang. Later, in view of the fact that many of the inspections of the inspection sub-offices were inappropriate, adjustments were made. Now, we have four prefectures in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, namely Zhejiang East, Haiyou, Zhejiang, and Jinhua, including the three prefectures in western Zhejiang. Together with a sub-inspection road in Nanzhili, our office is responsible for a total of five sub-inspections.
In the afternoon, I told Zihou that now our office has two deputy envoys and three assistants, each leading a sub-tour. After Zihou comes, he will be responsible for the military preparation of our office, leading the militia, and helping to defend against Japanese pirates. The military preparation is a matter of great importance, and everyone present must support Zihou. "
At the banquet, Lord Neitai announced Zhu Ping'an's appointment to everyone and urged everyone to support Zhu Ping'an.
"Of course." Everyone said in unison.
"In fact, it's OK for Zihou to be a full-time military commander. We, as the governors of the sub-crusaders, are actually subject to many constraints. Originally, all local reports of official corruption, criminal cases, and lawsuits were handled by the Censors. Our Censors hold great power and independently exercise supervisory powers. Circuit Inspectors are not permanent, and even if they are established, their duties are the same as those of our sub-crusaders. However, the current regularization of Circuit Inspectors, coupled with the Constitution promulgated by our dynasty, has greatly weakened the supervisory powers of our sub-crusaders. In fact, the Circuit Inspectors have become our immediate superiors, and our sub-crusaders have become the patrol officers accompanying the Circuit Inspectors. The affairs of the sub-crusaders must be reported directly to the Circuit Inspectors and await their approval. Now many people laugh at our Criminal Supervision Department and think that we should just remove the word 'Ancha' and call it 'Criminal Supervision Department' directly..."
Zhang Chufeng complained bitterly to Zhu Pingan.
"Haha, why don't Brother Zhang and Brother Zhu swap positions?" Chu Xiong said with a smile.
"Ahem, Fatty Chu, why don't you switch places with Zihou?!" Zhang Chufeng choked on the wine.
"Haha, do you think I'm fit enough to manage military equipment?" Chu Xiong asked with a smile.
"You might as well just say you're afraid of death." Zhang Chufeng retorted.
"Well, the matter of duty is of great importance, and the court will make the final decision. You can't just change it as you wish."
The Minister of Justice glanced at them and stopped the two of them.