The next morning, there was a cool breeze and a thin layer of fog in the sky, covering the trees in the distance that were still shedding their leaves. Clusters of withered yellow grass on the hilltops not far away swayed left and right in the cool breeze, as if welcoming guests.
Outside the Guanyin Gate outside the city of Yingtian, Zhu Ping'an, Chu Xiong and other officials from the Ministry of Justice, led by Lord Neitai, gathered at Changting with officials from the Provincial Administration Office and the six ministries of Nanjing, awaiting the arrival of Hu Zongxian, the new Inspector and Censor of Zhejiang.
Officials from different yamen, led by their respective bosses, greeted each other and then waited in different areas.
The sun rose slowly in the eastern sky, but there was still no movement and no one was in sight on the official road in the north.
The Chuxiong people were relatively fat, and they stood and waited for a long time. Their bodies could not bear it anymore, so they stretched out their hands from time to time to rub their thick waists. They could not help but half complain and half joke and said, "Tsk, who would have dared to believe it in the previous dynasty? We, a group of officials starting from the fifth rank, went out of the city early in the morning to welcome a seventh rank official..."
"Oh, Fatty Chu, do you dare to say this in front of the new Zhejiang Provincial Supervisory Censor when he arrives?"
Zhang Chufeng snorted and provoked Chu Xiong.
"Oh, what a cheap way of provoking me, what a clumsy trick of borrowing a knife. I'm not stupid, so I won't fall for your trick."
Chu Xiong snorted, squinted his eyes, glanced at Zhang Chufeng, and rolled his eyes in disdain.
Zhang Chufeng sneered, "Haha, Fatty Chu, you are only good at gossiping behind people's backs."
"No, you're wrong. I don't just gossip behind people's backs. I also talk in front of them."
Chu Xiong narrowed his eyes and stared at Zhang Chufeng, speaking seriously.
Zhang Chufeng snorted disdainfully, indicating that he did not believe Chu Xiong's words.
"You don't believe it?!" Chu Xiong grinned, "Give me an example, for example, I often say bad things about you in front of you."
Zhang Chufeng's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot when he heard that. He turned his head and ignored Chu Xiong. Seeing this, Chu Xiong's big fat face smiled even brighter, like a victorious rooster.
"Brother Zhu, why do you think our new Zhejiang Provincial Supervisory Censor Hu is so slow in arriving? He is really patient." Chu Xiong approached Zhu Ping'an and said in a low voice with a hint of complaint.
Zhu Pingan smiled slightly and replied softly, "Our dynasty's Taizu stipulated that inspectors and censors can only travel on donkeys, not horses. Lord Hu rode a donkey to take up his post, so he was late."
Indeed, the Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang did stipulate that the Censors could only travel on donkeys and not on horses.
Because the power given to the inspectors and censors was very great, in order to balance and prevent the inspectors and censors from becoming too powerful, the Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang not only restricted the ranks of the inspectors and censors, but also made many restrictions in other aspects. In addition to not being able to ride donkeys when traveling, the Hongwu Emperor also stipulated that the inspectors and censors could not eat geese... ... In the chaotic era of the Hongwu Emperor, geese were relatively rare and precious, and banquets with goose meat were more upscale. For example, Zhu Yuanzhang often rewarded his ministers with goose meat to show his honor and favor. This is also one of the reasons why everyone talked about the unofficial history that Zhu Yuanzhang rewarded Xu Da with roast goose, which caused Xu Da to die of a back carbuncle. Zhu Yuanzhang restricted the inspectors and censors from eating geese, which was a restriction on the treatment of the inspectors and censors.
However, any system is afraid of time, and the original intention and good intentions of Emperor Hongwu were ignored in later generations. With the overall improvement of the status of civil officials and the expansion of the power of the inspectors, the ropes that Emperor Hongwu bound on the inspectors were gradually broken, and the status and power of the inspectors became greater and greater... ... Today, the inspectors can not only ride horses, but also eat goose meat, braised, steamed, or grilled. If the rules set by Taizu could be implemented, how could the high-ranking people today go out of the city to welcome the low-ranking inspectors
If we go back further, to the late Ming Dynasty, the Inspectors really became powerful officials, and it was common for them to be arrogant, extravagant, corrupt, accept bribes, and abuse their power to oppress the people.
However, Hu Zongxian was different.
Zhu Ping'an forgot which book he read it in, but Hu Zongxian actually came to Zhejiang to take up the post of Censor-in-Chief on a donkey.
Zhu Ping'an combined the records and comments on Hu Zongxian in historical books and unofficial histories and had no doubts about this record.
"Haha, Lord Zhu has read a lot of books. However, as the ancients said, it is better to have no books than to believe in them blindly. Although Taizu stipulated that inspectors and censors can only travel on donkeys and not horses, that is all old news. Nowadays, inspectors and censors can ride horses and eat geese." Zhang Chufeng sneered at the side.
"Really? Thank you, Master Zhang, for your advice." Zhu Ping'an curled his lips slightly, first bowed his hands to express his gratitude, and then said honestly, "But I think that Censor Hu is late, maybe he really came here on a donkey according to the ancestral rules."
"Still riding a donkey?! Haha, Lord Zhu is really young..." Zhang Chufeng sneered.
"Hey, we're just waiting here. We have nothing to do anyway, so why not have a try?"
Chu Xiong came closer again and said with a grin.
"What's Yabo?" Zhang Chufeng asked with a raised eyebrow. He still felt aggrieved about the last time he lost one hundred taels to Chu Xiong and had always wanted to win it back. When he heard Chu Xiong say Yabo, he naturally became interested.
"Hey, weren't Brother Zhu and Brother Zhang discussing whether Censor Hu would ride a donkey or a horse to take up his post? Why don't we discuss whether Censor Hu would ride a donkey or a horse to take up his post this time? Anyway, we have nothing to do, so why not kill some time?"
Chu Xiong suggested with a grin.
"I have no objection, but I don't know if Lord Zhu dares to stick to his own opinion?" Zhang Chufeng curled the corner of his mouth and provoked Zhu Pingan.
"It's not a good idea to do this kind of occasion, right?" Zhu Ping'an said with a simple face.
"It's just a bet, why not?! Last time when Minister Zhang took office, we even bet on how many followers he would bring with him?!"
Zhang Chufeng curled his lips in frustration.
"That's right, don't worry, little brother Zhu. Last time, there were several officials from the government offices involved. It's just a Yabo, nothing serious."
Chu Xiong also said with a smile.
"Are you really okay?!" Zhu Ping'an confirmed with a simple and honest look on his face.
"It's really okay." Zhang Chufeng nodded vigorously.
"Don't worry, little brother Zhu. If there is any problem, I will take care of it and make sure that little brother Zhu is safe."
Chuxiong took on the responsibility.
"Well, Brother Chu has said so much. I can only obey your orders." Zhu Ping'an nodded helplessly.
"Good." Zhang Chufeng smiled happily and said immediately, "A gentleman's word is as good as his bond. It's settled then."