You are in a position of duty and cannot salute? You think you are a military commander, but you are still saying that you are in a position of armor and cannot salute!
The Tongzhi looked at the magistrate who was standing upright in front of him and wanted to slap him in the face.
Although Taizu's ancestral rules stipulated that subordinates did not need to kneel and kowtow when meeting their superiors, and only needed to bow and kowtow, after all, they were all people of honor and status. However, later on, it became common for subordinates to kneel and kowtow humbly when meeting their superiors.
Hu Shi Ning, who served as the Minister of War in the early years of Jiajing, once said: "The previous dynasty examined and determined the book of Constitution as a model. When meeting with the three officials, the prefects and other officials, each has a set etiquette... Now the prefects and below kneel down and do not get up. The governors and below all follow. Even when they agree, they are afraid to bow their heads to their knees. It is called bowing, but in fact they are bowing like kneeling."
It has almost become a convention for lower officials, especially subordinates, to meet their superiors at the ceremony. Of course, if we follow the rules of Taizu, we can't say anything to the county magistrate. If we insist on making a fuss, we can't do anything to him. That's why this Tongzhi was so unhappy with the county magistrate.
"Clear the fishing nets on the river to make a path for me to pass through first."
The Tongzhi was too lazy to pay any more attention to the Qingsong County Magistrate. He gave orders to the county magistrate in a high-handed manner, then turned around confidently and prepared to board the ship.
Just as the Tongzhi was walking in his official steps and turning around to board the ship, he suddenly heard a clear, low and deep voice behind him, which made the Tongzhi stagger involuntarily.
"I'm sorry, I can't do anything."
What? Did I hear wrong? He actually refused? How dare a small county magistrate disobey my order?! Did he have the guts to do something stupid?!
The Tongzhi's face darkened at that moment. He turned around and looked at the magistrate who made the sound with a dark face, narrowing his eyes slightly, "Do you know who you are talking to?"
"Please forgive me, sir. A murder occurred in my jurisdiction, and I have no choice but to take responsibility. The curvature of the waterway here is obvious. I consulted fishermen who are familiar with the water and checked the hydrological conditions. If someone fell into the river, it would be easiest to salvage them here. In order to prevent the body from being washed away by the current and delaying the investigation, I have specially blocked the fishing nets at the bottom of the river. I have asked the Dangtu County Lord to cooperate and deploy officers at major traffic arteries to prevent the suspect from escaping, so the suspect is very likely nearby... I still ask for your cooperation." The magistrate bowed and replied calmly.
"Asshole, are you saying that I am also a suspect?" The Tongzhi was furious.
"I dare not. I have the duty to protect the people, and I hope you will cooperate. If I set a precedent, I am afraid that I will be unfair to these people. I am also afraid that I will not be able to bear it if I want to collect it."
Faced with the anger of the Tongzhi, the magistrate remained calm, not affected at all, and did not even blink.
Seeing this scene, Zhu Ping'an was glad that he did not take out the official certificate to ask Hai Rui to help the students taking the exam and the sick elderly, otherwise he would definitely be embarrassed.
Just look at what happened to this fifth-rank official! Not to mention that he was only a sixth-rank official. Although the county magistrate was only a seventh-rank official or a junior seventh-rank official, he didn't even give face to a fifth-rank official, let alone a sixth-rank official.
Not partial to anyone.
Don't fear power.
This is Zhu Ping'an's second impression of the county magistrate. His first impression is that he is honest and frugal from his patched official uniform. Of course, the first impression may be wrong. After all, in modern Guangxi, a double-faced corrupt official who wears ragged clothes, old belts, and worn sandals but accepts bribes and amassed tens of millions of yuan can be said to be "others laugh at me for being too crazy, but I laugh at others for not seeing through me."
However, judging from Zhu Ping'an's second impression of him, his first impression should be correct.
Humble but aloof.
This was Zhu Ping'an's third sense of the magistrate. Zhu Ping'an got closer to see the magistrate more clearly. The magistrate had a serious and stubborn frown, which gave him a sense of aloofness. This could also be seen from his behavior today. Whether it was the co-magistrate, the sick common people, or the students taking the exam, the magistrate insisted on doing so.
"Good! Good! Good! Tell me where your jurisdiction lies?"
The Tongzhi said three "good" words with a sullen face, and then asked gloomily where the magistrate was working.
The meaning is self-evident.
If you dare to embarrass me, leave your name here! I will punish you in the future!
"I am the magistrate of Chun'an County." The magistrate of Chun'an County was not afraid at all and stated his reason for taking office frankly, without any concern about being held accountable in the future.
"Then I'll see how you handle the case!"
After hearing this, the Tongzhi looked at the Chun'an County Magistrate intently a few more times, memorized it deeply, then got into the sedan chair brought by his subordinates, ordered his subordinates to carry it to the shade of the trees by the river, lifted the window screen, and sat in the sedan chair to watch the young and inexperienced County Magistrate handle the case.
"As you command." The magistrate of Chun'an bowed and said goodbye, then turned around and went back to the riverside to preside over the case.
The magistrate of Chun'an refused to take any threats or persuasion and could only release him as soon as possible if the body was found or the case was solved.
Zhu Ping'an followed the magistrate to the first scene as if he was watching a fun event, without attracting any attention at all. He carefully inspected the scene, paid close attention to the parties involved in the crime, listened to the comments of the people around him on the case, and obtained as much case information as possible.
After the Chun'an County Magistrate arrived at the scene, he directed the officers to cast the net in the Yangtze River again, but still found nothing. He frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and ordered the officers to call the person who had reported the case.
There were two people who reported the case together. One was the young woman who had cried heartbreakingly by the river. She was also the wife of Mr. Zhang who might have been killed in the accident. The young woman was Mr. Zhang's second wife. After his first wife died, Mr. Zhang married her. Mr. Zhang was 45 years old this year. The young woman was in her early twenties, more than 20 years younger than Mr. Zhang. Mr. Zhang married her five years ago.
The other person who reported the case was a boatman named Wang. He owned a small black-sailed boat on the riverside that could only carry five or six people. Wang was about the same age as Mr. Zhang. He had been making a living on the Yangtze River since he was a child, driving a boat to transport people for money.
Mr. Zhang is a businessman who owns several shops. Three days ago, Mr. Zhang was going to Yingtianfu to purchase goods. The boatman he hired was this boatman named Wang. They agreed to meet here by the river at 1:01 a.m. this morning and then go to Yingtianfu to purchase goods. Unexpectedly, something went wrong this morning.
"Tell me the whole story again. Zhang Wang, you speak first." The magistrate of Chun'an said to the two.
"Wuuuu... Obey your majesty, please do something for me." The young woman cried so hard that she could hardly stand up. She had to be helped by her maid to stand up, and then she cried and begged the magistrate of Chun'an to do something for her.
"I will make the decision for you. Please tell me first." The magistrate of Chun'an nodded.
While the young woman was crying, many people around her pointed at her and whispered some gossip.
"Look, Master Zhang is in trouble, but she is still wearing such bright clothes and putting on makeup. Alas, Master Zhang fell for a woman."
"Yes, yes, I know Mr. Zhang, he is a kind man. But, alas, good people don't live long. I heard that when Mr. Zhang married Zhang Wang, she was a girl in her natal family, she had a lover, a poor boy. It was her parents who decided to marry her to Mr. Zhang."
"That's right. I heard that when Zhang Wang got into the bridal sedan, she cried so hard and refused to get in."
"Look at her appearance, you can tell at a glance that after marrying Mr. Zhang, she still..."
"What's she doing? Tell me now."
"Come, come closer, I'll tell you quietly..."
For a moment, the gossips of the onlookers around him were like countless small loudspeakers that reached Zhu Ping'an's ears. The more they talked, the more excited they became, as if they had seen it with their own eyes.
"Pah, pah, pah, what nonsense are you talking about? My wife is not like what you say. My wife and the master are in love."
The maid beside the young woman heard the gossip of the people around her and became so angry that her face turned red and her whole body trembled. She spat at the onlookers.
"quiet!"
Seeing this, several police officers stepped forward and shouted at the crowd, and then the scene calmed down a little. (To be continued.)《( )