Shuntian Prefecture Yamen is located in Xicheng District, about one mile away from Beibingmasi Hutong. It took Zhu Ping'an and his companions more than ten minutes to reach the yamen gate.
Zhu Ping'an felt both familiar and unfamiliar with this place. He felt familiar with it because he had been here before when he was traveling on a budget in Beijing. It was located in the modern Jiaodaokou Donggong Street. He felt unfamiliar with it because at that time only the lobby of the Shuntian government office remained, and the rest had become teaching buildings of the Dongcheng District Education College.
Of course, this is now a standard Shuntian government office, grand and majestic, with a small square in front of the gate. The streets next to the government office are dotted with businesses that "eat the government's food", such as inns, restaurants, drug stores, teahouses, etc. The inns are for people who come to the government office to stay overnight, the restaurants provide meals, the drug stores provide medicine for injuries, and the teahouses are places for business talks. There are people coming and going in front of the shops, and it seems that business is very good.
Zhu Ping'an ordered two tables of food and wine at a restaurant near the yamen. One table was for Liu Mu, Liu Dadao and others to welcome them, and the other table was for Captain Zhang and his men, who would eat there after they had escorted the eight barefoot men to jail and completed the formalities.
"Thank you, sir." Captain Zhang and the other yamen runners thanked Zhu Ping'an repeatedly.
"You're welcome. I'll give you a few glasses of wine to show my appreciation for your hard work this morning." Zhu Ping'an bowed slightly, then stuffed the purse into Liu Mu's hand and said, "Brother Liu, please entertain Captain Zhang and the others for me later. Order more wine and meat."
After the arrangement was made, Zhu Ping'an followed Captain Zhang into the Shuntian government office, and passed through the front yard to the second gate of the government office, which was the ceremonial gate. The ceremonial gate was closed, and there were two corner gates on the east and west sides. The ceremonial gate was only opened on the first day of the prefect's appointment and when the superior leaders inspected. At other times, it was closed and only the corner gates on the east and west sides could be used.
The corner gates on the east and west sides also have their own rules. The east side is noble and the west side is humble. The corner gate on the east side is called the "human gate", which is used for the magistrate to enter and exit on weekdays; the corner gate on the west side is called the "ghost gate", which is the passage for escorting prisoners.
Captain Zhang arranged for other detectives to escort the criminals through the Ghost Gate on the west and take them to the prison; while Captain Zhang led Zhu Ping'an through the "Human Gate" on the east to visit Magistrate Zhou.
Because Magistrate Zhou was still working in the lobby at that time, Captain Zhang led Zhu Ping'an to the lobby.
The lobby of Shuntian Prefecture Yamen is the most magnificent building in the yamen, but its hardware facilities appear to be in disrepair.
"Since Lord Zhou took office, he has reserved the space in front of the government office for disaster relief and poverty alleviation." Captain Zhang explained somewhat embarrassedly.
"Lord Zhou is truly dedicated to the people." Zhu Ping'an nodded and exclaimed.
There were two couplets on both sides of the lobby of Shuntian Prefecture Yamen that attracted Zhu Ping'an's attention. The couplets were engraved on black wooden boards with cinnabar and hung on both sides of the lobby. The couplets were "It is not an honor to get an official position, and it is not a disgrace to lose an official position. Don't say an official is useless, the place depends on an official; eat the people's food, wear the people's clothes, don't say the people can be bullied, you are also the people."
"The handwriting on the couplets on both sides of the lobby was unclear last year. These were newly written by the adults." Captain Zhang explained when he saw that Zhu Ping'an was quite interested in the couplets.
"Well, very good, very good..." Zhu Ping'an looked at the couplet and nodded in appreciation.
"Very good? Haha, then I'd like to trouble you, Mr. Zhuangyuan, to comment on what's good about this couplet." When Zhu Ping'an was admiring the couplet, a hearty voice came from the lobby.
"Greetings, sir."
When Zhu Ping'an looked up, he saw Zhou Houjie, the prefect Zhou, walking out of the lobby with a smile on his face, and he couldn't help but bow to him.
Zhou Houjie smiled and waved his hand, then walked up to Zhu Ping'an and said, "Number One Scholar, nice to see you again."
"Sir, please call me Zihou." Zhu Pingan smiled embarrassedly.
"Okay, then let Zihou comment on this couplet. If you flatter me, you'll lose the lunch I promised you." Zhou Houjie smiled and nodded jokingly.
"Then Ping'an will show you how to do it." Zhu Ping'an bowed his hands, then looked at the couplet again. After a few seconds, he pointed at the couplet and commented, "This couplet by Lord Zhou fully demonstrates his closeness to the people and his sense of responsibility. All the major cases, important cases, and murder cases in the capital are tried here. Lord Zhou is the parent official of the people and has a heavy responsibility. 'Don't say an official is useless, the place depends on an official. Don't say the people can be bullied, you are also a citizen.' Lord Zhou's closeness to the people and his sense of responsibility are fully demonstrated in it. This couplet is no less than a mirror hanging high above the court. This couplet tells the people that Lord Zhou handles cases fairly and honestly."
It is rare to see that he is close to the people and fair. Zhou Houjie nodded slightly, and was quite satisfied with Zhu Ping'an's comments.
Zhu Pingan noticed Zhou Houjie's expression, curled his lips slightly, pointed at the couplet and said, "Of course, Pingan actually discovered that there is another mystery in this couplet."
"Oh? Tell me about it." Zhou Houjie said with a smile.
"In this couplet, the word 'official' is a little less, and the 'surname' of the people is a little more. If Ping'an guessed correctly, your meaning is to think more about the people, less official power and more people." Zhu Ping'an pointed to the word official and surname in the couplet, smiled and added, "This is the hidden word text in the couplet. The ancients often used it to be implicit, to lead to a secluded path, to imply but not reveal. Your Excellency used it in the opposite way, using hidden words to emphasize, to emphasize that you should think more about the people. Your Excellency really put a lot of effort into this couplet. Ping'an learned a lot."
"Zihou, you have a good eye. It seems that I have to add one more dish to live up to Zihou's comments." Zhou Houjie couldn't help but stroke his beard and smile when he heard it. A red glow appeared on his face, and he looked at Zhu Pingan and teased.
Zhou Houjie was probably feeling like a soulmate in a mountain stream. He looked at Zhu Ping'an just like the time when the zither master Boya met the woodcutter Zhong Ziqi by the Wei River. It's easy to get a fortune, but it's hard to find a soulmate.
"I dare not refuse the gift from the elder. It seems that Ping'an will have a good meal today." Zhu Ping'an bowed and smiled without refusing.
"Oh... So that's how it is. When it was hung up, I thought the craftsman had carved it wrong, so I went to look for the craftsman. As a result, the craftsman took out the original couplet and said that it was carved exactly as you wrote it. I looked at the original couplet and it was exactly the same. I had always thought that you had written it wrong. Unexpectedly, it turned out that you had written it like this on purpose. If it weren't for Lord Zhu's explanation, I would still be in the dark." It was only at this time that Captain Zhang reacted belatedly. It was as if he had suddenly realized something. He didn't expect that there were so many details to pay attention to just these two points.
"You are such a piece of crap..." Prefect Zhou looked at Captain Zhang and shook his head and smiled, then waved his hand and ordered, "Tell the kitchen to add another dish. Add the one we saved last time to today. I want to treat you well. Captain Zhang, don't leave either. Let's have lunch together here at noon today."