What's wrong with me, a powerful minister, supporting a few female officials?

Chapter 11 The fight started!

when!when!when!
"It's the middle of the night, be careful with candles!"

The dull sound of a gong rang out, and the watchman walked past outside the high wall.

Being an official in ancient times was both painful and joyful.

I have to get up at three or four in the morning to go to work.

Especially for Su Mo, it was utterly inhumane!

Inside the Ma residence.

Clerk Ma Yingshi, with the help of his newly acquired concubine Zhou, changed into his official robes and put on his black gauze hat.

The young and beautiful Zhou helped Ma Yingshi straighten his official hat, carefully using the brim of the hat to cover the tumor on the back of his neck, and said with a slightly aggrieved tone, "Master, you must do justice for my brother."

"My brother was a perfectly healthy man, and yet he had his bones shattered by a thug for no reason..."

Ma Yingshi patted his concubine's shapely buttocks and chuckled, "Of course!"

Just then, a maidservant announced from outside the door, "Master, Mr. Du has arrived."

Ma Yingshi didn't linger at Zhou's place and went straight to the study, where he found Du Zhongbai already waiting.

"This student has met with Master Dong."

Du Zhongbai respectfully bowed to Ma Yingshi.

Ma Yingshi waved his hand: "Zhongbai, there's no need for such formalities."

"Didn't Chen Qian come?"

Du Zhongbai laughed and said, "Master Dong is truly a prophet."

"He was given the whole night. If he had come earlier, he would have definitely decided to fight with the old man."

Ma Yingshi nodded and said, "I would have done the same!"

"Chen Qian can certainly afford 150 taels of silver, but giving his own nephew's woman to Zhou Meng is tantamount to tearing off his face. He can forget about ever living in Changping County again!"

Du Zhongbai asked with slight suspicion, "If that's the case, why did the Master give him another night, and even specifically have the criminal investigation department suppress the case?"

Ma Yingshi said calmly, "After all, they are veteran officials of the yamen. If we don't even give them this much face, what will those clerks think?"

"He was given a way out, but he still didn't appreciate it. The clerk has nothing to say!"

Du Zhongbai's eyes lit up: "Master Dong is brilliant!"

"If the clerks are not of one mind, how can a mere Chen Qian possibly stand a chance against the Master!"

He paused slightly, then frowned and said, "But this person is, after all, a seasoned official who has worked in the government for many years, so he must have a lot of tricks up his sleeve."

"Give him one night, and that's enough time to prepare thoroughly, in case anything unexpected happens in his life."

"after all……"

He hesitated for a moment, but gritted his teeth and continued, "I'm afraid that Zhou, the constable, isn't clean himself. I suspect that the clerk might be trying to manipulate Zhou."

Du Zhongbai smiled indifferently: "So what?"

“Zhou Meng has committed a crime, so arrest him. This clerk will never protect a criminal.”

He added slowly and deliberately, "Of course, Zhou Meng committing crimes is one thing, and Su Mo injuring people is another."

"This clerk is impartial and selfless. He has already taken down his concubine's brother, so naturally he will not make an exception for a lowly servant!"

Du Zhongbai sighed inwardly at how impressive it was!
If Chen Qian yields, the landlord can gain financial benefits and establish his authority.

If Chen Qian fights with all his might, that would be even better.

By throwing Zhou Meng out, Dong Weng can not only establish his image as a fair and just official, but also use Chen Qian and Su Mo, two menial servants in the yamen, to establish his authority. It's a win-win situation!
No matter how Chen Qian responds, Dong Weng is guaranteed to win!

Such methods would surely instill fear in the lower-level officials, and this would establish a foothold in Changping County.

This old man is even more ruthless than I thought.

Presumably, Zhou Meng has long been considered a discarded pawn in the eyes of the Old Master!

I'd better be more careful in the future, lest I become a pawn or even a scapegoat!
A cold glint flashed in Ma Yingshi's eyes: "I must say, that old official is indeed quite capable. A mere servant can get many people in the criminal office to plead for him and send him messages in private."

"Such a seasoned official, if he wants to work on Zhou Meng, he will surely solidify the evidence against him. Even if I really want to help Zhou Meng, it will be difficult!"

"Unfortunately, an official is an official, and a clerk is a clerk!"

"No matter how many supernatural powers he possesses, he cannot escape my grasp!"

Ma Yingshi was in a very good mood.

I have been in Changping County for a full six months.

Unfortunately, Magistrate Xue Shan held absolute power and was cunning and calculating, rendering the county magistrate and the registrar ineffective, not to mention the fourth master who had no foothold in the system.

Now, Xue Shan is temporarily preoccupied with the mummified corpse case, but then Chen Qian's matter comes along, which is simply a godsend.

The clerk was unwilling to be a puppet on a string, so he could only suffer for his uncle and nephew.

Perhaps we should also add another constable, Zhou! ...

At the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), the clerks and officials of Changping County government arrived one after another at the Chengfa Office to check in.

It was different from our usual joking and laughing.

The atmosphere in the government office today is very somber.

Changping County has not had a major murder case for a long time.

Su Mo has been a white-collar worker for three months, and apart from yesterday, he has not seen a corpse yet!
This is sufficient to show that under the governance of Magistrate Xue Shan, Changping County was a peaceful and prosperous place where the people lived and worked in peace and contentment.

Despite the frequent occurrences of brawls among troublemakers, local bullies dominating the market, and government officials oppressing the people.

Compared to other counties and prefectures, Changping County truly deserves the title of "good in terms of public security."

Against this backdrop.

A cult suddenly broke out at the Locust God Temple, causing chaos and resulting in the deaths and injuries of several government officials.

This naturally caused great anxiety among the yamen runners and clerks.

Cults are different from bandits and robbers; they can't just grab something and leave. There's always more to the story.

It's possible that the entire Changping County will be engulfed in bloodshed and chaos.

The indirect victims are ordinary people.

The direct victims, needless to say, were the yamen runners and archers fighting on the front lines!
In the torture chamber, the clerk Fan Anzhi frowned deeply.

During the Da Wu Dynasty, the six offices of the Jingcheng and Sanshu were officially established, while those without official positions were simply "Tieshu" (copying officials).

Strictly speaking, the Sixth Division is an administrative unit, and frontline arrest operations are not closely related to them.

Fan Anzhi's headache wasn't related to the cult issue.

I glanced at the top of the desk, at the paper showing Zhou Meng's injury.

Fan Anzhi looked up at Jing Cheng beside him: "Hasn't Ma Dianshi sent a message?"

Jing Cheng quickly replied, "No!"

Fan Anzhi then asked, "Has Chen Qian reported for duty at the yamen?"

Jing Cheng shook his head: "It seems they haven't arrived yet."

Fan Anzhi nodded and said, "Alright! Submit these documents and files."

Jing Cheng hesitated for a moment, then pointed to the petition at the top: "Clerk Fan, where...where should this petition be sent?"

Fan Anzhi gave a slight humph: "Of course, it will be delivered to the county magistrate's desk in the prefectural government office!"

The county magistrate is in charge of everything, and the six offices and three shifts are his direct superiors.

The clerk was merely a minor official responsible for supervision and prisons; he had no authority over the penal wards.

However, government offices are quite flexible in their procedures.

If the case file involves a clerk, and the clerk is powerful enough, it can be sent to the clerk's office for the clerk to review first.

Jing Cheng nodded, picked up the case file and documents, and was about to send them to the county government hall.

Suddenly, a man named San Shu rushed in, carrying a stack of petitions.

"Clerk Fan, another complaint has arrived!"

"Several wronged individuals have filed lawsuits accusing Zhou Meng of oppressing the innocent and raping women!"

Upon hearing this, Fan Anzhi's face instantly darkened!
Outside the main hall of the county government office, there was a grievance drum, which could theoretically be beaten to appeal for justice, reaching the ears of the county magistrate.

Of course, there were indeed some hotheads who actually went and beat the drum to appeal for justice, but they were extremely rare.

If you want to file a complaint, you have to submit a petition first, which will then be sent through the criminal investigation department.

All affairs in the county are handled primarily by the Six Offices.

This is the main reason why lower-level clerks can effectively sideline county officials and magistrates.

I heard that someone had filed a lawsuit against Zhou Meng.

Yesterday's plaintiff has become today's defendant.

Fan Anzhi immediately knew that Chen Qian and Ma Dianshi had failed to reach an agreement and had decided to fight back.

He couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

Don't underestimate Chen Qian just because he's only a servant.

This guy has been in the fast track for over ten years. He's ruthless, has a lot of tricks up his sleeve, and knows how to get things done.

He often treated his colleagues in the government office to meals and drinks, and it was unclear where he got the money. He was quite popular and was considered a prominent figure among the clerks.

The current commotion is really giving people a headache.

(End of this chapter)