Let's not mention the unusual eyes of the fellow jinshi at the Osmanthus fragrans banquet, but rather say that on the day after the banquet, Fang Xin went to the Ministry of Justice to report for duty.

  The empire has a total of one capital and fifteen provinces, with a total of 1,141 counties. Anchang Province's Guming County is located in the southwest, more than 1,000 miles away from my current hometown, and it is also where the southern barbarians (indigenous people) gather.

  Taizu launched a military campaign to unify the country, ordering Anchang State to surrender. However, the King of Anchang refused, and as a result, the Chu army invaded Anchang, and the King of Yunnan died. The imperial court established 36 counties in Anchang, and on this basis, five more prefectures were built. Later, Anchang Province was also established. Despite this, for over a century, the population did not reach even three-tenths of that of the interior regions, although the area was extremely vast. One county here was equivalent to several counties in the interior, and there were dense forests and epidemics. It was indeed not an ideal place for official appointments, but it was also an unavoidable situation.

  According to imperial decree, once a sacred edict is received, one must report to the Ministry of Officials within three days.

  Upon arrival at the Ministry of Personnel, registration and verification were conducted. After verifying the identity without error, the Minister of Personnel personally issued the " Imperial Decree".

  This must be an imperial edict signed by the Emperor, the Chancellor and the Minister of Personnel, stamped with the Imperial Seal, the Chancellor's seal and the Ministry of Personnel's main seal. For all ranks above the 7th grade, it is necessary to have three signatures to be considered valid - the above clearly states that someone is appointed to a certain position.

  And also need to receive "official disc", on which there is proof of identity, with detailed information and even a description of appearance.

  Then you can receive official clothes, seventh-grade official clothes, two sets are issued by the court every year, but you can also make them yourself.

  Upon receiving the " Imperial Decree", Fang Xin had to leave the capital within three days and report to Anchang Province within two months, otherwise he would be punished, with lighter penalties being beaten by the Provincial Governor with ten rods, and heavier ones being dismissed on the spot.

  In the same year, all successful candidates can stay in the capital for a period of time, socialize and make connections. Fang Xin was the only one who had to leave early with a humble attitude. When he left, only a few successful candidates came to see him off, without any treatment that should be given to the second place winner, which made him smile bitterly. After attending the farewell banquet and bidding farewell to everyone, he left like this.

  Of course, there are post stations along the official road. Newly appointed officials can receive different treatments according to their ranks. Seventh-grade officials can even get an official horse and, following the system, bring two private warriors as escorts, who take care of all food, accommodation, and transportation along the way, so that new officials can reach their posts at the fastest speed.

  Guming County actually belongs to Jiancheng Prefecture, and the procedure for taking office is also different. First, go to the provincial capital, pay respects to the Governor, verify identity, and then stamp the " Imperial Decree" with the official seal of the Anhui Provincial Governor. Then rush to Jiancheng Prefecture, pay respects to the Prefectural Magistrate in the prefecture, and stamp the large seal of the Jiancheng Prefectural Magistrate. Only after all five seals are complete can Lin Lei go to Guming County. Of course, the Prefectural Magistrate will first host a banquet for Fang Xin, the reason is simple, that is to introduce the local situation. At the same time, send someone to notify the county.

  Gongming County information. Also learned that the area is very large, with an area of over 5,000 square kilometers, which is equivalent to two or three counties in inland areas. However, there are only 4,000 households and a total population of around 20,000 people. The day after the banquet, Fang Xin had to get up early and rush on his way. According to the imperial decree, new officials were greeted according to their rank - nine-grade officials one mile away, eight-grade officials three miles away, seven-grade officials six miles away.

  So Fang Xin arrived at the outskirts of Guming County, a post station, at 1 o'clock in the afternoon. As expected, not much time had passed when nearly a hundred people could be seen approaching slowly from the distant official road.

  "Is this the newly arrived Magistrate Li? Ah, forgive me, forgive me, we pay our respects to Magistrate Li!" The speaker was a middle-aged official, dressed in attire that indicated he was the County Lieutenant. This was a seventh-rank official. Behind him were two others, namely the Chief Clerk and the County Captain, who were eighth-rank officials. Further behind them were several ninth-rank officials.

  After finishing speaking, these people knelt down on the ground and paid their respects with a grand bow.

  Fang Xin saw it, and it was still okay. After all, among this group of people, no one dared to have the intention of killing the new county magistrate with confidence and prestige. The attitude was also quite respectful, otherwise, Fang Xin would not care about life and death at all.

  It's best to catch someone who openly disrespects their superiors or even disobeys orders, unless the person being caught has connections that reach the heavens. Otherwise, they can be demoted or dismissed, after all, official rules must be maintained and those who cannot be caught in the act can still be secretly eliminated, there are ways to make them disappear silently.

  Now this opening is still okay, but Fang Xin is after all a newcomer, so he doesn't know what these people are thinking in their hearts. So he says: "Everyone please get up, I'm new here and need your help with many things!"

  "This is natural, please get on the sedan chair and return to the city!" said the county lieutenant. Under the enthusiastic support of the crowd, Fang Xin got into a four-person sedan chair, which had removed its screens so that the people along the way could see the new county magistrate. Six li, or three kilometers, was not too far, and soon they entered the county city, passing through it to arrive at the county government office.

  Fang Xin went up to the hall, respectfully presented the county's great seal, then knelt down one by one and reported his name.

  "Humble servant Zheng Yongze, county lieutenant of Ming County, pays respects to Your Honour, the Magistrate."

  "Humble servant Qiao Jieying, chief clerk of Ming County, pays respects to Honorable Magistrate."

  "Humble official Gu Qingbin, county lieutenant of Mingxian County, pays his respects to Your Honor, the magistrate."

  "Humble servant Sha Ping, a minor official of Ming County, pays his respects to the Honorable Magistrate."

  "Humble official Ge Ming County Warehouse Officer Gu Yan pays respects to Honorable Magistrate."

  "Humble official Ge Ming County Land Officer Xian Xi Yi pays respects to Honorable Magistrate."

  Actually, it's not necessary to be so formal in daily life, after all the ranks are not much different, just bowing and greeting is enough. However, when taking office for the first time, one must pay respects with great ceremony to show distinction between superior and inferior.

  In a large county, there will be six departments: "Fa, Cang, Hu, Bing, Shi, and Tian", corresponding to the responsibilities of the central six ministries. They are all officials of the ninth rank, but in fact, middle and lower counties add or remove departments according to their own needs, so some counties only have three departments: "Hu, Cang, and Tian".

  After the ceremony, County Lieutenant Zheng Yongze stopped speaking and was led by Chief Secretary Qiao Jieying to inspect the entire county government office. The county government office occupies about 10 acres of land, divided into three levels: front, middle, and back.

  In front lived the miscellaneous staff, that is, the personnel who handled miscellaneous affairs inside and outside the government office. There were many miscellaneous staff, and when they all came to pay their respects, it turned out that there were about 200 people. It's said that in large counties, there are often as many as a thousand.

  Starting from the ninth rank of patrol inspector, he would go forward and pay his respects. The patrol inspector is actually the director of the public security bureau, in charge of local law and order, with thirty police officers under him. The county lieutenant was slightly different in nature, he was a militia commander, and one county could generally establish around three hundred soldiers.

  In addition, the county magistrate also has around ten exclusive attendants, who are normally in charge of ceremonial duties, and during court sessions serve as guards and law enforcement personnel. The statutory number can be expanded to a maximum of twenty people, which is considered the direct armed force under the county magistrate.

  As for the storehouse, warehouse, gatekeeper, prison guard, kitchen staff, sweeper, drummer, groom, water carrier, and other miscellaneous personnel, there is no need to mention them. Fang Xin only realized after reading that a county is equivalent to a country, which is called "a sparrow may be small but it has all its internal organs".

  As for the middle courtyard, it is the office location of various departments, and behind it is the inner courtyard of the county magistrate's residence.

  Of course, the focus area should be introduced. The county magistrate's trial and judgment are in the main hall. The corridors on both sides of the main hall are where the yamen live. There are now more than a dozen people, but actually, the real office is the signing room, which is the place where the county magistrate handles official documents. No one can enter without an order, not even the county lieutenant and the chief clerk.

  Nearby, there are also temples of the God of Prison and the God of Jail.

  At the dinner party, the new county magistrate naturally had to entertain his colleagues. Present were County Lieutenant Zhang Yang, Chief Liu Jiaoming, now head of the constabulary, Registrar Zhang Qian, and County School Instructor Zhang Qian, as well as Song Wenchen, a clerk in the county government office. Among them, Constable Head Liu Jiaoming and Clerk Song Wenchen were the most worrisome.

  The reason is simple, the head of the yamen runners and the clerk of the signing office are both minor officials who can be appointed or dismissed at will by the county magistrate. However, these two positions are extremely important, one has control over the county's armed forces, and the other is equivalent to the chief of staff of the mayor's office, controlling real power. Generally, a county magistrate would appoint his own people to fill these positions.

  After the banquet, Liu Jue Ming and Song Wen Chen immediately rushed to the signing room to see Fang Xin. As soon as they came in, they knelt down with a thud, knocked their heads and said: "Your humble servant pays respects to the Honorable Magistrate!"

  Fang Xin played with the county magistrate's seal and placed a sword on the table, not saying a word. After a moment, he said, "Did the former magistrate Cai die of illness?"

  "Yes, Cai Zhi County contracted the plague and died of illness." Song Wencheng knocked on the ground and said.

  "Well, if our county is also infected with the plague, then that would be two magistrates dead in one year. What do you think the imperial court will make of it?" Fang Xin said suddenly with a cold laugh.

  As soon as this sentence came out, the two of them suddenly broke into a cold sweat. Song Wencheng forced a smile and replied: "Sir, you are blessed with good fortune and longevity, how could it be so?"

  "Do you know that even if our county didn't have any servants or family members, why couldn't we borrow some troops from the prefecture? Not many, just temporarily borrowing a team, shouldn't be a problem, right?" Fang Xin put down the county seal and grasped his sword.

  At this time, even Song Wenchen did not dare to respond, and could only repeatedly kowtow.

  "There's another question, you two, are you officials appointed by the imperial court?" "I am still not in the official ranks, how dare I be considered an official appointed by the imperial court?" Song Wencheng replied with a bitter smile. To be an official appointed by the imperial court, one must at least be of the ninth rank.

  "Well, that county revolutionized you, even killed you, is it a matter of one word?" As he spoke, the long sword was drawn out an inch, and a stream of cyan gas rushed out, Song Wencheng immediately fell to the ground with a thud, while Liu Jiaoming's body stiffened, not daring to move at all. In their feelings, this killing intention had almost become substantial.

  Song Wenchen, although prostrate on the ground, still lifted his head with difficulty and said with a wry smile: "A lowly official like myself is nothing but a humble servant; if Your Excellency wants to dismiss or execute me, it's naturally just a matter of one word."

  "Hmph, so it seems you're lucky that I didn't bring my family and servants. These two positions are still yours for the time being. As for how Cai Zhixian died, this official doesn't care, but what he does care about is your lives and families. Just wait until later when this official gets familiar with things, then you'll be replaced." Fang Xin put away his sword and picked up the county seal again, saying.

  "I understand, from now on I will only obey your orders!" The two of them were both clever people and they simultaneously knocked their heads to the ground.