The Twenty-Sixth Section of Kuaiji County Government (Middle)

  Shen Mo followed Ma Dian out of Yongchang Square and headed northwest. After crossing several streets and stone bridges, they saw a very wide river. The boats on the river were coming and going like shuttles, and the houses on both banks were densely packed. This was the boundary river that divided the two counties of Kuaiji and Shanyin, with Kuaiji to the east and Shanyin to the west.

  Along the river are two parallel main streets, Huaiji Avenue to the east and Shanyin Road to the west. Three water transportation arteries pass through numerous docks built along the river, communicating with each other.

  Along the Kui Da Street to the north, the road is getting wider and wider, and the shops are getting denser and denser. The entire Shaoxing city's most prosperous area, Fu Heng Street, has arrived. Fu Heng Street, as its name suggests, is a street that lies in front of the Shaoxing Prefecture Government Office. Since the government office faces south and sits north, the street naturally runs east-west. Where it intersects with Jie River and two major north-south streets, it is called Xuan Ting Kou. Because on top of a wooden pavilion by the river hangs a sign that reads "Gu Xuan Ting", it got its name. The pavilion enshrines Guanyin Bodhisattva, but because nowadays people are foolishly devoted to Buddhism, Shaoxing Prefecture Government Office even restricts non-Buddhists from entering to worship, so the incense fire in this pavilion is not prosperous, and among many stone archways that span across streets, it looks particularly dilapidated.

  But Xuantingkou has been a bustling area of Shaoxing City since ancient times. Most commercial and water transportation hubs are concentrated here.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Shen walked silently to the bottom of the wooden plaque building, his line of sight drawn to a larger and slightly higher stone slab than the surrounding road surface.

  Ma Tianci noticed his gaze and chuckled: "Youngster, have you seen a beheading before?"

  He shook his head silently, and indeed, he had no memory of this period.

  "Who would have thought that you're still a good kid?" Ma Dian Shi couldn't help but laugh and said: "We, the autumn executioners of Gui County, will behead the prisoners on this 'execution stone'..." As he spoke, he made a slashing motion with his hand, revealing a mouthful of big yellow teeth: "At noon, three strikes, one chop, blood gushing out like a spring, and a big head falls to the ground..."

  Under the scorching sun, he couldn't help but shiver in silence. He never thought that this three-foot-square, clean and smooth stone slab would be a one-way road to the underworld.

  He quickened his pace, leaving the eerie place behind, and soon saw a lush green hill not far away. On the south side of the hill, facing him, was a magnificent complex of buildings. Shen Mo couldn't help but discover that he didn't even know which government office this was. He secretly smiled wryly to himself: 'I'm already in my teens and I still haven't explored the entire county town, my past self really was a shut-in.' But if it weren't for someone's 'single-minded devotion to reading sacred books, with no ear for worldly affairs', how could he have mixed into the group of scholars?

  Only when he arrived at the end of the earth did he realize that this group of buildings was composed of two county governments and one prefectural government. The tallest and largest in the middle is the location of the Shaoxing Prefectural Government under the Zhejiang Provincial Government of the Ming Dynasty. The two slightly smaller buildings on either side are the locations of the Kuaiji and Shanyin County Governments, all within a few hundred steps of the prefectural government.

  Although the three yamens are close to each other, in reality they only communicate through official documents. The three local officials do not visit each other. It's not that the two gentlemen are as lazy as County Magistrate Li, but because Prefectural Magistrate has to follow the official rules of "Prefectural Magistrates do not enter county yamens", everyone can only stay in their own yamen and rely on letters delivered by homing pigeons to communicate with each other.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Silently following Ma Dian, they arrived at the easternmost Kuaiji County government office. Before seeing the main gate, a wall with dark tiles and white base appeared in front of them, on which various notices were posted on the outer wall facing south.

  Passing by the wall, you can see a large archway with the inscription "Zhonglian Fang" in the direction of the main gate, which is very grand and covers the gate of the county government.

  The Paifang and the Zhobi face each other from a distance, with a square of about 30 to 50 meters in front of the government office separating them. On both sides of the square, there are also pavilions, one on the left called "Shenming Pavilion", which is used to announce the latest solved criminal cases and the verdicts of previous cases, even the list of those who will be executed in autumn, apparently for the purpose of punishing evil.

  Opposite to it is another pavilion called 'Jiang Shanting', which publicizes filial piety, brotherly love, benevolence, chastity and good deeds, all of which are used to promote goodness. Not only in front of the county government office, but also in every town and village, there are these two kinds of 'punish evil and promote goodness' pavilions.

  In front of the government office, in the center of the square, there is a Shengyu Pavilion, inside which is a stone stele engraved with the "Six Maxims" issued by Taizu Emperor, totaling 24 characters: "Be filial to parents, respect the elderly, live in harmony with neighbors, teach and discipline children, each follow their natural destiny, do not do evil". On the first and fifteenth of every month, county officials would come here to lecture the masses, instructing them to be good people according to these six maxims, to be obedient subjects of the imperial court, and to be good citizens under Lord Li.

  A group of people walked past the Shengyu Pavilion and finally arrived in front of the county government office. The outer walls on both sides of the main gate of the government office were tilted outward in an eight-character shape, with official documents posted on the wall.

  Silently looking at the stone lions guarding the gate, there are six gates in total. I thought to myself: "I'm afraid this is where the six gates originated."

  Following the usual procedure, there was no need to report again. The group entered the county government office from a side door next to the main gate. As soon as they went in, Shen Mo saw a screen wall with a solemn and majestic atmosphere, which he knew was called a Xiao wall.

  Going around the wall, I came to the county government office and saw that on both sides of the front yard there were two courtyards. On one side was hung a plaque reading "Yinbin Hall", which was the location of this county's post station. The other side was the gloomy county prison.

  These two irrelevant buildings stood opposite each other in the front yard, Shen Mo said: 'The only common point is that both can be accommodated for free.' In the northeast corner of this courtyard, there was a small land temple, where the deity worshipped was not the Land God, but several very special scarecrows. They were made from the skins of corrupt officials flayed by Taizu, filled with straw.

  This terrifying thing is directly placed in the Temple of Land, and every time a new official takes office, they must first go in to visit and admire it, in order to strengthen their sense of integrity.

  Entering the second gate, we arrived at the second entrance of the county government office, which is also the largest entrance in the county government office. It consists of two courtyards, east and west, with a small courtyard for Zhang County Magistrate, Chen Zhubu, and Ma Dianshi as their offices. The six houses of 'Hu Li Xing Bing Li Gong' are located here.

  The county's granary, treasury and armory were also located here, with very strict guards.

  After passing through this gate, he entered the next gate, 'Yi Men', and Shen Mo finally saw the county government's main hall.

  But in the middle of the corridor leading to the main hall, there is a small pavilion called "Jie Shi Ting". In the pavilion, there is also a stone tablet with three strong and powerful characters "Gong Sheng Ming" on one side facing outwards. Turning around to the back, you can see that the other side of the tablet facing the main hall has sixteen large characters: "Er Xiang Er Lu, Min Gao Min Zhi; Xia Min Yi Nu, Shang Tian Nan Qi".

  Ma Dian Shi made Shen Mo wait at the gate, then stepped onto the Danbi, entered the main hall, passed through the second and third halls, arrived at the inner mansion, and reported to County Magistrate.

  Division line

  A brain-draining chapter is finally done, I've spat out blood, everyone please give some votes to replenish my energy...