Chapter 40

After listening to Zhao Jin narrate his morning experiences and raise his own questions, Zhao Zhenxing did not blame Zhao Jin for not focusing on martial arts practice. Instead, he burst out laughing.

"A bailiff, you sure know how to talk. Do you know how valuable this bailiff is?" Zhao Zhenxing asked rhetorically, and Zhao Jin naturally looked puzzled.

"The prefecture oversees hundreds of thousands of people inside and outside the city walls. Do you know how many bailiffs there are?"

Zhao Jin naturally shook his head, and Zhao Zhenxing continued, "There are a total of 120 people. Among them, there are over 60 who take care of horses, guard the gates, watch the warehouses, and do miscellaneous tasks. Another 30 are appointed by various officials to receive salaries. After deducting these, there are fewer than 30 who carry weapons and enforce the law on the streets. Your father is one of them. Isn't that impressive?"

In other words, in the vast city of Xuzhou, there are only a hundred or so public officials, and fewer than 30 have the authority to enforce the law. Zhao Jin immediately understood. It turned out that his father was a combination of a police officer, a paramilitary officer, a city management officer, and various law enforcement officials. No wonder he was so impressive. Those people from the underworld naturally bowed to such a powerful figure.

"Stand your horse stance properly!" Zhao Zhenxing made a slashing motion with the bamboo stick, and Zhao Jin quickly adjusted his posture. Zhao Zhenxing continued, not just chatting but teaching his nephew more knowledge.

"Your father is different from other bailiffs and fast runners. Your father has the identity of an executioner, a job that involves blood and death. The other bailiffs with weapons and sticks can only pretend to be powerful, but they dare not truly shed blood. Your father is much more impressive than others. Plus, your father is righteous and never greedy, only taking what he should. His reputation in the prefecture is also very high..." Zhao Zhenxing said a lot, and although he usually seemed not to care much about these things, he knew everything he needed to.

While maintaining his posture, Zhao Jin said, "With such a large city like Xuzhou, can so few people manage it?"

The prefecture of Xuzhou directly oversees hundreds of thousands of people, and there are only a hundred or so officials. How could they possibly manage everything?

Hearing this, Zhao Zhenxing laughed again, couldn't help but cough, and after calming down, he said, "These 120 people receive salaries from the court, but there are also thousands of unpaid servants and public officials. With so many people, how could they not manage it?"

Zhao Jin was speechless. He understood that his father was a salaried official, and there were many unsalaried officials. The reasons for his father's authority were multifaceted: he received a salary from the court, had the identity of an executioner, and held a prestigious position.

Zhao Jin wanted to ask about how the thousands of unpaid officials made a living but quickly understood. There were so many ways to make money, and they didn't need salaries.

He vaguely remembered Zhao Zhentang mentioning at home that the annual salary for "work and food" was less than ten taels of silver, and it was often withheld or delayed. However, Zhao Zhentang didn't rely on this for a living; he received various benefits and red envelopes.

"Second Uncle, my father is a hundred-household officer in the Xuzhou Guard. Does this add to his authority?" Zhao Jin asked. A hundred-household officer is a sixth-rank military official with a hundred soldiers under his command, which definitely increased Zhao Zhentang's authority.

To his surprise, after asking this question, Zhao Zhenxing fell silent for a moment before saying, "A hundred-household officer in the Xuzhou Guard is a high-ranking Ming military official. How could he do such a lowly job as a bailiff? But a high-ranking military official can hardly even afford to eat, while doing this job provides wine and meat."

These words seemed more like self-talk than an explanation to Zhao Jin. Zhao Zhenxing paused and then said in a low voice, "Xiaojin, this is a complicated matter. Try not to mention the Xuzhou Guard too much."

Zhao Jin nodded. He couldn't understand the reason, but he knew it must involve some trouble.

"Second Uncle, what kind of person is Tongtou?"

The morning passed with martial arts practice and conversation. Zhao Jin learned a lot and received many strikes from the bamboo stick. He felt he had gained a lot. Second Uncle Zhao Zhenxing, who watched the gate every day, was well-informed about outside news. According to him, Tongtou was among the top ten figures in the underworld in the southern part of the city. Tongtou was originally called "Fendan" but gained a reputation for his bravery and ferocity. Everyone flattered him by calling him Tongtou, and they forgot his real name, which was Cheng.

He occupied an abandoned Black Tiger God Temple and opened a dice house there, attracting people to gamble. Privately, he also engaged in hiding stolen goods and smuggling salt. The salt-smuggling business was small, involving the distribution of goods from large salt smugglers outside the city. Additionally, the prostitutes and semi-open brothels on the streets around the Black Tiger God Temple were under his protection, and he took a cut to ensure their safety.

When Zhao Zhenxing got excited talking about this, he realized what he had said and laughed awkwardly, "Why am I telling all this to a child? You don't understand."

But Zhao Jin understood. Hiding stolen goods, smuggling, and protecting prostitution and gambling were ways to make money, and these methods had been passed down through the ages, remaining the same in any era.

By the end of the morning, Zhao Jin finally understood his father's social status. In Xuzhou, apart from the literati with official titles, the prefecture, the Ministry of Revenue's sub-office, and the Xuzhou Guard, Zhao Zhentang was also a prominent figure.

However, his authority was high, but his social status was not. Zhao Zhenxing explained clearly that the position of a bailiff could be inherited, but it also had its problems. For example, it was considered a lowly job, and even if one no longer worked as a bailiff, their descendants for three generations were not allowed to take the imperial examinations. Of course, this was not a significant loss for Zhao Jin.

The nominal low status and the actual benefits were clear to Zhao Jin. Merchants were also considered lowly, but how prosperous they were now was evident to everyone.

Zhao Jin also understood why they shouldn't mention the Xuzhou Guard too much. Although literati were esteemed and military officials were considered lowly, a hundred-household officer in the Xuzhou Guard was still a high-ranking Ming military official. The combination of a military official and an executioner was a complicated matter, with some past events entangled, so it was best not to mention it too much.

At noon, Zhao Zhentang returned home for lunch and directly threw two paper packets to He Cuihua. He Cuihua was surprised and asked, "Isn't it the usual day for the regular payment?"

While asking, she didn't stop. The paper packets contained several pieces of silver. He Cuihua weighed them and immediately smiled, saying, "About four taels of silver."

Zhao Jin was surprised while eating. He thought, "The official annual salary is less than ten taels, but a trip to the southern part of the city brought back four taels. I wonder how much the annual regular payment is." However, Zhao Jin also thought about another aspect. In such a poor area of the southern part of the city, a person from the underworld could easily come up with four taels. He must be making a lot of money.

He Cuihua was about to put the silver away but divided it into two parts and pushed it towards Zhao Zhenxing, saying, "Second Uncle, take this."

Zhao Zhenxing was about to refuse, but Zhao Zhentang said calmly, "Take it if your sister-in-law gives it to you. If you don't want to spend it, buy something for Xiaojin."

Hearing this, Zhao Zhenxing did not refuse.

Chen Sheng and his brother came over, and the old steward of the Chen family accompanied them. On the way, Chen Sheng said in a low voice, "Zhao Jin, I've thought it through. I'm going to ask my father to drive away those ruffians. Otherwise, no one will play with us."

Chen Sheng's father, Chen Wu, held a higher position in the prefecture than Zhao Zhentang, possibly a chief bailiff. His intervention would have a greater deterrent effect on the ruffians. However, Chen Sheng's reaction was a bit slow, and like many young people, he was afraid to tell his parents about the trouble he had caused.

"Those ruffians won't dare to hit people anymore!" Zhao Jin said.

Chen Sheng was surprised, immediately understood, and said happily, "That's great! I didn't dare to talk to my father about it yet!"

They, of course, didn't think as much as Zhao Jin did. They chatted and laughed as they approached the cargo yard. Just before entering, they saw Mu Shulan looking around on the roadside. This time, the two young men with her were not the middle-aged couple but two strong men.

Seeing Zhao Jin, the little girl ran over and said mysteriously, "Brother Xiaojin, will those bad guys come again today?"

"They will come, but they are here to apologize," Zhao Jin said with a smile. The little girl was surprised, then smiled and nodded, turning to the two strong men and saying, "You can go back. There's nothing to worry about here."

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