Liang Qu sat in the courtyard, sipping fish soup porridge, and sitting together with a group of tile workers and carpenters.
Listening to their conversations over porridge, Liang Qu learned a lot about the changes happening outside.
Although a seventh-rank County Magistrate is but a small character within the supervisory government offices, for the county and the surrounding areas, his arrival is no small affair.
When the "Red Documents" confirming the new official's appointment are issued, postal stations along the route provide services, and local officials from various states and counties adhere to the unwritten rules of officialdom, offering sums of silver.
Upon taking office, the County Magistrate's first task is to receive his seal, and accompanied by his entourage, inspect the County Yamen by making a round, a practice known as "travel blue dragon".
