At Chun'an Wharf, a boat flying the banner of the River Administration slowly docked.
A square-faced man with an angry glare, dressed in coarse hemp clothing, led a donkey carrying his luggage down from the boat and onto the shore.
Seeing the local militia approach warily, the man took out his transfer order and presented it.
"I am Hai Rui, the newly appointed magistrate of Chun'an County."
The militiaman accepted the transfer order skeptically, gave it a perfunctory glance, then handed it back. "Come with me, sir."
"You can read?"
"No." The militiaman shook his head. "But you don't look afraid at all, sir, so you probably aren't trying to deceive me."
"You aren't afraid of me?" Hai Rui asked curiously.
"You're an official, sir. Surely you wouldn't make trouble for me?"
Hai Rui smiled. "Not necessarily."
The militiaman laughed as well. "Then I'd say you won't be an official for long."
"What do you mean by that?"
The militiaman shook his head without speaking. He truly was no longer afraid of officials. Under Third Master's leadership, they had dealt with the clerks and officials in the yamen, dealt with the officers and soldiers from the River Administration, and even directly arrested one of the military commanders—a high-ranking official, at that.
To put it simply, those young, able-bodied men who often followed Third Master around had lost all reverence for officials. Every last one of them had turned into an unruly commoner...
Hai Rui did not press him. He simply led his donkey toward the city behind the militiaman, observing everything along the way and asking question after question, all of which the militiaman answered.
Along the road, Hai Rui saw disaster victims clearing the streets. He also saw children outdoors reciting the classics after a scholar and practicing writing