Zhang Jing'an felt a vast gulf between himself and the clerks and bailiffs in the Metropolitan Pavilion, but he could only suspect that it was because he was the son of an alleged rebel species. He could think of no other reason.
With no other choice, Zhang Jing'an could only ask his disreputable friends, but they were even more helpless.
After turning the matter over and over, Zhang Jing'an could only steel himself and write a document shirking responsibility in handwriting that looked like a dog's crawl.
The next day, every official in the city knew that Prefect Qiao had summoned Zhang Jing'an to the prefectural office and flown into a towering rage, loudly berating him before everyone until he nearly cried. In the end, he forced Zhang Jing'an to finish writing an admission of fault at the prefectural office before allowing him to leave.
Utterly humiliated, Zhang Jing'an returned to the Metropolitan Pavilion and sat in his room, turning everything over in his mind. He dimly realized that he had imagined being an official was far too simple. His mistakes were clearly much smaller than those of his wretched father, yet he had no idea what that wretched father had done. Prefect Qiao had never mentioned him at all, instead making Zhang Jing'an the scapegoat.
Another day passed. Zhang Jing'an stopped idling away his time in the Metropolitan Pavilion courtyard and took several tall, burly friends with him to learn about the people's circumstances.
Apart from occasionally hearing someone curse rebel species, Zhang Jing'an felt the whole day had gone smoothly. He now understood Wude Street better and intended to keep making visits, conscientiously fulfilling his duties so the censors would have no excuse to attack him.
The next day, the censors of the Imperial Censorate actually attacked Zhang