Officials and clerks did not associate; the noble and the lowly did not share the same hall.
Unless one's luck was exceptionally good, there was a chance of catching the attention of someone higher up and receiving an extraordinary promotion.
That was practically a myth. Don't even think about it.
Of course, if they encountered people or matters that were clearly amiss, they would not let them go. Once they did and it was later uncovered, it would be severe dereliction of duty.
But if there was only the slightest suspicious detail and they chose to ignore it, that was no great matter.
Even if someone investigated afterward, they would not be able to pin any major fault on them.
When immortals fought, those at the very bottom had best stay cautious and not blindly meddle.
Even the "clerks" looked down upon by officials were not people they could casually provoke!
As for ordinary crimes, there was no danger involved. They could simply arrest and kill at will. That was the way of public servants: bullying the weak and fearing the strong.
Under the constable chief's complicated gaze, the ox cart passed through without incident and continued onward, gradually reaching the eastern slums.
The roads here became ever narrower and more uneven.
They were all paved with yellow earth, but the streets outside the slums were repaired and maintained from time to time.
Even if it was merely for appearances' sake, the authorities would not leave them unattended.
But the slums were a place nobles never visited. They were filthy, chaotic, and poor beyond measure, with piles of rubbish occasionally appearing on either side of the road.
As the ox cart rolled onward, the two people inside were jolted upward now and then whenever the cart suddenly caught on a