Commandant of the Public Carriage Office

The Office of the Commandant of the Guard's commandants of the Public Carriage Office were divided into civil and military posts. The civil officials conveyed orders, while the military officers patrolled the Sima Gates.

The civil officials fell under the jurisdiction of the assistant director of the Office of the Commandant of the Guard, while the military officers answered to the chief commandant.

Each commandant of the Public Carriage Office had three to five underlings and received a salary of six hundred shi of grain.

One shi of millet was worth around ten half-tael coins, which meant the court's salary was worth around six thousand half-tael coins.

The pay was not exactly low. As long as he neither ate nor drank, he could buy the cheapest house in Chang'an City after two years.

But the cheapest inn in Chang'an City cost ten half-tael coins, and a feast near the imperial palace cost over a hundred. In Chang'an City, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, this was probably a minimum subsistence wage from the court.

Zhang Xuezhou had no great expectations for this subsistence wage. He would simply collect it and spend it when it was paid.

He did not expect to make a fortune off the court's salary, either.

What gave Zhang Xuezhou a headache was the post itself.

A man as gifted in literature as he was had actually been assigned to the ranks of the military officers.

In other words, he had to take his underlings on patrol around a Sima Gate.

Sima Gates were the outer palace gates of certain important buildings. Like the officers who guarded the city gates, Zhang Xuezhou had become one of their guards.

"Chief commandant, I'm actually not very good at fighting. I ought to be conveying