Even if Xie Jing and Wang Xianzhi's identities are special, they are not enough for Wen Yi to greet them in person, or in terms of the current situation, no one has this qualification in terms of identity.

Even the imperial court did not send a special person to greet them, but Xie Daoyun sent an envoy to the dock to pick them up in his private capacity.

All the way to Mengqi City, the four couldn't help but be surprised by what they saw.

The walls of Mengqi City are only four meters high, not to mention compared to Jiankang, any slightly larger city is taller than it.

The reason is very simple, most of the city walls of the Tang Kingdom are for anti-theft and other lawbreakers, not to prevent rebellion, and there is no need to build the city walls too high.

What really amazed them was the bustle and tranquility of the place, with a smile on everyone's face. This kind of laid-back joy from the heart is rare even in Jiankang.

There is also the fact that the street is divided into several parts by a wooden fence.

The maid who greeted them said, "The roads in the city are divided into main roads and branch roads...... This is the main road and is separated by a railing. ”

"The outermost part is the sidewalk, and in the middle is the carriage and horse path...... Horses and vehicles must drive on the right side of the road, and if something happens in the wrong direction, they will be fully responsible. ”

"There are no railings on the branch road, and it is only marked with a white line for pedestrians, but unless necessary, vehicles and horses must walk on the right side of the white line."

Xie Jing asked, "What if a pedestrian is driving in the wrong direction and collides with a car or horse?" ”

The maid replied, "The chariot and horse are primarily responsible. ”

Xie Jing said: "Why? Isn't this too unfair to the chariots and horses, is it to protect the weak? ”

The maid shook her head and said: "Because the carriage itself is more dangerous than ordinary pedestrians, even if pedestrians violate traffic rules, at most they will knock people down and bruise, and the consequences of accidents involving carriages and horses will be more serious." ”

"Now that the owner of the chariot and horse has enjoyed the convenience it brings, he has to take on more responsibility. When driving, it is necessary to be vigilant and observe passers-by to avoid traffic accidents as much as possible. ”

Seeing that this maid was talking about the truth, Xie Jing's interest was aroused, and he deliberately asked, "Isn't it still sympathetic to the weak?" ”

The maid said seriously: "To enjoy more power is to fulfill more obligations, this is the rule of the Tang Kingdom, and this is also to prevent people from deliberately killing people." ”

"The king said that the morality of meat eaters should never be overestimated. If a pedestrian who violates traffic rules is not held accountable for being hit by a car or a horse, someone will take the opportunity to kill indiscriminately. ”

"Then what was originally a good law to regulate traffic and facilitate pedestrians will become a bad law that aids and abets abuse. The law should be made not only in terms of its benefits, but also in terms of its disadvantages. ”

Although the meat eater's words made Xie Jing very uncomfortable, they couldn't help but be surprised by the knowledge of this maid.

If it was a simple explanation of the law at first, then it came to the idea of legislation.

Is this really a maid? Even the women of the scholar clan did not have this kind of knowledge.

Wang Xianzhi couldn't help but ask: "The girl has extraordinary knowledge, I think she is not an ordinary servant, she should be from a scholarly family." ”

The maid said shyly: "Wang Langjun said with a smile, my family has been farming for generations, and seven years ago it was a peasant household in Qingzhou who had no food and no clothing. ”

"I was lucky to come to the Tang Kingdom, and I inherited the king's kindness and lived the life I have now......"

Wang Xianzhi was even more surprised, and said, "Where did that girl's knowledge come from?" ”

The maid said: "The Tang Kingdom School is all over every village...... Both men and women must be enrolled, otherwise the family's tax ...... will be raised."

"I studied in Mengxue for four years and then in junior high school for two years...... Everything I know is what I learned at the academy. ”

Speaking of this, she sighed: "It's a pity that I didn't have enough knowledge and couldn't be admitted to university...... I can only apply for the palace paperwork, but fortunately, I was lucky enough to be admitted this time. ”

Wang Xianzhi and Xie Jing looked at each other, they knew that the Tang State had a academy, but they didn't expect that they would even teach these things. So what kind of esoteric knowledge should her so-called university teach?

Xi Daomao paid attention to another point, and said, "This sister, you said that you are a clerk who was admitted to the palace?" Is it an official body? ”

The maid thought for a while and said, "It can be regarded as a half-official and half-official, and the waiters in the palace are all like this. ”

"When they are twenty years old, most of them have to leave the palace, and only a very few excellent people can continue to stay in the palace...... That's when the real official body is the case. ”

Xie Jing asked, "Aren't you afraid of leaking palace secrets?" ”

The maid said: "The king once said that there are no secrets at all in the palace as the center of the world, and the so-called secrecy is just a cover-up and stealing the bell. That being the case, it is better to open the door to everyone to comment. ”

Xie Jing obviously disagreed, and said: "What about military affairs, do you also let everyone inquire about it?" ”

The maid was very strange and said: "There are only private affairs of the royal family in the palace, how can there be any military affairs?" ”

"The king and the mother never deal with government affairs in the palace, they are all handled in the Guangming Hall and the Guanghua Palace. Confidential documents are also kept in a special hall and are not brought into the harem. ”

"The general clerk is just to help the harem deal with things in life, and only after passing the assessment and turning into a formal official can you go to the front hall to get in touch with the military secrets."

"And the selection of waiters in the palace is very strict, and there are strict confidentiality requirements, if the secrets in the palace are leaked, the consequences are very serious."

Xie Jing couldn't help but complain: "Then aren't you leaking secrets when you say so much now?" ”

The maid was even more puzzled, and said: "These things are well known to everyone in the Tang Kingdom, and there are requirements when applying for the palace documents." ”

Xie Jing suddenly didn't know what to say, and Wang Xianzhi also fell into deep thought.

Seeing that they stopped talking, Xi Daomao asked in a low voice, "Can a woman from the Tang Kingdom also be an official?" ”

The maid nodded and said, "Yes, Dean Shui is the secretary of the country and the deputy official of the country." ”

"However, most of the women who are officials can only go to the Guozijian and the Health and Medical Prison, and I heard that the museum also recruits female officials, but other departments can't."

Xi Daomao's face showed a yearning look, who doesn't want to show his talents. But after glancing at her husband, she buried this idea in her heart again.

The maid first took them to two adjacent mansions and said, "This is the residence that the mother gave to the two gentlemen......

Wang Xian's heart was grateful, and he thanked him in the direction of the palace, while Xie Jing felt that it was right.

The house is not a big victory, but there are four young and beautiful maidservants in the house.

The maid reminded, "This is the slave maid, this is their servant contract...... I hope the two gentlemen will treat them well. ”

Xie Jing hadn't taken it seriously, but after taking a look at the contract, he realized that things were not so simple.

The above stipulates the rights and obligations of both parties, the two most important are: one is to pay wages on a monthly basis, and failure to pay wages is regarded as a breach of contract and the contract is invalid.

Second, the contract period is five years, which means that after five years they will be free.

The maid seemed to see his doubts and explained: "There is no slave status in the Tang Kingdom, and the servants are all employment contracts, and the maximum period shall not exceed fifteen years. ”

"But everyone in the Tang Kingdom has arable land, and few people are willing to be slaves and maids, and most of the maidservants are slave maids, Luzon maids and Funan maids."

"Their contract is fixed at five years, and after five years, they will be released freely and become Tang people......"