The three simply followed behind him in silence, like soulless puppets.

Grace Foster had asked the shopkeeper about two places: the county yamen and the county school, and this was the county yamen.

The county yamen was a standalone mansion, not adjacent to any other buildings on either side, occupying a vast area. There were several gates just for the courtyard, all wide open, like a beast baring its jaws, waiting for prey to walk in.

"You all wait here for me. Do not wander."

"I'll be back soon."

Grace Foster strode toward the main gate.

ps: In this month, the Emperor held a horse archery event east of the city, ordering all the women of the capital to attend and watch. Those who did not attend were punished under military law, and it lasted for seven days before stopping. — "Book of Northern Qi, Annals of Emperor Wenxuan"

Chapter 8 Promising

No one was outside the gate.

A narrow passage led to a flight of steps.

As soon as Grace Foster's foot stepped into the passage, a coughing sound came from the side.

A thin, dark, and withered old man sat in a small room on the left, staring at Grace Foster through a square window.

The old man had little flesh on his body, all skin and bones.

"Pass?"

The old man spoke slowly.

"No pass."

The old man shook his head. "Then you can't go in."

"I'm here to get a pass. Once it's done, I'll show it to you."

The old man was stunned for a moment. He pulled out paper and brush from the side and handed them to Taizi. "Surname, given name, occupation, address."

Grace Foster filled it out skillfully and handed it to the old man. The old man was taken aback, looking at the rather rough handwriting. He nodded, granting passage.

"Enter and turn left, first room."

"Thank you."

The corridors inside the county yamen were all very narrow, winding in all directions. There was no one in any of the corridors, all was quiet, only the occasional cough echoing from the entrance.

After passing through the first gate and turning left, Grace Foster entered the first room.

The room was extremely simple, hardly any better than Taizi's own home. There was only a desk, with some books piled haphazardly on either side, very messy.

In front of the desk, a young man was resting his face on his fist, looking troubled, squinting as he dozed.

Hearing footsteps, the young man woke up at once, hurriedly stood up, and was about to bow.

When he saw who had come, the young man looked surprised.

"And you are?"

Grace Foster looked at the young man. He wasn't as tall as Taizi, but he was quite good-looking.

His skin was snow-white, his features clean, not a speck of dirt on him. Even his clothes gave off a faint fragrance. His eyes were jet-black, large and bright.

Just by his appearance, it was clear he was not the same kind of person as Taizi, who had grown up rolling in the mud.

"I'm here to get a pass."

"Ah, right, you're here for the pass..."

The young man became a bit flustered and started searching the desk.

After a moment, he stopped, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead.

"There aren't many people in the yamen today. Something big happened outside the city, everyone went out. I... you're here for a pass, right?"

"Pass..."

He looked around, at a loss.

Grace Foster stared straight at him, making the young man uncomfortable. "Wait here, I'll be right back."

He jogged away from Grace Foster, leaving Grace Foster standing there alone.

The young man ran all the way to the entrance.

After a while, he returned, looking much more confident.

He took out a brand-new wooden tag from under the desk. "Name?"

"Grace Foster."

"Any courtesy name?"

"No courtesy name."

"Alright, Taizi... that's a good name! 'Return a peach for a plum!'"

"Is your mother surnamed Li?"

The young man looked up and saw Grace Foster's cold expression, quickly smiling and saying, "Sorry, that was rude, please don't mind."

"Where are you from?"

"Zhang Village."

"Ah, Zhang Village... a nice place. When I first arrived, I visited once. I remember there were vast peach orchards, like a paradise, making people reluctant to leave, just like the scenes described by Tao Yuanming, truly enchanting..."

As he spoke, the young man got up and left again.

Grace Foster pursed his lips and waited a while longer before the young man finally returned.

He held a yellowed bamboo slip in his hand. "Ha, found it! Liu Da from Zhang Village, hunter, wife surnamed Zhang, son Taizi..."

He looked Grace Foster up and down, comparing him to the description on the bamboo slip.

"No problem, Brother Taizi, you can get your pass."

The young man bent over the desk and began writing.

"Brother Taizi, are you here to sell mountain goods this time? I loved hunting as a child. When I was posted elsewhere, I once went tiger hunting with the knights. That tiger was fierce..."

Even while working, this young man never stopped talking.

When he finished, for some reason, he looked even more excited than Grace Foster. He solemnly handed the pass to Grace Foster.

"All done, here's your pass... Brother Taizi, there are two copies of this pass, one stays with me. You can't lend this to anyone else; it must be used by you personally. If you want to bring people in or out, you have to hang this pass."

"If there's any problem with the pass, whether it's you or your attendants, you'll be held responsible... Oh, and if you lose it, that's a serious offense too, so report it as soon as possible..."