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Assuming Office 15 If there are indeed contradictions between these actions and local customs, he must deal with the matter along with the issue of travel expenses. CHAPTER : PREPARATIONS FOR TRAVELING TO THE POST When the Magistrate Prepares to Travel to His Post, He Should Keep His Old Outfits and Saddled Horses; He Should Not Replace Them with New Ones. The magistrate’s love of people lies in his frugality, and the essence of his frugality lies in a life of simplicity. Without being frugal, he cannot be upright, and without being upright, he cannot be benevolent. Thus frugality is a virtue he should try to attain first. A foolish and ignorant person tries to cut an impressive figure by wearing new clothes and a fine hat and riding on a fine horse with an expensive saddle. However , veteran clerks, curious about their new magistrate, will smirk at such a display of dignity. When the outfit of their magistrate is colorful and luxurious, they are relieved and pleased. On the other hand, if his appearance looks simple and austere, they are surprised and fearful. Since a man of learning looks down on things envied by children of the street, what good is it to stage such a show? A foolish man may believe that spectators are envious of him, but they are not; rather, they hate him. Is it not foolish to spend his money only to have his reputation damaged and, much worse, incur the hatred of the people? Luxury and extravagance are only for the foolish. Since he who is appointed a local magistrate is most likely to have served in Seoul, he may already have most of the clothes and saddled horses he needs. Would it not be better for him to leave without adding to what he has now? Not one item should be newly prepared. Zheng Xuan said, “When a poor scholar unexpectedly enters government service, he immediately seeks a loan from a moneylender in order to prepare his horse and carriage, attendants and servants, and food and clothes, which are comparable to those of rich and noble families in cost and quality. Besides, he has to visit and thank the officials who worked for his appointment, and when he departs for the place of his appointment, his creditors follow him. If this happens , what choice does he have but to steal from the government treasury or extort money from the people in order to pay his debts?” 25. This is because they believe that a magistrate who dresses in this way will not be strict in dealing with them. 26. An official of the Ming dynasty. His courtesy name was Hanfeng. He was known to have written a book called Zuofeian ji, but the details of his life and works are not known. 16 book I Fan Gongcheng of the Song dynasty in Admonitions to My Children [Guotinglu ] said, “When my late father left for Suizhou, the place of his appointment, his traveling luggage amounted to only three bags, and when he returned home after quitting his post, it was still the same. If one maintains his traveling outfit in such a manner, he said, one would not only feel comfortable but also be safe from scandals [for instance, being falsely accused or slandered] if he runs into something unexpected on the way.” The reason that Yang Wanli [pen name Chengzhai] did not purchase anything at all while he served in the imperial court was that he feared that it might become a burden when he returned home. Also, the reason that Assistant Director of the Right [youcheng] Fan carried no more than three bags when he traveled to his post was that he believed that the traveling outfit of public officials should be simple. If he carried himself in such a manner, how could he not be honest in carrying out his duty? When Hai Rui of the Ming dynasty was appointed censor in chief of Nanjing and first arrived at his post carrying only two wooden chests, residents did not recognize him, even though his ship had arrived at the upper reaches of the river, close to his destination. Sometime later he fell sick, and a doctor was called. When the doctor entered his room, he was surprised to find that his bedsheets were all made of white hemp cloth. The plainness of his room, marked by extreme frugality, was even worse than that of a poor scholar. When Second Minister Yu...

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