"Some matters are more pressing than others, and not everything requires our lord's attention. If it's a trivial issue of no significance, our lord won't bother with it," said the guard.
"Yes, my matter is not trivial, not at all. It involves thousands of people in our town; it's extremely important," replied Tian Peng.
The guard chose to be selectively deaf, only latching onto one detail, "You're not from around here?"
"Yes, I come from the lower county, which also falls under the jurisdiction of Bianzhou," explained Tian Peng.
"That won't do," the guard said, puffing out his chest.
"Why won't it do?" Tian Peng was puzzled. "Is it that you must consider one's origins even when reporting to the officials?"
"That's not what I mean. Don't you have your own county government office? Why would you come to us to report an issue? If people from everywhere come here to report issues, will our lord ever get a moment of rest?" the guard responded.
