In times of chaos and famine, I traded one pound of rice for two royal flushes.

Based on my past life's memories, I believe that most of the officials and court officials in the Great Wei Dynasty are just sitting idly by, not doing any real work.

They carried the wild boar directly to the county government office, making very little noise. If the magistrate made an excuse, they wouldn't even have a chance to resist.

But once the clamor had passed, things changed completely.

With so many people watching, if the magistrate still cares even a little about his reputation, he will keep his promise and distribute the reward.

Of course, if the county magistrate is shameless, they can't really do anything about it and can only try to sell it in the county town.

So it's not really a loss. Pork doesn't have a long shelf life, and before industrialization, the price of salt wouldn't be low, so the cost of curing meat wouldn't be low either.

If there's no way to preserve it by pickling, even if the three of them stuffed themselves, they couldn't possibly finish a whole wild boar before the meat rotted. If it were money, as long as prices don't collapse, it would be a sure profit.

After all, pork can only be eaten, while money can buy most of the things we urgently need.

The two walked slowly, not fast, just as news of their wild boar hunt was slowly spreading throughout the city.

……

"What did you say? Two people killed two wild boars? Someone's probably trying to claim the bounty!"

Inside the county government office, the magistrate listened to his servant's report and immediately made a judgment.

The servant quickly explained.

"Your Honor, I saw it with my own eyes. One of the men was carrying a whole wild boar; I think it weighed at least two hundred pounds!"

Upon hearing this, the magistrate frowned deeply.

The wild animals near the county town have long been cleared out, and now the only ones who can still bring wild animals for a reward are the hunters in the village.

They have traveled quite a distance.

The magistrate immediately pulled the servant over.

Was the person carrying the pig struggling? Did the two of them take turns carrying it, or did one person carry it the whole way?

The servant quickly replied.

"One person was carrying a wild boar weighing nearly 200 pounds, while the other was carrying two pieces of pork, which I estimate must have weighed over 100 pounds as well. The pig had a lot of fat."

Upon hearing this, the magistrate immediately came to a conclusion.

"Tell the strategist to go to my residence and fetch two hundred taels of silver, along with two jars of fine wine."

The servant was slightly startled upon hearing this.

In fact, they haven't paid out the full amount of the bounty for a long time. Moreover, there is a whole process for issuing bounties. After they determine the list of prey and people, they report it and wait for the imperial court to approve it before disbursing the silver.

What's wrong with the magistrate today? Unlike usual, he's not only cutting corners at every turn, but he's also using his own money to make up for it and issuing the reward on the spot.

This is so unusual!

But as a servant, he didn't dare to ask any questions and could only do as he was told.

……

As soon as Qin Shaolang and Chu Wu arrived in front of the county government office, the county magistrate led a group of civil officials and ten soldiers out.

"You two brave men have hunted two wild boars. It must have been a long journey for you to bring them here! Guards, serve them some wine."

Qin Shaolang was slightly surprised by the solemn welcome they received.

Chu Wu, on the other hand, laughed heartily and spoke with a rather official air.

"It's all thanks to the magistrate that we common folk were able to go hunting in the mountains without anyone stealing our prey along the way. This shows how honest and simple the people are, and it's all proof of the magistrate's effective governance!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Shaolang almost lost his composure.

Chu Wu had undoubtedly concealed his true identity; such familiar official pleasantries were something Chu Wu couldn't have come up with even if he racked his brains.

Upon hearing these words, the magistrate burst into laughter.

"You flatter me, sir. May I ask your name?"

Chu Wu immediately clasped his hands in greeting.

"My name is Chu Wu, and this is Qin Shaolang, a friend I made today. If it weren't for his meticulous planning, I wouldn't have been able to handle these two wild boars, and I might have been seriously injured by them."

After the county magistrate expressed his appreciation, Chu Wu did not forget his brother Qin Shaolang and took the initiative to mention Qin Shaolang's achievements.

The magistrate looked at Qin Shaolang suspiciously, noticing that he was not physically strong, and became quite suspicious.

"Come with me into the county government office, and we'll sit down and drink slowly."

He had only taken two steps when the magistrate suddenly slapped his forehead and gave instructions to his servants.

"Hurry up and hand over the silver to these two strong men. Do you intend to embezzle it right under my nose?"

The servants quickly smiled apologetically and handed two one-hundred-tael silver notes to the two men respectively.

This was all at the magistrate's behest. If it were solely Chu Wu's achievement, the magistrate would naturally be reluctant to give the extra hundred taels of silver to a "useless" person.

Before the imperial court distributed its funds, he had to pay for all these expenses, so he naturally had to cut back on unnecessary spending.

Inside the county government office, Chu Wu recounted in detail how the two of them dealt with the wild boar.

After listening carefully, the magistrate began to scrutinize Qin Shaolang again.

Although this person was thin, his value in the entire hunting plan far surpassed that of Chu Wu.

Especially that vigilance—he'd make perfect sentry material.

In hindsight, Qin Shaolang's decision not to continue engaging the boar head-on, but instead to launch a direct attack, disrupting the two boars' plan to attack from both sides, was very rational.

It was this surprise attack that allowed them to regain control of the situation.

The most brilliant part is that Qin Shaolang did not participate when Chu Wu killed the wild boar, but instead seized the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to the wild boar that was attacking from behind.

This was a very rational choice, and it showed considerable courage to face a 200-pound wild boar by himself.

The county magistrate's opinion of Qin Shaolang completely changed.

He immediately looked at Qin Shaolang.

"Both of you are exceptionally talented individuals. Coincidentally, I have two vacant positions in my household. Would you be interested in joining me?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Shaolang immediately understood.

No wonder the magistrate was so quick to offer the reward and treated them so well; he wanted to recruit them into his gang.

With the internal chaos within the Great Wei Dynasty becoming increasingly clear, recruiting family retainers for self-protection, or even to prepare for the potential chaos that may engulf the entire country, is a good option.

This is taking precautions!

However, Qin Shaolang did not want to get involved in these matters for the time being.

Before Qin Shaolang could think of an answer, Chu Wu had already spoken first.

"I hereby report to Your Excellency the County Magistrate: I am of humble origin and have no merits to speak of. I fear I am not up to the task and would fail to live up to Your Excellency's high expectations."

The magistrate pondered for a moment and understood the meaning behind Chu Wu's words.

Such is the current state of officialdom: one's background is far more important than one's ability. Chu Wu comes from a humble background, so even if he has the ability, it will be difficult for him to achieve anything. He wants to wait for a bigger opportunity.

As for the last sentence, "I have failed the magistrate's high expectations," it was a veiled promise that if given the opportunity, he would definitely come to serve under the magistrate.

After thinking for a moment, the magistrate waved his hand and said.

"If you, brave warrior Chu, are so inclined, then come and find me in the future."

Then, the county magistrate looked at Qin Shaolang.

"Brave Warrior Qin, what do you think?"