I asked you to go hunting, and you ended up wearing a yellow robe?

Qi Shan and Chen Chong exchanged a glance and followed.

Passing through the back hall, the scene before him made Qi Shan frown slightly.

In the spacious backyard, hundreds of people were lying haphazardly.

Some soldiers who were wounded last night were lying on straw mats groaning, and doctors were moving among them. The air was filled with a strong smell of blood and herbs.

More often, however, were ragged, emaciated refugees.

They were villagers who fled to the county town after their nearby villages were looted by bandits.

Men, women, and children, all with numb eyes, huddled in the corner like a flock of quails waiting for the winter to pass.

An elderly woman with gray hair was carefully feeding her crying grandson in her arms a piece of dry, hard cornbread into several small pieces.

Zhao Bingkun stood in the courtyard, watching all this, a deep sorrow appearing on his originally square face.

He didn't turn around, but his voice was incredibly heavy:

"Did you see that?"

"This is Qingyang County today."

"The Black Dragon Village has been entrenched for many years. As long as the banditry is not eliminated, Qingyang County will not have peace for a day. The border troops are arrogant and self-important, only knowing how to collect taxes and not thinking about suppressing bandits. I have submitted several memorials to the prefectural government requesting reinforcements, but they have all been ignored."

His voice carried a hint of desolation and helplessness.

"The Great Qian Dynasty has been established for over a hundred years, but it is no longer as prosperous as it once was. Internally, eunuchs and treacherous officials control the government, while externally, powerful enemies are eyeing it covetously. Although the world has not yet reached a state of chaos, it is not far off."

"I have no grand ambitions to save the country, I only want to protect this land and its people, but... it's too difficult."

Zhao Bingkun turned around and stared intently at Qi Shan.

"I need a knife, a knife sharp enough to slay all demons and monsters!"

"Qi Shan, are you willing to be my sword, to rid me of bandits and protect the people?"

Qi Shan remained silent.

He looked at the displaced people, at the wounded soldiers, and then he thought of the three women at home who were eagerly waiting for him.

In this chaotic world, to survive, or even thrive, one must climb the social ladder.

The county magistrate in front of him is the most solid "ladder to heaven" that he can grasp at the moment.

In border regions, where the emperor is far away, there are plenty of opportunities to join either the border army or the government.

Today he is just a constable, but in the future, when the situation changes drastically, he may very well become a regional warlord.

Ambition grows wildly in the heart like weeds.

Qi Shan raised his head, met Zhao Bingkun's gaze, and spoke in a strong and clear voice.

"This humble subject is willing to serve Your Excellency with utmost loyalty and loyalty, protecting the people of Qingyang!"

A faint smile finally appeared on Zhao Bingkun's face, though it was genuine.

"Excellent! Well done, Qi Shan!"

He patted Qi Shan on the shoulder: "From this day forward, you are the head constable of Qingyang County! The official documents from the Ministry of Personnel will be issued soon!"

He took a money pouch from his sleeve and handed it over:

"in addition,"

"This is your reward for eliminating the bandits, fifty taels of silver. I never mistreat those who have rendered meritorious service!"

Qi Shan took the money bag; it felt heavy in his hand.

This is the taste of power.

……

Meanwhile, on the second floor of a teahouse near the Qi family residence.

A woman with a captivating figure and alluring eyes sat by the window.

She was dressed in coarse cloth, yet her breathtaking charm was undeniable, drawing frequent glances from the tea drinkers at the next table.

It was a red cicada.

She watched Qi Shan walk into the county government office with his head held high and a meaningful smile playing on her lips.

"My lord..."

She stuck out her scarlet tongue and gently licked her lips, her eyes filled with the excitement of a hunter spotting his prey.

"The higher a man's rank, the more interesting it is when he dies in bed."

She took out a small bamboo whistle from her bosom, placed it to her lips, and blew out a barely audible syllable.

She parted her lips slightly, her breath sweet as orchids, and the note turned to ashes silently at her fingertips.

"Giggle..."

The cicada's laughter sounded like silver bells, or like a venomous snake spitting its tongue.

"A thousand taels of gold for an ordinary villager? No, that's more like a constable?"

"Interesting, very interesting..."

She gazed in the direction of the county government office, her eyes glazed over, as if she could already see a man exhausted in bed, and then the pleasure of her piercing his throat with a silver needle.

Men are always the best prey.

Especially self-righteous men.

……

The backyard of the county government office.

Zhao Bingkun gave Qi Shan a meaningful look, then turned to Chen Chong.

"County Lieutenant Chen, Chief Constable Qi has just taken office. Please show him around the rules and staff of the yamen."

"Your humble servant obeys!" Chen Chong clasped his hands in acceptance of the order.

Zhao Bingkun nodded, put his hands behind his back, and walked towards the study, leaving behind only a single sentence that drifted in the wind.

"I await your good news."

Once the county magistrate had gone some distance, Chen Chong finally breathed a sigh of relief, wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead, and said to Qi Shan with a wry smile, "Brother Qi, you really... made me hold my breath."

In the entire Qingyang County, apart from the border soldiers, only Qi Shan dared to do something like not kneeling before officials.

"From now on, we're all brothers. Just call me Brother Chen." Chen Chong patted Qi Shan on the shoulder, his expression turning serious. "Let's go meet your men. But I have to warn you first, these guys are no pushovers."

Qi Shan raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

Chen Chong led the way while lowering his voice:

"Among the veterans who retired from the border army, and some hoodlums who had committed crimes, I selected fifteen of the best fighters."

"They're all ruthless characters who crawled out of piles of corpses; their hands are stained with blood no less than the bandits you've killed. Getting them to catch thieves is fine, but getting them to obey... that's difficult!"

Qi Shan understood.

A group of thugs and troublemakers.

If used well, it can be a sharp knife; if used poorly, it will stab your own hand first.

The two passed through the moon gate and arrived at a more spacious courtyard.

This is the residence of the county constables.

In the courtyard, a dozen or so strong men were gathered in twos and threes.

Some were wiping their waist knives, some were shirtless holding stone weights, and most were gathered together gambling with dice, cursing and swearing, creating a chaotic atmosphere.

Chen Chong's arrival made them behave themselves and they all stood up.

But when their gaze fell on Qi Shan behind Chen Chong, and on his brand-new constable uniform, the atmosphere instantly changed.

Laziness, scrutiny, disdain, provocation...

Each gaze was like a knife, scraping against Qi Shan.

"This is the newly appointed Head Constable Qi." Chen Chong cleared his throat, raising his voice slightly. "From now on, he will be your superior. Everyone, come and pay your respects!"

The courtyard was deathly silent.

Nobody moved.

A burly man, shirtless and with a tiger tattooed on his chest, slammed the stone lock in his hand to the ground with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.

He glanced sideways at Qi Shan, a forced smile on his face, and said, "The constable? Him? A good-for-nothing who got lucky?"