After eating, Xiang Yang did not even have time to try on his constable's uniform. He pulled out the constable's waist token from the bottom of the tray, grabbed Fu Da Chun, and headed straight for Zhou Fugui's grand residence in the county seat.
As they walked, Xiang Yang examined the token. It was made of refined bronze, with Anyuan engraved on the front and the character for constable on the back. Beneath that character, Xiang Yang's name had been carved deep into the metal, proving that he was no longer an ordinary commoner but a young constable who ate from the imperial bowl and worked for the yamen.
After fiddling with it for a while, Xiang Yang tucked the token into his robes. Seeing the excitement written all over Fu Da Chun's face, he smiled. "By the way, don't you have anything to do today? What if Lord Zhou insists on keeping me for lunch? Don't go running off halfway through and miss out on a good meal."
Fu Da Chun did not take Xiang Yang's bragging to heart. He shook his head with a bitter expression. "Don't mention it. Our job sounds nice when they call us yamen runners, but put bluntly, we're just errand boys.
"When you were around, I could still take it easy. Now that you've risen to become a constable, I'm the only one left. I can't stand this suffering, and the old man at home doesn't want me doing it anymore either. This is a good chance for me to go home and learn how to make roast chicken, so I can inherit the tavern someday."
Yamen runners sounded respectable enough, but in truth, they were the sons, nephews, and younger relatives of yamen guards, constables, or clerks who came to the County Yamen to run errands, earn a little hardship money, and make themselves familiar faces so they could work for the yamen in the future.
Naturally, such a large yamen had more than just two runners. But Fu Da Chun was only close to Xiang Yang and had an ordinary relationship with everyone else. Without Xiang Yang, he would lose his playmate and might even be bullied and excluded by the others. That was why he had decided to quit.
"Quitting is fine. Your family tavern is doing such booming business, so why suffer through all that? Besides, I'm a constable now. If anyone comes to your place to make trouble in the future, I'll step in for you. Just be the Young Master of your tavern in peace and enjoy your life."
Xiang Yang patted Fu Da Chun on the shoulder. Fu Da Chun had gone to the County Yamen in the first place to build connections and find official protection, so that all sorts of lowlife riffraff would not come to the tavern and stir up trouble. Now that Xiang Yang had become a constable, far above an ordinary yamen guard, he could naturally protect the Fu family.
Constables were considered Anyuan County's elite armed force. There were fewer than twenty in total, responsible for apprehending bandits, investigating and handling cases, and gathering evidence of crimes. They were also the group the county magistrate relied on most. Dealing with a few hooligans and scoundrels was no pressure at all.
Fu Da Chun was both delighted and touched. "Brother Xiang Yang, thank you. I can't promise anything else, but once I've mastered the craft, I'll make roast chicken for you every day."
Xiang Yang burst out laughing at Fu Da Chun's words. If he really ate roast chicken every day, he would probably turn into a big fat man within a few days.
The Zhou family's grand residence stood near the far end of West Street in Anyuan County. It had three courtyards in front and three behind, one of the county's rare luxurious estates. Above the gates hung a vermilion plaque bearing the words Zhou Mansion, while two huge stone lions stood below, carved so vividly that they seemed alive, majestic and mighty.
Standing outside the Zhou family gates, Xiang Yang looked at their house, then compared it to his own little broken shack. It dealt him a hundred-point critical blow, leaving him in a foul mood.
He adjusted the Wild Goose Feather Saber in his left hand and gestured for Fu Da Chun to knock. Fu Da Chun rubbed his hands together and, rather excitedly, climbed several stone steps to the gate and struck the door ring. "Bang, bang, bang."
"Who is it?" With a creak, a man in his thirties wearing a felt cap and sporting a large red nose opened the gate just enough to poke his head out. Seeing that Fu Da Chun was merely a teenage boy in plain clothes, his expression immediately darkened.
"You little brat, do you know where this is? Get lost, go play somewhere else. If you keep making trouble, see how I deal with you."
Fu Da Chun was furious upon hearing this. What a dog-eyed bastard who looked down on people. Who did he think he was? He was nothing but a gatekeeping servant. Fu Da Chun was at least the Young Master of a tavern—was he supposed to let this man bully him?
But before he could speak, the man in the felt cap was already trying to close the gate. Xiang Yang had climbed the steps by then and slipped one hand into the narrowing gap, bracing one side of the gate. No matter how hard the man in his thirties pushed, he could not shut it.
"Oh, kid, you've got some strength. But you dare come to the Zhou family and cause trouble? Aren't you afraid you'll walk in upright and leave lying flat?"
Seeing that Xiang Yang was handsome but dressed in coarse hemp clothes, clearly not from a wealthy family, the man mocked him. Yet before he could say anything further, his voice caught in his throat. His teeth chattered against each other, and he looked as though he were about to cry.
Xiang Yang had found the gatekeeper's endless babbling unbearable, so with a flick of his left hand, he drew the Wild Goose Feather Saber halfway and held it less than an inch from the servant's neck.
"You talk too much. Go tell Zhou Fugui that someone from the yamen is here. Ask whether he wants to see me. Go."
Xiang Yang's move not only stunned the man in the felt cap, but also gave Fu Da Chun a fright. Xiang Yang had always been mild-tempered and polite, and with his handsome looks, that was why Fu Da Chun had called him Brother Xiang Yang. Yet today, he was so fierce and violent that Fu Da Chun was shocked.
Hearing that someone from the yamen had arrived, the man in the felt cap let out a breath of relief. When Xiang Yang sheathed his saber, he smiled ingratiatingly. "So it's an officer. Please wait a moment, sir. This humble one will report it at once." With that, he shut the gate. Rapid footsteps thudded farther and farther away; he had likely gone to find Zhou Fugui.
Fu Da Chun looked at Xiang Yang with some fear, glanced at the Wild Goose Feather Saber in his hand, swallowed, and said, "Brother Xiang Yang, why are you carrying such killing intent today? He's only a servant passing on a message. There was no need to draw a blade, was there?"
Xiang Yang looked at Fu Da Chun in confusion. Only then did he realize that his behavior just now had differed somewhat greatly from the old Xiang Yang's. But he was not flustered. He merely gave a cold laugh.
"Killing intent? If I truly had killing intent, I should have slit his neck just now. I merely scared him a little. How is that killing intent?
"Don't worry, I haven't changed. It's just that what happened to Father made me realize that in this world, what one can truly rely on is still one's own fists and the blade in one's hand. Take that bastard just now. He saw that we were young and immediately tried to bully us, but the moment I showed a blade, he went soft. To deal with such evil people, you have to be even more vicious than they are."
Xiang Yang's words put Fu Da Chun at ease. Thinking it over, it was true. The two of them had not even said a word after knocking, yet that gatekeeping servant had immediately rattled off a stream of mockery at them. It had been truly excessive. Then, after seeing Xiang Yang's drawn blade, he had been scared half to death and changed from arrogant to deferential in an instant. He was nothing but a villain who bullied the weak and feared the strong.
"That's true. But Brother Xiang Yang, if that man still refused to report us, would you have killed him?"
Fu Da Chun thought of those wandering heroes who settled grudges with swift justice. Xiang Yang before him could not help overlapping with those figures in his mind, and his eyes sparkled with stars. Drawing a blade and fighting at the slightest disagreement, drinking wine from great bowls and devouring meat in huge bites—that was what a true man should be.
With a smack, Xiang Yang slapped Fu Da Chun on the head and said irritably, "What are you thinking? Do you take me for a bandit from Black Wind Stronghold, killing people at every turn?
"If he really refused to pass along our message, beating him up would have been enough. Who told him to look down on officers of the law?"
Fu Da Chun gave him a thumbs-up and praised him sincerely. "I don't admire even walls, but I admire you, Brother Xiang Yang. No—Brother Xiang."
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