The crowd in the yamen courtyard dispersed, leaving only a few dry leaves swept up by the wind, spinning across the bluestone ground.
Wei Datong hurried to Ye Qingxuan's side, lowering his voice. His face wrinkled into a bitter melon. "Qingxuan, what are we going to do? Cheng Yuan and Zhao Hu are famous for being tough nuts to crack—like stones in a latrine, stinking and hard. Chief Constable Zhang has shoved them onto you. Isn't this deliberately..."
He did not finish, but his meaning could not have been clearer.
Ye Qingxuan's gaze remained calm as he looked toward the other end of the courtyard.
The hulking Cheng Yuan, his face covered in slabs of flesh, was stuffing the hem of his temporary constable's short jacket haphazardly into his belt. With his arms folded, he looked down his nostrils at everyone. Beside him, the sharp-faced Zhao Hu kept rolling his eyes, muttering something to Cheng Yuan. Every so often, the two let out a low burst of laughter, casting contemptuous glances this way.
This was the first "congratulatory gift" Ye Qingxuan had received upon taking office.
"No matter." Ye Qingxuan said only two words and patted Wei Datong on the shoulder.
He strode toward the two men.
Wei Datong was startled and hurried after him.
Before Ye Qingxuan could speak, a sinisterly sarcastic voice came from behind a corridor pillar.
"Well, if it isn't Constable Ye. Congratulations on your promotion."
Zhang Ling Xiao sauntered out. He had changed into new clothes today as well. Though it was still the short jacket of a temporary constable, the fabric was considerably better than everyone else's. He stopped before Ye Qingxuan and looked him up and down, then curled his lips at the blue round-collared robe he wore.
"Still, whether an official uniform