I Want Them All

"Brother Jiang, we're both scholars. How can you speak so crudely?"

Liu Xudong withdrew his gaze and lightly adjusted his scholar's robe.

Turning back, he saw that Jiang Yun was now holding a wooden stick in his hand, staring at him with ill intent.

This scoundrel took the original host for a fool. Even knowing the Jiang family's situation, he still freeloaded off the original host, mooching food and drink without spending a dime. In the end, he even set his sights on Jiang Qiaoqiao.

How could Jiang Yun give him a good look?

He raised his hand and pointed at the courtyard gate.

"Get out."

Liu Xudong secretly wondered what was wrong with Jiang Yun. He had been so flattering to him just a few days ago, fawning over him, and after a serious illness, his temperament had completely changed?

He slightly raised an eyebrow and threatened, "Brother Jiang, I recently invited Scholar Zheng to annotate the Three Years of Books."

"The Three Years of Books is a masterpiece by a great Confucian. Haven't you always wanted a copy? "

"Why don't the two of us find a place to drink, enjoy the annotations, wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Jiang Yun's face darkened. In his memory, this Liu Xudong was extremely stingy.

'He' invited him to drink and have fun, and even ordered two young girls to accompany them.

Every time, this guy would hold his book far away and glance at 'him' like he was fishing.

This fellow didn't consider the original host a brother, merely a long-term meal ticket.

Jiang Yun was too lazy to waste words on him. He tapped the wooden stick on Liu Xudong's thigh, "Annotations, right?"

"Hey, a gentleman uses his words, not his hands."

Another tap: "A gentleman, right."

"Brother Jiang, scholars have tempers too."

Another tap: "Temper, right."

Liu Xudong was beaten out of the courtyard and fled in embarrassment. Before leaving, he couldn't help but glance back at Jiang Yun, wanting to utter a harsh threat.

But Jiang Yun's fierce eyes actually made him swallow the harsh words.

Jiang Qiaoqiao, who had been filling in potholes in the distance, hadn't heard their conversation. She only saw Jiang Yun suddenly grab a stick and beat Liu Xudong out.

"Brother, what happened? Isn't Liu Tong Sheng your friend?" Jiang Qiaoqiao ran over with a shovel, her face and clothes still smudged with dirt.

"This scoundrel is two-faced and a beast in human clothing. We can't be close friends."

As Jiang Yun spoke, he casually took the shovel from her hand and asked, "You should rest. I'll handle it."

Jiang Qiaoqiao blinked and stepped forward, taking Jiang Yun's hand. She asked with some concern, "Brother, you were seriously ill. After you woke up, I feel like you've changed a lot."

"You used to read books diligently every day, but you haven't looked at them these past few days."

Jiang Yun patted her hand and said seriously, "Qiaoqiao, I've thought it through. I'm simply not cut out for studying. I'm not going to read anymore!"

"I'll work hard to earn money, and we'll buy a big house. I'll also hire a teacher to teach you to read and write."

Jiang Qiaoqiao didn't seem happy when she heard this. She looked a little anxious and said, "Brother, if you don't study, you can't become an official."

"Our parents' only wish before they died was for our Jiang family to have a high-ranking official."

"Besides, I heard the neighborhood uncles say that in our Great Zhou Dynasty, money is useless. Many rich old men are polite even to the yamen runners of the Prefectural Yamen."

"If you have money, you're just a fat sheep in the eyes of the officials."

"If you have a lot of money, you're an even bigger fat sheep."

This girl really embodies the idea of official status above all else.

However, Jiang Yun had also been in this world for some time and understood that what Jiang Qiaoqiao said was true.

Let alone officials, even Qian Bochou, who didn't have a formal official position and wasn't ranked, could arrest anyone he wanted as long as they didn't have a patron.

No matter if you were guilty or not, once you were in his dungeon, what crime couldn't be extracted?

Speak of the devil, Qian Bochou's hearty laughter suddenly came from outside: "Becoming an official isn't that hard!"

"I can arrange for Brother Jiang to be a constable in our Prefectural Yamen."

"His monthly salary will be one tael of silver, and during festivals, the Prefectural Yamen master will also give extra rewards."

"What do you say, Brother Jiang? Consider it."

Qian Bochou, dressed in imposing constable attire, walked in.

Jiang Qiaoqiao extended her fingers and started counting, then her eyes lit up: "One tael of silver a month? That's a thousand copper coins."

"My heavens."

"It's a pity it's not an official position, but at least it's working for the yamen."

Jiang Yun looked at his sister with a wry smile, likely guessing her thoughts. Being a temporary worker for the government was better than being a merchant earning money outside.

But then, Jiang Qiaoqiao became a little nervous and asked Qian Bochou in a small voice, "Constable, how much silver will you charge?"

"Huh? What money?" Qian Bochou was stunned.

Jiang Qiaoqiao said, "I heard that if you want to be a constable, you have to give a full ten taels of silver, otherwise you can't be a constable."

"Which bastard is talking nonsense?"

Qian Bochou was a little angry, his old face flushed, and he said loudly, "Our Nanzhou Prefecture Yamen is clean and upright! Our good reputation has been tarnished by these people."

"If my brother Jiang comes to the yamen, I absolutely will not accept a single cent."

After speaking, Qian Bochou looked at Jiang Yun with a hint of expectation.

"There's no rush for this matter." Jiang Yun shook his head, not agreeing immediately.

Actually, he had been thinking about his plans for the past few days.

Studying was impossible.

He and the original host were not suited for studying, and as for doing business, Jiang Yun had no experience.

If opening a Daoist Temple were still allowed, he could set one up and collect incense money.

But the Great Zhou Dynasty did not allow it, so he had to give up.

Becoming a constable was a good choice, but he wasn't in a hurry to agree.

Qian Bochou coming to find him clearly meant he had something to discuss. At the very least, he needed to see what he wanted first. "Constable Qian, is there something you need?"

Qian Bochou shook his head and said, "Hahaha, no, no, I'm just idle and came to visit you."

"Then you've come at the right time." Jiang Yun was not polite and threw the shovel over. "I'll have to trouble Constable Qian to help me tidy up the yard."

When Qian Bochou saw the pitted yard, he quickly stopped Jiang Yun. "Brother, this is a small matter. I'll have a few constables come fill it in later."

"Brother, I came here this time because I also have a small matter and wanted to ask you for a small favor."

Seeing that he wanted to discuss something with him, Jiang Yun's heart stirred slightly and he asked Jiang Qiaoqiao to go inside and rest.

After Jiang Qiaoqiao left, Qian Bochou revealed the task the Lord Vice-Prefect had given him.

Jiang Yun frowned and asked, "You mean you want me to accompany you to Beihu County? To investigate a missing person case?"

Jiang Yun was very clear about his own situation. He could protect himself against ordinary Malevolent Spirits.

But if he encountered a powerful Yao, it would be difficult to survive.

Yesterday, he happened to encounter the thunderclouds, which allowed him to borrow the power of lightning to eliminate the evil. That was not his own strength.

Looking at Qian Bochou's expectant eyes, Jiang Yun also thought that he didn't have much money at home.

Jiang Qiaoqiao didn't earn much from mending clothes, and they probably only had twenty copper coins at home now.

Jiang Yun couldn't bear to see Jiang Qiaoqiao continue to work hard. Moreover, he had already thought of a helper in his mind. He had a trump card, and he wasn't worried that he wouldn't help.

After thinking it through, Jiang Yun said in a deep voice, "Helping you is no problem, but I want money."

Qian Bochou breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled. Didn't he just want money? That was easy to handle.

What was spending a little money to hire an expert to deal with Yao and evil spirits?

He nodded repeatedly. "Don't worry, brother. The Vice-Prefect allocated one hundred taels to me. Let's not be strangers, we'll split it equally."

Jiang Yun slowly raised his palm and made a fist. "I want it all."