allonlinenovel Chapter 41 Female Police Team 1
Chapter 41 Female Police Team 1
Chapter 41 Female Police Team
The next day, a notice was posted at the entrance of the county government office recruiting yamen runners.
The people of Hanshan County flocked to the city. A salary of six taels of silver a year wasn't much, but compared to before, six taels of silver was definitely a high salary. However, since the city entrance tax was introduced, a daily stroll through each city gate brought in sixteen coins.
Six taels of silver a year is nothing to the people of Hanshan these days. They can easily earn more than six taels a year by doing small business. Money is so easy to make in Hanshan now! Even ordinary families can earn a considerable income each month by tidying up extra rooms and renting them out to outsiders.
Yamen runners are government officials, the very people who serve in the Eight Directions! Wearing their uniforms immediately commands respect. As a result, the quota of one hundred yamen runners was filled in less than half a day. Many even pressured Li the clerk and Ma the foreman to pull strings with Wang Wenzhou. After recruiting all one hundred runners, Wang Wenzhou received a bribe of over a thousand taels of silver.
Having made so much money so easily, Wang Wenzhou could only sigh, "Being an official is fucking awesome! You can make money just by lying down!"
However, not a single female yamen runner, or what Wang Wenzhou called policewomen, had come to register all day. Wang Wenzhou sat at the recruitment point outside the yamen, quite frustrated. The male yamen runners were all vying for the position, but why wasn't a single female police officer showing up?
Long, white legs straddle white horses, chests rising and falling with the movement of the riders—what a beautiful sight! Why don't any women sign up to be policewomen?
"Xiaoqiang, how did you put up this notice? Why hasn't a single woman signed up to be a policewoman?" Wang Wenzhou thought to himself, Li Shuli is right, it seems that it's unlikely that we'll have an attractive female police team.
Wang Qiang shrugged and said helplessly, "Young Master, how would I know? The notice for recruiting female police officers is posted right next to the notice for recruiting yamen runners. I guess they're all family members and don't want their women to go out and show their faces in public."
Wang Wenzhou nodded, perhaps that was indeed the case. During the Tang Dynasty, men and women were relatively equal, and some women held official positions. There was even a female emperor like Wu Zetian. However, by the Song Dynasty, the status of women had gradually declined. After Zhu Xi in the Southern Song Dynasty, women became appendages of men, confined to the home and rarely venturing beyond their doors.
At that moment, Zhang Jiao walked over in a carefree manner.
Wang Qiang quickly stepped forward to greet her: "Sister-in-law, what brings you here?"
Zhang Jiao rolled her eyes at Wang Qiang, walked to the table, stared at Wang Wenzhou, and said coldly, "I'm here to apply for the job!"
Wang Wenzhou asked with a smile, "Jiaojiao, what job are you applying for?"
"Hmph! Isn't the yamen recruiting female yamen runners? Of course I'm here to apply for the position of female yamen runner." Zhang Jiao rolled her eyes at Wang Wenzhou, feeling that the fat man was deliberately making things difficult for her.
"Oh! Is that so? Not a female constable, but a policewoman, although it means the same thing. But 'policewoman' sounds much better. Although we're quite familiar with each other and have a good relationship, I can't use my position for personal gain. That wouldn't be fair to the others." Wang Wenzhou deliberately made things difficult for Zhang Jiao, trying to trip her up.
"Hmph!" Zhang Jiao said coldly, "I didn't ask you to use connections!"
Wang Wenzhou grinned mischievously, "Jiaojiao, don't be angry! We have rules for recruiting policewomen. We can't just accept your application and expect me to. As long as you can run two laps around the county town within half an hour, you'll pass and be able to take up the post."
"Hmph! Let them run!" Zhang Jiao snorted coldly.
Zhang Jiao was raised as a boy by her grandfather from a young age, and she had a boyish personality. As a child, she often heard her grandfather tell stories of his time as a soldier and his battles. She always dreamed of joining the army when she grew up. However, her dream was shattered when she grew up. The imperial court didn't have any female soldiers. Just now, in the shop, she heard that the yamen (government office) was recruiting female yamen runners, and she ran over without a second thought. If she couldn't be a soldier, being a yamen runner would at least fulfill her childhood dream.
"Xiaoqiang, you ride your horse and follow Jiaojiao, keep an eye on her, and make sure she doesn't cheat," Wang Wenzhou beckoned to Wang Qiang and gave the order.
"Hmph! It's just running two laps, why would I cheat?" Zhang Jiao said irritably.
Wang Wenzhou was deliberately teasing Zhang Jiao; this little madwoman would slap him at the drop of a hat! Although she hadn't laid a hand on him these past few days, Wang Wenzhou still enjoyed teasing her every now and then. He especially loved seeing Zhang Jiao angry. The way she wanted to hit him but didn't dare, looking both wronged and adorable, was just too funny.
Wang Qiang led "Black Whirlwind" over, mounted the horse, looked at Zhang Jiao, and said, "Sister-in-law, don't be angry. Young Master actually likes you very much. These days, he's been missing you so much that he's almost gone crazy. Every night when he's sleeping, he shouts your name in his sleep."
"Tsk tsk!" Wang Qiang blinked and said with heartache, "Sigh... Every time the young master wakes up crying from his dream, he wakes me up and makes me drink with him. I haven't had enough sleep yet, and it's the middle of the night, how could I be willing to drink with him? But when I see him, looking so sad, my heart softens, and I have no choice but to drink with him."
"Last night, I asked the young master why he got up to drink in the middle of the night. He said he couldn't sleep because he was thinking about you, and he couldn't fall asleep without getting drunk." After Wang Qiang finished speaking, he winked at Wang Wenzhou, as if to say, "Young master, am I clever?"
Wang Wenzhou secretly gave Wang Qiang the middle finger. "Qiang, you're amazing! That's a divine assist!" he thought. "But I don't like tomboys who resort to slapping at the drop of a hat! You're making things worse!"
Wang Qiang's words made Zhang Jiao blush to her neck. She was no longer the spirited and capable woman she had been when she arrived; she had completely transformed into a timid and submissive woman. She stole a glance at Wang Wenzhou, then quickly looked away, afraid he would notice.
Zhang Jiao was completely absorbed in Wang Qiang's description. She didn't consider the actual situation. The truth was, Wang Wenzhou slept with Sheng Lan in his arms every night. As for whether he talked in his sleep, Wang Qiang didn't sleep in the same room as Wang Wenzhou, so how would he know?
Wang Wenzhou looked up at the sky. It was getting late. It seemed the policewoman team wouldn't be able to recruit enough people! Zhang Jiao alone wasn't enough! It seemed that women in the Ming Dynasty didn't want to show their faces in public, considering it shameful!
Since that's the case, Wang Wenzhou thought, "Let the girls from Zuihualou become policewomen! They're all prostitutes anyway, so they're not afraid of losing face! Actually, given enough time, once people accept policewomen, other women will naturally sign up." With that in mind, Wang Wenzhou decided to send someone to Zuihualou to find the girls.
Wang Wenzhou had booked the Drunken Flower Brothel, and the girls had nothing to do all day, so they spent their time together drinking tea, chatting, and gossiping. Wang Wenzhou offered them all the freedom to become policewomen; after all, policewomen were better than brothel girls!