Chapter 13: Zheng Shiyong

“Aren’t you curious at all?”

Monkey-head probed.

“Not curious. What I should know, I will naturally know. What I shouldn’t know, there’s no point in knowing.”

Chen Ping’an said calmly.

Damn it!

So much for trying to manipulate you; how did I end up being the one manipulated instead!

Chen Ping’an’s indifferent demeanor made Monkey-head feel stifled and frustrated.

“Ping’an, your temperament is truly…”

Monkey-head was at a loss for words. He thought for a long time but couldn’t come up with a suitable descriptor.

In the end, he could only squeeze out

“Formidable!”

Seeing that Chen Ping’an remained completely unresponsive, the frustrated Monkey-head had no choice but to honestly tell him what was going on.

It turned out that the reason it was so lively and the atmosphere so excellent early this morning was because a new constable had arrived at the Nanquan Lane Pacification Office. Like them, he was an unregistered temporary constable.

Normally, this wouldn’t be a big deal. The Nanquan Lane Pacification Office did indeed take on temporary constables from time to time. However, this new temporary constable had a special status; he hadn’t been brought in through ordinary connections.

The new temporary constable was named Zheng Shiyong, and he was the nephew of Constable Zheng, one of the head constables at their Nanquan Lane Pacification Office.

This wasn’t some distant nephew or a nominal one. He was a genuine, blood-related nephew.

And who was Constable Zheng!?

He was the most prestigious and powerful of the five head constables at their Nanquan Lane Pacification Office!

With this connection, many of the constables in Nanquan Lane naturally flocked over, hoping to curry favor.

“Monkey-head, this Zheng Shiyong. Since he has such strong connections, why is he still just an unregistered temporary constable?”

Just as Monkey-head was explaining this to Chen Ping’an, Dashan, who was standing nearby, interjected.

“What? Dashan, you’re interested too? That’s rare.”

Monkey-head teased him, then explained the reason.

Among the group, he had served the longest at the Nanquan Lane Pacification Office and knew the most about its affairs and rules.

As it turned out, unless one possessed extraordinary talent or had reached the second level of Qi and Blood in martial arts, allowing for special recruitment by the Pacification Office, one had to start as an unregistered temporary constable upon joining.

Those were the rules of the Pacification Office, and no one was exempt. Well, saying no one was exempt might not be entirely accurate. Whether the higher-ups could bypass it was unclear, but at the very least, someone at Constable Zheng’s level couldn’t.

“So that’s how it is.”

Dashan nodded.

“Monkey-head, you really know a lot.”

In the end, Dashan added this remark.

Even though he was being complimented by Dashan, Monkey-head couldn’t feel happy at all. Looking at Chen Ping’an’s calm expression, his desire to show off had gone unfulfilled, and that feeling was truly damn frustrating.

You only know it if you’ve experienced it!

As the group chatted, time gradually slipped by. Finally, several heavyweight figures arrived one after another.

Constable Zheng, Constable Huang, Constable Yan, and Constable Li.

Four of the five head constables of the Nanquan Lane Pacification Office had actually shown up today. This was truly rare.

As the head constables entered, the groups of constables gradually dispersed, each taking their respective positions. It was only then that Chen Ping’an clearly saw the new constable named Zheng Shiyong.

Zheng Shiyong looked young, probably around sixteen or seventeen, with a sturdy build and a hint of arrogance faintly visible on his face.

To the other constables, this Zheng Shiyong was a “second-generation constable” in the Nanquan Lane Pacification Office!

With Constable Zheng covering for him from above, his path forward would likely be extremely smooth. In a few years, once he had enough seniority, he would easily become a formal constable—a position most people could only dream of.

It was no wonder so many people were rushing to curry favor in advance to build a good relationship.

Even the formal constables were incredibly polite to Zheng Shiyong.

Sure enough, no matter where you are, the saying “it’s easy to get things done when you have connections at the top” is a universal truth.

The meeting today was once again led by Constable Zheng, who spoke in broad, empty platitudes. It was mostly about the situation in the Nancheng Pacification Office, the conditions in the surrounding lanes, and the key focus areas moving forward.

Unexpectedly, Constable Zheng’s speech lasted less than half a quarter of an hour today, shorter than usual.

“We’re free!”

Monkey-head whispered.

Just when they thought the pre-duty meeting was over, Constable Yan unexpectedly stepped up to add a few words. During his speech, he specifically mentioned the new colleague, Zheng Shiyong.

“Come, Shiyong, come up and stand here so everyone can get to know you!”

The usually stern Constable Yan appeared amiable and approachable at this moment.

Zheng Shiyong didn’t show any stage fright; upon hearing Constable Yan’s words, he walked up to the platform immediately.

“Greetings, colleagues. I am Zheng Shiyong. I have joined the Nanquan Lane Pacification Office today, and I hope for your guidance in the days to come.”

“Good!”

“Welcome, welcome!”

“…”

After Zheng Shiyong finished speaking, the constables below responded with cheers, giving him plenty of face.

“Good, not bad. Shiyong, I hope to hear news of your meritorious deeds in the future. Alright, go down now and get familiar with your colleagues.”

Constable Yan patted Zheng Shiyong on the shoulder to show encouragement.

“Thank you, Constable Yan.”

Zheng Shiyong replied, then walked off the stage looking proud and satisfied.

After this concluded, Constable Yan said a few casual words, and the pre-duty meeting ended.

Once the meeting was over, they received their assignments and headed out to patrol the streets and alleys.

Today, the task for Chen Ping’an, Monkey-head, and Dashan was to patrol White Stone Lane in Nanquan Lane.

White Stone Lane was mostly residential with few shops or vendors, so the number of ruffians was significantly lower, and the pressure of patrolling wasn’t as high as the previous two days.

Of course, to be fair, the pressure hadn’t been that high the previous two days either!

For the constables of the Pacification Office, as long as there were no tricky cases or operations, life was actually quite comfortable most of the time.

“Let’s go, Monkey-head, Dashan.”

Chen Ping’an had been the one to sign for today’s patrol duty. After collecting his saber and waist token, he spoke to Monkey-head and Dashan.

He noticed that both of them were staring blankly into the distance.

Chen Ping’an followed their gaze and saw a dense crowd of people gathered not far away.

“What’s wrong?”

He asked them.

“Sigh, comparing people to others is infuriating!”

Monkey-head muttered.

“I’m so envious.”

Dashan also said, which was rare for him.

It turned out that just a moment ago, several head constables had specifically come over to offer Zheng Shiyong a few words of encouragement. That would have been fine on its own, but Zheng Shiyong was clearly a new temporary constable, and according to their past experience, they were all supposed to start with the most grueling work.

Unexpectedly, Zheng Shiyong didn’t even have to patrol the streets today; he only needed to follow Constable Yan as a personal attendant.

After hearing Monkey-head’s explanation, Chen Ping’an understood.

It seemed that among the head constables, Constable Yan and Constable Zheng had a good relationship. Whatever Constable Zheng found inconvenient to do, Constable Yan did for him—whether it was the introduction just now or the arrangement of his actual duties.