"Mr. Zheng, Zhao Hu and I were implicated by Chen Ping’an, which is why we couldn’t collect the donation silver. As for Constable Zheng, please put in a good word for us!"

Cheng Yuan looked at Zheng Shiyong with a fawning expression. Beside him, Zhao Hu quickly chimed in with agreement.

"Of course, of course." Zheng Shiyong was in an excellent mood.

’This morning, Chen Ping’an had spoken offensively and with a harsh tone in front of so many constables, thoroughly offending his uncle, Constable Zheng. Chen Ping’an’s days in Nanquan Lane were numbered!’ 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

With what happened this morning, anything Constable Zheng did to Chen Ping’an would be within the unspoken rules.

’The person who had been a thorn in his side for so long was finally going to be dealt with!’

Putting everything else aside, the matter of the donation silver alone was enough for his uncle to make Chen Ping’an suffer.

"Don’t you worry. Wait for Chen Ping’an to mess this up. Tomorrow, I’ll take the task of collecting the donation silver from the Tiger Run Gambling Square. I’ll definitely bring you two along! With my uncle’s reputation on the line, the collection will surely go smoothly. Then you can redeem yourselves, and no one will be able to say a word!"

"We two brothers thank you in advance, Mr. Zheng!" Cheng Yuan’s eyes lit up. This promise from Zheng Shiyong was exactly what he wanted.

What happened this morning had left him feeling vaguely uneasy. ’He couldn’t shake the feeling that Chen Ping’an had become a different person!’

"Oh, right. Be a little more mindful next time you speak. Don’t be as stupid as you were this morning!" Zheng Shiyong glanced at Cheng Yuan and Zhao Hu and said coolly.

"Yes, yes, you’re right, Mr. Zheng."

"We’ll be careful."

Seeing Cheng Yuan and Zhao Hu nod their heads repeatedly like they were pounding garlic, Zheng Shiyong’s mood improved even more.

’First a carrot, then the stick. Repeating this process was the only way to win the loyalty of one’s subordinates. Uncle’s teachings are truly correct!’

With this in mind, Zheng Shiyong couldn’t help but start humming a little tune.

The group hadn’t even gotten close to the Garrison Commandant’s Office when they heard bursts of commotion from inside.

"What’s going on?"

A trace of confusion appeared on Zheng Shiyong’s face. Normally, while the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office could get noisy, it was never like this.

’Did something happen?’

Beside him, Cheng Yuan and Zhao Hu exchanged a glance, each seeing the same confusion in the other’s eyes.

"Let’s go, take a look!"

With that, the group headed into the Garrison Commandant’s Office.

As soon as Zheng Shiyong stepped inside, he saw a large crowd of constables gathered around someone, like stars revolving around the moon.

Heads bobbed in the crowd, and Zheng Shiyong couldn’t clearly see the person in the center. However, he spotted Tan Huacong off to the side.

"Mr. Tan, what’s going on?" Zheng Shiyong walked up and asked.

Tan Huacong’s face was ashen and not pleasant to look at.

"Chen Ping’an came back with the donation silver!"

"What!"

Hearing this, a jolt shot through Zheng Shiyong’s entire body. He was utterly stunned.

"How is that possible! That’s the Tiger Run Gambling Square we’re talking about!"

"This! This! This..."

Beside them, Cheng Yuan and Zhao Hu muttered, at a loss for words.

’Did the people from the Tiger Head Gang have a change of heart?’

...

"What’s with all the commotion outside!?"

Constable Zheng put down the official Booklet in his hands and looked out the window.

The noise from outside had been coming in waves, one after another, for a while now. At first, it was manageable—noisy, but mostly under control. But then it grew louder and louder.

"This is getting more and more outrageous!"

Constable Zheng was still fuming about what happened at the morning briefing. He had been planning to wait until evening, when Chen Ping’an would inevitably fail to collect the donation silver, so he could take out his frustrations on him. But he never expected someone to come looking for trouble before noon.

Constable Zheng stood up and walked out of the Head of the Office.

He would see which of the many constables outside would be the chicken he’d kill to scare the monkeys!

He had just walked out of the Head of the Office and was nearing the Task Room when he saw Chen Ping’an turn and enter it. A crowd of people followed behind him.

’That little bastard! And all these people behind him... They’ve got some nerve!’

Constable Zheng’s expression darkened.

Chen Ping’an, of course, saw Constable Zheng, but he had no intention of greeting him. ’Since I’ve already offended him, there’s no turning back!’

Inside the Task Room, Old Fan and a few other constables were chatting and joking around. The main topic of conversation was how Chen Ping’an had overreached himself that morning.

"That kid, Chen Ping’an, offended Constable Zheng. He’s got it coming to him now!"

"Yeah, forget everything else. Just this business with the donation silver from the Tiger Run Gambling Square. Even if it doesn’t kill him, he’ll lose a layer of skin!"

"It’s so strange. A guy who hasn’t even reached the Entry Level of the Martial Dao and only became an official constable through sheer luck—where does he get the nerve to be so arrogant!"

"He’s just full of himself! Thinks that just because he became an official constable, everything’s smooth sailing!"

"So naive! It’s laughable! Looking at him now, I bet he won’t last long before he’s taken down!"

"Hahaha, you’ve got a point!"

Inside the Task Room, Old Fan and the others chatted away, full of high spirits.

They had heard people approaching outside, but they paid it no mind, having no intention of stopping their conversation.

"Oh? Is that so!?"

Chen Ping’an’s figure appeared outside the Task Room.

Old Fan, who was in the middle of his tirade, froze when he saw it was Chen Ping’an, his face stiffening.

’Why is he here? Wasn’t he supposed to be collecting the donation silver from the Tiger Head Gang?!’

Talking is one thing, but joking aside, despite how confidently he had just been speaking, when he recalled Chen Ping’an’s look and expression from this morning, he still felt a little intimidated.

Now, caught talking about Chen Ping’an behind his back, he was naturally startled to see the man himself suddenly appear.

The other men in the Task Room also went stiff and looked extremely unnatural when they saw Chen Ping’an arrive, momentarily unsure of what to say.

"Chen... Chen Ping’an, what are you doing here! Where’s the donation silver you collected?" Old Fan said, struggling to compose himself.

THUD!

Chen Ping’an slammed the black cloth bag he was holding onto the table. The mouth of the bag fell open, revealing the heavy silver inside.

"This is..."

Old Fan couldn’t help but swallow. A completely unbelievable thought surfaced in his mind.

"The donation silver from the Tiger Run Gambling Square!"

Chen Ping’an stated coolly. Without giving Old Fan any chance to come up with a retort, Chen Ping’an slapped the collection receipt from his robes onto the table as well.

"The collection receipt, stamped with the seal of the Tiger Run Gambling Square! The donation silver, every last bit of it!"

Old Fan, who had been trying to think of a rebuttal, felt his heart tremble, and a look of utter astonishment spread across his face.

Inside the Task Room, the others stared at each other in stunned silence.

’How did he do it?’

"Old Fan! Heh heh!" Monkey Head popped out from behind, giving Old Fan a mocking smile.

"Ah, Old Fan! Looks like you misjudged him!" Zeng Jihe said with a smug look, feigning a sigh.

As someone who had witnessed everything from start to finish, he was thoroughly impressed by Chen Ping’an’s methods. As his companion, he also felt like he had experienced a comeback story of his own. Few people here would understand his feeling.

’It felt so damn good!’

Just as Old Fan was at a loss for what to do, Constable Zheng’s angry shout echoed from outside.

"What are you all crowded around here for!? All this racket—what is the meaning of this!"