Yang Chuxia had her reasons for not allowing Ye Zi’an to follow. She knew that once Zi’an had recovered from his leg injury, he would surely strive for a position of merit. In their world, the reputation of a person who pursued merit was of great importance. Therefore, she wanted to protect Zi’an from being directly involved with or handling any matters that could potentially tarnish his reputation.
"Miss, what do you want to talk to me about?" the jailer asked as they turned a corner.
Yang Chuxia didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she pulled out a piece of silver weighing one tael and handed it to him. "Mr.Constable, the New Year is just around the corner, take this silver and add some meat to your family’s meals," she said.
The saying goes, ’no pay, no gain’, and the jailer who regularly worked at the Yamen had heard it often. A tael of silver was quite a lot for him.
In their small Yamen, not many influential individuals were locked up. Most of the prisoners were ordinary people who were often visited by other ordinary folks. It was customary to offer some small money as a reward - ten or a hundred wen, but to hand over an entire tael, that was exceptional.
This made the jailer wary.
"Miss, I can’t take this silver," he began to return the tael to Yang Chuxia. "The saying goes ’no pay, no gain’. You already gave me what was needed before."
Yang Chuxia smiled. "Mr.Constable, let’s keep things separate. That was then, this is now. Actually, I have a favor to ask of you. But don’t worry, it is not something illegal like murder or arson. We don’t engage in unlawful activities."
Upon hearing this, the jailer’s face relaxed.
He then asked, "What do you need my help with?"
Yang Chuxia gave a harmless smile. "It’s simple. I want Mr.Constable to sow some discord in the cell holding Yang Xiao’an and Ye Zi’yong. My request is modest. I only wish for Xiao’an to break an arm and Zi’yong, a leg."
"What?" the jailer was dumbfounded. He looked at Yang Chuxia, who was petite, thin, and quite pretty, but casually mentioned such ruthless intentions as if discussing whether one had eaten lunch yet.
She made it sound so easy, claiming not to participate in any illegal activities, yet what she was asking for was for people to have an arm and a leg broken. Wasn’t that illegal?
She was definitely ruthless for her tender age!
"Miss, I can’t help you with that. If the higher-ups find out, I will lose my job," the jailer replied.
"Mr.Constable, no need to worry. I’m not asking you to personally handle this matter. There are many criminals locked up in the jail, including those on death row. You can use them to do the job with just a chicken as a bribe. Once they are executed, who would know what you did? Don’t you think so?" Yang Chuxia asked casually.
The jailer pondered her points and nodded. Yes, it indeed made sense. He would not only get the silver, but also it would not get in his way.
Noticing that the jailer was still thinking, Yang Chuxia continued, "Mr.Constable, let’s put aside whether they will find out. Even if they do, don’t worry about them seeking revenge. On one hand, I am the one behind all this. On the other hand, what can powerless civilians do to you?"
After another pause, the jailer nodded again. "Alright, I’ll take care of it for you tonight!"
"Excellent," Yang Chuxia handed the silver back to him and added, "I will be staying in the county for one more day and will come again tomorrow. If the matter is resolved, I will have a thank-you gift for you."