Chapter 4 | Days of Being a Constable in Ancient Times

Gu Qingyun smiled faintly.

“Uncle Li, I’m not fooling around. There’s no official document stating that women cannot serve as Constables.”

“Sigh, I can’t out-argue you. I’m on duty right now, so go find Head Constable Liu directly and see if he agrees.”

Gu Qingyun acknowledged him with a nod and quickly crossed the threshold, making her way toward the Constable Office where Head Constable Liu was stationed.

Gu Qingyun was confident because Jiangyin County was full of mountains and hills. So-called martial artists and outlaws frequently appeared in these parts, making public order rather poor and leading to high personnel attrition. Because of this, she was confident she could convince Head Constable Liu to keep her.

Entering the Constable Office, she immediately saw a burly man dressed in Head Constable attire sitting behind the main desk.

Flanking him sat two ordinary Constables. If one were to ask how she knew, well, her father had mentioned them before.

She cupped her hands and bowed, offering a formal greeting.

“Greetings, Head Constable. Gu Qingyun has come to report for duty.”

Before the Head Constable at the head of the room could speak, the two Constables beside him turned to look at her in surprise.

“You’re Old Gu’s daughter? Why are you the one reporting for duty? Doesn’t your family have several older brothers?”

Gu Qingyun did not find their words offensive in the slightest, speaking with confidence:

“Among everyone in my family, my martial arts are the best. It is only fitting that I come.”

Hearing this, the Head Constable sitting in the high seat was somewhat astonished.

“Oh? Then are you willing to spar with Wang Wu? If you can fight him to a draw, I’ll process your Constable paperwork directly, and whatever happens, I, Liu Zheng, will bear full responsibility. But if you lack the skill, then go right back where you came from and have a male member of your family come instead.”

“That works. If I lack the ability, you won’t even have to say a word—I’ll leave on my own.”

Gu Qingyun’s reply made Head Constable Liu clap his hands in laughter.

“Good! Having confidence is a fine thing. Let’s head straight to the martial practice field.”

Gu Qingyun and Wang Wu stood on the sparring grounds. Constables who were off duty formed a circle around them, and even the County Magistrate and the Registrar stood in the distance to watch the spectacle.

“Hey, how many moves do you think it’ll take for Wang Wu to make this little girl cry?”

“Three moves, probably.”

“I’d say two.” Several Constables huddled together, whispering among themselves.

“I bet Wang Wu won’t be able to take her down this time,” Li Yuan interjected after finishing his shift and walking over.

Although he had never seen Gu Qingyun in action, he had heard Old Gu boast that his daughter possessed immense martial talent, rivaling his own. Even if there was some exaggeration in those words, the girl’s skills were surely decent.

“Oh, Old Li, how would you know?”

“Just a guess.”

Hearing Li Yuan’s words, everyone scoffed and paid it no mind.

Head Constable Liu stood below the stage and announced in a clear, resonant voice:

“Today’s spar is to determine whether Gu Qingyun is qualified to remain and serve as a Constable. For us Constables, gender does not matter; everything comes down to ability. Since you’ve all gathered to watch, serve as witnesses.”

“To prevent accidents, Wang Wu, Gu Qingyun, both of you will use the wooden sabers to the side. Points will be awarded upon contact—no malicious injury is permitted. The spar begins now!”

With those words, Gu Qingyun and Wang Wu cupped their fists in salute. Almost simultaneously, both drew their blades, utilizing the standard saber technique issued by the county yamen.

She lowered her wrist, and the wooden saber in her hand chopped straight toward Wang Wu’s shoulder. The blade whipped through the air with a crisp whoosh, demonstrating her practiced mastery of the technique.

Wang Wu dared not take her lightly. Raising his saber to parry, blade met blade with a sharp impact. Wang Wu was forcefully knocked back several paces, while Gu Qingyun took two steps back from the momentum. The entire field fell dead silent.

Everyone knew Wang Wu’s strength—he was one of the finest fighters in the county yamen. Yet upon their very first exchange, he had been forced onto the defensive. Who could have imagined that a twelve-year-old girl would be so formidable?

With a roar, Wang Wu stomped the ground and sprang forward, closing in once more with wide, sweeping strikes.

“Good girl! I didn’t think you’d truly be this skilled. Watch this!”

Gu Qingyun’s expression remained unchanged, her eyes sharp as her blade stance shifted accordingly. The two clashed once more. After roughly thirty exchanges, Head Constable Liu called out to halt them.

“Wang Wu, Gu Qingyun, hold your hands! You will be colleagues from now on; serve your duties well together.”

Having said that, he turned his gaze to her:

“Gu Qingyun, you’re qualified. Just now, County Magistrate Wu also saw your performance, and he has agreed to make an exception to take you on as a Constable. In a moment, head straight to the Military Section to register, collect your food stipend and waist token, and then come see me. I will assign your duties.”

“Thank you, Head Constable Liu,” Gu Qingyun answered crisply.

“Girl Qingyun, your strength is truly immense. You nearly shook your Uncle Wang’s hand numb.”

Wang Wu walked over and patted her shoulder.

“Uncle Wang, I’ve had great strength since I was young.”

Gu Qingyun gave a shy smile. From that moment on, her life as a Constable officially began.

...

Time slipped away as Gu Qingyun adjusted to her life as a Constable. Soon, it was around the Xu hour (roughly seven in the evening). Bai Fan, who was only a few years older than Gu Qingyun, came to her door.

“Sister Qingyun, let’s go. It’s time for patrol.”

Picking up her sidearm saber and lantern from the table, she stepped out of the room.

“Let’s go.”

After becoming a Constable, Gu Qingyun’s assigned duty was to patrol the streets under her charge every night from the Xu hour to the Yin hour.

Perhaps Head Constable Liu felt she was young and exceptionally skilled, for aside from two or three veteran Constables, he had assigned all the younger Constables only a few years older than her to the night patrol. He termed it as them being young, energetic at night, and more efficient.

Bai Fan was one of them. Like Gu Qingyun, his home was far away, and he currently lived in the room right next to hers.

Because Gu Qingyun always wore a stoic expression, rarely smiled, stood tall, and possessed high martial strength, Bai Fan—though two years older than her—shamelessly called her “Sister” without feeling the least bit embarrassed, his skin thicker than city walls.

At this hour, the streets were deserted. The two patrolled the streets under their charge as usual. Bai Fan glanced up at the pitch-black night, a look of utter misery on his face, and leaned closer to Gu Qingyun to whisper:

“Head Constable Liu only dumped this night work on us because we’re newcomers. Our Jiangyin County isn’t peaceful at all; strange things always happen at night.”

“A few nights before we took over the shift, a homicide occurred. It didn’t seem like a normal case, but it looks like it was hushed up. Only the Fast Constables investigating the case know about it.”

“Fortunately, things have been calm over the past few days of our patrol. Sister Qingyun, let’s stick together so we can look out for each other.”

Gu Qingyun gave him a faint glance and did not object, merely nodding slightly. She walked forward with her hand resting on the hilt of her blade, ready to draw at any moment.

Walking beside her, Bai Fan took out two oily flatbreads from his chest pocket and tossed one into her hand.

“Sister Qingyun, eat quickly. We need to fill our bellies for night patrol; this is hard physical labor.”

Gu Qingyun caught it and took a bite. This lad had often brought her food lately; seeing how thoughtful he was, she decided she would protect him within her ability.

After finishing the flatbreads and drinking some water, Bai Fan continued to complain:

“Sister Yun, how long do you think we have to keep doing this patrol duty? Walking around every night like this is truly creepy. I’m just terrified of running into something bad.”