This woman really doesn't seem like a good person. (In a Dutch accent)*
This was what Yun Zhonghe cried in his heart after seeing Jing Zhongyue once again.
These four days and four nights, Jing Zhongyue had tormented him to the point of misery.
At that point, Jing Zhongyue had not even mentioned a single word of the embarrassing moment from a few days ago. It was as if she had not heard anything about Yun Zhonghe wanting to sleep with her.
Now, she was actually saying that any reward was possible.
Was it really anything he wanted?
I know, what are you all thinking of? Trying to get Yun Zhonghe to say something like I want to sleep with you.
But I'm so sorry. Yun Zhonghe was only a crazy lunatic; he was not a fool.
For the last few days, Jing Zhongyue had him thrown onto death row, and compelled him into watching a grand scene of people being beheaded. That was just to warn him not to talk nonsense. If he were to talk about sleeping with her and things like that again, then he might find it a challenge to keep his head from rolling off his neck. And even if he managed to keep his head on, he might not be able to ensure that his manhood remained intact.
Jing Zhongyue said, "If it's money that you want, just name your price. So long as you open your mouth to ask for it, I'll give it all."
"If it's a beautiful woman that you want, I can give you ten in one go."
"If it's a house that you want, I can give you a mansion with a courtyard that spans an area of eight acres."
"If it's a field that you want, I can give you 80 acres worth of land."
"Of course, you can have all of the above."
Upon hearing this, Yun Zhonghe was instantly dumbfounded.
This… This woman was really a generous one, yeah. Jing Wubian was a money-losing proposition, so Yun Zhonghe was definitely not worth so much money.
This would be the reward for his invention of penicillin.
If Yun Zhonghe accepted all these things, it would be equivalent to becoming a billionaire overnight.
To be honest, Yun Zhonghe really did wish he could just agree to it. Then he would not need to do anything at all. Every day, he could just idle his time away while waiting for death to come knocking at his door.
But Yun Zhonghe had a motto: I'm not interested in money.
This was true. He also had done the same when he was on Earth.
He was already earning an extremely high income, but he spent way much more than what he brought in. Whenever he ran short of cash, he would flip open his phone and tap on a V-message sent by an ex-girlfriend and make a single complaint about how poor he was lately.
If nothing unexpected happened, the ex-girlfriend would soon send over a big red envelope, which usually contained at least a five-digit sum or more. It was practically without exception. Even if this ex-girlfriend had enlisted someone to hack him up a few days prior, she would still give him the money without a word.
But what they hated about him was that after Yun Zhonghe was done asking for money from them, he would put them on his blacklist by blocking them.
This is really too much. I can forget about how a b*stard like you cheated me of my money and body, but why would you only cheat me once?
Of course, there was one kind of ex-girlfriend whose red packet he would never accept. Those were the beautiful female patients who he had once treated. If he eventually developed their relationship to that of a couple, then even if they were to break up after that, he would still absolutely not accept any red envelopes from them.
For fear of being unable to make things clear!
A jerk could accept an ex-girlfriend's red envelope, but a doctor should never accept a red envelope from his patient. This was a reflection of good professional ethics.
Back to the topic at hand!
What did Yun Zhonghe want as his reward?
"I want to be an official, and my official position must not be lower than Li Tian's." Yun Zhonghe was very straightforward and frank.
This was why Yun Zhonghe would be so daring as to court his own doom by saying he wanted to sleep with Jing Zhongyue.
Jing Zhongyue was very generous. She would give houses, money, women, industries, and fertile land. And, these were all worth a great fortune. If it were someone average, anyone would have been tempted, especially when Yun Zhonghe was a beggar who hobnobbed with people at the bottommost level of society.
You don't want any of these riches and possessions, but you want to be an official? That's very suspicious. No matter what, you still seem like a spy from a hostile nation who has infiltrated into our palace. That's very ambitious of you.
But now, everything made sense.
I, Yun AoTian, only have one purpose in healing Jing Wubian and offering divine medicine. That is, to rise to the top overnight, conquer the Lady Castellan, and become the man behind you, Jing Zhongyue.
A fly like him, a toad like him, was nothing new to Jing Zhongyue. She had seen such people thousands of times. But Yun Zhonghe was simply the most shameless toad of them all.
I want to be an official. Then, step by step, I will climb up the ladder as I continue to display my talents and to sparkle and shine, just to prove one thing. To prove that I, Yun AoTian, am worthy of you, Queen Jing Zhongyue.
Of course, impressing Jing Zhongyue and getting her to see him in a completely different light was only the first step.
This woman, Jing Zhongyue, was simply too remarkable. She was too arrogant, and she was also extremely ruthless.
So, just a show of talent was never going to be enough, not at all.
After making her impressed, it was time to move on to step two, which was to give her a most unforgettable experience of being hurt.
***
Then, the next would be the third step, and that was to transform from a demon to an angel. He would do his utmost best to turn the tide and save her from her desperation. To save her from her fate.
"I want to be an official, and my official position must not be lower than Li Tian's," Yun Zhonghe repeated once more.
Jing Zhongyue said, "I must tell you if you accept these possessions, then you are still a friend of the residence of the castellan. Even if you occasionally do something akin to courting death, I won't really do anything to you. But the moment you become an official of the City of Torn Gust, then the requirements are completely different. Once you make a mistake, you will not be spared from the rod, you will not be spared from demotion, you will not be spared from imprisonment, and you may even face death."
Yun Zhonghe said, "I understand. When working as an official, I have to adhere to the rules of the officials."
Jing Zhongyue said, "You and Jing Wubian are brothers sworn by oath. If you are just a common civilian without any title, he can certainly back you up and allow you to go rampant in any way you please in the City of Torn Gust. Even if you go around bullying people, you will still be fine. But if you become an official, then he is not your backer. On the contrary, he becomes the bane of your life."
This was also something that Yun Zhonghe himself knew all too well.
What was Jing Wubian? He was a malignant tumor in the City of Torn Gust. Someone who almost everyone wanted to wallop.
And this fool who thought so highly of himself even proclaimed, on a daily basis, that he was going to dethrone Jing Zhongyue and take back his rightful place as Castellan of the city. In this way, who else would dare to get close to him? The officials of the entire City of Torn Gust avoided him as though he was a venomous snake or scorpion.
Also, Yun Zhonghe and Jing Wubian had taken an oath to be bonded and were already labeled as each other's brother, so it was definitely going to be difficult for him to move as much as an inch as an official.
"I understand, but I still want to be an official," Yun Zhonghe said. "I want to prove to some people how excellent, outstanding, and amorous, that I, Yun AoTian, can be."
D*mn, if you are so ignorant and never did excel in school, please refrain from such indiscriminate use of proverbs.
Jing Zhongyue squinted her pretty eyes.
She was someone with a unique character. She carried herself with the demeanor of a monarch, meaning whatever she said and never failing to put her words into action.
Since she said that she was going to reward Yun Zhonghe, then so long as Yun Zhonghe named what he wanted, she would absolutely keep her word to fulfill her promise to him.
But what kind of a character was this Yun Zhonghe? A gangster, a beggar, a scumbag, a lunatic.
When it came to academic ability, he had no scholarly merit to speak of. He dropped out of school after a year of initiation during his early childhood.
In terms of martial arts ability, this man was physically weak and feeble. A strong ten-year-old child could easily pin him to the ground and give him a violent bashing.
Could such a man also be an official in the City of Torn Gust?
Though the City of Torn Gust was situated within the Land of No King, it had also inherited the few hundred years of the baronage. It was, nonetheless, very formal and serious.
And the City of Torn Gust was a prosperous city, after all. Basically, all the officials there were elites. Every official to assume a position would essentially be someone who had made great achievements or came from an influential family.
There were even local scholars in the highest level of the imperial examinations, not to mention the successful candidates that came from different provinces. And they were all candidates and scholars who emerged admirably from the imperial examinations.
Would it not be the world's greatest joke to allow such a human scum like Yun Zhonghe to become an official of the City of Torn Gust, and furthermore, an official of quite a high level?
Li Tian was already an unqualified military officer, but he was, nonetheless, a graduate from the Heavenly Academy of Martial Arts. And he did have good grades.
If someone like Yun Zhonghe were to become an official? Then where would the solemnity of the City of Torn Gust's officials be? Where would its authoritativeness be?
But he had made a significant contribution after all, especially with respect to the offering of his divine medicine.
And this castellan, Jing Zhongyue, took her words seriously, and never failed to stay true to her word.
"Alright, you have my word." Jing Zhongyue said, "I will pick an official position for you, and it will definitely not be lower than Li Tian's."
Yun Zhonghe said, "It better not be some idle position that is insignificant and inconspicuous. It must be one with real power. It must be impressive."
Jing Zhongyue said, "A key official position with real power? Then let me tell you this. The more vital the position, the greater the responsibility, the likelier it is to make a mistake, and the easier it is to get yourself beheaded."
Yun Zhonghe said, "Getting beheaded is the thing that I'm least afraid of."
Jing Zhongyue said, "Then, before this, have you ever assumed any official position?"
The way this goddess speaks, she really likes to break her sentences up.
Yun Zhonghe said, "Of course I have."
Jing Zhongyue said, "What kind of official position?"
"Head of the begging group of the Beggar's Sect. I have three little beggars under me, and they range from three to eight years of age," Yun Zhonghe said. And he was not lying about this.
Such a resume, and you're still speaking of it so proudly. How did you manage to do this?
Who gave you the courage to want to be a high-ranking official with real power when you are nothing more than a scumbag who managed a team comprised of only three little beggars?
"Very well, I will give you an official position with real power. And this authority is not small, at that," Jing Zhongyue said.
Yun Zhonghe said, "By the way, it has to be within the City of Torn Gust, close to the residence of the castellan. Because I still have to come home to the residence of the castellan."
"Why is that?" Jing Zhongyue asked.
Yun Zhonghe said, "I'm afraid that I will be hacked to death if I live outside."
You do have self-awareness and know your place.
"That will do," Jing Zhongyue said, "But I must tell you that I am extremely stringent with the officers under me. If you do not perform to my expectations, it will take me less than three days to strip you of your post and throw you straight out of the City of Torn Gust. All those possessions that I have promised you earlier would cease to be yours. All your previous contributions would be written off as well."
"Deal!" Yun Zhonghe said. "I'm not only going to hold on to this post firmly; I'm going to make it a great success and do so well that my brilliance will blind everyone. I am going to surpass all the previous officials. I am going to make the entire City of Torn Gust see how a beggar can be a rising star. I, Yun AoTian, am destined to be a brilliant star that lasts for eternity. I am definitely not just a flashing meteor that lasts only for a moment."
At this point in time, Jing Zhongyue simply felt that it would be pure torture for her to speak even one more word to the lunatic in front of her.
She waved her hand right away and said, "Go out and get ready. Someone will bring you on board tomorrow."
Yun Zhonghe said, "Remember, I must hold real power. The position must be something great."
"Don't worry. This position is definitely not going to disappoint you," Jing Zhongyue said indifferently.
Yun Zhonghe said, "Then I will be waiting. Thank you, Lady Castellan, for your patronage."
Jing Zhongyue waved her hand.
Two warriors came in without warning and pulled him up, lifting him off the ground and out of the hall. They headed outside and threw him out the door.
Outside the door, Yun Zhonghe crashed to the ground with a 'pia' sound.
And so, he simply went along with the flow of the situation he was in and laid down on the ground. Then, he gracefully fell into a world of fantasies.
Lord Feng Xingmie, Boss Xu, I have officially entered our enemy's inner circle. I have become an honorable key official of the City of Torn Gust.
But what kind of official position will Queen Jing Zhongyue assign me?
Being high ranking and having actual great power sounds like a lot of fun.
Tomorrow, please come quickly. I, Yun Zhonghe, am going to take up a new official position in a most majestic and awe-inspiring way.
***
*Author's notes.