Chapter 110: Reward of 100 taels of silver
Qin Yao had no idea there was such a thing. She only knew the first half of the sentence, and no one had ever told her the second half.
Ordinary people only remembered the first half of the sentence, that killing thieves is not a crime. They didn't expect that there would be a reward at the end.
When Shopkeeper Fan saw Qin Yao's expression of "missing a billion", he sighed.
"Well, it's not your fault that you don't know. The county never publicizes this, and ordinary people can't read a single word. They can't recognize the decree even if it's posted at the city gate. It's normal for there to be some deviations."
Moreover, whether or not one can receive the reward depends on the county magistrate's understanding of the law. Qin Yao may not necessarily get what he deserves even if he goes there.
Besides, it's been so long now, it's too late to say anything.
It was only when he saw Qin Yao that Manager Fan wanted to tell her.
"Besides, as a woman, it is impossible for you to be an official." He sighed with amusement.
Qin Yao smiled, continued to drink the last sip of mutton soup, and remained silent for a long time.
She recalled the several officials who had come to the village ancestral hall to inquire at the beginning of the year. The way they looked at her at that time showed some surprise but not much, and even a sense of relief that it was nothing special.
I think they knew this law at that time, and they were relieved when they learned that she was a woman.
Because there is no need to arrange anything for her.
As for the reward money, not to mention her, even the village chief didn't see a penny after following her to the county town.
This conversation with Manager Fan gave Qin Yao a better understanding of the world and made her hope even stronger that Liu Ji could pass the imperial examination.
Even if she is just a scholar, the next time she kills a bandit leader, the government should tell her that she can get a reward.
"Are you leaving tomorrow?" Shopkeeper Fan asked reluctantly.
Qin Yao nodded and said, "There is still farm work to do at home." There are still some orders for the water truck to be completed.
Shopkeeper Fan sighed softly, "I still want to learn a few more moves from you, but I have to leave now."
Qin Yao gave him a faint smile and said, "When you have time in the future, come to my house as a guest."
"Is it okay?" Shopkeeper Fan asked excitedly.
Qin Yao said yes, and he immediately laughed, "I'm a little curious about what your family looks like. You hunted a black bear last year, so your family should have a few more acres of fertile land, right? Are you the richest person in your village?"
Normally, all of what Manager Fan said exists.
Unfortunately, there is an abnormal scourge in Qin Yao's family.
She could only say calmly: "I'm still working on it."
Shopkeeper Fan smiled awkwardly, asked her to go to the guest room to rest, and went back to the counter to work.
Qin Yao asked for an ordinary single room, which cost her one hundred and twenty coins, along with the food for five of them.
A good night's sleep.
Qin Yao checked out of the room early in the morning, said goodbye to Manager Fan, and prepared to go home.
Before leaving, perhaps because he felt a little dissatisfied, he walked against the flow of people and arrived at the gate of Kaiyang County Government Office.
The streets are full of people and it is very lively.
Only here, in such a large open space, there are few people, and only occasionally someone stops in front of the signboard in front of the gate.
Unfortunately, there are not many people who can read. Those who read the notice are all scholars. They have their own noble character and would not bother to read it out if no one asks for advice.
Qin Yao originally wanted to see what the government office looked like and then leave, but now she saw two scholars in front of the notice board just left after looking at it, leaving the office empty. Out of curiosity, she walked over to see what was posted on the government notice board.
When I got closer, the first thing that caught my eye was a reward notice with a portrait on it, with a big word "Reward" circled in red.
Seeing the circled word "appreciate" made Qin Yao's heart beat faster.
The notice contained a long and eloquent article denouncing the illegal acts of the Ma bandits and expressing the anger of the people and the government.
Qin Yao's mind automatically eliminated the unnecessary words and came to a conclusion -
Recently, bandits have been rampant and arrogant, and their various acts have been so cruel that even livestock cannot bear it, so now a reward notice is issued, calling on the brave men in this county to take active action, behead the bandit leader and help the government to eliminate the horse bandits. Regardless of their background or identity, whether they are male or female, old or young, all will be rewarded with 100 taels of silver!
"Hiss~" Qin Yao took a deep breath. The summer morning breeze was hot and intense. With one breath, her adrenaline surged.
Qin Yao quickly calmed down his excitement and confirmed three times that the notice said one hundred taels of silver. He immediately walked to the gate of the government office and asked the two soldiers guarding the gate:
"How do I accept this reward?"
Every second of hesitation would be disrespectful to the one hundred taels!
The two officers and soldiers obviously didn't hear clearly what she said, or they thought they had heard it wrong.
After all, the reward notice had been posted there for half a year and no one had taken it down. Every time the handwriting faded, the master had to rewrite it and post it again.
Qin Yao asked again: "How do I accept the reward?"
The two soldiers then gave her a surprised look. One of them pointed at the sign and said impatiently, "Tear it down!"
Qin Yao understood, turned back, and tore off the notice in full under the shocked gaze of the two officers and soldiers, then returned to the government office and asked them:
"I've revealed it. What next? Is it enough to just bring back the head of the man in the painting? Do I need to register first? How do I claim the reward then?"
It was also her first time to announce a bounty in ancient times. This was not the end of the world, and there were computers for automatic registration. After completing the task, she just had to hand it in to the task hall and the money would be automatically credited to her account.
Although they were all doing the same old business, she was not clear about the process. The only thing on her mind was the one hundred taels. She only felt that the ferocious-looking bandit leader in the painting had become handsome.
At the same time, Qin Yao was still regretting in her heart why she didn't go to the county government gate earlier to take a look.
If she had known this earlier, would she have been able to keep those bandits alive until now?
"I'm asking you questions, why don't you answer? Is this reward fake?" Qin Yao waited for a long time without receiving a reply and became a little impatient.
Don't delay her from making money!
The two officers were sure that she was serious.
One of them immediately rushed into the government office and shouted, "Master! Someone has revealed the list!"
The other one pointed at the notice and asked Qin Yao, "As a woman, do you know what is written on this reward notice?"
"I know. It's not the one hundred taels reward, it's the head of the leader of that gang of horse bandits. Did I understand it correctly?" Qin Yao also wanted to confirm it in case she had misunderstood.
The officers and soldiers asked her her name and where she was from. Qin Yao answered all the questions one by one. She looked clear-headed and did not look like a madman at all. Then they led her in.
Qin Yao didn't expect that her first time entering the yamen would be in this way.
She didn't see the county magistrate, but only saw the legal advisor and the county magistrate.
One of these two is equivalent to the county magistrate's secretary, and the other is equivalent to the director of the Public Security Bureau who is in charge of the Kaiyang County garrison force.
Common people had to kneel when they saw an official. Qin Yao followed the local customs and knelt on one knee for a moment, briefly explaining what had happened and then stood up.
However, no one thought that a woman like her was making fun of the government by taking down the notice. After all, a woman who dared to do so was not an ordinary person.
When the county magistrate heard Qin Yao say that she had killed a small leader of horse bandits at the beginning of the year, a gleam of hope flashed in his eyes.
(End of this chapter)