After Transmigrating, I Was Kidnapped By A Scheming Beauty Into The Bridal Chamber - Chapter 10

Soon, Shen Hetang saw five or six men in official constable uniforms, their waist sabers gleaming, striding into the Yamen with imposing dignity. The sight made her eyes burn with longing as she recalled her own brief, one-day stint in the police force—a regret that still stung. At least I can consider myself a martyr now, she thought.

This only deepened her yearning for a job at the Yamen. She resolved to stake out the area, determined to create her own opportunities if none presented themselves.

Sure enough, perseverance paid off. On her third day of staking out, she finally spotted a notice posted by the Yamen. Seeing only the words “Seeking Talented Individuals,” she tore it down. But when she glanced at the bottom, she nearly fainted. In large, bold characters, it read: “Heroic Tiger Slayer Wanted.”

This, this, this! Her hands had been too quick. This was Wu Song’s job, not hers. She seemed cursed to clash with such places, a perfect astrological incompatibility. Carrying explosive packages had already been a fool’s errand; now they wanted her to fight tigers? If she went, she’d be nothing more than a delivery service for tiger cubs. No, no, no! I can’t go!

Just as she was about to reattach the notice, a Magistrate’s Advisor in his forties emerged from the Yamen. Seeing someone had taken down the notice, he swiftly approached Shen Hetang and seized her like a thief, his face practically screaming, I’ve set a trap—jump right in!

“Young man, how old might you be?” the advisor asked, flashing a benevolent smile that revealed eight large teeth as he peered at Shen Hetang.

“I’m nineteen this year, born in the year of the Dragon, and my surname is Shen,” she replied, struggling to break free while giving her name. Of course, the age was a fabrication; judging by her appearance, she couldn’t be older than twenty.

“Did you take down this notice?”

“No, no! It fell off by itself. I just happened to pick it up. I was about to put it back up.” She hastily tried to reattach the paper, but it wouldn’t stick. She turned back to the advisor with an awkward smile.

“Since fate has brought you here, young man, you must accept this great responsibility and return to the County Magistrate with me,” the advisor declared. So this is what it takes to be a Magistrate’s Advisor? she thought. Why is he acting like some kind of mystic?

“Ah?” Shen Hetang felt trapped in a difficult situation.

“I’ve read your face, Young Master. Though your features are delicate and handsome, your aura is formidable and clearly not that of an ordinary person. There’s no need for modesty. Come inside with me at once.” With that, the advisor began dragging Shen Hetang toward the Yamen.

The White Tiger with Slanted Eyes had already mauled five people near the town gates, three of whom had died. This terrorized both the town and its surroundings, leaving no one daring to enter or leave. With the Imperial Inspector due to arrive in less than half a month, Lord Magistrate was frantic, his anxiety burning like fire. Yet he couldn’t find a single hero willing to lead the charge. He spent his days berating his advisor, who, at his wits’ end, seized upon the unlucky soul who had torn down the wanted poster, grasping at straws to find someone to present as a solution.

The County Office’s yamen runners usually strutted about with an air of authority, but eight out of ten were there through connections: nephews of the magistrate’s concubine or godchildren of the old lady. When real work needed doing, they all vanished, not a single one daring to step forward. The County Magistrate, having seen through their charade, pinned his hopes on a hefty reward.

“Lord Magistrate! A hero has claimed the reward!” The advisor’s voice boomed into the room before he even entered.

“Where is he? Bring him in at once!” The County Magistrate’s voice carried the desperate hope of withered wood sprouting new life.

Shen Hetang, overhearing their conversation, felt immense pressure. She just wanted a job, not to die.

“Is this the hero you spoke of?” The County Magistrate’s face fell upon seeing Shen Hetang, his disappointment as limp as a frost-bitten eggplant.

“Lord Magistrate, we’re desperately short-handed right now. This young master looks like he has some skills. Why not give him a try? We don’t have much time, and all we need is someone to lead the way,” the Magistrate’s Advisor urged with a pointed look.

You sure know how to judge people, Shen Hetang thought. You can tell I have skills just by looking at me? Are you planning to use me as tiger bait?

“Young master, do you know any special tricks or skills?” the County Magistrate asked, his eyes filled with a glimmer of hope.

“I don’t know any special tricks, but I’m decent at martial arts,” she replied. The old man’s eyes dimmed at the first part of her answer, but they lit up again at the second.

“See, Lord Magistrate? I told you this young master had an air of nobility about him. He must be skilled,” the Magistrate’s Advisor quickly added, eager to pass this hot potato off to someone else before his old bones gave out.

“No, Lord Magistrate, I’m not qualified to hunt tigers. You should find a real tiger-hunting hero,” she protested, but they didn’t give her a chance to explain.

“We won’t know if you’re qualified until you try. Besides, you won’t be going alone. How many people do you need?” They just needed a leader.

Shen Hetang remained outwardly calm, but she could feel sweat beading on her forehead. She was clearly not cut out for government work. Every time she took a job, she ended up cursed. Her unlucky fate had been confirmed.

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