Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 104 People Scare Ghosts

The city gate.

Several county officials became increasingly agitated. They tried every trick they could think of, including persuasion, winning over, intimidation, and verbal abuse.

But no matter what they did, the county officials in front of them were determined and blocked the city gate, insisting on checking them.

The county official could no longer hold back, "I said let him go, so let him go!"

"How dare a mere county official stop me here?"

The county officials said nothing, but stood shoulder to shoulder blocking the city gate.

More and more people were coming in and out, making it impossible to pass through. There was a lot of noise and people were venting their dissatisfaction, but the county officials didn't care at all. They just blocked the road. As a city gate official, if they couldn't squeeze some benefits out of the people coming in and out of the city, could they still be considered qualified city gate officials?

The county officials looked at each other and were about to push forward. They did not dare to use weapons directly, but wanted to use their advantage in numbers to push away the people in front of them.

Seeing the situation becoming increasingly chaotic, the foreign monk who led the carriage stopped the county officials.

He got off the car and calmly walked up to the county official. "Since the higher-ups want to interrogate us, then let them interrogate us. Since we are acting according to the law, we should obey."

The county officials began to check and collect taxes from them. After a long time of work, they finally allowed them to enter the city.

Next, several groups of horse-drawn carriages appeared, some led by monks and some not. However, when they arrived at the city gate, the first thing they did was to go straight to the familiar county officials, check the passing records, and then go in directly.

The county officials blocked the city gate for a long time and gained a lot.

When the time came, they changed shifts with the newcomers. Someone took over their duties to continue guarding the city gate, while they returned to the county government with their things.

At this moment, a group of people rode their horses and rushed out of the city.

There were eight people in total, each riding a horse. They rushed to the city gate, then jumped off and walked in front of the county officials.

When the county official saw the person coming, he immediately gained courage and hurried forward.

"Your Majesty, these are the people who have been making trouble and extorting money here since this morning. We tried to stop them, but they insulted and beat us."

The prince listened to his subordinates' words and looked coldly at the county officials in front of him.

"Well, you are so brave to openly extort the people who enter and leave the city gate!"

"Someone, tie up these people for me!"

Upon hearing this, several county officials drew their swords at the same time and looked at the county officials with fierce eyes. They would chop them down as long as they dared to step forward.

The county officials who were clamoring to come forward were so frightened by this scene that they stayed where they were, not daring to move forward.

These county officials were all brought by Taozi from Cheng'an.

They were not county officials in the past, they were a group of robbers.

Although they were wearing official uniforms, when they drew their swords, their faces were ferocious and vicious, and their cruelty was not on the same level as the officials of Liyang County.

The prince's face was gloomy. "If you disobey the orders of your superiors, you will be beaten to death. You dare to resist. Do you not take the law seriously?"

At this moment, a man came out from somewhere, leading a big horse, followed by several county officials.

The one who came out was naturally the patrol officer Yao Xiong.

When they saw Yao Xiong, several county officials put away their swords and hurriedly bowed to greet him.

Yao Xiong looked at the county official in front of him unscrupulously, "Don't use any laws to scare people. The court has laws, and you cannot disobey your superiors. But you, what rank are you?"

The prince was furious, his face flushed red, "I am a county official, you are county officials. I am the superior official."

"Which law stipulates this? You said that the county magistrate should obey the governor, I know that, but I have never heard of the county clerk obeying the county clerk."

"Also, why is there a city gate guard in this county?"

"Do you know the law?"

Yao Xiong asked loudly.

Suddenly someone came forward and whispered something to Wang Gong. Wang Gong's eyes changed immediately when he looked at Yao Xiong, and he quietly took a step back.

"I know the law! We are here to monitor these county gatekeepers!"

"The monks and the meritorious families have all been granted special grace and are exempt from taxes and labor service. We have discovered that these city gate officials are extorting good people entering and leaving the city! We will take these people back to the county government for interrogation!"

Yao Xiong chuckled and held the hilt of the knife with his right hand. "If Nai Gong refuses to hand over the person, what can you do?"

The prince's lips trembled for a long time, then he signaled to his attendants and rode away again.

Seeing them leave, Yao Xiong waved to his family members, asking them to come closer to him, and continued to instruct them: "Don't be afraid of these villains. If they want to harm you, just kill them! At most, one life for another, what's there to be afraid of?"

"Keep your eyes on the city gate and those 'good people'. If a fly from a good person flies into the city gate, I will squeeze out your blood!"

Hearing Yao Xiong's words, several people burst into laughter.

"Don't worry, Lord Yao. We are all Cheng'an people. We have seen many such things at the Cheng'an city gate. There is no way we can be wrong!"

Several county officials guarding the city gate stood opposite, listening to their conversation, their faces pale.

What the hell kind of people are these?

"Mr. County Magistrate!"

Hearing the sound outside, Zhao Kai hurriedly threw away the arrow in his hand, signaled his left and right men to guard the door, and walked out quickly.

As soon as he walked out, he saw the county official named Wang.

At this moment, his face was full of grievance and he almost cried.

"Mr. Zhao, the county government is going too far! It's going too far!"

"Those people are not officials at all, they are all unreasonable robbers!"

"They want to kill people at any time. I asked them why they extorted people coming in and out, and they said: If they want to do this, what can I do?"

"Several city gates have been occupied by people from the county government, so our people can't get any advantage."

Wang Li has been in Liyang for many years and has never suffered such injustice, nor has he ever seen such a rude and unreasonable person. He did not come to Liyang to be an official, he clearly came to be a robber.

If they rob a motorcade today, will they rob civilians tomorrow? ?
Looking at Wang Li, who was looking pitiful and wiping his tears, Zhao Kai's face looked quite ugly.

"How many people are there in the county government now?"

"I don't know. There should be more than fifty. Almost full."

"Now that they are interfering with the city gate, will they interfere with other things next?"

Zhao Kai, who always remained calm, finally couldn't sit still anymore.

If Taozi wants to kill people, let him do it, but his interference in government affairs is enough to cause huge losses.

The clerks guarding the city gates were lowly and menial, but this power was extremely important and could not be simply handed over to the county government.

Zhao Kai pondered for a moment and said, "Prepare the carriages and horses."

"only!!"

Zhao Kai got in the car and headed towards the county government office.

For the first time, worry appeared on his face. He was not afraid of Taozi killing people, but he was afraid that Taozi would seize power.

Although a county is one level higher than a county, the things they are in charge of are indeed different. The reason why he can send people to guard the city gates and collect taxes is that he relies on suppressing the county government. When the power of the county government cannot be released, he has the final say. But looking at Taozi's current action, he is directly aiming to take back the power of the county government.

Another Shi Yao?
Shi Yao still has no backing and no power. He is just a rotten scholar who only knows how to read books. But this county magistrate has the support of the Lu family behind him, and the Lu family has the King of Changshan in charge.

Among King Gao's sons, King Changshan was of great importance. Apart from the late Majesty, he was the most powerful.

And now, Zhao Kai had a very scary idea in his mind.

Even Zhao Kai could only walk in the county government office. However, this county government office was completely different from the county government office. Once you entered the door, you could see the neat gravel road, pavilions on both sides, and a small lake in the distance. This was not a county government office at all, it was simply the mansion of a wealthy family.

There were also many people in the county government office, and many of them were obviously not county officials. They wore luxurious clothes and looked up, and even when they saw Zhao Kai, they would not stop to salute.

The people patrolling back and forth were not county soldiers, but private guards, but their equipment was more luxurious than that of the county soldiers.

There were no county officials in the county government office. All of them worked in the small courtyard next door, which was not much different from the county government office. The entire huge county government office belonged to only one person.

The current governor.

Zhao Kai walked for a long time and finally stopped in front of a large backyard. He lowered his head and did not move. After a long time, a servant took him into the backyard.

As soon as I walked into the backyard, I saw Buddhist steles erected in various places, all of which were covered with scriptures.

All kinds of decorations also have some Buddhist flavor.

When Zhao Kai walked into the inner room, he heard someone chanting Buddhist scriptures.

Zhao Kai didn't dare to disturb them and just stood aside timidly.

In front of Zhao Kai, there were two people sitting.

A middle-aged man, with an ugly appearance, who looked somewhat similar to Gao Yang at first glance, put his hands together, closed his eyes, and listened to the chanting of the monk opposite him. The monk sitting opposite him was quite old, with a long white beard, and looked compassionate, reciting scriptures in a low voice.

Zhao Kai waited anxiously for a long time. Finally, when the monk finished reading, he stood up and bowed to the ugly man in front of him.

"Don't worry, His Majesty has always been kind and respectful to Buddha. He is enjoying bliss right now."

After hearing this, the ugly man burst into tears. He wiped his tears and quickly stood up to return the greeting, "Thank you very much, thank you very much."

The man walked the old monk all the way to the door. Zhao Kai hurriedly saluted the two men, but was ignored by them.

The old monk left the inner room gracefully, but the ugly man looked at Zhao Kai.
"Why aren't you at home mourning?!"

Zhao Kai was shocked and quickly knelt down in front of the other party, "Sir! Something big happened in the city, I dare not not come."

The man grabbed Zhao Kai's hair and pulled him up. Zhao Kai grimaced in pain but did not dare to resist.

"What is so important? What is more important than me worshipping Buddha and reciting scriptures for His Majesty?!"

"Envoy! This morning, all the carriages and horses entering the city gate were stopped and the carriage and boat taxes were paid. A lot of the city entry taxes and goods were collected, which caused great losses."

After hearing these words, the ugly man finally let go.

He asked in astonishment, "Whose goods are these?"

"It's from Sogoji Temple, and the Li family."

Hearing this, the ugly man was furious, "Why do you want to stop them from taking their things? Do you know that the commission is for me?!"

"Sir, I didn't stop them. It was the new county magistrate Liu Taozi who did it!"

The ugly man seemed to be thinking about something. He turned around, walked a few steps, then sat down and motioned Zhao Kai to come over and sit down with him.

Zhao Kai sat next to the other person carefully, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.

"Why would he do that?"

Zhao Kai replied: "Extorting people who come into the city is naturally for money."

"Why, didn't I tell you to give him a portion? You kept it all for yourself?"

The man looked at Zhao Kai, but he was not angry. He shook his head and said, "Kai, I understand that you love money, but you can't swallow the things given to others. To make money, we should make it together and get rich together."

The prefect talked to Zhao Kai about the principles of making money, from whether it can be swallowed and not, to how to swallow it openly and fairly.

The governor had his own reasoning, "The ratio must be clear. If you work hard, you get more, and if you work less, you get less. Why don't you understand?"

Zhao Kai's lips twitched for a moment before he said, "Sir, I was wrong. He is not after money. I am afraid he is just like that stone donkey."

Hearing this, the governor finally lost his composure, "What?! Another lunatic like Shi Yao?!"

The governor slapped his forehead in pain, "Why did the Great Qi have to produce such a lunatic?"

"If they don't seek money or sex, why do you think they should be officials?"

"I think it's the name of the picture."

"Fame is useless. I really don't understand why I always run into a lunatic like this. What bad luck! What bad luck!"

Zhao Kai reminded again: "Sir, this man is more difficult to deal with than Shi Yao. Although his official position is low, he still has the Lu family as his backer."

The governor waved his hand and said, "The Lu family is nothing. What's important is my sixth cousin!"

"My cousin has a bad temper. He dared to whip people in front of the late emperor. Now that the late emperor is gone, who can control him?"

Hearing this, Zhao Kai hurriedly flattered: "Don't you still have your aunt? The Queen Mother will definitely be able to suppress him."

Governor Lou Rui laughed, "It's no problem if my aunt comes forward. She loves me the most. I'm just a cousin."

Lou Rui suddenly looked at Zhao Kai and asked, "What do you think of the current crown prince?"

Fear flashed in Zhao Kai's eyes, and he lowered his head quickly, "I, I, I don't know."

"Yes, yes! You taunted me very well. The prince is just like you now!"

"I dare not!"

Zhao Kai's pants were about to get wet, but Lou Rui said disdainfully: "The prince is cowardly and incompetent. His teachers and confidants are all Han Chinese, and he likes these crazy Han Chinese the most. Even I think he is not worthy of being the emperor. It is my sixth cousin who is brave and resolute and has the most reputation."

This time Zhao Kai's pants were really wet.

Lou Rui suddenly stopped and looked at Zhao Kai, who was shaking like a sieve in front of him, "Stop mocking my prince. Even though he is weak, he is still my relative after all!"

Zhao Kai quickly raised his head and said, "I dare not."

"Anyway, I don't think the next thing will be that simple. Don't be too anxious to deal with this crazy Liu. I'll ask my cousin about it first. But, we can't let him ruin the good things happening in this city."

"Over the years, the tax revenue from mulberry fields in Liyang has been quite good, otherwise I would have applied to be a governor long ago. Why would I stay here as a prefect? ​​This is a good job, I can't let it go."

Zhao Kai was also confused, "Then what should I do?"

"It's very simple."

"First of all, don't destroy his life, don't openly confront him, don't hurt him, and give King Changshan enough face! In addition, don't let him do anything bad, don't let me suffer any loss, and the money I should earn should not be reduced at all."

"Okay, that's it, go do it."

"If you can't do it, I'll chop off your head."

Zhao Kai walked out of the county government office in a daze, with empty eyes. He looked down and finally felt the wetness in his crotch. He walked into the car in silence, feeling somewhat desperate.

Among these fucking royal relatives, there is not a single normal person, they are all crazy.

He doesn't allow me to use force, but he wants me to protect my own interests. Do I have to kneel down at his doorstep and beg him?
He returned to the mansion in a daze, and hurriedly called someone over and handed the letter to the other person.

"Send more people to Jinyang as quickly as possible and hand them over to the King of Changshan!"

"If you delay, I'll chop off your head!!"

The man quickly responded, took the letter and left.

After sending this person away, Zhao Kai called another person. This time, he changed his clothes and looked irritable and crazy. "Go to the prison and get me a pitching pot."

Soon, wailing sounds were heard in the Zhao Mansion.

Zhao Kai wiped the blood off his hands, walked out of the inner room, and boasted to the people beside him, "I hit all three arrows!"

The man also hurriedly praised: "Mr. Zhao's skills are truly supernatural. We admire him."

Zhao Kai was in a good mood, no longer frightened. He suddenly stopped and pondered for a moment, "I have a solution."

“Go find it now.”

At night, the Liyang County Government Office was exceptionally quiet.

Although some people have been recruited, the county government office has not been filled and still looks somewhat empty.

A cold wind blew, hitting the doors, and the sound that passed through the corridor was like bursts of crying.

A red figure suddenly appeared and slowly approached the backyard.

This figure appeared suddenly, covered in red. In such dimness, it was quite scary. The red shadow slowly came to the window, and its tongue hung from the corner of its mouth to its chest.

It just stood there at the window in a daze. The cold wind continued to blow, and it made faint sobbing sounds.

The room was silent.

It cried for a long time, but there was no movement. It stopped crying and gently patted the window in front of it with its hands.

Its force became more and more rapid, and in the end, it simply started to dig at the window in front of it, making an unpleasant noise.

But no matter what he did, there was no movement in the room.

The 'ghost' lost its temper, turned around and prepared to head for the door.

"Hey."

Suddenly someone patted its shoulder.

At this moment, the ghost screamed in fear, and it ran away, jumped onto the wall in front of it in a few steps, and began to run wildly on the roof. Just after running for a distance, it saw a person in front of it who also jumped onto the wall. The person's clothes were in disarray, and he looked at him in surprise and doubt, as if he was scared silly.

And the sound was heard again from behind, and it jumped directly into the house next door.

Just after running a few steps, a black shadow pounced on it and knocked it to the ground. Before it could resist, several punches came down on its face.

The punch was so powerful and heavy that it had never been hit by such a punch before.

After two punches to the face, it immediately stopped moving.

ps: He does not live in temples and goes in and out of the people. His words are always suspicious. Whenever he walks in the market, people will surround him. He will point to his chest and say: I pity you people who are ignorant and do not know Master A-Tu of Bingzhou. ——"Biography of the Divine Monk·Volume 3"

Rui (Lou Rui) had no other talents, but was favored by his relatives, indulged in money and sex, and was the governor of Yingzhou, accumulating wealth without satisfaction. ——"Book of Northern Qi, Volume 15"

(End of this chapter)