The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 22: Ghosts, Monsters, and Extortion
If someone dies, it becomes a serious matter.

Mr. Wu quickly asked someone to report the case to the authorities. When the authorities saw that it was Mr. Wu who reported the case, they did not neglect the matter and immediately sent yamen runners and coroners to the old guard's house to investigate.

As a result, the coroner examined the body and said that the man had been dead for at least a month.

However, only five or six days passed from the time the old guard left Mr. Wu's house to the time his body was discovered.

The coroner didn't believe it at first and said he couldn't be wrong.

Generally, a corpse will start out in a state of rigor mortis and then gradually turn black.

After five or six days, it began to swell and became what is commonly known as the "Giant View".

After about twenty days, the skin and flesh gradually collapse.

Judging from the state of the old guard's body, the skin and flesh had all rotted away, and it must have been at least a month old.

But at that time, countless people had seen the old security guard, and they all patted their chests and said that they had just seen him a few days ago and he was still full of energy.

The more the coroner listened, the uglier his expression became. He quickly pulled a housekeeper from Mr. Wu's family aside and said in a low voice, "This matter may be dirty and the government can't do anything about it."

"Go back quickly and ask Mr. Wu to find some monks or Taoist priests to perform a ritual. It might work."

The housekeeper reported this to Mr. Wu, who was also afraid, so he invited a famous local master to perform a ritual at his home.

Who would have known that it would have been fine if we hadn't asked anyone for help, but once the master came to perform the ritual, things took a turn for the worse.

The master performed a ritual and solemnly assured Mr. Wu that the evil had been dispelled.

As a result, the master started vomiting blood when he got home, and then fell ill and died within three days.

Wu Yuanwai had no choice but to send someone to report to the authorities, but the yamen runners avoided them when they saw their family members. After questioning, they found out that the coroner had returned home and vomited blood for no apparent reason, and died within a few days.

When the news spread, the Wu family was in a panic, and many hired servants fled.

A good family was suddenly thrown into chaos.

As they were talking, time came to the present and the topic continued that Li Miao heard at the beginning.

"My brother-in-law is very brave. Mr. Wu's family was short of people these days, so he went there without hesitation after paying the money."

"In the end, I really saw a ghost!"

The man lowered his voice and approached mysteriously.

"The night before yesterday, he was walking in the yard and felt the wind getting colder and colder. He couldn't stand the cold."

"He thought that since no one saw him, he might as well go back to his room and sleep."

“As a result, I saw the ghost on the way back.”

"A female ghost, with disheveled hair, dressed in white, and her face covered in blood."

"There were two black holes under the eye sockets, and the blood flowed out of the holes and dripped onto the ground."

"Pap, tap, tap..."

The man was talking so excitedly that he even added ventriloquism to simulate the sound of blood dripping onto the ground.

Li Miao was amused and asked in support, "What happened next?"

"What happened next? Then he fainted." The man reached out to pour wine from the jug, but only poured out a few drops and looked at Li Miao ingratiatingly.

"Later, when he was recovering from his illness, he had a very frightening dream. Look at this wine..."

"Oh, I've finished drinking." Li Miao stood up and bowed to the others: "Then I won't bother you any more. Drink slowly."

Those people looked at Li Miao with disappointment as he walked away. They poured the inferior wine they had drunk into the wine pot that Li Miao brought, rinsed it vigorously, shared it among themselves, and continued chatting.

Li Miao walked back to the table and all the dishes had been served.

No one started eating until he came back. Xiao Si and Wang Hai were still being affectionate to each other, but Mei Qinghe had already opened her eyes and was staring at a dish of sweet and sour fish without saying a word.

Li Miao walked to the table and said with a smile: "Eat, what are you waiting for?"

Several people then started to eat. While eating, Wang Hai asked Li Miao: "Brother, how many days do you plan to stay here this time?"

"What to play?" Li Miao glanced at Wang Hai.

"When I saw your eyes light up just now, I knew we couldn't leave." Wang Hai said with a smile.

"Anyway, I'm here with you to see the world. I'll do whatever you say."

"You speak as if following me is a disadvantage."

Li Miao said: "Your salary will not be reduced."

Wang Hai nodded in agreement.

After the meal, everyone was full and satisfied.

Li Miao stood up and said to the three people, "Wait here for me. I'll go find us some money and a place to stay."

After saying that, he walked out of the door at a leisurely pace.

Pingshanwei is not an ordinary provincial capital or state capital, but a garrison.

This Dashuo inherited the military system of the previous dynasty and set up guards in various places to be responsible for garrisoning, recruiting and training soldiers. Soldiers needed food and entertainment, and gradually villages and towns were formed around them, which gradually became prosperous.

Unlike the Ming Dynasty in Li Miao's previous life, due to the prevalence of gangsterism, the government was unable to control it. However, the garrison had better security than the general prefectures because there were soldiers patrolling. People from the surrounding areas moved here one after another, so this place was more prosperous than the general prefectures.

Li Miao was going to the door of the chief officer of Pingshan Guard, the commander of Pingshan Guard, to ask for money.

He walked to the Pingshan Guard Commander's office and said to the soldier guarding the door, "Is your commander here?"

The soldier raised his head lazily and glanced Li Miao up and down.

Seeing that Li Miao was dressed in casual clothes and looked dusty, but had a ruddy complexion and a loud voice, and did not look like a simple person, he did not dare to neglect him.

He stepped forward and bowed: "Do you have a visiting card or business card? I can pass it on."

Li Miao didn't say anything either. He took out the Jinyiwei badge and waved it in front of the soldier.

The soldier immediately turned pale with horror and fell to the ground, "Sir!"

"Please follow me to the guest room and take a seat. My master is handling official business in the mansion. I will inform him immediately!"

Li Miao nodded and followed him into the government office, where servants served tea. The soldier hurried off to deliver the message.

After a while, I heard hurried footsteps outside the door, and saw a man walking in quickly.

The man looked to be in his forties, with broad shoulders and a strong waist. He was none other than Xu Siyuan, the commander of Pingshan Guard.

He looked majestic, but now he looked flustered, his clothes were loose, and he could faintly smell of makeup.

It seems that whether the "gong" in "gong gong" refers to official business or public affairs, it remains to be discussed.

Xu Siyuan walked over quickly and bowed to Li Miao who was still sitting: "I didn't know you were sent here. I'm sorry for not welcoming you in person!"

According to Da Shuo's official rank, Pingshan Guard was actually on the same level as Jinyi Guard. Xu Siyuan was also a third-rank official. He was so servile to Li Miao, a captain, that he really lowered his attitude.

This couldn't be his fault. As the Dashuo system has been passed down to this day, the Wei Suo system has long been rotten. It has become an unspoken practice to eat the empty salaries and suck the blood of soldiers. Every generation of emperors basically had to chop off a few heads to make an example of them.

The person who beheads someone is often a member of the Imperial Guards.

So it is not surprising that Xu Siyuan behaves like this.

Li Miao quickly stood up: "Sir, there is no need to be so polite."

"I am here for other official business. I am here today to give you a favor. I have no other intention."

"Ah? Hahahahaha——" Xu Siyuan was stunned when he heard Li Miao speak so directly. Then he laughed as if relieved.

"But it is allowed, but it is allowed!"

(End of this chapter)