The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Chapter 147

That evening, a grand banquet was set up on the training ground of General Dangmo's Mansion, where eight hundred soldiers enjoyed good wine and meat and celebrated the New Year in a lively and festive manner.

Wang Wen, carrying a large bowl, greeted everyone at the table before leaving early, leaving space for the officers and soldiers below to enjoy themselves...

Xu Wu, carrying a pot of hot tea, followed him back to the main hall.

Wang Wen stepped into the lobby: "Close the door behind you."

Xu Wu did as instructed, closing the hall door and then bringing the hot tea to the table.

Wang Wen pointed to the armchair on the left side of the hall: "Sit down and talk."

Xu Wu glanced at the chair and smiled knowingly.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, the left side was considered superior, and this chair represented the position of the second-in-command under the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion.

Wang Wen leisurely picked up the teapot, poured out two bowls of hot tea, took a small sip from one bowl, and then with a flick of his sleeve, the other bowl flew steadily into the air and landed on the tea table next to Xu Wu without spilling a drop.

Xu Wu picked up the teacup with both hands, but did not rush to drink. Instead, he said, "Brother, you don't need to worry too much about that case. I have already made progress, and there will definitely be results tomorrow!"

Wang Wen smiled noncommittally. Although he had never inquired about the case, he knew more than Xu Wu.

He held the teacup and said slowly, "I called you here not to discuss the case, but because there are some procedures I need to inform you of."

Xu Wu immediately put down his teacup and said seriously, "Brother, please tell me, I'll remember!"

Wang Wen put down his teacup and gently tapped the table with his fingers.

Three muffled thuds were heard, and a dark golden stream of light and a cloud of silvery-white vapor swept into the hall from the passageways on both sides of the table. They transformed into a nine-foot-tall, golden-armored general with a bushy beard and a slender, eerie-looking, vertical-pupiled silver-armored junior officer.

The two materialized, exchanged a surprised glance, and then simultaneously clasped their hands in a salute: "This humble general, Ma Feng (Bai Zimo), greets Your Excellency!"

Xu Wu stared blankly at the two of them, then looked at Wang Wen, who stood calmly in the hall, and suddenly realized that his elder brother was truly unfathomable!

"introduce."

Wang Wen raised his hand and pointed at Xu Wu, saying, "This is Xu Wu, the Commander of the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion, who is in charge of all affairs, large and small, of the mansion."

The two men below the hall turned around in unison and bowed to Xu Wu with their hands clasped, saying, "Greetings, Chief Steward Xu!"

Xu Wu returned the greeting stiffly: "We're colleagues, no need for such formalities..."

After they finished exchanging greetings, Wang Wen pointed to Ma Feng and continued, "This is Ma Feng, a Yellow Turban Captain under the command of the God of Huangshan. He is currently the commander of the Yin Soldier Battalion of my General's Mansion, in charge of all cases of ghosts and monsters causing trouble in the government office, and also serves as the Left Deputy Captain of the Detective Team."

Ma Feng clasped his hands and greeted his left and right colleagues with a solemn expression: "I am Ma Feng, and I greet my two colleagues."

Xu Wu and the silver-armored junior officer quickly returned the greeting.

Xu Wu wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he couldn't quite place where he had seen this guy before.

"this……"

Wang Wen pointed to the silver-armored junior officer: "This is Bai Zimo, the Right General of the Hongze Lake Water Palace. He is currently the commander of the naval camp of my General's Mansion, in charge of all cases of waterborne demons causing trouble in the government office, and also serves as the Right Deputy Captain of the Detective Team."

Bai Zimo smiled and bowed to Xu Wu and Ma Feng: "I am a novice and inexperienced in social interactions. I hope you two brothers will guide me in the future."

Bai Zimo is the only remaining transformed demon general in the Hongze Lake Water Palace besides Ao Qing. His true form is a strange white snake. Perhaps because they belong to the same clan, he is quite loyal to Ao Qing. After Wang Wen mentioned building a naval force in the General's Mansion, Ao Qing sent him over, firstly as the commander of the naval force of the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion, and secondly as the hub connecting the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion and the Hongze Lake Water Palace.

The construction of the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion has been underway for more than two months. Although a large number of government offices and barracks are still in the foundation-laying stage, the general layout is already clear.

The entire Demon-Slaying General's Mansion is built facing south, and is divided into four sections from south to north along a central axis.

Entering through the main gate of the government office, upon entering the courtyard, the drill ground is in the center, the prison is on the left, and the barracks and canteen are on the right.
The second courtyard has a main hall in the center, a gate on the left facing the street leading to the Huangshan Temple, and a sluice gate on the right facing the river leading to the naval barracks.

The courtyard has three sections. On the left is the official residence of Xu Wu, Xie Zhixuan, and others, and on the right is their official quarters.

The fourth courtyard was entirely Wang Wen's official residence. On the left were the study, the back garden, and the drill ground, while on the right were the living room, the reception hall, and the bathroom.

This layout is not much different from that of the government offices of various prefectures.

The only difference is that the General's Mansion had a military camp outside the South Gate. The barracks, workshops, and staff quarters that should have been located in the second courtyard were moved to the military camp outside the city and converted into the Huangshan Temple and the naval camp.

As for why subordinate officials like Xu Wu and Xie Zhixuan had to live in a communal courtyard like in a tenement, while Wang Wen was able to have two courtyards to himself, with even a back garden arranged for him...

This is not just due to the hierarchy of officials; the main reason is that this official residence was only used as a dormitory for working overtime or on duty. Usually, officials at the prefectural level would own separate properties outside the prefectural government office, clocking in for work and going home after get off work.

Just like when Wang Wen was in the Imperial Observatory.

Typically, only the chief official of a government office treats the office as his own home. When outsiders boast about attending a banquet at a certain government office, they are referring to attending a banquet hosted by the chief official of that office. Subordinate officials of that office usually do not host banquets for guests within the office, as this would be seen as usurping the host's authority.

The biggest problem with the layout of the General's Mansion lies in the location of the Huangshan Temple.

For a deity like the God of Huangshan, whose status is supreme when no more revered deity is present, His position must be the highest, and He should be located on the central axis facing south.

Just like the temples that enshrine the Three Pure Ones and Shakyamuni Buddha, no matter which deity or bodhisattva's temple it is in, it must be located on the central axis. At most, there is only a difference between the front and the back. Absolutely no Taoist temple or Buddhist temple would dare to arrange the statues of the Three Pure Ones and Shakyamuni Buddha in a side hall or a dark room. That would be going against the natural order!

If the God of Huangshan had a mature belief system, and Wang Wen dared to make such an arrangement, he would immediately be attacked by the God of Huangshan's followers. Even if the God of Huangshan himself said it was okay, it wouldn't make a difference!
But it hasn't happened yet...

……

After listening to Wang Wen's introduction, Xu Wu felt as if a ray of light had appeared in his heart, illuminating his entire mind.

'That makes sense, everything makes sense now...'

He said in his heart.

The layout of the general's mansion suddenly makes sense.

The procedures that Wang Wen had previously trained his subordinates on during internal training sessions suddenly became clear to them.

This version of Wang Wen felt somewhat unfamiliar to him.

But more than anything, it was awe-inspiring!

He spent his days going in and out of the General's Mansion and coming and going around Wang Wen, completely unaware of when his elder brother made this arrangement and when he made the connections with Huangshan God!

He used to look at his elder brother as if he were looking at a clear spring.

To put it bluntly, he knows exactly what his older brother wants to do just by looking at him.

This is his secret to always managing to clean up after his older brother perfectly...

But now, when he looks at his elder brother, he feels as if he is looking up at a towering mountain shrouded in clouds and mist.

It was only then that he suddenly realized that his elder brother had become a truly important person...

Wang Wen, who was in the hall, was unaware of Xu Wu's intense inner turmoil. After introducing the three people below, he lightly tapped the table and said in a low voice, "I have trained you on the procedures for handling cases in my General's Mansion many times."

"Now it's time for you to hand in your answers."

He picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and said unhurriedly, "I'll wait for you here. Before dawn, I hope to see that fool's head!"

He put down his teacup, waved his hand, then picked up a book from the mountain of documents on his desk and opened it to browse its contents.

The human, the ghost, and the demon below the hall all clasped their hands in greeting, bowed, and left the hall.

"Bang." The door closed softly, and a human, a ghost, and a demon stood outside, looking at each other.

Finally, Xu Wu spoke first: "Commanders, why don't we come to my place first and gather the clues we have?"

Ma Feng hesitated for a second, then shook his head slightly and said, "I'm afraid there isn't that much time to waste... I have a hundred Yin soldiers under my command, each capable of traveling a hundred miles at night. Give me a direction, and I will immediately send troops to hunt down the criminals!"

Bai Zimo immediately replied, "I sent my men out to gather information during the day. The culprits are a group of wild rats that have become quite clever. It seems that the villagers set fire to their lair before, and they deliberately chose this time to come down the mountain to take revenge... However, due to the short time, my men have not yet found the group of wild rats."

'mouse?'

Xu Wu was stunned for two seconds, then suddenly realized, thinking to himself, 'No wonder the coroner said that the charred corpses were first bitten to death by wild animals and then burned.'

He quickly said, "Brothers of the First Battalion, we found the footprints left by those monsters during the day and pinpointed their hiding place to a desolate mountain."

'Damn it, I almost made a huge fool of myself!'

He secretly rejoiced.

Their initial suspicions were directed at canine-toothed monsters like wild dogs and jackals, because the charred corpses were covered with deep, furrowed bite marks, so no one would suspect rats.

"Having a direction is enough!"

Ma Feng immediately replied, "Please send someone to guide us, Lord Xu, and I will dispatch troops immediately."

Just as Xu Wu was about to respond, Bai Zimo interjected, "Time is of the essence, and the task is heavy. Lord Ma's Yin soldiers are skilled at traversing mountains and valleys, while Brother Rat's men are skilled at catching mountains. Everyone must work together and not miss the deadline!"

Previously, when it arrived outside Yangzhou with Ao Qing, it smelled the scent of catfish whiskers at the bottom of the canal and found half of the catfish whiskers' gills.

Yes, Catfish Beard is the Left General of the Dragon Palace of Hongze Lake, who is as famous as it. A little over a month ago, he was ordered to lead a hundred or so aquatic creatures south to Yangzhou to avenge the Black Crocodile King.

Then, recalling those monsters who had previously marched south to Yangzhou with great fanfare, only to vanish without a trace...

That snake was absolutely terrifying!

Upon hearing this, Ma Feng nodded emphatically without hesitation: "That's exactly right!"

Compared to Xu Wu and Ma Feng, he knew more and felt a greater sense of awe!

Military orders?

No, that's a decree!

Afterwards, the ghost and the demon went to their respective camps to the east and west to count their troops, leaving Xu Wu alone standing in the cold wind, bewildered.

He suddenly realized that his job as the chief steward of the general's mansion might be much easier than he had imagined.

It might be much, much more complicated than he anticipated...

Wang Wen, who was handling official business inside the hall, took in the crickets chirping—one human, one ghost, and one demon—outside the gate, but remained noncommittal.

Before long, the three gates of the General's Mansion opened simultaneously, and three groups of people set off, choosing sparsely populated streets and alleys to leave the city.

Wang Wen's divine sense followed them, gradually rising higher.

The ancient yet brand-new city on the earth reflected two completely different scenes in his eyes: one was the lively and bustling atmosphere of lanterns and dragon lanterns, and the other was the silent watch of a large army rushing through dark alleys with cold weapons.

"Who says only those who stand in the light are heroes..."

He picked up his pen and wrote the first appointment letter of the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion: Xu Wu, Commander of the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion of Huainan Road!
These appointment letters will then be sent to the Demon Suppression Division in the capital, and from there to the Hongtai Emperor. Finally, the Ministry of Revenue will issue official appointment certificates to the officials under the General's Office.

When he was writing the signature, he suddenly realized that today was already the twenty-fifth year of Hongtai.

'Twenty-four years in power, that's not easy.'

He clicked his tongue in amazement, thinking to himself that the emperors of the Guo family all seemed to live quite long lives.

'But for an emperor, living too long isn't necessarily a good thing...'

As he meticulously wrote the appointment letter, his thoughts drifted to his middle school history textbook.

Thanks to the extraordinary memory granted by the Yin Spirit of the Day Traveler, those long-forgotten memories are now as clear as yesterday.

He easily drew a conclusion from history books: 80% of long-lived emperors didn't do much human work in their later years...

Among them were some brilliant and powerful emperors who achieved great civil and military accomplishments in their early years, but in their later years they all exhibited various forms of senility and incompetence.

In the senile behavior of those long-lived emperors in their later years, being obsessed with the art of immortality was almost a standard charge, just like the crime of corrupt officials engaging in illicit sexual relations.

The most prominent example is Emperor Wu of Han!

If we also include those emperors who did not live long, the number of cases becomes even greater.

Even Qin Shi Huang and Tang Taizong, two emperors who can be called "emperors of all ages," became obsessed with the pursuit of immortality in their later years...

'Aren't you being a little too pessimistic?'

Wang Wenyue felt increasingly uneasy as he pondered the matter, and even the characters he wrote became slightly distorted.

But then he thought again, and realized that Emperor Hongtai's promotion of him, Wang Wen, to the position of General Who Subdues Demons in Huainan and his special granting of the power to establish his own government and military headquarters didn't seem like the behavior of an old senile man.
'Why are you thinking so much? The throne isn't going to be passed on to you...'

He immediately distracted himself and focused his attention back on the three armies of the General's Mansion outside the city who were suppressing the rat demons causing trouble.

……

On the eve of dawn, three generals from the General's Mansion pushed open the door and carried a tray lined with red silk, placing a rat's head, as big as a dog's head, neatly on the table in the hall.

Wang Wen glanced at it, gently placed the brush on the inkstone, and interlaced his fingers: "What did you gain from tonight's operation?"

The three generals looked thoughtful, struggling to find the right words.

"No need to rush to answer."

Wang Wen smiled and stopped their impulsive thinking, then said slowly and gently, "Go back and gather your officers, have a good meeting to summarize this operation, and submit a written report to me. It should be insightful, identify shortcomings, and propose ways to improve. Each report should be no less than four thousand words."

The three generals stared at him, dumbfounded.

Xu Wu: 'Brother, why don't you just kill me?'

Ma Feng: 'Your Excellency, as you know, I'm a rough man!'

Bai Zimo: 'My lord, I am a monster...'

Meeting their stunned gazes, Wang Wen smiled even more amiably: "What? You think it's not enough?"

The three generals shuddered and shook their heads frantically in unison.

"Not too much, not too little, just right, just right!"

"Yes, yes, we will definitely learn from this experience..."

Wang Wen smiled and nodded, picking up his brush: "That's good... Can someone do me a favor and throw this filthy thing into the latrine?"

The old man's hand is sore from writing so much, how can you be okay?

(End of this chapter)