Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 378 A Black Market! Haunted! Li Zhaoting, Half-Human, Half-Ghost!
Yuan Lianqin was not a minor official or a person from a humble background.

The spoiled brat who was causing trouble in Xiaohuaxi was frightened by Li Zhaoting and Tianxiang. He was afraid of the Eighth Prince and also afraid of being killed by Li Zhaoting, not because Yuan Lianqin was a low-ranking official.

Yuan Lianqin was a powerful official with immense influence, connections to the highest levels of government, and countless protégés and former subordinates.

What were the specific official titles?
Vice Minister of Works and concurrently Commissioner of Transportation for the Jianghuai Region.

What kind of official was the Jianghuai Transport Commissioner?

The highest rank for a local official is "Lu" (路), such as Liangzhe Lu, Jinghu South Lu, and Jinghu North Lu.

This level has four important official positions.

Caosi, Xiansi, Cangsi, and Shuaisi.

The Transport Commissioner was in charge of transporting money and grain, and his superior was generally called the Transport Commissioner. The Jianghuai region was too important, being the core lifeline, so the appointment of officials had to be extremely careful.

The transshipment is a vertical, regional process.

Shipping is horizontal and cross-regional.

The Jianghuai Transport Commissioner was in charge of the taxes of the six circuits of Jiangnan, and was responsible for transporting the taxes of Jiangnan East Circuit, Jiangnan West Circuit, Huainan East Circuit, Huainan West Circuit, Jinghu South Circuit, and Jinghu North Circuit to the capital. His power and status were self-evident.

The Jianghuai Transport Commissioner was a "dispatched official," not a fixed official rank, and was often dispatched by the emperor.

It was very common to appoint the Vice Minister of Works as the Transport Commissioner of Jianghuai, firstly to enhance the official's authority, and secondly to increase the emperor's control over local prefectures.

For example: Xue Xiang, Zhang Lun!

Just by reading through his official title and powers, one can tell how high and powerful Yuan Lianqin is. If nothing unexpected happens, he will be promoted to Minister of the Six Ministries in two or three years.

It could be the Ministry of Works or the Ministry of Revenue.

This year, the Song Dynasty enjoyed favorable weather and abundant harvests. In addition, the emperor was overjoyed with the recovery of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, and many officials were promoted, leaving an important position vacant.

—The Minister of Water Resources!
Don't be fooled by the fact that the Water Department official is only a fifth-rank official. Although the rank may not sound high, the job is lucrative and powerful. He can rake in hundreds of thousands of taels of silver just by going through the accounts once.

Yuan Lianqin has several students who want to be promoted.

These people are the key to dealing with Yuan Lianqin.

Just as Bao Zheng was about to take action, Yuan Lianqin's former students and subordinates noticed that there were constables investigating and hired assassins to hunt them down. Wu Liang, a famous constable from the Dali Temple, was forced by the assassins to jump off a cliff and was picked up by the landlady of an inn.

Bao Zheng was furious and invited his friends from the martial arts world to carry out a plan to play tricks on each other, using the vengeful spirits of Wu Liang to make them kill each other.

Li Zhaoting happened to be within the scope of the invitation.

Mainly responsible for maintaining order and stability.

To prevent these bastards from resorting to desperate measures and spending a fortune to hire top assassins, resulting in a lose-lose situation.

……

One hundred and fifty miles from the capital, there is a mountain range that resembles a blooming lotus flower, with eight lotus leaves in total. Each mountain has a temple dedicated to Manjushri Bodhisattva.

Because its mountain shape is similar to that of Mount Wutai, and the temple enshrines Manjushri, it is called "Mount Batai".

The most efficacious temple on Mount Batai is Fengling Temple, where a master named Yueying resides. He is highly skilled in Buddhism and adept at helping wronged and vengeful spirits to find peace. As a result, the temple is frequented by a large number of worshippers.

Later, something happened that Master Yueying traveled the world and did not return for many years. Without a high-ranking monk to oversee the temple, it gradually became deserted, and the surrounding inns closed down one after another, leaving only one inn, which was just sold last month.

The new proprietress was a beautiful and charming woman who spoke with a strong Guanzhong accent. There were seven or eight waiters and two or three cooks in the shop.

The proprietress was none other than Liu Xiangyun, whom Shunfeng Escort Agency had met during their first escort mission.

Li Zhaoting and Chu Xiangyu had a fierce battle, which resulted in the demolition of Liu Xiangyun's inn. After traveling for several months, Liu Xiangyun felt that running an inn was more interesting. Coincidentally, the last inn near Fengling Temple was listed for sale, so she bought it and continued to be the innkeeper.

The inn's name is... This is an inn!
Concise and to the point!

You can tell at a glance that this is an inn.

No one went to Fengling Temple to burn incense, and no tourists visited the scenic spots. The inn was deserted. Just as Liu Xiangyun was feeling depressed, several high-ranking officials checked in.

They are:
Tang Sheng, the prefect of Chuzhou.

Yue Yumei, the Vice Prefect of Chuzhou.

Zhou Li, the prefect of Zhenzhou.

Kang Jinchuan, Prefect of Taizhou.

Chen Chaolu, the Vice Prefect of Sizhou.

Wang Cefeng, Military Supervisor of Shouzhou.

Shui Yilan, Registrar of Shouzhou.

Without exception, these people were all officials in the prefectures and counties of the Jianghuai River Basin, powerful officials with blood on their hands, and students of Yuan Lianqin.

Some time ago, Wu Liang, a famous constable of the Dali Temple, was ordered to investigate a few people. They discovered his whereabouts and hired assassins to hunt him down. They thought they were safe and sound and were waiting to compete for the position of Water Department Physician. Unexpectedly, ghostly things happened in their home one after another. Wu Liang turned into a vengeful ghost, which made their whole family uneasy. So they came to Fengling Temple to burn incense.

Master Moonshadow is not here, and there is still some time before the end-of-year performance review. Why not stay at the inn for a few days?

In fact, in terms of official rank, the position of Water Department Director was higher than that of Prefect, but the Prefect was a powerful local official whose actual power was many times greater than that of the Water Department Director.

However, the position of Water Department Director in the capital was not only lucrative, but also had Yuan Lianqin as his superior, and with the support of his mentor, he was sure to rise rapidly in his career.

Once Yuan Lianqin becomes the Minister of Works, he might be able to compete for the vacant position of Vice Minister of Works.

Whether it's wealth or career advancement, it's all laid bare before these people; how can they possibly resist?

The seven officials were of varying degrees of closeness and distance from each other.

Tang Sheng and Yue Yumei are classmates and close friends; Wang Cefeng and Shui Yilan are superior and subordinate, and have a close relationship; Kang Jingchuan and Chen Chaolu stick together for warmth; Zhou Li is wealthy and has an eccentric temper, and he is a force to be reckoned with on his own.

Liu Xiangyun was an innkeeper, and she handled the seven distinguished guests with ease, leaving no room for complaint.

"Sigh~~"

Tang Sheng drank a glass of wine.

"Good wine! Good meat! It's really good!"

Yue Yumei chimed in, "I never expected to find such delicious food in this humble mountain shop. Even if we don't get to see Master Yueying, this trip will still be worthwhile."

Tang Sheng waved his hand: "Be careful what you say! Be careful what you say! If we can't resolve the grievance of Wu Liang's soul, when we get to the capital, our master will blame us, the censor will impeach us, and how will we protect our future? We must see Master Yueying. Tomorrow I will go and donate incense, five thousand taels every day. I don't believe Master Yueying won't show up. I'll bury him in money!"

"Yes, yes, yes! That's right! Among us, who is as rich as Lord Tang! I toast Lord Tang, may you rise to great heights and achieve great success in the future, and don't forget your good brother, arrange a good job for me!"

Zhou Li sarcasticly undermined him.

"Hmph! Tsk tsk tsk~ Who doesn't know that Lord Zhou has the backing of the Twelve Linked Forts and is the same brother as Eagle Eye Seven? Who can compare with Lord Zhou's wealth? I think the position of Water Department Physician belongs to Lord Zhou."

Kang Jingchuan looked coldly at Zhou Li. Zhou Li glanced at Kang Jingchuan disdainfully, said nothing, and lowered his head to eat several plates of vegetarian dishes. To show his sincerity in worshipping Buddha, he had been eating vegetarian food for the past few days.

Wang Cefeng sneered: "Stop talking. We're all in the same boat. There are no ghosts in the world, only suspicion breeds ghosts. Let's make each other kill each other!"

Yue Yumei scoffed, "Well said! Since there are no ghosts in the world, only suspicion breeds ghosts, why did Lord Wang come to Mount Batai? Aren't you afraid of ghosts? Are you here to catch them? Do you take me for a three-year-old child?"

Chen Chaolu pretended to mediate, but secretly harbored ulterior motives. He stared intently at Wang Cefeng and said, “Lord Wang, you persuaded us to go back. After arriving in the capital, we were haunted by vengeful spirits and rejected by our master. You stayed here, waiting for Master Yueying to return from his travels. You won the first prize, exorcised the ghosts, and met your master cleanly. What a brilliant plan!”

Zhou Li, fearing that the group wouldn't fight, looked at Wang Cefeng with disdain: "What do you mean by 'grasshoppers on the same rope'? What do you mean by 'sharing weal and woe'? In the end, only one person can be chosen as the Minister of Water Resources. Do you think you, Wang Cefeng, will give up?"

Tang Sheng continued to fan the flames: "Commander of the Army, what a show of power! Why don't you go to the north to earn merit? Such a good opportunity to make a name for yourself, if you followed along and basked in the glory, you could at least get promoted three ranks. Do you dare to fight the Liao people to the death?"

In terms of individual ability alone, Wang Cefeng is the strongest. However, he is the only martial artist among Yuan Lianqin's former students and subordinates, and has always been ostracized.

Wang Cefeng angrily retorted, "You scoundrels are not worth discussing things with! If you don't listen to me, you'll suffer the consequences sooner or later!"

The seven people argued without regard for anyone else.

Liu Xiangyun frantically manipulated the abacus, seemingly oblivious to their conversation. Before long, the seven of them, dizzy and oxygen-deprived from their arguing, finally stopped.

Yue Yumei took out a gold ingot: "Boss lady, this is the deposit for my and Lord Tang's stay. All the food and lodging will be included here. The rest can be considered as a tip."

Liu Xiangyun's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "As expected of a high-ranking official, you are indeed magnanimous in your actions. Lord Yue, judging from your magnanimity, you are sure to have a prosperous official career."

"Oh? The proprietress can read fortunes?"

"Being an official is similar to doing business. Only by being generous can you achieve success in everything. Those stingy and miserly people who are unwilling to spend a penny have neither friends to help them nor superiors to promote them. What can they accomplish? Lord Yue is so generous. He has many friends and mentors. It is obvious that he will rise to prominence in the future!"

Liu Xiangyun, catering to his tastes, showered him with flattery.

Yue Yumei beamed with delight, then pulled out another gold ingot: "This is a tip, keep it! A proprietress with such a silver tongue deserves to make money!"

Chen Chaolu thought to himself that this trip, ostensibly to burn incense and pray to Buddha, was actually for the purpose of promotion. The landlady was right; being so stingy with food and lodging, how could he be a high-ranking official? He took out two gold ingots, and Kang Jinchuan followed suit by taking out his own money.

Even Wang Cefeng, who always claimed that there were no ghosts in the world and that suspicion breeds ghosts, paid his bill with gold, showing great generosity and magnanimity, with a righteous and awe-inspiring expression on his face.

Zhou Li sneered: "What are you pretending for! You think you're some kind of upright official? You're all birds of a feather!"

As he spoke, he took out five taels of silver: "Boss lady, I've been eating vegetarian food lately, could you give me a discount?"

Five taels of silver was no small sum, equivalent to two years' wages for the legendary thief Bai Zhantang. However, the other six men offered gold instead, each giving Liu Xiangyun two gleaming gold ingots, each worth twenty taels. When Zhou Li pulled out five taels of silver, it immediately drew a chorus of laughter.

Liu Xiangyun sneered: "We're all officials! How come there's such a big difference! Want a discount? That's easy! Staying in the stable and drinking cold water is cheap, not a penny!"

"You... shrew..."

"If you want to make money, that's fine. But if you clean the stables for me while you're at it, I'll give you ten coins, how about that?"

Liu Xiangyun accepted the silver and had the shop assistant lead Zhou Li to the far corner of the room. She adjusted the jade hairpin in her hair, swayed her slender waist, and wobbled her way back to her room.

Zhou Li almost fainted!

Wang Cefeng and the others had some doubts, worried that they were being schemed against. But when they saw Liu Xiangyun, they realized that their worries were unnecessary. Just by looking at Liu Xiangyun's eyebrows and listening to her tone of voice, they knew that she was running a shady business!
Aside from thieves running shady shops, what other kind of proprietress is so charming, calculating, greedy, and opportunistic? Even just the sound of the abacus tells you this is a shady shop.

It's not a shady establishment like Sun Erniang's, but a shady establishment that rips off tourists. Dealing with this kind of person is the easiest.

—Just give me the money!
—I'll do anything for money!

Wang Cefeng eavesdropped for a while, confirmed that it was a shady business, smiled coldly, and went to sleep.

Night falls.

Dark clouds obscured the moon, making it pitch black and without light.

Li Zhaoting covered his face with greasepaint, changed into a white costume, and dressed up as a vengeful ghost. Two long water sleeves hung down from his wrists, and he smeared blood on his body. He gently pinched his throat to make his voice sound like a duck's croak.

With a wave of his right hand, a fierce wind arose.

The mountain wind blew against the window of Zhou Li's room. Just as Zhou Li was about to close the window, he saw a blood-soaked ghost hanging upside down on the window, with only half of its head showing.

"Ghost! Ghost! Ghost! There's a ghost!"

Zhou Li screamed and rushed out of the room.

Li Zhaoting darted away to another establishment.

Yue Yumei was burning paper money in her room. While others had changes of clothes in their bundles, he had several large stacks of paper money hidden in his bundle. He was pleading as he burned the paper money.

"Wu Liang! Please let me go! I've burned a cartload of paper money for you! I'll perform a ritual to help you pass on to the afterlife! I'll do anything you ask if you'll let me go!"

The paper money floated into the air, and the half-burnt pieces of paper money surrounded Yue Yumei. Li Zhaoting screamed in agony using the telepathic soul-searching technique: "I'm so cold! I died so tragically! I want you to come down and join me!"

"Wu Liang... Wu Liang... It's a ghost!"

If one person faints from fright, we'll go to another place.

The target this time is Shuiyilan.

Wang Cefeng's follower had zero presence; he only knew how to obsequiously agree with Wang Cefeng. He was the person Wang Cefeng trusted the most and also the easiest way to break through.

Blood was seeping from the calligraphy and paintings in the room.

Blood flowed to Shui Yilan's bedside, drawing the outline of Wu Liang. A cold wind howled, and Shui Yilan was awakened by the icy true energy. She looked down and saw the blood-red drawing, put her hand in her mouth to prevent herself from screaming, and then tiptoed out, inching her way out.

The screams were endless.

Everyone felt like they had seen a ghost.

Some saw vengeful spirits, some saw mist, some heard ghostly cries, and some saw blood-red paintings. The inn was in chaos, and everyone was awakened.

Wang Cefeng drew his sword: "Hmph! I knew someone was playing tricks. Where are the ghosts? If you've got the guts, come out and fight me three hundred rounds!"

"Hu~~"

The bluish-green ghost claw reached out towards Wang Cefeng.

Wang Cefeng swung his sword, but the speed of the ghost claw far exceeded his expectations. This was not a martial arts technique; it was practically a demonic magic trick. With a casual grab, his sword was sent flying, and Wang Cefeng was helplessly caught by the ghost claw at the chest and flung away.

Power, speed, precision—flawless.

This is not something a human being could do!

It's a ghost!
There really are ghosts!

Wang Cefeng exclaimed, "There's a ghost!"

　This storyline comes from "The Goddess Detective's Heart is Hard to Guard Against," featuring Tie Feihua, one of my favorite characters. She is heroic, resourceful, and righteous, but her life in the TV series is just too tragic...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)