Chapter 365: Bullying Someone (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Gao Wanli was never a patient person.

The events of the day only grew more infuriating the more she thought about them.

She ended up lying awake all night from rage.

Just as dawn was breaking, she finally fell asleep.

But she hadn’t slept long before a chorus of chants and shouts jolted her awake.

Gao Wanli’s fury surged straight to the crown of her head.

She yanked open the door and stormed out, only to see Qin Ze, Lang XiaoBa, Ji Shuangqiu, and several other Wu Xiu, along with dozens of Captains, chanting in unison as they carried a massive bridge stone toward the back courtyard of the office.

Gao Wanli opened her mouth to curse—

But everyone suddenly turned to her with expressions of terror.

Qin Ze, closest to her, lunged forward without hesitation and clamped his filthy hand over her mouth!

Artisan Xiu were not known for their physical strength.

So when Old Qin charged at full speed, Gao Wanli had no time to react—he smothered her face entirely with his grimy, sweat-stained palm.

Old Qin never cared about his appearance.

He’d been hauling stone just moments ago—his hand was caked in dust and stinking sweat.

And since Gao Wanli had just opened her mouth to scream, his middle finger plunged straight into her mouth.

“Gag—”

Gao Wanli nearly vomited.

She whipped out a hand cannon and pressed the barrel against Old Qin’s temple, ready to pull the trigger and blow his filthy head apart!

Suddenly, a rope snaked out from nowhere and tightly coiled around her finger.

She couldn’t pull the trigger.

Xu Yuan’s cold, disgusted voice rang out: “Today’s prohibition: cursing in the streets.”

Gao Wanli froze. In her fury after being woken, she’d stormed out without checking today’s prohibitions.

Xu Yuan said: “Old Qin is saving your life.”

Old Qin still held her face, whispering cautiously: “You won’t cause trouble again? Can I let go now?”

Slowly, Old Qin withdrew his hand; Gao Wanli spat repeatedly.

Unable to use the mouth-covering as an excuse, she found another: “Why bring this thing into the office?”

“It’s an auspicious object,” Xu Yuan said coolly, then waved his hand: “Continue.”

The group carried the bridge stone to Xu Yuan’s courtyard.

The back courtyard of the office was large, divided into several smaller courtyards.

Both Xu Yuan and Gao Wanli lived here.

Xu Yuan’s was naturally the largest.

But to carry the stone there, they had to pass right by Gao Wanli’s gate.

The path was narrow, so they’d torn down Gao Wanli’s gate to allow passage.

A row of flowers planted against the wall behind the gate had been trampled into mud.

Gao Wanli nearly screamed again.

She’d chosen this courtyard precisely because it was the most lush with flowers.

Now it was a ruin…

After Lang XiaoBa and the others moved the stone, Gao Wanli clenched her teeth, seething with resentment and utter injustice: “No one’s ever treated me like this…”

Xu Yuan personally oversaw the placement of the stone, then left.

Fu Jingyu took over the southern patrol station.

Shi Bading handled the northern district, Wan Yun the eastern—these original assignments remained unchanged.

Di Youzhi took over the western district.

Xieliu Alley fell within Di Youzhi’s jurisdiction.

Xu Yuan hadn’t walked far from the office before turning into the Shanhe Office.

He came to ask Miao Yu for a favor: “I need detailed files on the Gao family.”

Miao Yu: “Easy. I’ll have them delivered tomorrow. What’ll you do for me?”

Xu Yuan teased: “I’ll deposit a thousand taels for you at Baiyue Pavilion?”

Miao Yu immediately winced. Brother, you’re really screwing me over!

Miao Yu waved his hands in surrender: “Alright, alright, you’re the boss—I give up!”

Xu Yuan smiled: “Don’t worry—I’ll remember you when a chance for merit comes up.”

“Me too! Me too!” Zhu Zhanlei hurried over.

“Fine, you too.”

Zhu Zhanlei was a pure playboy.

He came to Zhancheng Office to escape his older and third sisters.

With Miao Yu watching his back here, and a few merits under his belt, he might even get promoted.

Then he could boast to his spoiled cousins back home.

But in these past few days after the New Year, Zhu Zhanlei casually asked a few people in the office—and discovered his brother-in-law had repeatedly earned great merit since arriving in Zhancheng… but every time, Xu Yuan was there.

Though the Shanhe Office’s documents deliberately minimized Xu Yuan’s presence.

But Zhu Zhanlei’s background meant he could read between the lines of official records and see the hidden “truth.”

Zhancheng had a real powerhouse!

Too bad it wasn’t my brother-in-law!

If only it were my brother-in-law…

Zhu Zhanlei seized every opportunity to cling to this powerful ally.

After chatting with the two for a while, Xu Yuan took his leave.

Then he went to Baiyue Pavilion.

Today’s report came from his sister—still the same two words: “Nothing.”

In previous days, they’d patrolled the southern patrol station.

Now that Xu Yuan had moved to Zhancheng Office, they dared not go there anymore.

So Xu Yuan had to come to Baiyue Pavilion to find them.

After telling Xu Yuan “Nothing,” his sister tried to slip away.

She didn’t want to spend even a single minute near the great villain.

But the great villain grabbed her tail and yanked her back.

“Hey hey hey—” the sister flushed with shame and fury.

Don’t pull me like that—

You can pull my hind legs.

But if you pull my tail, I’ll instinctively release a burst of “confusion gas.”

It’s my unique trick.

She barely managed to hold it back.

But Xu Yuan remained oblivious: “Be extra careful these days—something might happen.”

“I know,” the sister pouted.

…

Gao Wanli had her own people.

Mr. Lu and Mr. Jiang each led a team to escort her to her post.

Both Gao Wanli and her family behind her assumed it would be no problem to recruit these men into the Qushui Office.

But no one—not even Lu Yuanxiang—had been admitted.

Gao Wanli’s courtyard was in chaos.

Xu Yuan’s men hadn’t gone quite that far—they’d finished placing the stone, then Yu Yunháng came over voluntarily and told Gao Wanli: “I’ll immediately assign men to rebuild your courtyard, Madam.”

Gao Wanli spat out one icy word: “Go!”

You rebuild it for me?

You’ll just make it worse.

But when Gao Wanli summoned her own men, they were barred at the office gate.

Lang XiaoBa wore a stern, official face: “This is an official compound—only Qushui Office Captains are permitted entry!”

“We request to see Madam Gao—please announce us,” Mr. Jiang said, pinching his nose as he pleaded with Lang XiaoBa.

Lang XiaoBa didn’t obstruct him—he actually went to announce them.

While waiting, Mr. Jiang suddenly saw a large white goose strutting proudly through the main gate of the office.

Even the gate’s threshold was too high, so a Captain cheerfully picked up the goose and carried it over!

Mr. Jiang couldn’t help but ask: “This is the Qushui Office—no outsiders allowed—but a beast can walk right through?”

The Captain rolled his eyes: “You don’t know jack! That’s the Zhanglu’s pet goose.”

“You…” Mr. Jiang was utterly wronged.

This is too much!

Are the subordinates of the Deputy Master of Discipline less than the Master of Discipline’s goose?

Gao Wanli received the report from Lang Xiaoba and wanted to explode, but found no excuse.

In the end, she could only claim these people were her “domestic servants,” here to repair her courtyard.

They were clearly a group of cultivators, each with formidable strength, yet reduced to lowly servants.

Though they had entered the yamen, her subordinates felt deeply humiliated.

Gao Wanli finally saw her own people arrive, stepped into the chaotic courtyard, and gave orders: “First, build the wall; behind it, carve out a flower bed; here, dig me a fish pond—use Taihu stones shipped from Zhengzhou to construct a rock garden…”

As she was giving orders, she saw a large white goose waddling in, as if no one else existed.

Then it began turning over the floor tiles along the wall.

Several insects emerged from beneath the tiles; it swallowed them whole and kept digging.

Then, before Gao Wanli and her servants, all stunned, Da Fu waddled to the gate and dropped a pile of droppings.

“This is too much! It’s shitting right on my neck—” Gao Wanli finally snapped.

(End of Chapter)