Chapter 365: Bullying Someone (Requesting Moon Tickets)

Gao Wanli was not a patient person.

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

In the end, she was so angry she didn't sleep a wink all night.

Just as dawn was breaking, she finally fell asleep.

But she hadn't slept long before she was jolted awake by a chorus of chants and shouts.

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 Xiao Ba, Ji Shuangqiu, and 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, the closest to her, lunged forward without hesitation and clamped his hand over her mouth!

Craftsmen also lack physical strength.

So when Qin Ze charged at full speed, Gao Wanli had no time to react—he smothered her face with his grimy, filthy hand.

Qin Ze never cared about his appearance.

He was just hauling stone, so his hand was caked in dust and stinking sweat.

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

"Gag—"

Gao Wanli nearly vomited.

She whipped out a hand cannon and pressed it against Qin Ze's temple, ready to pull the trigger and blow his filthy head apart.

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

She couldn't pull the trigger.

Xu Yuan's cold, disgusted voice came: "Today's prohibition: cursing in the street."

Gao Wanli froze—she'd stormed out in a rage after being woken, and had completely forgotten to check today's prohibitions.

Xu Yuan said: "Qin Ze is saving your life."

Qin Ze still held her face, cautiously asking: "You won't cause trouble again? Can I let go now?"

Qin Ze slowly pulled his hand away, and Gao Wanli spat repeatedly.

Unable to use the mouth-covering as an excuse, she found another reason: "Why are you bringing this thing into the office?"

"It's an auspicious object," Xu Yuan said calmly, then waved his hand: "Continue."

They carried the bridge stone to Xu Yuan's courtyard.

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

Both Xu Yuan and Gao Wanli lived here.

Xu Yuan's was naturally the largest.

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

The path was narrow, so they tore down Gao Wanli's courtyard gate to allow passage.

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

Gao Wanli was so furious she nearly cursed again.

She had chosen this courtyard precisely because it had the most flourishing flowers.

Now her courtyard was a mess…

After Lang Xiao Ba and the others moved the bridge stone, Gao Wanli clenched her teeth, filled with resentment and utter grievance: "No one's ever been this cruel…"

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

Fu Jingyu took over the Chengnan Patrol Station.

Shi Bading remained in charge of Chengbei and Wan Yun's eastern district—this division remained unchanged.

Di Youzhi took over Chengxi.

Xieliu Alley fell under Di Youzhi's jurisdiction.

Xu Yuan left the office and hadn't gone far when he turned into the Shanhe Office.

He came to ask Miao Yu for a favor: "I need detailed information on the Gao family."

Miao Yu: "Easy. I'll have it delivered to you tomorrow. How will you thank me?"

Xu Yuan teased: "Shall I deposit a thousand taels of silver in your name at Baiyue Pavilion?"

Miao Yu immediately got a headache—buddy, you're really screwing me over!

Miao Yu waved his hands frantically in surrender: "Alright, alright, you're the best, I give up, okay?"

Xu Yuan smiled: "Don't worry—when a chance for merit comes up, I'll remember you."

"And me! Don't forget me!" Zhu Zhanlei hurried over.

"Fine, you too."

Zhu Zhanlei was a pure aristocratic wastrel.

He came to the City Office to escape his eldest and third sisters.

With Miao Yu watching his back here, he could tag along on a few missions and maybe get promoted another rank.

Then he could brag to his other wastrel cousins back home.

But in the days after the New Year, Zhu Zhanlei casually asked a few people in the office and discovered that his brother-in-law had repeatedly achieved great feats since arriving in Zhan City—yet every time, Xu Yuan was there.

Although the Shanhe Office's documents deliberately minimized Xu Yuan's presence,

Zhu Zhanlei's background meant he could read between the lines of official records and see the hidden "truth."

Zhan City has a real big leg to cling to.

Pity he isn't my brother-in-law!

If only he were my brother-in-law...

Zhu Zhanlei was the type to seize an opportunity and cling tightly to that powerful leg.

Xu Yuan chatted with the two for a while, then took his leave and came out.

Then he went to the White Moon Pavilion again.

The one who returned to report today was the younger sister, and her words were still the same two: Nothing.

In the previous few days, they had gone to the Nancheng Patrol Station.

Now that Xu Yuan had moved to the Zhancheng Office, the two of them dared not go there.

They could only wait for Xu Yuan to come to the White Moon Pavilion to find them.

After telling Xu Yuan "Nothing," the younger sister tried to slip away.

She did not want to stay another quarter-hour with the Great Villain.

Yet she did not expect the Great Villain to grab her fox tail and drag her back.

"Hey, hey, hey..." the younger sister was filled with shame and anger.

Don't pull wildly—

You can pull my hind legs if you must.

If you pull my tail, I will instinctively release a wisp of "Soul-Confusing Qi."

This is my unique trick technique.

The younger sister barely managed to hold it back.

Lord Xu, however, noticed nothing: "Be more careful these next few days; something may happen."

"Understood," the younger sister pouted.

Gao Wanli had people under her command.

Mr. Lu and Mr. Jiang each led a squad of men to escort her to her post.

Whether it was Gao Wanli herself or the Gao family behind her, they all believed recruiting these people into the Filth-Exorcising Bureau was no problem.

Yet they did not expect that even Lu Yuanxiang could not get in.

Gao Wanli's courtyard was thrown into chaos.

Xu Yuan's subordinates did not truly go that far; after arranging the bridge stones, Yu Yunhang came forward voluntarily and told Gao Wanli: "This subordinate will immediately dispatch personnel to rebuild the courtyard for my lord."

Gao Wanli, with a sinister air, spat out a single word: "Get out!"

You want me to let you rebuild it for me?

I'm afraid it would only get worse the more you repair it.

But when Gao Wanli called her own people to come, they were blocked at the office gate.

Lang Xiao Ba wore a stern face, adopting an official, business-like attitude: "This is a restricted office area; no one who is not a Captain of the Filth-Exorcising Bureau is allowed to enter!"

"We seek an audience with Lord Gao; please inform the authorities," Mr. Jiang said, pinching his nose and pleading with Lang Xiao Ba.

Lang Xiao Ba did not make things difficult this time; he truly went to deliver the message for him.

While Mr. Jiang waited, he suddenly saw a great white goose strutting in through the main gate of the office with an air of arrogance and self-importance.

Indeed, because the threshold was somewhat high, a Captain, with a mischievous grin, picked up the great white goose and placed it behind the threshold!

Mr. Jiang could not help but say: "A prestigious office like the Filth-Exorcising Bureau, where idle outsiders are forbidden entry, yet allows a beast to pass through its halls?"

The Captain rolled his eyes: "You know nothing! This is the goose raised by Lord Chief of Laws."

"You..." Mr. Jiang was also incredibly aggrieved.

This is too oppressive!

Are the subordinates of the Vice Chief of Laws not even as good as the Chief of Laws' goose?

Gao Wanli received Lang Xiao Ba's notification and wanted to explode in anger, but could find no pretext.

In the end, she could only claim these people were her "house servants," here to repair her courtyard.

Clearly a group of cultivators, each with considerable strength, yet they had become lowly servants.

Although her subordinates entered the office, their hearts were filled with immense grievance.

Once Gao Wanli finally waited for her own people to enter, she walked into the messy courtyard and directed everyone: "First, build up the wall; behind it, leave space for a flower bed; over here, dig a fish pond for me; inside, use Taihu stones transported from Zhengzhou to build a rockery..."

Just as she was making arrangements, she saw a great white goose waddle in, swaying and acting as if no one else existed.

Then, following the corner of the wall, it began to flip over the floor tiles.

When a few insects crawled out from under the tiles, it ate them in one bite, then continued to search.

Immediately, before the stunned eyes of Gao Wanli and her household, Da Fu swayed its hindquarters and dropped a pile of dung right at the entrance.

"This is too bullying! This is like shitting on my neck!" Gao Wanli truly could not hold back anymore.

(End of this chapter)