NCCnovel Chapter 255: Hearing of Ghosts
Chapter 255: Hearing of Ghosts
The man in front of them was dressed in fine clothes and had a waist tag attached to his waist. People like this were usually from the gentry.
It should be noted that many local gentry possessed certain rights, such as ordering waist tags for their servants to signify their status and to inform the government that these were their people, thus making them more discerning.
This means that those in positions of authority should be asked to be more lenient and not arrest people without any reason.
Although the gentry no longer held official positions, it was not impossible that someone in their family worked in the imperial court, or even held a high position, or that someone among their disciples was an official in the court.
Fang Xiaoxiao had read some history books before, which contained records about ancient gentry and local ruffians.
"In that case, it is indeed a difficult situation, especially since there may be high-ranking officials, or even prime ministers or chief ministers, among the local gentry."
He Jinnian nodded in agreement.
"That's true. It seems we should leave first, since it would be troublesome to deal with these people if we offend them."
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Fang Xiaoxiao decided to leave the area with her people first.
Just in time.
Before she could leave, the fat man blocked her way with his body.
"Oh, young lady, we've never seen you before. It's dangerous for you to be alone so late at night!"
"..."
Wang Mang described the dangers of the capital city with great enthusiasm.
He even brought up the ghost story of East Street, as he listened.
"Young lady, you don't know, this East Street has been full of strange occurrences lately. Last night at the third watch, the night watchman said he encountered a ghost."
"ghost!!!"
Fang Xiaoxiao and the others were quite surprised after hearing this.
Especially her, who was planning how to spread rumors on East Street, and even thought about finding someone to pretend to be a ghost.
In her mind, the ancients had a great reverence for ghosts and gods.
As the saying goes, the less knowledge you have, the more ghosts and gods you know.
But unexpectedly, I heard someone mention ghosts.
Wang Mang noticed the look of fear on everyone's faces and decided to intimidate them. He then proceeded to describe the situation.
"You may not know, but according to the night watchman, the ghost looked terrifying. Not only was its head split in two, but its hands were like iron claws, and it almost twisted the old night watchman's head off."
He paused, looked around at everyone's expressions, and when he found that everyone was listening, he spoke with an extremely exaggerated expression and tone.
"In the blink of an eye, the old man threw down the gong he used to strike the night watch and ran wildly toward the street, shouting all the way. Just then, luckily we happened to pass by and saved him from the evil spirit. If it weren't for us, the consequences would have been unimaginable."
Listening to his enthusiastic description, Fang Xiaoxiao had already roughly figured out what to expect.
It must be said that these people are truly intelligent.
I never expected that they would come up with such a method and get people to cooperate in the performance.
Just in time.
Long Jinyan said with a disdainful expression.
"You are talking nonsense. How could there be any ghosts or monsters under the imperial city? You must be trying to scare my wife, that's why you said that."
"Why don't you believe it? If you encounter ghosts or monsters at night, we won't save you."
Wang Mang retorted.
His story of seeing a ghost on East Street has been broadcast non-stop from morning till night, scaring quite a few people.
With just a little more effort in promotion, we can almost certainly help the head of the family take over the shops on the main street in fifteen days.
The existence of ghosts must be due to human intervention.
Wang Mang stared intently at Long Jinyan with his two small, beady eyes.
In his opinion, this guy was just a brute; if he encountered a ghost at night, he'd probably be so scared he'd wet himself.
Long Jinyan patted his chest and laughed triumphantly.
"What a joke! You're talking nonsense. What ghosts or monsters? Why would I be afraid of them, and I certainly don't need you to save me?"
"Fine, fine, keep being stubborn. If it really comes to that, I wish you a terrible death."
Wang Mang became furious after being rebuked.
Although he was a servant of the Shangguan family and often bullied others, the head of the family now required them to keep a low profile and not cause trouble. Otherwise, he would have already had this scoundrel in front of him beaten up.
After thinking it over carefully, he turned and looked at Fang Xiaoxiao with a smile.
The woman before him was not only dressed elegantly, but her appearance was also more beautiful than that of a celestial being. Although he had never seen her before, it did not stop him from praising her.
Thinking of his wife at home, who was like a tigress, he couldn't help but shudder.
Wang Mang put on a broad smile and spoke in a slightly obsequious tone.
"Madam, you look unfamiliar, so you must not be from the capital. May I ask where you come from and what brings you to the capital? May I have the honor of getting to know you?"
Fang Xiaoxiao remained expressionless, her demeanor unchanged, and naturally, she couldn't be bothered to acknowledge the other party.
Logically, such an action should be a way of telling them not to waste their breath.
But Wang Mang acted as if he hadn't seen him and continued to chatter on and on.
"My lady, are you a little shy because there are so many people around? If so, we can find a refined place to have a heart-to-heart talk, or perhaps you can come to my small courtyard with its three courtyards."
This guy perfectly embodies the saying "shamelessness knows no bounds."
Faced with Wang Mang's verbal attacks, Fang Xiaoxiao remained as steadfast as Mount Tai, unmoved and immovable.
After talking for a long time, Wang Mang found that the other party was ungrateful, which made him extremely embarrassed.
As he spoke, he began to make his move, reaching out his round, chubby hand to grab Fang Xiaoxiao.
Long Jinyan reacted quickly, stepping in front of his wife and grabbing her firmly with his large, iron-like hand.
"What are you trying to do? If you dare to stick your pig hands out at my wife again, don't blame me for being impolite!"
"You, you let go right now, or I'll make you regret it."
Wang Mang was gripped so tightly that his forehead was covered in sweat, and his lips even turned a little purplish-black. He was panting heavily, looking like he was in great pain.
But he remained arrogant and boastful.
"Are you all just sitting around doing nothing? Can't you see I'm being beaten up? Why aren't you coming over to help? If you hesitate even a second longer, I'll make sure you spend the rest of your lives cleaning toilets!"
As soon as he spoke, four or five servants rushed forward, ready to fight Long Jinyan.
Unexpectedly, before anyone could make a move, Li Xiaoxiao strode forward and let out a sharp scream.
"Anyone who dares to lay a finger on my husband will be skinned alive!"
"!!!"
At this moment, Wang Mang felt as if he had wandered into a ridiculous and absurd place.
He was used to being arrogant, and this was the first time he had encountered such a thing. First, a woman ignored him, then the man in front of him grabbed her wrist, and then another woman appeared out of nowhere, threatening to tear them apart and skin them alive. It was utterly absurd.