Li Xiuyuan lives in seclusion these days and rarely leaves the house.
Apart from occasionally entertaining friends who used to work together in Guo Beicheng, and taking Xiaomei to Jinling City for a stroll at night, most of the time he was busy managing affairs in Yangzhou.
The city gods from all over Yangzhou have been dispatched. Those with high moral standards are dispatched to the cities, and those with low moral standards are dispatched to villages and towns. There are also corresponding Yin soldiers and ghost messengers assigned.
It’s just that after the duties are arranged, the city gods in various places need to start accepting them.
And this trouble will naturally follow.
There are ghosts and ghosts that occupy magpie nests, pretend to be immortals and Buddhas, and earn incense. These need to be driven away and captured.
There are mountain spirits that often appear in villages and towns, seducing men, absorbing spirits, and harming the world. They need to be exterminated.
There are also some ghosts and gods staying in some cities, and these need to be dealt with.
In short, when the ghosts and gods consecrated by the Heavenly Palace left here, they left a mess. Of course, even if those consecrated ghosts and gods did not leave, most of them were still a mess, because many of the consecrated ghosts and gods only took care of their own three-acre land.
Moreover, they only manage according to their own selfish desires and just maintain the apparent calm. In fact, they will not care about the monsters and monsters wreaking havoc.
Just like the City God of Guo Beicheng.
The ghosts and ghosts outside the city have already opened a ghost market, and he has not been seen to catch them. This is undoubtedly allowing the ghosts to wreak havoc.
But people and ghosts have different paths, and if there are too many ghosts and monsters, people will naturally be harassed, affected, and even tortured by ghosts and monsters.
However, ghosts and ghosts have become the norm in this world, appearing in life just like pigs, cows, dogs and sheep. Li Xiuyuan cannot completely ban them, and what he wants to do is not to make ghosts disappear, but to make them obey order.
, just don’t make a mess.
And he believed that as long as there was order, the number of ghosts and monsters in the world would decrease accordingly.
Li Xiuyuan felt that the current busyness was worth it.
As long as Yangzhou is well managed, it will not be difficult to control the ghosts and gods in the world.
This is the best opportunity to accumulate experience and management skills. How could he give up just because he is tired?
"Husband, this is the charter for the distribution of positions. The concubines have been managed. The distribution of the monthly salary of ghosts and gods has also been sorted out. The regulations on punishment have also been roughly drawn up by Li Linfu based on the laws of past dynasties. However, the management of ghosts and gods is not the same as that of people.
It’s the same, there are many differences, and your husband needs more reference.”
In the study, Qingmei is well-behaved and docile, sorting out the messy documents and regulations for her husband.
Li Xiuyuan put down the pen in his hand and said: "Nothing is difficult in governing Yangzhou. The most difficult thing is that it is not praise but punishment. Praise is the distribution of positions and the offering of incense. Heaven will also send blessings to ghosts and gods who do good deeds. But
Punishment is very difficult. No one knows that ghosts and gods have done bad things. Ghosts and gods with positions such as city gods and land are easy to restrain, but the same cannot be said for the ghosts and underworld soldiers below. There is a saying that the little ghosts are difficult to deal with."
"Restraining the ghost soldiers is like the imperial court restraining the petty officials. To govern the country is to govern the officials. This makes sense."
While talking, Qingmei poured another cup of tea and put it on the desk. She said: "Don't you have a book of life and death in your hands? The good and evil deeds of the people are all recorded in the book. Why not use this as a basis to classify good and evil and distribute distribution?
Duties, rewards and punishments determined?"
Li Xiuyuan's eyes lit up immediately after hearing this: "Xiaomei, what you said makes sense, but it reminds me."
But then he shook his head slightly and said, "But this won't work for the time being. I only have one book of life and death in my hand. It can only manage the local human ghosts in Yangzhou, and there are also some big demons. The ghost king has achieved success in cultivation and has transcended. He is no longer here."
It is recorded in the Book of Life and Death that the gods and Buddhas in the sky are also not in the Book of Life and Death. However, you don’t need to think about such things for the time being. The big demon has no control over those gods and Buddhas. The key is that the remaining eight books of Life and Death are in the Book of Life and Death.
where?"
"Only when all the books of life and death in the world are in my hands, can I completely improve the system of good and evil punishment. Relying on just one book is not enough."
Having said this, he couldn't help but look forward to it.
He felt that getting all the books of life and death was the beginning of his own governance of Yangzhou, and even the governance of ghosts and gods in the world.
The Book of Life and Death is not just a simple record of people's life and death, but also the good and evil of ghosts. Because ghosts will be reincarnated, and after they are reincarnated, they will become humans again, so ghosts will not disappear in the Book of Life and Death.
"Husband, where will the rest of the book of life and death be?" Qingmei asked softly.
Li Xiuyuan shook his head and said: "The underworld is already in chaos. Yama is no longer guarding the underworld. The whereabouts of the Book of Life and Death have long been unknown. The nine books of life and death are scattered across the Yin and Yang realms. They may fall into the hands of a ghost king or a monster.
, it may also fall into the hands of immortals and Buddhas. It was a coincidence that I was able to get this book of life and death. I can only rely on chance to find the remaining books of life and death."
"Shouldn't my husband ask some ghost kings? After all, my husband's book of life and death was also obtained from the red-haired ghost king. Maybe other ghost kings will have news about the book of life and death." Qingmei said.
Li Xiuyuan slapped his head fiercely: "Yeah, why didn't I consider this? It seems that I have been a little dizzy recently because I have been busy with these governance regulations. Each of these ghost kings has lived for thousands of years. I don't know what happened and what era.
If they have not experienced it, I believe they also know about the turmoil in the underworld, and they may also know something about the whereabouts of the Book of Life and Death. Besides the Book of Life and Death, there is another most important thing, the Judge's Pen."
The Judge's Pen is also a treasure of the underworld. It has always been held by the Judge next to Yama, and over time it became known as the Judge's Pen.
The judge's pen and the book of life and death are together. Only the judge's pen can cancel the life and death in the book of life and death. Otherwise, ghosts and gods will not dare to change it at will even if they get the book of life and death.
In the past, Guo Beichenghuang said that he could make small changes, but at the cost of compromising his moral character, which was not cost-effective.
If it is used for some private use, then it can be considered, but what if it is for public use?
How can there be so much merit that can be lost?
There are so many evil people in the world who need to be punished. A change of life or death may cost thousands of people a day. Who can bear it?
"Tieshan, please go and summon the Long-tongued Ghost King. I have something to ask him." Li Xiuyuan suddenly shouted to the door.
"Yes, young master,"
Tieshan responded, and immediately a gloomy wind roared past, making the nearby doors and windows whistle.
In just a moment, a tall figure appeared outside the door.
"I have met the young master." The Ghost King with the Long Tongue said respectfully outside the door.
Five of the ten ghost kings in the Ten Kings Palace have been killed, and the remaining five have become obedient and obedient one by one. They have understood Li Xiuyuan's methods, and even if they have dissatisfaction in their hearts, they dare not express it.
Come out, because now they have no other way except to surrender to Li Xiuyuan. If they leave, they will die. A saint on earth will not show mercy.
To deal with such a powerful ghost king, Li Xiuyuan felt that power should be greater than kindness, otherwise it would not be enough to deter and subdue him.
"The long-tongued ghost king doesn't need much benefit. I just called you here to ask you a few things. You are a ghost that has been around for thousands of years. You must know a lot about the things in the world." Li Xiuyuan said.
"I don't dare to take this seriously. I don't know what the young master wants to ask. I will definitely tell you everything I know." The Ghost King with the Long Tongue said politely.
Li Xiuyuan said: "I want to ask about the book of life and death in the underworld. I heard that there are nine books of life and death in the underworld. I have one in my hand that you ghost king knows about. I don't know where the remaining eight are?"
The Long-tongued Ghost King immediately said: "I don't dare to hide anything about such a major matter. I do know the whereabouts of several books of life and death, but I boldly ask the young master to keep it a secret for me."
"I can agree with this. The ghosts who can obtain the book of life and death must not be simple. I can understand your fear of setting yourself on fire. You can write it down and show it to me, so that your voice will not spread and be discovered by other ghosts and gods." Li Xiuyuan said.
After speaking, he gestured.
Qingmei next to her nodded, took out a piece of white paper and threw it out. The white paper immediately flew out of the room.
The long-tongued ghost king took the white paper and blew on it, and writing immediately appeared on it, and then Qingmei sent it back.
Qingmei put the paper on the desk and did not dare to get too close to her husband.
After Li Xiuyuan took it, his eyes immediately focused when he saw it. There were several names written on it: "Lu Pan, Lord of West Lake, God of Mount Tai, Old Demon of Black Mountain."
The four names are all famous.
What concerned him the most was the old demon from Black Mountain. This guy was a black tiger who had attained enlightenment for a thousand years. He actually had a book of life and death in his hand. Why didn’t he mention it when he fought against him before?
Yes.
The Book of Life and Death is of little use in the hands of the old demon from Black Mountain. He is not interested in mortals, and he does not care about ghosts or gods. The Book of Life and Death is just useless in his hands. Although it is an extremely precious treasure, it is actually of no use at all.
.
"To get the old Black Mountain demon's book of life and death, we have to kill him. This is not possible at the moment. This guy's Taoism is extremely high, much stronger than that Hua Gu. Ghosts and gods can no longer subdue such a big demon.
, I have to take action, but...if I take action, I have to arrange it carefully." Li Xiuyuan shook his head slightly, feeling that he should not take this guy's things.
As for the God of Mount Tai and the Lord of West Lake, these are incredible existences.
The Lord of West Lake is the one who controls most of the waters in the south of the Yangtze River. Li Xiuyuan doesn't know who the Lord is, but he must be an incredible demon or god.
The God of Mount Tai has a great background and is a serious god. His status is no lower than that of the Lord Zhenwu, and may even be higher.
The last one left seems to be the easiest to bully...Lu Pan.
"This name is a bit familiar. I seem to have encountered it recently. Wait, let me think about it." When Li Xiuyuan saw the name above, he couldn't help but feel that he had encountered it before, but when he thought about it, he realized that he had never encountered it before.
Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind and he remembered.
"By the way, Zhu Erdan has a relationship with Lu Pian."
Suddenly, he thought of Lu Pian from Zhu Erdan's name, but he didn't know if this Lu Pian was the same Lu Pian that the Long-tongued Ghost King mentioned.
"You have to let the ghosts and gods keep an eye on Zhu Erdan." Li Xiuyuan's eyes moved slightly, feeling that he needed to take action.
But don't rush it.
Suddenly, he raised his head and said again: "Long-tongued Ghost King, are these just the names? What about the others?"
The long-tongued ghost king said helplessly, "I only know these names, but I don't know the others at all. Maybe other ghost kings will know something."
If you know that the four ghosts and gods have a book of life and death, the news about the long-tongued ghost king can be considered well-informed.
Li Xiuyuan stopped asking further; "Your news was very timely and it helped me a lot. Only I know what happened today, no one else will know, so don't worry." As he said that, he lit the paper in his hand on fire.
Burn.
Ghosts and gods can know the things of other people, but they cannot know what is happening around them. This can be regarded as keeping their promises.
"I don't dare take it seriously. This is just a subordinate's responsibility." The Long-tongued Ghost King said.
"By the way, I just happened to call you here today. I want to ask you one more thing. If a person comes back to life after hanging, but his tongue sticks out and cannot be taken back, how should he be treated?" Li Xiuyuan asked.
The long-tongued ghost king said without hesitation: "This is the sequelae of life and death. Herbal medicine cannot cure it. Some tough methods must be used."
"What can we do?" Li Xiuyuan said.
The Ghost King with the Long Tongue said: "I have a pair of scissors in my hand. I can cut off a section of the long tongue and restore it to normal."
"Tongue cutting? Is there any harm?" Li Xiuyuan's expression changed when he heard this. This treatment method is quite violent.
"As long as my subordinates take action personally, there will be no harm." Long-tongued Ghost King said.
Li Xiuyuan smiled and said: "That's good. I'll trouble you to go over tonight. There is an artist named Shiniang in the Qin Pavilion on the Qinhuai River. Her tongue is too long, and she asked the Ghost King to trim it."
"How can I refuse the Young Master's order? I will set off immediately." The Long Tongue Ghost King responded and immediately roared away.
After a while.
Inside the Qin Pavilion on the Qinhuai River.
In Shiniang's wing, she had worries in her heart, and she didn't fall asleep at night. She just leaned against the window and looked at the Qinhuai River in a daze.
She looked at the stone bridge over the Qinhuai River.
If Mr. Li comes to the Qinhuai River, he will definitely pass there.
"Today, Mr. Li will not come again." Shiniang sighed quietly. Since she said those words that day, she has been thinking about Mr. Li more and more. She is just waiting for the day when Mr. Li will suddenly come to Qin Pavilion and bring her to the Qin Pavilion.
Pick up.
I can also be his wife and concubine with peace of mind and serve him with all my heart.
"Who, who is going upstairs so late?" Suddenly, Shiniang heard footsteps coming from the stairs.
It looks especially clear at night.
The footsteps were dull and powerful, not like the footsteps of a maid, but more like the voice of a burly man.
"It can't be a bad person, right?" Shiniang was startled and subconsciously hid behind the window.
"Huh~!"
A cold night wind blew up, and the wooden door opened with a clang.
But a man in black clothes with a vague appearance rushed in. As soon as he came in, he looked around, as if he was looking for something.
"This man is a ghost, he has no shadow." Shiniang took a sneak look and was shocked, but she saw that the man in black had no shadow under the candlelight.
The man in black sniffed at this moment.
Shi Niang hurriedly covered her mouth and tongue to suppress her anger.
She knew that this was a ghost asking for a stranger, something she had done before when she was a ghost.
"Is Shi Niang hiding behind the bed?"
Suddenly, the man in black spoke. His blurry face was expressionless, and he just walked straight forward.
No, this ghost found me.
Shiniang was shocked and didn't know what to do.
She is a human now, and she can still escape if she is still a female ghost.
The man in black didn't say anything, but strode over.
"Ah~! Don't come over."
Shiniang screamed in fright and wanted to leave the house.
The man in black immediately chased after her, but he caught her tongue that was sticking out in surprise, then quickly stretched out a pair of scissors and cut it off with a click.
Shi Niang felt a pain in her tongue and immediately retracted it.
"You don't need to be afraid. Mr. Li sent me to treat you." After saying this, the man in black disappeared. He was still holding a bloody knife and a bloody severed tongue in his hand.
.
Before Shi Niang could hear clearly, she suddenly trembled because of the pain in her tongue.
A cold wind blew across the face, and Shi Niang woke up from the table by the window.
"Just now...was it a dream?"
Shiniang woke up from the cold and hurriedly stood up and looked at the door, only to find that the door was closed tightly and no one came in at all. What just happened must be a nightmare.
"I was scared to death. I thought I met an evil ghost," Shiniang patted her chest, feeling a little frightened.
She moved her tongue, and the pain she felt before was extremely real. It seemed that someone really cut her tongue with scissors, and she still hasn't recovered yet.
"It seems I'm too tired and it's time to rest." She sighed quietly in her heart and prepared to go to bed to rest.
But when she walked to the wooden couch, she saw a few drops of blood dripping on the ground. The blood had not dried up yet.
Shi Niang woke up immediately when she saw the blood. She opened her mouth and touched her lips, but found that her tongue had not come out anymore. She ran to the bronze mirror on the dressing table to take a look.
She was pleasantly surprised to find that her long tongue had returned to normal and was no longer exposed.
"I, my disease has been cured?" Shiniang was surprised and happy in her heart. She was so happy that she couldn't express it for a moment.
But after a while, Shiniang put down the bronze mirror and understood immediately.
"Mr. Li, it must be Mr. Li. He said that he would ask the ghosts and gods for me to cure my long tongue disease. Mr. Li is indeed a man who trusts Chengruo. The ghost in black clothes said before that he was sent by Mr. Li and came here specially.
Heal me."
While she was overjoyed, she thought of Li Xiuyuan, and her heart couldn't help but beat.
There has been no news from Young Master Li in the past few days. I thought that Young Master Li had forgotten him, but now it seems that he has not forgotten him. Maybe Young Master Li has really been running around to treat his illness these days.
At this thought, she was moved again.
In fact, Li Xiuyuan was just too busy to see her, and he didn't run around to treat her. He just asked the Long-tongued Ghost King.
I have to say that women sometimes just like to think wildly.
"Since Mr. Li has not forgotten me, he will probably come to Qin Pavilion again. If he feels guilty, he will pick me up and leave here." Shi Niang murmured to herself, with light flashing in her beautiful eyes.
There are five thousand chapters in this chapter, so let’s count it as one chapter, and I will add another chapter tomorrow.