My book friend Long Aotian

Chapter 177 The Second Ghost
Ma Fulong felt that he was stupid, really.

He simply thought that by imitating Uncle Teng's famous skills, he could defeat his opponent using his opponent's moves.

But he didn't know that if the officials became evil-hearted, there would be no place for businessmen.

"I heard from the booksellers that Yunhuatang is loyal to the emperor and patriotic, and is willing to contribute money and effort to assist the Tongwen Bureau in this program that brings joy to the people. I think that's great."

Li Zhishi on the steps clapped his hands and said, "I won't treat you unfairly. This program will be sponsored by Yunhua Hall. How about that? By then, the elders of Huazhou and even the officials in the court will know that your gang has made outstanding contributions to the education of the common people by providing money, effort and manpower..."

With Ma Fulong's intelligence, he guessed Li Bailong's trick after thinking for a moment.

Dog official! He actually came to pick peaches!
Not only do you pick peaches, you also want to frame me and disgust me!

He was so angry that he gritted his teeth and stared at Li the thief.

On the steps, the lanterns cast a shadow, and half of the dog official’s face was hidden in the shadows, with a mocking smile.

Just as Master Ma was about to explode, Taoist Ling beside him secretly pulled him back.

He was startled and his anger subsided a little.

This bastard is trying to piss me off again!

He had already experienced the despicable means of Li Bailong. He knew that there were often countless back-ups hidden behind one plan. Several painful experiences in the past had eloquently demonstrated that if one was provoked and lost control by him, one would inevitably encounter a despicable frame-up.

The best plan for now is to leave and let all his plans come to nothing.

Ma Fulong's eyes were sharp, and he said angrily: "Let's go!"

Li Bailong was surprised and asked, "Wait a minute, you don't care about the bookstore owners who follow your lead?"

"..."

Fuck!
Ma Fulong's expression froze for a moment, and then he heard the dog official shouting into the door, "Hey, did you hear that? Your boss doesn't care about you anymore! You better get in the prison van, and we'll send you to the capital tomorrow to be punished!"

Fuck!
Ma Fulong could hardly hold back.

Taoist Ling quickly said, "Of course we should! Of course we should! These bosses are good friends of the Cao Gang. Yunhuatang will definitely try to deal with them. But saying that they have committed the crime of treason is a bit..."

Li Bailong rolled his eyes and said, "It is the power of the government to convict and judge people. How dare you, a lousy fishmonger from the Cao Gang, point fingers at the imperial government?"

This guy's words really deserve a beating!
Taoist Ling could only smile and say, "Yes, yes, I dare to ask, is there any room for maneuver in this matter?"

The governor said impatiently, "I don't want to bother to explain it to you. I have already discussed the matter with these unruly people. You can just ask them. If you want to take the people back, each person must pay a bail of 10,000 taels of silver."

Taoist Ling was shocked and said: "This price is too..."

Li Bailong said angrily: "The bail for treason has always been this price! You think it's expensive, but I think it's cheap! If you don't even know the market conditions, think more about your reasons! Have you never rebelled?"

...What a mess this is!

The governor said considerately, "I only said 10,000 taels per person, and I didn't say that you should bail all of them out. If you can't bear to part with it, just pick the people who are close to you and bail them out."

Ma Fulong said angrily: "Let's go! He has the ability to kill all these people and their entire clans!"

"You can't leave, you can't leave!" Ling Daoist tried to appease his superior while bargaining with Li Bailong, "Ten thousand taels is too expensive, sir, please give me a lower price! How can we attract repeat customers with such a high price?"

Li Bailong raised his eyebrows in surprise: "Hey, you are a wonderful person."

Taoist Ling took a few steps forward, lowered his voice, and said with a smile, "The governor just wants to extort some money to strengthen his luggage and continue the competition with our gang. This time we are one step behind, so we are willing to admit defeat. But the price is really too high, and the hall master will definitely not agree. It is better to make it cheaper. Next time, the adults find our weaknesses and grab the handle and catch us in the game again, we will pay the money and we will be together for a long time."

Li Zhishi nodded repeatedly and shouted at Ma Fulong: "Learn more from others. Look at you, you rely on your surname Ma and just sit there every day to eat and wait for death. You are nothing but a charlatan!"

Ma Fulong left without saying a word.

The governor continued to bark, so Ling Daoist begged, "Ancestor, please stop stirring up trouble."

Li Bailong sneered and said, "For your sake, eight thousand taels."

"Good sir, please reduce it a little more."

The second in command of Yunhuatang used all his life's knowledge and racked his brains to lobby Li Bailong and continue bargaining.

Governor Li stared at him with a half-smile.

"If you want to lower the price, that's fine, but you have to agree to one condition of mine."

Ling Daoren was awed: "...Please give me your instructions, sir."

The governor came forward amiably, patted his shoulder, and gently stroked his back: "I will set a time tomorrow and sincerely invite you to come alone. Is that okay?"

Damn, that sounds weird.

Taoist Ling was horrified and immediately realized that Li Bailong was up to something bad again.

Are you trying to get some information out of me? Or are you trying to sow discord between me and the hall master?
Humph, wild imagination.

He panicked for a moment, but soon calmed down.

Time flows like a river, and although the Cao Gang has gone through many ups and downs, there is very little internal friction, almost no corrupt officials, and there is little suspicion between the upper and lower levels within the gang.

Fundamentally, it was due to the attention of Brother Wan Yunlong.

Therefore, there is usually no trouble within the Cao Gang.

——Although once something happens, it will be an extremely intense and difficult to calm down event.

Thinking of this, Ling Daoist hesitated, pondered for a moment, gritted his teeth and said, "As you command... But I won't hide it from the hall master, I will definitely let him know."

Li Bailong agreed, and his smile made Ling Daoren feel even more strange.

As a result, the bail was reduced to two thousand taels per person.

Taoist Ling took the frightened people back to Yunhua Hall and met Ma Fulong who had returned earlier.

On the way, Zheng Xiuyuan and his companions informed Taoist Ling of the shocking incident, and Taoist Ling reported it to Ma Fulong. So when the two sides met, the booksellers were all nervous.

After all, he took other people's money and did things for them, but under the coercion and oppression of the corrupt officials, he turned around and sold Yunhuatang, and changed the variety show for book lovers organized by the Cao Gang into the Tongwen Bureau... It's a bit unacceptable no matter how you think about it.

Unexpectedly, when the two sides met, Ma Fulong bowed and said, "What happened tonight was something I didn't anticipate in advance. The dog official took advantage of the opportunity and frightened you all. Please accept my greetings."

Everyone was shocked and stood up to return the greeting, looking ashamed and saying they dared not.

Ma Fulong said sincerely, "You are all honest businessmen. Li Bailong threatened to destroy your family and clan. It is natural for you to be frightened. If it were me, I would be afraid too. What happened tonight was not done well by Yunhuatang. I dare not blame you."

"As for what you have agreed to, Yun Hua Tang will accept it. Yun Hua Tang will also pay the fines you have been forced to pay by the corrupt officials. I apologize to you all."

These people were all successful businessmen, thick-skinned and deep-minded. They were no longer the emotional youngsters. However, Ma Fulong, as a leader of the Cao Gang, was so sincere and courteous that they were still deeply moved.

Someone shouted, "Master, if you say that again, I won't be able to see you again!"

Soon someone agreed.

Zheng Xiuyuan bowed and said, "Li Bailong has gone too far in bullying others, and has caused your gang to spend a lot of money. Today, the hall master has forgiven us and shown generosity, which makes us feel ashamed... I have nothing to say, I will follow your lead from now on!"

When everyone heard this, they bowed down.

Ma Fulong thanked them repeatedly and helped everyone up one by one. Everyone exchanged polite words and sat down to drink tea.

Talk about the tragedy that happened tonight.

Taoist Ling said, "Li Bailong has been doing evil things and competing with the people for profits, causing widespread resentment in Huazhou."

Everyone was still frightened and could only curse in low voices.

These cultural businessmen have been in collusion with officials for many years. They are used to the glorious days of collusion between officials and businessmen and have long forgotten the majesty of officials.

So after Li Bailong came to power, he was beaten so hard that the pain penetrated his bones and was unforgettable.

Looking back on the past, I only feel that the dog officials' methods are gradually escalating. Tonight, they even directly accused me of treason. Who knows what will happen next time? Fear is already engraved in my heart.

Zheng Xiuyuan got Ling Daoist's gaze and said, "It's okay for us to suffer a little, but I'm afraid that it will affect Yunhua Hall's important events... Li Bailong abuses his power to humiliate us at will. I don't know what vicious means he will use next time. We are the people and he is an official. We will always be controlled by him. I don't know what to do."

Ma Fulong pondered for a moment and said, "Brother, I do have an idea, but I don't know if you are willing to do it."

Everyone was curious, Zheng Xiuyuan bowed and said, "Please speak." "Brother Zheng is right, you are all civilians, and Li the thief is an official. As long as your status does not change, you will always be constrained by his power." Ma Fulong sighed, "It will take a long time to strip Li Bailong of his official status, but your status can be changed... at least it can make the dog official have some scruples."

Some smart people have already guessed Ma Fulong's idea.

As expected, the hall master looked around and said sincerely: "Are you willing to join the Cao Gang? If you have the identity of the Cao Gang, Li Bailong will not be able to arrest and convict you at will like he did tonight. If there is any problem, our gang will have more appropriate reasons to help you with all their strength..."

The booksellers had mixed expressions.

Some people looked surprised, while others were in deep thought after being surprised.

They have the courage to make money by fleecing the Cao Gang, and they are very brave.

But joining the Cao Gang...

They are from Huazhou, paying grain and taxes to the emperor. They are the subjects of the emperor's land. It is fine for them to do business with the Cao Gang to make money, but it seems a little inappropriate for them to actually join the Cao Gang.

The profit from giving away free copies is enough for them to take the huge risk of being targeted by Li Bailong.

But it seems that it is not enough for them to officially become part of the Cao Gang.

While he was hesitating, he heard Zheng Xiuyuan say firmly: "That's what I want, I dare not refuse!"

His son had already bet on the Cao Gang.

He himself has already chosen a side... and has even paid a huge price.

Therefore, this choice was not difficult for him.

Zheng Xiuyuan looked around at everyone with a cold and lonely look in his eyes. His gaze was sharp and his voice was a little hoarse.

"——Everyone, there is no such thing as money falling from the sky."

Perhaps it was because it was cold late at night, everyone shivered involuntarily.

Ma Fulong smiled and said, "It's all voluntary, not mandatory. Our gang has many peripheral organizations, sects, businesses and business partners. After all, the purpose of the big house is to make business easy. If you join the Cao Gang, you will not only have security guarantees, but you can also join our business system. Not only the bookstore business, but if you want to do other businesses in the future, you can also get help..."

Taoist Ling stood up. The firelight in the hall flickered, and his shadow on the wall twisted and swayed.

Zheng Xiuyuan turned around and bowed, "Master, please allow me to be the first to join."

In the silence, a second person stood up.

Then the third, the fourth.

In order to prevent any further complications, Ma Fulun processed the procedures for everyone overnight.

The Cao Bang can be divided into the Cao Bang in a broad sense and the Cao Bang in a narrow sense.

In a broad sense, Caobang refers to one of the six vassal states of Southern Qi, a huge global giant, a terrifying business trust and a major economic entity dominating the world.

The Cao Gang in a narrow sense is one of the six major factions. It is a highly organized, mysterious, powerful and violent group linked together by the worship of ancestors.

The booksellers naturally joined the Cao Gang in a broad sense. They were not subject to the supervision and constraints of Big Brother Wan Yunlong, nor did they have the power to throw the cup... But for Ma Fulun, this was enough.

After completing the formalities, they held a small gang-joining ceremony, and took people to pay a symbolic visit to Big Brother Wan Yunlong. They were busy until four o'clock in the morning, and then they sent people to send the bosses home.

He and Taoist Ling were the only ones left in the hall, and the hall master's expression changed.

"You beast! You robber! You're nothing but a bandit! You're even worse than a bandit!"

He stamped his feet and cursed: "Li Bailong is simply not a human being! He eats and takes things, robs people by trickery, fights for credit and gains, and makes up excuses. How can he be so skilled? Is this really his first time as an official?"

When he thought about how hard he copied, but in the end it all benefited Li Bailong, he felt angry.

"Anyway, I won't be taken advantage of!"

He said sternly, "Remove the venue! Transport all the mobilized materials back! Cancel the show! I would rather destroy all the previous preparations than let Li Bailong take advantage of this!"

Taoist Ling hesitated to speak.

Seeing that his boss was angry, he sighed secretly and said, "Then he still achieved his goal."

Even if the program that they plagiarized is stopped, the program of Tongwen Bureau will continue to be broadcast.

Publicity, building momentum, maintaining the popularity of the essay contest, and countering free tactics, this was Li Bailong's plan.

Ling Daoist advised: "Now that things have come to this, it is better to just agree to it temporarily and find a way to disrupt and interfere with the program so that it is difficult for him to achieve his goal."

"no!"

Ma Fulong gritted his teeth and said, "I'm not being angry... This program was proposed by Li Bailong, and it's obviously an area he's familiar with. How can we win by competing with him in an area he's familiar with?"

When Taoist Ling heard this, he felt that this was indeed the truth.

but……

——Have you lost your fighting spirit and feel that you are doomed to fail?
He sighed inwardly and had to agree.

However, I ultimately underestimated the bottom line of the corrupt officials.

The two of them spent another half an hour discussing the plan to suspend the program and withdraw the prepared supplies. When it was dawn, they went to bed.

But after sleeping for more than an hour, he was woken up again.

Newspaper publications, notice boards, streets... Li Bailong's propaganda machine started up again.

"Awesome! Caobang Yunhuatang is very righteous and exclusively sponsors the variety show "I am a Reader"!"

Various posts and news praised the Cao Bang highly. To put it simply, after a sincere invitation and consultation from the governor, Yunhuatang decided to merge its variety show project with that of the Tongwen Bureau.

And are willing to provide material and financial support.

The prize pools were also merged.

Three popular books of different categories have been added to the elective reading list, and the rules have also changed, allowing registered readers to choose a subject and participate in answering questions. After going through layers of elimination, they will win the grand prize.

Huazhou was boiling with excitement.

“…Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”

Ma Fulong's eyes were red with anger: "How dare you, a dog official, do this!"

This guy holds the power of public opinion, acts first and reports later, creates a fait accompli for the people to believe.

In this case, if Yunhuatang wants to withdraw its investment and leave, it will offend the people of Huazhou!

Sure enough, soon someone came to report from the previously planned competition venue.

"We were just about to clear the venue and recycle the equipment when a few black dogs came and shouted at us to stop, saying that the show was a warm-up activity for the literature collection ceremony. They asked us why we destroyed the venue, whether we wanted to interfere with the court's affairs, who ordered us to do so, and what our intentions were."

Ma Fulong laughed out of anger.

"Fight him!"

They don't even allow refunds, they really want to get it for free! This is too much!
He said to Ling Daoist: "He thinks he has me beat, so I will fight him!"

"...How do we fight?"

"Add a copy of Brother Wan Yunlong's legendary novel to the competition's bibliography! Let our people speak out with all their might to question and criticize the content of this program. In short, we must interfere with and influence anything Li Bailong wants to do! We must do everything we can to hinder everything he does!"

Ma Fulong seemed to be a little drunk, his eyes were fierce and bloodshot.

"Also, didn't he say last night that the books we give out for free corrupt young men and women and children? He even put out books like The Legend of the Imperial Battle Heaven, and he has the nerve to say such bullshit! Damn it, let's use the same reason to criticize it and open fire on ０文 and see how he responds!"

In Tongwen Bureau, Li Bailong got up late. After washing up, Lao Long suddenly said, "That's enough."

"What's enough?"

“Negative emotions.”

Long Aotian replied: "You have been doing variety shows these days. Many people who don't like the Royal Book have also read your book for the bonus. The negative willpower has increased sharply... You can already summon a second ghost!"

(End of this chapter)