Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 22 Bounty Poster, Ghostwriter (Please read and vote)
For the next three days, Wang Cheng would sit on the bustling dock, staring intently at the people around him.

During this period, he took the Zhang brothers and the "Zhang Fushun" boat out to sea once, and caught several large nets of five yellowtail that migrate from north to south in winter in the nearshore waters.

Although this fish is not a rare delicacy, it is very nutritious and has a high value compared to ordinary fish. The key advantage is that it is more abundant than the former, so it can be quite profitable.

After exchanging the money, Wang Cheng immediately distributed it to his crew members according to the profit-sharing ratio of the "Blue Robe Alliance".

His father taught him by example from a young age that if a person wants to achieve something, he must cultivate his own eyes, ears, henchmen, and confidants!
In the eyes of subordinates, being willing to share money is the best quality of a leader, bar none.

Since the alliance to treat the crew members well was previously established, it will not be changed under any circumstances.

At the same time, each victory and harvest made Wang Cheng's image in the hearts of the Tanka people increasingly resemble a rising sun.

Especially when receiving the money, they even felt the light was a bit dazzling, unable to distinguish whether it was the light reflected from the silver or the majestic glory of their own ship.

Can't tell the difference, can't tell the difference at all!
With the Zhang brothers leading by example, they were more than capable of leading this group of already fierce Tanka boatmen into a tough battle.

After discussing with Zhang Wu, the deputy captain, they decided to continue recruiting familiar Tanka people to expand the Qingyi fishing gang, as a mere dozen or so people were simply not enough.

It wasn't until the third day after the defeat of the Water Conservancy Bureau.

Wang Cheng did not go to sea; instead, he continued to lead the Zhang brothers to the docks to search for a suitable master.

I lowered my expectations again and again, and finally decided to select the person today. As long as he can submit the application on my behalf and is a normal person, that's fine.

"I now possess the [Craftsman's Silver], a talisman that is at least a treasure of a prefecture."

"Once you've gained entry into the field with the help of a mentor, you can always find a way to start your own business later; it's not unacceptable."

As they were looking around, they suddenly noticed another official ship arriving at the Yuegang Wharf.

However, the people on the list were not government tax collectors or yamen runners.

A group of strong men with knives and guns on their backs had just disembarked when they headed straight for Baoshan Beacon Tower by the harbor and posted a document on the wall.

At the very top are the words "apprehend" circled in red.

The first column below clearly reads: Prince Jinghai's Heir, Wang Cheng!

After Wang Cheng lit the Heart Lamp, his five senses became acute and his eyesight became extremely sharp.

Even though the teahouse was quite far from Baoshan Beacon Tower, he could see the wanted poster clearly.

"Wang Cheng, the heir apparent of the Prince of Jinghai, is a descendant of the Tanka people and boatmen. He has no fixed abode. Ten days ago, he volunteered to accompany his father, the Prince of Jinghai, to send the royal boat to fill the sea hole for the benefit of all people."

However, the boat suddenly disappeared midway through the journey, suspected to have been eaten by evil spirits, leaving only its skin, which was extremely ferocious.

Anyone who captures this person and hands him over to the prefectural government will be rewarded with five thousand taels of silver, as ordered. Anyone who conceals or fails to report this person will be punished as an accomplice.

November 29th, the 39th year of the Shaozhi reign.

In addition to the text, there are also lifelike paintings that are exactly the same as his real appearance, which should be the work of an official painter.

It seems that as long as you call out to the painting, a "Wang Cheng" will step down from it.

After Wang Zeng passed the ceremony of sending off the royal ship, the Twenty-Four Solar Terms had already acknowledged his status as a deity, and the Great Zhao Dynasty could not arrest Wang Cheng, the heir apparent, on the grounds of being a "remnant of the pirate king".

Instead, they changed their pretext to capturing evil spirits.

The government may rack its brains but still not understand how Wang Cheng escaped, but that doesn't stop them from labeling him an evil spirit.

Eliminating evil spirits is politically correct, while stigmatization is a political tactic.

There are two obvious advantages to doing this:

Not only can we abandon Hai Zhugui's underhanded methods and send people to hunt him down legitimately, but we can also fundamentally deny his right to inherit the Jinghai King's armed maritime merchant group!
Even if there is a powerful captain in the Five Peaks Banner who pushes him, the crown prince, to use his position to intimidate others, everyone else would still have to question it.

Is it possible that he has truly become a man-eating evil spirit? Am I trying to negotiate with a tiger for its skin?

If you can't intimidate the loyal core members, it's enough to scare the centrists.

Wang Cheng had to admit:
"The imperial court still has capable people."

I was able to escape with the help of evil spirits. He only guessed one thing wrong: it wasn't that evil spirits put on my skin, but that I put on the skin of evil spirits.

The once-arrogant Water Control Bureau has become a laughing stock. Now that they've returned with a vengeance, they probably won't retreat so easily.

Soon, a group of Tanka people nearby also saw the wanted poster posted in the most conspicuous position on the beacon tower, and together with other idlers on the dock, they gathered around. Zhang Wen read the contents aloud, eliciting gasps of surprise.

"The Crown Prince is still alive!"

"May the Heavenly Princess bless the Tanka people and water gatherers, so that their descendants may continue!"

"Although Prince Jing is gone, the heir is still here. As for being possessed by evil spirits, I don't think we can believe a single word the court says."

The onlookers at the dock were all in similar moods: first overjoyed, then furious, completely disbelieving the government's explanation.

Zhang Wu was outspoken and had an exceptionally loud voice:
"Who dares to come to Yuegang to arrest our Crown Prince?"
The situation in Yuegang hasn't changed. Anyone wanting to cause trouble should ask us, the Tanka people, if we agree!

The dozens of people who posted the notices did not leave.

Hearing the shouts, he suddenly turned his head and looked over. In particular, the leader's gaze was like a sharp blade, making his face sting.

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines, as if they had become mice being watched closely by a venomous snake.

"They look like a group of ghostwriters?"

Before Wang Cheng could stop the group of Tanka people from standing up for him, he too was caught in the sharp gaze of the leader of the knife-wielding men.

What is not widely known is that the most fatal aspect of the wanted posters is not the lifelike illustrations or the incompetent officials.

Instead, they were the lowly officials (ghostwriters) who were after the bounty and would stop at nothing to get it.

Throughout history, feudal dynasties have suffered from poor transportation and extremely low population mobility. Ordinary people needed travel permits to travel even a hundred miles from home.

Under these circumstances, if a stranger with a non-local accent suddenly appears in a place, he will be immediately recognized by the locals.

Even if the fugitive is arrogant and doesn't care about ordinary people or government officials, there's nothing they can do. Soon, a fearless "bounty hunter" will follow.

This time, the ghostwriter had his eye on him, the crown prince.

Moreover, given the precedent set by the Water Conservancy Bureau, this time the officials coming will definitely not be mediocre; there will be more than one or two formal officials.

"Are you Tanka people or boat dwellers?"

The imperial court has decreed that those who harbor evil will be punished equally! Those who dare to plead for justice for evil spirits must be accomplices themselves.

Wei Zhong, the leader of the knife-wielding men, recognized their identity as Tanka people at a glance.

Not only do they reek of fish, but the law that forbids them from wearing shoes when going ashore is ingrained in the bones of these Tanka people, and they subconsciously abide by it even in places like Yuegang where imperial power has little reach.

Zhang Wu was exceptionally stubborn, willing to risk his life to protect the person he considered his benefactor. He wasn't intimidated by the other party's murderous aura at all, and angrily rebuked:
"Evil spirits? Where were you when the Prince of Jinghai's lineage guarded the sea frontier and protected our coastal people from evil spirits?"
Now you're jumping out and saying our Crown Prince is an evil spirit? Who do you think you are?

I think you people who can't distinguish between good and evil, who would kill anyone for money and do anything, are the real evil spirits in human skin!
Know that what people do is seen by Heaven; justice prevails, and retribution is inevitable!

Hearing this, and hearing the cheers from the large crowd of onlookers, Wei Zhong's eyes turned cold, and his hand slowly rested on the hilt of the ring-pommel sword at his waist.

He was a well-known ghostwriter in the nearby prefecture, and had long been ordained and ranked among the officials, with a rank and position no less than that of the missing "Water Attendant".

However, their profession was inherently dependent on the government and wealthy gentry, so their stance was self-evident.

Wei Zhong kept in mind the instructions given to him by the high-ranking official in charge of the Minzhou prefecture before he set off.

Go ahead and kill!
Their mission is to use the bloodshed of the diehards to make an example of them and deter the wicked. Naturally, there will be traitors within their ranks who will cooperate with them to accomplish great things.

Then they will do everything in their power to search for the whereabouts of the Prince of Jinghai's heir who escaped the net, and spare no effort to capture this remnant carrying the "dragon aura".

Wei Zhongzheng was worried that without an excuse to cause trouble, these ignorant Tanka people who had been bewitched by Prince Jinghai would jump out on their own initiative, making them a perfect target for attack.

Clang!
However, the ring-pommel sword in his hand was only half-drawn from its sheath.

A young voice came from behind the crowd:

“This Tanka brother is right!”

"Where did this clown come from? He has no official robes, no official airs, yet he dares to cause trouble in Yuegang! He's truly courting death!"

Immediately afterwards, a chubby little man with a round, oily face led a large group of people and rushed out of the port with great momentum.

Hey everyone, I'm starting my trial run of a PK battle today, please keep reading! It's almost the end of the month, so please vote with your monthly tickets! or2
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(End of this chapter)