Chapter 12 012 Pampering His Wife We ghosts, after all, treat our wives...
"General Youwei, please introduce me to His Majesty the Ghost King. If you allocate the military supplies for next year to me, I guarantee they will be of high quality and low price! These are East Sea mermaid pearls that I prepared for my wife. She will surely like them if they are worn as a cloak or headdress!"
“General You Wei, my son is exceptionally talented and reliable. There’s a vacancy for a personal guard by His Majesty’s side. Could you please put in a good word for him and recommend him? Whether it works out or not is up to you. I’ve heard that Madam has been wanting a bed made of ice jade. I recently found a piece of ice jade and have already polished it into a bed. I’ve come here specifically to present it to Madam…”
Before Yun Tianjiao even entered the main hall, she heard all sorts of flattering voices coming from inside. She had thought that General You Wei would be a strong and powerful man, just like the military generals in the court. However, when she stepped into the main hall and saw the handsome and elegant man sitting in the main seat, she was surprised.
This is... General You Wei?
"It's not that I'm unwilling to make introductions for you all, but His Majesty the Ghost King has recently gone into seclusion for cultivation and has already declared that he will not see anyone. I am truly unable to help..."
General Youwei was almost completely surrounded by ghosts, but he remained calm and composed, speaking with perfect tact.
"Secluded cultivation?" Yun Tianjiao asked Zhiwei in a low voice, "Didn't that dog demon say that the Ghost King went to the mortal realm when we were in the Fairy Maiden's theater?"
Zhiwei replied in a low voice, "How can we easily believe the words of demons and ghosts?"
General Youwei's expression changed slightly when he saw Zhiwei enter.
"What is this...?"
"General You Wei, I apologize for disturbing you today, but I have a favor to ask of you." Zhiwei interrupted the other party before he could speak, cupped his hands in a respectful manner, and was very self-aware of asking for a favor.
You Wei was momentarily stunned, then her eyes darted around before she said to the other ghost guests, "How about this, everyone please leave your name tags behind. Once His Majesty the Ghost King emerges from seclusion, I will have someone notify you immediately, how does that sound?"
Seeing that there was no room for maneuver and fearing that lingering too long would offend You Wei, the ghosts had no choice but to obediently take their leave.
When he left, he even rolled his eyes at Zhiwei, who was blocking the doorway.
You Wei finally breathed a sigh of relief after managing to send all the demons and ghosts away.
"It seems General You Wei is still as popular as ever in the Ghost Realm," Zhiwei said with a half-smile.
Cold sweat beaded on You Wei's forehead as he waved his hands repeatedly. "Alas, it's all for an audience with His Majesty the Ghost King. I'm just a mouthpiece. Today, you... um... what brings you here?"
"I have just successfully ascended to heaven, and now my divine name is Zhiwei. Brother Youwei, you can just call me Zhiwei. We are friends, so there is no need to be so polite."
"Yes, yes, friends, very good friends!" You Wei laughed awkwardly a few times, then looked at Yun Tianjiao with slight surprise, "This must be the Princess of Yun Chi Kingdom, right?"
"Oh? You recognize me?"
General You Wei said, "When I was traveling in the mortal world with my wife, I happened to see you worshipping the gods and offering incense. I saw it from afar once."
Yun Tianjiao exclaimed, "General You Wei is so good to your wife."
"We ghosts treat our wives very well," You Wei said, covering his mouth with his fist and coughing.
Zhiwei succinctly explained his intentions. After listening, General Youwei stroked his chin, his dashing eyes darting around uncertainly. "Build a thousand temples within three months? This..."
Yun Tianjiao: "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
General You Wei immediately said, "Ah, no, no, it's just building a thousand temples within three months, no problem at all! It's just... this..."
Yun Tianjiao said, "If there is anything you need my cooperation with, General You Wei, just ask. Whether it is money, wealth, or goods, as long as it is within my power, I will do my best to satisfy you."
Upon hearing Yun Tianjiao's words, You Wei immediately smiled and said, "Your Highness is a straightforward person, so I won't beat around the bush with you. I can build a thousand temples within three months, but the cost... will be quite substantial."
Yun Tianjiao: "How much is 'not a small amount'?"
At the mention of money, You Wei immediately perked up. A glint of light flashed in his hand, and he conjured a golden abacus, which he began to calculate rapidly.
"The construction process requires hiring a large number of ghost messengers and ghost servants, plus the cost of building materials, craftsmanship, and compensation for the mental strain of working in the mortal world..."
Yun Tianjiao gradually grew impatient. "Give me a total."
You Wei ran her fingers across the abacus and said with a smile, "Zhiwei and I are friends, so I'll give you a discount and round it down to a whole number: six million taels."
Yun Tianjiao: "Ghost money?"
You Wei: "Silver."
Yun Tianjiao: "..."
What a rip-off!
Yun Tianjiao took a deep breath and began to explain to You Wei: "A thousand temples, and with the quote you gave, the cost of one temple would be six thousand taels of silver! Building a royal-level Heavenly Venerable Temple would only cost a little over a thousand taels of silver, and that would only be enough to cover the cost if you used it lavishly."
You smiled and said, "Your Highness, if time is not pressing, we can find mortal craftsmen to build it slowly, and the price you mentioned is indeed the market price. But the problem is, you want it completed within three months, and this is already the cost price!"
Yun Tianjiao turned to look at Zhiwei, hinting that he should ask her to help him negotiate the price.
You Wei hugged the abacus to her chest, unmoved by any persuasion: "It's no use no matter who speaks, Your Highness, this is already the lowest price!"
Zhiwei suddenly said, "Her Highness the Eldest Princess has a good relationship with many gods."
Yun Tianjiao: "?"
"Perhaps... we can speak with the God of Ink Sorrow and ask the God of Ink Sorrow for a personally written blessing note for the General's wife."
You Wei: "..."
Seeing the momentary conflict on General You Wei's face, Yun Tianjiao immediately understood.
“That’s right. If your wife likes it, perhaps we can even have Lord Mo Bei write your wife’s name on a personal blessing note.”
Although Yun Tianjiao had never specifically requested such a handwritten blessing slip, he had heard Shen Qiongzhi mention that what many worshippers dreamed of most was to receive a blessing slip with their own name written by the deity they worshipped. It was said that this thing had a special name: "Special Blessing Slip".
"No need, no need, just a regular handwritten letter will do!" General You Wei blurted out without thinking, then immediately regretted it and shut his mouth.
Zhiwei revealed a tempting smile: "In that case, General Youwei, won't you offer some more discounts? After all, Her Highness the Princess has done such a great favor."
You Wei looked pained, but she was still trying her best to hold on to her last line of defense.
Zhiwei sighed softly, "If Madam knew that she could receive a personal blessing from the Divine Lord Mo Bei, she would surely be very happy."
"Five and a half million taels, that's the lowest I can go!"
Zhiwei said slowly and deliberately, "Oh, so winning your wife's smile is only worth 500,000 taels of silver."
“…Three million taels!” You Wei’s heart was bleeding. “If it’s any lower, I’ll find someone else. I can’t go bankrupt just to send a lucky letter to Madam.”
Yun Tianjiao calculated his private treasury. Three million taels was still a large sum of money, but he could manage to scrape it together. Just as he was about to agree, Zhiwei grabbed his wrist.
"Your Highness, I've heard that the Divine Lord Mo Bei has been rarely writing personal blessings for others lately. Is it really certain that this matter can be accomplished?"
Upon receiving Zhiwei's glance, Yun Tianjiao immediately cooperated, saying, "Hmm... it's hard to say. If all else fails, let His Majesty intercede on our behalf."
Zhiwei sighed softly, "If His Majesty pleads for mercy, then that favor is a bit too heavy..."
Seeing the two of them putting on an act, Mo Bei knew exactly what was going on. Finally, he gritted his teeth and gave them his bottom line: "One million taels! Is that alright?"
Zhiwei: "Transaction completed."
You Wei: "..."
Taking advantage of the momentum, Yun Tianjiao signed a construction contract with You Wei on the spot.
Zhiwei deserves much credit for reducing the project cost from six million to one million. After leaving General Youwei's mansion, Yun Tianjiao was in a good mood and even felt a little guilty.
"Having cut so much money, is General You Wei really going to be bankrupt?"
"It's alright, he has money, he should be able to give some back eventually."
When Yun Tianjiao thought of the ghosts vying to give You Wei gifts, the slight sympathy he felt vanished instantly.
Looking up, she saw Zhiwei's upturned lips, looking quite pleased.
She had seen such smiles on the faces of countless gods who had tried to curry favor with her for offerings; she should have been used to them and not found them strange.
But at this moment, she couldn't control the smile from her lips from fading, and the soft curve of her lips became stiff.
Like waking from a deep dream, a sudden blow to the head.
"Congratulations! With the construction of a thousand temples, your divine power will be comparable to that of a Celestial Lord."
Zhiwei keenly noticed her unusual behavior and slightly suppressed her smile. "It's all for the sake of winning that Reincarnation Mirror for Your Highness."
He bowed his head, and she couldn't see the true emotions in his eyes.
"Mm," Yun Tianjiao replied.
In truth, his tireless help was merely for his own divine path. They were originally a deity and a worshipper; she shouldn't let the pleasure he brought her disturb her peace of mind.
This ghost realm is indeed a place that easily makes people lose their minds and become infatuated.
She deliberately avoided looking at Zhiwei, instead taking off the purple magnolia he had bought for her and casually tossing it on the ground.
"We're tired, let's go back."
Zhiwei remained bowed, her gaze seemingly lingering on the magnolia for a moment.
"Alright, Your Highness, I will escort you back to the palace." The voice remained gentle and obedient, but a hint of melancholy appeared in the eyes as he straightened up.
A note from the author:
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