Free Web Novel“Ach—choo...”
Li Mo wiped his nose, thinking about who was constantly talking about him, and then walked through the door of the Hentong Main Bank. The place was already under martial law, with armored soldiers inside and out. Judging by the style of their armor, they should have been the Zhennan King’s personal guard.
Led by the armored soldiers, he passed through the main hall and went directly to the storeroom.
The storeroom had long been tidied up, with various materials piled up like mountains, and people were busy moving in and out.
The Lords had already been sitting there for half a day, drinking tea and running to the latrine several times, their Faces all looking rather unpleasant.
Since ancient times, when did officials ever wait for people?
And this person was a merchant’s man.
But Li Mo was not a merchant at all. Even these old foxes couldn’t figure out what reason he had for undertaking this grand event. To say it was a whim wasn’t right either.
Who would, on a whim, throw out a golden mountain?
Sun Gui had been serving carefully by the side, constantly wiping his sweat and looking towards the door. Only when he saw Li Mo arrive did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“The Lords have been waiting for a long time. This is Lord Song, Song Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue, and this is Lord Qian, Qian Shilang of the Ministry of Revenue. When we inspect later, both of them will need to sign and review it together.”
Zhong Qin was still wearing a long gown today, and his tone was gentle, unlike a divine general who had spent his life in battle:
“It is also thanks to Li Mo’s generous donation that we were able to solve this urgent problem. We must work together to make this matter a Perfection.”
Song Baiyue exchanged glances with his colleague, then nodded slightly and said, “Li Mo, this is a major matter that cannot be delayed. Do you know that?”
The matter of being late was thus overlooked.
Li Mo had only paid the deposit, not the final payment.
He didn’t even give the Crown Prince any Face, just a reckless young man, and it seemed Your Majesty also favored him. It probably wouldn’t work to put on official airs with him.
“Indeed. Just now, I heard Sun Gui say that most of the materials are ready. Let’s start the inspection now.”
Li Mo nodded.
As he spoke, Sun Gui held a list and read aloud as he walked:
“A hundred bolts of plain gauze.”
“Three hundred logs.”
“Six hundred blue-and-white fish, four hundred pine nut chickens... two hundred thousand piculs of fine grain... one hundred thousand piculs of horse fodder...”
“Wait, stop!”
Qian Shilang suddenly stopped, his eyes wide, looking at the grain continuously being transported into the warehouse:
“Li Mo, what are you doing with so much grain?”
“The same as the other ingredients, for cooking. The Hundred Flowers Gathering is a celebration for all, so everyone should eat and drink well. What if the Fairies get thin from hunger?”
Xiao Li had an innocent expression and a well-reasoned argument.
“But you don’t need two hundred thousand piculs. Are you feeding pigs?”
Qian Shilang still felt something was off.
“Oh, I have a famous dish that takes the essence of a hundred grains. A hundred catties of grain only yield one tael, and it tastes delicious.”
“What about the horse fodder? Can horse fodder also be made into a dish?”
“Well, people have come from afar; we can’t just let the horses run without giving them grass.”
“...”
Qian Shilang scratched his head, listening. It seemed very reasonable, yet something still felt wrong.
He glanced at Song Shangshu, and seeing that his superior said nothing, he reluctantly nodded.
They walked for a while longer.
“Ten thousand refined steel swords, seventy thousand long halberds...”
“What the heck?”
Qian Shilang couldn’t hold back again, pointing at the piles of weapons:
“Li Mo, are these also for the Hundred Flowers Gathering?”
“As everyone knows, Han Xianzi is an exceptional swordswoman. When she dances with a sword, she can command ten thousand swords in the air. Not only that, her musical skills are also at their peak. When ‘The Heavenly King’s Battle Array’ plays, it can make weapons dance, like a thousand armies.”
Li Mo spoke with conviction.
“So these are all props for the performance?”
Qian Shilang looked to the Zhennan King for confirmation.
“Exactly, performance props.” Zhong Qin’s mouth twitched slightly, as if he had guessed what Li Mo was going to do.
But after guessing, he had to say it was reasonable.
Song Shangshu cleared his throat: “You haven’t served in the military, so you don’t understand. Since the Zhennan King says there’s no problem, then it should be appropriate.”
“...” Qian Shilang had read many books but had indeed never served in the military.
But he always felt that this didn’t seem like organizing a grand event... Now there was grain, and weapons too. If this kid were to raise his arm and shout... A moment later.
Everyone looked at the bright yellow robe not far away and fell into contemplation.
“Li Mo, I knew something was off with you. What do you want to do?!” Qian Shilang slammed the table.
At first, he was a little suspicious, but now he was certain!
“Hiss... Li Shaoxia, this... this is a bit too much.”
Song Shangshu, who had taken money, also found it impossible to turn a blind eye any longer.
The Zhennan King coughed lightly, looking at Li Mo with an inquiring gaze, his wise and profound eyes now bewildered.
Could he have misunderstood?
He thought this kid just wanted to find another way to support the Southern Border’s defenders, so they wouldn’t lack food and weapons.
This kid wasn’t trying to put this robe on him and embark on some treasonous endeavor with him, was he?
You’ve really put this King in a difficult position. If this matter were to become known... “Huh?”
Li Mo was stunned, equally bewildered: “I didn’t ask for this among the things I wanted?”
Sun Gui was silent for a moment, then scratched the back of his head: “Uh, Li Laodi, didn’t you say you wanted to make the most noble and precious robe?”
“That’s right.”
Li Mo remembered.
“You also said you wanted to make it the most magnificent style in the world.”
“That’s also true...”
“And you said the person you wanted to give it to is someone who illuminates all directions in your heart, an existence that transcends the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, and that robe is to be worn during a lifelong major event.”
“I did say that.”
Zhong Qin took a deep breath and leaned back slightly.
He had only taught Li Mo a little bit of the art of being an enemy to ten thousand people, and he hadn’t expected his position in his heart to be so important.
But... but this kind of thing... You’ve really put this King in a difficult position... “Li Mo, the evidence is right here. What more do you have to argue about?! This is under the foot of Dijin. If you are plotting something illicit, you should weigh your options. It would be better before you make a big mistake...”
Qian Shilang put on a brave front while being inwardly weak, starting to look around for any hidden executioners.
“What is all this nonsense?!”
Li Mo finally sorted things out and threw the bright yellow robe on the ground:
“I want a Phoenix Coronet and Robe!”
“???”
That’s right.
Ever since he had that dream of getting married last time, the image of Ice Cube wearing a Phoenix Coronet and Robe had lingered in Li Mo’s mind.
So, when asking for materials, he also had Sun Gui find the best tailor in Dijin to make the robe Ice Cube wore that day.
To be more specific, he described it in detail.
He hadn’t expected Sun Gui to actually dare to listen, and the tailor to actually dare to make it!
“So this is a misunderstanding?”
Zhong Qin clicked his tongue. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
Li Mo: “??”
Zhong Shu, «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» what are you disappointed about?
“No, whether it’s a misunderstanding or not, if this matter isn’t investigated by the Sky Patrol Guard, we cannot escape responsibility.” Qian Shilang’s will to survive was off the charts.
It’s not just this robe.
There’s also so much grain and so many weapons.
He even saw dozens of siege crossbows!
Putting all this together, who could possibly handle it?
Song Shangshu also frowned, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.
At this moment, Sun Gui leaned over, first dismissing everyone around them, then took out the list he had earlier and showed it to the two Lords, whispering:
“My Lords, the money has passed through your hands, and the gold and silver for ordering these items have also been spent. If this matter comes to light, I’m afraid not only will everything be lost, but all of you Lords will also...”
This list had been manipulated.
It contained the amounts that the Lords were supposed to receive.
So, from the moment they took the money, they were tied to the same boat.
Song Shangshu, Qian Shilang, and the other Lords were all aware of this beforehand. Sharing the money together made them feel at ease.
It’s just that no one expected such a thing to happen.
“Cough, in my opinion, these things are all quite ordinary, quite ordinary.”
“Li Shaoxia is truly meticulous.”
“Since it’s a misunderstanding, then everything is fine, right? Let’s order food first, I’m hungry.”
