20demayo Page 53
Page 53
"wait?"
"Well, wait."
Lin Jiu'an took a sip of tea and said calmly, "Let the bullets fly for a while."
······
Hall of Rebirth.
Hu Tao was tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep.
The reason is simple: I'm happy.
When Hu Tao learned that the important figure who was drinking tea with Zhongli Keqing was the new "Emperor", she was overjoyed.
It's not because of anything else, but because of the 'big order' he promised me in the next couple of days.
Surely such an important person wouldn't lie to themselves?
The thought of having such a big client at Wangshengtang made Hu Tao so happy that he couldn't sleep. He even wished he could rush to Qunyuge to ask when his "big order" would arrive.
Just as she was tossing and turning in bed, chuckling to herself, there was a gentle knock on the door.
"Who?"
"it's me."
Zhong Li's voice came from outside the door.
Hu Tao got out of bed, opened the door and peeked out, only to see Zhong Li standing neatly dressed at the door.
"Zhongli Guest Elder?"
"What brings you here to see me so late?"
Her eyes lit up as she spoke: "Has some business come in?"
"I plan to visit Mondstadt, so I've come to ask the young master for a few days off."
Hearing that not only was there no sound, but her long-time employee also wanted to take leave, Hu Tao's face fell like a cat's.
"Huh? When? Now?"
"Now."
"Can't we wait a while?"
Hu Tao pouted: "The new emperor just promised me that he would place a big order in the next few days. What if business is too good and we don't have enough manpower if you leave?"
Without waiting for Zhongli's reply, she waved her hand and said, "Go, go, go if you want to. I've approved it. Remember to be careful on the road, and come back when you've had your fun."
They left the Hall of Rebirth.
Zhongli happened to see a Thousand Rock Army soldier carrying torches passing by.
Zhongli only looked away when the light from their torches disappeared at the end of the street.
"Alright."
"It's time to visit an old friend."
······
at the same time.
Mond.
Wendy, who was drinking on the rooftop, suddenly sneezed.
"strangeness."
Wendy touched her nose and then looked around.
"There aren't any cats either?"
Why do I suddenly feel a chill down my back?
Chapter Nineteen: Rebellion (4K)
Ke Qing felt out of place with these three 'old men'.
Lin Jiu'an was drinking red tea.
Ningguang, the usually arrogant and irritating "Tianquan Star" who rarely even looks at people, stands beside her like a caring secretary.
And what about Yelan?
Ye Lan is playing cards with Lin Jiu'an.
They were playing Texas Hold'em, a game that had recently become popular in Mondstadt and had just been introduced from there.
It is said that this new "Emperor" invented it.
Ke Qing didn't know who "Texas" was.
Could it be that his surname is Lin, his given name is Jiu'an, and his courtesy name is Dezhou, Lin Dezhou?
Ke Qing was extremely anxious.
Looking out the window from the highest point of this group of jade pavilions, many streets in Liyue Harbor below are brightly lit.
It's already past midnight.
Although Liyue Harbor is a thriving commercial hub, with night markets and entertainment venues in many bustling streets staying open until the morning, the sheer number of streets lit up these days clearly goes beyond the realm of commerce.
"Flush, you lost."
Ke Qing watched helplessly as Lin Jiu'an took a brush dipped in ink and drew a stroke on Ye Lan's thigh.
It is a 'one'.
They were playing normally before.
They're just playing with money.
Then, as they played, Lin Jiu'an seemed to have won too much and gotten tired of it, or perhaps Ye Lan had run out of Mora. Ke Qing also forgot, but Ning Guang suddenly mentioned it.
They suggested, "Why not write on your lap with a calligraphy brush?"
Ke Qing initially thought nothing of it, but after Ye Lan lost another game, she realized something was wrong.
Who the hell writes on their inner thigh?!
Looking at the perfectly formed '正' character on Ye Lan's thigh.
Although Ke Qing didn't understand what it meant, she vaguely felt that it wasn't a friendly thing to say.
When Keqing watched Ningguang, the 'sexy dealer,' start shuffling and dealing the cards again, she completely lost her composure.
"The situation downstairs is already in complete chaos."
Aren't you going to do anything?
Lin Jiu'an looked at Ke Qing and asked, "Want to play together?"
"no thank you."
Keqing has always despised this kind of time-wasting behavior. Wouldn't it be better to work overtime while playing games?
The outdated 958 system should be eliminated!
Modern people should collectively strive for a wonderful and fulfilling 24!
"Come and have some fun, it's quite interesting."
"Thank you, but..."
"I'm just killing time anyway, so let's play a round, give me some face."
Having heard what the Emperor said, Keqing sat down without fully understanding what was going on.
Keqing suddenly snapped out of her daze when she looked at the 'three', 'seven', and 'J' in her hand, each with its own color and pattern.
Wait a minute, didn't I tell them to stop playing? How come I'm sitting here?
"Not playing means surrendering, and if you surrender, let me make a profit."
Ke Qing strongly suspected that this new emperor just wanted to make a mark on her leg.
How could Ke Qing possibly recognize her?
"Please mind your own business and stop playing around, okay?!" Ke Qing said angrily.
Lin Jiu'an clicked his tongue, then turned to Ningguang and said, "Remember to add a clause to the legal code tomorrow: 'Surrender and you lose half.'"
"Ok."
Seeing the two of them talking so seriously about such trivial things, Ke Qing couldn't hold back any longer.
"baffling!"
Keqing threw down the cards, turned around, and stormed off with her twin tails swaying. But just as she walked toward the door, she saw a small head peeking in furtively.
Her long, reddish-brown hair fell naturally, and she wore a dome-shaped hat adorned with plum blossoms.
Her two little hands gripped the door frame, each with four fingers sticking out. She had starry eyes and a small face, and looked incredibly cute.
"The head of the Hall of Rebirth?"
Keqing naturally recognized Hu Tao, the head of Liyue's premier funeral institution.
What brings you to Qunyu Pavilion?
Just then, Lin Jiu'an's voice came from behind: "Hu Tao, come in."
Ke Qing turned her head and stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
The card table had been cleared away sometime earlier, and Lin Jiu'an was sitting there calmly, sipping tea.
The three people, looking completely at ease, made Ke Qing wonder if she had just been hallucinating.
"Hehe, Your Majesty, greetings!"
The walnut, having been discovered, hopped and skipped in.
"What brings you here so late?"
"Is such that."
With her hands on her hips, Hu Tao said, "I'd like to ask Your Majesty, when will you give me that 'big deal' you mentioned?"
The words fell.
Hu Tao suddenly felt that apart from Lin Jiu'an, there was no one else.
The three women in the room suddenly looked at her with an extremely strange expression.
Hu Tao's momentum immediately weakened considerably.
She knew two of the three women: Ningguang, the "Tianquan Star," and Keqing, the "Yuheng Star," both prominent figures in Liyue. As for the woman with the perpetually cold face, although she didn't recognize her, she must be someone of considerable status to be sitting with these three.
Especially her cold and aloof demeanor, it's even scarier than Keqing!
Hu Tao didn't understand why they were looking at her with those strange eyes; she hadn't said anything wrong.
All she wanted to do was develop the family business; what did she do wrong?
Surely this new emperor isn't going to kill someone on the spot to find her business, right?
He muttered under his breath, "Your Majesty is a great man, you can't possibly lie to a mere hall master like me, can you?"
Lin Jiu'an chuckled and said, "You came to see me so late just for this?"
"This is no small matter!" Hu Tao muttered. "This is a big deal for me!"
"Alright, I definitely won't stand you up for the 'big business'. Let's talk about something else first. Where is your guest advisor Zhongli right now?"
“Zhongli, the guest elder? He just told me he wanted to go to Mondstadt for a visit, and I granted him leave. I don’t know where he is now.”
Hu Tao didn't know what was so funny about her statement.
Anyway, I saw Lin Jiu'an smiling very happily.
When Lin Jiu'an laughed, she laughed along with him. It wasn't for any other reason than that she felt that if Lin Jiu'an was in a good mood, her 'big deal' would probably be almost done.
"In that case, I'll get you some 'business' right now."
"Now?"