Chapter 679 Forced Robbery?

Seeing Gu Shuyan's admiring gaze, Yun Yichen felt very proud.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, all ninety-nine riddles had been solved.

When the answer was placed in front of the man, he was clearly taken aback.

"Young master, have you finished guessing?"

Yun Yichen nodded, signaling the waiter to check the answers to the lantern riddles.

The guy was already surprised that someone could answer all the questions, and after everyone had answered, his mouth gaped open even wider.

"You're done! Now bring the lanterns over!"

Yun Yichen's tone was as arrogant as ever, and most importantly, he was extremely confident in his answer.

The waiter hesitated upon hearing this, glanced at the gathered crowd, and looked at Yun Yichen with a bitter expression.

"Please wait a moment, young master. I'll go and call the manager over."

After the waiter finished speaking, he quickly went into the shop, and a short while later, a shopkeeper in his forties came out.

"I heard that this gentleman answered all the riddles correctly?"

The shopkeeper, with a smile on his face, quickly stepped forward to greet Yun Yichen.

Having spent many years in officialdom, Yun Yichen was already immune to such smiles, so without waiting for the shopkeeper to speak, he asked again, "Can I have the lantern now?"

"Hehe, please don't be in such a hurry, sir!"

The shopkeeper gave an awkward smile and continued, "It's not easy for our little shop to do business. If you take this lantern, we'll all have to leave."

"In that case, our shop is willing to give you ten taels of silver. Would you like to buy another lantern instead?"

It was obvious that the fox lantern had become the most popular lantern of the day, and if Yun Yichen took it away at this time, their business for the night would be ruined.

"You said that if you answer correctly, you can take the lantern."

Yun Yichen continued speaking single-mindedly, giving the shopkeeper no chance to speak about the fox lantern.

Seeing this, the shopkeeper's smile vanished. Since the other party refused to listen to reason, he had no choice but to resort to force.

He gave the waiter beside him a wink, and the waiter immediately came over with a lantern and ten taels of silver.

"Here are your lanterns and money. You may leave now."

When the shopkeeper spoke, he deliberately glanced at Gu Shuyan, as if to warn her that he hoped she could persuade Yun Yichen.

Unfortunately, Yun Yichen was stubborn and, seeing that the other party wouldn't take it, he personally took down the fox lantern.

Gu Shuyan wasn't necessarily set on having the lantern, but she thought that if the shopkeeper said a few nice words, she could help persuade Yun Yichen.

Who would have thought that the other party would resort to such disgusting tactics?

So, seeing Yun Yichen take the lantern down for her, Gu Shuyan accepted it without hesitation.

"Are you two trying to rob me by force?"

A group of thugs quickly surrounded the two, and everyone who was guessing riddles around them couldn't help but look over.

“My husband secretly requires that all the riddles be answered correctly. It’s a rule you set yourselves. As long as you answer correctly, you can take the lantern home.”

"But now, in order to attract more people, you've resorted to framing instead of threatening them?"

Gu Shuyan couldn't help but get angry.

Those who had gathered around to watch the show all turned their attention to them. Seeing that the two didn't seem like the type to fight over a lantern, they couldn't help but watch the spectacle unfold.

Seeing that things were not going well, the shopkeeper quickly cried out, "Esteemed customers, even if you like these lanterns, you can't force us to buy them! We can't disregard the rules of our lantern market!"

They were clearly evil people, yet they preemptively portrayed the couple as buyers who had been forced into a sale.

Gu Shuyan sneered, her gaze sweeping across the shopkeeper's face.

"The shopkeeper must speak with a clear conscience."

The shopkeeper has long since abandoned all conscience over the years.

Hearing Gu Shuyan say this, he was disdainful in his heart, but on the surface he put on the posture of a suffering merchant.

“Miss, our shop has been in this capital for decades and values ​​its reputation the most. If you behave like this, don’t blame us for being rude.”

As soon as the shopkeeper finished speaking, the burly men immediately stepped forward to grab the two of them in order to take back the lanterns that already belonged to Gu Shuyan.

Just as the group was about to encounter the two, and Yun Yichen was getting ready to go, Gu Shuyan shouted, "Wait!"

Gu Shuyan's voice was very penetrating, and it immediately frightened the men into silence.

“The shopkeeper said we were forced to buy this lantern, but my husband won it for me, and I have proof.”

As Gu Shuyan spoke, she took out the answer sheet that had somehow ended up in her hand and held it up in front of everyone.

"This is the riddle that my husband solved in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."

Gu Shuyan generously showed everyone the correct answer.

Those people, looking at the shopkeeper's appearance, really thought that the man and woman were forcing a sale.

But when the answer to the riddle was revealed, everyone's expression changed.

"This... isn't this the answer to the mystery that has stumped so many of us? So that's how it is!"

Some people exclaimed in surprise upon realizing what was happening, while others immediately understood the key point: the shopkeeper didn't want the attractive lantern to be taken away.

However, adhering to the principle that no one wanted to cause trouble, no one was willing to speak up.

"Hmph, this is clearly your answer to the riddle that you copied from us."

The shopkeeper was quite adept at twisting the truth. Seeing that no one wanted to cause trouble, he immediately began to distort the facts.

Gu Shuyan was shocked that none of these people would help her. Listening to the shopkeeper's distorted version of the truth, she was furious.

"They dared to accuse us of plagiarism just for a lantern."

Gu Shuyan smiled and continued, "Since your shop insists on calling us bad people, then I'll take these lanterns with me today."

As Gu Shuyan spoke, she picked up the lantern and started to walk out. The burly men wanted to rush forward to snatch it, but when they met Yun Yichen's gaze, none of them dared to actually make a move.

"What are you doing?"

A sudden voice rang out, and a young man in flowing white robes walked in from afar.

When Gu Shuyan saw the other party appear, she glanced at Yun Yichen with some concern.

But Yun Yichen didn't seem to care that being with Gu Shuyan would reveal his identity.

"Brother Xu Rao, didn't you go to the banquet?"

Gu Shuyan had assumed that Xu Rao, who was not yet married, would attend the banquet at the Duke of Anguo's mansion.

But who would have thought that Xu Rao would suddenly appear here.

"That poetry gathering is utterly boring; to me, it's just a chance to make a fool of myself. So I'd rather come and stroll around the lantern festival and see if there are any pretty girls I like."

Xu Rao made no attempt to conceal anything from Gu Shuyan because she was a woman.

Ever since the Xu family proposed marriage to Gu Shuyan and she refused, Gu Shuyan has rarely seen Xu Rao.

I only knew that he liked to have fun and was not ambitious, but I never knew that he was so interested in women.