This, what is this!
He blocked all of Luo Zhongyan's words and even made him tense up suddenly, with his eyes widening.
Kong Lingyun was not surprised to see him like this.
After all, I was also shocked when I heard it for the first time...
Without saying anything more, Princess Lingyun only asked, "How is it? Does it sound good?"
Luo Zhongyan didn't know how to answer.
It sounds good. It sounds very nice.
Especially the imitation of the sound of birds singing is very lifelike and accurate.
However, he also had to admit that this Yilu Tower had absolutely nothing to do with what he had originally thought!
It is impossible to think of something crooked when hearing this sound!
However, although Prince Consort Luo had resolved his confusion, he still had no intention of going in.
He lowered his voice slightly and said softly, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but I'm here to see the King. I'm in a hurry, so I'm afraid I don't have time to listen to music."
Seeing him like this, Kong Lingyun knew that he must have come to the capital for important matters, otherwise her aunt would not have asked Prince Consort Luo to come in person.
In this case, it is better not to ask about this person's purpose.
Princess Lingyun still pointed at the Yilu Tower and said, "That's perfect. My father is in there right now. If you want to see him, just come with me."
Upon hearing this, Luo Zhongyan had no objection and quickly followed Kong Lingyun towards Yilu Tower.
But as he was about to enter, he finally asked the question in his mind: "Princess, there is something I don't understand."
Princess Lingyun was fiddling with her new dress and casually replied, "Uncle, go ahead and tell me."
Luo Zhongyan said seriously, "I have been extremely low-key since entering the capital, and have not revealed any traces along the way. How did the princess recognize me?"
Perhaps because she was so preoccupied with the upcoming play, Kong Lingyun spoke with a certain nonchalance: "I just received a letter from my aunt via carrier pigeon. She told me to be careful, lest you be deceived by those with ill intentions..."
At this point, the voice stopped abruptly. The little princess showed a little panic on her face, and at the same time she felt annoyed in her heart that she had spoken too bluntly.
No matter whether it is a man or a lady, no one likes to be tied down by their significant other.
Even though these two have always respected the eldest princess, Prince Consort Luo is her husband after all. No matter what happens in private, they always have to save face in public.
In the letter, Kong Shu specifically reminded Kong Lingyun not to reveal everything.
Who would have thought that I actually forgot about it? I really deserve to be beaten.
So the little princess started thinking quickly and trying to think of a way to make amends.
But he didn't expect that Luo Zhongyan in front of him would actually smile.
Not only was he not angry, but his face was gentle, and he even had a hint of pride, and his voice was much softer: "Shun Niang is always so worried about me. I should finish my errand early and go back as soon as possible, so that she won't worry too long and waste her energy."
Kong Lingyun: ...
The original panic disappeared, and what remained was only the chill of single people.
At this moment, Kong Lingyun finally understood why her aunt didn't allow her to ask casually.
How could he be afraid that Luo Zhongyan would think too much?
It's obvious that he's afraid of choking to death on the dog food!
At this time, they had already entered the gate of Yilu Building.
But everything before him was very different from what Luo Zhongyan had imagined.
Originally, he thought that even if this place was not as luxurious as ordinary brothels, it should at least be a place with a special artistic conception, with screens, green plants, aromatherapy and fragrant tea, and everything else.
After all, it looks so ostentatious from the outside, so it must be exciting inside.
But after he actually walked in, he realized that he had misunderstood.
It's dull here, extremely dull.
Not only was there not the expected liveliness and noise, on the contrary, it was very quiet inside, especially when the door was closed, blocking out the noises from the street, and the building suddenly became quiet.
It was so quiet that Prince Consort Luo's breathing became much lighter.
He didn't go forward immediately, but stood at the door and observed for a while.
Obviously, the decoration style inside the building was something he had never seen before.
At first glance, it is not luxurious, but rather extremely simple.
In front of me is a huge hall, a very regular circle, and the patterns on the floor tiles are also arranged very neatly.
There were no tables or chairs in the middle; instead, the space was left empty, and the spiral wooden staircase could be clearly seen.
Around the hall, there are some corner tables with exquisitely shaped candle lamps on them.
The outer cover is obviously also made in a uniform manner. If you don’t look closely, you will think that they all look the same and you won’t think they are that rare.
But Luo Zhongyan had seen good things before, and he soon realized that those lampshades were not ordinary things, but colored glass.
In his impression, glass products are extremely expensive.
At the beginning, the Bankui Kingdom sent several carts of precious wood to the Zhou Kingdom, and also received a fist-sized glass bead, which was regarded as a national treasure. To this day, it is still enshrined in the temple of the Bankui Kingdom and receives incense.
But, this Yilu Tower actually uses colored glaze as its lampshade?
And put it openly in the hall?
Luo Zhongyan looked shocked, but he did not reveal his whereabouts immediately. His eyes immediately looked elsewhere.
Then I discovered that this seemingly ordinary Yilu Building actually exudes the atmosphere of "being rich" everywhere.
The door connecting to the hall was covered with leather and the wood could not be seen, but the handle was made of gold.
It is true that the floor tiles are made of stone, but only when you step on them do you realize how smooth they are. I really don't know how much labor it takes.
Even the calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls were written by famous artists, and most of the content was poems that came from the Langyun Fairyland.
Even in a country like Zhou that did not attach much importance to culture and education, any one of these calligraphy and paintings could buy a house!
Luo Zhongyan was silent for a long time, and finally said: "This is not an ordinary place."
Princess Lingyun asked curiously, "How did Uncle know that?" Then she followed his gaze and said, "Those calligraphy and paintings you mentioned are quite impressive. I never thought they could find so many masters of calligraphy and painting to add color to Yilu Tower."
Unexpectedly, Prince Consort Luo shook his head slightly and said softly, "These things are naturally priceless, but what really impressed me is not just that. It is because I know very well that defending this place is much more difficult than finding and collecting these items."
Kong Lingyun was puzzled: "What does this mean?"
Luo Zhongyan said softly, "Being able to ensure that this place is not stolen or robbed, and to maintain peace and tranquility, is itself extremely rare. I guess the owner of this Yilulou must have a very deep background."
Hearing this, Kong Lingyun smiled and said, "Uncle is right. The boss here is quite powerful."
Luo Zhongyan's body tensed again.
Sure enough, his guess was right. Could this be the territory of some aristocratic family? Or perhaps the property of some wealthy businessman?
Then Kong Lingyun said, "Because this place was opened by my father, all the people working here have ranks, and the guards outside are also carefully selected from the guards."
Luo Zhongyan: ...Ah?
What is this operation?
Although I know that the Zhou Kingdom’s economy is now much more open and strongly encourages merchants and trade, this is the first time I have seen a king of a country take the lead in doing business!
Luo Zhongyan immediately lowered his voice and said, "According to the law, officials may not compete with the people for profit. Even if the king wants to do so, he should not be too ostentatious. Lingyun, be careful with your words."
Kong Lingyun looked bewildered: "But my father said there's nothing that can't be said..."
At this moment, a voice interrupted, "Strictly speaking, this isn't a shop, but a public place. Our purpose isn't to charge fees, but to use this as an opportunity to vigorously promote the cultural industry and revitalize Zhou's cultural endeavors. Through entertaining and educational means, we want every citizen of Zhou to have the opportunity to personally experience the joy that art brings."
After Luo Zhongyan heard this long string of words, it took him a while to digest it.
He was a little confused by the word "public place".
But he quickly turned his head to look at the person who spoke, and quickly identified him from his iconic short hair and glasses: "Greetings, Immortal Lord."
Zhao Lin nodded at him, then looked at Luo Zhongyan and said while looking down at his phone, "You must be the eldest princess' husband."
Luo Zhongyan had previously communicated with the immortals of Hua'an County and had a good understanding of this title. He quickly smiled and said, "Yes, it is truly an honor for the Immortal Lord to recognize me."
Zhao Lin thought to himself, it’s not that I know him, it’s stored in the system database.
Kong Lingyun had been staying in the palace, perhaps because she had spent too much money in the "Miracle Yiyi" store and urgently needed an advance on her pocket money, so she would hang around King Zhou whenever she had nothing to do. Naturally, she was more familiar with Zhao Lin, who often came in and out of the palace.
At this moment, the little princess smiled at Zhao Lin and said, "Why isn't the Immortal Lord with Master Tan Min today?"
Zhao Lin smiled kindly in response: "He is checking the progress of the accounting here."
Luo Zhongyan looked puzzled. "Isn't this place open to the public and free of charge? Why do we need to calculate the bill?"
Zhao Lin knew this man had close ties to Hua'an County, and that related industries would be promoted to various counties in the future, so he patiently explained, "Come here to listen to concerts or plays. As long as you can grab a ticket, there are no other fees. However, to maintain the operation of Yilu Tower and purchase various items, money is required. In fact, any industry ultimately requires a burn rate."
Luo Zhongyan deeply agrees with this.
In Hua'an County, the eldest princess actually doesn't care about trivial matters, so many affairs have to be handled by Prince Consort Luo.
This also made him more aware of the essence of running a county town.
Education? Of course it’s important.
Military power? Of course it's important too.
But the most important thing is money.
Books require silver, food and fodder require silver, swords, spears, axes, hooks and forks, everything requires silver.
Just talking about the Yilu Building, just looking at the furnishings here, you can tell that the expenses here are not small.
So Luo Zhongyan naturally asked, "Where does the money come from?"
Zhao Lin smiled and said one word: "Donate."
But this made Luo Zhongyan even more confused.
Even though the Zhou people's customs are relatively simple, they are still human after all, and it is inevitable that they will have some bad habits.
Merchants pursue profit, and wealthy families are greedy for money.
Even if ordinary people earned money, they would rather spend it on their ribs. How could they donate it for no reason?
But before Prince Luo could continue asking, he saw the door behind him open again.
The man who came had a plump figure, and his specific identity was not known at the moment, but just by looking at his clothes, one could tell that he must be an official of high rank, and of high status, otherwise he would not wear a jade bag embroidered with mysterious patterns around his waist.
But this man at this moment did not have the calmness that an ordinary aristocratic family should have. Instead, he was in a hurry, with sweat on his forehead and breathing heavily, as if he had been running all the way.
When he saw Zhao Lin, his eyes lit up and he automatically blocked out everyone else. He completely forgot to salute the two royal members and just walked straight towards Zhao Lin.
Then, he bowed deeply and said, "Greetings, Immortal Lord. I wonder where Master Tan is now?"
Zhao Lin seemed to have gotten used to it. He remained motionless, just looking at the other person with a smile, and asked softly, "Why, do you have something to do with him?"
The man immediately picked up the box in his hand, and with trembling fingertips he tried to pick the lock. It took several tries before he finally got it open. Then he tremblingly opened the lid, his voice a little hoarse: "I, I'm here to find Master Tan and ask him to let my family go..."
Hearing this, Luo Zhongyan, who had not looked up, suddenly looked at the two of them.
There was a hint of realization and some surprise in his eyes.
Some things may seem strange when taken individually, but when viewed together, they make sense.
Just like this official who came from some unknown noble family, came with a box full of banknotes, and what he said was not "donate", but "save".
The implication is obvious.
Especially since Kong Shu had mentioned before that Tan Min had already begun to move against the aristocratic families in the capital, this was enough to prove that the conflict between the two sides had become irreconcilable.
Then it's time to take sides.
Although Luo Zhongyan couldn't figure out why someone in such a well-established family would actually "rebel", it was obvious that this was a living example.
There are people who really want to join Tan Min.
And it's a surrender that requires paying money.
What he asked for was to "let his family go."
Looking around, it is not difficult to see that there are probably more than one or two people like this, otherwise the Yilu Building would not be decorated so well.
Luo Zhongyan thought that the princess's advice to him was not groundless.
The water in the Zhou capital was much deeper than he had expected...
But Zhao Lin obviously had no intention of listening to people's complaints.
In other words, these things were originally planned by him and Tan Min.
"Ahem." Zhao Lin coughed twice, interrupting the other person. Someone immediately served him some fragrant tea. Zhao Lin took a sip and smiled, "Sorry, what did you just say?"
The gentleman seemed to have come to his senses and quickly changed his words: "I mean, I'm eager to make my own contribution to cultural undertakings!"
Zhao Lin seemed to have not heard what the man had just said and pointed in a direction casually.
The man immediately thanked the immortal profusely, clasped his hands together as if making a wish to the immortal, and muttered "all goes well". Then he trotted away with the box full of banknotes.
Its round body really looks like a lively big ball.
Zhao Lin looked at Prince Consort Luo again: "Do you have something to ask me?"
Unexpectedly, Luo Zhongyan, who had just looked curious, now had a calm expression and bowed properly: "No more, thank you for clearing up my doubts, Immortal Lord."
Zhao Lin didn't ask any more questions. He smiled and nodded, then said to Princess Lingyun, "Your father is in the box on the third floor," and then he left slowly.
But he did not go to listen to the opera, but went backstage.
As soon as I walked in, I saw that it was bustling with activity inside, and everyone was preparing for the drama that was about to begin.
Among them, there was only one person sitting in a chair motionless.
Zhao Lin walked over and said with a smile, "Gu Lang, how do you feel?"
Gu Zeyun, who was reading a script, shuddered upon hearing this and reached out to cover the other person's mouth: "I only came here to help you because we used to be bunk beds in school. Don't tease me! Don't call me that!"
Zhao Lin smiled and said, "Why, it doesn't sound good?"
Gu Zeyun didn't know how to react.
In fact, people have been calling him that since the day his work began to be serialized in newspapers.
They are basically "book friends".
Perhaps it was because the vernacular novels in this dimension were still stuck in the stage of talented scholars and beautiful women, and there had never been any exciting novels, or perhaps it was because he had the aura of an immortal, but in short, Gu Zeyun became an instant hit and became the most sought-after writer in Qi, Zhou, and even the surrounding countries.
Even though many people later serialized their works in newspapers, he was still the one with the greatest influence.
The number of readers is also increasing.
Before they traveled through time, their relationship was called "Author" and "Little Angel".
Here, people from another dimension define them as "Gu Lang" and "fans who like Gu Lang."
The word "fan" is also one of the "fairy words", but the first person to enjoy it was not the handsome men and beautiful women in the drama club or the art department, but Gu Zeyun...
But he obviously didn't understand the term "Gu Lang".
In particular, the people of Zhou were relatively tough, and the people expressed themselves very frankly and honestly. So when Gu Zeyun came to the capital of Zhou from the reserved Qi State, he faced countless people expressing their eager expectations of him every day.
Especially this morning, he went to Yilulou for his adapted drama. As soon as he got off the carriage, he heard a voice that was obviously a man's voice, which was overwhelming and loud.
Just imagine, a group of big men with thighs thicker than his waist surrounded him, excitedly calling him "Gu Lang" in loud and powerful voices...
Gu Zeyun shuddered unconsciously.
Don’t ask, I’m afraid QAQ.
Zhao Lin was also very aware of what Gu had been going through these days, so he stopped teasing him and just smiled and said, "It seems that becoming famous also comes with its share of burdens."
Gu Zeyun threw the script down and slumped over the table, wailing, "I never expected that I was just a nobody before I traveled through time, but now that I've traveled through time, I'm caught off guard by a book called Conferred God..."
Zhao Lin was curious: "Why, are you unhappy?"
Gu Zeyun muttered softly, "I'm quite happy, but I feel like it's useless, except for getting a cheesy nickname."
When Gu Zeyun thought of the rough voice of "Gu Lang" just before he entered the door, he felt like crying.
But Zhao Lin said, "That's not bad. I remember you always wanted to be a writer, and now you've finally achieved your wish."
Gu Zeyun said, "But the points haven't increased because of this, and we will definitely go home in the future. It doesn't matter how famous I am here."
Zhao Lin thought about it and said, "Then you can look at the problem from a different angle."
"What's the meaning?"
"Although your points aren't many, your readers now range from commoners to kings and princesses. Which writer has the same prestige as you?"
Gu Zeyun: A smile suddenly appeared.
"Even the urging for updates was personally sent by a prince of a certain country, directly through official diplomatic channels." Zhao Lin actually pulled out a few letters bearing the seal of Qi and handed them over. "This just arrived today. It's a personal letter from Prince Yun of Qi urging updates. Take a look."
Gu Zeyun: The smile suddenly disappeared...
The urging for updates has become a global issue. Isn't this excessive?
With a growling heart and trembling hands, Gu Zeyun took the letter, and even wrinkled it into a ball.
But soon, he suddenly seemed to think of something, and a smile appeared on his face.
This smile actually made Zhao Lin confused.
He had absolutely no intention of teasing this person, and spoke cautiously, "I say, are you okay? Should I contact the school and find a psychology major to help you out?"
Gu Zeyun didn't answer. Instead, he looked at him and asked seriously, "Can I keep these two letters?"
Zhao Lin thought for a moment and said, "Although it's for you, it's a letter between two countries after all. I'm afraid it's not appropriate to just withhold it."
Gu Zeyun didn't force it. He just put the letter in place, then took out his phone and started taking pictures.
Zhao Lin leaned over and looked: "What are you doing?"
Without even looking up, Gu replied, "I can't take the things with me, but you can leave the photos. I'll hang them up when I get home."
Zhao Lin was even more confused: "...Why?"
Then Gu Zeyun replied, "I want my readers to know that I didn't stop updating on purpose."
Zhao Lin blinked and guessed, "Are you trying to tell them that you've traveled through time and space and there are no eunuchs, so they won't hang you on the wall?"
Gu Zeyun said seriously, "No, what I mean is, even though I traveled through time, I didn't treat you specially just because you were the one urging me to update. A good author should treat all readers equally!"
Zhao Lin: ...
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