Chapter 9 Everyone Wants to Conquer Me (9 Chapters Completed)
(The previous chapter has been completed, and this chapter will be completed to 4,000 words tomorrow.)
Just then, Chen Duojin rushed in to report: "Your Majesty, the Plum Garden is on fire."
All eyes turned to him.
Perhaps realizing he had lost his composure, he bowed again and said, "Fortunately, the ladies put out the fire together."
"Your Majesty, your harem seems quite harmonious." Lu Haitang was now daring to joke with Ji Huaizhi.
Lin Yi, however, glanced at the Emperor's expression.
"How did the fire start?" Ji Huaizhi asked listlessly. "Has it been found out?"
"They say the masters are having some kind of barbecue and team building activity." Chen Duojin said confusedly, "This servant hasn't figured out what it is either, but it seems quite strange."
"Let me report to Your Majesty first."
This was the first time Chen Duojin had ever seen the concubines in the harem so...harmonious and unpretentious.
According to the servants, they seem to have been doing this for quite some time.
Ji Huaizhi: "......"
Lu Haitang: "!!!!"
Lin Yi and Lin Er: "???"
"Your Majesty, your harem is certainly lively." Lu Haitang's expression twisted, unable to resist making sarcastic remarks.
Ji Huaizhi looked up: "What, are you jealous?"
Lu Haitang: "How dare I, a mere servant! I am destined to be a servant, born to be someone else's beast of burden!"
Everyone who saw Lu Haitang's expression thought she had gone mad.
Lin Yi couldn't help but step forward and kneel down in front of her: "Your Majesty, please forgive me, Haitang is..."
"When did I say I would punish her?" Ji Huaizhi was speechless.
Ji Huaizhi understood Lu Haitang's current feelings. To put it bluntly, she was working hard at the company without a salary, and when payday came, she found that everyone else in the company was paid better than her. She had done all the dirty and hard work, and in the end, she was only given two coins.
Upon hearing this metaphor, Ji Huaizhi couldn't help but laugh out loud.
The crowd was puzzled.
Lu Haitang's face was still contorted in pain.
She felt mocked, and seeing Lin Yi still kneeling, she pulled him up: "Get up! I told you we're just born to be servants. What's the difference between us and palace maids and eunuchs who are paired up?"
Lin Yi's face turned completely red. He dared not get up, nor did he dare to face the Emperor, so he knelt down again.
Lin Er was completely bewildered.
He wanted to say to Lu Haitang, "If you want to die, don't drag our boss down with you."
Ji Huaizhi seemed to understand something: "Get up."
"Chen Duojin, bring me what I prepared."
"yes."
The three stood in front of the palace. Lu Haitang looked at Ji Huaizhi's displeased expression and thought that these ancient people were bullying her.
They can do the work while others have a barbecue in the plum garden.
He even tried to kill himself before.
Thinking about it, she felt so wronged that she pouted and wiped her tears with her sleeve.
"You always bully me, waah..."
Lin Yi was eager to get started, but then remembered the Emperor was there, so she quickly put it down. What she was most worried about was whether the Emperor would blame her.
Lin Yi's biggest fear was that Lu Haitang would be sentenced to death by the emperor.
Ji Huaizhi raised an eyebrow as he watched this scene.
The black phoenix flapped its wings and flew in front of Lu Haitang: "Hahahaha, I'm dying of laughter."
"Ha ha ha ha."
Lu Haitang completely broke down: "Waaaaaahhhhhhh!"
"This is so unfair."
When Chen Duojin came in carrying the box, he heard Lu Haitang crying loudly. He glanced at the Emperor and noticed that the Emperor was exceptionally tolerant of Miss Lu.
"Alright, stop crying." Ji Huaizhi asked Chen Duojin to bring up the small box.
Lu Haitang cried even louder: "Just cry, just cry!"
"Just kill me already, I don't want to live in this world anymore."
"Bang!" Lin Yi knelt down straight this time.
Chen Duojin's expression contorted for a moment; his knee was probably going to hurt for two days.
"Your Majesty, Haitang didn't do it on purpose. That's just her personality. Please forgive her."
Ji Huaizhi tapped the small wooden box with his fingertips, without saying a word.
Lin Er swallowed hard.
Lu Haitang was also stunned by Lin Yi's strong reaction.
Looking at the Emperor's expression, Chen Duojin felt that although the Emperor was expressionless, he was not angry.
"Lin Yi has been cleaning up your messes a lot lately, hasn't he?" Ji Huaizhi said to Lu Haitang, "Look what you've done to me, the head of the secret guards."
Tears still clung to Lu Haitang's eyes, but suddenly her face flushed red: "Didn't you say you'd have Lin Yi protect me?"
Chen Duojin and Lin Er looked a little strange. Why wasn't the Emperor angry?
Ji Huaizhi opened the box.
Inside was a layer of gold ingots.
Suddenly, little stars appeared in Lu Haitang's eyes, sparkling and glittering.
"You can take these and distribute them. There's nothing to do for now, so take a rest." Ji Huaizhi's head was still throbbing from the noise. "But we'll need you later."
The last sentence was said to Lu Haitang.
Lu Haitang has calmed down now.
I felt a little apprehensive and uneasy.
She was incredibly bold just now. This is a feudal dynasty. Although she now knows that the emperor also has some problems, whether she lives or dies is up to someone else.
Fortunately, the dog emperor can use her now.
She would still feel uneasy if he killed her. Besides, she wouldn't feel good if he implicated certain people. Looking at Lin Yi kneeling on the ground, Lu Haitang felt a mix of emotions.
My thoughts drifted and I couldn't help but pinch the hem of my clothes and kick the empty ground beneath my feet.
The sight of the young girl in the throes of first love left Ji Huaizhi speechless.
It seems that Lu Haitang didn't listen to a single word he said for so long.
No wonder he's a nobody in the real world.
"Alright, all of you, get out of here."
Lu Haitang then coughed awkwardly twice. What kind of expression did that dog emperor have?
As the three were about to leave, Ji Huaizhi called Lu Haitang back again: "When you have time, take a stroll around the inner palace and select a few useful people for me. You should understand what I mean."
After nodding, Lu Haitang cursed herself inwardly for being destined to be a servant.
Once outside, Lin Er looked at Lu Haitang as if she were an idiot: "Brother, you'd better teach her properly, just in case she dies one day..."
He didn't say anything more after that, and just turned and left.
Lu Haitang: "Hehe."
Lin Yi: "Did you just realize how dangerous you were?"
Lu Haitang wanted to say something but swallowed it back. Looking at Lin Yi's cold face, she asked, "If the emperor killed me, would you fight him to the death?"
Lin Yi was stunned for a moment before shaking his head.
Lu Haitang retorted angrily, "I knew it! In your heart, that dog of an emperor is still more important!"
Lin Yi covered her mouth with a dark expression: "Are you out of your mind?"
I couldn't help but scold her.
Looking at her aggrieved face, he turned his head and said, "I will commit suicide and go with you."
Lu Haitang stomped her foot angrily: "Why am I talking to you, you blockhead, about this?"
He took a couple of steps, then turned back and asked a thought-provoking question: "If I and he fell into the water, who would you save first?"
Lin Yi: "Your Majesty."
"But he can swim. What if I drown if you don't save me first?"
Lin Yi: "I'm a great swimmer. I'll save you before you drown. If all else fails, there's always Lin Er."
"Lin Er is not here!"
Lu Haitang knew he was talking nonsense. His concept since childhood was to protect the emperor. Why was he arguing about this?
"Never mind," Lu Haitang sighed. "I'm just destined to be a servant."
Lin Yi pursed her lips: "Miss Lu!"
"Lin Yi must be loyal to the Emperor. If I really cannot save you, I will go with you."
"I will live and die with you."
Looking at his serious face, Lu Haitang couldn't help but curse:
"fool!!!"
Watching the two figures depart, the phoenix on Ji Huaizhi's shoulder kept mimicking their words:
"fool!"
"fool"
~
Standing behind Ji Huaizhi, Chen Duojin thought to himself that the Emperor was truly tolerant of Miss Lu.
His heart tightened the moment he heard the words "dog emperor."
Unexpectedly, the emperor didn't kill Miss Lu. Instead, he watched them with an expression of amusement. He really couldn't understand the emperor anymore.
And the same goes for the palace.
Everything about it felt eerie.
Those young masters acted irrationally, behaved strangely, and spoke very undignifiedly.
She doesn't have the demeanor of a well-bred lady at all.
They don't seem like people from this world.
Chen Duojin looked up at the Emperor, but the thought in his mind startled him, and he immediately looked away and lowered his head.
"Chen Duojin".
"Your servant is here."
Ji Huaizhi turned around; "The losses from today's fire will be borne by the ladies of the palace present."
A look of surprise flashed across Chen Duojin's eyes: "Yes."
When the concubines in the palace heard the news, they all exclaimed that this was a stingy emperor like Zhou Bapi (a notorious miser). They whispered that they had never seen such a stingy emperor, and could only reluctantly hand over their money.
Those who don't have silver can donate jewelry.
If none of these are provided, then no monthly allowance will be issued.
The concubines in the palaces were complaining bitterly.
At this moment, four women were playing mahjong in the pavilion of the Imperial Garden.
"Do you think there's something wrong with this emperor? He's different from the tyrant in the strategy guide." Nan Daying frowned in confusion: "Yaoji."
"Pong!" Consort Lan took the One of Bamboo and played another card: "I don't think he wants to talk to us."
"You still believe the news we just received when we arrived in this world? The entire harem has been riddled with holes by us." Consort Ling touched the tile she had just picked up with her thumb, placed it on the table, and shouted, "Self-draw!"
"How come you keep winning by self-draw?" Nan asked, leaning closer with a suspicious look. "We're going to investigate after this round. If you're bluffing, you'll have to pay for your whole family!"
Ling replied with a fierce expression: "I used to be the mahjong master of our area!"
"You can doubt anything but my card skills."
"Do you think the one in the palace is also dressed like that?" Consort Lan whispered.
"So many people in this harem are here to seduce him, and I'm already prepared for the possibility that I might never be able to leave." Consort Lan saw a palace maid who hadn't spoken to her draw a five of bamboo and immediately won.
She continued, "I always felt that he might be like us. After all, there are people like that everywhere in this place. I wouldn't find it strange if he were possessed."
Ling replied, "Who cares? Besides, Hu Changzai is the one the Emperor truly loves right now."
"We don't think we have a chance."
"Just by looking at Consort Hu, you can tell how fierce the Emperor is. Those dark circles under his eyes are comparable to those of the giant pandas in my hometown."
At this moment, Hu Yao, the giant panda, stared blankly at the pile of account books in front of her, and felt her heart pounding.
"My lady, why don't you take a rest first?"
Hu Yao: "No, after I finished all that, the Emperor allowed me to go out and do business. He even said that if I did well, he would give the Hu family a plaque designating them as imperial merchants."
"Therefore, I must make the Emperor see my usefulness!"
Once they have the title of imperial merchant, the Hu family will no longer be fish to be slaughtered.
Merchants were considered lowly, and in order to find officials to rely on, they would haul away boxes of gold, silver, and valuables into other people's homes.
Even so, it couldn't escape the contemptuous gazes of those people.
They also face the risk of being abandoned at any time.
She has now discovered something more interesting than being an empress: living on her own.
As long as she has the Emperor as her powerful backer, this path will be easier than it was for her father.
When Lu Haitang arrived at the inner palace, she happened to run into four people playing mahjong in the pavilion. Her lips twitched, and she thought to herself that she hadn't come at the right time.
She was born to be a kitchen maid in the imperial kitchen, while everyone else was a concubine or mistress in the palace.
Comparing yourself to others will only make you miserable.
Consort Lan saw her first and asked in a high-pitched voice, "Which palace is this young lady from? I've never seen her before?"
You can tell from her appearance that she's just like these people.
"Me?" Lu Haitang stepped forward familiarly: "My name is Lu Haitang. I'm not as lucky as you. I run a business outside the palace."
The others exchanged glances, their eyes asking a question.
Can I go outside the palace? No, wait, for business?
"You may leave now." Nan Ying dismissed the maid and let Lu Haitang sit and chat, her tone somewhat curious: "How do we get out of the palace? Can we go?"
Lu Haitang smiled and said, "Of course."
It can't be that everyone else is enjoying themselves in the palace while she's the only one doing the work.
"Sure, what did you do before you came here?" Lu Haitang asked Nan Yiding.
Consort Lan frowned, sensing that her smile was not well-intentioned.
Nan smiled shyly and said, "Me? I used to be a borderline streamer."
The others looked at her in surprise, while Ling Yi said speechlessly, "Wait, why does it feel like the world has gone awry? Even a borderline streamer can time travel?"
"What? Is there a major restriction for time travel?" Nan Daying retorted, unconvinced.
Lu Haitang didn't realize it either: "It shouldn't be a restriction on majors. I used to be a company employee, and I was also in sales."
Ling replied, "I'm a medical student."
Lu Haitang's eyes lit up. This would be useful; she could go to the Imperial Hospital.
Consort Lan looked at him suspiciously: "Did the Emperor send you?"
"I guess so. You might not know this since you're new here." Lu Haitang straightened her back instantly. "This world is a mess, but the tyrant is a real tyrant. I used to hear a lot about him killing people when I was in the imperial kitchen."
"But if someone is capable, there's no need to worry; they can do things for him. He won't keep someone who isn't capable for nothing."
"Don't even think about trying to conquer him. All the useless people who came to try have been killed by him."
Lu Haitang raised an eyebrow; she considered herself a veteran of the startup company.
So she spoke to them in the tone of a senior.
Consort Lan and the others exchanged glances, not having considered this possibility. The Emperor had already made them pay compensation for burning down the Plum Garden; if they were truly useless, would he really kill them?
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