Chapter 289 The Diligent Emperor Used as Cannon Fodder (XIV) Lin You Accompanies...
Lin You accompanied Murong Yu out of the palace and quickly noticed the change in the monitoring subsystem's data; the energy of subsystem number two had dropped from 79 to 78.
Although it's unclear why the mission objective hasn't been met yet and the device is already losing energy, it's pretty certain that the issue is related to Murong Yu leaving the palace.
Their fishing plan was most likely a success.
Inside Su Ji's pastry shop, Li Tianle was still mocking the system, but no matter how much he tried to provoke it, the system remained unmoved.
His hand holding the teacup paused. Back when he was all alone, this guy had repeatedly driven him to a frenzy by his insults. Now, his calm demeanor suggested he was plotting something and acting with impunity.
Subsystem 2 had indeed gotten used to being teased by Li Tianle, and now it didn't care about what he said anymore. It was just a matter of getting the better of him with his words. There would be a time when Li Tianle would be begging for his help.
[You haven't even received the snacks yet, so your task isn't complete. If you think it's too slow, you can urge the waiter to hurry up. Taking the funds I gave you to do tasks and still being picky—no wonder you're not earning points.]
When Subsystem 2 mentioned silver, it unconsciously emphasized it a bit, because Li Tianle was slacking off and it hadn't earned any energy in this world.
It exchanged its own energy for those ten taels of silver. Currency is the least cost-effective form of exchange, and it couldn't show Li Tianle the difficulty it was having in earning even ten taels of silver.
Just as Li Tianle was about to continue arguing with the system to see if he could get more information, a carriage that looked unassuming but was clearly expensive arrived outside the pastry shop.
A group of tall and imposing guards followed beside the car. The leader of the guards strode into the shop and directly ordered to buy all kinds of fresh pastries.
The shopkeeper hurriedly went to greet them, glancing discreetly at the carriage outside. His already obsequious attitude became even more subdued as he warmly welcomed them:
"My lord, it's quite unfortunate. This young master just bought all three kinds of pastries we had in the shop. What do you think of this..."
He looked at Li Tianle and smiled ingratiatingly: "Young master, we have a distinguished guest today. How about we change your menu to something else, or perhaps you can come back tomorrow?"
Although he spoke in a consultative tone, the shopkeeper had already pushed the ten taels of silver that Li Tianle had given him toward his hand.
At this point, Li Tianle, who has modern habits, would definitely not be able to resist stepping forward to argue, or at the very least, to put his mind to something.
At that time, this host will be able to witness the true power that belongs to this world. Only when he truly realizes that he is in a state where even his life can be taken or killed at will will he know the benefits of power and have the idea of climbing up.
Under the system's expectant gaze, Li Tianle did indeed take two steps forward. When he met the attendant's somewhat sharp gaze, he simply calmly took back his silver.
After putting the silver in his sleeve, he added a clarification: "These pastries haven't been delivered to me yet, so I haven't touched them." In other words, if there were any problems with the pastries, it was none of his business, and he shouldn't come looking for trouble.
Everyone else stole your snacks, and the shopkeeper is being unreasonable, ignoring the "first come, first served" rule. How could you not even utter a word of argument? Could you be any more spineless?!
The system's voice carried a hint of exasperation; the task it had deliberately expended energy to issue was not intended to produce this effect!
Li Tianle stood to the side with his hands in his pockets, deliberately keeping a distance to avoid suspicion, calmly rebuking the system as he watched the attendant unload things from the carriage outside:
"Aren't those snacks yours? Why am I in such a hurry? Anyway, the task you gave us was to pack up and clear out all three kinds of snacks. We can just pack them up after everyone else has bought them. Maybe we can even save some money."
Li Tianle, with the ten taels of silver in his pocket, openly expressed his intention to take a kickback.
He wasn't out of his mind; just by looking at the angle of the shopkeeper's bow to the newcomer, he could tell that the newcomer was no ordinary person.
Let alone ancient times, even in modern times, how many people would be so tactless as to try and steal snacks from the company's shareholders or CEO?!
Having already captured the system information, Lin You listened to the two bickering for a while before urging Murong Yu to give the newly found "evil creature" host a reward.
This one seems to have a better strategy than the one in the palace. If we can win him over to cooperate, we should be able to get rid of Subsystem Number Two very quickly.
Li Tianle sat in the corner, watching the attendant carry the pastries that the young waiter had originally packed for him, one trip after another. Presumably to keep strangers away from the carriage, the attendant did not ask for help.
He could carry seven or eight boxes of pastries in one trip, stacking them high and walking quite fast, and the boxes didn't even budge. Although Li Tianle tried his best to restrain himself, he couldn't help but show a look of amazement.
Most importantly, this person bears a striking resemblance to his own student, Pei Chengzhi. He wonders if this is related to the crisis the system mentioned.
Pei Ce is the third son of the old Marquis of Anyang. He is seventeen years younger than his elder brother who inherited the title, and is now in his twenties.
Because of his noble birth and superb martial arts skills, he is now the deputy commander of the guards by His Majesty's side. Since His Majesty rarely leaves the palace, spending most of his time in the palace, his job is relatively easy.
Today, His Majesty is in a rare mood and wants to go out of the palace for a stroll, to reminisce about the snacks he used to eat as a child. Naturally, Pei Ce, the leader of the group, will make arrangements for him.
Although His Majesty did not inform us in advance, the matter still needed to be handled, and fortunately the shopkeeper was capable of doing things.
The other customer who bought snacks was also perceptive; he didn't argue or make a scene, and the matter was resolved perfectly.
After Murong Yu and Lin You confirmed that the man waiting in the shop was indeed the possessed object of another evil spirit, their anxiety finally subsided.
That evil creature must be sick. Although this man is indeed handsome, I don't have any homosexual tendencies. This is simply too much.
While mentally complaining, Murong Yu couldn't help but glance at him again, "Why does this guy look so familiar?"
Just as he was about to suggest having someone investigate, the Grand Eunuch, who had always served the Emperor and possessed an excellent memory and keen sense of perception, stepped forward to remind him:
"Your Majesty, I didn't expect that the third-ranked scholar, Lord Li Tianle, would also be buying snacks here."
Murong Yu then realized that he had indeed selected a handsome and unparalleled third-ranked scholar for the imperial examination, but not long after, the palace was plagued by "evil spirits," and he had no time to pay attention to the existence of a third-ranked scholar.
At that time, another evil entity probably chose to possess him because his identity made it easier for him to get close to the emperor.
Murong Yu summoned Pei Ce and instructed him to deliver twenty taels of silver as a reward to Li Tianle, and then to ask him a question.
"His Majesty asked me to inquire of the third-ranked scholar: Today is not a day off, so why is Lord Li not at the yamen, but instead here, and has even bought so many pastries?"
When Li Tianle received the money from Pei Ce, he was quite happy. He had actually encountered such a classic novel scene. But after hearing what the other party had to say, he immediately stopped smiling.
Li Tianle wanted to continue pretending to be stupid, but this attendant—no, the person beside His Majesty shouldn't be called an attendant, but a guard.
The guard had made it clear to him that His Majesty had ordered the question to be asked, and there was no way he could get away with it.
In modern terms, it would be like him sneaking out of the company during lunch break to buy snacks, only to have the limited-edition snacks intercepted by the chairman, who also happened to recognize him.
Although lunch break isn't considered working time, it's not exactly the same as quitting time either. But that's not the most important thing. The important thing is, why would a poor editor like him spend so much money to come here and buy snacks?
Ten taels of silver might not be much in the hands of a wealthy family's son, but why would a poor scholar like him buy so many pastries?
If it were a gift, then the only people he knew in the entire capital were his colleagues and superiors at the Hanlin Academy. Half a tael of silver wasn't a lot, but it wasn't something an ordinary family could afford to eat casually, so it inevitably had the air of currying favor.
If it were just snacks for his own consumption, even including the four students in his family, twenty packets of snacks would be far too much and would be considered extravagant and wasteful.
But if you don't even have an excuse, then the problem is even more serious. His Majesty just happened to be buying some snacks, and you stayed in the shop to buy them and even pack them up. Could it be that you have something deeper going on, spying on the Emperor's whereabouts?
Seeing that Li Tianle hesitated for a while without answering, Pei Ce's expression gradually turned cold, and his voice became threatening: "Does Lord Li have some unspeakable difficulty?"
Li Tianle nodded, glancing meaningfully at the pastry shop owner. The owner tactfully led his young assistant away, and only then did Li Tianle lead Pei Ce to a corner, whispering:
“My family is poor, and the expenses in the capital are quite high. I just bought a house, and I am very short of money. That’s why I’m looking for a way to make money.”
I usually do a lot of research on food, so I just wanted to take a look at other people's desserts and compare them with my own, so I can have a better idea of what to make.
Even though Pei Ce had seen a lot and was well-informed by following His Majesty, he was taken aback by Pei Ce's simple and unadorned secret. His originally fierce eyes turned into something indescribable.
Li Tianle was still muttering to himself, "I just bought a new house and moved yesterday. If someone comes to congratulate me on my housewarming, these snacks can be given as a return gift. If no one comes, and it's getting cold today, I can just eat them myself and not waste them."
As for why I'm out now, I asked my boss for an hour's leave. I'll be back in a bit, so it won't interfere with my afternoon work. I can also grab a snack here and save on lunch.
Li Tianle spoke his last sentence even more softly. Pei Ce glanced at the half-empty plate of pastries next to where Li Tianle had been sitting and quickly waved his hand.
"Alright, I will explain the situation to His Majesty. If you've eaten your fill, Lord Li, please return to the Hanlin Academy as soon as possible."
After saying that, Pei Ce touched his purse again, took out two taels of silver and handed it over, "This is to congratulate Lord Li on his housewarming."
After saying that, he followed the carriage outside back to the palace, leaving Li Tianle with his hands in his pockets. He continued to call out to the young waiter who peeked out, to pack up the remaining three pastries for him, and also wrapped the two leftover samples in oil paper and took them with him.
There weren't many of the three items left this time, only six boxes were packed. The shopkeeper gave him two extra boxes and deliberately charged him one tael less silver, saying it was compensation for the long wait, but it was actually a calming fee for Li Tianle.
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