Achoo...
Li Mo rubbed his nose, wondering who had been talking about him, and then walked into the Hengtong headquarters. The place was already under martial law, with armored soldiers inside and out. Judging from the style of their armor, they should be the personal guards of the Prince of Prince of Southern Pacification.
Guided by the armored soldiers, he passed through the main hall and went directly to the storeroom.
The warehouse had already been organized, with all sorts of supplies piled up like mountains, and people bustling in and out.
The adults had been sitting there for half a day, drinking tea and going to the toilet several times; none of them looked too happy.
Since ancient times, there have never been officials or people of low rank.
This person is a businessman.
But Li Mo is not a businessman, and even these old foxes can't figure out what reason he had for hosting this grand event; it wouldn't be right to say it was just a whim.
Who would just throw a mountain of gold out on a whim?
Sun Gui had been carefully attending to Li Mo the whole time, wiping away sweat from time to time and glancing towards the door. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Li Mo arrive.
"The officials have been waiting for a long time. This is Minister Song of the Ministry of Revenue, and this is Vice Minister Qian of the Ministry of Revenue. They will both need to sign off on the inspection later."
Zhong Qin was still wearing a long robe today, and his tone was gentle, unlike that of a general who had spent his life on the battlefield.
"It is thanks to Li Mo's generous donation that our urgent need has been resolved. We must work together to ensure this matter is handled perfectly."
After exchanging glances with his colleagues, Song Baiyue nodded slightly and said, "Li Mo, this is a serious matter that cannot be delayed, are you aware of that?"
The matter of being late is now behind us.
Li Mo has only paid a deposit and has not yet paid the balance.
This guy doesn't even give the Crown Prince face; he's just a hotheaded young man. It seems His Majesty also favors him. Trying to act arrogantly in front of him won't work.
"That's right. I just heard from Sun Gui that the materials are almost ready. Let's start inspecting them now."
Li Mo nodded.
As he spoke, Sun Gui took a list and read it aloud as he walked:
"Hundred pieces of plain yarn."
"Three hundred logs."
"Six hundred mackerel, four hundred pine nut chickens... two hundred thousand shi of fine grain... one hundred thousand shi of horse fodder..."
"Wait, stop!"
Vice Minister Qian suddenly stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening as he stared at the grain that was still being continuously transported into the warehouse.
"Li Mo, what are you doing with so much grain?"
"Just like the ingredients, cooking is a must. It's a grand flower festival, a celebration for all, so everyone has to eat and drink well. What if the flowers get too thin from hunger?"
Little Li looked completely innocent, and his reasoning was sound.
"That doesn't even require 200,000 shi (a unit of dry measure). Are you feeding pigs?"
Vice Minister Qian still felt something was amiss.
"Oh, I have a famous dish that uses the essence of all grains. It takes a hundred pounds of grain to produce just one ounce, and it tastes delicious."
"What about horse grass? Can horse grass be used in cooking?"
"They've come from afar; we can't just let the horses run without giving them grass."
"..."
Vice Minister Qian scratched his head as he listened, finding it both reasonable and somehow wrong.
He glanced at Minister Song, and seeing that his superior hadn't said anything, he reluctantly nodded.
They walked for a while longer.
"Ten thousand Iron Essence swords, seventy thousand long spears..."
"What the heck?"
Vice Minister Qian couldn't hold back any longer, pointing to the mountain of weapons:
"Li Mo, are these also for the Hundred Flowers Festival?"
"As everyone knows, my Cold Fairy's swordsmanship is unparalleled. With a single sword dance, she can summon ten thousand swords into the air. Not only that, her musical talent is also unparalleled. When the 'Heavenly King Breaking Formation Melody' is played, it can make weapons dance, as if a thousand troops were on the move."
Li Mo's story was very detailed and convincing.
"So these are all performance props?"
Vice Minister Qian looked to Prince of Southern Pacification for confirmation.
"That's right, performance props." Zhong Qin's lips twitched slightly, as if he had guessed what Li Mo was going to do.
But after guessing it, he had to say it made even more sense.
Minister Song coughed lightly. "You have little military experience and don't understand. Since the Prince of Southern Pacification says there's no problem, then it should be appropriate."
"..." Vice Minister Qian was well-read, but he had never served in the military.
But he always felt that this didn't resemble a grand event at all...
Now that we have food and weapons, if you were to raise your arms and call for action again...
A moment later.
Everyone stared at the bright yellow garment not far away, lost in thought.
"Li Mo, I knew something was wrong with you! What are you planning to do!" Vice Minister Qian slammed his hand on the table.
He was a little skeptical at first, but now he's certain!
"Hiss... Young Hero Li, you've gone a bit too far."
Having accepted the bribe, Minister Song could no longer turn a blind eye.
The Prince of Southern Pacification coughed lightly, looking at Li Mo with a questioning gaze, his wise and profound eyes filled with confusion.
Could he be mistaken?
He thought the kid just wanted to find a different way to support the garrison in the Southern Border, so that they wouldn't lack food and weapons.
Is this kid planning to drape this garment over his shoulders and do something outrageous with him?
You've really put me in a terrible situation! If this were to become known...
"Um?"
Li Mo was taken aback, looking equally bewildered. "This isn't among the things I asked for?"
Sun Gui was silent for a moment, then scratched the back of his head. "Um, Brother Li, didn't you say you wanted to make the most prestigious and expensive garment?"
"That's right."
Li Mo remembered.
"You even said you wanted to make it the most gorgeous design in the world."
"That's true..."
"Moreover, the person you said you wanted to give it to is someone who shines brightly in your heart, someone who transcends the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, and that garment is something you would wear on your wedding day."
"I did say that."
Zhong Qin took a deep breath and leaned back slightly.
He had only taught Li Mo a little bit of the art of defeating tens of thousands of people, but he never expected that Li Moyi would hold such an important place in his heart.
But... but this kind of thing...
You've really put me in a terrible situation...
"Li Mo, the evidence is right here, what excuses do you have left?! This is the Imperial Capital, if you have any ulterior motives, you should think twice. You'd better not commit such a grave mistake..."
Vice Minister Qian, outwardly fierce but inwardly weak, began to observe whether there were any axemen lying in ambush on his left and right.
"What the hell is all this about?!"
Li Mo finally figured it out and threw the bright yellow clothes on the ground:
"What I want is a phoenix-embroidered crown and a rosy cloak!"
"???"
That's right.
Ever since he had that dream about getting married, the image of Ice Block wearing a phoenix-embroidered crown has lingered in Li Mo's mind.
So when they needed supplies, they also asked Sun Gui to find the best tailor in the Imperial Capital to make the clothes that Ice Block wore that day.
To be more specific, he described it in detail.
Unexpectedly, Sun Gui actually dared to listen, and that tailor actually dared to do it!
So this was a misunderstanding?
Zhong Qin clicked his tongue.
Li Mo: "??"
Uncle Zhong, what are you disappointed about?
"No, regardless of whether it's a misunderstanding or not, if the Heaven Patrol Guard doesn't investigate this matter, we won't be able to escape responsibility." Vice Minister Qian's survival instinct was at its peak.
This is just the clothes, for good measure.
There's still so much food and weapons.
He even saw dozens of siege crossbows!
If you put all these together, who can handle it?
Minister Song also frowned, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.
At this moment, Sun Gui approached, first dismissing the others, then took out the list from earlier and showed it to the two officials, whispering:
"My lords, the money has already passed through your hands, and the gold and silver used to order these things have been spent. If this matter comes to light, I'm afraid not only will everything fall apart, but you gentlemen will also..."
This list has been manipulated.
It contains the amounts that each of you gentlemen is entitled to.
So from the moment they received the money, they were tied to the ship.
Minister Song, Vice Minister, and the other officials all knew in advance; they felt more at ease knowing that everyone would share the money.
No one expected this to happen.
"Well, in my opinion, these things are all quite ordinary, nothing special at all."
"Young Hero Li is truly thorough in every aspect."
"Since it was a misunderstanding, then it's all over, right? Let's order some food first, I'm starving."