Is This All Performance Props

"Achoo..."

Li Mo wiped his nose, wondering who had been talking about him, then stepped through the gates of Hengtong Bank. The place was already under heavy guard, with armored soldiers stationed both inside and out. Judging by the design of their armor, they were likely the personal troops of the Southern Suppressing King.

Under the soldiers' guidance, he crossed the main hall and headed straight for the warehouse.

The warehouse had long been prepared, with mountains of supplies piled high and people bustling in and out.

The officials had been waiting there for hours, drinking tea until they had made multiple trips to the outhouse. Their expressions were far from pleased.

Since when did officials wait for others?

This person was a merchant's man.

But Li Mo was no merchant. In fact, these old foxes couldn’t even fathom his motives for organizing this grand event. It couldn’t just be a whim.

Who in their right mind would toss out a mountain of gold on a whim?

Sun Gui had been hovering nearby, anxiously wiping sweat and glancing at the door. When he finally saw Li Mo arrive, he let out a sigh of relief.

"The esteemed officials have been waiting for quite some time. This is Minister Song Baiyue of the Ministry of Revenue, and this is Vice Minister Qian. Both will need to inspect and sign off on the inventory later."

Zhong Qin, dressed as usual in a long robe, spoke with a gentleness unbefitting a battle-hardened general:

"Thanks to Li Mo’s generosity, we’ve managed to avert a crisis. Let’s work together to ensure this affair concludes smoothly."

After exchanging glances with his colleague, Song Baiyue nodded slightly. "Li Mo, this is a matter of great importance. There’s no room for delay—do you understand?"

The matter of his tardiness was brushed aside.

Li Mo had only paid the deposit, not the full sum.

This was a man who wouldn’t even give the Crown Prince face—a reckless youth, yet one who seemed to have the Emperor’s favor. Playing the authority card here probably wouldn’t work.

"Indeed. Just now, Sun Gui mentioned the preparations are nearly complete. Let’s begin the inspection."

Li Mo nodded.

With that, Sun Gui unfurled a list and began reading aloud as they walked:

"One hundred bolts of plain silk."

"Three hundred logs of raw timber."

"Six hundred bluefin fish, four hundred pine-nut chickens... two hundred thousand dan of refined grain... one hundred thousand dan of horse fodder..."

"Wait, hold on!"

Vice Minister Qian suddenly stopped in his tracks, eyes widening at the endless stream of grain still being hauled into the warehouse.

"Li Mo, what do you need so much grain for?"

"Same as the other ingredients—for cooking. The Grand Blooming Festival is a celebration for all under heaven. Shouldn’t everyone eat and drink well? Besides, what if the flowers wither from hunger?"

Li Mo looked utterly innocent, his reasoning airtight.

"But two hundred thousand dan? Are you feeding pigs?"

Vice Minister Qian still wasn’t convinced.

"Ah, I have a signature dish that extracts the essence of a hundred grains. It takes a hundred jin to produce just one liang, but the flavor is exquisite."

"And the horse fodder? Can you cook with that too?"

"Well, when guests come from afar, you can’t just make the horses run without feeding them."

"..."

Vice Minister Qian scratched his head. It sounded logical, yet something felt off.

He glanced at Minister Song, but when his superior remained silent, he reluctantly nodded.

They walked a little farther.

"Ten thousand tempered steel swords, seventy thousand long halberds..."

"What in the—?"

Vice Minister Qian lost his composure again, pointing at the mountainous pile of weapons.

"Li Mo, are these for the Grand Blooming Festival too?"

"As everyone knows, my Frost Fairy is a peerless swordswoman. A single dance of her blade can summon ten thousand swords to the skies. Not only that, her musical prowess is unmatched. When she plays 'The Heavenly King’s Battle Array,' weapons rise and dance like an army charging into battle."

Li Mo spoke with such conviction it almost sounded true.

"So these are... performance props?"

Vice Minister Qian looked to the Southern Suppressing King for confirmation.

"Indeed. Performance props." Zhong Qin’s lips twitched, as if he’d guessed Li Mo’s plan.

But having guessed it, he had no choice but to play along.

Minister Song cleared his throat. "You’ve never served in the military, so you wouldn’t know. If the Southern Suppressing King says it’s fine, then it must be appropriate."

"..." Vice Minister Qian had read many books, but he’d never been a soldier.

Still, this didn’t feel like preparations for a festival...

Now they had grain, weapons... if this kid just raised his arm and called for a revolt...

A moment later.

Everyone stared at the bright yellow robe in the distance and fell into deep thought.

...