landbeastnovel Chapter 22, The Young Master Takes His Seat
Chapter 22, The Young Master Takes His Seat
Li Lang's appearance here was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather a well-thought-out one.
For the past three days, Li Lang has spent all his time in the restaurant, memorizing all the casual conversations of the various diners, then summarizing and filtering them to finally select the information he wanted.
The Great Yuan has been established for a long time, and now it is a time of peace and prosperity. The people admire literature and dislike martial arts, and the trend of refined learning is dominant.
Indeed, the ironclad rule that martial arts are practiced in times of chaos and literature is practiced in times of prosperity holds true everywhere.
Li Lang also knew this information from the original owner's memories, but the original owner was, after all, just a scholar living far away in the countryside, with extremely limited knowledge and no knowledge of the customs and culture of the capital.
The most vibrant and beautiful scenery in the capital city can be found at Qifeng Tower.
As soon as Li Lang stepped into Qifeng Tower, a woman gracefully approached him.
"Please follow me, young master." The woman stood gracefully, bowing slowly. Her moon-white dress made her look like a delicate lotus flower, a sight to behold.
At first glance, this woman's appearance was stunning, but what was even more stunning was her voice, crisp and sweet like a nightingale's song, melodious and lingering. Even Lin Chi-ling at her peak in her previous life could not have been more beautiful.
However, she was just a greeter.
"Um."
Li Lang was slightly surprised, but his expression remained calm as still water. He nodded slightly and casually responded.
The woman smiled sweetly and turned to lead the way. She had seen many handsome young men, but few could remain so calm and composed. Could it be that a distinguished guest had arrived today?
On the fifteenth of each month, it is the time when the Moon Maiden plays the zither in search of a kindred spirit.
Within the capital, all the well-known young men eagerly awaited the moon's favor, hoping to create a beautiful story of moon-viewing.
Nalan Mingyue, a true jewel of nobility, whose ancestors were founding heroes of the Great Yuan Dynasty, were blessed with imperial favor and enjoyed unparalleled glory. However, with the changing times and the fall of dynasties, the nobility has fallen into ruin, and the jewel has been tarnished.
Nalan Mingyue was known as the most beautiful woman in Dayuan. Although she lived in the mortal world, she had a strong personality and made a vow that if she could not find a man with good looks and virtue, she would rather die in the tower.
Upon hearing of this wish, all the people of Dayuan were filled with admiration; in an instant, admirers flocked to her like a swarm of locusts crossing a river, willing to give anything to catch a glimpse of her beauty.
Today is the fifteenth.
Inside the hall, the lights were as bright as day, though its luxurious decorations were only slightly less extravagant than those of an imperial palace.
The hall was spacious, with only six seats: six square tables made of Phoebe zhennan wood and six chairs. Four people were already seated.
On each square table is a white jade plate, elegantly called gold-inlaid jade.
So the question arises: why are gold inlaid on what are clearly just pure jade plates? The answer is yes, because four silver notes are already securely placed inside the six jade plates, which is the reason for the gold inlay on the jade.
How elegant! It's clearly just about buying seats, yet they've managed to make it so fancy? Li Lang couldn't help but admire them inwardly.
"Would you like to take a seat, young master?" The woman in the white dress asked in a sweet, gentle voice again, her smile revealing a hint of anticipation in her eyes.
This woman is still a bit inexperienced and impatient! Under normal circumstances, a female greeter completes her task by welcoming guests into the lobby and does not ask if they want to be seated.
Taking a seat is essentially a scramble for a seat, and the scramble for a seat doesn't care about status, it's all about money.
Placing a silver note on a jade plate clearly indicates your intention to sit down, but this is not a sure thing. If someone else also takes a liking to the table and places a silver note on the same jade plate, that's considered robbing someone for a seat.
Moreover, the seat-grabbing activity can be done by two people or multiple people, and whoever puts the largest denomination of silver notes into the jade plate at the end wins the seat-grabbing.
Dozens of people had already gathered in the large hall. Those who could come here were all prominent figures, rich and powerful. These people came out to have fun and save face.
However, they would rather stand than sit down, or they would not sit down easily.
Everyone is standing, and their social status is not significantly different, so everyone saves face.
However, if anyone in the group were to sit down without thinking, it would be a slap in the face for everyone, and such a slap in the face is unacceptable. The only thing they can do is to get revenge.
As a result, bloody battles often occurred within the jade plate.
Therefore, taking a seat doesn't necessarily mean gaining face; more likely, you'll be slapped in the face.
Therefore, the woman in the white dress's question at this moment was somewhat inappropriate, or to put it bluntly, it was somewhat malicious.
Of course, this can't be blamed on her; that's just her job. Assessing the strength of a newcomer like this is her duty.
"Hmm." Li Lang nodded with a smile, then took out a ten-tael silver ingot and handed it over.
The woman was taken aback, her face full of confusion; what did this mean? Ten taels of silver and he dared to sit down? Didn't he see that the other tables were all piled with silver notes? Was this young master an imposter?
Meanwhile, some of the young masters standing nearby chuckled softly when they saw Li Lang pull out ten taels of silver. Was this guy stupid? Making a fool of himself here?
"Take this, go have some tea," Li Lang said gently again.
"Thank you, thank you, young master." The woman in the white dress felt relieved as she accepted the reward money with both hands, repeatedly expressing her gratitude.
The tip was ten taels of silver, which is quite rare even here. Keep in mind that this woman, despite her glamorous appearance, only earns two taels of silver a month.
Immediately afterwards, Li Lang took out another silver note and handed it over.
"Jin Xiangyu, please take a seat." Li Lang's words remained gentle, his emotions unaffected by the sneers of others. He didn't even glance in that direction, as if these people were beneath his notice, and even a glance would be disrespectful to his eyes.
The woman in the white dress was a little nervous. She had seen many arrogant young men, but she had never seen one as arrogant as Li Lang before.
"A gentleman as refined as jade—this must be the epitome of such a person!" the woman thought to herself. She accepted the silver note, walked directly to the empty table, and respectfully placed it on a jade plate. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she turned back, saw Li Lang, and asked with a charming smile, "How should I address you, sir?"
"Not at all!" Li Lang replied with a smile.
"Young Master Bulang, please take a seat!" Upon hearing this title, the woman in the white dress was taken aback at first, but quickly recovered and smiled knowingly, her melodious voice ringing out again.
One hundred taels of silver is neither too much nor too little; it's enough to get a seat.
As the woman in the white dress spoke, the hall fell silent for a moment, then erupted in uproar.
"This person looks unfamiliar, yet they dared to sit down as soon as they arrived?"
"Exactly, I've never seen him before. Is he some country bumpkin from out of town?"
"No, this young master's demeanor seems extraordinary."
Immediately, everyone started discussing it.
It's not unusual for people to sit down; they've done it before when they had plenty of money. But most of them regret it afterward. Why?