socalfunplaces Chapter 1313 Ye Lan cosplays the first clay pot chicken from the Ming Dynasty
Chapter 1313 Ye Lan cosplays the first clay pot chicken from the Ming Dynasty
On the second day in Liyue, just as dawn was breaking, merchant ships began to dock one after another, though the scene was somewhat desolate compared to the usual bustling activity.
Vendors carrying loads of food shuttled through the streets and alleys, their shouts rising and falling; it was another ordinary day.
For the people of Liyue, the Keqing coup was at most just a topic of conversation among the common people.
At Tian Tiezui's open-air storytelling stall, customers were discussing the "Yuheng Star seizing power" and "Seven Stars in turmoil" with great seriousness.
They can put down their teacups, go to work if they need to, or set up their stalls if they need to, and life goes on as usual.
After all, in the hearts of the people of Liyue, if the sky falls, there are powerful people and immortals to hold it up, so why should ordinary people have to worry about it?
We survived the perilous Demon God War back then, so what's a little change at the top?
Living a good life and earning Mora to support your family is better than anything else.
Zhongli fought a fierce battle with the Extreme Evil Riders the day before yesterday. Although the Extreme Evil Riders were just playing around with Zhongli and didn't really fight, it still took a lot of energy from him.
These past two days he's felt completely drained and listless, looking utterly exhausted.
At this moment, Zhongli was sitting behind the counter of the Hall of Rebirth, with his hands folded on his knees and his eyes closed, clearly trying to rest and recover his strength.
In the past, he would either drink tea and watch plays, or walk around the streets and alleys with his hands behind his back to "inspect people's livelihoods." It was rare for him to sit quietly all day like this.
"Guest Elder? Guest Elder? Are you alright?"
A clear and playful voice rang out. Hu Tao approached the counter, and a round face suddenly appeared in front of Zhong Li, so close that she could see the fine hairs on her face.
She blinked her signature plum blossom eyes curiously, looking left and right, carefully observing Zhongli's "well-behaved" demeanor, a sight she was witnessing for the first time.
Zhongli opened his eyes, startled by Hu Tao's sudden close gaze. He forced himself to remain calm and said in a low voice, "Ah... What's wrong, Master?"
Hu Tao straightened up, put her hands on her hips, and circled around Zhong Li, who was sitting behind the counter, looking him up and down.
“What’s wrong with you these past few days? You’ve been so absent-minded. You didn’t even respond when I told you yesterday that ‘ordering the newly launched funeral package includes six months of free tomb sweeping.’ This isn’t like you, Guest.”
She suddenly stopped and leaned closer to Zhongli, saying earnestly, "Don't tell me you secretly went to some brothel and got tired?"
"That won't do! Liyue has banned this for a long time now; it's illegal!"
Upon hearing this, Zhongli's face instantly showed a helpless expression.
He recalled that a few years ago, when Shao Yun was in Liyue, he casually dismantled the famous flower boat of the Pearl Pavilion.
Later, Ningguang took the opportunity to issue a ban, completely prohibiting the prostitution business in Liyue... On the one hand, it did purify the social atmosphere and helped many women get out of their predicament, which can be considered as promoting the progress of Liyue.
On the other hand, the notebook that records clients has gone missing... This was also the method Ningguang and the Seven Stars of Liyue used to control wealthy merchants.
Those who frequent pleasure boats and brothels are mostly wealthy merchants or people with some power; none of them are necessarily clean.
Some things, if you don't weigh more than four ounces on the scale, you'll feel like a ton once you do. Who can be completely clean-shaven?
Now, when Zhongli saw Hu Tao say that she had gone to a place of debauchery, the corner of his eye twitched involuntarily.
He sat up slightly and explained, "Why do you say that, Master? I've just been feeling a bit tired and lacking energy these past few days."
Hu Tao pursed her lips, crossed her arms, her eyes full of disbelief, and shook her head like a rattle drum.
"Excuses? I haven't asked you to handle any of the trivial matters at the Rebirth Hall these past few days. Where did you get the idea that you're tired? You're clearly hiding something from me."
As she spoke, she suddenly pulled out three rosewood urns from behind her back.
Hu Tao placed the box on the counter, indicating to Zhong Li that this matter was now in his hands.
"Here, please take these three urns to the Yanshang Tea House. Consider it a way to clear your head and not just sit in the Rebirth Hall in a daze all the time."
Zhongli looked at the three heavy urns in front of her and asked curiously, "What are these three urns for...?"
Hu Tao crossed her arms and leaned against the counter, explaining in a calm tone.
"Whose ashes could it be? The ashes of Baiwen, Baishi, and Baixiao, Ningguang's three secretaries. Our Wangsheng Hall is a place for funeral services. Guest Elder, you've really become more and more confused lately, you've even forgotten this?"
Zhongli's gaze fell on the urn, and a pang of guilt rose in her heart.
He hesitated and said, "This... how can you let me deliver such an important matter as sending the urn? Logically, it should be done by you, Master..."
"I'm not going." Before Zhongli could finish speaking, Hu Tao immediately waved her hand, resolutely handing the task over to Zhongli.
"I don't want to get involved in the political struggles between Tianquan Star and Yuheng Star. The infighting among the upper echelons has nothing to do with our Wangsheng Hall."
"I just wanted the deceased to rest in peace, but I never expected that these three would lose their lives for Ningguang... Sigh, never mind."
Zhongli saw that Hu Tao was avoiding him like the plague, and he understood her concerns.
Hu Tao simply wanted to handle the funeral peacefully and didn't want to be drawn into the power struggle. But...
He thought for a moment, then subtly guided her, "Master, I don't think Miss Keqing is an unreasonable person. Although she has taken power and used strong methods, it is for the stability of Liyue."
"Perhaps you can try to put aside your prejudice; she would be a good leader..."
"Alright, alright, Guest Elder, stop lecturing me with these grand principles." Hu Tao waved her hand impatiently, clearly not wanting to discuss politics anymore.
"I don't care who the leader is, as long as they don't disturb the peace of the Hall of Rebirth. Hmm, so how long do you plan to stay in the Hall of Rebirth, Guest Elder? The sooner you go, the sooner you come back."
As she spoke, without waiting for Zhong Li's response, she stepped forward, grabbed Zhong Li's arm, and led him toward the door.
Zhongli sighed helplessly and had no choice but to pick up the three urns on the counter, letting Hu Tao "drive" him out of the mortuary.
After leaving the Hall of Rebirth, Zhongli could only carry the urn and walk towards the direction of the Rock Tea House.
……
At this moment, in an inner office of the Rock Tea Room, Ye Lan and Ke Qing are having a heated exchange, or rather, a war of words.
Because Charlotte, while in Nata, interviewed people about the truth behind the Liyue coup, she immediately wrote the news report upon returning to Fontaine.
Of course, because of her agreement with Shao Yun, Charlotte used Ningguang's diary as a perspective and various plausible pieces of evidence to reconstruct the facts of the coup in the newspaper.
Anyone with a brain would have guessed that this wasn't a diary at all; it was clearly Charlotte having interviewed Ningguang herself.
The Liyue authorities cannot deny it yet, because Keqing (posted on Barbara's behalf) issued the order to hunt down Ningguang, which proves that Ningguang is still talking about it, so there is no way to deny it now.
He contradicted himself, and the more he tried to explain, the worse it got.
For a moment, the friendly nations were astonished; Charlotte's news article had completely exposed Liyue's true colors.
While it's true that other countries aren't exactly clean either, how can you do something like this with the lights on?
Yelan threw a copy of the "Steambird Gazette" confiscated in Liyue at Keqing's face, scolding her with exasperation:
"Ke Qing, look at the shameful things you've done, they've even spread overseas. How many more times do you want me to clean up your mess?"
Keqing blushed crimson with embarrassment at Yelan's words, her lips trembling as she tried to explain, "I... it's just that foreigners don't understand. We need to create Liyue's future ourselves!"
Upon hearing Keqing's explanation, Yelan pointed at Keqing's nose and, channeling her inner "Zhu Gaochi, the number one clay pot chicken of the Ming Dynasty," cursed:
"Even if you, Keqing, were to sew the mouths of everyone in the world shut, history books would not record that you legitimately ascended to the throne! Rebellion is rebellion. Your hands are stained with blood, not ink for writing any high-sounding articles!"
"Now, all of Teyvat knows that the Liyue Seven Stars are fighting amongst themselves. Where do you think that makes Liyue look bad?"
As she spoke, Yelan pointed to the Steambird Newspaper that had been thrown to the ground. The headlines on the newspaper, such as "The Truth About the Liyue Coup: Yuheng Star Seizes Power," were glaringly obvious.
“Look for yourself! This is how the Steambird newspaper insulted you! ‘The Seven Stars, whose lust for power devoured reason,’ ‘The Jade Balance Star, who paved his way to power with blood.’”
"Miss Charlotte has revealed the whole truth, and the evidence is irrefutable. You can't clear your name now!"
Ke Qing blushed crimson after being scolded by Ye Lan. She took a step back, her eyes filled with conflict and pain, her voice trembling as she weakly defended herself:
"I really didn't want to kill Baiwen, Baishi, and Baixiao... I don't know why, but in the end... this wasn't what I wanted!"
"As for the trial, I just wanted Bai Xiao to publicly admit that she had distanced herself from Ning Guang. I didn't expect her to be hacked to death on the spot!"
She always felt that at the crucial moment that determined the secretaries' fate, an unseen hand was pushing everything, causing things to spiral out of control, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong and could only watch helplessly as tragedy unfolded.
Ye Lan, however, did not believe her explanation at all, and sneered, saying sarcastically:
"Heh, excuses, all excuses! Now you regret it? What were you doing before?"
"Don't pretend to be some kind of soft-hearted white lotus in front of me. If you're going to be ruthless, be ruthless to the end. Find Ningguang and eliminate her completely. Stop with this hypocritical act; it's disgusting!"
Ke Qing looked at Ye Lan's hostile gaze and knew that arguing further would only escalate the conflict.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and softened her tone, attempting to ease the tension between the two.
"Yelan, I know you have grievances against me now, but for the future of Liyue, we can't continue fighting amongst ourselves like this... Things have come to this point, we need to unite so that Liyue can move forward in a better way."