Chapter 315: Too Greedy

Chapter 315: Too Big an Appetite

"As long as the examinee can design a blueprint of a practical item not currently on the market within the time it takes to burn one and a half incense sticks, and explain its main uses, the ten judges will each score it in turn."

"In addition, the examinee must ensure that a craftsman can make this object within two days to pass this round; otherwise, the result will be canceled and considered a failure."

After the supervising official finished speaking, someone stepped forward to light the incense again.

Ji Yuntang raised an eyebrow. Isn't this just a design competition?

This was her forte!

Ji Yuntang recalled that she had previously designed tables, chairs, benches, various sports equipment, and items like shelves and dressing tables for the Evening Makeup Tower in Prince Ye's mansion.

But these things, while practical for her, were of little use to the common people.

After all, the cost was high, and the production time was long. Buying them would just leave them as decorations, and never really got used.

What the common people needed was simplicity and time-saving efficiency.

Most importantly, a low price.

The object had to actually help them in their daily lives—that's what effective design meant.

Ji Yuntang quickly ran through daily necessities in her mind and soon had an idea of what she wanted to design.

She lowered her head and began drawing with a serious, skilled look on the Xuan paper.

Ji Qingqing watched Ji Yuntang drawing in a proper manner on the paper and twisted Cui Liu's arm.

"Didn't I tell you to go to Prince Ye's mansion to find out if Ji Yuntang could draw? And you told me she was completely clueless!"

Cui Liu winced in pain, shrank her neck, and said weakly:

"Yes, miss. I even asked Chen Hu, who is close to Ji Yuntang. He said their princess draws a tiger? Looks like a cat; a mandarin duck looks like a duck; the moon looks like the sun; and people? Forget it—a man comes out looking like a woman. Basically, it's a hot mess."

Ji Qingqing frowned. Besides signing up to secure a slot and having the crown prince give low scores, this was her third move!

To ensure that Ji Yuntang would be eliminated in the Canglang Poetry Talk, she had sent Cui Liu to gather information from Prince Ye's mansion.

Cui Liu had looked around and finally targeted the seemingly simple-minded and brawny Chen Hu.

She thought this man, with his sheer strength and looked pretty gullible, would be easy to pump for info.

Cui Liu had just tentatively asked one question about Ji Yuntang when Chen Hu told her that each word I said cost a hundred taels.

No credit.

Cui Liu was stunned. She hadn't expected Chen Hu's appetite was that big—charging one hundred taels per word.

Ji Qingqing had sent her to gather information but hadn't given her any silver.

In the end, Cui Liu went back and told Ji Qingqing. Considering that Cui Liu had already tipped the target off, Ji Qingqing took five thousand taels from Lady Meng and gave it to her, finally getting that piece of information.

When Cui Liu wanted to ask more, Chen Hu said, "Your five thousand taels only buys you one piece of info. If you want to know more, bring money."

However, before leaving, she made Chen Hu swear up and down that he wouldn't tell Ji Yuntang about their meeting.

Chen Hu swore on his life!

Ji Qingqing's brows furrowed into a deep frown.

She never expected Ji Yuntang to pass round one, so she thought that one piece of information was enough!

But somehow, she felt something was off about the whole thing.

But she couldn't put her finger on it right then.

Meanwhile, in the teahouse, Chen Hu, who had been keeping his mouth shut, suddenly remembered something and fell to his knees with a "thud" in front of Luo Junhe.

"Your Highness, I am guilty! I truly deserve to die!"

Luo Junhe was startled. He turned and saw Chen Hu, his face all red from holding back tears.

Chen Hu was blubbering pitifully now.

Luo Junhe: "..."

Luo Junhe: "!!!"

A big guy being rough ain't scary—but a big guy crying? That's terrifying!

If Ji Yuntang's crying was a sight to behold and truly pitiful,

then Chen Hu's crying was earth-shattering!

Luo Junhe felt like he'd been hit with 10,000 points of psychic damage. Suppressing the urge to throw Chen Hu out of the window, he asked in a deep voice.

"Chen Hu, what are you doing?"

Chen Hu's face crumpled, and he cried even louder.

"Your Highness, I made a mistake. I shouldn't have taken that maid's silver and spilled details about the princess. Please punish me."

As he spoke, he took out a 5,000-tael promissory note from his sleeve.

"Here's all the money I took, every last tael!"

Luo Junhe was torn between anger and amusement. His eyes darkened and narrowed as he questioned.

"What exactly did you spill about the princess?"

Chen Hu knelt and answered truthfully: "The day before yesterday, like a maid in green clothes came to me and asked what the princess was good at, what she usually got up to at Prince Ye's mansion, and what the deal was between her and you."

"I thought she was sneaky and not a good person—probably a plant sent by the princess's rival."

"At that moment, I had a brain fart, and I thought, isn't this a golden opportunity to score some cash?"

"I told her that each word I said cost a hundred taels, and if she wanted information, she had to pay."

"I thought that'd scare her off, but an hour later, she actually showed up with the silver."

"She asked if the princess could draw. I told her no, that the princess's drawings were totally abstract. She didn't buy it, so I dug up a few doodles the princess had done in her spare time and showed them to her. Then she believed me!"

Luo Junhe stared at him with dark eyes, and Chen Hu immediately raised his hands above his head.

"Your Highness, I swear to God I didn't leak one more word about the princess."

"Now that I think back, I realize her purpose in seeking me out was to find out if the princess could actually whip up a drawing in the Canglang Poetry Talk."

I only told her that the princess can't paint, but never said she can't design. In our manor, from large items like wardrobes and cabinets to small ones like tables and chairs, all are designed by the princess herself, and I had someone make them based on her designs. Her ability is beyond question.

Luo Junhe cast a sideways glance at Chen Hu, his expression calm and unruffled.

"At least you're not completely brainless."

After saying this, he asked Chen Hu, "Does the princess know about this?"

Chen Hu shook his head, "No. That maid told me not to tell the princess about our meeting. And I'm an honest man. I believe a real man keeps his word."

A faint smile curved Luo Junhe's lips as he spoke in a neutral tone.

"So you didn't tell the princess, but you told me?"

Chen Hu nodded repeatedly, "I only promised her not to tell the princess, but I never promised not to tell you, Your Highness."

"Consider these five thousand taels of silver as a token of my respect for Your Highness."

Luo Junhe reached out and took the banknote, saying in a calm voice, "A Tang hates traitors. Don't ever do this again."

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