SMMW | Chapter 25

〖Mission: Become Crown Prince

Completion Conditions: Establish at least two power lines, and the emperor’s suspicion < 30; martial arts or intelligence > 80, reputation > 50〗

〖After the Qionglin Banquet, the newly graduated jinshi were assigned offices. Third Prince Xuanyuan Hao was bestowed a residence and an income of 10,000 qian. He was appointed Left Vice Minister of War, proper third rank, with a monthly salary of 6,000 qian.

Bangyan Mu Ziyi was recuperating from illness and was not assigned an office for the time being.

Tanhua-lang Wen Qing was appointed Supervising Secretary in the Ministry of Revenue, proper sixth rank, with a monthly salary of 3,000 qian.

…〗

“I’ve got money now, I finally got rid of the hard days!” Song Hao was thrilled and immediately chose 〖Return to Residence〗 without stopping for a moment.

There were many servants in the residence, and all of them respectfully addressed him as Third Prince. There was also a steward introducing the various facilities of the residence to him.

[Front Courtyard]

Study: Reading, handling official duties, resting

Main Hall: Receiving guests

Garden: Enjoying the scenery

Martial Arts Hall: Practicing martial arts, meditating

[Rear Courtyard]

Yaoyue Residence: Residence of the principal wife, currently unoccupied.

Tinglan Courtyard: Can house up to three concubines, current residents: 0.

Ninglu Pavilion: Can house up to three concubines, current residents: 0.

Zhenxia Loft: Can house up to three concubines, current residents: 0.

Nongmo Studio: A place for children’s early education, currently enrolled: 0.

“The rear courtyard can house ten people. The place is pretty big.”

[What are you so happy about?]

[Such a huge house, and there’s only you in it]

[He doesn’t even have to worry about arranging who lives where or whether they’ll fight]

[Save Yaoyue Residence for sister-in-law!]

[You can start your harem now, right!]

“Filling it with people is easy. I’m making sixteen thousand a month now, I can eat whatever I want, give gifts however I want, and farm affection however I want.” Song Hao was already immersed in the happiness of being rich.

[hahahaha]

[You’re still too young]

[Think about it carefully, when has the game ever given enough money?]

[The principal wife’s monthly allowance is 5000, concubines 3000, children 2000. Be glad you’re single and childless]

[And you still have to pay the servants’ wages, dear~]

〖Steward: Third Prince, you may set the residence’s monthly expenses.

What would you like: Extravagant / Moderate / Frugal〗

Song Hao did not take the warnings in the comments seriously and said confidently, “How much can I spend when I’m by myself? Extravagant!”

〖Steward: As you say. A member of the imperial family should naturally use only the very best. The residence’s monthly expenses will be 10,000 qian.〗

“…Are you treating me like a middleman? The money my dad gave me didn’t even have time to warm up before it all went to you.”

Song Hao tried the other two options. Moderate meant 6,000 a month, and Frugal meant 3,000 a month.

“Is 3,000 considered frugal? I played for that long before without even having 3,000 copper, and now it costs 3,000 in a single month???”

High income, high spending, this poor and stingy streamer was obviously unable to accept it, and even started trying to think of ways to cut costs and increase income.

“Can I sell the residence, then go back to living at Wen Qing’s house?”

The first people to object were the old fans who had come for the “harem game.”

[And then what, you’ll have your wife and kids all living at Wen Qing’s house too?]

[Are you addicted to mooching off people!?]

[Sure, even after becoming emperor you can keep living at Wen Qing’s house. Why don’t you just let Wen Qing be emperor instead?]

[Zero-spending isn’t begging, bro, can you get it together?]

[Are you doing this to save money, or because you can’t bear to leave Wen Qing? [smile]]

Song Hao was snapped awake by the comments. That was right, he was going to be emperor in the future. He could not stay this stingy forever. Gritting his teeth, he chose “Frugal,” and money -3000.

〖Steward: Yes, as you command. (A prince from the countryside just won’t do. No matter how much he looks the part, he still lacks the bearing of the imperial family. So stingy. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have worked here.)〗

“Hey? Did he just insult me? What’s with the parentheses? Inner monologue, right? They wrote it out on purpose just to disgust me! Exterminate his nine clans!”

Song Hao clicked wildly on the steward, trying to see if there was a punishment option, but the little steward figure kept smiling amiably. Other than the three flattering lines, “Your command,” “This old servant is here,” and “Third Prince, you look quite spirited,” there was nothing else.

[The devs’ daily dose of sarcasm]

[Cash-grab games really have no bottom line]

[I got mad at this too back then, I almost smashed my phone]

[If you choose Moderate or Extravagant, he won’t sneer at you]

[Stop clicking, he’s still the steward when you become Crown Prince. You can only replace him after becoming emperor]

[I got so mad I rage-spent my way to emperor, only to find out this dog servant had retired and gone home. Still couldn’t kill him]

[I haven’t even played, and now I’m mad too]

[Dog company, hurry up and shut down!]

[Shut down +2]

[Shut down +3]

It had originally been sixteen thousand a month, but now it was down to thirteen thousand. Song Hao felt a lot less happy.

〖Steward: Third Prince, a guest has arrived. It is this year’s bangyan. Would you like to see her?

Your choice is: Meet / Refuse〗

〖Meet〗

“Let’s meet her. I can also see how she’s doing. It’s kind of a pity, I thought she might become a Mulan type, disguising herself as a man and becoming an official.”

〖Li Yi: Greetings, Third Prince~

Xuanyuan Hao: Rise.

Mu Ziyi, that is to say Li Yi, verbally greeted the Third Prince, but in fact she did not bow properly at all. She just waved through it twice and stood back up, then casually found herself a seat like an old acquaintance.

Li Yi: Third Prince, your place isn’t bad. Pretty big.

Xuanyuan Hao: If you have business, say it directly. Don’t beat around the bush.

Li Yi: Oh, I just came to ask, are you and Wen Qing actually a couple?

Xuanyuan Hao: ……

Li Yi: Ah, I’m just trying to lighten the mood.

Xuanyuan Hao: Men, see the guest out…

Li Yi: Wait, wait, wait, why are you in such a hurry? I’m saying it now, ahem!

Li Yi: I’m unmarried, and you haven’t married. How about the two of us get married?

Your choice is: Accept / Refuse〗

[Oho, here it comes, the non-route character]

[So she’s the one in this slot?]

[The gifted wife you get during the prince stage~]

[Sweet Potato Bro is finally going to start a family!]

[The devs’ charity]

[Honestly, it’s not a bad deal. Her father’s an official, she’ll probably directly add one power line]

[Damn, streamer, your luck is amazing!]

[For someone who’s gone zero-spend this far, Sweet Potato Bro really does have some luck on his side]

[Wuwuwuwu what about my sister-in-law]

[Say yes! Are you so happy you’ve gone stupid?]

“This is way too sudden… I feel like I should be more careful. I’ll save first, then refuse.”

[You’re refusing even this?]

[Oh, now you’re being cautious?]

[You were pretty happy when you were spreading rumors about the Second Prince at the Qionglin Banquet, so what are you acting for]

[You were pretty happy eating his pastries, so what are you acting for]

[You were pretty happy secretly taking screenshots, so what are you acting for]

〖Refuse〗

〖Xuanyuan Hao: Allow me to refuse.

Li Yi: Why? You’re going to have a political marriage anyway. My father is the Prime Minister. Aren’t you tempted?

Your choice is: Accept / Refuse〗

“There’s definitely something fishy here. I can’t agree.” Song Hao continued refusing.

[??? You’re not even discussing it with us now?]

[Prime Minister, what are you waiting for]

[What’s fishy? That she’s not the kind of fishy where she’s a man?]

[You… you… ahhh… head scratch]

[This is the only character in the whole game who doesn’t require affection points, and players fought the devs for years to get her added back then. Don’t be ungrateful, kid]

〖Xuanyuan Hao: I’m not tempted.

Li Yi: Boring. Then what if I say your eldest brother and second brother both want to marry me?

Xuanyuan Hao: …What?

Li Yi: Now it’s interesting, right? My father has only one daughter, me. Whoever I marry, that practically means aligning with that faction. Those two have had their eyes on me for ages. One writes sour poems, the other swaggers around boasting. I thought it over, and I’m more familiar with you. So I came here specially to ask you, do you want to marry me?

Your choice is: Accept / Other〗

[Marry her]

[How frank. That’s great]

[The text is spelling it out for you, marry her and you get a faction]

[Marry her! Otherwise she’ll become another prince’s power base]

[The devs didn’t even give you a refuse option anymore. Can’t you tell?]

Song Hao hovered his mouse over 〖Accept〗, but in the end he did not click it. Instead, he moved it to the side and hesitated. “I think she doesn’t want to get married.”

[?? Ah??]

[I think it’s you who doesn’t want to]

[She came to ask you herself, just agree already]

[Bro, what are you doing? The system already set it up and now you’re bringing marriage freedom into it?]

[Don’t project so hard, it’s just a game]

[If you don’t marry her, she’ll marry one of your two idiot brothers. What’s the difference?]

“If both sides were willing, then there’d be nothing wrong with a political marriage. But she clearly doesn’t want it. Before, she’d rather run away just to take the exams. She finally became bangyan, and now she’s being forced into marriage. She definitely doesn’t want that.

“She came to me now because she’s picking the best among rotten persimmons… Isn’t there still an ‘Other’ option? Let’s see what ‘Other’ is.”

〖Other〗

〖Your choice is: Accept / Other〗

After choosing “Other,” the same choice box popped up again, as if there were a bug.

Song Hao refused to believe it and chose 〖Other〗 two more times. The same option box continued popping up.

〖Your choice is: Accept / Other〗

〖Your choice is: Accept / Other〗

[The other option is just decoration]

[The system’s arranged-marriage agenda is already obvious]

[I really don’t get it, why are you refusing?]

[Stop trying to force content out of this. It’s not fun]

[You won’t even take free benefits and you still want to clear this game as zero-spend?]

“Since they gave this option, there’s definitely some kind of triggered plot, right?”

Song Hao, poor and stubborn, ignored the ghostly howling in the comments section and clicked it nine times straight. Finally, on the tenth time, the page changed.

The game interface reluctantly coughed up a new plotline.

〖Xuanyuan Hao: More than a wife, what I need is an aide. I’ve only just returned to the capital and my footing is still unstable. Naturally, I should begin with classmates and fellow graduates, for instance this year’s bangyan, Mu Ziyi, who is supposedly recuperating from illness.

Li Yi: …My father will never agree to it.

Xuanyuan Hao: You are naturally Mu Ziyi. It has nothing to do with Lord Li.

Li Yi: If I’m only serving as an aide, my father will not stand on your side.

Xuanyuan Hao: He is not the one I value.

Li Yi: Then what do I get out of it?

Xuanyuan Hao: If you prove capable, then in the future you will be Zhan shi of the Eastern Palace. And if you add a merit of assisting a dragon, becoming a female prime minister is not impossible either.

Li Yi’s eyes widened. She clenched her fists for a long while, then finally rose and gave a respectful salute.

Mu Ziyi: In that case, this commoner’s future will depend entirely on the Third Prince.

Xuanyuan Hao: Hahahahaha, easy enough.

※Mu Ziyi (Li Yi) has become your subject.

※The emperor’s suspicion +10〗

“So one person adds ten suspicion? Then I can only recruit two subjects at most. If I get more than that, I’ll probably have to wait until I become Crown Prince.”

[[smoking]]

[The wife turned into a subordinate]

[You might not realize this, but that was your best chance to stop being single]

[Wow, amazing, amazing, huh huh]

[You lost the chance to win over the Prime Minister. What are you so proud of?]

〖Mu Ziyi: Since the Third Prince is so generous, I won’t hide anything either. I can use brothels as a foundation to build an intelligence network across the capital, to serve as the Third Prince’s eyes and ears.

But the sisters in the brothels still need to eat. You’ll have to give me 8,000 qian every month. What do you think?

Your choice is: Accept / Other〗

[woc? He actually stumbled right into it?]

[To get the intelligence network, you normally have to raise the affection of all three top courtesans to 70]

[It’s insanely expensive, and every time you go you can only drink wine and write poetry while acting aloof. That’s the only way to raise affection]

[The streamer’s stupidity really is blessed by fortune]

[8000 a month really isn’t much]

“Thirteen thousand minus eight thousand leaves five thousand. Sure, if the food is already at my mouth, of course I’m taking it.”

〖Accept〗

〖Mu Ziyi: Many thanks, Third Prince. For now it’s only one establishment. Once there are more spies later, I’ll still have to come ask you for more money~

Xuanyuan Hao: Easy enough. Money is not a problem.

※Obtained Power Line – Intelligence〗

“The me in this game is seriously so pretentious. The month hasn’t even started yet, and I’ve already spent half of it. How is money not a problem?”

〖Mu Ziyi: Since the Third Prince has paid up, I should let you see some results. Your master from the escort agency, General Huang, has recently been in close contact with the Yanshan Sect. That’s because they both offended the empress’s maternal family, in other words the Second Prince’s uncle’s faction, and were demoted because of it. If you can win them over, they’d count as pretty good subordinates.

Xuanyuan Hao: Understood.〗

“See? The second power line is already here. Tomorrow I’ll be Crown Prince, and the day after that I’ll be emperor.”

Song Hao was no longer bothered by the money. He slapped that little golden birthday hat back onto his head and started showing off again.

“Let’s go. Would my own master make things difficult for me? Of course not!”

〖Escort Agency.

Huang Zhan lay crookedly on top of a wagon, dead drunk.

Xuanyuan Hao: Master!

Huang Zhan: Hic… you’re here? Change clothes, we’ve got an escort run this afternoon.

Xuanyuan Hao: Master, take a look at me. I’m the Third Prince now.

Huang Zhan: Huu…

Huang Zhan fell asleep.〗

“…”

[Yo, your dear master fell asleep]

[No way they’d let you meet the mission requirements that easily]

[What a relaxed way of living]

[Go change clothes and escort goods, money is money]

[hahahahahaha]

Song Hao lost face. He picked up the mouse and poked, poked, poked. Annoyed to no end, Huang Zhan flipped over and got up, exchanging a few moves with his rebellious disciple. In the end, Xuanyuan Hao’s martial arts stat was still too low, and Huang Zhan kicked him flat.

〖Huang Zhan leaned against the wagon, still trying to go back to sleep.

Xuanyuan Hao: Master, don’t sleep, I have something to say!

Huang Zhan: Say it.

Xuanyuan Hao: I’m the Third Prince now. Why aren’t you even a little surprised?

Huang Zhan: You look exactly like your dad. I saw it the first time. What’s there to be surprised about?

Xuanyuan Hao: So that’s why you made me wear those ugly escort uniforms, because you were afraid other people would notice.

Huang Zhan: Do you have any real business or not?!

Xuanyuan Hao: I do, I do! Master, come work for me. I’ll make you Grand General in the future.

Huang Zhan: Get lost. It’s not like I’ve never been one before.

Xuanyuan Hao: This time it’s different. I’ll be your backer. You can do whatever you want.

Huang Zhan: Slick-tongued brat, exactly like your father.

Xuanyuan Hao: …My father is at least the emperor. Master, watch what you say.

Huang Zhan: Watch what? I’ve said the same thing to his face before.〗

“…Was he really framed by the Second Prince’s family? Isn’t it more because the emperor couldn’t stand that awful mouth of his?”

Song Hao kept clicking 〖Invite to Join〗.

〖Huang Zhan: You’re so damn bothersome. What benefits do I get from following you?

Your choice is: Gift / Motivate〗

As a zero-spender, he could only choose the methods with better cost performance.

〖Motivate〗

〖Huang Zhan: Get lost! If you keep babbling, I’ll throw you into the horse trough.〗

Looks like he had to spend something. He clicked Gift, and the inventory automatically opened. It was quite empty, with hardly anything useful inside.

Give him tongcao, and Huang Zhan turned around and fed it to the horse.

Give him pastries, but those were leftovers from the first time he visited Wen Qing’s house. Wen Qing had given them to him, and because they had no stat bonus, he had not finished eating them. They were old pastries by now, and who knew whether they had gone bad.

Huang Zhan took one bite, then spat again and again, cursing while searching everywhere for water. Looks like they had indeed gone bad.

Give him the jade pendant? No way, that was a keepsake Mother had left him.

There was not much left. In the end, he noticed a copy of “Inner Nourishment Method” tucked away in the corner.

You can give that away too?

Song Hao tried handing it over, only to find that Huang Zhan was extremely pleased.

〖Huang Zhan: So you brat were hiding something this good. I was wondering, you don’t even look like good martial material, so how’d you improve so fast?

Huang Zhan: Your filial offering to your master, I’ll accept it. But if you want me to sell my life for you, that still isn’t enough. You’ll also need to provide me with one jar of good wine every day.

※Huang Zhan martial arts +10, affection +10〗

Song Hao ignored him for the moment and went to look at his schedule list instead. Once he saw that he could still meditate, he was relieved. It looked like as long as he had read the book once, he could still practice from it, so giving it to Huang Zhan did not hurt too much.

But if he wanted Huang Zhan to join, he had to spend one jar of wine a day…

“He only drinks the good stuff, two hundred per jar, which means six thousand a month. But after deducting all the fixed expenses from before, I only have five thousand left.”

Song Hao smacked his lips, reached up, and took off the little crown. “Maybe I should go back to seeing whether I can sell the house.”

[The future emperor, defeated by one thousand coins]

[He didn’t even leave himself money to marry a wife]

[Sweet Potato Bro, remember you still owe me eight sisters-in-law]

[Can’t Wen Qing count as one? You’re so strict]

[…Fine, then you owe me seven]

[Welp, still gotta earn money]

[Even after becoming a prince, he still has to work at an escort agency?]

[Such a down-to-earth prince]

[Could the food shop maybe give discounts?]

[Yeah, if you’re buying that much, isn’t a discount normal?]

Song Hao’s greatest strength was listening to advice. Carrying his remaining five thousand, he boldly charged into the food shop.

The proprietor of the wine shop was a young woman. At first she said there were no discounts, but after hearing the quantity, she started to hesitate.

[There’s hope!]

[She’s so pretty, she’s definitely a romanceable character. If you marry her, does that mean you save money?]

[Unleash your charm, Big Big Big Sweet Potato!]

[First romance the wine shop owner, then use the wine to recruit your master]

[If it’s your own household drinking it, then it should be free]

〖Ke Xin’an: The amount is too large. I can’t make that decision. I’ll have to ask the owner.〗

[Is the owner her dad? It’s usually a father-daughter combo]

[Doesn’t feel like it. If it were, she’d have just said “I’ll ask my dad” directly]

[Could the owner be an even prettier great beauty?]

[This counts as dowry, marry two at once!]

[Nice! The streamer’s peach blossom luck is here!]

The proprietor led the way upstairs. In a private room, a young gentleman sat by the window. His long hair was half-tied behind his head with nothing but a hair ribbon, and he was sitting there with his head lowered, reading account books.

“Holy crap! Wen Qing???”

〖Xuanyuan Hao: Wen Qing!?〗

[Sister-in-law??!]

〖Wen Qing: What a coincidence~

Ke Xin’an: Boss, this is the customer who wants to buy wine… you know each other?

Wen Qing: He’s a good friend of mine, surname Yuan.

Ke Xin’an: Then that makes things easier. Young Master Yuan wants to buy thirty jars of shaojiu every month, and he wanted to ask whether there could be some discount.

Wen Qing: In that case, let’s count it at eighty percent.

Ke Xin’an: Young Master Yuan, what do you think? If you weren’t a close friend, you wouldn’t get that price.

Your choice is: Agree / Bargain〗

“Six thousand at twenty percent off means forty-eight hundred. If I buy it, I’ll only have two hundred left.”

Simple arithmetic, ultimate heartbreak.

“Let’s bargain instead.”

〖Bargain〗

〖Wen Qing: How about seventy percent?

Ke Xin’an: Boss, at that price we won’t earn much at all.

Wen Qing: It doesn’t matter.

Your choice is: Agree / Bargain〗

“Good brother! But even at seventy percent, I’ll only have eight hundred left after buying it. I’m still poor.”

[Keep bargaining!]

[Seeing sister-in-law makes me feel so safe]

[Can’t you really marry sister-in-law and get rich instantly?]

[Sister-in-law is still the best, wuwuwu]

[Will it become free in the end?]

〖Bargain〗

〖Wen Qing: Sixty percent?

Ke Xin’an: Boss, that’s our cost price already. Once you count transport, hired labor, and losses, we’d be selling at a loss!

Wen Qing: It doesn’t matter.

Your choice is: Agree / Bargain〗

“He’s willing to sell it to me even at a loss? He’s way too kind. A place like the capital is full of all sorts, he’s going to get bullied easily.” Song Hao sounded a little indignant.

[No, what exactly is the streamer mad about?]

[Sister-in-law is rich, don’t try to understand him with a poor person’s mindset]

[He’s letting you take advantage of him, what’s wrong with that?]

[Is this discount just for me, or do all the other gege get one too?]

[hahahahaha I’m shipping it]

By this point, Song Hao was completely immersed. Frowning, he kept choosing again. “I refuse to believe it. Can he really keep lowering the price forever?”

He looked unhappy, as if he were sulking, though no one knew exactly who he was sulking at.

〖Bargain〗

〖Wen Qing: Fifty percent.

Ke Xin’an: Boss! Sorry, Young Master Yuan, our boss doesn’t come here often and isn’t very clear on the costs. At fifty percent, we’d lose a lot!

Wen Qing: It doesn’t matter.

Your choice is: Agree / Bargain〗

“It still doesn’t matter? I can still bargain? Is he really going to end up giving it to me for free? Does he not know how to live anymore?!”

[Why are you so invested, he’s just an NPC]

[Yeah, even if you’re fleecing someone, you’re fleecing the devs]

[This discount is the blessing you earned from farming affection early on]

[You’re too deep in it, bro, wake up. A broke guy is actually worried about whether the boss is living well]

[Keep bargaining, I really think it might go free]

Song Hao flung the mouse aside and sat there stewing at the screen while the comments panicked for him.

This was Song Hao’s problem. He was the type who got immersed in anything he played.

Even when he played a matching puzzle game, he got anxious. Right at the beginning it said that vines had shoved the village chief up into the sky, and that you had to clear levels and climb the vines to rescue him. He had played more than a thousand levels already. The game was still updating, still adding more levels, so what was the village chief supposed to do?

He got angry, he got anxious, and in the end he uninstalled the puzzle game.

And it was the same with this game. He would worry about whether his adoptive mother’s illness could be cured, he would want to repay Wen Qing for treating him to meals, and he would worry that Li Yi’s marriage proposal was something she was being forced into.

That was just how he was. He got immersed easily, and empathized with characters easily.

On the game screen, Wen Qing’s dialogue box remained frozen on the two words, “It doesn’t matter.”

Song Hao was angry that Wen Qing was too kind and did not know how to hold anything back. At the same time, he kept wondering what there was about himself that would make Wen Qing treat him this well. Then he felt like he was just being ridiculous. It was all programmed into the game, so why was he thinking so much about it?

But seeing Wen Qing go from eighty percent at the start to a ruinous fifty percent, he simply could not stop himself from “overthinking.”

Maybe Wen Qing was just very generous to his friends… But then he could not go too far either!

Song Hao finally made up his mind. Ignoring the wholesale batch of question marks in the comments, he directly loaded his save and chose Accept when Wen Qing offered seventy percent.

〖Wen Qing: How about seventy percent?

Ke Xin’an: Boss, at that price we won’t earn much at all.

Wen Qing: It doesn’t matter.

Xuanyuan Hao: Many thanks. Let’s go with that price.

※Obtained the right to purchase shaojiu at seventy percent price

※Wen Qing affection +5〗

“He… seriously, what is wrong with him? He sells me wine at a cheaper price and his affection even goes up. What’s he so happy about? Look at him!”

Song Hao was exasperated, looking at Wen Qing the way one might look at a child who spent money recklessly. He got so worked up that he actually expected the comments to back him up.

[Heh]

[Seventy percent, even sixty percent, huh huh]

[Don’t want to say more]

[If you’re not going to stream properly then stop playing]

[So you’ve still got eight hundred left this month, that’s enough, right?]

[Wishing you 99]

[If you ever get divorced, give me to sister-in-law instead, I don’t want to go with you]

[I’m new here, is this the livestream where people fall in love with male NPCs?]

[Yep yep, you didn’t come to the wrong place. The little facecam in the top right is the gay guy himself, and the one in the game is sister-in-law]

[Hehe, the streamer is kind of handsome too]

[Don’t even think about it, Sweet Potato Bro is hardcore gay]

[I can testify]

[+1]

[+2]

[+3]

On the game screen, the thirty jars of wine had already been bought. But, damn it all, one jar of wine actually took up one inventory slot! The free inventory only had thirty slots, and opening more would cost money.

The good news was that the broke streamer barely had anything in his bag to begin with.

The expired pastries had been given to Master. That meant only tongcao and the jade pendant were left in the inventory.

He clicked Gift, and the tongcao was given to Wen Qing.

He clicked Equip, and the system prompted that a peace charm was already equipped and could not be equipped twice.

So what now? The jade pendant could not be discarded either.

And of course the peace charm could not be thrown away, because the very person who had given him that peace charm was standing right in front of him. Throwing away someone’s gift in front of them, what kind of thing would that be?

At this point it seemed like there was no solution. Song Hao thought it over and over, and then, while the comments were still arguing about the price, he suddenly clicked twice at lightning speed and gave the jade pendant to Wen Qing too.

The thirty jars of wine instantly filled all the inventory slots. Without caring in the slightest how dazed Wen Qing looked standing there with tongcao in one hand and a jade pendant in the other, he fled the wine shop at once.

[Just fifty percent! The two of them are obviously putting on an act together. There’s no way they’d lose money even at fifty percent]

[Alcohol has huge profit margins]

[What the hell did the streamer just give Wen Qing?]

[Yeah, classic shopping tactic, “If we lower it any further we’ll lose money”]

[That discount is so good. Why can’t I ever run into that ahhh]

……