My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

(This is my first time writing history, so the plot may differ from official history. Please feel free to point out any issues, and I will make changes as long as they do not affect the plot and are reasonable.)

The evening breeze during the Qingming Festival swept across the blue-printed cloth drying on the bamboo poles, making the signboard of the Time Hotel creak.

The eighteenth negative review lit up on the phone screen: "It claims to be a history-themed agritainment business, but it doesn't even have a decent suit of armor!"

"Squeak—"

Chen Mo lay listlessly behind the counter, his calculator clicking away, but he couldn't find a glimmer of hope for making a profit.

A bowl of pickled cabbage and beef noodles was soaking in the broth next to it.

He thought going home to inherit the hotel was the only way to success, but it turned out to be a dead end.

If he had known this shabby inn was so poorly run, he would have been better off donning the imperial robes in the first place!

Chen Mo yawned, and the words his father had said when he inherited the hotel came back to mind.

"You little brat! Don't even think about selling this hotel! This is my life's work! If you dare sell it, I'll haunt you and beat you to a pulp!"

Perhaps it was because of his father's instructions, or perhaps it was the last thing his parents left him.

Anyway, Chen Mo never sold it, running the hotel with extreme caution.

After operating for so long, I haven't made a single sale.

"Damn! Dad must have been senile back then, saying this place was a geomantically auspicious spot!"

"It's more like a leaky roof!"

Chen Mo slurped up a mouthful of instant noodles, pondering how to pay the utility bills for this month.

"Innkeeper, accommodation."

Suddenly, a steady voice with a slightly strange accent rang out.

With noodles in his mouth, Chen Mo mumbled a "wait a moment," then took a deep slurp before looking up.

He almost choked when he looked up.

Two men were standing in front of the counter.

The younger one in front, around thirty years old, stood tall and straight like a pine tree. He wore a dark casual outfit of excellent quality but with a somewhat retro cut. He had a heroic face and sharp, deep eyes, staring at him with undisguised curiosity... at the instant noodle bucket in his hand.

Behind him was a slightly older, scholarly-looking middle-aged man, also dressed in simple clothes, with shrewd and wary eyes. He was also looking around, but his gaze returned more often to the bucket of instant noodles that was emitting a strong smell, and his Adam's apple seemed to move involuntarily.

These two... are actors from Hengdian?

Did you come out without removing your makeup?

Chen Mo thought to himself, he'd seen plenty of weirdos in Hengdian, but these two had a different aura, they didn't seem to be acting.

Forget it, who cares about all that, making money is the most important thing anyway.

If we don't make money soon, we won't even be able to afford the electricity bill.

"Uh, hello teachers, are you looking for a room?"

Chen Mo put down his fork and wiped his mouth.

"Exactly."

The young man in the lead spoke up, his gaze finally shifting from the instant noodles to Chen Mo's face, "We need two quiet rooms."

"Yes, yes, yes! A standard room is 120 yuan per night, with a 100 yuan deposit."

Chen Mo skillfully quoted a price, then habitually added to it.

"Please register your ID card."

The two exchanged a glance, seemingly puzzled.

The young man looked at the scribe.

The older scholar stepped forward and spoke gently but distantly.

"Shopkeeper, we were in a hurry and didn't bring any identification documents. Would you be so kind as to make an exception?"

Again, someone didn't bring their ID.

Chen Mo was not surprised; some small film crews in Hengdian were poorly managed, and it was common for actors to not have their identification.

A while ago, someone claiming to be Qin Shi Huang came to stay at the hotel.

He didn't even want to pay, so he kicked me out.

Just as Chen Mo was about to speak, his gaze caught the young man looking at the bucket of instant noodles again, and he even sniffed slightly.

Chen Mo laughed and picked up the instant noodle cup and shook it.

"What, teacher? You've never tried this before? It's pickled cabbage, it's refreshing and invigorating, how about a bucket?"

The young man, when pointed out, was not embarrassed; instead, he asked with great interest.

"What is this? The smell is so... strong, like a thick soup?"

"Instant noodles! A lifesaver when you're starving."

Chen Mo couldn't help but complain.

"Is the food on your film set bad? You don't even provide instant noodles?"

The two of them couldn't understand "film crew" again.

The older scholar coughed lightly, bringing the topic back to the main point.

"Don't know how much the house costs? We'll pay in cash."

As he spoke, he took out a small cloth bag from his sleeve, took out a string of copper coins, and placed them on the counter.

The copper coin is dark in color, with four clear Chinese characters engraved on it – Kaiyuan Tongbao.

(The Kaiyuan Tongbao coin was created by Li Yuan in the fourth year of the Wude era. Its name comes from the Taoist cultural connotations of "the beginning of the calamity" and "the path to true immortality". Therefore, it is not the Zhenguan Tongbao coin.)

Chen Mo stared at the few copper coins for a moment, then burst out laughing.

He picked one up, weighed it in his hand, looked at it under the light, and joked.

"Teacher, your prop is really realistic!"

"Kaiyuan Tongbao? From the Tang Dynasty? Wow, the props team really went all out. But the aging effect is too new."

Chen Mo smiled.

"I think this isn't from the Tang Dynasty, but from last week, isn't it?"

He pushed the copper coin back and pushed the QR code forward.

"We accept RMB here, and WeChat Pay and Alipay are also accepted."

"Renminbi? Tang Dynasty?"

The young man and the scholar's expressions changed simultaneously.

The scholar seemed to want to say something more, but was stopped by a look from the young man.

The young man looked at Chen Mo, not annoyed at all, but instead a cryptic smile appeared on his lips as he slowly spoke.

"From last week? The shopkeeper has a good eye. In that case..."

He hesitated for a moment, then took out a golden melon seed from his pocket and placed it on the table.

The golden light under the lamp instantly overshadowed the bucket of pickled cabbage and beef noodles.

"Holy crap?"

Chen Mo's smile froze on his face, his eyes fixed on the golden melon seed, and he almost spat out the half-eaten noodles from his nose.

"This...this should be enough, right?"

The young man's tone remained calm, as if he had simply taken out an ordinary peanut.

Chen Mo looked at the golden melon seed, then at the two extraordinary and eccentric men in front of him.

An utterly absurd idea struck his mind once again.

Could they really be from the Tang Dynasty?

Chen Mo's gaze returned to the golden melon seeds, and he swallowed hard.

never mind!

Who cares!

Whether it's a show from the Tang Dynasty or some other variety show, making money is the most important thing!

After all, you can't turn down money, right?