usatvline Chapter 150 Gambling House
Chapter 150 Gambling House
Around noon, the master and three servants ascended to the third floor of the Big Wild Goose Tower.
After serving the dishes, the waiter bowed and took his leave. Tie Niu and Liu Xing closed the door and stood guard outside.
Shao Shuyi and Madam Liu sat inside, talking in hushed tones.
"Zhu Ding is unlikely to leave through the main gate," Shao Shuyi said. "Therefore, we should focus our defenses on the side gates and the back gate. The side gate is located on the west side, and the back gate faces north, both overlooking the street. In the past, Zhu Ding usually travels by carriage, accompanied by only seven or eight people. Therefore, I have made the following arrangements..."
Liu listened silently, without saying a word.
The entire assassination plan was meticulously crafted, at least more meticulous than she had anticipated, taking into account all aspects.
If she were in charge, she would probably divide the group into two teams, each blocking one gate. Once Zhu Ding emerged, they would swarm him, hacking and slashing, using their numerical advantage to win.
While Shao Shuyi's plan certainly had flaws and wasn't particularly meticulous, Zhu Ding was just a nobody who was used to things going smoothly. Even if there were flaws, he wouldn't be able to catch them, and he would most likely die on the spot.
"You," Shao Shuyi glanced at Liu Shi and asked, "Is there anything else to add?"
After a moment of silence, Madam Liu said, "When you leave, go directly to the stone arch bridge under the academy. There are two small boats there; you'll be fine."
Is the person rowing the boat reliable?
"It's the person who brought you here," Liu said. "A relative of the Liu brothers. They usually work as boatmen and farmers in Taining Township. They're very tight-lipped, and no one has ever seen them before."
Shao Shuyi nodded.
Liu Xing's sixth concubine, Liu, was from Taining Township, Jiangyin Prefecture. She was the sister of the Liu brothers and should be considered reliable.
"What about the second retreat route?" Shao Shuyi asked again.
"Starting from the northwest of the Confucian Temple, we'll go in groups, with someone leading the way." Madam Liu added, "Haven't you already gone this way once?"
Shao Shuyi hummed in agreement.
There were two evacuation routes in total. One route was across the Xueqian River, which was convenient and quick. The other route involved going through streets and alleys, which was not as convenient and would easily leave traces.
To be honest, it was his first time doing something like this, so he wasn't very skilled.
Originally, I wanted to arrange it according to the various spy dramas and assassination cases I had seen in later generations, but various difficulties often arose when actually making a plan. Moreover, the times were different, so I couldn't copy it completely. Therefore, this is the plan I came up with in the end.
He was initially a little apprehensive, but both Madam Liu and his own brothers thought it was a good idea and that the chances of success were very high.
At that moment, he realized, "I'm not trying to assassinate the king or kill the emperor. I'm just dealing with some country bumpkin from Jiangyin. What kind of flawless plan do I need? Enough is enough. Just do it."
"If this doesn't work out and Zhu Ding gets away, I'll have to run too," Shao Shuyi said. "He won't be back before the New Year at least. You'd better watch yourself and try not to show your face so Zhu Ding gets suspicious. Hmm, the salted fish has only been on sale for a short time, so he might not suspect you so easily, but you should still be careful. Protecting yourself is the most important thing."
Madam Liu gave a soft "hmm".
"But don't worry too much." Shao Shuyi smiled again and said, "Even if Zhu Ding survives this time, I'll come back after the New Year. This time, I'll just come by force. Let's change the location, let's do it in your inn in Xiapu, and openly sell salted fish. If Zhu Ding doesn't come, fine. But if he does, I'll just hack him to death. I want to see who really calls the shots in this little corner of Jiangyin Prefecture."
"I'm in charge," Madam Liu said with a light laugh.
Shao Shuyi looked into her eyes and smiled without saying a word.
Liu turned her head away, remained silent for a moment, and then asked, "How old are you exactly?"
Shao Shuyi was speechless. Are women's thoughts really that jumpy?
"About the same age as you," he said helplessly.
"Big or small? I'm thirty-one this year," Liu said.
"Big, very big," Shao Shuyi said.
Liu gave an "oh" and said nothing more.
Shao Shuyi glanced at her and smiled, "Zhu Ding is arriving in three days. His fate will be uncertain then. Don't you have anything to say?"
"Since you've already died once, just find someone else to possess," Liu said with a smile.
Shao Shuyi was taken aback; so this woman had been looking at him this way all along.
Strictly speaking, she wasn't wrong; after all, he had been possessed. This woman was quite clever. He wondered if anyone else had realized he had transmigrated. Perhaps Kong Tie also harbored some doubts?
"You've really gone to extremes with your Buddhist beliefs." Shao Shuyi took two steps closer and laughed, "Forget it, I know you have no conscience, asking you this is just asking for humiliation."
"It's just a business transaction," Liu said softly, without looking at him. "You sell salt, I buy salt, that's all."
"Madam is right, it is indeed just a business transaction. Farewell." Shao Shuyi clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, then left.
Just before opening the door, Shao Shuyi paused and said, "If things don't go well, Madam, you should leave Jiangyin. If you ever think of what happened today, you can help me adopt a child to carry on the family line. I don't care whether you offer sacrifices or not. Just offer a few sticks of incense for my parents during festivals. I don't like owing people anything." With that, he opened the door and left.
With a "bang," the door closed gently.
A moment later, Liu Xing walked in. Seeing that his sister's expression was not good, he immediately became angry and said, "Sister, did he bully you?" Liu Shi composed herself and glared at her brother.
Liu Xing chuckled awkwardly and bowed his head in apology.
Liu came to the window and looked from near to far, from the houses in the foreground to the village in the distance.
The village houses are scattered sparsely, lying on the gray-yellow autumn earth, like a handful of beans scattered out.
The rice in the fields had long been harvested, leaving only short stubble, row upon row, drawing neat lines in the empty fields, filled with monotonous gray.
Some planted winter wheat, which was lush and green, adding a touch of color to this gray world.
October 29th, what a bright and sunny day.
A horse-drawn carriage slowly traveled along the cobblestone street, followed by an oxcart.
The streets were crowded and lively, filled with laughter and cheerful conversation.
However, upon seeing the lead carriage, they all scattered. A few who stood foolishly on the street watching the commotion, not understanding what was happening, were tugged at in their sleeves, whispered a few words, their expressions changed slightly, and they turned and left.
There was no other carriage in Jiangyin that was so ostentatious: the shafts, carriage, and even the axles were inlaid with silver wire, which glittered in the sunlight. Could there be another carriage that was so tacky?
As for the oxcart behind, it was much less conspicuous, no different from any other cart in the caravan. But no one dared to underestimate it, because this cart often carried three or four ruthless men, who concealed weapons and could kill several people as easily as playing a game when they suddenly attacked.
So, like ships sailing on the sea, the two carts pushed the crowd to both sides and soon came to a stop in front of the gambling den. A short, stocky man alighted from the cart, a sharp knife hanging from his waist, and walked straight towards the gate.
"Third Protector." The two henchmen at the door bowed in unison.
"They haven't arrived yet, have they?" Third Protector asked.
"It's not that early," the hanger-on said with a forced smile, "Should we prepare some food and drinks?"
"Break a pot of tea for Brother Zhu." He then untied a tea caddy from his other waist and handed it to him, saying, "This is Zisun tea, be careful." "Don't worry," the hanger-on chuckled. "Brother Zhu, don't you usually drink wine? Why do you want tea today?"
"Why worry about so much? Go open the door!" Third Protector laughed and scolded, "Can't we, the refined gentlemen, drink tea like scholars?"
The two hangers-on immediately opened the door.
At the same time, several other bodyguards also got off the carriages and oxcarts, looking around. They seemed very serious, but also like they were just going through the motions, and were somewhat casual.
More hooligans poured out of the courtyard and scattered in all directions.
The carriage finally started moving and slowly entered the courtyard.
Zhu Ding and two others got out of the car, not even bothering to look at the people bowing around them. They chatted and laughed as they walked into the inner room. A voice could be faintly heard in the wind: "This Zhu Daocun has finally taken the bait. Do you think my money is so easy to take? Today we'll set a trap for him. From now on, he'd better work for me obediently."
"Brother Zhu is incredibly resourceful and insightful."
"Brother Zhu is awesome, I really admire him."
"Oh, I never thought of that. It was Qingniang's idea. I only know how to fight and kill; I never thought of these complicated details."
"Brother Zhu is both a warrior who can pacify Jiangyin and a scholar who can tame women; I admire him even more."
"Me too...me too."
"Haha." Zhu Ding laughed triumphantly, "This woman cried her eyes out the first time I used her, and even threatened to kill herself afterward. After all this time, she's finally settled down and wants to be with me. Sigh, my family has been peasants for three generations, with no talent for studying. I've always dreamed of sleeping with a woman from a scholarly family. Now, she'll obediently give me a big, healthy son, and all this wealth will belong to them, mother and son!"
"Brother Zhu is right. We must make a good celebration when my nephew turns one month old."
"My nephew will study hard, become an official, and bring honor to our ancestors. It's truly enviable."
Zhu Ding's smug laughter gradually faded into the distance.
The door was quickly closed again.
As evening approached, several oxcarts and horse-drawn carriages arrived one after another.
The hangers-on bowed and scraped, warmly welcoming the person inside.
When the last carriage arrived and Zhu Daocun, the Assistant Magistrate, alighted, their enthusiasm suddenly increased, and they rushed to greet him.
Zhu Daocun chuckled.
That scoundrel has amassed quite a fortune; I'll have to teach him a lesson someday.
With that thought in mind, he strode into the courtyard.
Almost simultaneously, commotion broke out in the restaurants, restaurants, and bookstores near the gambling den, and the air seemed to be filled with tension and anxiety.