usatvline Chapter 151 Gambling
Chapter 151 Gambling
Crab meat and pork buns were served again, this time for a few grown men.
They found a secluded spot separated by a screen, and slightly opened a window, facing the west gate of the gambling den.
Gao Daqiang sat upright in the center, leisurely eating his steamed bun.
Wu Heizi and his nephew Wu Jianbo sat on a bench under the window, with a ring knife wrapped in cloth at one of their feet.
Su Shuisheng and Jiang Sanbao sat opposite Gao Daqiang. Su Shuisheng had a bundle at his feet containing a lot of quicklime, while Jiang Sanbao had a flintlock pistol, also wrapped in cloth, leaning against his feet.
Wu Shangyuan sat alone in the main hall, slowly eating his food and drinks, his hands empty, looking no different from any other diners.
Wei Erdi just came to deliver a message that Zhu Ding has arrived. Everyone, please wait patiently.
Upon learning this, Wu Shangyuan felt somewhat relieved, while silently observing the situation in the shop.
This would be the busiest time for diners, but as time passed, the number of diners would dwindle until only a few remained. At that point, they would either have to find a new spot to stake out, or simply take control of the shop's owner, cook, and staff—in short, they needed to be fully prepared. Meanwhile, inside the bookstore outside the back door of the gambling den, a pale-faced scholar, his hands bound, lay face down in a small room filled with miscellaneous items, listening with terror to the sounds coming from outside.
The shop was already closed. Judging from the noise, there were probably six or seven people gathered behind the counter, whispering among themselves.
Even a fool could tell that this was a gang of thugs who wanted to kill and burn, so they secretly occupied his shop and lay in ambush, waiting for their target to appear.
How they fight like dogs is not important; what matters is whether I can save my own life.
He had been knocked unconscious by a blow to the back of the head and had only just woken up. He hadn't seen what the thief looked like, so he thought... he should be alright, right? No one could guarantee it, and he couldn't help but let his mind wander. As he thought about it, he started trembling uncontrollably, and his head felt like it was going to explode.
Good heavens, please leave quickly, this really has nothing to do with me.
The final ambush site was on the third floor of the Dayan Tower.
Li Xiao, the eldest bodyguard, and Chen Gong, the fourth bodyguard, arrived at their familiar seats early and chatted while drinking tea.
"Have you heard about the red headbands that appeared in Songjiang a while ago?" Li Xiao asked.
While asking the questions, he casually glanced at the street below. It was deserted, with only one or two pedestrians crossing the street every now and then. Moreover, they seemed to know what this gambling den was for, and dared not linger, leaving hurriedly with their heads down.
"I've heard about it," Chen Gong said in an amazed tone. "That's truly impressive. Attacking the salt warehouse and seizing thousands of taels of official salt—I don't believe such a large-scale operation could have been carried out by less than a hundred people."
"In your opinion, who can gather over a hundred brave and daring men?" Li Xiao sneered and asked.
"Why not Brother Zhu?" Chen Gong said.
"Among Brother Zhu's men, only the Thirteen Protectors are truly brave and capable; the others are mostly just there to make up the numbers. They can manage to fight when things are going well, but attacking the salt warehouse would be a real challenge for them." Li Xiao's lips curled into a mocking smile, it was unclear whether he was laughing at the ruffians who were just there to make up the numbers, or at his "Brother Zhu." Chen Gong seemed to sense something, gave an awkward smile, and said, "So, you're saying that Red Headband couldn't accomplish such a big thing and ended up settling accounts for the corrupt official?" "Anyway, I've never heard of a salt laborer who could muster a hundred or so skilled men. Zhu Chen might have that ability, but how many men does he usually support? Could he really gather a manpower so quickly?" Li Xiao said.
Chen Gong suddenly realized.
Zhu Chen was indeed the largest salt smuggler in western Zhejiang, and could even be called a "salt smuggler." However, he didn't actually employ too many people; he relied more on his reputation and the kindness he showed to other small and medium-sized salt smugglers.
In the three regions of Pingjiang, Changzhou, and Jiqing, where his influence was most prominent, there were many salt merchants of all sizes. Generally speaking, most of them obtained their goods from Zhu Chen and then transported them to various places for sale.
You could consider these people to be Zhu Chen's subordinates, because Zhu Chen had a lot of influence over them and could even frequently invite them to join forces to crack down on newly emerging, unruly salt merchants.
However, these people were independent individuals, self-sufficient, responsible for their own profits and losses, and supported by themselves, with little connection to Zhu Chen. Ultimately, private salt dealers couldn't sustain a particularly large operation, and Zhu Chen wouldn't design a rigorous system to expand his business; he could only manage this level of "feudalism," or perhaps he had no choice but to cooperate with the government.
"However, the red headband must have collected a lot of salt, but I wonder where it will be sold," Li Xiao said, then paused.
Business was particularly good at Dayanlou Restaurant today. Even the more expensive third floor had a lot of customers. After dark, there was a constant stream of people, which made him somewhat unhappy.
The reason is simple: for an archer, an overly noisy environment is dangerous, because someone might suddenly jump out and drag him into the melee, preventing him from utilizing the advantages of an archer.
He beckoned to two sycophantic scoundrels who were standing behind the screen, instructing them to go and check around, and to ask the diners to quiet down. A moment later, the two sycophants returned, and the noise had indeed subsided considerably.
Li Xiao was quite satisfied, and then looked down at the entrance of the gambling den.
Brother Zhu hasn't come out yet; we'll have to keep waiting.
Brother Zhu is still gambling.
The room was brightly lit, and on the mahogany table were several plates of exquisite fruit and a black-glazed teacup made in Longquan kiln.
Zhu Daocun, the prefectural magistrate, was wearing a sandalwood-colored silk shirt with the cuffs slightly rolled up, revealing half of his wrist.
Sitting opposite him was Qian Yuanwai, a well-known local gentry, and next to him were Han De, the deputy commander of the Han Army (a military unit under the jurisdiction of the Han Army in Jiangyin and Hupu), and Zhu Ding, the owner of the gambling den.
After gambling for most of the night, the wealthy man lost over forty ingots of silver, his face turning ashen.
Zhu Ding sent out almost twice as much as the others, yet he remained calm and unhurried with a smile on his face.
Han De only won about twenty ingots and kept complaining about his bad luck.
Zhu Daocun won the most, taking in over a hundred ingots, and he couldn't stop smiling.
"Master Zhu, you can't just leave after winning today." Zhu Ding stroked his beard and smiled as he pushed a coin onto the center of the table, saying, "I'm still waiting to recoup my losses."
Zhu Daocun laughed heartily, but his eyes were fixed on the copper coins on the table: "Sir, you have quite the gambling addiction. Shall I go first?"
As they spoke, Master Qian and Han De each handed over a coin.
"My lord, don't dawdle, come quickly," Zhu Ding said with a smile.
Zhu Daocun then stopped wasting words, grabbed three copper coins, rubbed them in his palm, muttered something in the candlelight, and then tossed them into the teacup. The coins jingled and spun a few times in the black-glazed teacup before finally settling: all three were inscribed with the characters "Zhi Shun Tong Bao".
"San Chun!" Zhu Ding slapped his thigh, but his face showed no sign of disappointment. "How come you had such good luck tonight, my lord?"
"Thank you for your generosity," Zhu Daocun said with a smile, gathering the money in front of him.
Han De muttered a few curses under his breath and said, "It's my turn, it's my turn."
With a mournful face, Master Qian pushed up the last ingot of paper.
"What? Brother Qian lost it all?" Zhu Daocun toyed with a white jade thumb ring, his tone tinged with mockery.
Upon hearing this, Master Qian's heart tightened.
That damned Zhu Ding always calls on a local rich man to gamble with him so he can lose with him. But he takes most of the benefits, and you lose money and get nothing. Isn't that unfair?
But this person can't be offended, otherwise who knows what incomprehensible things they might do.
Master Qian sighed inwardly at his bad luck, deciding to treat the forty or fifty ingots of paper money as dog feed and resolve to quit gambling once he had lost it all.
Han De, smiling, raised the three copper coins high, and with a flick of his wrist, the coins fell into the cup.
This time, the sound was particularly jarring. The copper coin spun around, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the teacup.
When the last copper coin came to a stop, the wealthy man's face turned deathly pale, as expected.
These corrupt officials! They're incompetent at governing, and they can't even catch thieves, but they're incredibly good at eating, drinking, gambling, and whoring.
Han De smiled and gathered the banknotes in front of him, saying, "Gentlemen, the outcome is decided. This money is mine."
"It's late, I can't keep going, you can continue," said Master Qian with a gloomy expression.
Zhu Ding slammed his hand on the table and said, "Brother Qian, if you need any paper money, I can lend it to you. Why spoil the mood?"
Master Qian's heart skipped a beat, and he was a little scared, but when he thought about how he had lost dozens of ingots tonight, he felt an unbearable pain in his heart. He stiffened his neck and said, "I'm not playing anymore, I'm tired."
Zhu Ding was furious and was about to say something when he saw Zhu Daocun wave his hand.
"That's enough," Zhu Daocun said with a smile. "We've had our fill today, let's call it a day and stop here."
Han De was somewhat reluctant, but Zhu Daocun wanted to stop while he was ahead, so he couldn't say anything and could only nod in agreement, saying, "I'm tired too. Master Zhu, I've heard you have other tricks up your sleeve. May I see them?"
Zhu Ding laughed and said, "It's been prepared for a long time."
Upon hearing this, Han De felt a surge of excitement, then leaned close to Zhu Daocun's ear and whispered a few words.
Zhu Daocun was in a good mood. After listening, he smiled but did not say anything.
Han De understood and subtly winked at Zhu Ding, his silence indicating that he was not refusing.
Zhu Ding understood, got up and called over someone, instructing him to make arrangements immediately.
Master Qian sat silently to one side.
He actually knew something. Zhu Ding wasn't just a smuggler of salt; he also trafficked people, and the people he trafficked were beyond your imagination. A few years ago, the wife of Zhang, the clerk of Wujin County in Changzhou, was beautiful and loved to travel. One day, she accepted an invitation from the wife of the county magistrate to go on a spring outing.
When the inviter arrived, he gladly boarded the sedan chair, but felt that the person on his shoulder was very hurried, and the servants were left behind. When he got out of the sedan chair, he found that it was the hostess.
The servant went to the county magistrate's house but could not find him. He ran to inform his son, who then reported to the county magistrate, but the man could not be caught.
Women from Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces loved to travel and often showed their faces in public, so beautiful women were easily targeted. The courtesan had been observing this woman for a long time and finally found an opportunity to abduct her.
This woman was sent out of Changzhou overnight and resold several times until she was rescued when her husband's former colleague saw her in a brothel in Suzhou. Through a chance encounter, Master Qian learned that after leaving Changzhou, Zhu Ding had helped settle the woman, and she was then resold to Changshu. What were the origins of the women Zhu Ding had? Master Qian dared not think about it, much less ask.
Han De and Zhu Daocun quickly left, laughing and joking.
Master Qian also got up to take his leave.
Zhu Ding did not stop him.
After a long while, he looked up at the starry sky, smiled smugly, and said, "Let's go, let's leave here first, and come back to watch the show when it gets light."