Chapter 51: The Casino

Judge Wu was a merchant.

Yet, he invariably wore the dark martial attire of a soldier.

He had once served as a judicial secretary under the Military Commissioner of Tianping, but later lost his post due to a transgression. Even so, he always referred to himself by his former title.

Zhu Wen drew a confidential letter from his bosom, handed it over, and said in a low voice, "An executive order from the Salt Commander."

"Understood, perfectly understood!" Judge Wu bowed and scraped, retreating into the inner room. Before long, he emerged with a document pouch. "All the intelligence I gathered this year is right inside. Once milord inspects it, you shall naturally have your own plan."

Zhu Wen wore an expression of satisfaction. After exchanging a few more polite pleasantries with Judge Wu, he cupped his hands in farewell.

Lansuting had been quietly watching from the side. As she and Zhu Wen stepped out together, she asked, "Where are we heading next?"

"We have just stepped out of Judge Wu's pawnshop, so naturally, our next stop is the gambling den."

"A gambling den?" Lansuting looked somewhat bewildered.

She knew that Zhu Wen sometimes played dice with his second brother, Zhu Cun, but they never gambled for real money.

Moreover, Zhu Wen had always disapproved of the soldiers in the camp gambling.

Yet, since this was Zhu Wen's decision, it naturally had its reasons, and she refrained from asking too much.

Thus, the two of them walked into a building that resembled an ancestral hall.

The windows of the structure were sealed with black paper, completely blocking out the light, so the interior remained brilliantly lit even in broad daylight.

Groups of people clustered together inside, their eyes fixed intently on the gambling tables, bulging like those of goldfish. As the dice were cast, some cried out in joyous triumph, while others stamped their feet and sighed heavily.

Zhu Wen felt the gold ingots on his person and sighed, "There really aren't many left."

This remark immediately drew several gamblers like leeches to fresh blood.

A green, wolf-like gleam flickered in their eyes. One of them, a man with a scarred face, stared fixedly at Lansuting before saying, "If you're short on funds, you can stake this young girl."

"Very well," Zhu Wen replied.

A flicker of panic crossed Lansuting's expression, but she immediately regained her composure.

The scarred gambler was quite pleased. The gaze he cast upon the slender young maiden before him already treated her as his spoils of war.

He had won the wives and daughters of quite a few men through gambling in the past, and the vast majority of them were resold after he grew tired of playing with them.

Then, Zhu Wen added, "However, even a small amount of money is still money. If you want Master Qin here to stake his own sister, you must first win every coin off my body."

"Then, what shall we play? Chupu, Shuanglu, or simply throw dice in a porcelain bowl to compare scores?"

"Comparing scores. It's faster that way," Zhu Wen said with resolute determination.

He exchanged all the gold ingots in his possession for gaming chips.

Then, starting with the scarred gambler and followed by several of his cohorts, they quickly lost all of their own chips.

They discovered that the refined-looking youth sitting opposite them could always throw a sum just a fraction higher than theirs, no more, no less.

For instance, when the scarred gambler rolled three fives, Zhu Wen would roll three sixes.

The scarred gambler's face turned completely dark.

His eyes locked onto the youth before him, yet he could not detect the slightest trace of anything unusual.

The youth's hands were slender, pale, and fair, with his fingernails trimmed neatly.

Yet that was all he could discern.

The scarred gambler abruptly stood up, a fierce surge of murderous intent suddenly bursting from his eyes.

Lansuting's pupils involuntarily dilated slightly.

However, the scarred gambler did not strike. Instead, he rushed out of the door and, shortly after, dragged in a shivering woman. "I'll gamble with you using her!"

Zhu Wen said politely, "I apologize, but I do not accept living people as stakes; converting them into cash is too troublesome. You may take her to exchange for ready money first, before coming back to gamble with me."

The gamblers glared viciously at Zhu Wen.

Yet they noticed that Zhu Wen's left hand was already resting upon the saber at his waist.

And so, displaying a sudden glimmer of discretion, they retreated.

"How did you do it?" Lansuting leaned close to Zhu Wen's ear, asking in a soft whisper, her fragrant breath gently brushing against the young man's ear canal.

"If I told you I didn't cheat at all, would you believe me?" Zhu Wen turned his head and said.

An expression of astonishment appeared on Lansuting's face.

"When I was very young, in order to win a few pieces of candy from the other children, I used to hide under the covers at night and practice throwing dice relentlessly."

"The faces of the dice have different weights, and the feel when you cast them varies as well. If a person can master that sensation down to the finest detail, whatever score they wish to throw is precisely what will land."

Lansuting let out an "oh" and nodded.

Yet she knew this was absolute genius, seen perhaps once in a century.

Leaving aside how difficult it was to control something with such microscopic precision, when comparing scores in a gambling den, three dice were always thrown together.

With a technique like Zhu Wen's, not only could he casually toss dice however he pleased, but if they were playing Chupu, he could effortlessly throw the highest winning combinations with a flick of his wrist.

"Then why did you stop gambling later?" Lansuting's delicate, limpid eyes gleamed.

According to the soldiers in the camp, Zhu Wen had never gambled with them even once, and thoroughly loathed gambling.

Zhu Wen replied, "Firstly, if you win every single time you gamble, it loses all meaning whatsoever."

"Secondly, which military commissioner, or even a mere prefect, would willingly surrender their territory to you in a wager?"

Lansuting softly murmured, "A man whose mind is set on the empire indeed cares nothing for the paltry sums won at a gaming table."

"That is why I would rather spend large amounts of time sleeping," Zhu Wen said with a hint of sentiment. "Many skills take a great deal of time to acquire, only to turn out completely useless in the end. For instance, when you asked me last time if you should follow you in learning calligraphy—of course I could master it, but I doubt the vast expenditure of energy would serve any practical purpose."

Lansuting listened quietly to Zhu Wen's words.

She knew that only a peerless genius like Zhu Wen could speak in such a casual manner.

As if to test the truth of his own words, Zhu Wen did not stop. He won many more rounds, eventually drawing out the grand proprietor of the gambling den himself.

The arrival of the grand proprietor made no difference; he suffered the exact same crushing defeat.

"You little punk, how dare you cheat in my establishment!"

The grand proprietor soon let out an angry roar.

Then Lansuting heard the sound of numerous swords being drawn from their scabbards.

She realized that what Zhu Wen had said was entirely true.

Not only was it impossible for a military commissioner to lose his territory at a gaming table, but even an ordinary gambling den owner, having lost too much, would simply flip the table over.

Lansuting quickly shifted her body closer to Zhu Wen's left side. She had expected Zhu Wen to draw his saber immediately while wrapping his other arm around her waist.

Yet Zhu Wen showed not the slightest intention of fighting.

"Did anyone actually see Master Qin cheat?" His tone remained entirely courteous.

The grand proprietor sneered, "If you weren't cheating, how could you win every single wager without ever losing a single time?"

There is a saying: "To regret a move in chess is to lack the integrity of a gentleman; to place a piece without remorse is the mark of a true hero."

Yet almost no one could actually achieve this.

Historically, even crown princes destined to become emperors would smash the chessboard over their opponent's head after losing a game.

Naturally, gambling was no exception.

Zhu Wen sighed, "An ordinary person certainly couldn't manage it."

A murderous glare filled the grand proprietor's eyes. "Do you consider yourself something other than ordinary?"

"Judge Wu sent me here. He didn't have enough gold on hand, and copper coins and silk fabrics are too heavy, so he told me to come and draw some funds."

As he spoke, Zhu Wen casually tossed out an empty document pouch.

The pouch clearly bore Judge Wu's exclusive insignia.

The expressions of the proprietor, the scarred gambler from earlier, and many others changed instantly.

In unison, they dropped to their knees. "We were unaware that Your Excellency's special envoy had arrived! We were blind as mountains and beg for your forgiveness!"

Such a vast expanse of backs facing the ceiling, stretching out in a dark, rolling wave, made Zhu Wen feel somewhat unaccustomed.

"Rise, all of you," Zhu Wen said with a wave of his hand, speaking magnanimously. "I did indeed draw rather too much today. I shall keep ten percent, and return the rest to you."

For a moment, everyone wore expressions of profound gratitude, tears welling in their eyes.

Since Judge Wu was an undercover operative planted by Huang Chao, he naturally could not be a mere, ordinary pawnshop keeper.

"You see, I merely came to draw operational funds today; I wasn't actually gambling, so I haven't broken any precepts," Zhu Wen said to Lansuting.

"As I said, trying to win an empire's worth of wealth through gambling is pure fantasy, just like that little naive notion of yours that 'a prince who breaks the law is punished just like a commoner.'"

Lansuting sighed softly. "How can you sound so smug when uttering such words that defy the teachings of the sages?"

Zhu Wen blinked. "Because uttering such words allows me to see that adorable, earnest look of yours."

Lansuting's delicate eyelashes trembled like a sensitive plant, and she lowered her head to avoid Zhu Wen's gaze.

"We've been to the pawnshop and the gambling den. Where are we going next?" she asked in a tiny, gentle voice.

"A brothel," Zhu Wen answered with utmost seriousness. "Zhihen, change back into men's attire once we return. Furthermore, we shall untie Lady Tian; we are taking her with us."