Chapter 41: Preparations

That day, Zhang Yunxiu arranged for the palace maid to be settled in his fourth brother's home, only then returning home to begin preparing for the "Treasure Gamble."

First of all, this thing had to attract a flow of people.

Zhang Yunxiu immediately thought of Han San; this man was an old Beijing hand, and while he might not have had contact with any big shots, he certainly knew plenty of people at the bottom.

Zhang Yunxiu immediately sent Zhang Fu to call him over.

Zhang Fu accepted the order and left; a short while later, he returned, followed by Han San, who was dressed in a round hat and black shirt.

Because of his meritorious service in supervising affairs previously, he had been promoted one grade, becoming a Trial Hundred-Household of the secondary sixth rank.

The Hundred-Household official robe draped over his body truly gave him a bit of spirit.

Upon seeing Zhang Yunxiu, Han San stepped forward, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "Young Master, you were looking for me?"

Zhang Yunxiu nodded, pointed to the stool on his left, and signaled for him to sit. Han San said, "Thank you," and plopped down.

Once seated, Zhang Yunxiu laid the matter out completely. Han San's eyes lit up as he listened, and he exclaimed, "This method is great! Among the gamblers in this capital, who isn't someone who would turn somersaults for a copper?"

"If the Young Master also lets the Embroidered Uniform Guard master this way of making money, the status of the Embroidered Uniform Guard could also be greatly elevated."

Zhang Yunxiu nodded.

As for this method of raking in money, he naturally could not give it to the eunuchs.

At this thought, Zhang Yunxiu looked at Han San with a smile and instructed, "After you go back, call everyone you know. Tell them to wait together at Erlang Street at noon five days from now."

"Young Master, rest assured, this humble one will certainly exhaust all my strength." Han San hurriedly expressed his loyalty, then took a red pouch from his waist.

Zhang Yunxiu took it and looked inside to find a piece of ancient jade with blood-colored staining.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Han San respectfully wishes the Young Master success in the Provincial Examination. It is a mere trifle, not worth mentioning." Han San grinned.

Good lad.

This jade looked like it had some age to it; it had to be worth at least a hundred taels of silver.

A Hundred-Household's monthly salary was only ten piculs of grain, which, when converted to silver, was only 60 taels; this lad had certainly skimmed plenty of grease.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yunxiu smiled and accepted the pouch, stood up, and patted Han San on the shoulder: "Don't let it happen again."

Han San bowed his body in a fawning manner. Zhang Fu, standing to the side, felt jealous and couldn't help but mock, "I hadn't realized before that Hundred-Household Han was so wealthy; this ancient jade is just a small matter in your eyes."

"How about you give me something too, some other day, just as a gesture?"

Stung by this, Han San was not annoyed; he turned to look at Zhang Fu and said, "I don't get to see the Young Master very often, unlike you, brother, who is always by the Young Master's side."

Glad you know.

Zhang Fu tilted his chin and smiled.

"Alright, alright, hurry off and prepare. Once the matter is done, your future will be incomparable to what it is today." Seeing the two bickering, Zhang Yunxiu waved his hand impatiently, urging Han San to leave quickly.

Han San cupped his hands and strode out of the room in a few steps.

At this moment, Zhang Fu leaned in and fawned, "Young Master, what shall I do?"

"Find a bookstore and have them advertise all over the streets. Never mind whether it makes money for now; you must first build up the momentum," Zhang Yunxiu said, a flash of fervor in his eyes.

"Rest assured, Young Master." Having received his task, Zhang Fu took off running.

One day later.

Inside Chunlai Tea House on the left side of Chongwen Street, Han San sat in the seat of honor with a domineering air, while the two sides were filled with men in coarse hemp clothing with sallow complexions.

They looked at the high-spirited Han San with faces full of envy, discussing things in a clamor.

"Brother San, now that you've made your fortune, don't forget us brothers," a small man with a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks joked.

"Last year, we were all visiting brothels together; I never expected Brother San to become a big shot now," a dark man beside him said, rubbing his palms with a fawning expression. "That goes without saying! Our Brother San is a big-name figure in Shitou Alley."

"..."

Hearing the fawning voices of the crowd, Han San's vanity was greatly satisfied.

He waved his hand, and the crowd immediately quieted down, then stared straight at Han San, waiting for this "big shot" to speak.

"Four days from now, the Emperor is going to distribute reward money to you all. Those who want to make money, all go to Erlang Street for me."

"What reward money?" someone bold asked.

"Betting one copper to win fifty—isn't that reward money?" Han San glanced at the man, then pulled his gaze back to scan the crowd. "Each person only needs to put up one copper. Once we have a hundred people, we'll open the lid and see who wins those fifty coppers."

"One copper pays fifty?"

"There's such a good thing in this world? Good heavens, no wonder they say the Emperor is showing mercy."

"A copper for my kid is just enough to buy a candied hawthorn; might as well go and have a gamble."

"After you go back, bring more people. The more people you bring, the greater your chance of winning the prize," Han San said, continuing to paint a picture for them as he saw them moved. "One to fifty, no cheating of young or old. If it weren't for the fact that you are my fellow villagers and brothers, I wouldn't be willing to tell you."

The crowd laughed, praising Han San repeatedly for not forgetting his roots.

After dealing with these commoners, Han San left the tea house and turned into a small alley opposite the building.

After a few turns, he walked straight into a dim room where seven or eight men with strange appearances and a ruffian air were standing.

The leader was a man with thick body hair.

"Third Master." Seeing Han San walk in, the hairy man hurriedly stepped forward to offer a salute.

"Where is the goods?"

"This is the Tang Bohu painting you wanted, plus the Xuande kiln, the Yuan blue-and-white..." the man said, ordering the items to be brought out.

Han San carefully took the bundle, examined it thoroughly, and after confirming it was correct, raised his eyes and asked, "How much?"

"It's not worth much, just seven or eight taels of silver. If Third Master likes it, just take it as a gift."

"You really take me for a bandit, don't you?" Han San glared at the man and took out seven taels of silver, slapping them into the burly man's hand.

The burly man was stunned for a moment, then took out three taels of silver to make ten, and handed them back to Han San.

Consider yourself sensible.

Han San took the silver, scanned the group, and barked, "Tell me, you lot, what kind of work isn't better than this? You just have to make fakes, and you make them look just like the real thing, damn it."

"If you hadn't run into me, you would have been beheaded long ago, understand?"

"Understood, understood." The few men hung their heads and nodded repeatedly.

Han San suddenly remembered something; he hooked the leading burly man, pulled him to the side, and asked in a low voice, "That piece of ancient jade you gave me, is it real or fake? If it's fake, I'll kill you, damn it."

"Real, it's real, absolutely real. It's the only real thing we have; I was originally planning to keep it as a family heirloom." The burly man had wanted to tell the truth, but when he remembered that even he couldn't tell if that thing was real or fake, let alone these laymen?

Han San breathed a sigh of relief.

He had asked many people about that ancient jade, and they all said it was real, which was why he dared to give it away.

It was said to have been passed down from the Warring States period; now that he had confirmed it once more, he felt completely at ease. He took a breath, stared at the burly man, and said, "Wang He, you kid are not bad. When I, Higo, make it big, I certainly won't forget to give you a hand."

"Many thanks for your guidance, Third Master." Wang He gave a fawning smile.

Han San waved his hand impatiently, clutched the treasure in his arms, and headed straight for Qipan Street.

(End of this chapter)