Chapter 98: Prize

"Burn it all!"

Pang Yu, with He Xianya in tow, had just reached the entrance of Bai Shun Tang when they heard Jiang Shuqiong shouting loudly inside.

"A gambling den is a place where everyone seeks good fortune and luck. Since it's the Central Plains Festival and old things should be burned, pile up all the broken, worn-out stuff at the door. Tonight we'll see whose doorstep fire burns brightest."

The two lifted the door curtain and entered, greeted by a wave of warmth. The main hall was packed with people, a roaring din filling the entire space.

Jiang Shuqiong was directing several serving women and young servants in clearing out old items — mainly stools and chess and tile sets damaged by angry gamblers. According to the customs of this season, old things could be burned on the Central Plains Festival, symbolizing bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new. In a gambling den, there was also the added emphasis on fiery luck, and some gamblers, hoping to stoke the blaze, had come to join the fun and lend a hand.

The moment Jiang Shuqiong spotted Pang Yu, she let out a pig-slaughtering shriek, then hurried over to him. "Dongjia, Happy New Year! Congratulations, Dongjia, felicitations, Dongjia! In the first ten-plus days of the new year, Bai Shun Tang's business has been booming. We've even had people come all the way from the Prefectural City of Anqing, drawn by our reputation. This servant has stayed in the gambling den all these days. Though I didn't go home for the New Year, seeing all this bustle makes me happy for you, Dongjia."

"Squad Leader Jiang has devoted herself entirely to her duties throughout the New Year season. With such drive, Bai Shun Tang will naturally thrive. After we close this evening, our Bai Shun Tang will also celebrate the holiday. For someone as diligent as Squad Leader Jiang, Pang has a reward as well."

Jiang Shuqiong's face lit up with surprise and delight, but she immediately shook her head. "Dongjia already gave out New Year fees and bonuses before the holiday. Doing our work is simply our duty. Who would have the nerve to accept a reward on top of that? This servant absolutely will not take it."

Pang Yu smiled faintly. "When a job is done well, the guests have their fun, and everyone earns money, a reward is something to be accepted with full confidence. Squad Leader Jiang must not refuse."

With that, Pang Yu said no more to Jiang Shuqiong and went straight up to the second floor. Liu Ruogu received him at the top of the stairs.

Leaning on the railing, Pang Yu observed the main hall for a moment, then asked, "Which ones are using tricks?"

"The man wearing the blue Square Cap at the Pai Gow Earth Character table, and the two sitting opposite the dealer at the Pai Gow Huang Character table. Wang Ren was the first to notice they were suspicious. I paid close attention and saw that they were using Bone Tiles identical in color to our den's tiles. I just now had someone swap out the tiles on those tables. After counting them one by one, some tiles appeared in duplicate while others were missing — exactly the ones they had switched and hadn't yet had a chance to switch back."

Wang Ren poked his head out from behind Liu Ruogu. "The man at the Earth Character table has an extremely fast technique — he switches the tile the moment he reaches out. The two at the Huang Character table are less skilled; one has to draw everyone's attention away before the other can switch the tile. They don't succeed every time."

Pang Yu nodded. "Master Wang, are you getting used to staying here?"

Wang Ren spoke to Pang Yu ingratiatingly, "Thank you for asking, Dongjia. This humble one is getting used to it. Dongjia gave me a monthly wage of four taels of silver. Although it's a bit little…"

Pang Yu glared at Wang Ren, who hastily corrected himself, "It's still more than enough."

He had been seized by Pang Yu and locked in the jail for several days. Pang Yu sent someone to the Prefectural City to make inquiries and confirmed that there was indeed a Wang Ren at Mo You Fang, and the physical description matched this man. Only then did he release Wang Ren and set him to catching swindlers at Bai Shun Tang.

"Earning a monthly wage naturally isn't as carefree as swindling money. But until this Squad Leader tells you to leave, you will stay right here in Bai Shun Tang. If you dare run, once I catch you, I'll throw you into the Inner Prison. And this Squad Leader knows exactly where your home is. I hear both your parents are still alive and well."

Wang Ren nodded and bowed repeatedly. "I wouldn't dare run, wouldn't dare run."

Just then, another burst of noise erupted from the Earth Character table downstairs. Someone was heard shouting, "The dealer has Twelve Wushan!"

Pang Yu's gaze shifted back to the main hall. The dealer in the hall had flipped over two tiles, both three-spots. Bai Shun Tang ran Small Pai Gow, using a total of thirty-two Bone Tiles, two dealt to each person, with pairs being the highest. Pairs were currently called Hua Teams. Hua Teams were further divided into Big Tiles and Long Shields. Twelve Wushan was the highest of the Long Shields.

For a player to win, they would need to hold Big Tiles, of which there were only four kinds: Heaven, Earth, Man, and Harmony.

The dealer's hand was big enough that the other six players at the table didn't even want to reveal their tiles, flinging them angrily into the center of the table. Only the man wearing the blue Square Cap did not move.

The onlookers who had placed side bets all watched the man expectantly, because he had begun winning quite a bit, and many had bet on him, the player, to win. Pang Yu folded his arms and watched the man in the blue Square Cap with keen interest.

The man unhurriedly reached out and casually flipped over his two tiles. Pang Yu could not see at all when he had switched them.

"Man Tile! He wins!"

It was actually a pair of four-spot Man Tiles, beating the dealer's Twelve Wushan. The gamblers who had bet on him around the table cheered in unison. The dealer who had dealt the tiles was ashen-faced — Bai Shun Tang had lost quite a bit of silver on this hand. More gamblers, drawn by the cheers, crowded around the Earth Character table.

Wang Ren pointed at the man. "Switching tiles is all done by palming them. Watching this man's technique, you can't see the slightest flaw. He must have learned some sleight-of-hand like the Immortal Returning to the Cave. This humble one speculates that his two hands can likely hold two or even three tiles in total, which makes it extremely easy to assemble a Hua Team."

"How much have they won?"

Liu Ruogu said in a low voice, "This man alone has won roughly seventy taels. The two at the Huang Character table have won less."

"Then why haven't you seized them?"

"They came together with Liu Xiucai. Therefore, I dared not act rashly and quickly sent someone to request Dongjia to come."

Pang Yu tilted his head to look at Liu Ruogu. "Where is he?"

Liu Ruogu pointed to the left. Pang Yu walked a few steps in that direction and saw Liu Xiucai sitting in the Mahjong room, playing tiles with three other people. One of them was, unexpectedly, Jiao Guozha.

Wang Ren leaned close to Pang Yu's ear. "Liu Xiucai and the other two are accomplices, swindling that Official Jiao out of his silver. Liu Xiucai and the other two are likely regular partners in Leaf Play and Penghe Tiles. They mainly rely on hand signals. The one requesting a tile uses his left hand to signal the number and his right hand to signal the suit. Official Jiao has lost over thirty taels today."

Pang Yu looked carefully. Sure enough, the number of fingers Liu Xiucai used when stroking his beard twice with his left hand was different — exactly signaling a number.

Pang Yu turned to Liu Ruogu. "Go and have the White Pigeon Ticket drawing held early."

Liu Ruogu paused for a moment, then bowed slightly and went downstairs to make the arrangements. Next, Pang Yu called He Xianya, who was downstairs, to come up and gave him a few whispered instructions.

Soon, a gong sounded downstairs. The gamblers in the hall flocked toward the drawing area by the entrance. The White Pigeon Ticket was given as a gift — everyone who exchanged for chips received one ticket, on which they chose characters themselves. It was like a lottery, only with numbers replaced by written characters. Drawings were held three times a day. Although the odds of winning were slim, a win paid five taels of silver, which still held considerable appeal for gamblers. Some who had lost were even more desperate to win the White Pigeon Ticket to recoup their losses.

The gamblers on the second floor also hurried downstairs, afraid of missing the drawing. Jiao Guozha ran at the very front; even when he bumped into Pang Yu, he only let out a yell without stopping for a moment. Liu Xiucai walked at the very back. Before he could exit, Pang Yu stepped ahead and blocked the doorway.

Liu Xiucai froze for a second. Once he recognized Pang Yu, he gave a cold laugh, completely unflustered, and sat back down at the Mahjong table.

Pang Yu smiled and walked over to sit at the table. "Xiucai Gong has such leisure. Instead of tending to your own Silver Full Gambling Den, you come to my Bai Shun Tang to help boost business. What tremendous Face and Sentiment."

Liu Xiucai fiddled with the Dice in his hand, eyeing Pang Yu sideways. "I would like to tend to my own business, but there are always people who want to cross Liu, who won't let Liu attend to his own affairs in peace. For instance, when they saw my Silver Full Gambling Den doing well, a whole crowd of people had to follow suit and open gambling dens. Or for instance, when they saw Liu's Eastern Prosperity Tower business doing well, some people found it even more detestable and actually wanted to tear the tower down. Liu has pondered this over and over, wondering where I could have offended you all, to be so fixated upon by everyone. How could I have any mind left to do business?"

Pang Yu straightened the Bone Tiles in front of him and made a gesture of invitation, saying, "So what Xiucai Gong means is, whatever business you open, no one else is allowed to open the same."

"That's not it." Liu Xiucai flung the Dice into the center of the table. "How would I dare be so greedy? But if someone wants to utterly destroy my business, I will absolutely not sit idle and wait to die."

The two talked while they began drawing tiles according to the Dice roll, two people playing a four-person hand.

"So Xiucai Gong would rather throw all scholarly dignity to the wind, bringing a bunch of wandering swindlers to Bai Shun Tang to use these low-down, dirty tricks — this is Xiucai Gong's desperate counterattack?"

Liu Xiucai gave a snort. "I merely came today to see the skill of Bai Shun Tang's dealers. Don't speak to me of throwing scholarly dignity to the wind — Liu doesn't care about that. If Squad Leader Pang would like to hear something more scholarly, I can tell you one thing. Liu's paternal cousin, upon this Examination Complete, has been transferred from the Shandong Provincial Administration Commission to be a Censor in the Capital. Let alone dealing with a minor Squad Leader like you, even dealing with Yang Erming would be a mere lift of Liu's hand."

Pang Yu narrowed his eyes and played a Three Wen tile. "From what Liu Xiucai says, your elder cousin brother serves as a Censor not to oversee the hundred officials for the court, nor to plead on behalf of the people, but to use a public instrument for private ends, specifically to contend with the people for profit on behalf of you, his cousin?"

Liu Xiucai was momentarily tongue-tied. He hadn't expected Pang Yu's words to be so razor-sharp. After a pause, he played a Two Suo tile and said angrily, "So what if he does? You're nothing but a lowly runner. Even if I do contend with you, what of it?"

"Pong!" Pang Yu laid out two Two Suo tiles. "Xiucai Gong is, after all, a scholar. He ought to have at least some basic decency. Could it be that today you intend to openly rob my Bai Shun Tang?"

After Pang Yu discarded a tile, Liu Xiucai reached to draw again, giving a snort. "Don't make yourself out to be some honest commoner. Still, this Bai Shun Tang of yours is run with some skill, so Liu won't utterly destroy you either. You hand over a sixty percent share, and I'll let you be."

He finished speaking and played a Ninety Thousand Strings tile. Pang Yu said again, "Chow!"

At that moment, a burst of cheers came from outside the door. Liu Xiucai glared at Pang Yu. "Squad Leader Pang has delayed Liu from winning the White Pigeon Ticket. Otherwise, that grand prize would surely have been Liu's."

Pang Yu drew a tile. Without flipping it over to look, he rubbed it with his fingers for a moment, his eyes fixed on Liu Xiucai the whole time. He said, "Xiucai Gong thinks all the advantages in the world are his own. But in worldly affairs, eight or nine times out of ten, things do not go as one wishes. Best not to think too highly of yourself."

"Liu is exactly like this! If you refuse to yield, Liu will ask my cousin brother to step in and write a letter to Yang Erming, demanding he dismiss you from your post as Squad Leader. If not, he will impeach him for indulging Xuli. Do you think Yang Erming would offend a Censor for the sake of a lowly runner like you?"

"Merely a Censor. Xiucai Gong, from your tone, someone who didn't know better would think your cousin brother was the Chief Grand Secretary. He impeaches Lord Yang, and Lord Yang can just as easily impeach your cousin brother for shielding relatives and friends in seizing the people's wealth. The Civil Unrest in Tongcheng was personally annotated by the Emperor as 'Gentry indulging Slaves Committing Evil.' If two Impeachment Memorials were laid before the imperial desk at the same time, perhaps the Emperor would be more inclined to believe Lord Yang."

As Pang Yu finished speaking, he pushed his tiles down with a slap — he had already drawn the winning tile himself and completed his hand. Liu Xiucai's face cycled between red and white, his gaze flickering as he stared at Pang Yu.

By now, the White Pigeon Ticket drawing outside had finished, and the gamblers were all returning to the hall. People had already begun coming upstairs one after another.

He Xianya appeared at the doorway and handed a cloth bundle to Pang Yu. Pang Yu took it and politely passed it to Liu Xiucai. "Speak of the devil — Xiucai Gong has indeed won a prize. This is your prize. Please, Xiucai Gong, take good care of it."

After Liu Xiucai took it with a start, Pang Yu strode out the door and left. The cloth bundle was limp and soft. Curious, Liu Xiucai lifted the cloth strip, then suddenly flung it away as if shocked by lightning, letting out a cry of alarm from his mouth.

Inside the cloth bundle were unmistakably three right hands, each palm holding a Pai Gow bone tile.