Shangyuan Gambling House!
A dim room filled with candle altars, with a large furnace placed in the middle.
A Daoist dressed in robes held a peach wood sword, performing a ritual. Countless red threads were drawn around four pillars, with the ends connected atop the furnace.
"Daoist Chen Fang, that Song Ce was found and taken back to Prince Su Mansion. Do you think this person can just be..."
The middle-aged man smiled obsequiously, making a throat-cutting gesture with his hand.
Daoist Chen Fang swept his peach wood sword, "Is this the command of Duke Luu?"
"Naturally, the Duke said, 'the longer the night, the more dreams may occur.' If the man dies, we can send someone to Prince Su Mansion to demand money, causing Prince Su to lose face."
"Understood, I shall commence the ritual!"
Daoist Chen Fang arrogantly took out a jar, intending to open it and summon the little ghost.
Snap!
Unexpectedly, the jar in his hand cracked open first.
Crash! Crash!
Shards and black water fell to the ground and splattered everywhere.
The middle-aged man was shocked, "Daoist Chen Fang, what's happening?"
Spurt!
Daoist Chen Fang's face turned ashen, and he spat blood for him to see.
The blood mixed with the black water, making a sizzling sound.
Daoist Chen Fang clutched his chest, calculated with his fingers, and with a darkened face and gritted teeth, said, "Whoever came up with this wicked method deserves a thousand cuts. They caught my little ghost and are purifying it with righteous methods. Truly wicked methods!"
"Daoist, what should we do?"
"A thread from that little ghost is still tied to me. If they purify it further, I'll suffer double the backlash. Hurry, I need to go to Prince Su Mansion to retrieve my little ghost!"
Daoist Chen Fang frantically attempted to run out, but soldiers had already stormed in, blocking all exits.
"What are you doing? This is the Shangyuan Gambling House; everything is operating legally and compliantly."
"We're raiding your Shangyuan Gambling House, the Dragon Shadow Guards conducting affairs; do we need to reason with you? Humph, if you don't get lost, we'll arrest all of you!"
"Ah, ah, ah..."
The Shangyuan Gambling House was in chaos, Daoist Chen Fang was stuck in a dilemma, the middle-aged man was pale-faced.
No, I must quickly find Duke Luu to report this matter!
The moneymaking den has been busted!
——
One Shangyuan Gambling House blew up quite a few hidden players in Shangjing.
The entire Shangjing was full of complaints, and many were filing reports against Prince Su.
The Emperor urgently summoned Prince Su to the palace!
Inside the Imperial Study, smoke spiraled upward.
"I've heard you raided the Shangyuan Gambling House?"
Emperor Anqing's face was dark as he held a memorial, distractedly looking at it.
"Yes!"
Xie Jiuxiao calmly replied, holding a cup of tea, drinking it steadily.
Snap!
Emperor Anqing threw the memorial in his hand aside, stood up, and paced back and forth.
"Do you know how much trouble this has caused? The Empress Dowager came early on to pointedly scold me. After seeing her off, Duke Luu came crying, and then the Censorate's Vice Minister and the Captain of Cavalry also complained against you, saying the Shangyuan Gambling House was operating legally, yet you raided it without evidence, allegedly to let your mansion's guards escape debts—violating laws and shielding your people. They demand you promptly resume the gambling house's operations."
Emperor Anqing paced as he observed Xie Jiuxiao's expression.
Xie Jiuxiao put down the teacup, "The Dragon Shadow Guards captured an evil cultist Daoist in the gambling house. He admitted to using sorcery, specifically targeting rich young heirs in Shangjing to lure them, making them bring money to the Shangyuan Gambling House. I haven't even accused Duke Luu yet, and he's already crying? What does elder brother think? Was my action inappropriate?"
Emperor Anqing's eyes were dark and deep.
After a silence, a smile could no longer be suppressed, as his lips curled upward. He stepped forward with a hearty laugh, giving Xie Jiuxiao a heavy pat on the shoulder.
"Hahaha, perfect! It's handled perfectly! The Shangyuan Gambling House was a rotten place long overdue for closure! Ziyin, you've done very well this time by finding an excuse to eradicate this ghostly place, and cut off one of Duke Luu's arms!"
Emperor Anqing felt invigorated, his expression brightening, "Do you know that the Daoist Chen Fang invited by Duke Luu was specially sent by Prince Qin from his side, reportedly costing a lot of money to cultivate? Now that he's gone, the Prince can be infuriated to death. Just imagining Prince Qin's furious face makes me feel quite satisfied."
Xie Jiuxiao was long accustomed to Emperor Anqing's inconsistent attitudes.
He crossed his hands, a hint of ferocity in his eyes.
"This time, they wanted to target me, even sending a little ghost, nearly harming Ms Jiang's son."
"Hmph, utter nonsense! Luckily, I always kept Dongfang Chenyuan by your side. With a direct descendant of the Dongfang Family escorting you, I'm reassured."
"This time, it wasn't thanks to Dongfang Chenyuan."
"Oh? If not him, then who?"
"It's..."
Before Xie Jiuxiao could tell his elder brother about Yu Nianzhao, wailing cries came from outside.
"What's going on now? Could it also be about the Shangyuan Gambling House?"
Emperor Anqing frowned, displeasure written on his face.
Didn't they see the brothers were having a heartfelt conversation? Who's the blind fool stirring up trouble now?
"Your Majesty, I need to see the Emperor!"
Marquis Wu'an, Pei Yuanzheng's voice came from outside the Imperial Study,
"Hmph? How is it Marquis Wu'an, could he also be of Duke Luu's faction? Are these rascals having fun forming cliques?"
Emperor Anqing's eyes were filled with murderous intensity, wishing to have all these people dragged out and executed.
His irritable thoughts vanished as quickly as they came.
"Your Majesty, I really have an important matter, I wish to complain against Prince Su!"
The eunuch outside advised Pei Yuanzheng to leave, but Pei Yuanzheng refused, continually shouting at the door.
Emperor Anqing raised his eyebrows, watching Xie Jiuxiao with a half-smile, "Ziyin, yet another complaint against you. How many things have you done recently to make people resentful? Even Marquis Wu'an got offended, is it because of the Shangyuan Gambling House?"
Xie Jiuxiao's usually unmatched handsome face showed a rare hint of embarrassment, silently shaking his head.
It's impossible that it was because of the Shangyuan Gambling House; naturally, it was because of...
"Forget it, I don't want to hear it anymore. Have someone send him away."
Suddenly losing interest, Emperor Anqing waved his hand, and the outside guards were about to drag the person away.
"Your Majesty, this is truly important, I accuse Prince Su of abducting my legitimate daughter and refusing to return her to this day. How can this be? He, a dignified prince, abducting my daughter in the streets, does this sound reasonable if spread around? Please, Your Majesty, have Prince Su return my daughter!"
Pei Yuanzheng's voice grew distant as he was being dragged away, yet it still reached inside.
Emperor Anqing's back stopped abruptly in surprise, seeing Pei Yuanzheng about to be dragged away, he quickly shouted, "Hold on, bring him back to me!"
Then turned his head, eagerly and gossipingly asking, "Ziyin, is what he said true? Did you truly blossom, abducting someone's daughter in the street?"
Xie Jiuxiao, "..."
As the emperor, could you gossip a little less, perhaps?