Qing Yao

Chapter 475 Let's Bet on the Emperor

The Manchu officers of all ranks in the Bordered Yellow Banner, whether gambling on their future or seeking peace, were all raising money to pay their punishment fines, some even resorting to high-interest loans. Zhao An was not idle either; he was plotting something big.

A major opportunity to make a fortune – becoming a bookmaker!
This "banker" is not the banker in an ordinary dice and dominoes gambling game, but a banker that has never existed in the past five thousand years.

The sudden arrival of Prince Yongxing that day reminded Zhao An of the most eye-catching, most exciting, yet most taboo topic in the capital and even the whole world: the position of crown prince three years from now!
Countless princes, ministers, high-ranking officials, meritorious relatives, and members of the imperial family whispered and speculated about this matter in private banquets, warm chambers, and even in bed.

Some gamblers, with their own gambling instincts, argued heatedly with colleagues, friends, and relatives over this, each sticking to their own version of events, eager to find a place to settle the score.

If at this time a highly secretive channel were to suddenly open for betting, allowing these powerful and wealthy officials to place their bets, and as time went on, the odds were to be adjusted according to the subtle changes in the political situation, and even some true and false information were to be released to guide public opinion.
What kind of betting scheme will this create?

How much profit can be made from this?

There is definitely a risk involved; leaking information would be a capital offense.

However, the astonishing profits still prompted Zhao An to seriously consider the possibility of nationwide betting, because while making huge profits, this betting game could also clearly show him who his enemies and friends were in the simplest way.

How simple is it?

Those who bet on Prince Jia, Yongyan, are enemies; those who choose others are friends.

It's that simple.

Of course, such a momentous gamble could only be conducted by Zhao An, a second-rank governor, in his jurisdiction of Anhui at most. He certainly couldn't handle it in the capital, nor could he cover it up.

Throughout history, the strength and reputation of the house in gambling have been the key factors determining whether a game can continue and whether participants dare to place bets with confidence.

Therefore, if Zhao An wants to make this money, he must find a partner who is both exceptionally capable and equally audacious.

First, we can rule out Heshen and Fu Chang'an.

The reason for excluding Heshen is that Zhao An does not intend to drag him into this at this stage. The reason for excluding Fu Chang'an is that these four fools are too ruthless, and he cannot stay in the capital forever. Therefore, in the end, this big gambling game is very likely to be won by the four fools.

He wanted to find a reliable third-party partner.

Xu Lin and Qian Wen were both quick-witted, and within a few days they had figured out most of the ins and outs of the underground casinos in Beijing.

The largest gambling dens each have their own owners on the surface, but behind them are almost all top-level Manchurian nobles.

For example, Fu Chang'an owns two gambling dens.

Heshen was good in this respect; he didn't gamble, nor did he support gambling, and he didn't develop the service industry. He only did relatively legitimate businesses.

Of course, there's the kind of pure monopoly where you can make money without lifting a finger.

They are much like nature's porters.

The largest gambling den was a place called "Xinshengbaoju" located near Dashilan outside Qianmen.

No one knows who the owner of this gambling den is, but he must be someone of great importance. Rumors suggest that he could very well be a prince, and the possibility of him being the "King of Hats" cannot be ruled out.

No further information could be obtained, because the people at Xinshengbao Bureau were extremely tight-lipped, and their get off work hours were very regular. They didn't go out and wander around after work, and they ate and slept at the gambling den, so there was no chance to contact them at all.

After learning about these circumstances, Zhao An instructed Qian Wen and the others to inquire further about which prince in the capital was a gambler.

If we're talking about a prince who loves gambling, the first one that comes to mind is the old master's younger brother, Prince Hongzhou. This prince was a notorious eccentric, and his two favorite things in life were gambling and playing pranks.

He frequently held high-stakes gambling events in his mansion, and even held his own funeral at home, demanding that his family and servants weep and mourn while he sat beside the coffin and enjoyed the offerings for his amusement.

However, Hongzhou had poor gambling habits. He not only forced members of the royal family and ministers to participate in his gambling games, but also liked to use his power to force people to lose money to him.

Fortunately, this person died more than 20 years ago.

Besides Hongzhou, the prince who is currently the most fond of gambling is also related to the old master, and the relationship is very close. He is none other than the lame eighth prince, Prince Yi, Yongxuan.

Yongxuan and her uncle Hongzhou have similar personalities. Perhaps because she was excluded from the selection of the crown prince early on, Yongxuan indulges in alcohol, women, gambling and other vices all day long, and seems to have given up on herself.

His gambling partners were not fixed; he could gamble with wealthy merchants or mingle with street gamblers. He gambled on all kinds of things, and for this he was often scolded by his grandfather for not doing his proper job and for being despicable.

But Yongxuan didn't listen to his father at all, so the old man just let him do as he pleased, since the crown prince wasn't this son anyway.

Zhao An decided to contact Yongxuan first to find out what she was capable of.

"Find out which gambling den or private gambling den Prince Yi frequents lately?"

Zhao An entrusted the matter to Qian Wen, and specifically instructed him to make a breakthrough by targeting the servants of Prince Yi's mansion.

Soon, with the help of "public relations fees," Qian Wen received accurate information that Prince Yi, Yongxuan, would be going to a place in the western city that looked like a private residence but was actually a high-end gambling den that night.

A chance encounter happened.

Seeing Prince Yongxuan, who was engrossed in a card game without any airs of a prince, Zhao An, who was also dressed in casual clothes, did not rush over to chat. Instead, he casually went to another table to play.

Zhao An doesn't like gambling, but if he does gamble, he always bets up to the limit the table can handle.

The bet was on three dice, rolling for big or small. Soon, the gamblers at the table were astonished by Zhao An's nonchalant attitude when placing his bets. He didn't even blink at the limit of one thousand taels of silver. He remained calm when he lost money and showed no joy when he won, as if the money flowing in and out wasn't real gold and silver, but just pieces of waste paper.

More and more gamblers gathered around. Yongxuan, who had just lost more than 600 taels of silver in a single hand, also noticed the commotion at the next table and immediately felt that it looked somewhat familiar.

A quick recollection revealed that the young man at the next table, who had attracted a large crowd, was the same guy who had recently been promoted by the Emperor and was making headlines for his supposed rectification of the Bordered Yellow Banner. What was his name again? Right, I think it was Zhao Youlu!
Why is this kid gambling here?

Once his curiosity was piqued, Yongxuan became restless. He had been having a bad night, losing over four thousand taels of silver in total, and was no longer in the mood for anything. So he simply pushed the cards aside, stood up, and casually strolled over to Zhao An's table to watch.

Zhao An must have noticed Yongxuan coming over, but he pretended not to see her at first. It wasn't until three minutes later that he turned his neck unintentionally, and he was first stunned, then his expression changed, and he hurriedly tried to get up.

Unexpectedly, Yongxuan pressed down on his shoulder and whispered, "We don't need to make any arrangements here."

Zhao An lowered his voice: "This servant was unaware that Your Highness was here. I have disturbed Your Highness's enjoyment. This servant is guilty."

"What crime or not? If I, a prince, can gamble, why can't you?"

Yongxuan waved her hand dismissively, glancing at the thick wad of silver notes in front of Zhao An with curiosity: "You like this too?"

Zhao An gave a wry smile and said, "Your Highness, I can't say whether it's good or bad; I just do it occasionally for amusement."

"Oh? You think playing around like this is enough for a little fun?"

Whether drawn to Zhao An or the silver notes in front of him, Yongxuan's gambling addiction was reignited. She patted Zhao An on the shoulder and said, "How about we find a quiet place to play a few rounds of Pai Gow?"

Zhao An looked embarrassed and declined, saying, "How dare this servant gamble with Your Highness?"

"Hey, it's just a game, what's there to be afraid of? What, are you afraid I'll renege on my debt if I lose?"

Without saying a word, Yongxuan pulled Zhao An toward a private room at the back of the gambling den, a room reserved for distinguished guests.

The manager of the gambling den knew Yongxuan's true identity. With a single glance, someone came to serve her.

The two took their seats as host and guest, and Yongxuan skillfully shuffled and arranged the cards.

Zhao An seemed a bit inexperienced, but his betting was quite aggressive. He placed three thousand taels in the first round, which surprised Prince Yongxuan.

Despite being a prince, Yongxuan didn't have much to gain from his position, aside from his annual princely salary and the few properties his grandfather gave him when he was granted a fief.

Three thousand taels is quite a lot of pressure.

Zhao An felt no pressure whatsoever; those four idiots had given him two million taels of silver for free.

Logically, Yongxuan should be a bit nervous, while Zhao An should be relaxed, so Zhao An should have a better chance of winning. However, Zhao An's luck was really terrible, and he kept losing money.

Lord Zhao

Seeing Zhao An push a large wad of silver notes in front of her once again, Yongxuan felt a little embarrassed. "Isn't your way of betting a bit too generous?"

I was going to say that you're giving me money, but I changed my words before I could finish.

Zhao An, however, didn't care at all and laughed, "The point of betting with the prince is to have fun; a little money is nothing to worry about."

When Zhao An pushed over the last five thousand taels of silver notes, Yongxuan roughly calculated that he had actually won a full thirty thousand taels from the other party tonight!

Although he was a prince, his salary from the court was fixed, and his household expenses were huge. All the extravagance, social obligations, and expenses for his wives, concubines, and children cost money.

Thirty thousand taels was a considerable windfall for Yongxuan!
"Concession, concession!"

Yongxuan was in a great mood after winning a huge sum of money, and she looked at Zhao An as if he were a lucky charm.

"Your Highness's card skills are superb; this servant admires them."

Zhao An smiled and clasped his hands in greeting, his face still showing no sign of distress at losing such a large sum of money. Before leaving, he didn't forget to volunteer for another match.

If you, Prince Yi, have the guts, come here again tomorrow night.

You’d be a fool not to make money!
In the following days, Zhao An seemed to be locked in a stalemate with Yong Xuan. The two became almost fixed card partners, and the result was predictable: Zhao An lost more than he won. Over the course of a few days, the amount of silver he lost to Yong Xuan reached a staggering 170,000 taels!

After the card game ended that day, looking at Zhao An whose expression remained unchanged, Yongxuan finally couldn't help but say with a hint of smugness, "Lord Zhao, your gambling luck... seems to be really bad. You can throw tens of thousands of taels of silver into the water and still make a sound."

Upon hearing this, Zhao An was not angry at all. Instead, he laughed and said, "Your Highness, a mere hundred thousand taels of silver is nothing in my eyes. If Your Highness can cooperate with me on a business deal, not to mention a hundred thousand taels, even a million or ten million taels of silver would be within my grasp."

"Millions, tens of millions?"

Yongxuan was taken aback at first, then sneered, "I say, kid, have you lost your mind from losing money? There's no such thing as a free lunch. Do you think you're robbing the Ministry of Revenue's treasury?"

"How much money does the Ministry of Revenue's treasury have?"

Zhao An chuckled softly, “To be honest, Your Highness, I would like to partner with you to start a gambling operation. However, our gambling is not about dice and dominoes, but about who will own the throne in the Forbidden City three years from now.”

(End of this chapter)