The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

The commotion attracted the attention of many passersby.

Some people who enjoy a lively atmosphere instinctively gathered around.

Among them were several strong men who watched with great interest.

The gambling den thugs, surrounded by Jin Rong and his men, dared not make any move.

His face was very stiff at this moment, and he was probably cursing in frustration.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen, I did not mean to look down on you!"

On his fleshy face, he forced a few fawning expressions: "I'm just a gatekeeper, I don't have the guts to offend you gentlemen!"

His tall, strong body was slightly hunched, creating an unnatural sense of subservience.

"It's good to know!"

Jin Rong, beaming with pride, shoved the fellow hard and said irritably, "Get your manager out here. Huan-ge'er has something to say to him!"

"Okay, okay, I'll go get our manager right away!"

Taking advantage of the situation, the thug retreated repeatedly, gave his companion a "good luck" look, and then turned and rushed into the gambling den.

A moment later, a middle-aged, lean man hurriedly came out.

Seeing the group of students from the ethnic school blocking the entrance, he narrowed his eyes slightly, probably feeling miserable inside.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen, what are you doing?"

His tone was slightly stern, and combined with his sharp and capable aura, it was quite intimidating.

After all, he was the manager of the gambling den, so he was considered a big shot on the street.

Naturally, they wouldn't be frightened by the commotion caused by Jia Huan. How would they manage the gambling den in the future?

"It's nothing, I'm just short on money lately!"

At this moment, Jia Huan swaggered forward and said with a light laugh, "I heard that Sihai Gambling House makes a fortune every day, so I came here to try and get some money!"

With a smile, he said, "So, how about it, will the manager give me face?"

Give me a head!

The steward's lips twitched, and his gaze toward Jia Huan was extremely sharp.

If the gambling den manager hadn't known he couldn't act recklessly, he would have loved to slap Jia Huan across the face.

Damn it, what is this guy? They're even trying to take advantage of him.

On second thought, it seemed quite troublesome.

Jia Huan, a little kid who wasn't even as tall as his waist, was naturally not worth his attention.

But he had to consider whether someone was secretly instigating these kids from the Jia clan school to cause trouble, with the aim of muddying the waters.

If you don't keep your wits about you when you're surviving in the West City, you're definitely not going to last long.

Suppressing his anger, the manager smiled and said, "I'll give you face if you want!"

"I just don't know, what's the procedure here?"

Jia Huan felt something was off; the other party was being far too easy to talk to.

Originally, I was hoping my underlings would make a scene and force the other side to back down.

But unexpectedly, the other party was already willing to compromise at the very beginning?

Then, not wanting to think about anything else, he asked directly, "Does this gambling den have any 'paying respects' to its patrons?"

For a little kid who's just over six years old to say something so cheesy and江湖-esque is hilarious to outsiders.

Sure enough, some of the onlookers couldn't help but chuckle.

However, the casino manager couldn't laugh.

Jia Huan's question only strengthened his suspicions.

Does a little kid who's just over six years old know what it means to "pay respects to the boss"?

If no one is pointing it out to him, he'd rip his head off and let people kick it around like a ball!

Unfortunately, Jia Huan was unaware of what this fellow was thinking. Otherwise, he would have told him not to make things so bloody and to exchange the heads for silver of equal weight. He just liked the sight of shiny silver.

"They definitely prayed to them!"

The casino manager lowered his voice and said urgently, "Young master, just say what you want to say directly, don't beat around the bush with me!"

Jia Huan wouldn't listen to him, and asked himself, "Are we paying respects to the West Mansion or the East Mansion?"

"From the East Mansion! From the East Mansion!"

The casino manager nearly lost his temper, but still replied dejectedly, "It was given according to the rules!"

Since this brat Jia Huan speaks with such江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and江湖义气, a code of honor among outlaws) airs, he might as well learn from him.

"Brother Qiang, come here!"

Jia Huan called out, summoning Jia Qiang, who had been hiding in the back, over.

"This is Master Qiang, a direct descendant of the Eastern Mansion!"

Jia Huan first introduced Jia Qiang's identity before asking, "Brother Qiang, this fellow said that the gambling den went to the East Mansion to pay their respects. You're often around Brother Zhen, have you heard about that?"

"I've never heard Uncle Zhen mention that!"

Jia Qiang shook his head and said, "I've never even heard Uncle Zhen mention Sihai Gambling House!"

"Hey, did you hear me?"

Jia Huan glared angrily and said unhappily, "You don't think I'm young and just spouting nonsense, do you?"

With a wave of her hand, the students from the clan school, who were already prepared, immediately surrounded her aggressively.

Judging from their eager expressions, they seemed ready to start a fight at the slightest provocation.

With Huan-ge leading the way, they weren't afraid of being punished afterward.

"how is this possible?"

Seeing that the students from the clan school were ready to get to work, the gambling den manager became anxious: "Every year, the second steward of the East Mansion takes away several thousand taels of silver as a share of the profits from the gambling den!"

If a real fight breaks out, he really won't be able to withstand it.

"Huan-ge'er, Huan-ge'er, don't you dare mess with your brother!"

Just then, Jia Lian appeared out of nowhere, shouting frantically.

Chapter 37 A Rash Move (Please continue reading)

Alright, here comes the real scapegoat!

The tense atmosphere at the entrance of Sihai Gambling House instantly dissipated upon Jia Lian's arrival.

Under the smug look of the gambling den manager, Jia Huan, who had been arrogant and dissolute, waved for his classmates in the clan school to leave first.

Of course, he didn't leave, and Jia Qiang showed no intention of making a move.

The shout that the gambling den manager had made in his anxiety earlier had made Jia Qiang's face turn very ugly.

The profits from the Sihai Gambling House, amounting to several thousand taels of silver a year, were all handed over to Steward Lai of the Ning Mansion!

Jia Qiang can guarantee with his hand on his chest that the Ning Mansion does not have such a source of income!

In other words, all the silver was swallowed up by Steward Lai!

The reason Jia Qiang was so certain was that he had a clear understanding of the Ning Mansion's main sources of income.

Regardless of Jia Zhen's intentions in keeping him by his side, the master of Ning Mansion, is unknown.

However, one thing is undeniable: Jia Zhen truly treated him like a son, and his treatment in the mansion was no worse than Jia Rong's, and in some aspects even better.

Putting aside other matters, Jia Qiang had already gained access to the Ning Mansion's main income and expenditure accounts long ago.

The Ning family's annual income is only between 30,000 and 50,000 taels!

If Sihai Casino can give out thousands of taels of silver in dividends every year, how could there be no clear record?

It's worth noting that in the original novel of Dream of the Red Chamber, Jia Zhen donated a mere 1,200 taels of silver to Jia Rong to obtain the rank of Fifth-Rank Imperial Guard.

Even if it's just a vacant position, it's not something anyone can buy with money.

Clearly, several thousand taels of silver was no small sum, and Jia Zhen could not possibly ignore it!

Then there's only one possibility: Lai Er embezzled the money.

As one of the core members of the Ning Mansion, how could Jia Qiang remain indifferent?

Jia Lian was shocked, angry, and helpless.

How could he have imagined that Jia Huan would be so resourceful?

He only mentioned it at noon, and in the afternoon he brought students from the clan school to block the entrance of the gambling den.

When Jia Lian first received the news, he was so frightened that he almost lost his mind.

As I said before, certain people in the Rong family spoiled him, making him pitifully timid, which is at least inconsistent with his status and position.