The Empress has abandoned me? I'll support a new emperor and destroy your kingdom!

At midnight on the second day, on the third floor of "Fugui Hall", in room number "Tian".

The room was small, but extremely luxurious. Persian carpets, a sandalwood gambling table, crystal chandeliers, and the air was filled with expensive spices and a subtle, almost imperceptible, restlessness of money and desire.

Pang Xiaopan arrived on time with two "attendants." Manager Hu personally accompanied her. Besides Pang Xiaopan, there were three other "VIPs" at the gambling table, all of whom were wealthy and influential merchants in Linyuan City. They were obviously invited by Manager Hu to keep them company and share the risks.

The dealer was a middle-aged man with a slightly pale complexion but sharp eyes. However, he seemed a bit unwell today, with dark circles under his eyes. He shuffled and dealt the cards with practiced skill, his movements impeccable.

The game involves "poker" from a foreign land, similar to "Stud Poker," which is simple yet exciting.

For the first two days, just as Su Che had predicted, Pang Xiaopan's "luck" fluctuated, with wins and losses, but overall she had a slight advantage, winning more than she lost, and the stakes gradually increased from one hundred taels to one thousand taels each time.

Manager Hu's smile grew wider and wider, and he looked at Pang Xiaopan as if she were a moving mountain of gold.

The other three wealthy businessmen also lost some money, but it was still within a manageable range.

On the third night, the situation suddenly changed.

Pang Xiaopan seems to be "possessed by the God of Gamblers," winning one battle after another.

The two "attendants" he brought along seemed to be just helping him collect chips, but in reality, they were constantly conveying information through their eyes and subtle gestures.

Every card that appears on the gambling table, every person's betting habits, and even the smallest patterns in how the dealer shuffles and deals the cards are all rapidly calculated, memorized, and analyzed by them.

The subordinate at the gambling table, perhaps due to excessive "enjoyment" the previous night, was clearly in poor condition. During a crucial shuffle, he even made a tiny, almost imperceptible mistake, which was precisely caught by one of Pang Xiaopan's "followers".

The outcome was no surprise. That night, Pang Xiaopan single-handedly stole nearly ten thousand taels of silver from the table!

The three wealthy businessmen accompanying him turned pale, and one of them fainted on the spot. Manager Hu's smile froze completely, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

On the fourth day, the fifth day... "Master Pang's" luck was strangely good.

The stakes are getting higher and higher, and the wins and losses are becoming increasingly astonishing.

Fu Gui Tang's cash flow began to become strained. Manager Hu had to frequently withdraw silver from the back office and even began to use some of the less liquid collateral.

Meanwhile, rumors circulating in the city about Fu Gui Tang being a "cheating den" and "exploiting wealthy customers" intensified.

Several gamblers who had lost large sums of money at Fu Gui Tang were gathered together by "interested individuals," and their drunken complaints turned into public accusations.

On the evening of the sixth day, when Pang Xiaopan once again scooped up a pile of land deeds and IOUs, Manager Hu finally couldn't hold on any longer and announced, with a pale face, that this was the end of the day.

"Third Master Pang... your luck is truly... amazing." Manager Hu's voice was hoarse. "However, our business has been experiencing some cash flow problems lately... you see..."

Pang Xiaopan smiled understandingly on his plump face and patted Manager Hu on the shoulder: "I understand, I understand. Everyone has times when they're short of cash in business. Manager Hu, I can hold onto these land deeds and loan agreements as collateral for now; there's no rush to cash them. I'll be staying in Linyuan for a while longer, so let's... take it slow!"

His words were eloquent, but they chilled Manager Hu's heart even more. A slow and steady approach? If things continued like this, Fu Gui Tang would have to change its ownership to the Pang family!

However, before Manager Hu could come up with a solution, an even bigger problem arose.

On the seventh day, Chen Asi, who had lost his ancestral home, somehow got wind of the news that Fu Gui Tang's treasury had been emptied and that he couldn't pay his gambling debts. So he led a group of equally gamblers who had lost everything, holding up a letter written in blood, and rushed to the front of Fu Gui Tang, crying and accusing them, attracting a large crowd of onlookers.

Although they were quickly dispersed by the gambling den's thugs, the impact was extremely negative.

Immediately afterwards, an official from the Ministry of Revenue who was not on good terms with the Crown Prince, having somehow heard rumors, submitted a memorial on the grounds of "instability in the city and moral depravity." Although he did not explicitly name Fugui Hall, he demanded a thorough investigation of illegal gambling dens and usury in Linyuan City.

The emperor was recently troubled by the finances, and upon seeing the memorial, he wrote the words "order Lin Yuan Prefecture to conduct a thorough investigation."

Although the prefect of Linyuan knew the background of Fuguitang, he dared not completely ignore the emperor's imperial edict. He could only send a messenger to make a show of "inquiring" at the door.

This question has caused even more anxiety among people.

Beset by internal and external troubles, Fu Gui Tang's financial chain completely broke down.

Manager Hu was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. On one hand, he desperately sought help from the First Prince's residence, and on the other hand, he tried to find outside help to take over the business and fill the hole.

Upon hearing the news, the eldest prince, Yun Jie, smashed another tea set in his residence.

He needs money right now; winning over court officials, raising assassins, and trading with the Northern Barbarians—all of these require money.

Fu Gui Tang was one of his important sources of income! Now it's been ruined by some unknown "Third Master Pang"!

"Investigate! Find out everything about that Pang San for me!" Yun Jie roared.

However, thanks to the careful packaging by Su Che and Grey Falcon, Pang Xiaopan's identity was also very clean in terms of her "Huitong Trading Company" background, and no flaws could be found for the time being.

All that is known is that this person is generous, has exceptional luck, and... seems to be extremely familiar with the operating rules of Fu Gui Tang.

Mr. Jia suggested that we should be ruthless and get rid of Fuguitang, this hot potato, as soon as possible to avoid getting burned and giving our political enemies a handle to use against us.

After all, the emperor had already taken notice of the "illegal gambling dens".

Although Yun Jie was unwilling, he knew the gravity of the situation and had no choice but to acquiesce.

Thus, under Su Che's covert manipulation, a businessman who had no apparent connection with "Master Pang" but was actually controlled by Pang Xiaopan through multiple fronts took over the nearly bankrupt Fuguitang at an extremely low price and assumed part of its "debts".

Ten days.

In just ten days.

The once-lucrative and powerful "Fu Gui Tang" gambling den has quietly changed hands.

On the surface, the boss has changed, but the core managers and subordinates have also been purged and replaced with a group of "reliable" new people.

The gambling den remained open and bustling as usual, as if nothing had changed.

But only a very few people know that the enormous sums of gold and silver flowing through this gambling den every day have changed their ultimate destination.

It became one of Su Che's most stable sources of income in Lin Yuan City, and also became the most secretive and well-informed intelligence station for "Di Ting" in the bustling West Market.

Pang Xiaopan retired successfully, and the identity of "Third Master Pang" quietly disappeared, as if it had never existed.

He returned to the "Hidden Abode" with a huge "profit" and reported back to Su Che.

"Sir, I have accomplished my mission." Pang Xiaopan looked tired, but her eyes were bright. "After deducting all expenses and subsequent operating capital, we have netted 40,000 taels of silver, and the land deeds and shops are worth about 20,000 taels. We have also gained control of Fugui Hall and its affiliated pawnshop and carriage shop. This will provide us with a stable income of at least 50,000 taels per year thereafter."

Su Che took the accounts, quickly glanced through them, and nodded: "Well done. What's the Crown Prince's reaction?"

"He was furious, but there was no evidence, so he had to swallow his anger. Mr. Jia seemed to have some suspicions, but his attention was drawn to the emperor's decree to thoroughly investigate gambling dens and the pressure from the Ministry of Revenue, so he had no time to investigate further," Grey Falcon added.

"Hmm." Su Che put down the account book and looked out the window.

The autumn rain began to fall again, pattering against the windowpane. "This is just the beginning. With this money and the Fugui Hall as our base, our foundation in Linyuan is now firmly established. Next, it's time to extend our reach into more crucial areas."

He turned to Pang Xiaopan and said, "Keep a portion of this money for daily operations and the development of Blackwater Town. The rest is your responsibility. Begin secretly acquiring poorly managed but strategically located shops and warehouses in the town, especially those related to grain, cloth, and carriages. Don't concentrate them; disperse them under different names. We need to weave an invisible commercial network in Linyuan."

"Yes, sir." Pang Xiaopan accepted the order.

"Grey Falcon, strengthen the intelligence gathering of the Wealthy Hall, focusing on the financial transactions of the First and Third Princes, as well as officials and merchants who have close contact with the Northern Di delegation. In addition, find some reliable retired veterans and skilled individuals from the streets, with clean backgrounds, preferably with family ties. Zhao Jianing needs manpower to build our own 'protection' force."

"clear."

In the rainy night, the lights of "Hidden Abode" were bright, and a series of commands were quietly issued. A large network with commerce and intelligence as its core began to be quietly woven in the shadows of Lin Yuan City.

Deep within the palace, Emperor Yun Hong, who had just finished a tedious alchemy session, probably had no idea that this turmoil, which began with a policy essay in the Linde Hall and fermented into a gambling game in the West Market, was quietly changing the power structure of this capital city and even the country.

What was lost was not just a casino.

What they won was far more than just tens of thousands of taels of silver.

This is a war without gunpowder, and the player has already placed the first piece that truly belongs to him.