Chapter 124: The Luxurious Gambling House

On the way home after work, Xue Rui recounted to his father the details of his assignment to the Ministry of War as a zanhua. Xue Yuanhao was greatly surprised and pressed for the reason; Xue Rui explained everything truthfully, telling him that Yu Qian was offering him a chance to earn merit. Upon learning that Yu Qian had already guessed the truth, Xue Yuanhao was filled with regret. As an official of the Imperial Observatory, using current events to interpret celestial phenomena was strictly taboo. Fortunately, their actions had been well-intentioned, and Yu Qian had not held them accountable; otherwise, simple imprisonment would have been the least of their worries. After this incident, Xue Yuanhao resolved to be more cautious in the future.

Ever since the city-wide mobilization, the main thoroughfares of the capital had become congested once again. Unlike the chaotic exodus of citizens fleeing for their lives during the disastrous defeat at Tumu Fortress, the current situation was completely the opposite. Very few people were leaving the city; instead, long lines were forming to enter. This detail alone showed that the public’s trust in the Ming imperial court had greatly increased. The reason for this was likely that, under the leadership of the new Emperor Zhu Qiyu, the court had adopted a "fight to the death" stance, which put the people at ease and led them to place their bets on the side of the government.

With the streets filled with refugees, traveling by carriage was slower than walking. Xue Rui and his father opted to leave their carriage and take a shortcut home. As they passed a grain shop, the queue of people waiting to buy grain stretched from the storefront out onto the street. Seeing this, Xue Yuanhao remarked, "With the great battle approaching, the people are hoarding grain. Your grandfather’s store will have no trouble selling his stock."

"It is fortunate that Esen had not set his sights on the capital earlier," Xue Rui replied with a smile. "My grandfather’s three thousand piculs of grain were safely transported to the capital’s warehouse. Looking at the current demand, that supply probably won't even last ten days."

Upon returning to the residence, they had barely rounded the screen wall when they saw five or six servants from the main household peering into a side courtyard. From within the courtyard came the faint sound of a woman weeping. Exchanging a glance, the father and son realized something was wrong. Ignoring the servants, they hurried inside. To their surprise, the woman crying was not Lady Liu and her maids, but Xue Rui’s aunt, Lady Zhao.

At that moment, Lady Zhao was sobbing uncontrollably, clutching Lady Liu and begging for something. Unable to break free, Lady Liu said, "How can I handle this? You should report it to the authorities and let the officials deal with it!"

"We cannot report this to the officials! If we do, it will ruin everything, and Yan’er’s life will be at stake!" Lady Zhao protested repeatedly.

"Then I am powerless. You should ask your husband to think of a way. Doesn't he know the Governor of Shuntian Prefecture? Can he not even manage such a small matter?"

"He doesn't know anyone! I just asked him, and he said he only met the Governor once and barely exchanged three sentences... The classmates and friends he claims to know are nothing but fair-weather friends who are of no use at all!" Lady Zhao was filled with grief and indignation, her teeth gritted as if she could devour her husband, Xue Yuanbai, alive.

"Then I cannot help you either. Why come to me?" Lady Liu struggled to pull away, glaring at her sister-in-law in annoyance.

"If you can't, what about Yuanhao? He is a high-ranking official now; wouldn't this be a simple task for him?"

"You truly overestimate Rui’s father. Three thousand taels of silver? Even if you sold off the entire second branch of the family, it wouldn't cover it!" Lady Liu snapped.

Lady Zhao was a very pragmatic person. Previously, when Xue Yuanhao was a minor official, she had been sarcastic and cynical, mocking him for holding a "sesame seed" position in a "clear-water" office with no room for graft. Now that she needed him, she had completely changed her attitude, showering him with flattery that left Lady Liu at a loss for words.

"Three thousand taels of silver?" Hearing this, the father and son realized that Xue Yan must have gotten into serious trouble, and they stepped forward to ask what had happened.

Seeing Xue Yuanhao, Lady Zhao clung to him like a drowning person clutching at a straw, pleading anxiously, "Brother-in-law, please, save Yan’er! He has been detained, and they want three thousand taels of silver to release him!"

Xue Yuanhao frowned. "Why was he detained? Was he kidnapped by bandits?"

"Not exactly. Yan’er went to a gambling den and lost three thousand taels. The owner is demanding the money to ransom him!"

"He lost that much!" Xue Rui was stunned. The entire Xue family combined wasn't worth three thousand taels. His cousin had lost this much in half a day—how large were the stakes?

Lady Zhao cried, "Yan’er must have been set up; otherwise, he wouldn't have lost so much. The most he ever lost before was ten or twenty taels..."

"Ten or twenty taels isn't much?" Xue Yuanhao’s expression darkened. He had worked at the Imperial Observatory for over a decade and had saved less than a hundred taels. Xue Yan had lost a sum equal to his one or two years of savings in a single session. What angered him most was that some of the money Xue Yan lost belonged to his own branch of the family.

Lady Zhao ignored his reaction, her face pale with terror. "Brother-in-law, you are an official; you must be able to save him. The owner said that if the money isn't delivered by sunset, they will chop off Yan’er’s hands and feet..."

"What use is an official of the Imperial Observatory?" Xue Yuanhao flicked his sleeves in frustration. "If my position carried any weight, Lady Zhao wouldn't have spent all these years calling my office a place of 'clear water'!"

"Brother, sister-in-law, I beg you! It was my fault in the past; you can hit or scold me as you please, just save Yan’er. I will kneel to you!" With that, Lady Zhao knelt on the spot.

This scene stunned the members of the second branch and the gathered servants. Lady Zhao was a woman who valued her pride above all else; she never bowed to anyone. The fact that she would kneel so readily before the branch she had mistreated showed she was truly at the end of her rope.

"Hao’er, you must help your nephew this time!" A voice rang out from the courtyard entrance.

"Mother, why are you here?" Xue Yuanhao turned to see his older brother, Xue Yuanbai, supporting their mother, Lady Li, as they walked in shakily.

As Lady Li entered, she pushed aside Xue Yuanhao, who had moved to support her, and looked down at the kneeling Lady Zhao. "Lady Zhao, you have mistreated the second branch for years. Do you know you were wrong?"

"I was blinded by greed in the past. I know I was wrong," Lady Zhao replied hurriedly.

"The way the family property was divided—do you accept that it was fair?" Lady Li asked.

"The second branch suffered a great loss in the division, while we took the lion's share. I have no complaints," Lady Zhao admitted.

"Then I ask you: the belongings that remained when Rui and his mother left the house—can they be returned to their rightful owners?"

Lady Zhao hesitated for a moment before saying, "I will go find them immediately. Nothing will be missing."

Lady Li nodded and turned to Xue Yuanhao, sighing. "Hao’er, your sister-in-law knows she was wrong. Your nephew lost three thousand taels. Even if you sold my old bones, we couldn't raise that much. You have made something of yourself now; please find a way. If you can negotiate a lower price, do so. If not, perhaps use the deed to this house to ransom him. It would be a good deed. Otherwise, I will not be able to rest even in death."

"Mother, that won't do! If we mortgage the house, where will we live?" Xue Yuanbai panicked. This house was the most valuable asset of the main branch; if it were given to a gambling den, they would be homeless. Xue Yuanhao agreed, "Mother, he is right. Without this house, where would you go?"

Lady Li’s hands trembled as she took the property deed from her sleeve and handed it to Xue Yuanhao. "Take it. Every trade has its rules. Yan’er signed those IOUs with his own hand; even if we went to the authorities, it would be of no use. To be able to exchange this house for your nephew’s life is a stroke of good fortune!"

"Then... I will go and see what can be done. I will save him if I can; if not, I will think of another way." Unable to bear seeing his mother suffer, Xue Yuanhao took the deed and tucked it into his robe.

Since his father had agreed, Xue Rui could no longer object. Calling his uncle and a few servants, the group set off for the gambling den.

The establishment holding Xue Yan was called "Fortune Gambling House." It was not a famous place in the capital, and the stakes were usually low; a loss as large as three thousand taels was unheard of. When they arrived, the place was noisy and crowded, with shouts of people betting on high or low echoing throughout. Xue Yuanhao found a waiter and asked for the manager. When the waiter heard they were there for Xue Yan, he led them to the second floor.

In a room, the manager, Chen Wenlong, sat at a table holding a dagger, which he slammed down onto the table, barely missing a hand placed upon it.

"Aah!" A scream echoed through the room.

Chen Wenlong pulled out the dagger and slapped the face of a man tied up across from him. "Young Master Xue, I didn't even touch your hand. Why are you screaming like a slaughtered pig?" It turned out the blade had merely landed between Xue Yan’s fingers.

Hearing this, Xue Yan opened his eyes and saw his hand was unharmed, and he burst into tears. Chen Wenlong sniffed the air, caught the scent of urine, and looked under the table. He slammed his hand on the desk in anger. "You motherless wretch, do you think this is a latrine? You actually pissed yourself! Do you think I don't have the guts to castrate you?"

Terrified, Xue Yan stopped crying and whimpered, "Master Chen, please show mercy. Consider me a fart and let me go. I will never come to your house to gamble again."

"I could let you go, but you must pay back what you owe. That is only fair," Chen Wenlong said with a mocking smile.

"Really?" Xue Yan was overjoyed, but then he hesitated. "What do you mean by 'pay back everything'?"

"Hahaha!" The thugs standing around the room laughed.

Seeing that Xue Yan didn't understand, Chen Wenlong picked up a ten-tael IOU from the table and sliced it into more than a dozen pieces with his dagger. Though Xue Yan was lazy and incompetent, he was not stupid; he quickly realized the manager was suggesting he be cut into pieces and sent home.

"Master Chen, please, don't be angry! My parents are surely gathering the money; they will be here soon!" Xue Yan wept, blubbering like a two-hundred-pound child.

Chen Wenlong lost his patience. "How many times have you said that? I think your parents don't want to save you at all. I’m tired of waiting. Let's send a hand home first to see if that gets their attention. If they still don't send the money, don't blame me for being ruthless!" He ordered his men to hold Xue Yan down and raised the dagger.

"Stop!" The door was kicked open, and the three men from the Xue family appeared. Xue Yuanhao led the way, having been the one to kick in the door. Behind him, Xue Rui looked around the room with curiosity. The most pathetic sight was Xue Yuanbai; as the biological father, he was hiding behind Xue Rui and his son, terrified of being the target.

The thugs in the room immediately grabbed their clubs, ready to attack. "Hold!" Chen Wenlong stopped them and looked at the door. "Are you here to ransom him?"

Seeing his nephew unharmed, Xue Yuanhao breathed a sigh of relief. He walked into the room and pointed at his nephew. "We are here for him."

"Second Uncle!" Xue Yan, unable to turn his head due to the ropes, recognized the voice and cried out, "Chen! My second uncle is an imperial official! If you know what’s good for you, let me go, or my uncle will have you all arrested!"

The room fell tense. Civilized people generally didn't fight with officials. Even though the gambling house had some connections to the authorities, no one wanted to clash with a government official.

"Is that so?" Chen Wenlong stood up and bowed. "I am Chen Wenlong, the owner of the Fortune Gambling House. Which official do I have the honor of meeting?"

"I am Xue Yuanhao. I am here to take my nephew home. Manager Chen, let us discuss how to resolve this."

The Ming Dynasty strictly prohibited officials from frequenting brothels or gambling. As an imperial official, Xue Yuanhao naturally could not reveal his specific post.

"Xue Yuanhao?" Chen Wenlong felt the name was familiar. A thug leaned in and whispered, "Could he be that official from the Imperial Observatory who predicted the Oirat invasion?"

"It is him!" Chen Wenlong looked him over and bowed again. "So it is Master Xue. I have heard much about you."

With his identity exposed, Xue Yuanhao sighed. "I am here today for a private matter. I know nothing of anything else. What are your conditions to release my nephew?"

"Master Xue, every trade has its rules. Debts must be repaid. Your nephew lost three thousand taels here. Pay it, and I will release him immediately!"

"Second Uncle, don't listen to him! Someone in this den cheated and set a trap for me! They tricked me into signing these IOUs; they cannot be valid!" Xue Yan shouted. He knew the family’s finances well; they couldn't possibly raise three thousand taels, or even three hundred.

Chen Wenlong pulled out a stack of IOUs. "Master Xue, look for yourself. These are all IOUs your nephew signed himself today. He kept borrowing more, hoping to win it back. He won several rounds himself—that was witnessed by everyone. It was just his bad luck in the end. Your nephew claims we cheated; can he provide any proof?"

Xue Yan fell silent. He had indeed won several hundred taels in the first half hour, but his luck had turned, and he had lost it all back. He had borrowed more, only to lose again.

"Master Xue, please," Chen Wenlong pressed.

Xue Yuanhao sighed, knowing there was no way out. He took the property deed from his robe. "If we use this house to settle the debt, will you release him?"