frightfiction Chapter 272: Cashing in on the Bet
Chapter 272: Cashing in on the Bet
Chapter 272, Paying Off the Bet
Master Huijue smiled slightly, “I have observed countless people and have never been wrong.”
"The people of Daqi will be able to live a life of plenty and no longer suffer from hunger because of this girl."
"If Your Highness does not believe it, we shall wait and see."
Princess An was so choked up that she couldn't speak.
Many people in the royal family and the people of Yunzhou Prefecture knew that Tian Tian had high-yield rice varieties, but it had not yet been announced to the public.
After the start of spring this year, Tian Tian will hand over the rice planting method to the Ministry of Revenue, and in the second half of the year, the Ministry of Revenue will promote it to various parts of Daqi.
Isn't it obvious... that the people want to have plenty of food and clothing?
Taking the opportunity, Ling Yao stepped forward and bowed deeply to Master Huijue, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Master."
Master Huijue waved his hand, “Your Highness, there is no need for such formality. This old monk has come today in accordance with the will of Heaven. I hope Your Highness will treat this female benefactor well and not disappoint the will of Heaven.”
After saying this, Master Huijue turned and left, his figure quickly disappearing into the crowd.
Tian Tian looked in the direction the master had left, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
Ling Yao held Tian Tian's hand and whispered, "Did you hear that? You are my lucky star, and the lucky star of Da Qi."
Tian Tian blushed and said softly, "Thank you for your trouble."
Ling Yao was taken aback, then gave an awkward laugh.
Then he whispered, "Although this was my arrangement, it's the truth."
The two spoke very softly, and no one else heard them, but their intimacy was noticed by all the officials.
*
Master Huijue's words quickly spread throughout the capital.
Everyone knows that Princess Fufeng is the lucky star of Daqi. With her, the people of Daqi will have plenty of food and clothing.
This is everyone's most basic wish.
"The princess is a lucky star!!"
"What do you mean by 'cursing one's husband'? I think it's that the man is just unlucky and can't bear the great fortune that the princess has."
“That makes sense. She is a lucky star descended to earth, with a noble destiny. Only His Highness the Crown Prince is a match for her.”
"Hey, who was it that said Princess Fufeng was a jinx to husbands?"
"It is said to be Princess An."
"How could Princess An know about the princess's past misfortune in bringing bad luck to her husbands?"
"They checked it on purpose."
Why is she investigating this?
"Oh dear... Princess An is from the Qi family. Didn't the Qi family say before that they wanted that young lady from the Qi family to be the Crown Princess?"
"Oh my, it really is true. It seems that Princess An did it on purpose. She just wants to ruin Princess Fufeng's reputation so that her niece can become the Crown Princess."
"Good heavens, what's wrong with Princess An? What is she trying to do?"
These words quickly reached the ears of Lady Qi and Princess An.
The two of them were so angry that they vented their anger in their respective residences.
But before the two could do anything, Tian Tian approached them first.
Tea Fragrance Pavilion had been open for three months, so she took the previous receipt and went directly to Xingyun Casino.
She stepped off the carriage with great composure and walked into the gambling den.
Unfortunately, she was in the limelight recently and was recognized by passersby outside the gambling den.
"Isn't that Princess Fufeng? Why is she at the gambling den?"
"You've forgotten about the bet at Tea Fragrance Pavilion."
It's not that people have forgotten, it's just that the past is too painful to recall.
Tea Fragrance House has not only been open for three full months, but business is also booming...
All the money they bet went down the drain; they couldn't get a single penny back.
but...
Why did the princess come to the gambling den?
Hurry up and go over to take a look.
The gambling den's doors were separated by heavy curtains, and inside, people were thronging around.
Those outside could only vaguely see what was happening inside...
The room was full of people, all with bloodshot eyes, staring intently at the dice cup on the table.
"open!"
"open!"
Their voices were hoarse and frantic.
When the dealer uncovered the dice cup.
The three dice rolled out and slowly came to a stop under the gambler's gaze...
Someone was overjoyed, clutching the silver on the table, shouting, "I won! I won!"
Some people looked ashen-faced and slumped to the ground.
Some people grabbed at others, their voices trembling yet filled with longing, "Lend me some more silver, I'm sure I can win, I'm sure I can make up for it all."
Inside the gambling den, ecstasy and despair intertwined, greed and madness coexisted.
Tian Tian walked into the gambling den without looking to either side and asked loudly, "Is the owner of the gambling den here?"
The gambling den fell silent instantly upon hearing the sudden, abrupt sound.
Everyone looked at Tian Tian.
Tian Tian held a slip of paper in her hand, her gaze calm.
The casino employee recognized her and quickly ran inside to report.
A moment later, the gambling house manager rushed over, his face plastered with a fawning smile. "Princess, what brings you to our Xingyun Gambling House?"
Tian Tian handed over the note and said calmly, "I'll cash it in."
The shopkeeper took the note, glanced at it, and his expression changed.
He handed out the note himself, and he clearly remembered who placed the bet.
After all... this is the only bet that has allowed Tea Fragrance Pavilion to stay open for more than three months.
He remembered... that three skinny teenagers were the ones who placed the bets...
How could it be Princess Fufeng?
The shopkeeper looked Tian Tian up and down and suddenly realized that Tian Tian's figure was indeed very similar to one of the three boys who had come before.
The shopkeeper swallowed hard, his mind racing with calculations.
If an ordinary person were to pay, he could easily renege on the debt or even have it disposed of secretly.
Ke Tiantian is a princess, and also the future crown princess.
More importantly, she walked in so casually that many people outside recognized her.
How could he dare to make any rash moves?
"What? It doesn't count anymore?" Tian Tian asked.
"The tickets issued by our Xingyun Gambling House certainly count," the manager said with a forced smile. "It's just that the amount is too large, and I need some time to prepare."
"Why don't you... come inside and rest for a while, and have a cup of tea, Your Highness?"
Tian Tian raised an eyebrow at him, then looked outside. "No."
"This princess cannot stand the foul smell here."
"Just wait at the door."
"You should go and consult Madam Qi immediately."
The shopkeeper watched as she walked out of the gambling den and stood at the entrance.
The people outside the door were still talking to her.
"Princess, what brings you to the gambling den?"
"This is no good place at all; it has caused so many families to be torn apart and people to die."
"Yes, Princess, gambling dens are a place you must never go."
Tian Tian smiled and waved her hand, "Don't worry, I'm just here to fulfill the bet from last time."
The people were relieved, saying, "That's good."
The shopkeeper, having witnessed this, summoned his trusted aide and said, "Quickly return to the manor and tell the madam what happened here. Tell her that Princess Fufeng was the one who placed the bet of a thousand taels."
"Ask the madam how to handle this."
"Tell Madam..."
The trusted henchman nodded and slipped out the back door.
The shopkeeper wiped his sweat. "Move a table and chairs out so the princess can sit and wait."
The gambling den's servants quickly brought out tables and chairs, and also poured out good tea and pastries.
Tian Tian picked up her teacup and took a serious sip of tea.
The tea is good tea.
She was only after getting her share of the money today; she had no intention of doing anything to the Qi family.
Let's leave the troublesome Qi family matters to the Emperor and Ling Yao.
*
The people from the gambling den came to the Qi residence and told Madam Qi what had happened.
"What?!" Madam Qi's face turned ashen. "You're saying the person who bet a thousand taels was Princess Fufeng?!"
The trusted clerk nodded tremblingly, "Yes, the manager sent me to ask the madam whether the silver should be... given out."
Madam Qi took a deep breath. "That damned Princess Fufeng! Knowing full well that Xingyun Gambling House belongs to the Qi family, she still schemes against us like this."
The trusted servant dared not speak, but he disagreed with Madam Qi's words.
If you're the bookmaker, it means people are willing to place bets, and if you accept that, you have to accept it.
If you don't accept it, then you shouldn't have taken the money in the first place.
How can you say it was the princess who plotted against her?
Madam Qi gritted her teeth, "The betting game was originally meant to humiliate her, but unexpectedly, she won money instead."
One thousand taels, with a 100% payout, equals one hundred thousand taels of silver.
Throughout the entire gambling game, the total amount wagered by those poor bastards was only around 100,000 taels!
All their hard work and arrangements only benefited Tian Tian in the end?!
Growing increasingly angry, Madam Qi raised an eyebrow at the newcomer, "Didn't the manager arrange for someone to come...?"
The trusted servant said, "But when Princess Fufeng arrived, many people saw her."
"She still refused to go inside and insisted on waiting at the door."
"She even said at the door that we should consult you, Madam..."
Madam Qi took another deep breath. This Tian Tian was actually playing her cards right in the open.
The people saw her; she was waiting at the entrance of the gambling den, and she even revealed the name of the Qi family...
In this situation, there's nothing she can do to her.
Right now, the best course of action is to obediently hand over the money.
So angry! ! !
"Tell the shopkeeper to cash her in," Madam Qi said reluctantly.
The trusted shop assistant lowered his head. "The manager said that all the silver collected before has been handed over to the Qi residence. If we want to cash it in for the princess..."
Madam Qi felt a slight pain in her chest. "I understand. Wait a moment."
The money that had just entered my pocket hadn't even been warmed up before I had to return it.
*
Inside the gambling den, a trusted henchman returned through the back door.
The shopkeeper felt somewhat relieved when he saw the box in the man's hands.
After straightening his clothes, he came out carrying the box and bowed to Tian Tian, "Princess, I am so sorry, this is the money you won from your bet this time."
His voice was loud, “The money that the people have bet on this time... is all here.”
Tian Tian slowly stood up, her gaze cold. The shopkeeper was trying to steer the anger of the people who had lost money toward her by saying those words.
"We have wins and losses when we place bets, each relying on their own abilities. If we all opened a casino and became the bookmaker, we could be guaranteed to win without losing."
The shopkeeper's cold sweat, which he had just wiped away, reappeared.
Tian Tian took the box with a beaming smile. "This princess will suggest to the Emperor that gambling dens are not respectable establishments and should be shut down. The Qi family... if they want to make money, they should think of other ways."
The shopkeeper gave a dry laugh, unsure how to respond.
The people outside, on the other hand, were very happy.
"Princess, is what you're saying true?"
“This Xingyun gambling den should indeed be shut down. Who knows how many heinous things they have done behind the scenes.”
"Many people have bet all their savings on this gambling game at Tea Fragrance Pavilion."
"One should not be too greedy."
Tian Tian nodded, "I will give this money to His Highness the Crown Prince today for this year's sewer dredging project."
The matter of clearing the sewers in the spring was naturally brought up by Ling Yao.
It turns out that the sewers are usually cleared before the spring and summer rainy season each year.
However, due to limited funds, they could often only unclog the main sewers, which resulted in...
Although the capital city will not be flooded, most areas will experience persistent flooding.
The rain doesn't recede, making it inconvenient to go out, and things at home are prone to mold.
The people were also suffering terribly.
But with this 100,000 taels of silver this year, we can definitely get all the drainage ditches in the capital working properly.
"Thank you, Princess!!"
"Thank you, Princess!!"
True to her word, Tian Tian left the gambling den and took the silver to the East Palace.
She placed the silver in front of Ling Yao and told him what had just happened.
"That's great! With this money, the capital city will definitely not be flooded this year."
Overjoyed, Ling Yao couldn't help but embrace Tian Tian, saying, "Thank you, Tian Tian."
"No need for thanks. Since I have agreed to be your Crown Princess, I will definitely be of one mind with you."
Hearing her answer, Ling Yao was even happier. "Sweetie..."
Tian Tian stepped out of Ling Yao's arms. "Now that we have the money, let's quickly arrange for someone to start smoothing things over."
Ling Yao nodded, returned to his desk, and began making arrangements.
"Eunuch Chun." Eunuch Chun was a palace servant serving Ling Yao, and he was still quite young.
"Your Highness."
"By my decree, order the Five Cities Garrison to immediately arrange for manpower to dredge the sewers!"
"This year, we need to dredge all the sewers in the capital. If we don't have enough manpower, we can hire local people."
"The wages shall not be lower than those for similar construction projects in the capital."
Ling Yao counted out 50,000 taels of silver notes and handed them to Eunuch Chun. "If that's not enough, have the commander of the Five Cities Garrison come to me personally to ask for more."
"Yes, Your Highness." Eunuch Chun leisurely accepted the imperial edict and silver notes and left.
As soon as Eunuch Chun left, Ling Yao walked out of the desk and took Tian Tian's hand to the couch next to him.
The two sat together. "In a few days, you'll be going to teach the Ministry of Revenue how to cultivate seedlings and plant crops..."
Oden is located behind the Imperial Palace.
"You can stay in the palace then, so you won't have to travel back and forth, wasting time and getting tired."
Tian Tian has never been to Yutian and doesn't know how far it is.
She was just worried, "Living in the palace before marriage...isn't that inappropriate?"
"Won't the Ministry of Rites have any objections?"
Ling Yao chuckled, "I'm letting you live in the palace, not the East Palace."
"Don't worry, the closest place to Oden is Yongning Palace. I'll have someone renovate it later, and you can stay there."
His hands clenched slightly. "I will come to be with you."
"That's fine then," Tian Tian agreed.
The palace is too big, and we can't take a carriage. Walking around is a waste of time.
Ling Yao was overjoyed and held her hand the whole time.
"Aren't you going to handle official business?" Tian Tian asked.
Ling Yao: "I'm not the kind of lazy prince. I haven't had a break since this morning."
"Now that my Crown Princess has arrived, if I continue to do my job, wouldn't I be considered unromantic?"
"If the Empress Dowager finds out, she'll probably take all my official duties back to the Emperor."
Tian Tian chuckled. "Empress Li really is capable of doing something like this."