Along the way, Jin Li tried to persuade Liu Zhenqing against going to the gambling house. The Liu family’s Old Master didn’t like his family’s children to gamble.

“I heard my kidnappers mention this gambling house, so I want to go see if there are any clues,” Liu Zhenqing said simply.

Jin Li immediately became nervous and said: “Then do we have enough people, ah? Do you want to report to the officials together? Master, why didn’t you say anything before!”

Because I just made it up at the last moment.

“It’s okay, la. I’m just going to take a look. Come on, give me a few spins for good luck.”

Jin Li was pulled in circles by his master again with a confused look on his face.

The carriage swayed toward the east of the city, passing by the central avenue. When the curtain was opened, one could see the Coiling Dragon Jade Pillar towering in the square from a distance. It was a gift from various countries from all over the world hundreds of years ago when they came to pay homage to the Emperor and Empress, who had made extraordinary achievements at that time. It symbolized the most prosperous time of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The top section was engraved with the names of the Emperor and Empress of that time in golden font, and the middle section was engraved with the names of every ruler of the Zhou Dynasty. In fact, it was supposed to be engraved with the rulers who had made great achievements, but in the end, it became possible to be added if one didn’t make any major mistakes. For example, the current Emperor’s grandfather, the fatuous and confused Emperor Zhou Shun, had made the list.

And the bottom section divided the pillar into three sides: loyal ministers and good generals, talented scholars and beauties, and treacherous sinners. Naturally, there must be strict requirements in order to be listed on these three sides.

“Master, it’s better not to read it, so as not to feel sad again,” Jin Li said worriedly.

Liu Zhenqing chuckled and said: “You’ve forgotten again. I’ve lost my memory.”

He naturally knew what Jin Li was talking about. Liu Xiaozhu had probably felt that there was a stain on his body that couldn’t be washed away each time he saw the bad reputation of his distant relative.

Even Liu Zhenqing himself felt that life was constantly changing and things were impermanent. Back then, the young emperor had promised him that he would have his name engraved on the list of loyal ministers and good generals without having to wait for a hundred years.

That was a great honor for a minister. After all, the names on the Coiling Dragon Jade Pillar were mostly only engraved after death, once the merits and demerits had been weighed. It was rare for someone to have their name listed on the pillar while they still lived.

Just as he was thinking, he heard Jin Li say in surprise: “So the rumors are true.”

Liu Zhenqing looked at him curiously, and saw that his eyes had just moved back from the Coiling Dragon Jade Pillar. He said excitedly: “Master, I just saw the palace official who specially engraves names. It has been rumored that His Majesty ordered General Huo’s name to be engraved. The Huo family is full of loyal people. I don’t know how many generals named Huo are on the list, but not many of them have been engraved while they still lived. General Huo is truly amazing!”

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback for a moment, and said in surprise: “How much merit do you have to earn, ah?” Back then, after Huo Feihan died, he presided over the engraving.

“Master, you’ve forgotten that the general is very capable. When he was eighteen years old, he became a war god. At that time, Xiheng was invading, and the general avenged his brother and killed three Xiheng generals. In the end, the Xiheng army was leaderless for a while, with no one to lead the troops, and they could only send for peace talks in despair.”

Eighteen? At that time, Liu Zhenqing was floating in the sky.

“Later the northern barbarians took the opportunity to invade the Zhou Dynasty, and General Huo sent his troops north and hit the northern desert directly, causing the Mongolians to no longer have a royal court. This restored the northern part of our Great Zhou Dynasty to its farthest extent. It is said that the ceremony to worship heaven was held beside the Tianchi lake where the Huo family ancestors once watered their horses. At that time, General Huo became famous all over the world.”

The more Jin Li talked, the more enthusiastic he became. “Later, His Majesty intended to make General Huo the King of Beiding, but General Huo wouldn’t accept it, so he only received the title of General of the State. However, the people regard him as the King of Beiding. There is also a well-known song about the King of Beiding that was written for General Huo. It tells of when General Huo went to support the besieged city, and led a thousand cavalry into the encirclement of ten thousand people to break the siege. As a result, the morale of the defenders was greatly boosted, and they joined forces to repel the enemy. One musician stood on the city wall to watch the battle. He wrote the song ‘King of Beiding Enters the Battle,’ which has been sung everywhere since then. Rumor has it that the wind carries that song from the victims who perished on the yellow sand frontier, which frightens intruders to the point of urinating and not daring to invade. Master, you also learned to play this song.”

“The battle in these past two years was even more shocking. Three countries in the southwest joined forces to attack us, and General Huo led the army to defeat them. His words ‘Withdraw to the river border, or your souls will be buried here’ directly scared those juniors to tears. Now, there are wolf-headed human statues at regular intervals along the border. When the enemy comes, they first see the intimidating stone statues that intimidate everyone, making them open their dog eyes wide in terror!”

Unexpectedly, Er-gou had grown so much after his death. Liu Zhenqing reached up to wipe off the saliva sprayed onto his face by Jin Li’s great and momentous speech. It was a pity that the boy wasn’t a storyteller. With such a lively demeanor, one would think that he had witnessed these several battles in person.

It could be seen that Jin Li was truly Huo Fenglie’s fanboy. Liu Zhenqing seriously suspected that this was why someone like Liu Xiaozhu would dare to pursue Huo Fenglie, the god of death. It was unavoidable that with this guy spouting off about his idol in his ear every day, he was brainwashed into obsession. 

Liu Zhenqing just listened to these things casually. After all, they had nothing to do with him.

Soon after, they arrived at Longxing Gambling House.

Jin Li wanted to accompany Liu Zhenqing in with the two guards, but how could that be done? Liu Zhenqing had to waste a lot of time deceiving him to make him stay in the carriage.

After all, what he wanted to do could not be known to others.

Longxing Gambling House was the largest gambling house in the capital. It was bustling with people in broad daylight, and was very lively, with people coming in and out of the door crying and laughing. There were so many different kinds of people, from all different aspects of life.

Liu Zhenqing walked in with his face half-covered by a decorative fan, and went directly to the cockfighting area on the second floor. He carefully scanned everyone present, and finally saw a man with an inverted triangle wooden sign hanging around his waist.

The man was shouting excitedly, and it wasn’t until one of the roosters was defeated that he let out a few curses and stepped aside in frustration. “Damn it, lost again! I’m unlucky today, no more gambling.”

Although he said that he wouldn’t gamble anymore, the man did not intend to leave. Instead, he glanced around. After all, it was his task to stay here today.

Suddenly, a fresh scent drew near, completely different from the current smokey atmosphere. Lao Zhao was just growing curious when he heard a low voice ask in his ear: “Don’t beg the heavens for new clothes to wear?”

Lao Zhao was suddenly stimulated, and turned around to see a young man covering his face with a fan. Naturally, people in their line of work knew the rules and wouldn’t look directly at their employer, so after taking a quick glance to identify the speaker, he lowered his head and spoke the code, “Just ask a person to make new clothes.”

“Come, first things first.” The voice was filled with a satisfied smile.

“What do you need, Young Master?”

“Male, in his twenties, a loner and a scholar, just traveling around.”

“No problem. One thousand taels, with a hundred-tael deposit. The construction period will be one month.”

Liu Zhenqing frowned slightly. “I’ll add money for you to make it quicker.”

“Young Master, if we could gain profit this way, wouldn’t we do so? But recently it’s the Spring Plowing Ceremony to bring spring forward in advance. We’re being watched closely and managed strictly, and it’s hard to create a new identity, ah. We also need to ensure that our employers use their new identities safely and with peace of mind, right? Since you could match the code and find me, we naturally wouldn’t dare to deceive you. One month is the fastest.”

Liu Zhenqing had no choice but to acquiesce. Without a new identity, it would be difficult for him to fly far away no matter how wealthy he was, unless he planned to be an isolated savage in the mountainous wilderness. He felt that he, as a layman, was not capable of that. He also wanted to find a place to live, live a good life, and fulfill the dream he had never completed in two lifetimes – to have a wife and children.

Lao Zhao took the money, agreed with Liu Zhenqing on the delivery time and location, and left in a hurry.

After concluding this important matter, Liu Zhenqing relaxed and looked at the people at the gambling tables around him. He thought, should he make some money here? In any case, he was born to win every bet.

Forget it, winning this kind of money wasn’t practical. It was better to go to a teahouse and find out which city in the south was the best to live in nowadays.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly noticed an uproar in the middle of the second floor.

“You’re just a cheater!”

The childish tone of this voice made Liu Zhenqing look up curiously. He saw a girl around ten years old or so suddenly leap onto a gambling table, grab the man opposite by his collar, and reach out to remove his clothes. “You hid the dice in your clothes, I saw it!”

Liu Zhenqing was stunned when he took in this scene. It could be said that other than the young Li Xingruo, he had never seen such a tough little girl in his life.

At this time, a boy of about the same age rushed over from the side and awkwardly tugged at the girl’s skirt. “Jie, women can’t do this.” But then he turned around and said gravely, “We just saw it. You did hide the dice. This is a fraudulent bet, we didn’t lose at all! Those who lost to you before were also cheated by you! Everyone, don’t believe him!”

Liu Zhenqing was mystified as to why two children had appeared here, but looking at the clothing of the man called into question, he couldn’t help but hold his forehead and think to himself, this is bad.

Sure enough, the man’s face was livid. He furiously pushed the girl away and said fiercely: “Where did these little children come from? I’m someone from Longxing Gambling House! How could I be a cheater! Don’t you understand the rules? If you agree to bet, you must accept the loss. Either hand over the thousand taels or be locked up until your family’s lord comes to redeem you!”

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Chapter Four << Table of Contents >> Chapter Six