NOVPUBGuangping County was one of the three superior counties within Donglu Prefecture.
Wang Chen had once held a position in Linjiang County, which was also a superior county, but Guangping County’s prosperity was no less than that of Linjiang, and its population even surpassed Linjiang’s. The county was conveniently located for water and land transport, making it a hot spot for northbound and southbound merchants.
Recently, the clues found by the Blood Cloak Guard investigating a missing persons case all led back to the city of Guangping County.
However, the amount of tax provided by Guangping County each year accounted for a considerable proportion of Donglu Prefecture’s revenue. Therefore, this superior county could not be easily disrupted, and due to the fear of the fiend’s strength, no action had been taken until now.
Guangping was three hundred seventy li from the prefecture city. Wang Chen departed in the morning, racing down the official road, and by noon, he spotted the walls of this county city.
Like Linjiang County, the county city was also built beside the Chun’an River.
In fact, both counties depended on the same river, with Guangping located upstream from Linjiang. The river was bustling with boats, and the docks on the banks were teeming with people coming and going, lively and vibrant.
Aside from the Chun’an River, the city was surrounded on three sides by vast, open plains, extensively cultivated into farmland, where numerous estates stood stately among the picturesque landscape.
During a rest along the road, Wang Chen disguised himself as a lone traveler wandering from the south to the north. Upon reaching Guangping, he led his Yellow Fatty Horse into this bustling county city.
"Young Master, might you be in need of a guide?"
Just as Wang Chen entered the city, a few "tails" began to follow him, saying all the way, "I’m most familiar with Guangping County city; I can take you anywhere you wish to go, for just ten Copper Coins as guide fee."
But there were competitors, "Young Master, I’ll take only eight Copper Coins!"
"Seven!"
"Six!"
Seeing several children almost come to blows, Wang Chen had to stop and say, "Stop arguing, take me to the best inn here, and I’ll give you twenty Copper Coins to share among yourselves."
To avoid startling the snake, he now assumed the role of a flamboyant martial traveler, new to the area.
His skin was dark with a weathered face, appearing to be in his thirties or forties.
"Hooray!"
The children immediately cheered and raced each other to lead Wang Chen to the best inn in Guangping County city.
"The best inn here is definitely Peony Pavilion, where the wine is the strongest, the people are the most beautiful, and the song and dance performances are the best…"
Leading his Yellow Fatty Horse, Wang Chen listened to the children chattering about Peony Pavilion, a faint smile appearing on his face.
Of course, he knew about Peony Pavilion, because according to the investigations by the Blood Cloak Guard, most of the missing persons had visited this inn, making it a prime target of suspicion.
Peony Pavilion’s nature was very similar to Spring Moon Tower in Linjiang County; it was a combination of an inn, a courtesan house, and a gambling house, featuring three separate buildings, offering all kinds of lavish services—but only serving the affluent.
Ordinary people didn’t even qualify to step foot inside!
Upon reaching the front of the inn, Wang Chen looked up at the golden plaques hanging over the entrance, then pulled out a handful of Copper Coins and threw them on the ground, "This is for you!"
The clinking of three to forty Copper Coins falling to the ground incited the children who had acted as guides to scramble for them.
The usher at the entrance of Peony Pavilion, upon seeing this, immediately came forward with a broad, welcoming smile, "This way please, Sir!"
Attendants at establishments like inns and courtesan houses were exceptionally perceptive in distinguishing wealthy clients from others.
He looked at Wang Chen as if seeing a plump sheep!
"Yes."
Wang Chen tossed him the reins, "Take good care of my horse, and make sure it’s well-fed with fine fodder."
As he spoke, Wang Chen tossed out a Silver: "And arrange a private room for me; this is for you!"
"All right!"
The attendant beamed with joy, hastily grabbing the reins and the silver, "Rest assured, Sir, I’ll make sure everything is perfectly arranged. Should there be any issues, feel free to slap my face!"
With silver paving the way, everything proceeded smoothly, and Wang Chen was ushered into the opulent inn with great enthusiasm.
Then he arranged it in an elegant room on the third floor.
"Bring out the best wine and food!"
After Wang Chen sat down, he displayed an unbearable hunger and directly slapped a silver note on the table, "Let your chef show off his skills; I can afford the silver!"
As the saying goes, money makes the ghost push the mill, so a reasonable request like Wang Chen’s naturally received the greatest satisfaction.
One after another, steaming dishes of exquisite delicacies continuously entered the elegant room and were placed on Wang Chen’s table.
Wang Chen chewed heartily, enjoying himself immensely.
"Sir, would you like to listen to some music to enhance the enjoyment?"
As the wine warmed him and the atmosphere grew lively, the tavern’s waiters brought a few heavily made-up courtesans into the room, bowing and scraping to Wang Chen, "These ladies of the house specialize in playing and singing, and they won’t disappoint you."
The courtesans threw coquettish glances at Wang Chen from behind.
Wang Chen glanced at them and waved his hand, saying, "Bring in another group."
Waiter: "Um..."
They had no choice but to bring in another group.
Wang Chen sneered, "Peony Pavilion has such a great reputation, and yet you try to hoodwink someone with these inferior offerings? Are you afraid I can’t pay the silver, or do you think I’m an unsophisticated lamb ready for slaughter?"
"Please, calm down, sir."
The waiter replied with a pained expression, "I’ll immediately go to the Brocade Pavilion to find a few more girls to present to you."
"Forget it."
Wang Chen casually waived his hand, "Let’s talk about it tonight. Prepare a top room for me; I plan to stay here for a couple of days!"
The waiter repeatedly assured him.
After Wang Chen had eaten and drunk his fill, he had the waiter take him to the Hundred Victory House inside the Peony Pavilion.
The Peony Pavilion was divided into three buildings. In addition to the main building with guest rooms, there were also the Brocade Pavilion and the Hundred Victory House.
The former was a house of courtesans, the latter a gambling house.
The Hundred Victory House spanned five levels, each crowded with gamblers. According to the waiter, the rule here was that the winner takes all; the higher the floor, the higher the stakes, all dependent on wealth and luck.
The main games played included dice, Pai Gow, and strategic board games.
Interestingly, here it was the guests who gambled against each other; the house didn’t take a stand but simply took a cut to ensure fair play.
And inside, the gambling was done with chips.
Wang Chen did not immediately start playing but walked around the first floor to get a sense of the place and then took out a silver note to exchange for a handful of chips.
Just then, a gambler at a nearby table lost all and left, and Wang Chen took the opportunity to sit down.
This table was playing dice; the croupier was responsible for shaking the dice, and the gamblers guessed the size, with the winners taking their proportionate chips from the losers; it was the simplest form of gambling.
Accompanied by the clattering of dice, the croupier slammed the shaker on the table, "Guess high or low, final bets, no more!" 𝓃𝓸𝓿𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝓬ℴ𝓶
The surrounding gamblers made their bets, and Wang Chen waited until they had finished before tossing out a stack of chips.
"High!"
The next moment, the croupier opened the shaker.
Four, five, six—high!
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The second update is here.
