Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 243: Is This Pig Yours?

Not bothering with what Huangfu Shaozong and the guqin-carrying maid were thinking, Tang Wanzhuang and Vermillion Bird, who were observing from afar, both smirked at the same time.

The capital was like a grand stage, where no one would easily reveal their true intentions. A naive and innocent fool would not be able to get this far.

Their invitations held high-sounding reasons, but Zhao Changhe played along even better by simply acting as if he did not know any of them, not even bothering to give them any face. This made perfect sense to those in the know, but it also made for quite the spectacle.

Of course, in Vermillion Bird’s eyes, Zhao Changhe being unfamiliar with the imperial noble consort was only expected.

But that was not why they were so amused, the reason for that was the empress.

Where did you get the confidence to think that Zhao Changhe would pay any attention to you or give you any face? This isn’t even the right time for you to intervene. Rushing in like this only makes you look desperate. Even if Zhao Changhe were to refuse you to your face, what could you do? Assassinate him?

The two women pondered for a moment, then both quietly instructed their trusted aides, “Follow that eunuch. He might not actually be working for the empress.”

Their aides shuddered.

It was indeed possible... If Zhao Changhe had gone with those who were supposedly under the empress and ended up dead in the palace in the middle of the night, then all the blame would firmly be on the empress. Unless Zhao Changhe was a fool, there was no way he would actually follow the eunuch.

Tang Wanzhuang whispered, “If he really is working for the empress, then just leave it at that. If not, then this seems like something that Huangfu Qing would do.”

At the same time, Vermillion Bird whispered, “There’s no issue if these people really are under the empress, but if that isn’t the case, then someone is trying to frame me.”

After speaking, she muttered to himself, “If he’s thought about this too, wouldn’t he think that the imperial noble consort might be trying to harm him?”

With a playful glint in her beautiful eyes, she thought for a moment before turning around and entering her room. “I’m tired. You can go do your work.”

The aides promptly acknowledged her and withdrew.

Vermillion Bird inspected her surroundings, then she swiftly changed out of her palace attire, put on a fiery red ceremonial robe, and put on the pig mask. With a sudden leap, she slipped out through the window, disappearing into the rainy night streets.

Meanwhile, Zhao Changhe was in the VIP room of the gambling house. Not only was the room equipped with all sorts of gambling tables and equipment, but there was even an inner room. The inner room resembled an inn room, and there was someone pouring hot water into a wooden bucket at the moment.

Zhao Changhe’s solo stroll in the rainy night might have looked quite cool just now, but the fact that there was a price to pay for showing off. Now, he looked like a drowned rat.

The manager of the gambling house sat opposite him at the gaming table, playing with a set of Pai Gow tiles in his hand. There was a playful smile on his face as he looked at Zhao Changhe. “Young Master Zhao...”

“Hm?” Zhao Changhe, still dripping wet, absentmindedly touched the Pai Gow tiles and studied them nonchalantly. “How do you play this?”

“You really want to play while looking like that?”

“Why not?” Zhao Changhe secretly circulated his internal energy, causing the moisture on his body to evaporate, allowing him to finally dry his body and face a little bit. He could not quite match the skill of the Fire Serpent of Yi in drying clothes, so he had to bear with being a little damp. “I came here to play, didn’t I?”

“That might not necessarily be the case. When you went to the gambling house in Sword Lake City, you were playing with Sha Seven’s throat.”

“Hey, your gambling houses’ names are so similar, aren’t they obviously chain stores? Why don’t you just pick one name and stick with it? Why even have Wei Zicai pretend like he didn’t know who’s behind Kangle Gambling House?”

“Who said similar names means that they’re chain stores? By that logic, are you and Wang Dashan brothers?”[1]

“...I suggest using Fatty Dahai next time.”[2]

The man did not know how to react. “We don’t even know why you would assume the gambling houses are related. It just so happened that you hit the nail right on the head. But that’s not important now. Since you’ve clearly set your sights on us, it must be fate.”

“Not necessarily,” Zhao Changhe said leisurely. “But since Huangfu Shaozong was so determined not to enter the gambling house yet immediately mentioned its name, it must be because it’s the most famous in the capital, not just because it was nearby... There were closer gambling dens along the way, after all. Why did he not mention those instead? That only goes to show that this gambling house is different, and he considers it special.”

The man nodded and said, “That makes sense. I’m Jin Nine, the manager of the Anle Gambling House in the capital. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Zhao Changhe asked curiously, “Do you all go by that pattern of naming? You’re a middle-aged man, managing such an important establishment in the capital, and then there’s Sha Seven, a young man managing your establishment in Sword Lake City. How do you guys end up with your respective rankings?”

“We inherit our titles.”

Zhao Changhe thoughtfully said, “So Ying Five once had a group of brothers, but now some have perished... What about the first four?”

“The first four disappeared a long time ago, and no one has inherited their titles,” Jin Nine sighed and said. “In the storms of the jianghu, who knows how many of your brothers will still be alive when you look back once you grow old.”

Zhao Changhe was silent. He felt that although he did not have many friends, they all seemed to have the aura of protagonists, unlike those who would die young. Of course, this was hard to explain, and even he did not know when he might end up in an unknown place, known to no one.

Jin Nine said, “Well, that’s enough idle chatter. Since you have come to us intentionally, could you tell us your purpose?”

“If I’m not mistaken, you’re actually a professional intelligence organization. I even suspect that Snow-Listening Pavilion is a subsidiary of yours, similar to the Blood God Cult to the Four Idols Cult.”

“You’ve guessed half-right. We are indeed a professional intelligence organization, but the Snow-Listening Pavilion is just a long-term collaborator. They come to us for information when they can’t find their target. However, there is no affiliation between our two organizations, and we have no interest in their killing business,” Jin Nine smiled and said. “So, there truly is no grudge between us.”

“I reckon that you guys originally started out by looking for clues about the ancient era, but then you gradually evolved into a full-fledged organization dealing with all kinds of intelligence operations, right?” Zhao Changhe said. “I refuse to believe that the top-ranked individual on the Ranking of Heaven is merely involved in espionage.”

“Correct,” Jin Nine admitted frankly. “We not only sell intelligence but also buy it. The information most valuable to us are those about ancient secret realms and various lost alternate spaces. Everything else is just incidental information obtained in the process of searching for these. In the grand scheme of things, worldly affairs are none of our concern. So whatever your identity is, to us, it’s just a piece of information available for sale, and it won’t affect our stance on anything.”

“So even when I did not give those ladies face and entered your establishment, you still accepted me in.”

Jin Nine chuckled and said, “Of course. In the world of martial arts, those who seek greater power and those who laugh at nobility are not limited to you alone.”

Zhao Changhe nodded and said, “In that case... I’m here to purchase some intelligence.”

“If you’re looking to buy information about the emperor’s current situation, we don’t have it, and so we can’t facilitate that transaction.” Jin Nine sighed. “We value our reputation and will not fabricate intelligence that merely sounds plausible just to swindle our clients.”

“What about just for his surface-level condition? How much does that cost?”

“Everyone in this capital knows about that. That kind of information isn’t worth anything. I’ll even give it to you as a gift, just consider it a friendly gesture.”

“I’ll have to thank you then.”

Even if some information might be common knowledge, that didn’t mean you could ask just anyone about it. An organization that corroborated various pieces of information from multiple sides would allow for a better understanding of certain things. This was why it was very convenient to deal with an organization that specialized in gathering intelligence.

Jin Nine said, “On the surface, the emperor spends most of his time in seclusion. When he comes out of seclusion, he attends court to handle some affairs. His complexion appears normal. What makes people feel uneasy is that his spirit seems somewhat lethargic, and his voice is lacking in vigor. His aura does not match his status as the strongest in the world. Coupled with the frequent tactical errors and the disappearance of the great brilliance he had displayed in his younger years, people have come to speculate that something is amiss. However, it’s not as bad as some of the rumors make it out to be, with some of those rumors even saying that he’s gone missing.”

This information completely aligned with the information that Tang Wanzhuang had provided him, and there was nothing out of the ordinary.

After pondering for a moment, Zhao Changhe suddenly asked, “Do you happen to know the true circumstances behind the crown prince’s death?”

Jin Nine smiled. “Our guess is just that, a guess. It’s not worth anything, but you can listen if you’d like.”

“I believe that your speculation holds value.”

“Our guess is that the emperor himself killed the crown prince.”

Even though Zhao Changhe had anticipated countless possibilities, he had never thought of this one. His eyes widened in shock.

Damn it, if Xia Longyuan killed his own son, then isn’t sitting here like waiting for my own demise?

Seeing Zhao Changhe’s usual calm demeanor finally break, Jin Nine inexplicably felt pleased. He chuckled and said, “It’s just a guess. As for why we made such a speculation, it’s not convenient to tell you, unless you’re willing to pay... Oh, right, this kind of information isn’t something that can be settled with money.”

Zhao Changhe stared at him without saying a word.

“Alright.” Jin Nine looked leisurely toward the entrance to the inner room. The beautiful female dealer, dressed in a light chiffon bustier, had been waiting there for quite some time. Seeing Jin Nine look over, she softly spoke, “The bathwater is ready. I can assist you with your bath, sir...”

Before Zhao Changhe could say anything, the door suddenly burst open. A pig-masked figure tossed aside two fainted guards, clapped her hands, and walked in. “Fine, go ahead and assist him. I’d like to see how you do it.”

Jin Nine looked at Zhao Changhe with a smile that did not look quite like a smile. “I heard that you were with someone wearing a pig mask in Sword Lake City. Was it her? If not, we may have to handle this as a provocation and disturbance.”

The pig-masked figure raised her head to look up at the ceiling as if disdaining to even talk to Jin Nine.

Sweat dripped down Zhao Changhe’s forehead. “Well, yeah, she should be the one who was with me”

Jin Nine stood up leisurely. “It seems that you already have someone to attend to you. In that case, we won’t disturb you any longer. May you find peace and happiness in Anle Gambling House.”

1. The manager is making a connection between rivers and mountains here. If you remember, Dashan means “big mountain” while Changhe means “long river” ☜

2. Dahai means “big ocean.” ☜