Chapter 16

Lin Qiang promised the little girl that he would take her down the mountain in three days, but due to various reasons, he has not yet fulfilled his promise.

It wasn't until May 15th, when summer officially turned hot, that Lin Qiang led Yuan Qiong and several brothers down Black Wind Cliff.

As a result, as soon as they stepped off the cliff, they were spotted by two groups of people.

One group came from the Prime Minister's residence, and the other group came from the Prince Cheng's residence.

Both groups were aware of each other's existence, but unaware of each other's intentions, and were wary of one another.

**

A gambling den called Fengyun, which had just opened three days prior at the foot of Black Wind Mountain, had become famous in the surrounding villages and towns.

The reason was a notice posted outside the gambling den: anyone who entered the gambling den could receive ten gambling chips worth thirty strings of cash and a cloth strip worth one, two, or five coins by simply bringing their household registration certificate and registering their name, age, and household registration information with the gambling den manager.

These thirty strings of cash can be used for a single gamble or exchanged for real money. The cloth strips, each with a different symbol indicating a different amount, can be used as collateral at the snack shops, fabric shops, tea shops, and jewelry shops next to the gambling den.

This was like a windfall for the villagers of the town! The news spread like wildfire, and men, women, and children flocked to register with their household registration certificates, forming a long queue outside the gambling den.

Finally, even the magistrate's gambling-addicted son came to join the fun.

"Wow, there are so many people here? Won't the casino owner go bankrupt?"

The young master was quite handsome, even dashing. But his dissolute air made him seem like a bad person. A folding fan was tucked into the back of his collar, and a wicked smile was forced onto his fair, round face. His tone of voice was extremely exaggerated.

His cronies chimed in, "That owner's probably out of his mind! This gambling den'll probably be closing down in a couple of days! Hahahaha..."

Sending out such heavy sums of money, isn't that insane?

"Let's go and get some of that sucker's money too!"

The magistrate's son has plenty of money, but he loves to have fun and enjoy excitement. How could he not get involved in something like this?

The group swaggered to the front of the line and forcefully cut in. The people in line were initially unhappy, but upon seeing that it was the magistrate's son, they swallowed their resentment.

The group of people who had just come down the mountain heard the entire conversation.

"Hey, you big black beard, they say you're mentally ill."

Yuan Qiong was dressed in a gray coarse cloth shirt and wore a sun hat. She smiled and teased the man next to her, her fox-like eyes curving into cute crescent shapes.

"I think they have a point. Aren't you penniless now?"

Lin Qiang shielded his eyes from the sunlight, squinting as he gazed at the end of the long line, a familiar smile on his face. Standing next to the tall Lin Qiang, her slender figure made her appear even smaller.

"I'm poor, that's true, but as for being white, forget it." He stroked his long beard and sighed, feigning sadness, "I guess I'll never be able to turn white in this lifetime."

"Haha, you're quite self-aware!"

"Ha ha ha ha......"

He laughed heartily, his deep eyes sparkling brilliantly in the sunlight.

"You guys don't need to come with me anymore. Go to the gambling den and help the manager."

"OK!"

He instructed his men to go to the gambling den to maintain order, then turned around and handed a piece of his clothing to Yuan Qiong.

"Hold on tight, don't get lost, I'll take you to buy jewelry."

"oh."

Yuan Qiong gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, looked up at him, her smile fading, and her gaze dimmed.

Bypassing the noisy crowd, Yuan Qiong arrived at the exceptionally popular tea and snack shop next door and couldn't help but say again, "You're losing money, but the shops around here are making money. Don't you think there's something wrong with that? If you don't know how to do business, then don't do it. It's so foolish to spend money to create hype for others!"

"It's good to be a little silly." Lin Qiang didn't explain much: "There are too many smart people in this world, which is why we need a fool like me."

Of course, there should be fewer fools like me, so that no one will compete with me for money.

"Didn't you want to buy jewelry? Come on, you can pick whatever you like today."

After saying that, Lin Qiang put his arm around her and squeezed into a jewelry shop.

In the surging crowd, the man's strong arms acted like a safe wall, keeping the noisy throng outside, and Yuan Qiong's hair was not touched by the excited flow of people.

Lin Qiang only let go of her after they entered the shop's inner courtyard. He checked her over and, finding nothing amiss, waved to the approaching shop assistant, indicating that he didn't need to worry about him. He then began to tidy his disheveled clothes and hair.

Upon hearing the news, the jewelry store owner immediately jogged over, his face beaming with joy.

"Oh! Mr. Lin! You've arrived!"

"Manager Chen's business is really booming today. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he's making a fortune every day!"

"Don't mention it, don't mention it. It's all thanks to you! Without you, our shop wouldn't be where it is today!"

As he spoke, Manager Chen took a large bag of silver from the shop assistant, bent down and handed it over: "This is today's reward... oh, right, the sponsorship! Mr. Lin, please take this. If it's not enough, just ask!"

Lin Qiang didn't accept: "You should talk to the manager of the gambling den about the sponsorship. I won't get involved." He pulled over the bewildered Yuan Qiong: "I'm here with my little girl to look at jewelry. Do you have any good recommendations?"

Initially a little nervous about being rejected, Manager Chen immediately nodded and bowed, replying, "Yes, yes, yes! Please choose whatever you like!"

Shopkeeper Chen brought out all the finest jewelry in the shop for Yuan Qiong to choose from. But after picking and choosing for a long time, she didn't find a single piece she liked.

It's no wonder Yuan Qiong has high standards. She's been pampered since childhood, and everything she eats and uses is extremely precious.

These items would be considered exquisite and high-class in ordinary households, but in Yuan Qiong's eyes, let alone wearing them, even glancing at them would lower her own standards.

But in the end, with Manager Chen's enthusiastic recommendations, Yuan Qiong still bought several pieces of jewelry that she would never have even looked at before.

Since the excuse is to buy jewelry, it would be suspicious if you didn't take any pieces.

The two came out of the back door of the shop, and Yuan Qiong unconsciously tugged at his sleeve again, feeling a mix of emotions, not knowing where to begin.

She forced a smile and asked, "Why did Manager Chen from the jewelry store give you money?"

"Let's do it for mutual benefit. Since we're in business, the money shouldn't just go to one person. Only through cooperation and mutual benefit can we go further in the long run."

Right now, this street recognizes Fengyun Gambling House, but soon, ten streets will admire and respect it, and then the entire town will recognize it.

Recognition leads to word-of-mouth, and word-of-mouth creates momentum. As long as it benefits the surrounding businesses, wherever Fengyun Casino opens in the future, that place will become the center of a town.

As for the gambling den's reputation... just like tobacco, signs are posted everywhere: "A little gambling is harmless, excessive gambling is harmful. Reject loan sharks, for everyone's health." Who can still say it's not a legitimate business?

They amassed money from merchants, distributed it to the public to record their household registration information, and then guided the public to spend money at the merchants, making the merchants more willing to give money to Fengyun Casino.

At this point, he could establish a bank—or, in ancient times, a money shop.

Then, step by step, the money is turned into capital for operation, which can improve people's living standards and achieve one's own goals. Why not do it?

When Fengyun Gambling House and Fengyun Money House are spread throughout the towns and cities of Yan, and he holds the household registration information and deposit information of most people in the country, he will be the largest information building in the country.

Lin Qiang believed that as long as Black Wind Cliff was powerful enough, no matter how chaotic the world became, and no matter which force came to power, they would all have to serve him.

In this way, he could live a healthy and peaceful life until his natural death.

"Oh, it's a win-win situation."

Normally, Yuan Qiong would have been able to glean some hidden meaning from his words and press him for answers. But today, she was distracted and had no desire to talk much. She was preoccupied with how many people were lying in ambush at Black Wind Cliff and whether they could take down Black Beard in one fell swoop.

"Big Black Beard, I've bought all the jewelry. I'm tired and want to go back to the mountain."

A short, sharp pain is worse than a long, drawn-out one. Since we'll have to face it sooner or later, it's better to end it sooner and feel better sooner.

After making up her mind, Yuan Qiong loosened her grip on his clothes and walked back in the direction they were heading: "Let's go back."

Since they are people who cannot be kept alive, then let's kill them.

Let's just pretend these past three months were a dream. When she wakes up, she'll still be the eldest daughter of the Yuan family, the future Crown Princess. She's only gone to Shenshou Temple to pray for His Majesty and the Empress.

The big black beard should never have been in her life.

Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants!

Thank you to the little angel who watered the [nutrient solution]:

Even the top bunkmate who's terrible at naming things gets a name from one bottle;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!