The manager originally wanted to reason with these gamblers, but how could they, obsessed with money, possibly reason with him?
He refused to give them the silver, so they caused trouble in front of the gambling den.
The gambling den sent out thugs to try and scare them away, but there were too many of them, and they weren't afraid at all.
Furthermore, with some people maliciously inciting others, the situation spiraled out of control.
The thugs at the gambling den were completely dominated and beaten to the ground by the gamblers.
The manager had no choice but to let the gamblers cash out all the cash in the gambling den. They still wouldn't stop, and kept asking the manager to get more money to exchange for chips.
The steward was terrified and came to the city lord's mansion to look for Zhou Chenyang, but Zhou Chenyang did not return all night, and he has been waiting ever since.
The gambling den is now in complete chaos.
Zhou Chenyang angrily said, "How dare they! Is Commander Xu here? So many people are causing trouble, and he's not doing anything about it?"
The steward replied, "Commander Xu said that it is only right to pay back debts, and as long as they do not engage in looting and vandalism, he cannot interfere."
Zhou Chenyang: "..."
He and Commander Xu had always been at odds, and the two often bickered.
This time, he witnessed firsthand Xu Shoubei's double standards!
He's so angry!
He said coldly, "I'll go take a look."
When he arrived, he saw that all the gamblers were sitting in an orderly fashion in front of the gambling den, whose doors were tightly closed.
They even unfurled a banner that read, "Paying back debts is a matter of course."
"You heartless gambling den, give me back my hard-earned money!"
"If one does not keep their word, where is justice?"
Zhou Chenyang: "..."
He was furious when he saw this. Where did these gamblers get their hard-earned money?
He said coldly, "What are you all doing here? Get out of here!"
One of the gamblers stepped forward and said, "We're here to exchange our chips at the gambling den. Even if you're the lord of the city, you can't kick us out!"
The gamblers echoed in unison, "Yes!"
Their shout was so powerful that it startled Zhou Chenyang.
When did these people become so united?
Zhou Chenyang's eyes were cold and piercing. He said slowly, "Gambling is illegal. You're gambling in public. Guards, arrest them all!"
The officers behind him immediately pounced on the gamblers like wolves.
The gamblers were somewhat panicked, and most of them wanted to escape.
But then someone shouted, "If it's illegal for us to gamble in a gambling den, then it's even more illegal for a gambling den to openly allow people to gamble!"
"The city lord only arrested us, but protected the gambling den. I don't accept this!"
The moment those words were spoken, they were met with immediate response from everyone, with many shouting, "I refuse to accept this!"
"I exchanged my silver for chips at the gambling den, why can't I get my silver back?"
"I heard that the gambling den's owner is the city lord. He's knowingly breaking the law; his actions are extremely despicable!"
"Brothers, his actions are outrageous and perverse. Let's go to Liefeng City to seek justice from the Prince!"
Zhou Chenyang: "..."
He thought that if he just scared the gamblers as usual, they would disperse on their own.
I never expected them to be so united today, and even to say that they would go to the Prince of Pingnan for justice!
Someone must have orchestrated this!
Liu Tianwen realized that the situation was not good. If things continued like this, it might lead to a popular uprising, which would be extremely disadvantageous for them at this time.
He immediately shouted, "Don't listen to rumors! This gambling den has nothing to do with the city lord!"
"The city lord has already sent men to arrest all the employees and managers in the gambling den!"
Just as the crowd began to waver upon hearing this, a clear female voice rang out: "Bullshit!"
"The manager of the gambling den is right here with you. Has anyone arrested him?"
Upon hearing this voice, Zhou Chenyang's expression changed drastically. He turned his head and saw Lin Xiuyan dressed in a bright red outfit, standing not far away with her arms crossed.
Fan Xilou and Xu Qianting followed behind her.
The wind blew her hair, making her look flamboyant and unrestrained, as beautiful as the rising sun.
He said coldly, "It's you!"
Lin Xiuyan had already broken ties with him, and last night she beat him to a pulp, so she didn't need to hide anything now.
She chuckled softly, took three steps closer to him, and said, "It's me, so what?"
Zhou Chenyang's facial muscles twitched several times. She said loudly, "The city lord said gambling is illegal, but gambling dens in Yucheng have existed for many years."
"After the city lord took office, he did not close the gambling den."
"Lord of the city, please don't tell me that you didn't know the gambling den existed. You are the lord of the city, not a blind man."
Her words cut off all of Zhou Chenyang's escape routes.
Zhou Chenyang looked at her with such hatred that he wanted to devour her alive.
Lin Xiuyan didn't care at all. She said loudly, "I ask the city lord to give an explanation to all the people of Yucheng for today's matter."
"If you want to imprison everyone who holds gambling chips, then please shut down all the gambling dens and brothels in Chongqing."
"Because both of these are explicitly prohibited by the laws of the Great Chu!"
Xu Qianting and Fan Xilou shouted in agreement, "Shut down the gambling dens and brothels!"
Others with chips also loudly echoed, "Shut down the gambling dens and brothels!"
Zhou Chenyang: "..."
He glanced around at the indignant crowd, his gaze towards Lin Xiuyan becoming even more sinister.
He walked up to her and said, "Are you determined to go against me?"
Lin Xiuyan chuckled lightly: "Lord City Lord is joking. What do you mean by 'I'm going against you'?"
"I simply despise gambling. Today, seeing that the city lord wants to rectify the atmosphere in Yu City, I've come to lend him a hand."
After she finished speaking, she said loudly, "If the city lord cannot shut down the gambling dens and brothels, then please order the gambling dens to pay out their chips."
Xu Qianting and Fan Xilou shouted in unison, "Cash in the chips!"
The crowd echoed, "Cash out the chips!"
This time, his voice was even louder than before.
Zhou Chenyang had always looked down on Lin Xiuyan, thinking she was a good-for-nothing playboy.
But her meticulous planning last night and her stirring of emotions today reveal her to be an extremely formidable person.
Lin Xiuyan crossed her arms and said, "I have carefully prepared two options for the city lord. It is up to the city lord to choose."
"Lord of the city, please don't think about using force to suppress this. If this matter gets out of hand, the Prince of Pingnan will definitely intervene."
"No one knows what will happen then, after all, the young master is in Yucheng right now."
"Don't even think about killing the heir and covering it up, City Lord. No matter how unfavored he is, he is still the heir of the Prince's Mansion and the Emperor's chosen successor to the Pingnan Prince's Mansion!"
Zhou Chenyang: "..."
She said everything he wanted to do!
The scariest thing is that, given how things have escalated to this point, it seems he only has these two options left.
He didn't want to choose either of these two options!
He wanted another option...
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