Chapter 79 079 Like Child's Play
Chapter 79
Canghai County Magistrate's Mansion, backyard residence.
County Magistrate Chen had just returned from the yamen, had changed out of his official robes, and was reclining barefoot on a soft couch, eating lychees soaked in well water.
Just as I was enjoying the sweetness of the lychees, I heard a sudden howl from outside, "Master, Master, something bad has happened!"
The follower Aqiang almost crawled into the house, his voice changing in a hurry.
County Magistrate Chen was so frightened that his hand shook, and the juicy lychee that had just been peeled fell to the ground with a "pop", rolled a few times, and was covered with dust.
He immediately became furious and pointed at Ah Qiang and cursed, "You bastard! Are you asking for death? Why are you being so loud?"
Ah Qiang didn't even bother to apologize. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and reported breathlessly, "Master, His Royal Highness Prince Shen is out."
Hearing this, County Magistrate Chen breathed a sigh of relief. He picked up another lychee and said indifferently, "The prince is in a good mood. It's not the first time he's gone out to relax. Is it worth making such a fuss?"
"But this time is different." Ah Qiang was so anxious that he wanted to turn around. "His Royal Highness Prince Shen brought dozens of people with him. They were clearly heading towards the street where Zui Xiang Lou and Ju Long Fang were. They were so aggressive and looked like they were going to cause trouble."
"What? Zui Xiang Lou, Ju Long Fang?" County Magistrate Chen's face suddenly changed, and the lychee in his hand fell to the ground. He sat up straight with a jerk: "Oh no! Oh no! I'm afraid something big is going to happen."
"That's right, otherwise I wouldn't be so anxious." A Qiang slapped his thigh and said with a bitter face.
County Magistrate Chen tossed aside the small bamboo basket of lychees he was carrying, stepped barefoot into his shoes, and without even having time to put on his outer robe, he stood up and rushed out: "Quick! Quick, call for help! Call all the officers in the yamen who can be mobilized! Follow me immediately!"
Ah Qiang hurriedly grabbed the official robe that was lying beside him and chased after his master's stumbling back, shouting, "Master, your official robe."
---
When the carriage reached the middle of the long street, Mu Jiang suddenly pulled the reins, turned the horse's head, walked to the window, and asked in a low voice: "Your Highness, where should we go first?"
Qi Jingyan did not answer immediately, but turned his head to look at Meng Yuning beside him and asked gently, "What do you think, Ah Ning?"
Meng Yuning thought for a moment and said, "How about we go to the gambling house first?"
Qi Jingyan nodded slightly and said to the window, "Did you hear it?"
Mu Jiang immediately clasped his fists and said, "As you command!"
Then he separated a group of ten people and said, "The ten of you, quickly go to Zui Xiang Lou and secure all the exits. Don't let anyone in or out."
The ten men responded in unison, whipped their horses, and galloped away.
Originally, the group had a bright and magnificent procession, which had attracted the attention of passers-by who had not yet returned home. Now, seeing a group of cavalry suddenly galloping out on horseback, they did not know what was going on and moved to the side of the road with panic on their faces.
Seeing the people in panic, Mu Jiang felt bad and immediately clasped his fists and bowed to everyone around him to express his apology.
The carriage moved forward again, and after a while, they saw a three-story building in front of them that was considered magnificent in Canghai County. The three words "Julongfang" were hung high under the eaves.
The lights were just coming on and the long street was still a bit twilight, but Julongfang was already brightly lit as if it were daytime and bustling with people.
The dealer shouted loudly, the gamblers who won money cheered wildly, and the gamblers who lost money cursed angrily, copper coins and silver ingots collided with each other, and the dice shook in the porcelain cup...
The noise broke through the roof, disturbing half of the street.
At the entrance of the gambling house, two burly thugs who were guarding the door were sitting on the stone steps, eating meat wrapped in oil paper and drinking wine from wine jugs.
The two of them looked relaxed, chatting and laughing freely, without showing any sign of vigilance at all.
The entire street was already deserted due to the noise of Qi Jingyan and his group. Occasionally, passers-by lowered their heads and hurriedly avoided them. Only these two people were still sitting cross-legged in the same place, bursting into rough laughter from time to time.
Meng Yuning had been looking out the car window. Seeing the two of them like this, she couldn't help but sneer coldly: "Look at this, Julongfang is probably used to being rampant and never worried about anyone daring to come and provoke a fight."
Qi Jingyan glanced at her sideways, his eyes filled with admiration and questioning: "A Ning, why do you think so?"
Meng Yuning didn't explain, and just said casually: "I can imagine it."
Back then, before she started her own media career, she had sold snacks at a stall for a while, but setting up stalls was not encouraged at that time. Every time she set up a stall, while selling things, she had to keep her eyes and ears open, and always be alert to the arrival of urban management. Sometimes she had to run away with her cart when she was halfway through selling things.
But in this gambling house, even the doorman can sit here and eat and drink so leisurely, which means they have a huge support behind them and have never had to worry about being banned or provoked.
Before Qi Jingyan could respond, the carriage slowly came to a stop. Mu Shan's deep voice came from outside: "Your Highness, we've arrived at the teahouse."
This teahouse is just across from Julongfang, and Mu Shan came in the morning to book a room.
The group stopped in front of the teahouse. The teahouse owner had already come out trembling with fear to greet them and knelt silently in front of the carriage. Having received Mu Shan's strict orders in advance, although he was extremely frightened, he did not dare to make a sound to disturb them.
Meng Yuning led Yi'er out of the car first. Mu Shan then stepped forward and carefully helped Qi Jingyan down, placing him in a wheelchair. The group walked silently and orderly into the teahouse.
The teahouse had been cleared out, with only a few waiters standing on both sides with their heads bowed, holding their breath, not daring to look up.
The two thugs at the door of the gambling house opposite heard the noise, turned their heads and looked over, both of them were stunned.
They stood up and stared suspiciously for a moment, but when they saw the group of people go straight into the teahouse, they relaxed again, didn't take it seriously, sat back on the steps and continued eating and drinking.
The teahouse owner led the group to the second floor, a private room facing the street. After they were seated, he personally brought the waiter to serve tea and snacks, then bowed and retreated, gently closing the door.
Mu Shan and Mu Feng stood inside the house, while three guards stood on each side of the door in silence.
Meng Yuning couldn't wait to walk to the window and look across.
Yi'er was short and couldn't see anything from the ground. She was so anxious that she stretched out her two small hands to grab the corner of Meng Yuning's clothes: "A Ning, what are you looking at? Yi'er wants to see too."
Meng Yuning bent down and picked up the little kid. She whispered softly in his ear, "Let's watch quietly. Mu Jiang and the others are about to deal with the bad guys."
When Yier heard this, his big eyes suddenly lit up. He quickly covered his mouth with his little hands and nodded vigorously to show that he would never make a sound.
The room was silent for a moment. Qi Jingyan sat at the table, poured himself a cup of tea, and took a sip calmly.
Meng Yuning turned around to look at him and asked quietly, "Your Highness, won't you come over and take a look?"
Qi Jingyan raised his eyes, his gaze as calm as water, and the corners of his lips slightly raised: "Just watch."
Meng Yuning thought so too. He had commanded thousands of troops on the battlefield to defeat the enemy. To him, such a small scene as destroying a gambling house was probably child's play. How could he be interested? So she said no more, and just held her breath and stared out the window with Yi'er, concentrating intently.
Mu Jiang left a few guards at the entrance of the teahouse and led the rest of the men to rush towards the gambling house.
The two thugs who were eating and drinking at the door saw this situation and knew that something was wrong. They hurriedly threw down the wine jug, turned around and ran inside, shouting at the top of their lungs: "Oh no! Someone is coming to smash us..."
Before he could finish shouting, Mu Jiang caught up with him in two steps and kicked him in the air, directly kicking the man off the ground and into the gambling house, landing on a gambling table.
The dice, chips, and money on the table flew everywhere, and the man fell to the ground howling miserably.
The guards followed Mu Jiang into the gambling house like tigers and wolves. Mu Jiang's eyes were cold and fierce. He waved his hand and shouted, "Smash it for me!"
The guards shouted in response, their swords drawn in unison, chopping at tables and kicking at doors. In an instant, the casino was filled with crackling noises, sawdust flying, and chaos.
The gamblers, who had been immersed in the gambling game, panicked upon seeing this. Some hurriedly grabbed the money on the table and turned to flee, only to be kicked back. The timid ones, their legs already weak, crawled under the table, trembling in fear.
The manager and thugs of the gambling house did not recognize that this was someone from Prince Shen's Mansion. When they saw someone dared to come and disrupt the place, they cursed with unpleasant words and rushed forward with sticks, swords and knives to stop him.
The dealers who dealt the cards and the waiters who served tea and water were all of the same kind. When they saw what was happening, they all grabbed their weapons and rushed forward shouting.
This played into the guards' hands, and their pent-up anger turned into fists, legs, and feet, as they attacked without mercy.
His Highness and Miss Meng have promised that they will never allow these people to harm the people again. The brothers know what to do specifically.
Every punch hits the flesh and every move is aimed at the vital point.
How could the rabble in the gambling house, who usually only bully and oppress the good people, be a match for these well-trained and battle-hardened guards?
In just a few moments, a large group of people lay sprawled on the ground. Some wailed incessantly, their arms and legs twisted, some bleeding from their mouths and noses, their faces disfigured beyond recognition. Some, even worse, had their limbs severed. The scene was bloody and horrific...
In just a short while, the first floor was completely cleared. Mu Jiang left a few men to guard the scene while he and the rest of the brothers headed upstairs.
Just as I stepped onto a few steps, I saw the so-called "boss" Mr. Zhang coming down from upstairs with a gloomy face.
The two men suddenly met face to face. When Master Zhang saw the horrific scene downstairs, his face turned pale as paper, and he turned and ran away in fear.
Mu Jiang was quick-witted and quick-handed. He broke off a piece of hardwood stair railing with a "click" and suddenly exerted force, smashing the broken wood towards Master Zhang's back.
Master Zhang screamed in pain and was thrown forward onto the stairs, curled up in pain and unable to move.
Mu Jiang took a few big strides forward and stomped hard on his back. Master Zhang groaned and spat out a mouthful of blood. Then his head tilted and he fainted completely.
Mu Jiang led the guards to rush to the second floor, and quickly knocked down several thugs who were resisting stubbornly like cutting melons and vegetables. Then he kicked open the door of the private room and drove all the gamblers inside to the lobby on the first floor. Then he rushed to the third floor and did the same thing.
Among these people, those who won money have not yet received their prizes, and those who lost money have no chance of making up for their losses. All of their faces are filled with resentment and greed, their expressions are distorted, and they are full of resentment.
A middle-aged man dressed in a brocade robe, who looked like a wealthy gentleman, was particularly dissatisfied. He suddenly shook off the guard's arm, cursed him, and then shouted loudly: "Who are you? How dare you commit violence in broad daylight? I will report you to the police and have you arrested!"
"Report to the authorities?" Mu Jiang sneered, his voice as cold as iron. "We are the officials!"
After saying that, he raised his foot and kicked the man, who tumbled all the way down the stairs with a bruised face and a bleeding head.
He struggled to get up, not daring to say another word. He rolled and crawled into the corner, trembling and completely silent.
After this incident, all the gamblers were frightened and suddenly became silent. They all listened obediently to the guards' shouts and instructions, standing when they were told to stand and squatting when they were told to squat, in an orderly manner and with complete silence.
Mu Jiang led the guards to search the gambling house thoroughly inside and out, and confiscated all the account books, IOUs, silver and other evidence and put them aside.
Afterwards, they divided everyone in the venue into two groups. One group of gamblers was driven to a corner, their hands and feet were tied up, and they were strung together with long ropes.
Most of the thugs had fallen to the ground and had lost the strength to resist. They were also dragged to a place and tied up tightly with hemp ropes.
As soon as Mu Jiang walked out of the gambling house, he saw County Magistrate Chen riding a fast horse and galloping towards him.
When he got closer, County Magistrate Chen almost rolled off the saddle and staggered forward. He glanced hurriedly into the gambling house and saw that it was in a mess and there were constant wailing. His eyes suddenly became dizzy, his legs became weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground.
It’s too late, too late, he is still late.
He forced himself to remain calm, bowed to Mu Jiang, and said in a panicked yet respectful tone, "Sir, what happened?"
Mu Jiang looked down at him coldly and sidelongly, without answering directly. Instead, he turned to face the street, gathered his strength, and shouted loudly:
"For years, Julongfang has been entrenched in Canghai County, acting as an accomplice to evil, oppressing the innocent, and luring the people into gambling addiction, causing countless families to lose their fortunes and be separated from their families. Now that the evidence of their crimes is conclusive, we, under the orders of His Royal Highness Prince Shen, will completely shut down this den of harm to the people. From this day forward, it will never be allowed to open again!"
After saying that, Mu Jiang waved his hand, and the guards immediately led the long line of gamblers with pale faces out.
Mu Jiang turned to County Magistrate Chen, clasped his fists, and said, "Sir Chen, these gamblers will be strictly interrogated and punished according to the law."
County Magistrate Chen hurriedly glanced at the crowd and saw that there were several "prominent" figures in the county among them. His scalp suddenly went numb, but he could only respond with "yes" repeatedly. He hurriedly waved to call the yamen runners behind him to take the prisoner.
Mu Jiang pointed towards the gambling house again, his tone calm but unquestionable: "We have also tied up the thugs and servants inside for you, sir. You can send people in to take them away at any time."
He then reached out and patted County Magistrate Chen's shoulder. "Your Highness's intention is to thoroughly investigate and punish them severely. We must not give this group of people any chance to harm the people again."
He paused briefly, as if suddenly remembering something, and added, "Oh, by the way, that Master Zhang, or whatever he was, was trying to harm me just now. I was trying too hard to protect myself, and I'm afraid he's only got one breath left. It's obvious he's not going to make it. It's dark out and the roads are dangerous, so I don't think there's any need to rush around to get a doctor."
When County Magistrate Chen heard the name "Master Zhang" and thought of the complicated relationship between the Zhang family and the Third Prince, his face turned pale as paper, cold sweat dripped down his forehead, and he swayed a few times and could hardly stand.
Mu Jiang no longer paid any attention to County Magistrate Chen, whose face looked as pale as death. With a quick wave of his hand, the guards quickly left with the confiscated evidence and returned directly to the teahouse across the street. They loaded the boxes of evidence onto the empty carriage that followed behind them, then returned to their horses and stood solemnly.
The doors and windows of the gambling house were closed. Meng Yuning, who was lying by the window of the teahouse, only heard a rough outline of what was happening. She was unable to witness with her own eyes the scene of the guards killing everyone. She felt somewhat unhappy in her heart, but she also knew that the matter was over.
She didn't want to wait any longer, so she picked up Yi'er and looked at Qi Jingyan: "Your Highness, shall we go to Zuixiang Tower?"
Qi Jingyan raised the corners of his lips slightly and nodded, "Okay."
So everyone went downstairs again, got in the car and set off.
In just a moment, they arrived at Zui Xiang Tower, hundreds of feet away.
Before I got out of the car, I heard crying and wailing from inside the building.
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