Zhao Qiang took a deep breath, his hand trembling uncontrollably as he lifted the lid. When he saw the "four, five, six" inside, he couldn't help but cry out.
"Four, five, six! It's a straight! A straight! Look, everyone, a straight! A straight..."
Zhao Qiang, as if he had gone mad, first shouted loudly, then began gesticulating wildly, pointing at the dice to show everyone around the straight he had rolled.
For rolling a straight, the payout was ten times the bet. Zhao Qiang had wagered sixty-six and a half taels of silver, which meant that if he won, he would pocket six hundred and sixty-five taels of silver.
The entire venue erupted in commotion! The gamblers' eyes were fixed in envy, each regretting that they weren't the ones winning the money.
It truly embodied the couplet hanging in the Gold Jade Hall: "From small to great, fortune and glory; From nothing to everything, ascending to heaven in one step."
Only three people in the venue seemed indifferent to Zhao Qiang's "straight": Houzi, who stood outside the crowd; Old Six Hu, who was observing from upstairs; and naturally, Old Yu at the other end of the gambling table.
Old Yu, seeing Zhao Qiang's frenzied state, only smiled mysteriously.
Quite lucky indeed, Old Yu thought to himself.
Zhao Qiang's dice were rigged. Each die had a tiny bit of lead inserted into the faces showing three, four, five, and six, while the faces showing one and two had two pin-sized holes. This way, the one and two faces were lighter, while the three, four, five, and six faces were heavier, ensuring that the dice wouldn't show one or two when rolled.
Anyone with a bit of gambling skill would have become suspicious after rolling six times without seeing a single "one" or "two". Unfortunately, Zhao Qiang was just a reckless gambler with no skill, and in his drunken state, he couldn't comprehend such nuances.
"Hahaha... I, Zhao Qiang, have struck it rich! I've made it!" Zhao Qiang gleefully slapped his thighs, the sound echoing with such force that he'd likely have several red marks the next day.
"Quick, quick! Open yours!" After his bout of mad laughter, Zhao Qiang turned and squeezed next to Old Yu, urging, "Hurry and open! If you've lost, pay up! Don't dawdle!"
Old Yu responded with a polite "Alright" and reached out to lift the lid. Inside lay three dice, all showing "six" face up.
"Six, six, six" - an unexpected triplet!
The onlookers gasped, and Zhao Qiang stood frozen, the color draining from his face in an instant.
"Ah, I, Old Yu, have finally won a round. Thank goodness, I haven't let the Sixth Master down!" Old Yu sighed long and deep, his tone full of emotion, as if he had just witnessed the silver lining after a long storm.
However, what the crowd didn't see was Old Yu's hand behind his back, using the noisy crowd as cover to discreetly drop a small magnet under the table.
Old Yu was merely a dealer, not skilled in gambling techniques. How could he roll "six, six, six" at will like Old Six Hu and Jiang Ning? He didn't have that ability, so he had to resort to underhanded methods.
Old Yu's gaze swept casually over his three dice, his smile deepening. His dice were also rigged.
Unlike Zhao Qiang's dice, Old Yu's dice only had iron powder filled in the "six" face, while the other faces were filled with copper powder of the same weight.
In the previous five rounds, Old Yu had wrapped the magnet in his sleeve and placed it under the dice cup. The iron powder was attracted downwards, causing the "six" to face down and the "one" to face up. To avoid suspicion, Old Yu would then gently shake the cup, ensuring the numbers that came up were never too high.
For this final round, however, Old Yu had placed the magnet directly above the dice cup, perfectly centered, guaranteeing that all three dice would show "six".
Old Yu took his time savoring Zhao Qiang's bloodless face before finally speaking leisurely, "Instructor Zhao, you know the rules. For triplet sixes, it's a hundred-fold payout. That's a total of six thousand six hundred and fifty taels of silver. Would you prefer to pay in cash or with a bank note?"
Zhao Qiang's drunkenness had completely vanished. He felt utterly sober, yet at the same time, he felt even more intoxicated. His head was buzzing, and his body felt weak.
Six thousand six hundred and fifty taels! Even if he sold himself, Zhao Qiang couldn't afford to pay!
"Of course, I understand that Instructor Zhao probably doesn't have that much money on him right now. So let's settle for an IOU for now, and you can pay us when you have the money. With so many witnesses here, and given Instructor Zhao's reputation, we trust that you won't default on the debt," Old Yu added considerately.
"No, impossible, how could this happen? How could this happen..." Zhao Qiang muttered, his gaze already vacant, completely unable to accept this terrible reality.
From heaven to hell in an instant - this dramatic turn of events left the crowd of gamblers sighing in disbelief. Those who had been envious just moments ago now felt relieved, thankful they hadn't participated in such a life-altering gamble.
At this moment, Old Yu, having written up the IOU, sauntered over to Zhao Qiang and said, "Instructor Zhao, please put your fingerprint here. You can bring the silver to settle the debt another day."
"No, no, no, please..." Zhao Qiang looked at the thin piece of paper as if it were a ghost coming to claim his life. His face was as pale as the paper itself, his eyes filled with terror as he collapsed to the ground.
Seeing his state, everyone couldn't help but shake their heads and sigh. Once upon a time, Instructor Zhao had been such a proud man. Relying on his uncle-in-law's influence, although not an official himself, no one dared to slight him. Yet now, he had fallen to such a pitiful state.
Houzi, watching from a distance, couldn't help but recall his conversation with Old Six Hu from a couple of days ago.
"Uncle, why did you specifically choose him?" Houzi had asked, puzzled.
At that time, Old Six Hu had chuckled, taking a leisurely sip of tea before answering, "There are three reasons. First, he has martial arts training and works as an instructor at the yamen, so he's physically capable. Second, his uncle-in-law is a clerk at the county yamen, holding an official position, so he won't dare to default on his debt. And third..."
Old Six Hu had paused for effect, then asked Houzi, "Why do you think I had you inquire about Liu Ming'an?"
Houzi had connected the series of events in his mind and instantly understood the intricate plan.
"Uncle, you truly are a mastermind!" Houzi still remembered that moment of enlightenment.
"Houzi! Houzi!" Suddenly, a spark of hope ignited in Zhao Qiang's mind as he remembered Houzi, who had brought him here. Like a drowning man clutching at straws, he excitedly scrambled to his feet, looking around frantically until he finally spotted Houzi leaning against a pillar outside the crowd.
Zhao Qiang staggered towards Houzi, grabbing his hand and pleading, "Houzi, good brother! Please, talk to them for me. Tell them I'm your friend, that there's no way I can come up with that much money. Please, beg Old Yu for mercy on my behalf. I'll find you any kind of wife you want..."
Houzi, having anticipated this, calmly pulled his hand away and shook his head at Zhao Qiang, saying, "Instructor Zhao, you were too greedy. Old Yu and I are just employees of the Gold Jade Hall. We don't have any say in these matters. If you want to plead your case—"
Houzi paused here, pointing upstairs before continuing, "Begging the Sixth Master might work. The Sixth Master is known for his kindness!"
"Then let's go see the Sixth Master! Will you take me to see him? I'll beg him for mercy!" Zhao Qiang quickly responded.
Houzi furrowed his brow, appearing conflicted as he said, "But..."
Zhao Qiang implored, "Houzi, I'm begging you. Even if you chop me into eight pieces, I still couldn't come up with that much silver. Please, just take me to see the Sixth Master."
After a moment of silence, Houzi put on an expression of "throwing caution to the wind" and said through gritted teeth, "Alright! Instructor Zhao, I truly consider you a brother, and I don't want to see you in such distress. Let's go see the Sixth Master together. I believe in his magnanimity; he'll surely point you towards a solution."
"Good, good, good..." Zhao Qiang agreed repeatedly, afraid that Houzi might change his mind if he delayed even a second.
The crowd watched as Zhao Qiang followed Houzi upstairs, whispering among themselves. Old Yu, on the other hand, let out a hearty laugh and crumpled up the IOU in his hand, tossing it aside casually.
"Everyone, let's get back to our game of big and small!" Old Yu called out loudly, strolling back to the original gambling table as if nothing had happened.