The Child Emperor

Chapter 90: Gamble

In the study, Du Chuanyun looked at the Weary Marquis and asked, “Why are you dressed like this?”

Inside, Han Ruzi was wearing his usual training clothes, with a long black cloak wrapped around him, and a rain-shielding bamboo hat on his head. “Shouldn’t we be discreet?”

Du Chuanyun had changed out of servant’s attire and now wore a short tunic and pants, resembling an ordinary young boy who had just finished his daytime labor. “This appearance of yours isn’t discreet; it’s a warning to others not to interfere with your misdeeds. And do you think they’ll listen? Especially the patrolling officers?”

Du Chuanyun always spoke straightforwardly, and Han Ruzi was accustomed to it. He took off his bamboo hat and asked, “So, how should I dress then?”

Du Chuanyun took the hat and tossed it aside. “Lose the cloak… well, your appearance screams ‘young master.’ Keep the cloak on. No need for the hat. You’re a wealthy young man I’ve brought along for gambling. Carry extra silver coins, just in case.”

Han Ruzi didn’t have any money on him. He turned to Zhang Youcai, “Give me all the silver you have.”

Han Ruzi and Du Chuanyun were planning to go out at night. They could hide it from others but not from Zhang Youcai, who was also needed to provide cover.

Reluctantly, Zhang Youcai untied his money pouch. “Why not take me along? I’ve been practicing martial arts for months…”

“No, you have to stay. If someone comes looking for me, you need to cover for me.” Han Ruzi took the pouch, not knowing how much silver was inside, and stuffed it into his pocket.

“Then come back early. Du Chuanyun, take care of the master. If something happens to him, I… well, if he’s gets into trouble, I can’t escape death, and there’s nothing I can do to you either.”

“With me around, what could possibly happen?” Du Chuanyun was carefree by nature, and intolerant of excessive warnings. He turned and left.

Han Ruzi and Du Chuanyun left the estate through the back gate, while Zhang Youcai closed the door from inside. They agreed that Zhang Youcai would await them by the door around fourth watch.[1]

Behind the Marquis’s manor was a narrow alley that led to a main street not far away. The night had just fallen, and there were still many pedestrians on the street. Du Chuanyun hired a mule cart at the street corner and headed straight for the southern part of the city.

It was Han Ruzi’s first time riding such a cart, and he found it quite bumpy. He held onto the cart’s edge tightly, feeling a bit nervous about the impending adventure. He asked, “What did you say to your grandfather?”

Du Chuanyun sat cross-legged across from Han Ruzi, “What did I say? There’s nothing to say. I often go out at night.”

“Even in the manor?” Han Ruzi lowered his voice, not wanting the cart driver to hear.

“Of course, it’s so boring in the mansion. I have to get some fresh air. Besides, I have friends in the pugilist world whom I need to interact with.”

“Do you have many friends in the city?”

“Quite a number. There are quite a few heroes in the Capital, and they’ve heard of our reputation. They’re willing to befriend us…” Du Chuanyun spoke fluently, occasionally mentioning names that Han Ruzi recognized, since they were heroes who had come to help at the Weary Marquis’s manor on the day of his abdication.

When they reached their destination, the cart driver bowed with clasped hands and said to Du Chuanyun, “This young sir seems to know a lot of people. No need to pay for the ride; my treat.”

Du Chuanyun returned the gesture, “One should not accept rewards for nothing. I must pay the fare.”

“One finds brotherhood across the land, let’s consider it making friends.” The cart driver hopped onto the cart, cracked the whip, and drove the mule away.

Han Ruzi was greatly surprised, “This cart driver…”

Du Chuanyun looked pleased with himself, “He must be someone from the pugilist world as well. Having heard what I said, he’s willing to befriend me.”

“But you didn’t even mention your name.”

“Haha, you don’t understand this. Can friendships be built on being so calculated? I shared many things with him, and he’ll eventually find out who I am. I’ll have to find him in the future and have a drink together. Don’t underestimate cart drivers. Even among cart drivers, there are heroes.”

Han Ruzi didn’t underestimate the cart driver, he just felt that this way of making connections was a bit circuitous and prone to divulging confidential information. However, he didn’t say anything. He looked around. Second watch hadn’t yet arrived,[2] but the night was quite dark. By the moonlight, he could see that the surroundings were filled with low houses, interspersed with patches of empty ground.

“Are all of those… vegetable gardens?”

“Exactly, that’s why it’s called Fresh Greens Lane.”

“I see… Where do we find Ironhead Hu San’er now?”

“Follow me.”

Although Du Chuanyun wasn’t from the Capital, he was familiar with the routes. He led the way ahead, turning into a winding alley, and stopped in front of a house. He raised his hand to knock on the door.

A voice from inside asked in a hushed tone, “Who’s there?”

“It’s Little Du, here to see Brother Hu San.”

The voice fell silent inside. After a while, the door opened, and a burly man walked out. He glanced at Du Chuanyun, then turned to look at Han Ruzi. Upon recognizing them, he couldn’t help but be astonished and exclaimed, “It’s you!”

“Brother Hu San recognizes me?” Han Ruzi hadn’t seen Ironhead Hu San’er before, but judging solely by appearance, this man seemed like a decent fellow.

Hu San’er was tall and burly. He closed the courtyard gate and led the two a short distance away, hiding in the shadows. He whispered to Du Chuanyun, “Are you crazy? Why did you bring him here?”

“He insisted on coming himself,” Du Chuanyun said defiantly.

“It’s true, I wanted to meet Brother Hu San myself,” Han Ruzi explained.

Hu San’er felt quite awkward and didn’t know how to address the Weary Marquis. He scratched his head, “This is a gambling den, what… what are you doing here?”

Du Chuanyun spoke up, “We’re just here to ask Brother San about someone.”

Hu San’er immediately became cautious, “I’m not a local from the Capital, why would you ask me about anything?”

“But Brother San knows a lot of friends here. If not you, then who else can we ask? Besides, there’s Yang Feng…” Du Chuanyun mentioned the eunuch Yang Feng, whom Hu San’er was wary of but owed a favor to.

“Alright, alright, don’t mention him. So who do you want to inquire about?” Hu San’er was particularly wary of the eunuch Yang Feng and couldn’t afford to offend him.

“There’s a trickster we’re looking for who goes by the name Lin Kunshan. He’s around forty years old, taller than me but shorter than you. Wears a Daoist hat, dresses in a long robe, fair-skinned, has a three-strand beard. He often hangs out at the No Return Inn in the Western Market,” Du Chuanyun recollected from his memory.

Han Ruzi added, “And there’s the mad monk from the Bao’en Temple, with the Dharma name Guangding. He must have a connection with Lin Kunshan.”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to inquire about one person? How did it become two now? Is there anyone else?”

The two youths shook their heads.

Hu San’er pondered for a moment, “Why do you want to inquire about these two? The Weary Marquis is a person of importance; it’s best to stay away from trouble. Du Chuanyun, don’t stir up unnecessary problems. You may cause trouble.”

Du Chuanyun spread his hands, “It’s a small matter. If you won’t help, we’ll find someone else. After all, I’ve made a few friends in the city. Although I haven’t known them for long, unlike Brother San, who knows everything…”

“Enough useless chatter. You’re a chatterbox, always causing trouble for your grandpa. Wait here. I’ll go ask,” Hu San’er said and turned back to the courtyard.

“Alright,” Du Chuanyun said with a smile.

Han Ruzi felt like he had grasped a bit of insight and whispered, “You folks from the pugilist world are polite when you’re not familiar, but become more casual once you know each other.”

“Really? I haven’t noticed. Brother San is quite capable. His ‘ironhead’ technique is known across the pugilist world, and what’s even more impressive is his other skills.”

“Fist techniques? Palm techniques?”

“Dice throwing.”

“What? Dice throwing?”

“Don’t underestimate this skill. With just a few dice, Brother San can travel all over the world, and wherever he goes, he can make a good living…”

Du Chuanyun started boasting again. Han Ruzi understood now; it seemed nothing in the pugilist world should be underestimated.

Hu San’er returned, without saying a word, he slapped Du Chuanyun hard on the head.

“Hey, you’re not my grandpa. Why are you hitting me?”

“Hitting you for being so garrulous. What kind of place is this? You shouldn’t have brought the Marquis here in the first place. And you were yelling so loudly, as if you wanted everyone to know.”

Du Chuanyun grumbled a few times but didn’t say anything more.

“Lord Marquis, I have to ask, why are you inquiring about these two people?”

“To be honest, I fell for a scheme involving these two individuals. I lost a few hundred taels of silver. It’s not a huge sum, but… I can’t swallow the humiliation.” Han Ruzi had prepared a lie in advance, feeling a bit ashamed. However, he really didn’t want to casually reveal secrets to someone like Ironhead Hu San’er, whom he wasn’t familiar with.

Beside him, Du Chuanyun stared in astonishment, his favorable impression of the Weary Marquis increasing a bit more.

Hu San’er nodded, “I see. Since the Lord Marquis has come to me, I can’t just turn a blind eye. Here’s the deal, I’ll help you get your silver back…”

Han Ruzi shook his head, “I’m not after the silver. First, I want to vent my frustration, and second, I want to understand how these two managed to cheat me. It’ll help me remember for the future.”

Ironhead Hu San’er thought for a moment and said, “Guangding isn’t an ordinary person. I can’t afford to offend him. I advise the Marquis not to provoke him either. Guangding probably isn’t intentionally targeting you; he might be doing a small favor for someone.”

Han Ruzi was surprised. He did not expect the mad monk Guangding to actually be a formidable figure in the pugilist world. He nodded, “Alright, Lin Kunshan is the one who cheated me. I’ll find him.”

“I don’t know who Lin Kunshan is…”

Before Hu San’er could finish speaking, Du Chuanyun angrily interjected, “One can’t be provoked, the other isn’t known. So it turns out you didn’t find out anything at all. I even praised you so much in front of the Weary Marquis…”

“Keep shouting, and I’ll take you to see Old Master Du right now and ask if he knows what his grandson is up to.”

Du Chuanyun fell silent.

Hu San’er turned to the Weary Marquis, “I haven’t found out Lin Kunshan’s background, but I know where he is. Should I bring him to you?”

“Of course, that would be even better,” Han Ruzi hadn’t expected things to progress so smoothly, “Where is he? Let’s go together. Du Chuanyun and I can help.”

“Um… the place where he is, the Lord Marquis can’t go there.”

“Why not? I’m already here.”

Hu San’er didn’t know how to explain, and Du Chuanyun spoke up, “The Marquis is easy to talk to. No need to hide anything from him. It’s just a brothel, right? I can go, and he can go too.”

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Ironhead Hu San’er scolded, “I’ll find a place where the Marquis can wait. Someone has seen the person you mentioned, that Lin Kunshan. He’s been staying at a brothel every night lately. I’ll bring him to you.”

” I’ll trouble you then,” Han Ruzi indeed didn’t want to go to such a place.

Ironhead Hu San’er escorted the Weary Marquis and Du Chuanyun into a room next to the gambling area and then left.

The sound of dice being thrown next door was loud. Han Ruzi sat down, feeling a bit uneasy, “Will Hu San’er be alright going alone? I shouldn’t have hidden the truth from him.”

“Don’t worry, he’s sensible. He’ll ask for help if needed,” Du Chuanyun wasn’t concerned, although he was feeling a bit restless, “I wonder when Hu San’er will be back. Maybe I should go and gamble for a bit? No, if he finds out, he’ll complain to Grandpa again…”

Du Chuanyun resisted the urge to gamble, covering his ears with his hands and pacing back and forth. He muttered, “I shouldn’t gamble…”

Two hours passed, and Du Chuanyun said with confusion, “Hu San’er is usually pretty reliable. Why hasn’t he come back yet?”

Before Han Ruzi could respond, the group of people next door who had been gambling suddenly fell silent.

[1] Fourth watch is around 1am to 3am.

[2] Second watch is 9pm to 11pm.

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