Chapter 50 All in Vain

Jiang Luan had no idea what was going through Qi Shaokang's mind, focusing solely on resolving the situation at hand.

Jiang Luan gave Zhen Youqian a subtle look, signaling him to step forward and help up the man who had been kicked flying. Meanwhile, Jiang Luan politely asked the two, "May I ask what important business you two have? There is no need for violence—you can simply state your intentions."

The man who had been kicked seemed to have taken a hard fall; he kept his head down, eyes averted, and stayed silent. The large man who had been standing there from the beginning could not help but speak up, "I am not with him."

Because both men were of similar height and each bore a scar on his face, Jiang Luan had jumped to the conclusion that they were together.

The townsfolk who had been purchasing lottery chits inside the money shop were now all watching the commotion, whispering among themselves.

A short, thin fellow shouted out, "Boss, you aren't running this business very fairly! The man clearly won the grand prize, yet you refuse to pay out. Isn't this defrauding everyone's trust? Tell me, folks, isn't that right?"

Once the short man took the lead, those who had previously harbored doubts began to chime in.

"Who's to say it isn't?"

"If you win the prize and they won't even pay out in silver, why on earth am I buying these bamboo slips?!"

"Refunds! Refunds! I'm done with this!"

"Oh, don't argue just yet, let's hear what the boss has to say."

Jiang Luan lifted his slender eyelids and swept a quick glance over the gathered crowd.

Finally, his gaze locked onto the short fellow—the man was slight of build, yet wore an extremely wide robe with a rather protruding stomach, his hands slightly tucked into his sleeves.

Observing the short man, Jiang Luan asked without looking back, "Boss Zhen, what on earth is going on here?"

Sweating profusely, Zhen Youqian stammered, "Master Jiang, it's not that I'm refusing to pay him, it's just that the bamboo slip this fellow brought out doesn't belong to our shop at all..."

"You're lying!" The man who had been kicked earlier grew anxious. "I bought this bamboo slip fair and square from you people for ten copper coins, and everyone here saw it!"

The crowd was momentarily taken aback by his assertion.

A sporadic few voices chimed in to back him up:

"I saw it, I can vouch for it."

"That's right, he got it right from this very money shop!"

Zhen Youqian flew into a rage, turning on the man and shouting, "You there, Ji San the pork seller! Who doesn't know that your stall routinely takes in tainted meat from dead pigs and sells it without an ounce of decency? Now you're trying to pull a fast one to make a fortune at my expense, and you even hired accomplices to back you up!"

Ji San, having recovered from the kick, was equally displeased. "Fatty Zhen, you'd better have evidence for what you say! If you don't want to pay out the silver, just say so. If you can't afford to play, don't run the game!"

Zhen Youqian was about to continue trading insults with Ji San when Jiang Luan stopped him. "Wait a moment, Boss Zhen."

"Yes, Master."

Zhen Youqian had no choice but to swallow his anger and retreat to the side.

Jiang Luan looked Ji San up and down.

The man had broad cheeks, thick ears, and a sturdy build. The fabric of his tunic was greasy, confirming at a glance that he was indeed a butcher.

Under Jiang Luan's scrutiny, Ji San began to feel uneasy, his eyes darting randomly toward the floor.

"Boss Zhen, where are the bamboo slips for the prize draw?" Jiang Luan asked Zhen Youqian.

"Young Master, right here," Zhen Youqian said, arms laden with a stack of bamboo slips.

He pulled out one of them. The four characters "May Fortune and Longevity Abound" were inscribed upon it, clearly marking it as the grand prize of the money shop, redeemable for nine pieces of gold.

Because anti-counterfeiting methods in ancient times were far from sophisticated, and to prevent occurrences like the present one, Zhen Youqian had improved the lottery system. The bamboo slips were never handled directly by the guests; instead, they were neatly arranged inside a square wooden box, aligned with the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—corresponding to the Eight Trigrams of Qian and Kun. Once a guest selected their desired bamboo slip, the money shop would "reveal the prize" on the spot.

Though it was somewhat troublesome, this method completely eliminated counterfeiting. Yet somehow, using heaven knows what trick, Ji San had managed to swap the chosen bamboo slip right under Zhen Youqian's nose.

"I knew something was wrong the moment I touched this bamboo slip," Zhen Youqian said. "Although the exterior looks similar, the craftsmanship is far too crude. Who knows what trick Ji San pulled..."

"What crude or not crude!" Ji San cried out indignantly. "You took this bamboo slip out of the box with your own hands, and it's an item from your own establishment. How can you deny it now?"

Zhen Youqian glared at Ji San. But recalling Jiang Luan's earlier instruction, he refrained from hurling more insults.

Jiang Luan picked up the bamboo slip, stroked it with his fingers, and suddenly said, "Very well."

"What?" Zhen Youqian blinked in surprise.

"We can redeem the silver for him," Jiang Luan said.

Zhen Youqian had counted on Jiang Luan to take charge and put a stop to the nonsense; never had he expected this outcome, and he instantly lost his composure. "Master Jiang, but this is clearly—"

"I know you're in a difficult spot, but the matter still needs to be resolved, doesn't it?" Jiang Luan smiled. "How about this, I'll pay for it out of my own pocket. Let this be the last time."

"Young Master..."

Zhen Youqian tried to argue further, but Jiang Luan stopped him with a glance and a slight shake of his head.

Ji San's face instantly lit up with a broad grin. "As expected of the young master, so generous!"

Anticipating that Jiang Luan would prefer to avoid trouble and simply pay him off to settle the matter, Ji San reached out his hand expectantly.

Jiang Luan reached into his money pouch, feigning surprise. "Oh dear, how troublesome. I left in such a hurry today that I didn't bring enough cash."

"It's fine, it's fine," Ji San immediately chimed in. "I can just come by your residence to pick it up later."

"How could I possibly let you wait?"

Saying this, Jiang Luan unclasped a gold-inlaid jade pendant from his belt and announced to the crowd, "I wish to exchange this gold-inlaid jade piece for nine pieces of gold. Is anyone here willing?"

Zhen Youqian was rather taken aback. Why would Young Master Jiang need to sell jade for cash inside his own money shop?

However, the onlookers were instantly captivated by the jade Jiang Luan produced, and not a single person questioned the logic of it for the moment.

The gold-inlaid jade piece was clearly of immense value, far exceeding nine pieces of gold. Everyone present was immediately tempted, yet who among ordinary folk carried that much wealth around when strolling outside?

Ji San grew even more eager on the sidelines, prompting, "Why don't you just give me the jade..."

"I'll exchange it with you," a young man in the crowd said.

He had seen right through Ji San's attempt to take advantage of the situation and demand the jade, and simply could not stand by and watch. As he untied his money pouch, the young man said, "However, I'm not greedy for your jade. When Boss Jiang has the funds later, you can simply buy it back from me."

"Many thanks."

Obtaining the nine pieces of gold, Jiang Luan handed them directly to Ji San. "There, I no longer owe you anything."

Ji San was practically beaming with joy. He stroked the gold affectionately before slipping it into his waist pouch and patting it firmly. "Master Jiang is a truly magnanimous man. I'll be taking my leave now."

Ji San lifted his foot to depart, but catching sight of the man in the bamboo hat who had kicked him earlier standing by the door and watching him, his stride faltered for a fraction of a second.

"Wait."

Jiang Luan spoke up suddenly.

Knowing that these nine pieces of gold wouldn't be relinquished quite so easily, Ji San sneered and turned back. "Are you going back on your word now?"

"Not at all," Jiang Luan smiled, pulling a stack of banknotes from his sleeve. "I suddenly remembered I have some banknotes on me. How about I exchange this one-hundred-tael banknote for your nine pieces of gold instead?"

Presently, one piece of gold was equivalent to ten taels of white silver, making nine pieces of gold equal to ninety taels. Jiang Luan pulling out a one-hundred-tael note meant Ji San would effectively gain an extra ten taels for free.

Naturally, Ji San was never one to pass up an easy advantage. Smiling broadly, he handed the nine pieces of gold back into Jiang Luan's hands and reached for the banknote. "Well, look at that, you should have said so earlier! Though I'm afraid I don't have ten taels of silver in change for you..."

Before his fingers could even brush the banknote, however, Jiang Luan withdrew his hand.

Grabbing empty air, Ji San panicked instantly. "What is the meaning of this?!"

Holding the banknote in one hand and the gold ingots in the other, Jiang Luan replied expressionlessly, "No particular meaning. It cannot be exchanged. That winning bamboo slip of yours is a fake."

"What?!"

Never had Ji San imagined that after all this fuss—trading for jade and money—Jiang Luan would end up right back where he started.

Utterly bewildered, Ji San argued, "The bamboo slip clearly came from your shop..."

"Are you certain?" Jiang Luan smiled slightly and instructed Zhen Youqian, "Boss Zhen, please fetch a basin of clear water."

Hearing this, Zhen Youqian looked thoughtful and motioned to his daughter, Xiuxiu, to bring in a basin of water.

Holding the winning bamboo slip, Jiang Luan said, "Watch closely."

He dropped the bamboo slip into the clear water.

Before the slip could even settle to the bottom, several beads of oil floated to the surface upon contact with the water.

Jiang Luan glanced down at the basin, then met Ji San's gaze with a light smile.

By the time Jiang Luan had ordered water to be brought in, several people among the onlookers had already put the pieces together.

Ji San made his living selling pork; his entire body and hands remained perpetually greasy year-round, so any object passing through his hands would naturally carry traces of oil.

Clearly, Ji San realized what Jiang Luan was implying, yet he stretched out his neck defensively and protested, "I washed my hands clean before I left home! Don't try to frame me!"

"But this gold certainly passed through your hands," Jiang Luan said, rattling the money in his palm.

He dropped the nine pieces of gold into the clear water as well, and sure enough, oil slicked the surface there too.

"So that's how it is," someone muttered.

The gold had been lent to Jiang Luan on the spot by the young man, meaning it had certainly not been tampered with beforehand.

Everyone turned their eyes back to Ji San, waiting to see what excuse he could possibly conjure next.

A cold bead of sweat rolled down Ji San's temple, and he decided to abandon all pretense and play the rogue. "Even so, you can't prove whether this bamboo slip had oil on it before it entered your shop! This is pure framing—"

"Ah, allow me to show you something even more interesting," Jiang Luan interrupted with an unhurried smile.

He pulled an authentic bamboo slip from his own shop's box and dropped it into the water alongside the others.

When he lifted it out again, the back of the bamboo slip had miraculously changed... three red characters had materialized upon it—Twenty-One.

"Every single one of these bamboo slips passed through my hands and was marked with numbers drawn using litmus plant juice," Jiang Luan explained nonchalantly. "Litmus juice remains transparent under normal conditions and only reveals its color when exposed to water—a trick frequently used by wandering sorcerers as well. Every single genuine piece in my shop bears this mark. Now, take another look at yours."

The characters on the bamboo slip in Jiang Luan's hand gradually shifted from red back to purple, matching the drain of color from Ji San's face.

"Have you nothing more to say?" Jiang Luan instructed Zhen Youqian, "Boss Zhen, hand him over to the authorities shortly."

"Yes, Young Master."

Hearing this, Zhen Youqian cast a contemptuous glance at Ji San.

Ji San's legs turned to jelly, and he collapsed onto the floor.

The few accomplices he had previously arranged to stir up the crowd had already slipped away quietly.

However, the short, thin fellow had not left.

Jiang Luan glanced sideways at the tiny man, thinking to himself: So they weren't in cahoots after all...

In truth, Jiang Luan hadn't needed to go to such lengths; he could have simply produced a genuine slip for direct comparison.

Yet by building up tension through this method of "first elevating and then suppressing," he had thoroughly hooked the audience's curiosity, ensuring everyone placed absolute faith in his methods.

The young man returned the jade pendant to Jiang Luan, took back his nine pieces of gold, and showered Jiang Luan with no end of praise.

Indifferent to the flattery, Jiang Luan turned to the remaining large man standing nearby. "Your turn."

Seeing the companion with whom he had previously caused a scene so thoroughly dealt with, the large man swallowed hard.

Yet, remembering that he himself had committed no wrongdoing, he puffed out his chest and argued defiantly, "You won't scare me off! I lost my money pouch right here in your shop—"

"Isn't it right there?" Jiang Luan strode into the crowd and grabbed the short fellow firmly by the wrist.