Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

The front building of the Twelve Palaces was a place for banquets and dining at night. The sounds of silk and bamboo instruments, soft singing, clinking of glasses, and lively atmosphere filled the air.

The middle building is a casino where people can bet big and have a thrilling, high-stakes game where one bet can win ten.

Then the building became a haven of pleasure, a place of intoxication and decadence, where the spring nights were too short to bear.

The servant led Xue Wei to the central building. He tried to speak several times to probe, but seeing that Xue Wei remained expressionless with a cold gaze, he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

"If Young Master Xue is alone, please gamble in the main hall! The upper floors are all private rooms, which are for groups of three to five friends to gamble together."

"Thank you!"

Xue Wei ignored the servant's outstretched hand and strode into the main hall.

"Pah! You've become a miser after a year." The servant cursed and left.

There weren't many people in the lobby, but it wasn't deserted either. There were many tables, mostly used for playing backgammon, as well as the newly popular leaf cards, and of course, the traditional dice game.

To Xue Wei's surprise, there were even bank counters. Bank counters were the banks of the Tang Dynasty. Because copper coins were very heavy, one string weighed six catties and four taels, and one hundred strings weighed more than six hundred catties, which was very inconvenient. Gold and silver were also scarce, so bank counters came into being.

For example, you could deposit your money in a bank counter in Chang'an, take the counter ticket and a token to Luoyang, and then withdraw the money from the same counter. This was both convenient and safe.

Xue Wei immediately spotted the open space to the east, where the throwing pot game was being held.

Throwing arrows into a pot is a game where copper arrows are thrown into a long-necked copper pot from several meters away. Because it is suitable for all ages and is not limited by location, it was extremely popular in the Tang Dynasty. Everyone from the imperial palace and nobles to ordinary people enjoyed throwing arrows into a pot.

There are many ways to play Pitch-pot, such as the most traditional stationary pot, the upgraded moving pot, the multi-arrow throwing, and of course, the extremely difficult apricot pit pot.

The pot game in the Zodiac Casino is called the Apricot Kernel Pot. The so-called Apricot Kernel Pot is a pot with an opening only the size of an apricot kernel. It is thin and long, and the copper arrow can be inserted vertically.

The throwing distance is three zhang (approximately 10 meters), and it is extremely difficult to throw it into the pot.

In a duel between experts, the emphasis is on a single, decisive strike, meaning the bronze arrow never touches the edge; it enters the pot with only a "thud" as it hits the bottom.

The sign next to it lists the rules: each round requires a bet of five strings of cash into the pool, and you can get three copper arrows, each of which costs an additional string of cash. This is the casino's revenue, meaning you play a round for eight strings of cash.

In addition, the casino takes a 20% cut from the winner, so the casino makes money regardless of whether the winner or loser.

However, casinos also offer rewards; if the winner throws an arrow to the finish line, the casino can waive its commission.

Xue Wei pinched his fingers. Coincidentally, he had exactly eight taels of silver, equivalent to eight strings of cash. He then looked at the money pool, which had accumulated to one hundred and sixty strings of cash.

Xue Wei took out eight taels of silver and handed it to the steward. The steward seemed not to recognize Xue Wei, but simply nodded, changed the amount in the money pool to one hundred and sixty-five strings of cash, and gave him three arrows.

Xue Wei took the arrow and saw a man in his mid-thirties playing pitch-pot, cursing under his breath. There were at least thirty bronze arrows in the bronze tray next to him. This man was rich and was playing ten rounds.

There was a waiting area nearby where people could sit down and have tea. Xue Wei sat down, and a servant brought him a cup of tea. At this moment, the man who was throwing the arrow into the pot suddenly started cursing. He had almost thrown the arrow in, but it bounced out.

"You son of a bitch, I'll fuck you to death, you piece of trash! I want every woman in the world..."

Hearing the vulgar language, Xue Wei frowned and asked the servant, "Who is that person?"

The servant scoffed. "His name is Gao Nian, a newly rich nouveau riche. His brother has some power, so he follows him around and makes a fortune."

"Who is his brother?"

"Si Li Cheng Gao Jian!"

Xue Wei was taken aback. What a coincidence! It turned out to be Gao Jian's younger brother.

"Second brother, shut up!"

A deep, reprimanding voice came from behind. Xue Wei turned around and saw a middle-aged man of about forty years old walking up behind him. He was tall and slender, with a gentle and refined appearance and a dignified look, with a wisp of black beard on his chin.

The man who had been throwing arrows into the pot dared not curse anymore and began to throw arrows in silence. When the middle-aged man saw Xue Wei, his eyes widened in surprise. He then stepped forward and said with a gentle smile, "What a coincidence, Young Master Xue, it's been a long time since we last met."

"Who are you…….."

"My name is Gao Jian, an old friend of your mother, young master!"

Xue Wei narrowed his eyes. It's true what they say, you never know where you'll meet someone in life. He actually ran into his first mission target.

"So it's you, Magistrate Gao. I'm so sorry, I've forgotten so many people and things."

"I have heard that the young master has met with misfortune."

Xue Wei smiled. "Does Magistrate Gao also want to play pitch-pot?"

"I won't vote for him. He's my brother. I'm just here to see him."

Gao Jian glanced at the old man playing the pitch-pot game and said apologetically, "He's not very well-educated and a bit rude. He offended your ears, young master."

"It's alright, Magistrate Gao, please have a seat!"

Gao Jian didn't stand on ceremony and sat down next to him, whereupon a servant served him tea.

Gao Jian took a sip of tea and said calmly, "Young Master Xue, you didn't go to feed the horses, and your mother pretended not to know. Actually, it wasn't her intention for you to feed the horses!"

Xue Wei didn't speak, but just silently drank his tea. This was his first time drinking tea in the Tang Dynasty. The tea tasted slightly salty, as if salt had been added in addition to the tea leaves, and it also had a milky flavor, like salty milk tea.

Seeing that he remained silent, Gao Jian continued, "Do you know why your mother made you feed the horses?"

Xue Wei smiled. "This is a pledge of allegiance to the Wu family!"

Gao Jian glanced at him in surprise, not expecting Xue Wei to understand as well. He pondered for a moment and said, "Although it is a pledge of allegiance, it is correct but not entirely correct. The pledge of allegiance is not only for the Wu family, but also for the emperor."

"Is it because the Emperor is dissatisfied with the powerful families of Hedong? So the Wu family is playing to his tastes and using me as a scapegoat?"

Gao Jian was stunned. He really didn't expect Xue Wei to see things so clearly. He was a little dazed. Was this still the same simple-minded playboy from a year ago?

Gao Jian finally wisely shut his mouth and stopped talking about the matter.

At this moment, the elder brother stepped forward and handed Gao Jian six copper coins, saying, "The last two rounds, brother, you play!"

"Okay! I'll play a couple of rounds too!"

Gao Jian acted as if he hadn't said anything, took the six bronze arrows, and walked towards the throwing line.

Xue Wei stared at Gao Jian's unguarded back. He could kill him with a single blow, but what would happen after that?

Xue Wei had the experience of his past life, and he knew that if Zhang Changzong wanted to kill Gao Jian, he could just find any assassin. Why would he go to such lengths to let him out?

Because his target was never Gao Jian, but his mother, Princess Taiping, from the Tang Dynasty.

How could someone kill someone and then keep it a secret? That's no different from hiding one's true intentions in the dark. Zhang Changzong would definitely publicize that it was Princess Taiping's son who killed Gao Jian; that's his real purpose.

What would happen to him? He'd be sent back to Blackwater Prison, or he might not even have the chance to go there at all, and his head would be chopped off. Would Zhang Changzong save him? Absolutely not. He might even kill him first to silence him.

Xue Wei realized that Zhang Changzong's decision to release him was a one-off deal. He kept saying that the wax pill was the first task, but that was just to keep him in check. In fact, he never intended to use him a second time.

However, if Gao Jian is not killed, Zhang Changzong will still send him back to the Blackwater Prison three months later.

This was a dead end. Killing him would mean certain death, and not killing him would also mean certain death. Xue Wei felt as if he were walking a tightrope on a cliff, and one wrong step would mean certain doom.

He must find out the whole truth as soon as possible in order to find a way out of this deadlock.

But... who can tell him the truth?

Gao Jian has already thrown five balls; the first four failed because the bottle opening is too small.

Xue Wei drank the tea in one gulp, put the teacup aside, and slowly walked up.

"It seems Magistrate Gao isn't having much luck?"

Gao Jian gave a wry smile. "I've tried three times already, and I haven't succeeded yet. It's not a matter of luck; it's a matter of lacking skill."

Gao Jian hurled the arrow, and with a clang, the bronze arrow struck the neck of the neck and bounced away.

"It would be great if you could hit the bottleneck," Xue Wei comforted him.

Gao Jian's expression was grim, and he said coldly, "It's either success or failure; there's nothing particularly good about it."

Gao Jian took a deep breath and threw the last bronze arrow, which flew past the side of the bronze pot.

After throwing all six arrows, Gao Jian sighed, but Gao Nian clapped his hands dismissively, "Eighty strings of cash is nothing, brother, I'll go try the dice!"

Gao Nian left, but Gao Jian didn't; he watched Xue Wei play the pitch-pot game with a smile.

Xue Wei weighed the bronze arrow in his hand, stepped forward, and said, "Let me try my luck!"

...........

Inside the Maoyue Palace, Zhou Yinfeng, dressed in paper-made prop armor and holding a leather whip, stood on Wu Liankun's naked body. Wu Liankun was bound like a rice dumpling, his eyes covered by a blindfold, yet he was trembling with excitement, and his voice had changed.

"I want to drink, you slut, hurry up and feed me some!"

Zhou Yinfeng stretched out her slender hand, picked up the wine pot, tilted it slightly, and poured the fine wine into Wu Liankun's mouth in a long stream. On her jade-like fingers, a white jade ring shone with a warm luster under the light.

Wu Liankun, his face covered in alcohol, shouted excitedly, "Good wine! Give me a few lashes, whip me hard!"

Just then, Xiao Ping stepped forward and whispered in Zhou Yinfeng's ear, "Miss, he's here, at the casino!"

The voice was very soft, but Wu Liankun heard it. His face darkened. "Yin Feng, are you perhaps going to entertain guests again?"

"Of course not, Ping, just say what's on your mind. Young Master Kun is no outsider."

Xiao Ping hesitated for a moment before saying, "Miss, Xue Wei is here, gambling in the main hall!"

Wu Liankun flew into a rage, "Untie me!"

Zhou Yinfeng untied him, and Wu Liankun jumped to his feet, glaring at her. "Have you rekindled your old flame with him?"

Zhou Yinfeng gave a soft snort. "Do you think I, Zhou Yinfeng, would take a fancy to a horse feeder?"

A cold smile flashed across Wu Liankun's eyes. "What you said makes sense, but... since he's here, this is a rare opportunity. I'll go and meet him!"

Wu Liankun quickly put on his clothes, then turned and strode away.

After he left, Zhou Yinfeng muttered under her breath, "Idiot!"

Her eyes gleamed with an eerie light as she handed a note to Xiao Ping, saying, "Slip this note to him quietly."

"Doesn't this servant need to say anything?"

"No need, he'll definitely come with you after reading the note."