Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

What is that sound?!

Just as Lu Chen was about to step forward with his knife, a hurried sound came from outside the gambling den.

The sound of horses' hooves!

During his travels, Lu Chen not only traveled by boat, but also by horse and carriage.

The sound of horses' hooves is already familiar to me.

Besides the sound of horses' hooves, there was also the sound of rapid footsteps!

A number of people are approaching the gambling den!

Who could it be?!

Lu Chen stopped and turned to look at the entrance of the gambling den.

Wadian Town is the largest town between Nanyang Prefecture and Xinye County. It is adjacent to the Baihe River, a tributary of the Han River, and is an important water and land port of Nanyang Prefecture.

Although it lacks city walls, its size is comparable to some remote small county towns. Lu Chen estimated that there are at least two or three thousand permanent residents in the town.

If you include other people like yourself who come from the north and south and linger here, then there are even more.

When Lu Chen disembarked at the dock yesterday, he saw the archers from the patrol office patrolling the dock and the entrance to the town, and they even checked his travel permit.

Based on the information extracted from Ma Sankui these past few days, a town of this size, located on a major transportation route, would have at least fifty or sixty archers in the patrol office, and it's not impossible for them to have over a hundred.

At least fifteen minutes have passed since the conflict broke out between the two sides.

Dozens of gamblers escaped the gambling den, and some of them will surely report it to the authorities.

Although the Ming Dynasty's response time could not compare to that of the world he had lived in, this place was not large, and a quarter of an hour would be enough for the patrol officers to arrive.

Judging from the commotion, there must be at least several dozen people here.

The fact that so many people, including some on horseback, could be mobilized in Wadian Town suggests that it must be someone from the patrol office!

Great, I don't have to do it myself!

Since the inspectors will be arriving soon, all I need to do is play the victim.

It is now the Jiajing reign, and the law still exists in the local areas.

Let the patrol and inspection department handle this mess.

Even if the casino owner is a local tyrant, he wouldn't dare to continue taking action in front of the inspectors.

The rest is nothing more than seeing the authorities and going to court.

He had never laid a hand on anyone, and there were many witnesses. The local officials couldn't possibly pin the blame on him.

No matter what, Lu Chen was the son of the chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

In the eyes of local officials, if things really escalated, then Lu Kun, the Commander-in-Chief, would definitely get involved.

It's better to avoid trouble than to get involved. Rather than letting things escalate to the Imperial Guard, it's better not to implicate yourself.

The conflict clearly involved Ma San Kui and the gambling den owner.

The person involved, Ma San Kui, is dead, and several people in the gambling den have also died.

Whether this case is classified as mutual assault or something else, it can be closed.

As for the casino owner, it depends on how strong his connections are.

If they're tough enough, they might be able to settle this with some money and the gambling den can continue operating as usual.

If the relationship isn't strong enough, then I'm sorry.

Local officials in the Ming Dynasty were ruthless and cruel, even to the point of being ruthless.

. . .

The people here weren't deaf; the dense footsteps mixed with the sound of horses' hooves were heard not only by Lu Chen but also by everyone else.

Perhaps realizing that they couldn't do anything to the young man who had stepped forward in a short time, and that the police would arrive soon, the five thugs who were attacking the other party stopped and took a few steps back.

The two sides quickly created a small distance between them.

"Keep going! Kill these two bastards!"

Seeing his men begin to back down, the gambling den owner, Yan Jingang, shouted loudly.

"It's the patrol inspectors!"

You've all forgotten, Inspector Zhang's third aunt is my own sister, Yan Jingang's sister!

These three men cheated at my gambling den. After being caught, they suddenly attacked and killed five of my brothers.

Such behavior undoubtedly makes him a notorious thief!

You have done a good deed by killing him, and you are not guilty!

Inspector Zhang will only praise your loyalty and bravery; he will never blame you in the slightest.

That's fine!

Hearing the gambling den owner's words, Lu Chen was secretly taken aback.

I should have realized it sooner; how could someone who can run a gambling den in Wadian Town not have connections with the government?

It turns out that this guy married his own sister off to Zhang Xunjian, the town's security chief, as a concubine.

It's really hard to say what the upcoming patrol archers will do!

You have to prepare for the worst!

Lu Chen gritted his teeth. If the worst-case scenario really happened, he would have no choice but to go on a killing spree!

If all the archers in the patrol office are enemies, then there are too many opponents. I must not let myself get surrounded!

To catch the thief, first catch the king. If it really comes to the point where I have to take action, I must deal with Yan Jingang and that Inspector Zhang he mentioned as soon as possible!

Only in this way can we take advantage of the enemy's leaderlessness and quickly break out.

. . .

"Brother-in-law, you've finally arrived."

Yan Jingang, his previous arrogant demeanor completely gone, bowed and scraped before an official wearing a black gauze hat, a blue round-necked robe, and a square mandarin duck insignia on his chest.

"These three thieves cheated at my gambling den and won nearly a thousand taels of silver. After I discovered their fraud, they even drew their knives and injured people."

The thief was highly skilled; he injured five of my men before finally killing one of them!

I implore my brother-in-law to avenge my brother and apprehend these two thieves who are still putting up a stubborn resistance!

The patrol officers acted faster than expected, arriving at the scene before the two sides clashed again.

Now that the government officials had arrived, the five thugs who were urging Yan Jingang to continue their attack on Sun Dexiu's gambling den naturally stopped and retreated to the side.

At this moment, both sides, including Lu Chen, were watching the only middle-aged man in official robes present.

The inspector was a ninth-rank official, the lowest-ranking bureaucrat in the Ming Dynasty.

But no matter what, they were officials with ranks, not clerks.

He was qualified to wear official robes and a black gauze hat; he was the security chief of Wadian Town.

How to characterize this case that has resulted in six deaths depends on what Inspector Zhang thinks.

Lu Chen naturally heard what the gambling den owner said and was prepared to take action at any time.

Sigh, if this Inspector Zhang is really in cahoots with the gambling den owner, then he can't blame himself.

It's not difficult for him to break out on his own; even if "Lu Chen" is wanted, it's not a big deal.

Anyway, I had already planned to give up this identity. After leaving Wadian Town, I would just take a long detour in the wilderness, avoid the official road, and return to Xiangyang Prefecture.

The wanted person is "Lu Chen". What is his relationship with "Lin Chaoxi"?

It's just a pity about the chivalrous person who stepped forward to help him.

He probably didn't prepare another identity in advance like I did; once he's wanted, it'll be a lot of trouble.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen shifted his gaze to Sun Dexiu.

Hey, this person doesn't seem nervous at all!

If the worst-case scenario were to occur, and if he hadn't quickly killed Inspector Zhang and Yan Jingang to create chaos, given the skill he had just displayed, it would have been very difficult for him to break through the encirclement of dozens of archers.

Did he not use his real skills just now?

That's possible. The man, who claimed to be surnamed Sun, maintained a defensive stance throughout the fight and did not launch any offensive attacks.

Perhaps they really are hiding their true strength.

Or perhaps he had confidence in the lower-level officials of the Ming Dynasty, believing that this Inspector Zhang wouldn't be so bold as to openly collude with the gambling den owner.

That's possible. If one didn't have a strong sense of justice, why would they step forward to help a complete stranger?

Never mind, this person got involved in this to help himself.

If a fight really breaks out, I'll just lead him and fight our way out of Wadian Town!