Taiping Bridge.
Pan Cheng and Huang Gui raised their toes and looked at the small teaching ground in the distance. Unfortunately, there were large east and west screen walls blocking them, and there were buildings in the distance, so they couldn't see what was going on inside the small teaching ground.
"Don't look at it. It's not easy to come to the capital, so you have to take a good look around."
Yuan Yue patted Pan Cheng on the shoulder and walked along Hongwu Street.
When Pan Cheng and Huang Gui saw this, they had no choice but to turn around and follow them. Pan Cheng smiled and said cheerfully: "There are so many people in this capital. Do you think there are enough for twenty Nanning guards?"
Huang Gui rolled his eyes at Pan Cheng and said, "Twenty? What do you think? At least thirty."
Yuan Yue almost fell down. Do these two guys know how many people there are in the capital? Not to mention the huge three battalions of chief officers and deputy officers, even the common people and businessmen here, even a hundred Nanning guards can't keep up.
"It's so lively there, should we go and have a look?"
Pan Cheng saw many people coming in and out in front of him and smiled. He looked upstairs again and saw no woman showing off, so it must not be a flower building.
If it’s not a flower building, then you can go.
"What does it say?"
Huang Gui squinted at the sign on the shop in front and couldn't help but ask.
Yuan Yue looked at the move, then at the people coming in and out, shook his head slightly, and said: "It's a restaurant. It looks so grand. I'm afraid we can't afford it. Let's find another place."
As three poor men, we really don't dare to go to large restaurants easily. If a meal costs five taels of silver, what will we do on the way back? There are weeds and flowers on the road. The horse can't get hungry after eating a few mouthfuls, but he can't eat grass all the way back.
Huang Gui and Pan Cheng want to take care of their families and have very little money.
Yuan Yue was not married yet, but he was too righteous and lost many brothers in the battle with Annan. The parents and relatives of these people need to be taken care of by the survivors, even if the court provides pensions.
"Tsk, it's just a restaurant, what's their face?"
Pan Cheng was a little unhappy.
After a meal and a drink, shouldn't you come out with a big belly, a swaying look on your face, and a satisfied look on your face? Why does it look like a villain has achieved success, made a lot of money, and is just playing harp?
"Gone, gone."
Huang Gui pushed Pan Cheng, but Yuan Yue didn't take it seriously and walked over casually.
But just as he was passing by pedestrians, a brief conversation came to his ears:
"Who are you keeping?"
"Beiping Xue Lu, what about you?"
"Haha, Qu Tao and Qu Yu in Jizhou, Yuan Yue in Nanning."
"You actually detained three people..."
Yuan Yue stopped, and Huang Gui and Pan Cheng were also a little stunned. They turned around to look for the two people who had just spoken. There were a lot of people, and before Yuan Yue and others could catch up, they were blocked by people passing by. When they tried to look for it again, they couldn't find it clearly.
"Did you hear what I just said?"
Yuan Yue pulled Huang Gui and Pan Cheng back to a place with few people and asked.
Huang Gui and Pan Cheng nodded repeatedly. Although the voice was mixed in the noise, they were right next to them and there was no mishearing.
"There shouldn't be a gambling house in this restaurant, right?"
Pan Cheng said doubtfully.
Huang Gui did not refute this time, but stared at the door of the restaurant.
Yuan Yue asked the two of them not to wander around, and then walked towards a middle-aged man who had just walked out of the restaurant, clasped his fists, and asked: "I dare to ask my brother, this restaurant is so lively, but what excuses do you have, I just arrived in the capital for the first time. I want to see something.”
The middle-aged man looked at Yuan Yue and said boldly: "This restaurant is extraordinary. Let me tell you, there is Cao Guo's public handicap. There are only a few days left before the martial arts test. If you want to To make a profit, bet early.”
"Bet, martial arts test?"
Yuan Yue was a little surprised.
Before the middle-aged man could pull Yuan Yue to brag about how many bets he had placed, Yuan Yue had already walked away. After telling Huang Gui and Pan Cheng, the three decided to go inside and take a look.
When he walked into the restaurant, he was greeted by a waiter who didn't mention the gambling at all. When Yuan Yue mentioned it, the waiter pointed to the stairs and reminded: "The third floor."
Yuan Yue also knew that casinos were shady after all, so they couldn't blatantly post tricks about gambling houses or the like, and they couldn't just shout "Master, come and gamble" when meeting people.
Climbing up the stairs, I heard noises before reaching the third floor. When I got to the third floor, I saw that the nave was empty and there were not many people. However, the noise in the surrounding rooms was so loud that it could be heard through the door. .
The clerk didn't ask any questions when he saw someone coming, he just gave him a sign and asked him to find the corresponding room and go in.
Yuan Yue looked at the "Jiashen" on the sign, found the room, pushed the door open, and saw six people inside, including a pretty woman sitting on the east side. Seeing Yuan Yue and the others coming, he stood up and greeted them with a smile: "Three people Let’s sit down and have a cup of tea first.”
"What kind of tea are you drinking, Miss Xiaoyue? Just give us a sure idea, who can win the top prize in martial arts this time?"
One person was a little impatient and threw the booklet aside.
Yuan Yue looked around, then picked up the book on the table, sat down, unfolded the book, and was shocked to see that it turned out to be a complete list of martial arts candidates!
Although this list is very simple, only the location, name, and age, it is surprising enough.
It stands to reason that this should be a confidential list, led by the Ministry of War, and should not be leaked to the public. Why is it still living in a casino, where everyone is looking at it?
The woman named Xiaoyue replied with a smile: "Who can say for sure who will win the first prize in martial arts? It depends not only on the ability of these people, but also on luck. It also depends on the mood of the emperor. If you blindly guess that you win the first prize in martial arts, then It’s also a blessing for you all.”
"Blessing, why do you say that?"
Pan Cheng interrupted.
Xiaoyue poured the tea, served it to Yuan Yue, and then to Pan Cheng and Huang Gui, and then said: "The martial arts competition will begin on the 20th, and before the competition begins, the odds of betting on the martial arts champion are one to one. One hundred. For example, if this young master bets one liang on Lin Bingzhen from Fengyang Bozhou to win the top prize, after the martial arts examination is announced, if Lin Bingzhen is the number one scholar, he can use the betting slip to receive one hundred taels."
"One tael becomes a hundred taels?"
Pan Cheng was a little stunned.
Yuan Yue thought about it, shook his head, and said: "If you don't know the ability of these people and blindly guess, there are 369 results. Even if you bet all one or two, even if you win, you will still lose. Two hundred and sixty-nine taels, this deal is not a good deal."
Xiaoyue chuckled, her charming eyes slightly moved: "What this young master said makes sense, but if anyone can pick one of these 369 people, wouldn't it be prosperous? The change of destiny lies on this front line. In terms of luck, don’t you believe in your own luck?”
"Of course we believe in our luck!"
Others started shouting, but they took the booklet and looked at it. There were so many names, no one could tell who to choose. If you really want to blindly press someone, it's better to win. If you don't win, then all the money will be thrown away.
Three hundred and sixty-nine people, who is most likely to win the top prize in martial arts?
"Why don't we take Xue Lu into custody? I heard that this man was once one of the three guards of King Yan. He should be a strong general."
"Xue Lu? That's not good. He's already over forty years old. Let me say, we should choose between Qu Tao and Qu Yu. If the generals are successful, they can succeed. It shows that they still have some ability."
"Hehe, this sentence is unbelievable. I am escorting Geng Wei from Qianhu to the state guard. I heard that this man was a fierce general under Qi Bin in Qingzhou City and killed countless White Lotus followers."
"If you think about it this way, why not choose Cai Xiongying from Shandong Dusi? He killed thirty enemies and rose to a thousand households."
Xiaoyue raised her hand to stop the argument and said: "There is no result in your argument like this. Who is the champion of martial arts can only be judged by their own competition in the teaching field. Right now, blind guessing can only rely on luck. If you are not sure about martial arts, The No. 1 pick can choose some Chinese-style players and pay seven to one, or win or lose in a single test and pay seven to one."
"What is a single test?"
Huang Gui asked curiously.
Xiaoyue stood up to refill her tea and explained: "The martial arts test will begin on the 20th. The first test is to lift stones. Those who lift 200 kilograms will be average, those who lift 250 kilograms will be outstanding, and those who lift 300 kilograms will be excellent. Bet , you can bet on medium, average or excellent, or you can bet on whether to pass the first test, the odds are different for each one..."
Yuan Yue finally understood. The operation of this casino was extremely meticulous, and even the content of the Imperial Martial Arts Examination was used to set odds and attract gambling funds.
To be able to do something so meticulously is really a great effort.
The door was pushed open.
Ji Gang and Mu Su walked in, without looking at Yuan Yue and others, they took out a money bag, smashed it on the table, and shouted: "Here are ten taels of silver, bet Ji Gang can lift a stone of 300 kilograms!" "
"oh?"
Miss Xiaoyue looked at Ji Gang in surprise.
Yuan Yue looked sideways, narrowed his eyes suddenly, and lowered his hand slightly to his waist. He grabbed it and then remembered that he didn't bring his sword. Pan Cheng felt Yuan Yue's nervousness and was secretly vigilant. Huang Gui was on one side without leaving any trace.
Yuan Yue shook his head slightly and looked at the woman. The woman counted the silver coins, wrote down the bet content, odds, and exchange time with a pen. Then she respectfully handed the bet slip to Ji Gang and said, "Then I'll congratulate you in advance." This young man has won the lottery."
Ji Gang laughed loudly, put away the gambling note and turned around to leave.
From beginning to end, no one asked his name.
They only recognize gambling records, not people.
"What's wrong?"
Huang Gui asked Yuan Yue in a low voice. Yuan Yue didn't speak. He just thought about it, took out two taels of silver, and said to the woman: "Write another copy of the gambling receipt just now, and I'll put down two taels."
"ah?"
Xiaoyue looked at Yuan Yue in confusion, but still wrote a gambling receipt competently.
After walking out of the restaurant, Huang Gui and Pan Cheng pulled Yuan Yue and asked what was going on. Why didn't they bet on themselves instead of betting on someone who didn't know the details? Isn't this a risk?
Yuan Yue looked at the two of them and said seriously: "The man who bet on Ji Gang has a violent aura in him. He seems to be the same as us - he has killed people. I even suspect that he is Ji Gang himself!"
ps:
To put it another way, the martial arts lifting of stones, two hundred kilograms, two hundred fifty kilograms, three hundred kilograms, are taken from historical materials and are not made up by the author out of thin air. Don't hit me with rocks...
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