Category: The Big Landlord
The Big Landlord 88.2
Chapter 88.2 – Drawing
Qiu Lan was just approaching but the little bun had already spread his arms wide and was rushing to throw himself into An Zi Ran’s embrace.
An Zi Ran quickly caught him.
As soon as he landed in his big brother’s arms, the little bun started to laugh. His giggling laughter filled the room, causing the adults to smile.
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An Zi Ran held the soft bundle. He had never thought that he would have such a small younger brother. In the blink of an eye, he was almost eight months old. When he first came to this world, the little bun was only a month old.
Qiu Lan smiled and said, “Young Master, the second young master can already sit up by himself. He can also crawl, and also hold onto things and stand up himself. When he falls he doesn’t cry. He’s very strong.”
An Zi Ran felt very gratified when he heard this. With his hands underneath he little bun’s armpits, he lifted him up. “Little Bun, say ge ge*.”
[*T/N: ge ge means “big brother,” but the syllables are easier to say in Chinese.]
The little bun gave a silly smile. He kicked his small short legs in the air.
An Zi Ran once again held the little bun close to his chest, and said to Qiu Lan, “Starting from tomorrow, bring him to the dining room to eat with us.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
After holding the little bun for a while, An Zi Ran handed him over to Qiu Lan. As if knowing that his brother was about to leave, the little bun’s two small chubby paws grabbed tightly onto An Zi Ran’s clothes and would not let go. He started to sob, tears brewed up and rolled quickly down his chubby face.
Chun Lan snickered, “Young Master, it seems that the second young master is really reluctant to let you go.”
When Chun Lan finished speaking, Qiu Lan gave her a cutting glance.
An Zi Ran couldn’t bring him back to his room, he could only coax the child, temporarily transferring his attention away using some toys, and finally he managed to get out.
Returning to the bedroom, Fu Wu Tian had already freshened up.
Translations by Vanilla Muse.
After taking a bath, An Zi Ran wanted to go to the study room to continue to mull over the five drawings that were not drawn. As a result, before he could make it to the threshold, he was despotically kidnapped by Fu Wu Tian to the bed.
“Today, you’ve already painted for the whole afternoon. At night, the dim lighting is not good for your eyes. Rest now, and continue tomorrow.” Fu Wu Tian squeezed him to the inner side of the bed.
An Zi Ran no longer cared if he slept on the inside or the outside. Before, it was to guard against Fu Wu Tian. Now the two of them trust one another fully, so there was no need; inside of the bed or outside of the bed, both were fine.
Speaking of the dim lighting at night, it was indeed a bit of a hassle.
The light of a candle was not like the incandescent light of the twenty-first century, even at night, things could look as bright as the day. The candlelight was dim and not suitable for reading books unless you wanted myopia.
An Zi Ran thought about it and felt that that was correct. In this time and space if one got myopia there was no cure for it. There was no such thing as laser eye surgery. Furthermore, he still had no clue how to go about those five drawings. If he went to the study he would only be confused. But…
“Can you remove your hand from my leg?” An Zi Ran could feel Fu Wu Tian’s hand touching him here and there. It was almost to the point that his little brother wanted to stand up. Finally he couldn’t help but speak up.
Fu Wu Tian’s reaction was to bow his head and give him a kiss on the lips. “No!”
There was a hard object pressed up against An Zi Ran’s leg. There’s no need to speak to know what that thing was. Without thinking, he refused. “No, I still have a lot of things to do tomorrow.” If he tossed around with him now, then he might not be able to get out of bed tomorrow.
“Tomorrow, this prince doesn’t need to go out, I can help you.”
At first, An Zi Ran wanted to refuse, but then he thought about it. Maybe he really could get Fu Wu Tian to help with the drawings. Just didn’t know if he could draw. “You can draw?”
Upon hearing this sentence, Fu Wu Tian knew that he was beginning to soften. He rubbed his nose intimately against An Zi Ran’s cheek. One hand began to touch around inside An Zi Ran’s clothes. “Of course!”
Password: TBL88
That night, An Zi Ran came four times.
Fu Wu Tian only came twice. Each time he would toss An Zi Ran about for a long time before releasing.
The next day, everyone in the prince’s palace knew that they were accustomed to getting up early, but this time they slept until noon before getting up.
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The Big Landlord 88.1
Bonus update. Happy New Year Everyone~!!! 🎊 May the new year bring you many wondrous joys. 🌟
Chapter 88.1 – Drawing
These days, An Zi Ran was very busy.
It took him several days to draw up the interior blueprint for Feng Hua Gambling House. He didn’t just consider the immediate future, but also long-term development.
Counting all the gambling houses in Jun Zi City, there were over a dozen of them. Among them, ten had the highest competitive strength. But now there were only nine.
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If you wanted to stand out from these gambling houses, you didn’t just rely on financial resources, but on innovative ideas.
The type of gambling house that An Zi Ran wanted to create wasn’t some shady place where crooks mixed in with the honest folk, but a high-end atmosphere and top-grade casino. Creating this type of gambling house required more painstaking thought and attention, but he had people helping him so he didn’t need to worry too much, but this type of innovative idea was slightly troublesome.
There were several types of gambling games in Da Ya.
In terms of animal games there were turtle racing, cricket fighting, cock fighting, quail fighting, etc. Such games would not be appearing in his gambling house. These games were common among the masses and were considered lowbrow gambling games.
Card games and guessing games were the most varied and were the fundamentals of every gambling house, games such as wu mu, ye zi*, dices, and dominoes. The use of dominoes could be expanded upon to create several types of gambling games. Of course, there were also games that An Zi Ran had never heard of before, for example chu hong pu and jiao sheng tu**.
[*T/N: 五木 wu mu “five wood,” 叶子 ye zi “leaf.” Not sure what kind of games these are, so I can only give you the direct translation of the Chinese characters.]
[**T/N: chu hong pu: 除 chu “to get rid of” 红 hong “red” 谱 pu “chart.”
Jiao sheng tu: 搅 jiao “mix” 胜 sheng “victory” 图 tu “drawing”]
But in An Zi Ran’s eyes, a lot of these gambling games were rather complicated and not suitable for popularizing.
He knew of several gambling games from later eras that were very popular and thus suitable for his purposes. It was only that the manufacturing process was a bit troublesome.
While the gambling house was still under construction, An Zi Ran sent Steward Zhou out to help him buy some thicker paper, as well as color paints and tools for cutting thick paper. Although this time and space was still behind in times, these things could still be found.
Steward Zhou was able to purchase everything in one trip.
An Zi Ran took these items and shut himself up in the study room. Until Fu Wu Tian came back, he still did not come out.
Fu Wu Tian thought that he would see his wang fei in the dining room as usual, instead, he saw the lao wang ye, who was still being grounded. He asked the servants and found out that An Zi Ran was still in the study.
This was the first time he didn’t even care about eating meals.
“What is wang fei doing in the study?” As Fu Wu Tian headed towards the study, he asked this question to Steward Zhou who was following behind.
Translations by Vanilla Muse.
Steward Zhou immediately replied, “This servant is not sure. In the afternoon, wang fei took some things with him into the study and has not been out since. And he also didn’t let the servants go bother him.”
Fu Wu Tian arched his eyebrow and did not ask again.
After sending the steward away, he opened the door to the study. As soon as he took a step in his attention was attracted to the things scattered on the floor. On the floor was a bunch of paper scrunched into balls. The deeper in he went the more paper balls he saw.
Fu Wu Tian parted the bead curtain and saw his wang fei holding a brush. His gaze was focused on the things atop the desk. He seemed to be hesitating over how to draw what he wanted. Fu Wu Tian looked at the desk and saw that it was a bunch of strange pictures. To the side there were red and black pigments for painting.
An Zi Ran knew that it was him, but did not give him a bit of attention.
There were a total of fifteen pictures that he wanted to draw, but he was stumped by five of them. From afternoon till now, he still could not draw it properly. Although he was also well aware that he had no talent for drawing.
“Wang fei, what are you painting?”
Fu Wu Tian was particularly curious about the black things he painted on the paper. It looked like some random graffiti. Just for this thing, he even delayed dinner?
An Zi Ran was silent for a long while. “…I also don’t know.”
Fu Wu Tian almost laughed out loud.
Fu Wu Tian took the brush from his hand and set it on the edge of the ink stone. “Since you don’t know, then let us eat first. You can continue after dinner. Grandfather is already waiting for us in the dining room.”
An Zi Ran rotated his shoulders. He has been drawing for four hours. It was really tiring. Unfortunately, the five most important pictures have not been drawn and could only be abandoned.
In the dining room, the lao wang ye couldn’t wait and already started to eat. He was an elder; moreover, he was an elder with some mental problems, so no one said anything to him. During the grounding period he was very well behaved, probably because he was afraid of the head steward, so he kept to the grounding restrictions.
An Zi Ran was very surprised that the lao wang ye would be afraid of the head steward, and later Fu Wu Tian told him about the head steward.
On the surface, Fu Yi Ming was the head steward of the Imperial Fu Palace, but he was actually the lao wang ye’s biological son, meaning that he was Fu Wu Tian’s paternal uncle, Fu Xiao’s biological older brother. But there was one critical point. He was an illegitimate child.
Da Ya was not tolerant of illegitimate children, not even one of the royal family.
The identity of the illegitimate child was such that they could never stand in the sun, so Fu lao wng ye felt very guilty towards Fu Yi Ming. Because of his mistake, Fu Yi Ming could not pay respects to his ancestors or be recognized as part of the family. He could only stay in the Imperial Fu Palace with the identity of a foster son and become a steward.
Due to his regret, before he got dementia, the Fu lao wang ye who was usually cold and calm was very bias towards Fu Yi Ming*. After the illness, his personality changed, and his memory was a mess, but concerning the matter with Fu Yi Ming, nothing changed.
[*T/N: Sometimes the author writes his name as Fu Yi and sometimes as Fu Yi Ming. I’m not sure if it’s a typo or not, but I decided to go with the full name just in case it gets confusing.]
However, Fu Yi Ming has the status of head steward on the surface, but he never really took care of the trivial affairs of the prince’s palace like a real housekeeper would. Basically, most of these things were left to the second steward. What he really handled were the industries and businesses under the name of the Imperial Fu Palace. Therefore, he was often absent from the prince’s palace.
After dinner, An Zi Ran went to visit the little bun again.
For the servants taking care of the little bun, asides from the nursemaid and the original maids, there were also Chun Lan and Qiu Lan.
Originally, Chun Lan and Qiu Lan were his personal maids, but he was overly worried for the little bun, so he temporarily assigned them to the little bun’s side. These days he’s been busy, so he didn’t get to visit as much.
“Young Master?” Chun Lan was very surprised when she saw him come over.
An Zi Ran nodded at her and asked, “How is the situation with the second young master lately?”
When Qiu Lan heard them, she immediately came out carrying the little bun. The little bun was no longer like how he was when he was just born – only knowing how to eat, sleep, and then eat again. His two grape-like eyes were always very spirited. When they landed on his brother, the two small paws immediately waved happily.
The Big Landlord 87.2
Chapter 87.2 – News Spreading
The price for Feng Hua Gambling House was not cheap. Without seventy or eighty thousand silvers it was impossible to obtain it. There couldn’t be more than five people in the capital that had the ability to purchase Feng Hua Gambling House. But those few people would not deliberately go up against Bao Hua Gambling House. But if it wasn’t those people, then who could it be?
“Who is it?” Luo Yang looked at Zhang Tian Zhong with a gloomy face.
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Zhang Tian Zhong wasn’t scared by his expression. He brushed off his clothes and said, “To tell you the truth, I also don’t know what kind of person the other party is, but he seemed to be very clear about Feng Hua Gambling House’s situation. He suddenly came to find me. Isn’t Bao Hua Gambling House very resourceful? If you have the skills then go look for answers yourself. I want to know what kind of person he is, too. He was able to whip out such a large sum of money without a blink of the eye.”
Luo Yang stared hard at his face, but couldn’t discern any signs of a lie. Finally, he could no longer remain calm, and left with the group of people.
Zhang Tianzhong looked at his angry back and only felt that he was very happy.
Luoyang returned to the Bao Hua Gambling House. He did not immediately tell his master about this matter. Zhang Tian Zhong’s words, he only believed half of them. He did not rule out the possibility that he deliberately said this to avoid them.
However, the results of the investigation were not very desirable.
Other casinos coveted Feng Hua Gambling House, but they didn’t dare to openly be in conflict with Bao Hua Gambling House. Therefore, there were no big moves from any of them.
As for outsiders, it was even more impossible. The status of a businessman was rather sensitive. If it were an outsider, it would be impossible not to attract attention, but during this time, there were no news or rumors circulating the capital, so this theory could be ruled out.
Translations by Vanilla Muse.
So it was neither another gambling house, nor an outsider’s work.
Luo Yang’s expression couldn’t help but sink. Could Zhang Tian Zhong really be lying to him?
“Sir Luo.” The manager came up to him.
Luo Yang glanced at him. “What’s the matter?”
The manager replied, “Sir Luo, since nothing could be found we might as well send someone to monitor Zhang Tian Zhong. If he is lying, it will be revealed sooner or later. If he is telling the truth, the mysterious figure may come into contact with him again. We can follow the lead then.”
Luo Yang clapped a hand on the table, his eyes sullen: “This matter will be handed over to you. I will wait a few more days. If I find out that Zhang Tian Zhong is playing me, I will make him pay!”
“Yes!”
……
– Imperial Fu Palace –
When Fu Wu Tian returned, An Zi Ran told him about the matter with Feng Hua Gambling House. His foundation in the capital was still unstable, and there weren’t many people that he knew. He didn’t want others to know that it was him who had bought Feng Hua Gambling House. So he had to turn to Fu Wu Tian for help about renovating the building.
“It’s a shame that Guan Su is not in Jun Zi City right now. Otherwise, we can look for him.” After listening to An Zi Ran, Fu Wu Tian thought of his capable and efficient Guan Su.
An Zi Ran arched an eyebrow. “That’s right, about the matter with the seeds, how goes the search?”
Fu Wu Tian walked with him inside and said, “There is still no news. The hemp whatever you spoke of is not recorded in books. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. It’s not easy to seek it out.”
An Zi Ran nodded. He knew that it was not easy. In his original time and space, it seemed that cottonseeds came from abroad. Whether he was not sure about this time and space, if he could not find it in the end, he could only find another way.
The next day, Fu Wu Tian moved very quickly, and by afternoon he had found a craftsman for him.
Then, the people on the casino strip found out that the closed down Feng Hua Gambling House was being opened. The cold facade suddenly had a group of people coming in and out, and the sound of banging and knocking continued to come out from the building. The curious people walked over and saw that it was being renovated.
Everyone thought that Zhang Tian Zhong finally caved and sold the casino to Bao Hua Gambling House.
Because the distance between the two gambling houses was not far, the matter of Feng Hua Gambling house was quickly spread to Luo Yang’s ears. He was so angry that he broke an entire tea set.
Zhang Tian Zhong really did not lie!
“I really have to see what kind of person it is that dares to fight against Bao Hua Gambling House!”
Luo Yang stood beside the opened window and looked towards Feng Hua Gambling House’s location. His gaze was very forceful. Originally, he had assured his master that he would be able to get Feng Hua Gambling House. But now someone else was a step ahead of him. This would make him lose face before his master. It was impossible for him not to be angry!
The manager standing behind him trembled with fear as he wiped his cold sweat. It had been a long time since he had seen Sir Luo this angry.
“Sir Luo, what should the next step be?”
The manager hesitated for a while, but still took the initiative to speak.
If they couldn’t get Feng Hua Gambling House, they wouldn’t be able to explain to their master.
Luo Yang was silent for a moment. “Investigate!”
Since Zhang Tian Zhong was hired as the manager, An Zi Ran wouldn’t let him be idle. He handed over the matter of renovation to him. He didn’t like the original configuration of the casino, so he personally drew up a blueprint for the interior of the gambling house. Shao Fei then handed over the blueprints to Zhang Tian Zhong. In order to finish up renovations quickly, they hired a lot of craftsmen.
The people waiting to see the silhouette of the casino have gone cross-eyed.
Bao Hua Gambling House would never have hired Zhang Tian Zhong. And Zhang Tian Zhong could not possibly have the money to renovate the gambling house. So what could be going on?
Only after investigating did the people find out.
A mysterious man intercepted Bao Hua Gambling House and bought up Feng Hua Gambling House first. Not only that, but the other party also hired Zhang Tian Zhong as the manager!
This incident was like a hurricane blowing up in the capital, and the news spread immediately. It was more sensational than the talent selection for the emperor’s harem. Many people were watching the attitude of Bao Hua Gambling House, especially those who knew the background of Bao Hua Gambling House. They all knew that things would not be settled like this.
The Big Landlord 87.1
Chapter 87.1 – News Spreading
The two returned to the Imperial Fu Palace. The time was still very early.
An Zi Ran learned from Steward Zhou that Fu Wu Tian had yet to return, and immediately changed his course to the study room. In order to get to the study room, he had to pass by the entrance to the main lobby.
Just as they were preparing to cross the threshold, a figure dressed in purple came out of the main lobby first, and coincidentally came up right in front of them.
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An Zi Ran subconsciously glanced over, found that it was a woman, and somewhat unexpectedly raised his eyebrows. Shao Fei, who was next to him, had a bigger reaction, as if it was very strange to see her here. His mouth dropped open and he let out a shout.
“Zhong Yue?”
The woman in purple looked at them with indifference.
An Zi Ran found that this woman looked very heroic, and he recognized her at first sight. It was during his first ever visit to the Imperial Fu Palace. He remembered that this woman was also there, except at that time she was wearing red armor, and looked more unisex. Although he only looked at her once then, she left a pretty deep impression.
“How come you are here?”
Shao Fei walked up to her and questioned her with curiosity.
The woman in purple didn’t pay attention to him. Instead, she looked at An Zi Ran. Her heroic eyebrows creased together. Then she nodded her head slightly. “Greetings, wang fei.”
Shao Fei was unwilling to be left out and said, “Zhong Yue, you haven’t answered my question yet!”
The woman in purple abruptly responded with impatience, “I am here naturally because I have already completed my mission. You think everyone is as free as you? Keep shouting and I’ll beat you up!”
Shao Fei’s mouth pulled into a thin line.
Translations by Vanilla Muse
“I still have to go look for wang ye and report in my mission.”
The woman in purple said that and left right away, not giving him another second of attention.
An Zi Ran watched her as she departed, feeling that something was strange, but couldn’t fathom what could be the problem. His brows were pinched in thought until Shao Fei jumped in front of him, and he came out of his thoughts.
“Wang fei, this is probably your second time seeing Zhong Yue. Let me tell you, Zhong Yue is the only female general in our military camp. She is very powerful. She’s completely different from the average woman. Sometimes she is even more powerful and valiant than men. Within our military camp, her strength could be ranked in the top ten. Before, wang ye sent her to Chang Province to deal with the disaster, so you didn’t see her immediately after you came back.”
Shao Fei explained all this without prompting.
An Zi Ran did not answer, but he indeed did not expect that there would be a female general.
Although he had seen her once, he had long forgotten about it. On the day of the wedding, when Fu Wu Tian introduced his subordinates to him, she was not included among them.
An Zi Ran was not used to taking the initiative to ask about other people’s matters, so he did not ask. Afterwards, he went to the study room.
He has already obtained the deeds to Feng Hua Gambling House. The next issue was renovation.
On the other hand, Boss Zhang did not go home right away after they parted in front of the teahouse. It was hard to be at ease with a hundred thousand silvers worth of bank notes on his person, so he was preparing to put the money in the bank*. Unless it was a last resort, he did not intend to use this sum of money in this lifetime.
[*T/N: The raws used the noun 钱庄 qian zhuang, which is a money farm (dealing in illegal foreign currency of money laundering), which sounds completely wrong for the context, so I went with the Google translation of bank instead.]
After putting the money away, Boss Zhang then went home.
But as soon as he entered the door of his home, he saw several men standing at the entrance.
Seeing their familiar faces, Boss Zhang’s expression darkened and he strode over to them in large strides. He spoke impolitely to the man in the lead, “You people are not welcome here!”
That man was Luo Yang, the one who was his gambling opponent that other day. He wasn’t a vocational gambler hired by Bao Hua Gambling House. According to hearsay, he reported directly to the secret person backing Bao Hua Gambling House. Many things in the gambling house needed to be approved by him before they could be carried out. That he would show up here meant that these people have not given up on Feng Hua Gambling House.
“Boss Zhang, why do you have to be so stubborn?”
Luo Yang said lightly, not minding Boss Zhang’s bad attitude and tone. In his opinion, Feng Hua Gambling House would soon become a part of Bao Hua Gambling House, and it was useless for Boss Zhang to resist like this. What was meant to be theirs would eventually be theirs.
Boss Zhang sneered, “I’m not afraid to tell you the truth, I have already sold Feng Hua Gambling House.”
“Impossible!”
Luo Yang denied.
He didn’t believe that someone else would dare to target Feng Hua Gambling House.
A lot of people already knew that Bao Hua Gambling House coveted Feng Hua Gambling House, and used every means possible to topple Feng Hua Gambling House in order to get it in the bag. They clearly knew that Bao Hua Gambling House was determined to annex Feng Hua Gambling House, so who would dare to fight against Bao Hua Gambling House?!
Bao Hua Gambling House wasn’t some run-of-the-mill casino. Without a strong backing, it was impossible for it to be ranked top three among the top ten gambling houses.
“Oh, so sorry. What you said is impossible has already become a fact.” Boss Zhang revealed a smug smile. He has waited a long time to serve up this loss to the people from the Bao Hua Gambling House.
Luo Yang looked at Boss Zhang’s smug expression, and in a split second, his expression grew dark. He had a feeling that Zhang Tian Zhong was not lying to him. They forced Zhang Tian Zhong to this step. It wasn’t hard to believe that he would sell Feng Hua Gambling House just to get back at them. It was only that, within Jun Zi City, who would dare to go against Bao Hua Gambling House?
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The Big Landlord 86.2
Chapter 86.2 – Cooperation
“Boss Zhang.” An Zi Ran nodded at him in greeting.
Boss Zhang quickly greeted him and invited him to sit down. “An gong zi, please sit!”
Just as An Zi Ran sat down, the server came in with a steaming plate of food that was fresh off the stove. It was the signature dish of this teahouse.
The dish came at just the right time. The fragrant aroma greatly aroused their appetite.
Boss Zhang was a foodie. His appetite was whetted, but he was aware that he still had a guest, so he said, “An gong zi, this teahouse is a famous restaurant in Jun Zi City. Their dishes are delicious. If you are interested then please try it out.”
An Zi Ran did not refuse. It was fast approaching noon. After learning that the meeting place was at a teahouse, he told the kitchen not to make his meal before he left the palace. He picked up the chopsticks and gestured for Shao Fei to sit next to him. “You too, come and eat together.”
Shao Fei grinned and bluntly sat down at the table.
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Boss Zhang’s face went a bit strange. It seems that the relationship between the two wasn’t the master-servant relationship that he had imagined.
Although they just met, the three of them weren’t very reserved with each other. As they ate they relaxed. In comparison, some acquaintances seemed more reserved.
After eating for a while, An Zi Ran found that both Boss Zhang and Shao Fei were big eaters. He ate a bowl of rice and they already finished two bowls. Right now, he was no longer dieting, so his portion was not consider small, it was only that those two had a big appetite, almost like a bottomless pit. After a while, most of the dishes on the table were swept clean.
An Zi Ran took a look at Boss Zhang.
He thought that Shao Fei’s stomach capacity was huge. Every meal, Shao Fei ate five or six bowls of rice. But he was a soldier after all. He used a lot of physical strength in his work. It was understandable that he would have a big appetite. But this Boss Zhang ate even more than Shao Fei. Forty percent of the food on the table went into his stomach. He truly had a big stomach.
In fact, in his past life, his appetite was not small. He ate at least three bowls of rice per meal. But in this world, in order to lose weight, his appetite also became smaller. If he wanted to change it back to his previous capacity he would have to gradually raise it again.
Shao Fei wiped his mouth. When he looked at Boss Zhang, his eyes were shining brightly. “Good appetite!”
“Not at all!”
Boss Zhang’s expression was polite.
An Zi Ran shook his head. Both of them were rice buckets*, what was there to be proud of?
[*T/N: big eaters]
After the meal, it was time for business. Boss Zhang’s expression suddenly became serious. What came next was related to what would happen with the latter half of his life, and also what would become of Feng Hua Gambling House. He considered this matter for a few days, and finally made up his mind, but it was also related to how those people have been pressuring him for days on end.
Translations by Vanilla Muse
“An gong zi, I won’t beat around the bush.” Boss Zhang spoke straightforwardly. “I agree to sell Feng Hua Gambling House to you. And to the offer of me becoming your manager, I also agree, but I have one condition.”
An Zi Ran asked, “What condition?”
“I ask that An gong zi preserve Feng Hua Gambling House. It is fine even if you change the name. I will do my utmost to help you manage the gambling house,” Boss Zhang said seriously. As long as the gambling house remained and he could continue to stay with it, then he was satisfied.
And An Zi Ran was wondering what he was going to say. Preserve Feng Hua Gambling House? What he wanted wasn’t just that. “Boss Zhang, I will definitely raise the casino up. What I want is not small-scale.”
Boss Zhang stared at him blankly. Perhaps, he really did meet a very high-ranked person.
“Next, let’s talk about the price of the gambling house.”
Feng Hua Gambling House was bankrupt, but it was still valuable. Not considering other points, just its geographical location was ideal. It was located on the liveliest street in the capital. The high level of foot traffic became the basis for the opening of the gambling house, and the floor area was also wide.
Maybe a decade or so ago, the real estate on which the gambling house stood wasn’t that expensive, but after so many years, that street has flourished. Wanting to buy a good piece of land that was also big was extremely difficult.
Once this topic was brought up, Boss Zhang immediately straightened out his expression.
An Zi Ran gestured for Shao Fei to take out some things.
Shao Fei took out a stack of bank notes. The number of notes wasn’t high, but each one was worth ten thousand silvers. There were a total of ten bank notes. Some gambling houses wouldn’t be able to earn this amount even in a year.
An Zi Ran took the bank notes and placed it in front of Boss Zhang. “I have verified the value of Feng Hua Gambling House’s real estate. Here is one hundred thousand. If there is no problem then let’s sign the contract.”
Boss Zhang’s hands shook as he picked up the money.
Although Feng Hua Gambling House was one of the top ten casinos in the capital, it was only barely hanging on at the end of its life. This was the first time he has seen so many bank notes worth ten thousand silvers. He became more and more aware that An Zi Ran was someone unfathomable, but he has been walking the streets of Jun Zi City for so many years and had never heard of this person.
An Zi Ran had money. And it wasn’t a simple matter of just “having” it.
His private treasury was stuffed full with gold and silver. Especially after he sold all the grains to Fu Wu Tian, he almost couldn’t put any more valuables into his treasury. Later, because he found it troublesome to lug around gold and silver, he exchanged a portion of his gold into bank notes and brought it with him to the Imperial Fu Palace.
The hundred thousand silvers worth of bank notes were a part of his family’s business. Although it pained him to spend a hundred thousand all at once, he believed that Feng Hua Gambling House could help him make more money.
Boss Zhang had no objection to this price. In fact, based on the location and land space of Feng Hua Gambling House, it didn’t actually amount to a hundred thousand. But now that the price has exceeded his expectations, he immediately signed the contract with An Zi Ran.
And so, in a situation where those who coveted Feng Hua Gambling House did not know about, the deeds to the casino was transferred.
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The Big Landlord 86.1
Thank you to Budderfly for treating me to another coffee during this holiday season o((｡^‿^｡))o
Chapter 86.1 – Cooperation
Silence descended on Ci Ming Palace after the Empress Dowager’s words.
The Chong Ming Emperor narrowed his eyes. His did not expect his grandmother to know so quickly. His mind was in turmoil but his face remained unmoving. He has been an emperor for twenty-seven years after all, so it was easy to hide his mood.
“Yes, there is such a thing. Did you call your grandson just to say this?”
The Empress Dowager also did not beat around the bush and said, “Precisely this.”
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The emperor’s face suddenly revealed a trace of dissatisfaction. Coldly, he said, “Grandmother, could it be that the jun wang specifically asked you to plea your grandson for leniency?”
If that were the case, then he definitely would not be polite.
More than a decade ago, the previous emperor retired and lived in the back courtyard*. After that, he no longer asked after political affairs. Later, the emperor brought the young Fu Wu Tian into the palace to raise him. At that time, the Empress Dowager also liked Fu Wu Tian, almost treating him as her own grandson.
[*T/N: 后宫 hou gong is “harem” but it seems weird to me to say that an emperor lives in the harem, so I’m leaving it as “back courtyard.”]
The emperor had always been very dissatisfied with this point.
Due to their actions, a yellow-haired child* now had control over him, making him completely lose face. Clearly, he was their biological son and grandson, but those two regarded Fu Xiao and his family with special respect. His imperial father even intended to pass the throne to Fu Xiao. This incident has always been a thorn in his heart, and he couldn’t pull it out, so he and the Empress Dowager were not intimate as grandson and grandmother.
[*T/N: 黄毛小儿 huang mao xiao er – literal translation is “yellow-haired child.” It means “young/immature/inexperience.” Thank you to Hikaru for enlightening me on the meaning. ^-^]
“No, the jun wang did not seek out this grandmother.”
The Empress Dowager saw the coldness on his face and finally sighed.
She knew that the emperor resented them. At first she also felt guilty, but after considering all the things he did after he ascended to the throne, even a woman like her knew that he was not worthy of being an emperor. If it weren’t for Fu Xiao and his son, perhaps this country would have fallen already.
Translations by Vanilla Muse
Although the Empress Dowager lived deep within the harem, she was not a woman without eyes. Even if time turned back, she would still support the previous emperor’s decision.
The emperor spoke, “If grandmother still has something to say then just come out and say it. Your grandson still has a lot of government affairs to deal with.”
[T/N: Emperor, you actually deal with government affairs? I thought you just played around with women all day…]
He said the latter sentence in a pompous manner.
If the Empress Dowager were not aware of his morality and conduct, she would’ve believed him. These past few years, her grandson had never seriously dealt with political affairs. He only knew how to indulge in women. So every time she heard such rumors, her heart would go cold, and any guilt or remorse she felt towards him would evaporate into nothing.
The Empress Dowager cleared her throat and said slowly, “You cannot conduct marriage affairs for the jun wang.”
The emperor looked at her sharply. His face was cold like ice. “Grandmother, I am the emperor!”
The Empress Dowager knew that the following words would make him even angrier, but she still chose to say them, “I know, but this is your father’s decree. Before his death, he passed a secret decree, no one can conduct marriage affairs for the jun wang, unless he is willing.”
“Does the previous emperor even consider me as his son? Why? Fu Xiao is not even his biological son. Why does the previous emperor treat him and his son better than me? Even letting them restrict me in all respects?!” As expected, the Chong Ming Emperor got angry.
“Your Majesty.” The Empress Dowager’s kind face gained a few strokes of serious and cold lines. She pinned him with her stare and spoke each word clearly, “Before you say such words, have you thought about the reasons? Have you reflected upon yourself in these past years?”
Which parent and grandparent wouldn’t want to cherish their own child and grandchild?!
The Empress Dowager was really regretful. They shouldn’t have indulged his imperial mother (the empress) back then. Then he wouldn’t have become the incapable ruler of today. Perhaps she shouldn’t have turned a blind eye to Empress Rong Xian’s actions. The previous emperor only had one son, which was the Chong Ming Emperor. Only with competition would it enable people to mature and grow. Without competition for the throne, the current emperor has no idea the value of his status. Indeed, things that are easily obtained are not cherished.
The emperor refused to accept her words and shouted, “I am the emperor! All of Da Ya is mine! I can do whatever I want. Who dares to criticize me? Even you can not, Grandmother!”
After finishing this sentence, the emperor flung his sleeves out in anger and left Ci Ming Palace.
The Empress Dowager watched his angry back as he left and her body swayed a bit.
Bao Zhu quickly went to support her. “Empress Dowager, be careful!”
The Empress Dowager shook her head. “I am old. I can no longer control him. Now, I can only cast my hope on the jun wang, otherwise, sooner or later our ancestral foundation will be destroyed in his hands.”
“Empress Dowager…”
The Empress Dowager stopped her. “I want to rest.”
“Yes.”
……
An Zi Ran didn’t know what happened in the palace, but after that day, there was no more movement from the other side, and there was no more talented ladies being inserted as spies into the Imperial Fu Palace. It seemed to have really stopped.
However, he really admired the open-mindedness of the previous emperor. He was an emperor that really considered the prosperity and decline of his empire, and didn’t care whether his successor was his own blood or not. In the eyes of the previous emperor, as long as the reigning emperor was surnamed Fu, it didn’t matter to him who sat on the throne.
After that incident, Boss Zhang of Feng Hua Gambling House came to look for him.
The two met at a teahouse. Fu Wu tian had business to attend to, so he didn’t accompany An Zi Ran this time. Only Shao Fei came with him.
Boss Zhang arrived early and instructed the server to keep an eye out for An Zi Ran and to invite the youth up to the private room on the second floor when he arrived. An Zi Ran’s appearance was distinctive, so after hearing Boss Zhang’s description, the server was able to pick out An Zi Ran at a glance, and immediately invited the youth upstairs to the private room.
“An gong zi.”
When Boss Zhang heard knocking at the door, he went to open the door right away. It was really the one he had been waiting for, but this time there was one more person who looked like a bodyguard. He only took a look and withdrew his gaze. In his heart he became more and more sure that An Zi Ran was no simple person.
The Big Landlord 85.2
Chapter 85.2 – Defying an Imperial Decree
When Fu Wu Tian came back, the sun had already set. Steward Zhou did not dare conceal it from him, and immediately told him about what had happened in the daytime. Originally, he thought that the wang ye would be angry, after all, offending the emperor was no small matter. No matter how fond he was of the wang fei, he would not condone this kind of thing. Defying an imperial decree was a huge crime worthy of decapitation. This was what Steward Zhou thought, but wang ye’s face did not change one bit.
Translations by Vanilla Muse.
“This matter, this prince does not want anyone else to know, understand?” Fu Wu Tian left this sentence, and then walked past Steward Zhou to head to the study room.
Steward Zhou wiped off his cold sweat and promptly replied, “Understood.” Fortunately, he knew that it was a big deal, so he did not go around spreading the news during the day.
–Study Room–
When Fu Wu Tian pushed the door to the study room open and stepped inside, he was greeted with the rare sight of An Zi Ran napping with his head on the table. An Zi Ran’s breathing was light and slow, and he did not immediately notice Fu Wu Tian’s arrival, until Fu Wu Tian walked over, and then An Zi Ran woke up right away.
An Zi Ran rubbed his face with his hands, wiping away the residual drowsiness. Then he looked towards the new arrival. “When did you get back?”
“Just now.”
Fu Wu Tian walked to the front of the desk and looked down at An Zi Ran. One side of the teenager’s face was red from lying down on the table, making him seem less indifferent than usual. Fu Wu Tian couldn’t help but reach out to touch the youth’s cheek. Only after An Zi Ran swatted his hand away did Fu Wu Tian speak. “This prince has already heard about what happened during the day.”
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An Zi Ran gave an “en” of acknowledgment, but did not react much.
Fu Wu Tian walked around the desk and went behind An Zi Ran. “Don’t you want to say something?”
An Zi Ran glanced at him. “Say what? Did I cause trouble for you?”
Fu Wu Tian wrapped a hand around his shoulder. His low laughter sounded in An Zi Ran’s ear. Although it was a shallow sound, he could hear it clearly. There was a trace of joy that could not be ignored in the laughter. “Wang fei, this prince is very happy.”
An Zi Ran frowned. “Don’t misunderstand me.”
Fu Wu Tian ignored him and spoke as if to himself, “You helped this prince push away those beauties, which proves that your heart holds this prince.”
“I said you’re misunderstanding me.” An Zi Ran pushed him away, and there seemed to be a lot of anger in the crease between his brows. “If you have time to think about such things, then you should be thinking about what to do with the trouble that will follow. It’s very hard for the emperor to get a hold of an opportunity to make things difficult for you, he definitely will not give up.”
Fu Wu Tian said, “Since you knew it would be very troublesome, then why did you defy the imperial decree?”
An Zi Ran knew that the other man was testing him, and said coldly, “Could it be that you want me to live the rest of my days inside a bunch of women’s vinegar* jar? Sorry, I am a man, I’m not interested in fighting a bunch of women for a man’s affection and eating vinegar* all day.”
[*T/N: vinegar = jealousy]
“You know that that is not this prince’s meaning.”
When he walked around the desk, Fu Wu Tian quickly caught him by the waist. The youth was starting to get taller, but there was less and less meat on his body. Before, it was still possible to see a bit of fat on the youth, but not anymore. The meat on his body seemed to be evenly distributed throughout in various places. His features were maturing and becoming more beautiful and handsome. He fondled him admiringly.
An Zi Ran couldn’t pry the man’s arm open, so he gave up. “I’m talking to you about a serious matter right now.”
Fu Wu Tian bowed his head to take in the other’s scent. “This prince knows. You don’t have to worry about this matter. There will naturally be someone to solve the problem for this prince.”
“Really?” An Zi Ran suddenly looked up at him. He knew that the other could not lie, but he was still surprised.
“Of course,” Fu Wu Tian nodded confidently.
An Zi Ran asked curiously, “How could that be?”
Fu Wu Tian leaned towards his ear and whispered, “Oh, this matter is directly related to the previous emperor… The rights that he gave this prince wasn’t just that…”
After listening to his explanation, An Zi Ran was silent for a while. He looked at him suspiciously. “You are actually the previous emperor’s illegitimate child, am I right?”
“…Wang fei.”
“I heard you.”
–Imperial Palace–
Xiao Le Zi was extremely excited to report the news of An Zi Ran defying the imperial decree to the emperor. He was Eunuch Wang Ping’s favorite person, so he more or less knew a little about what’s going on in the mind of the Chong Ming Emperor.
“Fu wang fei is really defying an imperial decree?”
After listening to the news, the emperor’s muddy gaze abruptly became concentrated, unexpectedly leaking out a bit of repressed vigor. It was very rare to see such an expression on the lascivious emperor who always indulged in his harem.
Xiao Le Zi became more and more certain that the jun wang was a thorn in the emperor’s side. Suppressing the joy on his face, he nodded his head. “This servant repeatedly stressed that it was the emperor’s will, but Fu wang fei still insisted that this servant and the beauties leave. Fu wang fei clearly does not put the emperor in his eyes.”
“Ha!”
The sudden loud sound scared the eunuch so much that he jumped. He cautiously looke dup and saw a serious and fierce expression on the emperor’s face. Scared, he lowered his head again.
Wang Ping turned around and said, “Rest your anger, Your Majesty. Fu wang fei hasn’t married into the Fu Palace for more than a year, but he dares to be so bold. He must not be condoned. Your Majesty can arrest Fu wang fei on the basis of defying an imperial decree.”
The emperor’s face immediately eased. “You are right. Fu wang fei dares to look down on the throne. If I* can’t bring him to heel, then what kind of emperor would I be? In the future, how would I be able to convince the masses? Wang Ping, immediately send out my orders, bring a team of guards with you to the Imperial Fu Palace for an arrest. If anyone dares to resist, arrest them too regardless of their identity.”
[*T/N: When the emperor says “I” he is using the imperial “I” 朕 zhen]
Since he couldn’t bring Fu Wu Tian under control, then let’s make a move on his wang fei.
“This servant obeys.”
Wang Ping immediately responded. Just as he was about to excuse himself, a bodyguard suddenly came in.
“Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager’s servant girl, Bao Zhu, is asking for an audience.”
The emperor frowned. “Send in!”
Receiving permission, the servant girl quickly hurried in and knelt down. “This servant greets Your Majesty.”
The emperor said, “For what matter did the Empress Dowager send you?”
Bao Zhu replied, “Replying to Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager invites you to Ci Ming Palace for a visit.”
The Empress Dowager was his biological grandmother after all, so no matter how unwilling he was, he still had to go for a visit. He couldn’t have his own grandmother come over. In the end, the emperor still felt that he should go have a look. In the past, the Empress Dowager rarely called for him, but now she sent a servant girl over to request his presence, so it was not a trivial matter.
–Ci Ming Palace–
The emperor paid his respects to the imperious Empress Dowager, who was sitting upon a luxurious couch. He spoke candidly, “Don’t know what Grandmother asked her grandson* to come over for?”
[*T/N: When talking to the Empress Dowager, the emperor refers to himself as “grandson” to show respect. He slips into the imperial “I” with her when he loses his temper.]
The Empress Dowager took the arm of her servant girl, Bao Zhu, and walked slowly down from the raised dais. She was over eighty years old, but she was well maintained and her face was ruddy. It looked like she was only in her sixties or seventies. She did not have a cold aura that pushed others away, but rather appeared to be very harmonious.
“Emperor, I heard that you were going to gift a few talented ladies to the jun wang, is this really true?”
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The Big Landlord 85.1
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Chapter 85.1 – Defying an Imperial Decree
An Zi Ran paused in the middle of writing when he heard the servant coming over to inform him. After a long while, he finally looked up at the servant. “Someone from the palace came and even brought a big group of women?”
“Yes, wang fei.” Steward Zhou replied respectfully.
He was the new vice-steward appointed in the prince’s palace. He knew that the wang ye attached great importance to wang fei, and with Steward Li’s blunder as an example*, he did not dare to be contemptuous to the wang fei like Steward Li did, even if the wang fei was a man.
[*T/N: 前车之鉴 to learn a lesson from the mistakes of one’s predecessor (idiom)]
“Let’s go see.”
An Zi Ran was silent for a moment and then he got up.
Translations by Vanilla Muse.
Steward Zhou followed him quickly to the main lobby.
They had yet to arrive at the lobby but they could already hear the burst of conversation coming from inside. Occasionally, they heard the sound of a sharp, shrill voice, which seemed to belong to a eunuch.
The two of them reached the doorway of the main lobby and the people inside immediately noticed them.
A very dressed-up eunuch came over to them. He gave An Zi Ran a once over. Laughing, he said, “You must be the jun wang’s wang fei, this servant is the palace’s Xiao Le Zi*. By order of the emperor, I brought these beauties here.”
[*T/N: Eunuchs were often nicknamed “Xiao ____ Zi.” Both “xiao” and “zi” implies little or small.]
“Bringing them here, what is the meaning of it?”
As An Zi Ran entered the main lobby, he asked this question. But he already knew that the Chong Ming Emperor wanted to insert his people into Fu Wu Tian’s back courtyard. As for what reason he could use to do so, An Zi Ran already guessed. It was nothing more than grasping at the point that he, An Zi Ran, could not have children.
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The eunuch covered his grin and said, “Fu wang fei really knows how to joke with this servant. Naturally, it is to let them live in the Imperial Fu Palace. These beauties were all specially chosen by the emperor for the jun wang. Each and every one of these beauties’ faces is the cream of the crop. They absolutely would not bring disgrace or humiliation to the jun wang. Fu wang fei, as a man, you should be considerate of the jun wang. The emperor said, two days from now he will pass a decree to give wang ye a few concubines.”
On the surface, it seemed to be for Fu Wu Tian’s sake, but in reality, it was just an excuse to plant spies in the prince’s palace.
An Zi Ran understood this right away. He couldn’t help but narrow his eyes.
If he had not been candid with Fu Wu Tian, and if he did not do married couple things with him, then he would not care how many people the emperor wanted to insert into the prince’s palace. But since he was already sitting on the wang fei seat, forget a group of people, even if it were just one person, he would not let her walk a single step into the Imperial Fu Palace.
“It is better for you to take these people back. Wang ye does not need them.”
Xiao Le Zi replied, “Fu wang fei, it is very normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines. Not to mention you are a man and cannot give birth. If the Fu bloodline ended because of you, then you would be a big sinner. Besides, you are not the jun wang, how do you know that jun wang does not need them? Even if you throw a fit you still have to be mindful of the time and place.”
An Zi Ran turned and looked at the confident eunuch. The corner of his lips twitched up. Just as he was about to speak, one of the beauties stepped forward.
The beauty turned towards him and half rose out of her chair as a polite gesture. Her slightly lowered body revealed white skin and an ample bosom. It was a very nice view, but too bad no one was admiring.
The beauty raised her head and revealed a beautiful face. She said with a smile, “What eunuch Xiao Le Zi said is correct. Fu wang fei is a man, so you should also have self-awareness. Since you can’t laid an egg, shouldn’t you give the other little sisters* a chance? Furthermore, the emperor personally decreed this. Could it be that the wang fei is trying to defy an imperial decree and not comply?”
[*T/N: The main wife is considered the big sister while the concubines are considered her little sisters. Because the Chinese place a lot of importance on seniority, the little sisters are supposed to respect the big sister.]
Little sisters?
An Zi Ran frowned.
Who would’ve thought that he would have a day like this, to fall to the state of fighting with a bunch of women for the husband’s favor? If it was before, he would’ve never thought this possible, and he would definitely not believe it could happen.
Xiao Le Zi and the beauties saw his expression and thought that he was afraid of the consequences of defying an imperial decree. They, the group of women especially, were happy in their hearts. They have all heard about the jun wang, and they all longed for him. Moreover, the Imperial Fu Palce had a Fu wang fei that couldn’t give birth. What did this mean? It meant that in the future they all had a chance to depend on their children for wealth and status. If they gave birth to a son, perhaps that boy could even become the heir. At that time, they would be set for life. Once they thought of this, the beauties became even more determined to enter the Imperial Fu Palace.
The Chong Ming Emperor targeting Fu Wu Tian, this wasn’t something new.
Ever since the incident with Chang Province spread, the emperor was always in a hurry to grasp some weakness or fault of Fu Wu Tian, that way he could cancel out Fu Wu Tian’s merits, and not have to reward him.
If An Zi Ran defied the imperial decree before him, then wouldn’t he be giving the emperor the perfect excuse?
The situation had gotten a bit difficult.
An Zi Ran got up hesitantly.
Xiao Le Zi thought that he was compromising, and spoke in a high voice, “Since Fu wang fei has no objection, then please arrange living quarters for these beauties. This servant still has to go report back to the palace.”
“Then I ask this eunuch to take these beauties back with you when you go to the palace.” An Zi Ran faintly answered.
Xiao Le Zi nodded subconsciously. When he finally caught on, his eyes immediately widened.
“Fu wang fei, you want to defy an imperial decree and not comply?”
“Steward Zhou, see the guests out.” An Zi Ran did not answer his question, instead he had Steward Zhou, who was standing behind him, to send the guests out in his stead. His attitude was so strong and unflappable that they all revealed an incredulous expression.
Steward Zhou immediately came out. “Eunuch, please.”
Xiao Le Zi’s expression turned ugly. He said coldly, “In that case, this servant will withdraw. But this servant gives Fu wang fei a word of advice. It is no ordinary matter to defy an imperial decree. You should mentally prepare yourself.”
With this sentence, Xiao Le Zi left the prince’s palace, bringing the beauties, who all also had ugly expressions, with him.
Steward Zhou returned to the main lobby and saw wang fei sitting inside with a thoughtful expression. After thinking about it, he said, “Wang fei…”
An Zi Ran raised his hand to stop the rest of his words.
“No need to say more, I know what I am doing.”
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The Big Landlord 84.2
Chapter 84.2 – Meeting
An Zi Ran sat down opposite of Boss Zhang and looked up. “Sit down and talk.”
Boss Zhang hesitated for a bit but he still sat down. He bluntly picked up the jug of wine, poured a cup, and said straightforwardly, “If you have something to say, then just say it. I don’t like to beat around the bush.”
“In that case, I will speak candidly.” An Zi Ran also did not want to beat around the bush with him. “I want to buy your Feng Hua Gambling House.”
Translations by Vanilla Muse.
The hand holding the cup of wine froze in place. His expression turned weird. He looked the other person up and down. He could be sure that he had never seen this person before. How did he know about him? He didn’t care to find out, but… “Not selling.”
Boss Zhang thought about it, but still didn’t want to, so he refused.
During this time, there were some people pressuring him to sell his gambling house, but he did not compromise. Those people were all from the same group, so he thought that An Zi Ran was also with them. After all, there weren’t many people willing to go against Bao Hua Gambling House.
“Why?” An Zi Ran asked.
“Not selling is not selling. There is no why.”
An Zi Ran said, “Because Feng Hua Gambling House is your brother’s, so you don’t want to sell it? Or do you think I am a go-between for Bao Hua Gambling House?”
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Boss Zhang suddenly looked up at him flabbergasted. Those words… Could it be that he wasn’t someone from Bao Hua Gambling House?
“You… who exactly are you?”
“Who I am is not important.” An Zi Ran said, “The crucial point is that I have nothing to do with Bao Hua Gambling House. I just so happen to want to open a casino, and then I learned about you, so I want you to sell your gambling house. Presumably, you also know that Feng Hua Gambling House will fall in to the hands of Bao Hua Gambling House sooner or later.”
Boss Zhang narrowed his eyes and said with slight sarcasm, “Why should I believe you?”
Who knew if this was a trap set by Bao Hua Gambling House? He already fell into their pit once. There would not be a second time!
An Zi Ran looked at him, “What if I said I would hire you as the manager?”
Boss Zhang’s eyes widened.
He never thought he would get this kind of response!
An Zi Ran then said, “I have investigated you. Although some of your previous methods were not very bright, your ability to manage a casino is not bad. But if you really want me to make use of you, then you need to prove to me with your actions. How about it?”
Boss Zhang put down the cup of alcohol and slowly closed his eyes. Was this the so-called glimmer of hope at one’s darkest hour? Did God hear his voice and send this opportunity before him?
He did not think that God would pity him, but if this person was for real, then this was probably the only chance for him to rise up again!
“Why would you look for me? Since you know about my situation, then you should also be aware of the grudges between Bao Hua Gambling House and me. There is no advantage to you purchasing Feng Hua Gambling House. You might even draw their negative attention and they will suppress you. The cons outweigh the pros. Even so, you still want to buy it?”
Boss Zhang didn’t understand.
An Zi Ran said calmly, “You don’t have to worry about this.”
Boss Zhang hesitated for a moment. His voice was hoarse when he said, “Can you give me some time to consider?” He more or less believed the other party’s words.
An Zi Ran said, “Yes, but I don’t want to wait too long.”
Boss Zhang nodded. Believing his words did not mean that he was completely convinced. He could not make the decision to sell right away.
After reaching an agreement, An Zi Ran left a contact method for Boss Zhang. Once he came to a decision, he could go to him at any time.
Boss Zhang did not intend to consider it for too long. Although An Zi Ran was willing to give him time, others were definitely not willing. If he lost this opportunity, he did not know whether he would encounter such a good thing again.
An Ziran did not notice his thoughts, but he was also ninety-nine percent certain that Boss Zhang would agree, and he was not in a hurry. He paid the bill and left.
Boss Zhang watched An Zi Ran as he left. His expression was contemplative.
In his heart, there was a part of it that did not believe there could be such a good thing. It was like a pie falling from the sky.
He had always thought that he didn’t have many good days left to live. His former enemies would definitely come knocking on his door once he fell down. He didn’t know that this kind of turning point would happen.
“Perhaps… I can believe him after all.”
After returning, Boss Zhang had people investigate An Zi Ran, especially around the situation with Bao Hua Gambling House, but he came up with nothing. It was as if the other party had come from thin air. Although he was still very confused, he was also a little relieved. As long as it was not someone from Bao Hua Gambling House, anyone would do.
Two days later, the second round of the talent selection came to an end.
There were about seventy or eighty candidates left. The number was not particularly large, because in the past there have been times when it was more than a hundred. But they weren’t all received into the emperor’s harem at once. A portion of them would become the emperor’s concubines, and the rest might be decreed a marriage to other members of royalty.
On this day, An Zi Ran had yet to receive Boss Zhang’s reply, but he received a group of women instead…