si-mexico Chapter 63 Undercurrent
Chapter 63 Undercurrent
"Gambling den?" Zhu Ling recognized the term; it was something the constables had specifically mentioned when arranging the gathering.
When Zhu Ling and Xing Xiaoyu were initially invited to invite merchants from the city, they were unaware of all the details, so the list of invitees was specifically provided by the constables and police officers below them.
These gambling den owners weren't on the initial list, but later several junior constables secretly reminded Zhu Ling and Xing Xiaoyu to make sure to include them.
When Zhu Ling first heard this, he was a little confused. After learning more about it, he realized that although these gambling dens seemed to be operating normally, they were tacitly recognized as local tyrants by Changgan City.
If an ordinary person falls into trouble and seeks help from a gambling den, the owner will usually lend a hand. However, if someone cheats or engages in other illegal activities at the gambling den, the den will not let them off easily.
It can be said that this is a special force that spans both the legitimate and criminal worlds. They never cause trouble under normal circumstances, but if you offend these people, you will be targeted by them.
Sometimes, when the constables are investigating cases, they may need to go to the gambling den to obtain information.
"Your Excellency, you may not know this now, but this gambling den values its reputation very much. The constable who gave you the list deliberately omitted the gambling den owner and his associates, just to set a trap for you. Be careful."
The junior constables who came to deliver the message didn't have time to say much, only cautiously pointing out the intricacies of the situation. With time running out, Zhu Ling could only rely on his intuition to determine the truth.
Fortunately, trusting those junior constables was the right decision; these local bullies are truly not to be trifled with. The information Yun Yuke provided is a real lifesaver.
Zhu Ling breathed a sigh of relief, having overcome one of the difficulties.
"Don't worry, if anything happens, just send someone to the snack shop next to the government office, the one that sells fried food, called Zha Tianxia. I also own that shop. Buy a medium-sized portion of fried chicken nuggets. I'll come to find you within a day at most, or you can have Qingqing go to the county government office to find you."
Knowing that her friend had just arrived and would inevitably encounter many difficulties, Yun Yuke immediately arranged for one of her shops to serve as a contact point.
"The fried chicken at this shop is delicious. Don't worry, the new prefect likes to try new things, and no outsider will suspect anything."
Zhu Ling nodded gratefully again. "Thank you, Sister Yun."
Before the two could finish speaking, several constables suddenly burst into the restaurant from outside.
"Your Excellency, the gambling den owners are back, and they've brought their equipment with them."
Zhu Ling and Yun Yuke were both somewhat surprised that the people from the gambling den had returned.
Several people hurriedly went out to greet them, and saw the gambling den owner, who hadn't said much here, leading a group of people and carrying something that looked like a plaque.
"Lord Zhu! You're still here! That's wonderful! I, Old Du, was worried you'd already left!"
The gambling den owner, Mr. Du, was a burly man with a large belly. He bowed as he introduced the things behind him.
"Mr. Du, what are your needs? I am at your service at any time."
"Hahaha, very good! Lady Zhu is indeed a heroine among women, so generous! I just heard your introduction, and wow, you are really something! I heard that you were very decisive when you first arrived, so I was thinking of sending some things to the Prefect. And look!"
Boss Du quickly stepped forward and pulled back the cloth covering the plaque, revealing four large characters: "Benefiting all living beings".
Before lifting the cloth, Zhu Ling was a little nervous and hesitant, but after seeing these big characters, it seemed that there was nothing wrong with it.
Mr. Du continued, "This is just a small plaque, nothing more. I hope Prefect Zhu will accept it."
Zhu Ling bowed to the other party, saying, "Mr. Du, you're too kind. Such a valuable gift..."
"What's a plaque? It's nothing. It was originally meant for you, please accept it." Boss Du continued to push the plaque forward.
Zhu Ling looked at Boss Du. Although he had heard some rumors about the gambling den before, and with his intuition, Zhu Ling did not directly accept the money. Instead, he changed his approach.
"I have received the Emperor's favor, but I dare not be arrogant. Moreover, I have just arrived in Changgan and have not yet done anything for the folks. I am really not worthy of these four words."
Zhu Ling spoke up, but did not directly refute the other party's request.
"Oh, why are you being so polite? Please accept it as a token of our appreciation from the people of Changgan."
"It's precisely because I haven't done anything yet that I dare not accept it." Zhu Ling still insisted on declining, but with so many people watching, she couldn't be too absolute in her actions; she needed to be more tactful.
"Mr. Du's hospitality is too much to refuse, and I really can't just turn him down directly. So..."
Zhu Ling raised his hand and called over the constables beside him, "Brothers, please accept this for now and store it in our government treasury. I will only accept the plaque when the people feel that I am worthy of these four words."
Hearing this, Mr. Du originally wanted to say something more, but the constables from the government office had already taken the plaque away, so he really couldn't say anything more.
"Boss Du, we will need the help of our fellow villagers in the future. Today is just a brief meeting. If you have any further needs, you can report them to the government office. Rest assured, there will be no other issues. If the government office does anything wrong, feel free to scold them to my face."
Since things had come to this point, Boss Du couldn't say anything more. He chuckled and the group mostly dispersed. The three from the Yun family also didn't want to stay any longer, so they all went back together.
Of course, before returning to the Yun residence, Yun Yuke went to the fried food shop she had just mentioned to explain the remaining matters.
Over the past six years, Yun Yuke has continued to cast a wide net, and she remains very generous to merchants who need her help.
The "Fried World" shop mentioned earlier was one of the delicacies Yun Yuke discovered after arriving in Changgan City. So when the owner of this shop encountered difficulties, Yun Yuke naturally came to his aid.
Of course, Yun Yuke was still careful this time. First of all, she would never ignore the accounts and business situation. Yun Yuke required these business owners to send their business accounts to the Yun family every year. They didn't have much profit, but they absolutely could not falsify accounts to fool others.
That's how Zha Tianxia (炸天下) came about. The current owner is skilled at making fried food. Originally, he just set up a pot on the street and occasionally cooked some meat dishes. Yun Yuke happened to have opened a chicken farm outside the city. The two parties cooperated, and that's how Zha Tianxia was established.
Secondly, these shops were used to observe the city and gather intelligence.
Even though she was arranging for people to gather information, Yun Yuke didn't tell them everything. She simply agreed on some code words as clues. If any problems arose, the various Yunji shops could support each other using the code words and symbols.
"Don't worry, Mr. Yun, I've got it. Medium portion of fried chicken nuggets, no problem. If anyone says that, I'll have my waiter go to your residence to say it," Mr. Li, the owner of Zha Tianxia, replied to Yun Yuke with a smile.
"Yes, thank you. Please take good care of the person who came to buy. You can put all her bills on my tab."
"Don't worry, everything is negotiable."
Yun Yuke, Yun Qingjin, and Yuan Chen have had very few opportunities to stroll and relax together lately. As their business has grown larger over the years, Yun Yuke is often away from home, while Yuan Chen spends more time with Yun Qingjin.
Of course, Yun Qingjin is no longer a child who needs to be accompanied every day; in fact, Yun Qingjin can even become a part of the business.
The three of them strolled back, and as soon as they entered the Yun residence through the back gate, they had a feeling that something was wrong.
Then, Aunt Hua's daughter, Liu Zhou'er, rushed to the three of them with tears in her eyes.
“Boss Yun, why don’t you go to the main hall of Yanchun Pavilion and take a look? My mother said it seems like my father has come back to life… I don’t know what happened, but anyway, there was someone pulling my mother in Yanchun Pavilion.”