"From the six bets I saw today, the first one was about whether Ta Yun and Ji Feng would win or lose. Later, I inquired and found out that in addition to the small betting they did privately, there was also a large betting at the racecourse, and there were people outside the racecourse acting as the banker. I can't imagine how big a chain of interests is involved in a horse race."
And this interest chain is tied to so many people that it is not easy to move. If the Chaoli tribe is manipulating this interest group behind the scenes, then the terror of the Chaoli tribe today would at least double the existing impression, or even more.
Even if the Chaoli tribe is not behind this, it is no small matter. They have woven a net that is too big.
"The betting outside the racecourse is for those who can't get in." Yu Mu said what he had found out, "No matter who you are, anyone can place a bet, and it's fair to everyone."
Hua Zhi almost laughed out loud. They had taken gambling too far.
But she couldn't laugh, as if someone was grabbing her throat and holding her face.
In such a big city, people can gamble on anything and consider gambling as normal, integrating it into daily life. In later generations, this could be developed as a local feature in such a place, but in a country with a population of less than 40 million, this is not possible.
Xiaoliu's face also looked unhappy, "I will continue to follow Zeng Xiangyan tomorrow."
Hua Zhi nodded, "Watch more, listen more, and remember more. Don't do anything unnecessary. The current situation cannot be solved even if you reveal your identity. It may even bring greater danger. Don't take chances."
Xiao Liu agreed repeatedly. Even if he was not afraid of death, he would not drag down Sister Hua.
"Jia Yang, you stay with Xiao Liu tomorrow."
"yes."
After taking a sip of tea, Hua Zhi looked up and said, "Tell me what you found out."
"Yes." Yu Mu organized his words and said, "The Seven Stars Division has found that Jinyang's turning point occurred six years ago. Before that, Jinyang was no different from other places. They regarded gambling houses as a scourge and no one would go in. It was that year that the gambling house changed its owner. Not only did they take the initiative to settle all the previous bad debts, but they also set a rule on how much money could be borrowed. Not long after that, the two young masters of Jinyang, Li and Wu, had a big fight over the red card of Hongxilou. The competition between the two families made Jinyang panic, and the conflicts accumulated to the point of threatening their lives. Later, the gambling house connected with the two people and settled the grievances between the two families with a bet. The gambling house openly used the two people's affairs as a banker and made a lot of profit, and it was not just this time."
After a pause, Yu Mu continued, "The two families only resolved their life-and-death feud, but did not make peace. After that, they competed on various matters, such as who won the favor of the most popular person in the building, who got the script of the season first, etc. The gambling house would always be the banker at this time. According to the investigation of the Seventh House, both families received a large amount of dividends from the gambling house during this period."
"You mean, the fight between the Li and Wu families is actually a scheme set up by the gambling house?"
"Yes, then the Li and Wu families extended this matter to horse racing, and building a horse farm came about naturally."
Hua Zhi nodded slightly. She understood a little bit what was going on. She used the trick of boiling a frog in warm water and boiled the entire Jinyang City.
"No one noticed the trick? Or did those who noticed it benefit from it?"
"Yes, they all benefited."
It's really not surprising. Hua Zhi asked again, "The gambling house's backer has always been the Zhu family? It has nothing to do with Yuan Shifang?"
"Yuan Shifang was one of the people who benefited. I investigated him. He really only took the dividends and did nothing else. At the beginning, the Zhu family just took some dividends like everyone else. At that time, the gambling house was backed by the previous Tongzhi. It was only after he committed a crime and was arrested that the Zhu family had the opportunity."
"Did the previous Tongzhi check it? Are there any problems?"
Yu Musi smiled and said, "No official can stand up to investigation. The accusation against the previous Tongzhi is true."
Hua Zhi immediately understood what he meant. That's right. Every official has a bad record. It would be easy to find a crime. There would be no loopholes for people to investigate. "Who is the gambling house owner?"
"His name is Zheng Xing. He used to be a gang leader in Jinyang. Later, his gang lost a fight between two gangs and was driven out of Jinyang. Qisusi found out that they went to the capital to seek refuge with a former friend. He did have some skills and was doing very well there. Eleven years later, that is, six years ago, he returned to Jinyang. In a sense, he returned home in glory."
"Have they all been verified?"
"yes."
"He really has a strong foundation." Hua Zhi lowered her head and took a sip of tea, then asked, "What was he like when he was in the capital? Was he this...moral and well-behaved?"
Yu Mu paused, "This has not been checked yet, I will go now..."
"There's no rush." Hua Zhi interrupted him, "Write a letter to Yan Xi and ask him to come back quickly."
"yes."
Apart from Yan Xi, no one else has the ability to touch this matter. Even if Yan Xi wants to touch it, he needs to plan it out well.
Gu Yanxi, who was being missed by others, arrived at Yinshan Pass before the last ray of light left in the sky. As soon as he entered the city, he felt something was wrong. He passed through the southern half of the city, which is now the living area for the people, and rode his horse straight to the northern half of the city.
Compared to the slightly tense southern half of the city, the atmosphere in the northern half was obviously much more tense. However, judging from the fact that everything was still in good order, it was estimated that even if a war broke out, it would be a small one.
After taking out the imperial token, he was quickly brought before the unshaven-bearded Wu Yong.
"I remember winter was a truce."
"I think so too. If we hadn't been training new soldiers these days and no one was slacking off, we would have been caught off guard." Seeing that he didn't behave properly with the Crown Prince and the Seventh Consulate, Wu Yong just bowed casually as a greeting and asked casually, "Didn't the eldest lady and Shaoyao come?"
"I thought you knew."
Wu Yong looked at him.
Gu Yanxi sat casually, "Old Master Hua told her not to come."
Wu Yong stroked his forehead. Yes, Old Master Hua had sent a letter back through him. It turned out that he did not want Hua Zhi to come. That's right. The situation at Yinshan Pass is unclear now. It's best not to come here.
"It's been a drought for nearly half a year this year. We've exempted taxes in Daqing, and the people can get by by tightening their belts. But it's not the same on the grassland. I'm afraid the winter won't be peaceful this year."
"The city was breached?"
"Hold on. It won't be easy for them to break through later." Wu Yong stood up. "Let's go and show you something good."
When he arrived at the foot of the city, Gu Yanxi saw many soldiers passing by carrying buckets that were either empty or full.
Wu Yong did not explain to him, but led his men directly to the top of the city wall. The water they carried up was placed against the wall, and the soldiers left with the empty buckets. At this time, someone scooped water with a spoon and slowly poured it down along the city wall. Gu Yanxi's mind flashed, and he quickly walked over to take a look, and it was indeed as expected!