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New Rule, Assassination (3)
T/N: Translated by Jen on Broken Jinsei! Please do not repost my translations! All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
One can’t blame these living ancestors for being that obsessed. Things that were exciting, fun, and lively really weren’t easy to find. Moreover, although this matter had gambling involved, horse racing nevertheless was still something elegant. However, this also wasn’t something anyone can organize. Because it was too profitable, one might accidentally incur the dissatisfaction of those in power and might also cause many people to be jealous. Jin Qinwang however reside in a very special position. No one was able to easily touch him. Additionally, Jin Qinwang had a lot of money, so one completely didn’t need to worry about him fixing the matches for the sake of money. This, in a certain sense, can be considered fair and impartial. This was something others can’t achieve, and whether it was losing or winning, it didn’t completely rely on luck either.
Because of these various factors, this matter, even if others want to imitate, it was all impossible.
While these people were eagerly wishing for there to be a horse race everyday, the next race completely didn’t have any news, so didn’t they precisely have to harden their head and come visit.
“Some of the rules are currently being revised. If there’s no other mishaps, then the time should be set on the first, eleventh, and twenty-first of every month. The overall situation, you all can also listen to, and that is in the future, all won’t send out invitations anymore. Those that have the desire to let one’s own horse compete can all go to the estate to sign up. The number of matches each time will also be set as ten. The winner of each match will then race again, thus in total, eleven matches. Aside from those gambling on the horses, the top three will all be rewarded. When time comes, all the horses that have registered will receive a number, and lots will be drawn to see which horses will participate. Each horse must wait at least two races before competing again. Of course, if at a certain time, the number of horses is less than a hundred, then lots won’t be drawn. Additionally, the horse’s owner will also be kept anonymous.
Aside from the horse races, there will also be equestrian performances. Regarding this bit, in essence, it’s more or less just like plays, merely just providing for everyone to watch.
Afterwards, on the second, twelfth and twenty-second, the tracks will be opened to people to settle ‘personal grudges’, roughly just two sides battling it out.
Overall, it’s just these. The detailed rules and such will go through further refinement.”
“Wangfei, according to your meaning, anyone can sign up and participate?”
“Naturally, no. The specifics, we will properly coordinate.” These people looked down on merchants by nature. If merchants were to be pulled in now, they will probably greatly complain, but it’s not like this matter didn’t have any space to work around. After all, merchants were wealthy, so it would be a pity to let go. Moreover, for the sake of avoiding mishaps, the bets will also be restricted. As long as it involved ‘gambling’, there will always be people that will disregard everything, bankrupting the family, ruining the home. Sure enough, the ‘membership system’ still needed to be brought out, first having the family wealth investigated clearly, arranging corresponding ranks, setting the maximum amount of money for a bet based on the ranks. For those that aren’t in the rankings, no matter how wealthy, still can only bet within the smallest range.
Jing Wan accidentally just became distracted. Sure enough, she was also quite obsessed with money.
Of course, when Jing Wan was telling Li Hong Yuan this, Li Hong Yuan just said she was too soft-hearted, never seen anyone running a casino even restricting the amount of money for a bet.
Jing Wan retorted that she was running a horse track not a casino.
Li Hong Yuan just gave her the words: ‘purely just deceiving oneself’.
Alright, regardless whether it was deceiving oneself or not, the bottom line one ought to have, one should still have.
However, these people won’t care about the rules and such. To be able to receive the answer they wanted was more than enough. Just, only three times a month, isn’t that a bit too few? Alright, the horse tracks weren’t theirs, so this bit, they completely didn’t have the power to question. “Then, it’ll be starting from the first of next month?”
“But there’s only two days left, will there be enough time? How about just postponing until the eleventh? It’s almost the Dragon Boat Festival too.”
(T/N: Dragon Boat Festival occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month.)
TN: All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
“There’s still time. How can there not be enough time? It also won’t overlap with the Dragon Boat Festival either.”
Jing Wan helplessly laughed, “Alright, then this matter, will trouble you all to go tell the others. As for the first of next month, no matter what, just treat it as playing around.”
“Don’t worry wangfei, just leave this matter to us. We promise that on the first, it will also be lively and packed.”
On other matters, it may not necessary be as such, but on this matter, each and every one of them were all extremely passionate, not needing a single copper of ‘advertisement fee’. In an extremely short amount of time, the people in the capital that should know about this matter all knew. And outside Jin Qinwang’s estate, a long line directly formed. Although the horses weren’t seen, but each person had at least one, and on the higher end, it can even be seven to eight. Just that night, Jing Wan received the final number of registered horses, already exceeding three hundred.
Jing Wan looked to Li Hong Yuan, “I really underestimated the people of the capital. At such a time, playing around like this, are they not afraid of angering his Majesty? It might not matter for you, but the others, it’s hard to say. If they get thoroughly sorted out by his Majesty, will our horse tracks have to close up?”
“Doesn’t matter, when time comes, I’ll just go ‘plea’ for them.” Li Hong Yuan said quite calmly.
Was it going to ‘plea’ or specifically going to ‘anger’? Jing Wan once again lit a candle for Le Cheng Emperor.
The memorandums accusing Jin Qinwang of misconduct, sure enough, reached Le Cheng Emperor’s imperial desk the next day. Speaking of which, the people that submitted the memorandums weren’t necessarily just wanting to deliberately go against Li Hong Yuan. It was ultimately still just them loyally carrying out their duties. Having sat onto that position, towards those things in the capital, they ultimately can’t just ignore.
The area between Le Cheng Emperor’s brows violently pulsated, but considering the past and the future, he still had this matter pressed down, pretending to not know.
Some court officials originally were even prepared to console Le Cheng Emperor. At present, the war was still going along well. If all entertainment were to be banned, wouldn’t that be like ‘singing our decline in war’? And towards stabilizing the people, it would also be greatly unfavorable. Besides, the ‘precious horses’ that the various families raised, that for the most part weren’t in the ranks of warhorses. As such, there was no need to mind this much.
From this, it can be seen exactly how formidable the living Enma’s might was, where even the court officials were helping to persuade. It’s just that the outcome of biting onto Jin Qinwang and not letting go was far more serious than just letting him do whatever he wanted. The Bai family was the best example. Even though for the Bai family, they only have themselves to blame, the reasoning was still this reasoning. Even if the top of the head wasn’t green, it can still ‘become green’. And this matter may not necessarily require evidence. Just by making up some rumors, one can bring about a destructive blow. One has to know, because of the Bai family’s matter, quite a few men became particularly suspicious, especially families that just have a sole heir, nearly causing an incident for real. Moreover, for certain people, after investigating, they really did discover ‘problems’ in their rear court.
Just, his Majesty sure enough favored this son, not even needing the court officials to help absolve. Clearly the flames had already risen, yet he didn’t explode. Not only not punishing Jin Qinwang, even the court officials didn’t get reprimanded by Le Cheng Emperor for having an unfilial child at home.
At such a time, for nothing to happen, it instead felt a bit off.
However, not everyone had masochistic tendencies, so for things to be peaceful, it was naturally the best.
Towards this kind of outcome, the living Enma expressed that it was still somewhat regretful.
Under this kind of circumstance, the first horse race after renewing the rules was held in full swing. Seeing that scene, who would feel that Qi Yuan’s borders were currently in the midst of war.
And because of the new rules, for those that didn’t understand horses, when betting, it was just completely relying on their guts and luck. Of course, prior to the race, all the participating horses were actually all put on display first. If there’s a ‘Bo Le[1]‘ among them, then sorry, they were destined to win. Of course, the premise being that there weren’t two horses that were more or less the same unfortunately getting put in the same match, and the one that was further regarded just happened to have a bit of problem. Then sorry, ‘Bo Le’ that lacked luck can only just accept one’s bad luck.
As the saying goes, ‘a fine steed was common, but Bo Le was not common’. Those that truly understand horses can make out the good and bad at a glance. After all, those were only a few among a minority.
As such, on this day, there were several millions of taels of silver flowing through, with more than half entering Jin Qinwang’s pocket.
Just look at how easy this money was earned.
[1] Bo Le – A horse connoisseur during the Spring and Autumn Period.
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