Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 188

Gu Ryong Jeon Gi (188)

After returning from Sichuan, Hwa-rin immediately sought out his nanny, So Yong-in.

“You’re finally back?”

“Yeah. How’s your health?”

“I’m much better.”

“Don’t overdo it; just rest. Take walks around the neighborhood, meet the local moms, and have fun.”

A smile appeared on So Yong-in’s face.

“I’ll take care of myself. By the way, have you seen the other princes and princesses? Are they all healthy?”

“Yeah. They’re too healthy, which didn’t exactly make me feel great. At one point, I almost killed Yeong-su in a fit of anger during a fight.”

“Oh my, you mustn’t fight. He’s still your elder brother.”

So Yong-in, surprised that he almost killed him, dissuaded Hwa-rin, advising him to get along well with his brothers, even the elder ones.

“The royal family values etiquette. Even though you’ve left the palace, you’re still His Majesty’s blood. So, get along with your brothers.”

“He needs to act like a brother first. We’re the same age, but he treats me like I’m beneath him. If Yeong-ho hadn’t stopped me, I might have made him crawl on all fours.”

“You absolutely mustn’t do that.”

At Hwa-rin’s words, So Yong-in looked startled and repeatedly told him not to do that, trying to get a promise from Hwa-rin.

“Alright, don’t worry. I won’t be seeing them anyway. And don’t worry about me; worry about Court Lady So.”

“What is there to worry about? Our Prince has grown up so wonderfully.”

“You won’t let me say anything. Anyway, take care of your health and don’t overwork yourself. Have the servants do the work, and take it easy with exercise.”

“I understand. This old woman will live to be a hundred while being sickly.”

“Why live to be a hundred while being sickly? Live to be over a hundred healthily.”

To Hwa-rin, So Yong-in was like a parent.

“It’s said that if you’re too healthy, you won’t know if a big illness is coming. That’s why you need to have minor ailments, visit the doctor often, and take medicine often to live a long life.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Longevity without illness is a thing of the past. Now, it’s longevity with illness. Of course, that’s if you have enough money to visit the doctor every time you’re sick.”

“Then, Court Lady So can use all the money in Gu Ryong Jang [Nine Dragons Estate]. Just live a long life, so you can watch me get married and have children.”

“Of course. I’ll even raise the Prince’s baby. While raising them, I’ll tell them all about what the Prince was like as a child.”

“Yeah, do that. Praise me a lot, too.”

“Yes. So, I’ll live a long, long time, so please, Prince, don’t do dangerous things and do something comfortable and safe now.”

“Alright, I will. Then rest. I have to go to Gu Ryong Ru [Nine Dragons Pavilion] and take care of work.”

“I understand.”

Until Gu Ryong Jang is rebuilt, the household members are living separately, so Hwa-rin and So Yong-in are staying in different places.

“I’ll stop by tomorrow morning.”

“I understand. I’ll prepare breakfast.”

Hwa-rin left the inn where So Yong-in was staying, told the owner to keep an eye on her, and headed to Gu Ryong Ru.

As he entered Gu Ryong Ru, there were still many people coming and going.

“But why is the atmosphere like this?”

The atmosphere seemed a bit different from when he left for Sichuan.

Hwa-rin sought out Hyuk Ji-seok, who was in charge of security at Gu Ryong Ru.

Hyuk Ji-seok came out to the entrance of Gu Ryong Ru and bowed to Hwa-rin.

“The atmosphere seems a bit different. I have a feeling it’s not good.”

“You can tell even that?”

“It’s just a feeling.”

“After the Head Manager went to Sichuan, a man and a woman visited Gu Ryong Ru, and they’ve been winning money through games ever since.”

“Are they professional gamblers?”

“No. They’re just playing normally, but they’re either lucky, or they keep winning money.”

“Then we have no choice but to keep losing money.”

“So far, there’s no good solution. So, some guests wait until they start playing, watch them, and feel vicarious satisfaction when they win money.”

“Are they playing with the professional gamblers at Gukhwa Pavilion [Chrysanthemum Pavilion]? Isn’t betting against the dealers only possible at Gukhwa Pavilion?”

“They’re playing at Nancho Pavilion [Orchid Pavilion].”

Nancho Pavilion is a place where individuals can gamble.

“Then the guests can’t bet on them.”

“That’s right. They just seem satisfied when they win money.”

“If they come to gamble and just watch, it’s a loss for our business.”

“That’s right.”

“I understand. I’ll go and see if they’re using any tricks.”

When Hwa-rin went to Nancho Pavilion, some people were sitting at the gambling tables, concentrating on their games, and others were gathered around one gambling table where the man and woman Hyuk Ji-seok mentioned were playing.

The woman was sitting at the table, and two men were standing on either side of her.

There were six people playing with her, and they were playing Jjakpae [a tile game].

Jjakpae was a game played with twenty tiles, with two tiles each of the numbers one through ten engraved on them.

The goal was to draw tiles with the same number, but if you drew tiles with different numbers, the higher sum won.

Hwa-rin also stood behind the woman and watched how she played.

“How about it, will you add more gold coins?”

When the woman asked the men, one of them threw a hundred-nyang [a unit of currency] gold coin into the middle of the gambling table without hesitation.

“A hundred nyang, fold if you’re not confident.”

The man smiled triumphantly, showing with his expression that his tiles were good.

“I fold.”

As the woman said she folded and threw her tiles into the middle of the gambling table, the others also threw their tiles in, saying they folded.

“Ah, I got a good one for the first time in a while; why didn’t you come in?”

She took the money piled up in the middle of the gambling table and spoke regretfully, but she couldn’t hide the happy expression on her face from winning money.

Hwa-rin watched for over ten rounds, but the woman never won any money.

‘She doesn’t seem to be a good gambler. How is she winning money?’

“I’ll call.”

The woman threw a gold coin into the middle of the gambling table, and the onlookers watched the actions of the people holding the Jjakpae with interest.

Three of the six people folded, and as three people put in more money, one man put in another hundred nyang, causing the man to frown and throw his tiles into the middle of the gambling table after thinking about it.

“I got a good tile for the first time in a while, but seeing you push with money, it seems like you have a better tile than me, so I fold.”

The man folded, and the woman remained, smiling brightly and adding another hundred nyang to the hundred nyang.

“That’s two hundred nyang in total.”

Hwa-rin was puzzled as the woman, who had only been folding until now, suddenly put in money aggressively.

‘It’s not that great of a tile.’

Since Hwa-rin was watching behind the woman, he could naturally know what she was holding.

When the man put in another hundred nyang, he was momentarily flustered, then added another hundred nyang to it.

“Another hundred nyang!”

At the man’s bold shout of another hundred nyang, people thought he had a really good tile, but Hwa-rin narrowed his eyes slightly.

‘Judging by his hesitation, it doesn’t seem like a very good tile.’

“Hehe, you’re so hot-blooded.”

The woman put in another hundred nyang and revealed her tiles.

The two Jjakpae had three and nine written on them.

The sum was twelve, which was neither a very high number nor a low number, but right in the middle.

“No, how can you bet four hundred nyang on twelve?”

The onlookers spoke with pity at the woman’s recklessness, but the expression on the opposite man’s face twisted.

“How did you think of coming in with twelve?”

“Let’s see your tiles.”

As the woman spoke, the man threw his tiles into the middle of the gambling table as if he had bad luck.

“Enjoy.”

The tiles the man threw had one and five written on them, so the sum was six, and the man had lost.

Seeing this, Hwa-rin didn’t think the woman was simply winning money because she was lucky.

‘When she lost money in the previous ten rounds, was it to figure out these people’s habits?’

From then on, Hwa-rin quietly observed the habits of the men, including the woman, one by one.

After another ten rounds passed, the woman won some money and lost some money, but she won a lot of money in the rounds she won and lost little money in the rounds she lost, so gold coins inevitably piled up in front of the woman.

“Ah, I lost everything again today.”

As one person lost all their money and got up, Hwa-rin asked the people for their understanding.

“Can I join in that seat and play a round?”

“Head Manager?”

In Sanyang-hyeon [Sanyang district], Seonseo Province [Seonseo province], there was no one who didn’t know Hwa-rin, so people recognized him at once when he stepped forward.

“Please do.”

Hwa-rin joined in, using the habits of the opponents he had figured out while watching from behind, and the win rate was better than he thought.

‘If you can distinguish between false and true tiles with habits alone in the gambling table, and if you have mastered mind-reading to read the other person’s mind, you can’t lose money even if you try.’

Hwa-rin roughly figured out the woman, got up from his seat, returned the money he had won to the men who had played Jjakpae with him, and said.

“I have to get up first for other business. So, have fun.”

“Are you giving this money to me?”

“Yes. Use that money as capital and try to win.”

Hwa-rin showed a smile to the woman and said.

“You seem to have won a lot, so you won’t be upset if I don’t return it to you, right?”

“Of course not.”

-Head Manager.

At the woman’s telepathy, Hwa-rin looked at her with questioning eyes.

-Would you like to have a conversation with me later?

-With me?

-I’ll tell you the details when we meet.

-Alright. Then would you like to have lunch together later?

-I would.

-I have a sophisticated palate and eat expensive food.

-Since I’m buying it with the money I won here anyway, it doesn’t matter how expensive the food you order.

-Ah, I see. Then I’ll see you later.”

As Hwa-rin left his seat, the woman sent a telepathic message to the men behind her.

-I’ve decided to have lunch with Head Manager Hwa-rin, so you guys go to Gu Ryong Pavilion first and prepare the food to be served on time.

-What kind of food?

-Order what they do best here.

-I understand.

As the two men standing behind the woman received the order and left their seats, she rolled up her sleeves and shuffled the tiles in earnest.

“Then shall we play properly?”

* * *

“Ah, there was such a method. It’s not a trick or an illegal method, so I can’t say anything.”

After Hwa-rin found out how the woman kept winning money, he told the method to Hyuk Ji-seok.

“Even so, if the guests win all the money, the guests will leave.”

“We can’t tell them not to come, can we?”

“That’s right. When I played with that woman for over ten rounds, her gambling skills weren’t that great. She has an excellent ability to observe the other person’s habits and an outstanding ability to read the other person’s emotions even with subtle changes, so it seems like we can train a few of the employees to play against her.”

“I understand. I’ll take action like that for now.”

“And since we’ve decided to have lunch, let’s have Team Leader Hyuk eat with us too.”

“Me too?”

“Yes. She said she only eats expensive and high-end dishes, so lunch will be worth eating.”