Chapter 20: A Lesson for the Arrogant

As expected of the scion of a slave-catching family—his very first words were extraordinary. Without preamble, he made straight for the second-floor private rooms.

This was something neither the original Shen Shi nor Kong Xueli could ever hope to match. Though one hailed from a distinguished military family and the other shared a surname with a sage, in the end… it amounted to nothing.

Those two were nothing but penniless commoners, fit only for the main hall on the first floor.

Now that a wealthy young heir had spoken up about going to the second floor, what more needed to be said?

They hurried upstairs and found the second floor surprisingly crowded today, with thirty or forty people gathered. Shen Shi recognized some of them; after all, he had once frequented this place often.

In truth, this was a small social circle for the idle sons of the Song dynasty’s elite.

“Ah, Young Master Shen, it’s been a while since we’ve seen you.”

“Brother Li, you’re here too.”

“Haha, Young Master Shen, you haven’t come these past days—we’ve really missed you. We thought you’d sworn off gambling.”

It had been nearly half a month since Shen Shi was last seen, and they genuinely believed he had given up gambling. No one imagined that, for just a meal of beef, he had nearly ended up behind bars.

“Not at all…”

Shen Shi greeted everyone with a cheerful smile. He wasn’t there to gamble, only to broaden his horizons, but in a place like this, it wouldn’t do to say he wasn’t gambling. Coming to a casino and claiming not to gamble—was he here to cause trouble?

At that moment, an unpleasant voice rang out: “Well, well, Young Master Shen has finally emerged from seclusion. What a rare occasion.”

The curtain of a nearby private room was lifted, revealing two men with square, coffin-like faces—the Qian brothers, Qian Shengju and Qian Shengwen.

Shen Shi felt a wave of annoyance; why did he have to run into these two everywhere? They were truly a blight on his day.

Qian Shengwen grinned maliciously. “Young Master Shen was quite the spectacle yesterday. What’s this? Triumph in love, and now here to win big in the casino?”

He laughed, the sound grating and unpleasant.

Qian Shengju chimed in, “Brother Shen, I heard you’ve caught the eye of the Marquis’ daughter. I thought you’d be sleeping in till noon.”

“Brother! Sleeping in? Our Young Master Shen is… incapable. Didn’t he flee in panic just yesterday?”

Qian Shengwen couldn’t resist hurling the cruelest insults at Shen Shi. Yesterday, Shen Shi had simply outshone them all, stealing every bit of their glory.

At these words, many in the room burst out laughing.

Casinos were rife with such crude jokes. Though this one was particularly vicious, it wasn’t directed at them, so of course they found it amusing.

With a loud thud, Shen Shi answered without a word—he punched Qian Shengwen square in the face.

Everyone was stunned; no one expected Shen Shi to strike Qian Shengwen right off the bat.

Shen Shi had the physique of a cultivator, while Qian Shengwen, slight and scholarly, was floored by a single blow.

Lying on the ground, blood at the corner of his mouth, Qian Shengwen glared up at Shen Shi with venom in his eyes. The scene grew chaotic. “Brother, are you alright?” Qian Shengju rushed to his sibling’s side, protesting, “What do you think you’re doing, hitting people like that?”

Their gambler friends, eager to take their side, started to chastise Shen Shi as well.

“What do I want? More like what do you want?” Shen Shi ignored the others, fixing Qian Shengju with a cold stare. “You think making a bit of money in timber gives you license to act superior? Indulge in your airs all you like; you’ve got the wealth for it. But for the sake of your pride, you mock me day after day, and now you insult my manhood? If I didn’t beat you, would I still be a man?”

The room fell silent.

Indeed, Qian Shengwen’s words had been too vicious—no man could endure such an affront.

By now, the casino staff had arrived, ensuring the situation didn’t escalate further. Qian Shengwen’s beating was for nothing.

He picked himself up, wiped the blood from his mouth, and spat on the ground.

“Fine! My brother’s words were out of line. You landed your punch, and we accept it.”

The Qian family had money, but no intention of provoking the casino. Even leaving the casino aside, Shen Shi and Gongsun Ce represented a military family and a slave-catching house; if things turned violent, the Qians stood no chance.

There was no point pursuing the matter here. They would have to seek their advantage elsewhere.

“Young Master Shen, you’ve come here to gamble, haven’t you?” Qian Shengju prodded deliberately. With the casino staff looking on, it was even harder to claim he was simply there to observe.

“What are you getting at?” Shen Shi asked.

“A simple wager of win or lose is too trivial. Let’s play something more refined today,” Qian Shengju proposed.

Shen Shi sneered in disdain. “Refined? You? Not to look down on you, but you hardly belong in such circles.”

“Refined”—wasn’t that just a ploy to avoid a beating? These two, so desperate to flaunt their literary airs with poetry wagers, dared to speak of refinement? Did they think too highly of themselves, or did they take the scholars of the great Song for fools?

A flash of shame and anger crossed Qian Shengju’s face. “Circles are there to be built. I’m planning to establish a poetry society… but that’s none of your concern. So, do you dare wager with me or not?”

He couldn’t understand why Shen Shi had grown so biting; he was never like this before. No, he had to bring Shen Shi down a notch.

Shen Shi chuckled quietly.

A bully, indignant when his victim finally fought back, accused him of arrogance? “Heh,” was all Shen Shi could muster.

“I just want to wager with you. What’s wrong—afraid?” Qian Shengju, oblivious to the meaning behind Shen Shi’s laugh, pressed on.

“Oh, I see now. You don’t just want to trample me; you want to trample the entire Shen military clan. All so you can make a name for yourself and your little poetry club, isn’t that right?” Shen Shi looked at the Qian brothers, a cold smile playing on his lips.

Seeing his intentions laid bare, Qian Shengju’s face twisted with irritation.

The Song dynasty did not look down on merchants, but the scholar-officials would never truly accept them—especially not in the upper echelons of literary society. And though Jinhua lacked a true elite scholar circle, there was the Shen military family.

In the Song dynasty, how did scholars make a name for themselves?

First, through literary talent—something the Qian brothers lacked.

Second, by provoking others—the more prominent their target, the greater their own renown.

To challenge the military aristocracy was doubly advantageous: it was politically correct—no one would side with the soldiers—and martial men held little real status. Even the most renowned general, Di Qing, was ordered about by minor officials. The Shen family, a declining military house, made an easy target.

As merchants, the Qians risked nothing and had everything to gain.

It was only Shen Shi’s recent stint in prison that set him apart.

But no matter. Once his arrogance was squashed, all would return to its proper order. Did a mere man of the sword dare swagger in the Song dynasty?

After considering all this and failing to see any flaw in his reasoning, Qian Shengju finally opened his mouth to speak…