Chapter 24: You Set Me Up, I Set You Up

“What do you mean it’s my turn? I never agreed to anything.” The two fools hurried to sign the promissory notes, but had Shen Shi promised anything? Not a word. If Shen Shi were even a little bit kind, he wouldn’t gamble or sign, and at worst, the two brothers would be out a little interest. But if not… well, that would be another story.

The moment Shen Shi refused to lend, Gongsun Ce immediately signaled his attendants—if a fight broke out, as the young master of the Gongsun family, he wasn’t afraid of anyone. Meanwhile, Kong Xueli was delighted; not gambling was the right choice.

But the Qian brothers were another story. They were on the verge of exploding with rage. “What did you say? You’re not betting? We borrowed eight hundred, and now you say you won’t bet? Today, you’re betting whether you want to or not. If you don’t…”

Qian Shengwen remembered how Shen Shi had knocked him out with a single punch, thought better of it, and didn’t finish his threat. “If you refuse, you’ll just have to pay the interest yourself.”

“Why should Shen, my good brother, pay the interest on money you borrowed?” Kong Xueli immediately retorted, as though reasoning would be effective.

“Well? Are you going to gamble, or pay the interest?”

The Qian brothers couldn’t have cared less about Kong Xueli. Despite his surname, he wasn’t from that Kong family.

The little fox was even more direct; she’d already cast a spell, though she disliked using the fox tribe’s charm magic.

Yet Shen Shi stopped her. He said, “I never said I wouldn’t gamble.”

“Shengwen, Master Shen comes from a general’s family—he’d never back out of a challenge. You really underestimate him,” Qian Shengju interjected quickly, both to pressure Shen Shi and to urge the gambling house to prepare the promissory note before things could change.

“Manager Qu, hurry up and write the note. Don’t delay our wager.”

Of course, Manager Qu was happy to oblige; as long as there was collateral, the gambling house would lend to anyone.

Once the note was ready and handed to Shen Shi, everyone watched him anxiously. He looked it over, then declared calmly, “I’m willing to borrow, but I have a condition.”

“What condition?”

“My family’s house was bestowed by Emperor Taizong himself. Two thousand seems a little paltry, don’t you think?”

“How much do you want to borrow, then?”

“Five thousand.” Shen Shi held up his hand.

“What?”

A collective gasp.

“One house for five thousand? That’s impossible. Even a prince’s mansion wouldn’t fetch that price.”

The gambling house refused outright.

“That is truly a pity. I’d like to borrow, but the gambling house won’t oblige,” Shen Shi sighed theatrically.

The Qian brothers looked as though they’d just swallowed something foul, their expressions ever-changing. After a moment, Qian Shengju said, “Brother Shen, don’t joke. No house is worth five thousand.”

“Are you mad with greed? That dilapidated house of yours—two thousand is too much!” Qian Shengwen shouted.

“That’s truly a shame. The house was bestowed by the emperor. If I bring in less than five thousand, my father would kill me,” Shen Shi insisted.

Qian Shengwen was about to retort, but Qian Shengju stopped him. He understood now—an imperial gift. Who would dare claim it wasn’t worth five thousand?

“Manager Qu, lend him the money,” Qian Shengju commanded.

“But…” Manager Qu hesitated. Even a prince’s mansion wasn’t worth five thousand; what difference did an imperial gift make? Business was business—they wouldn’t lose money.

“It’s an imperial gift,” Shen Shi repeated.

“Manager Qu, lend him the money. If the worst comes to pass, I’ll cover the interest,” Qian Shengju guaranteed.

With a guarantor, Manager Qu no longer objected and quickly rewrote the note for five thousand.

This time Shen Shi was about to sign—no tricks—until Kong Xueli intervened, blocking his hand and exclaiming, “Brother Shen, you can’t use your family’s house as collateral. That would be unfilial!”

Shen Shi explained helplessly, “Brother Kong, our house is dilapidated—hardly worth five thousand. I only need two thousand for the wager; the other three thousand is surplus. With that, I could move to the capital and live comfortably.”

“Huh?” Kong Xueli had only thought about not selling the ancestral home, never considering if Shen Shi was selling at a high price.

Selling the family home to move to the capital was like selling property in a small town to buy in Shanghai or Beijing—a good deal by any measure. Seeing it was a sound decision, Kong Xueli had no reason to object further.

As Shen Shi signed his name, he instructed the gambling house, “Just give me three thousand—twenty in small coin for spending money.”

At last, he added with mock solemnity, “My father always dreamed of moving to the capital; now I can finally grant his wish.”

The Qian brothers were furious—practically beside themselves!

They’d set out to swindle Shen Shi, but in the blink of an eye, they’d become his benefactors.

“Wait!” Qian Shengwen bellowed, so agitated he choked on his own breath and had to compose himself.

“What is it, Second Young Master Qian?” Shen Shi looked at him, wide-eyed and innocent as a fool.

But anyone who understood Shen Shi’s plan knew he wasn’t the fool—the Qian brothers were.

“Second Young Master Qian, have you changed your mind about betting?” Shen Shi asked.

“What do you mean, not betting? I just think two thousand is too little—I want to raise the stakes!” Qian Shengwen blurted.

“Raise the stakes? By how much?”

“Three thousand. Let’s bet five thousand!” Qian Shengwen was intent on ruining Shen Shi.

“Five thousand? Do you even have five thousand? Weren’t you borrowing just now?”

Qian Shengwen glared, sneering, “How we get the money is none of your business. You think we’d renege?”

Shen Shi sneered back, “Spare me the nonsense, Qian Shengwen. A fair wager requires a proper stake. If you can’t put up the money, I can refuse your raise.”

The Qian brothers had been plotting against Shen Shi all along—why should he make things easy for them? Eight hundred was a small price for them, not even enough for a decent house in the capital. But five thousand was a different matter.

Their wealth came from timber, but most of their money was tied up in the business. Massive ship keels, once felled, had to cure for ten or twenty years; the money stayed locked in the wood, since no one would risk building a keel from green timber.

Did the Qian family have five thousand in liquid assets? Shen Shi didn’t know, but in his modern memory, expecting a company to suddenly produce twenty million in cash (five thousand was roughly twenty million in modern terms) would strain even the healthiest business.

And that was just the interest—not even the principal.

Shen Shi had guessed right.

The Qian brothers couldn’t summon that kind of money. The original two thousand was actually cash their father had given them for a timber purchase—just enough to temporarily ensnare Shen Shi. Even then, the younger brother had lent out eight hundred just to show off. The only money truly theirs was the paltry two hundred and fifty they’d dangled as bait.

If they could have put up more, they wouldn’t have borrowed from the gambling house. As for asking their family for funds?

They wouldn’t dare. To come home after gambling so recklessly and ask for more—surely their father would beat them with a stick.