Phi-Fic Chapter 20 Willing to Cooperate
Chapter 20 Willing to Cooperate
Seeing that some people were interested, Li Mao continued, "Losing first and then winning later can lay the foundation for our cooperation. It's like paying a deposit in advance. Once it's done, we'll all benefit. Why not?"
Having said all that, everyone understood.
On the surface, they were just winning and losing at the racecourse, but in reality, they were just going through the motions by taking out their gold and spending it right under the emperor's nose.
Those who were initially unwilling to admit the existence of gold that couldn't be seen in the light of day were now deep in thought.
Li Sui picked up his teacup and began to consider the feasibility of the matter.
Although he didn't trust Li Mao, he could see that this wasn't a bad thing; on the contrary, it could benefit him.
Money that has been circumvented can be used with confidence and boldness. Even if the emperor has doubts, he can make excuses or even turn the tables on him.
The middle-aged man remained silent.
He's embezzled so much money over the years, but he doesn't have the guts to spend it openly.
Fearing suspicion that the money was obtained illegally, they reported it to the Emperor.
Even when helping relatives with their businesses, they dare not be too ostentatious and are always on guard.
I feel so frustrated!
The opportunity presented by Prince Shou inevitably caused some hesitation among those present.
As Prince Shou said, such an opportunity is rare and may not come again!
But this would be tantamount to handing over their weakness to Prince Shou, so they hesitated.
Noticing their hesitation, Li Mao spoke up again, adding fuel to the fire.
"If you gentlemen are truly worried, then let's try it once. Even if His Majesty asks, it can be your accumulated salary of many years."
These words resonated deeply with everyone.
They didn't have much money, and even if the truth came out, the Emperor wouldn't cut off their heads.
The middle-aged man looked at Li Mao, but thought of something else entirely.
With the favored Consort Wu Hui dead, Prince Shou, who had no maternal support and was out of favor, would be executed by the Emperor in his anger even if his misdeeds were exposed.
Besides, it's not like the Emperor hasn't killed his own son before.
“What Your Highness says makes sense, and I am willing to cooperate with Your Highness.”
Having thought everything through, the middle-aged man immediately stated his position.
Li Mao revealed a look of delight: "May I ask the name of this gentleman?"
"An Sishun, the military governor of Henan!"
Upon hearing the name, Li Mao was slightly taken aback.
There weren't many people with the surname An during the Tang Dynasty. After careful recollection, Li Mao remembered that An Sishun and An Lushan were cousins.
This is a wonderful surprise!
The cooperation with everyone present, ostensibly to help them, actually allowed them to secretly gain leverage over them.
As long as interests are deeply intertwined, everyone is in the same boat.
An Sishun's offer of himself gave Li Mao a new idea.
Perhaps he could secretly support An Sishun.
“Eighteenth Brother, I am also willing to cooperate.”
Li Sui spoke slowly.
The others immediately agreed and agreed to cooperate with Li Mao.
Having achieved his goal, Li Mao didn't waste any more words: "Now that the important matters have been discussed, I will take you all to select the best horses."
Inside the horse racing track.
Dozens of horses stood in one place, waiting to be chosen.
Almost all of them have glossy coats and are strong and powerful, making it difficult to choose.
Li Mao led An Sishun, Li Sui, and others over and gave a brief introduction to each horse.
"This horse was personally selected and trained by me. It is a top-quality warhorse. If it goes into battle, it will surely win."
"Five horses will be on the field each round. It won't be in the first round; you can place your bets in the second round."
With the matter made so clear, how could anyone not understand?
"Your Highness, the time is almost up."
The servant beside him whispered a reminder.
Li Mao nodded slightly and then went with the others to the stands to place bets.
The various horse racing betting options dazzled the crowd, but Li Mao's explanation helped them understand how to play.
An Si-shun cautiously placed a small bet on gold.
Seeing this, Li Sui immediately doubled his bet.
Once everyone had finished placing their bets, the game began.
Under Li Mao's special arrangement, the spectacular match thrilled everyone.
Unsurprisingly, they lost the first game, losing the gold medal.
Just as Li Mao had predicted, the officials took the gold they had won in full view of everyone.
As dusk fell, An Sishun and the others finally stopped, satisfied.
Li Mao personally escorted them out of the racecourse.
"Welcome to visit again next time."
After seeing everyone off, Li Mao boarded a carriage and returned to the Prince of Shou's residence.
After the first attempt, Li Mao no longer needed to intervene, and An Sishun and others placed bets wildly.
A few days later, those who had agreed to cooperate in the secret room that day all secretly sent a gift to the Prince of Shou's residence.
Li Mao accepted the money directly, but he was also curious about how much the officials had contributed, so he ordered someone to bring over the account book.
The servant in charge of accounting brought the ledger to Li Mao and respectfully said, "Your Highness, these are the accounts of the bets placed by the various officials over the past few days."
Li Mao flipped through two pages and couldn't help but gasp.
They're all corrupt officials after all!
At first, the adults were quite cautious and didn't place large bets, but after only two days, they couldn't resist trying larger amounts!
With just a few adults by his side, Li Mao earned over five million strings of cash through cooperation.
It's easy to imagine how much gold they embezzled!
Fortunately, it was a secret collaboration; otherwise, if his cheap father, the emperor, had found out, Chang'an would have been ravaged by bloodshed.
Meanwhile, within the Imperial City, at the Imperial Household Department.
The candlelight flickered, and Gao Chen's face was half-hidden in darkness, his eyes burning with rage.
For several days, he tried to slander Prince Shou in front of the Emperor, but Xianglan always interrupted him. If it weren't for that bitch, how could the Emperor have let Prince Shou live so freely!
The sound of the door opening broke the silence, and Xiao Xizi walked in with a happy face.
"Eunuch Gao, I have heard some good news today."
Governor Gao was in a bad mood and asked coldly, "What is it that makes you so happy?"
"Many military governors participated in the equestrian competition held at the Prince of Shou's racecourse. I became suspicious and secretly investigated for several days, and finally found out the problem!"
Xiao Xizi spoke with a lively expression and a light tone.
Gao Chen kicked Xiao Xizi to the ground and urged impatiently, "Hurry up and talk! If you don't get to the point, we'll teach you a lesson!"
Xiao Xizi hurriedly knelt down and bowed, not daring to say anything more.
"Several military governors who went to participate in the equestrian competition gave gifts to the Prince of Shou's residence. I suspect that the Prince of Shou and the military governors are colluding with each other."
Gao Chen was overjoyed upon hearing this and suddenly stood up.
"Good! We've finally caught Prince Shou red-handed!"
"By colluding with the military governor, His Majesty will not let Prince Shou off easily this time, and we will finally be able to avenge ourselves!"
Xiao Xizi flattered, "Eunuch Gao will surely win the Emperor's favor even more this time, and then Prince Shou will be nothing more than your defeated opponent."
"Get up, I'm in a good mood today, go and prepare a pot of good wine for me."
Gao Chen did not immediately report to Li Longji.
As it was already late at night, Li Longji had already retired to the Xianglan Palace.