Chapter 0010: First Encounter

As the dealer lifted the bowl, people focused their gaze and immediately erupted in curses, for the dealer had rolled three sixes, winning everything.

The shopkeeper's expression was unpleasant, but with so many people around watching, he could not act unreasonably. Reluctantly, he exchanged for the young man in white. The shopkeeper slowly reached into his bosom, from which he retrieved a delicate silk pouch. Opening it, he took out a dragon coin.

Liu Xiu had the same intention, pushing his way through the crowd to the gambling table, where he placed the five copper coins he held on the table, betting small just like the young man.

In the next round, the young man in white still bet on the small number. Many people, out of habit, continued to follow his lead and bet on the small number as well. When Liu Xiu also wanted to bet on the small number, Long Yuan once again tugged at his sleeve

During the Han Dynasty, silver was not yet a universal currency; it could only be considered a precious metal that could be sold for money

After counting, Liu Xiu did not expect that in such a short time, he had actually won over a thousand coins, exchanged for three turtle coins, and still had more than two hundred copper coins left

Liu Xiu walked from Caiyang to Xiangyang, consuming only two pieces of dry food along the way. Now, smelling the fragrance in the air, his stomach ungratefully grumbled incessantly. However, upon checking his pockets, he found himself in a state of financial embarrassment.

The speaker may be indifferent, but the listener is attentive. Both Liu Xiu and Long Yuan felt a jolt in their hearts, and their gazes towards Li Tong revealed a hint of peculiarity.

Although Long Yuan's attitude was somewhat arrogant, Li Tong still cupped his hands in salute and then said with a smile: "The surname Long is quite rare. If I remember correctly, a notorious criminal that the court recently put on the wanted list also has the surname Long. Coincidentally, that wanted criminal, like Brother Long, has a scar on his forehead, though the shape of the scar is somewhat different."

The young man in white, Li Tong, turned his gaze and looked at Long Yuan beside Liu Xiu, smiling as he asked, "Who is this?"

Longyuan had no money on him either. He looked around and noticed a casino not far away. His eyes lit up, and he tugged at Liu Xiu's clothing, whispering, "My lord, let's go play a few rounds at the casino"

When the dealer lifted the large bowl, the three dice inside showed four, four, and five, which is a large number

Looking at Liu Xiu's back, Liu Yan shook his head helplessly. When at home, the third brother was quite obedient to him, but why did he become so opinionated once they were outside

Liu Xiu smiled and walked out of the casino together with the young man in white. Once outside, the young man in white looked at Liu Xiu with a smile and said: "Your gambling skills are quite remarkable! May I ask your esteemed name?"

In a casino, if you lose money, no one will care about you, but if you win money, especially a substantial amount, it will not be so easy for you to leave

Long Yuan, after careful observation, whispered softly in Liu Xiu's ear: "This person is a master; Your Highness may follow him to place your bets"

Liu Xiu had never been to Xiangyang before, and this time, having the rare opportunity to visit, he naturally wanted to explore the area thoroughly. He and Longyuan did not dare to venture too far, instead wandering around the vicinity of the registration office

Upon seeing the shopkeeper take out the dragon coin from the pouch, even Liu Xiu, who was not far away, couldn't help but take a few more glances. It was the first time he had seen what a dragon coin looked like.

Having interacted with Longyuan for quite some time, Liu Xiu has come to understand him. Longyuan is a person who never exaggerates, especially when it comes to discussing himself, where he tends to downplay things, often saying two when he means one

Those who originally followed the young man in white to place bets lost everything, and the sound of curses was incessant. Two others lost all their gambling funds and, filled with indignation, stood up to leave. Before departing, they did not forget to glare fiercely at the young man in white.

Upon hearing Longyuan's reminder, Liu Xiu, who was in high spirits, immediately calmed his mind. He ceased to continue betting, gathered all the copper coins on the table, wrapped them in his clothing, and turned to leave.

Liu Yan still does not understand his younger brother well; Liu Xiu has always been a person with strong opinions and ideas

Liu Xiu blinked his eyes, then smiled and said, "Let's go, we will try our luck at the casino"

The image is not a photograph; it can only provide a rough representation. Moreover, Longyuan currently has a full beard, which makes him quite different from the image. Nevertheless, Li Tong still associated him with Longyuan

Liu Xiu followed the young man in white and successfully placed bets three more times, each time winning. His five copper coins thus transformed into eighty coins

As the young man in white was about to escort the prisoner again, Liu Xiu was preparing to follow when someone gently tugged at the back of his garment.

The currency circulating in the market is either gold or coins

He had just finished exchanging when the young man in white approached. The amount of copper coins he had won was far greater than that of Liu Xiu. He wrapped them in a large piece of cloth, and when he placed it on the counter, it made a dull thud sound.

He had a sudden thought and decided to change all the bets originally placed on the small copper coins to the large ones

The young man in white looked at Liu Xiu with a profound gaze, his eyes inadvertently revealing a hint of astonishment

He believed that his gambling skills were quite advanced, but unexpectedly, in Xiangyang, he encountered someone who was his equal, and judging by their age, they seemed to be similar.

The registry office is located in the county government, and naturally, there are many shops nearby. Taverns and inns line both sides of the street, with each building being luxurious and imposing, and the aromas wafting from within are enough to make one's mouth water

The five copper coins in Liu Xiu's pocket cannot buy much with today's prices, let alone gamble at a casino

The two of them walked to a nearby gambling table, peering inside. Several individuals were seated at the table, each with a small mountain of coins piled in front of them

The farmer lifted the large bowl that covered the dice, revealing three dice showing 1, 1, and 2, totaling four points

If he claims that his gambling skills are quite good, then he must be exceptionally skilled

What did you say? Liu Yan did not quite hear Liu Xiu's mumbling

I am Liu Xiu

Only five copper coins, yet the surrounding gamblers did not even glance at Liu Xiu. However, the young man with delicate features raised his head and looked at Liu Xiu. The two locked eyes for a moment, exchanged smiles, and then averted their gazes.

I am Long Zhongbo!" Long Yuan casually cupped his hands in greeting

Dragon currency, weighing 8 taels, circular in shape, inscribed with the character for dragon, named 'Bai Zuan', valued at 3,000

The Pi currency is quite unique, made from the skins of white deer raised by the royal family, with a maximum denomination reaching 400,000 coins, making it extremely rare

Understanding in his heart, Liu Xiu wanted to bet more copper coins, but Longyuan still pulled at his clothes

Liu Xiu understood that his elder brother was acting in his best interest, but he did not wish to live his entire life under his brother's protection. He murmured softly, "Once I achieve military merit, even if you do not promote me, the county magistrate will promote me!"

My name is Li Tong. Liu Xiu and the young man in white each introduced themselves and then exchanged courteous bows.

Upon opening the package, it contained both copper coins and turtle coins. The shopkeeper, after taking a look, could not help but show a look of surprise. Just as he was about to ask the young assistant to count them, the young man in white nonchalantly waved his hand and said: "No need to count, these should be more than enough to exchange for a dragon coin, right?"

Long Yuan smiled at Liu Xiu and said, "My lord, my gambling skills are quite good"

Liu Xiu and Long Yuan arrived at the casino. The casino was not very large, yet it was quite crowded inside. Looking around, one could see a throng of people, a sea of black heads, with the noise deafening, and the shouts rising and falling in succession.

Seeing Liu Xiu leave, the young man in white also ceased gambling, gathered his coins, and followed Liu Xiu away

Upon witnessing this, a hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the young man in white, and he could not help but look up at Liu Xiu

"It's nothing, big brother, I am just going to stroll around nearby with Uncle Zhong." After saying this, Liu Xiu dashed away.

Coins are further divided into many types, with copper coins being one type, in addition to white gold coins and leather currency

What surprised Liu Xiu the most was that the young man did not wager much each time, yet he managed to win seven or eight times out of ten bets. After just a few rounds, the pile of coins in front of him had grown significantly.

The dealer watched the backs of the two as they departed, narrowing his eyes, a glint of malice flashing in his gaze. He cast a sidelong glance, and the assistant standing not far away immediately understood, quickly running off with hurried steps.

Liu Xiu looked at Longyuan with a sense of helplessness, took out a money pouch from his belt, opened it, and poured out five copper coins

Liu Xiu walked to the counter where the shopkeeper was, placing all the copper coins he had won on the counter to exchange them for more portable turtle coins. One turtle coin is worth three hundred coins, making it much more convenient to carry than copper coins.

Upon seeing the results, there were both cheers of joy and curses of frustration around the gambling table. Even Liu Xiu displayed a smile on his face, reclaiming his ten copper coins along with the winnings.

The "white gold" referred to by ancient people is different from modern white gold; it is an alloy of silver and tin. The dragon coin is worth 3,000 coins, the horse coin is worth 500 coins, and the turtle coin is worth 300 coins

This young man, similar in age to Liu Xiu, appeared to be around twenty years old. He was dressed simply in a white cloth garment, yet he possessed striking features, with clear brows and bright eyes, and a face as refined as jade. Amidst a group of rough and burly gamblers, he stood out distinctly and seemed somewhat out of place

Xiangyang is a large city, bustling and lively within its walls

Liu Xiu displayed a look of surprise, her thoughts shifted, and she decided to give up; she would not place a bet this time

Liu Xiu looked at the one hundred and sixty copper coins he had won back, and the smile in his eyes grew even brighter

Seeing the expressions of the two, which seemed somewhat unnatural, Li Tong smiled and waved his hand, saying: "I was just speaking casually, I hope Brother Liu and Brother Long won't hold it against me"

The young man in white weighed the dragon coin in his hand, examined its quality and patterns, and confirmed that it was indeed genuine. He nodded slightly, casually tucked it into his pocket, and said, "Thank you."

After two rounds, the person betting alongside the young man in white was on the verge of losing his underpants. In contrast, Liu Xiu suffered no losses at all

The white coins are further divided into three types, known as the three grades of white gold, namely the dragon coin, the horse coin, and the turtle coin

After Wang Mang took power, although he implemented a series of monetary reforms and introduced several new currencies, the intrinsic value of the new coins had significantly depreciated. Meanwhile, the old currencies from the Western Han period continued to circulate widely among the populace, including the copper coins (Wuzhu coins) and silver coins from the Western Han era.

In the following rounds, the young man in white and Liu Xiu won several more games in succession, and the stakes in front of Liu Xiu continued to accumulate. As people began to follow their lead and place bets alongside them, Long Yuan leaned in close to Liu Xiu and whispered: "Your Excellency, it is advisable to stop at an appropriate time"

As he spoke, he turned and walked outside. Passing by Liu Xiu, he smiled and asked, "Are you not leaving, brother?"

Liu Xiu and Long Yuan observed for a while, and both noticed a young man at the same time