Chapter 6: The Journey to Luoyang (3) - The Swindler Lü Rui

  As dusk approached, Cao and Lü Bu arrived at the famous winehouse, Luoyang Baixiang Tower, under the protection of a line of guards. The Luoyang Baixiang Tower was located on the main road outside the city walls of Luoyang, situated in the most prosperous commercial street of Luoyang. After leaving the imperial city, it was about one mile straight ahead to reach the Baixiang Tower. Originally, the Baixiang Tower was a place for Eastern Han emperors to monitor their officials, but unfortunately, with the decline of the Han imperial power, it had become a place for the current powerful officials to indulge in pleasure.

  The coachman stopped the carriage, and Cao Cao and Lü Bu got off. Before their eyes was a large gate sign with gold lettering that read: "Great Han Dynasty's Qiao County Cao Family Meng De, Luoyang Banquet for Friends from All Directions". The most famous rich man in Chinese history is Shi Chong of the Western Jin dynasty, but since the late Eastern Han dynasty, China's aristocratic families had begun to compete with each other in wealth. This can be seen from the way they treated their guests at banquets. In the late Eastern Han dynasty, gate signs were significant at banquets. They first showed off the host's identity and the reason for inviting guests, and secondly, the gate sign was funded by the host, arranged by the restaurant, and after the banquet ended, the gate sign did not belong to the host but belonged to the restaurant, to show off the restaurant's taste and level. The fact that a certain noble had been to this restaurant was a living advertisement!

  Cao saw the gate sign and exclaimed in his heart, "Cao Zhong, you're a family wrecker! You threw a banquet and made such a big gate sign. Is this how you spend my money? I'm Cao Mengde, after all!" In fact, Cao's banquets had always been of this scale, but back then he was young and using his father Cao Song's money, so he didn't care. Now that he's an adult with his own land and family property, it's his own money being spent, how can Old Cao not feel the pinch? He decided on the spot to deal with Cao Zhong when he gets back!

  However, Cao is unable to show it now. After getting off the carriage, Cao still smiled and greeted everyone, then picked up Lü Rui and walked straight to the best private room in Baixiang Building, Tianxiang Pavilion. At this time, Cao's good friend Yuan Shao and others had already arrived.

  Cao held Lü Rui and walked up to the attic, every time they went up a floor, Cao's face changed. Ben Chou thought that this was going to be a disaster for themselves. Originally, they had booked the Baixiang Building, and Cao thought it was just Ben Chou and his group having dinner with him. But when he saw the guests, Cao was stunned. Nai nai, Yuan Benchu had actually invited all the officials from the yamen in Luoyang where he used to be the Bei Duwei, this wasn't a simple gathering of aristocratic young masters, it was Cao being treated to a flowing water banquet by Yuan Shao, anyone who had any connection with Cao in Luoyang was invited, only those who were not of high enough status ate downstairs, while the aristocratic sons were upstairs.

  Cao Cao arrived at the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, where Yuan Shao and others were already waiting for him. Seeing everyone, Cao Cao smiled wryly: "Ben Chu, gentlemen, Cao Mengde greets you." After finishing speaking, he cupped his hands in greeting to show respect to everyone.

  Yuan Shao, the leader of this group of heroes, naturally knew that this time it was Cao's turn to be slaughtered, and he also returned a gift: "Meng De, long time no see, Meng De is even more spirited."

  Lü Bu jumped down at this time and pulled Yuan Shao saying: "Uncle Benchu, Rui'er is also here."

  Yuan Shao looked at the lovely Lü Rui and nodded, saying: "Haha, Rui'er is also here, good, Meng De, Rui'er, take your seats, we can start the banquet now."

  As soon as Yuan Shao finished speaking, Cao led Lv Rui to the main seat in the Tianxiang Pavilion, which was the best private room on the third floor of Baixiang Building. It faced directly opposite the large stage where Baixiang Building's performances were held, and the entire building could be seen at a glance. At this time, under the Baixiang Building, there were horses and carriages coming and going, with some pulling fine horses, others pulling big yellow cows, some dragging big yellow dogs, some carrying tiger skins, and some wrapped in fox fur. There were also various servants carrying many rare treasures. Of course, the most beautiful scenery was a house on the right side, where there were many beautiful young maidservants. These were not businesspeople or service personnel from Baixiang Building, but rather betting chips used by the sons of wealthy Han families for gambling. Lv Rui had come specifically for these things.

  The banquet began soon, and the dishes at Bai Xiang Lou were varied and exquisite. There was Golden Pheasant, Saliva Chicken, Python Soup, Wild Wolf Bone, Roasted Whole Sheep, Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix, and so on. Each dish was cooked by the most skilled chefs of today, and every bite was delicious, making people drool. Lü Rui looked at the rich dishes and didn't care about his image anymore, he started eating wildly until he was stuffed, then stopped. Cao also drank with everyone, after about an hour, the food was all enjoyed, and the main event began - gambling and entertainment, the most important part of the gathering of the Eastern Han aristocratic young masters!

  Before the entertainment began, Yuan Shao first represented the guests in thanking Cao Cao for his hospitality and said some words of praise for him, winning applause from the guests. It's only right to give a round of applause when you're eating and drinking for free! Yuan Shao was tall and majestic, with a handsome appearance that was out of the ordinary. His speech was also magnetic, having the air of a great man. In comparison to Cao Cao, Yuan Shao was the taller, more handsome one, while Cao Cao was short, fat, and ugly. No wonder they could become good friends - people at opposite extremes often appreciate each other!

  The gambling began soon, and there were many ways to gamble at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Everyone started to attack Cao Cao in turn under Yuan Shao's hint, although Cao Cao was also a big gambler, he had been losing battles for a long time, losing more than winning, and hadn't done these activities for a long time. Moreover, Yuan Shao and his men were well-prepared, each using their own strengths to fight against Cao Cao, and this was the inevitable result.

  Soon, Cao lost half of the wealth he brought with him. This time, Cao was really heartbroken. The banquet had already cost him a month's worth of pocket money, and now that he had lost even more money, he was truly bankrupt. Yuan Shao looked at Cao from the side and laughed, saying: "Meng De, you used to be one of us spoiled brats, but today your performance is really subpar."

  Cao cursed in his heart, thinking that Ben Chou was not the one who had harmed him. He thought to himself, "Hmph, I will definitely find an opportunity to take revenge." Cao smiled and said, "Ben Chou is joking, it's all because of my youth and ignorance, which made everyone laugh at me."

  At this time, Lü Rui suddenly became excited and said: "Uncle Zhong, I also want to play, I also want to win something!"

  Lü Rui made a commotion, and everyone looked at Lü Rui. Yuan Shao smiled and said: "Rui'er, do you want to play too? Do you have any capital for gambling? What are you going to use as stakes?"

  Lü Rui listened, took out a bag from his bosom, poured it out and said: "There is, Uncle Ben, here is the jade pendant I got from the Cao family, the night pearl, the Warring States dagger, and the top-notch jade necklace." Then, Lü Rui poured out all the things he brought with him from a small bag, and Yuan Shao and others just smiled at Lü Rui.

  Yuan Shao rubbed his nose and said, "Alright, since Rui'er wants to play, Benchu will accompany you. Rui'er, what do you want to play? Choose one item, put up a stake, and Benchu will play a round with you."

  Lü Rui rolled his eyes, then took out a jade pendant and said: "Ben Chubaba, this is the jade pendant given to me by my grandfather Cao Song. I'll use it as a bet, let's gamble on the arrow throwing game!"

  Yuan Shao burst out laughing, and the other guests also laughed. Lü Bu actually wanted to play a game of "tou hu" with Yuan Shao. Could Lü Bu really hit the target? Tou Hu was a popular game in the Eastern Han Dynasty, where a pot was placed at a certain distance in front, and individuals would stand behind a red line and throw short arrows into the pot. The person who hit the most targets within three throws would win. If it was a tie, the distance would be extended, and another three throws would be made until a winner was determined. The short arrows used for Tou Hu had iron heads, bamboo bodies, and peacock feathers at the tail. To increase the difficulty of the game, the arrowheads were usually quite large and heavy, making it difficult for children under the age of three to throw them far. Wasn't Yuan Shao bullying a child?

  Yuan Shao looked at Lü Rui and then smiled, saying: "Rui'er, you're still young. If I compete with you in archery, it would seem like I'm bullying you. How about this? You can shorten the distance by half and we'll have a competition. What do you all think?" Everyone expressed their agreement.

  Yue Ruiyi heard that Yuan Shao was indeed a good face, in order not to let others say he bullied a child, so he let Yue Ruiyi half the distance. Hehe, Yuan Benchu, since you let me, don't blame me! Yue Ruiyi cupped his hands and said: "Thank you, Uncle Benchu!"

  Yuan Shao glanced at the crowd, then took out a jade pendant and said: "Rui'er, I'll use this as a bet and play a game of touhu with you." Yuan Shu saw the jade pendant that Yuan Shao had taken out and his eyes lit up. This was the Young Master's jade pendant from the Yuan family. It seemed that Yuan Shao was somewhat drunk or overly confident to have brought it out.

  Han Fu immediately took out a contract and said, "I'll put up this jade Ruyi as collateral for Ben Chou's win!" Han Fu, a fellow student of the Yuan family, immediately came out to support Yuan Shao. Next, Yuan Shu took out a tiger skin, Xu You took out a dagger, and the other young masters also took out many precious treasures to bet on Yuan Shao's victory, of course no one supported Lü Rui.

  Yuan Shao looked at his own bet, then glanced at Cao and said: "Meng De?"

  Cao said with an unchanged expression: "Since that's the case, I'll take out a precious horse to bet on Rui'er's victory!" As soon as Cao finished speaking, a servant from the Cao household led in a precious horse. Cao didn't have any hope in his heart anymore. Since he had already lost so much, this time he might as well lose thoroughly. Anyway, it was good that Lü Rui was happy; being happy was most important. Today, he was thoroughly defeated. Alas, Cao Mengde, the great bully of the past also has a day like today.

  Betting in gambling has its own rules. In the Eastern Han, proving one's prestige was not about how much one betted oneself, but rather about others' support for oneself, which is what later generations called "pledging treasures". These treasures represented other people's support for both sides of the gamble. If one side lost, the treasures pledged on him by others would be acquired by the winning side.

  Yuan Shao saw that all the bets were on the table, and then he drew lots with Lü Bu to see who would throw first. In the end, Yuan Shao got the right to throw first, while Lü Bu chose the way of competition, choosing each person to throw once, and whoever threw more short arrows into the pot would win.

  After deciding on the order and method of throwing, Yuan Shao came to the scene, then started throwing. Yuan Shao picked up a short arrow, threw it, and surprisingly missed. Everyone laughed, and Yuan Shao's posture made it clear that he was letting Lü Bu win, intentionally missing on purpose.

  Yuan Shao glanced at all the guests, then revealed a contemptuous expression, and with a casual throw, two short arrows in a row entered the pot, which brought a burst of applause from the guests. Yuan Shao then looked up at Lü Bu on the building and said loudly: "Rui'er, Uncle has finished throwing!"

  Lü Rui heard Yuan Shao's words and shouted loudly, "Yes, it's my turn!" Then he ordered Cao Zhong to carry him downstairs. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Lü Rui jumped down and ran towards the red line in a staggering manner. Halfway through, Lü Rui accidentally fell down, causing the guests to burst into laughter. Yuan Shao saw this and also started laughing, saying "Rui'er, slow down, slow down!" Cao, on the other hand, covered his face with his hands, shook his head, and thought to himself, "Lost again! Lost a precious horse!" As he thought of this, Cao touched his chest.

  Lü Rui stumbled and staggered to the finish line, but although Yuan Shao had already halved the distance, there was still a ten-meter gap between them. For a three or four-year-old child, it was still very difficult. All the guests were watching Lü Rui, waiting to see how this little guy would lose to Yuan Shao.

  Lü Rui steadied himself, then picked up three short arrows. With a whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, the three arrows flew into the pot one after another. The room fell silent, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop on the floor. Even the waiters stopped moving. What? Did he really make it in? Wasn't he seeing things? Lü Rui had actually made all three shots! He won this round of competition!

  Lü Bu saw himself being thrown in, then immediately ran to the betting table and started collecting bets. All the bets on Yuan Shao winning, Lü Bu put into his own pocket. While collecting, he shouted: "Cao Zhong, why don't you hurry up and come over to help your young master collect things!"

  Cao Zhong heard Lü Rui's words and reacted, then fawned and said: "Coming, young master!" Then he led a group of servants to collect the bets. Lü Rui was smiling and hugging some of the most expensive things, like Yuan Shao's jade pendant!

  Cao couldn't help but burst out laughing, Rui'er, you're too awesome, you actually won! The outcome of the wager on the precious horse didn't matter to Cao, but this one breath of air, he had to fight for it. Lü Rui gave himself a boost of confidence and vented his anger! It's truly refreshing! On the other hand, the people from Yuan Shao's side had ugly expressions on their faces. Yuan Shao was filled with regret, his young master's jade pendant had actually lost, how would he explain this when he got back? The others sighed in dismay, originally thinking that if they won the precious horse, Yuan Shao would convert it into silver and divide it among everyone, but now everything they had wagered was lost. It's like trying to steal a chicken but ending up losing the rice instead.

  Lü Rui happily took the thing upstairs and sat back beside Cao, while Yuan Shao and others also returned to their seats, preparing for the next round of gambling. Yuan Shu stared at the jade pendant in Lü Rui's hand, smiled and said: "Rui'er, how about this? Uncle Gonglu will play a game with you too. You can choose the way of betting, and can we use that jade pendant as a bet?"

  Lü Bu held the jade pendant in both hands, then looked at Cao Cao and then at Yuan Shu. Cao Cao turned his head to one side, this kind of thing had nothing to do with him, children's affairs were still left for children to handle, and letting Ben Chou lose face was also a delightful thing. Lü Bu stroked the jade pendant, showing a reluctant expression.

  Yuan Shao glanced at Yuan Shu with a serious expression, his eyes filled with dissatisfaction: "The leader?" He was the young master of the Yuan family and the future heir, how dare Yuan Shu challenge his authority?

  Yuan Shu glanced at Yuan Shao, waved his hand and said: "No need, big brother, you compare with Rui'er instead." After finishing speaking, he sat back in his own seat. This made Lü Rui quite surprised - was this really the historically famous Emperor Yuan Shu? The one who was considered a fool in the era of Three Kingdoms when heroes emerged? His tactics were so deep, it seemed that historical records also had their discrepancies.

  Yuan Shao turned around and smiled at Lü Bu, saying: "Lü Bu, you see, the jade pendant that Ben Chun's uncle lost to you is very important to him. He wants to redeem it back. What do you want? Or I can exchange another jade pendant for you?"

  Looking at Yuan Shao's eager expression, Cao secretly laughed to himself. Ben Chou, Ben Chou, see how you get out of this one? If Rui'er doesn't return it to you, you can't fight with a child over something, especially not in front of all the people of Luoyang who are watching this banquet.

  Lü Rui furrowed his brow, looked at Yuan Shao, and seemed to be on the verge of tears. He said to Yuan Shao: "Uncle Benchu, but I really like this jade pendant." After finishing speaking, he pouted his mouth.

  Yuan Shao was really anxious at this time, if Lü Rui were to cry out loud, Yuan Shao's face would be utterly lost. He had already lost the jade pendant and was arguing with a child, making him cry, and then snatching it back? If Yuan Shao lost face like that, he would lose it all the way home. As the young master of his household, he absolutely had to redeem the jade pendant; otherwise, if the elderly people at home found out, he would be in for a scolding.

  Yuan Shao accompanied by a smiling face said: "Rui Er, you see, this is just a piece of jade pendant, if you give it to Ben Chu Bo Bo, Bo Bo can give you all the things he brought today." After finishing speaking, with a wave of his hand, Yuan Shao's steward handed over a book, which was all the stakes that Yuan Shao had brought today.

  Lü Rui looked at the booklet, then helplessly said: "Since that's the case, okay, a gentleman doesn't take away what others love. Ben Chu Bo Bo, return the jade pendant to you, I'll just take these bets away."

  Lü Rui handed the book to Cao Zhong and said, "Cao Zhong?" Cao Zhong immediately took over the book and said, "Understood, young master." Then he led his men downstairs to count the bets.

  Yuan Shao saw Lv Rui like this, and suddenly understood that he had been deceived by Lv Rui. His entire stake was gone, but Yuan Shao couldn't get angry and could only say: "Thank you, Rui'er." Then he took back the jade pendant.

  Cao watched from the side, not daring to laugh out loud, could only hold it in, but his heart felt extremely relieved, today's loss was still worth it. Yuan Shao had no more bets, and the banquet's betting game didn't have much meaning anymore. Later, Lü Bu continued the betting game with other young masters until midnight before ending. Lü Bu won some things from the young masters, but also lost the precious items in his small bag.

  The next day, in Han Fu's mansion, the steward looked at Han Fu and stuttered: "Master, yesterday, the Night Pearl that was won back is fake."

  Han Fu immediately jumped up and said: "What?" Then he took over the night pearl to take a look, and it was indeed a fake.

  At the same time, other young masters also discovered that what they had won back from Lü Rui were fake goods. These things were not treasures, but rather counterfeit goods that Lü Rui had bought while strolling around Hu Lou Guan. No one had expected that Lü Rui would cheat in the wager, but now it was a done deal and there was no way to change it. You couldn't just go to his door and say "Lü Rui, your things are fake, give us back the real ones."

  This dumb loss was only eaten by the young masters of the Shi family, and everyone gnashed their teeth at Lü Rui, issuing a voice: Lü Rui, swindler, big swindler! At this time, Lü Rui was in the Cao Mansion, happily counting the rare treasures he had brought back. This time, he made a big profit!