Chapter 136

Chapter 136: The Insidious and Vicious Luo Qi Wen

Facing Tang Mo’s questioning, Luo Qi Wen felt no shame and had already steeled himself.

He said, with steady humility: “It is true my family has fallen on hard times, and I will not quibble. But the Luo family is not merely my mother, my younger brother, and me. There are many clansmen and uncles, each coveting the Luo family’s ancestral house. I have labored for years to protect that house. I dare not call myself brilliant, yet I am confident I can serve at your side and be of use.”

[If only I had a scheme that could help Tang Mo accomplish something, my value would be plain.] Yet Luo Qi Wen was only a scholar. What he knew of the Marquis’s household came from what guests in teahouses and taverns said, a blur of truth and rumor he could not sort. He could only speak to what he himself had managed.

Tang Mo had intended to take him in and would not make things too difficult, so he said, cool and direct: “I have a matter at hand. If you can relieve me of some trouble, why should I not give you an opportunity?”

Several days earlier he had already set people in motion against the Tao family. By now they would have acted. But merely ruining the Tao family would not suffice, because Madam Tao had planned to wipe out him, Xin An, and Xin An’s mother in one sweep. How could he settle for repaying only one person?

Night fell slowly. Lights bloomed everywhere. Taverns and restaurants entered their liveliest hour, and the shadowed brothels and gambling dens were just as clamorous.

At the end of a narrow lane stood an inconspicuous gambling house, its frontage so small only one person could squeeze through at a time. Once inside, one saw that it was cramped without and spacious within, a world of its own. Overhead on the main floor the gamblers shouted in excitement; moments later some burst into laughter while others sighed in regret, and then a new round of wagers began.

A young master in brocade appeared, and the Tao family’s eldest son gazed at the scene with interest. This was his first time in a gambling den, and he murmured, faintly disappointed: “It does not look very entertaining.”

A round-faced man at his side chuckled and coaxed him: “Young Master has not yet tasted the fun of it. Since you are here, why not give your hand a try?”

The eldest son of the Tao family shook his head. He was the son of an official; a look would do. How could he personally take the table?

Another companion laughed and pressed him: “A small gamble relaxes the mind, a heavy gamble harms the body. Testing your luck does no harm. If Young Master feels no interest, then we will go have our turn.”

They were three in attendance. Two quickly placed bets, and in the time it takes half a stick of incense to burn, their silver had tripled. The Tao family’s eldest son felt his heart itch. With the round-faced man whispering enticement, he thought that staking a tael or two for fun would do no harm, and he smiled as he took out silver.

The three exchanged glances, then stepped lightly away and continued to place their own bets with easy smiles.

Back in the private room, Luo Qi Wen lowered his voice and offered his judgment: “Young Master, this plan of yours can only slightly vent your anger.”

Because Tang Mo had spoken plainly, Luo Qi Wen could link one thing to another and guess the origin and end. He said that the Tao family was the best route for Tang Mo to achieve his aims. “The Tao family’s eldest son is their hope. You have already seized their weak point. But in my view, Young Master has been too gentle.”

Tang Mo laughed, half teasing: “You truly believe I have ambitions for the title.”

Luo Qi Wen did not quibble over that point. He simply laid out his thought and urged a heavy hand upon the Tao family’s eldest son: “That saying about a small gamble being harmless is merely gamblers comforting themselves. With a small win, a man grows complacent, decides his luck is good, and thinks only of one more round. With a loss, his heart refuses to yield, so he digs out his stake and wagers again. Little by little he grows muddled and begins to be addicted. Then there is no shore to the sea of gambling. As long as Young Master supplies him with a constant stream of silver, he will sink ever deeper. In time the Tao family’s eldest son will drag down the Tao family, thus fulfilling Young Master’s initial aim. After that, the Tao family’s wealth will flow into your hands.”

He concluded with calm cruelty: “Once a dike is pierced, collapse is inevitable. The flood cannot be checked…”

Tang Mo regarded Luo Qi Wen anew and marveled at how insidious and vicious he was.

Luo Qi Wen was tense. This counsel was a risk. He and Tang Mo had scarcely met and had no bond of trust; to speak so frankly might mark him as cunning and treacherous. But he had no retreat left. Even a clever man needed to eat. His mother’s health was failing. His younger brother needed a quiet place to study. They had rented out half the house, and the clamor disturbed his mother’s rest and his younger brother’s studies.

After a long moment of thought, Tang Mo lifted his tea and sipped, then gave his terms: “I will see to your family’s affairs, but I will not repay your debts. The silver for your debt will come out of the Tao family.”

Luo Qi Wen rose, stepped back two paces, and bowed deeply as he pledged: “From this day on, I will do my utmost to serve at Young Master’s side, with no divided heart.”

Tang Mo smiled slightly and assured him: “If you do the work well, I will not treat you poorly.”

A banknote appeared before Luo Qi Wen’s eyes. Tang Mo said with casual authority: “Take it for your household expenses. Hire a better doctor for your mother. Since you will work for me, you must have no worries. Only one thing, keep your mouth shut.”

Luo Qi Wen accepted the banknote, and the stone in his chest finally fell: “I will not disappoint your expectations, Young Master.”

They parted one after the other. In the carriage, Tang Mo let out a long breath and felt a pang of self-reproach: [I am still too lenient.]

Back in Qiu Shi Courtyard he told Xin An what had passed: “He is firmly convinced I harbor ambitions. Where did that notion come from?”

Xin An gave him a long, complicated look, until Tang Mo grew uneasy. He rubbed his face and glanced at his hands, then asked, half joking, half aggrieved: “Is there something on my face?”

She snorted and skewered him without mercy: “There is your stupidity.” Then she explained with a kitchen parable, her tone brisk: “The servers in a noodle shop all hope the owner’s business prospers and he opens more branches, so they can see whether they might become the shopkeeper.”

“Do you think a man who has studied for years will follow a wastrel just to earn a few petty coins?”

Tang Mo saw the point and slapped his forehead: “So whether I have that ambition or not, he will make me have it.”

Xin An sat down beside him and continued with calm clarity: “He follows you because he hopes you will be ennobled. If he follows the right man, even the poultry and dogs by your side ascend to heaven. Even if you lack such ambition, he will persuade you and push you forward. Besides, he is a born schemer. Just hearing your affairs, he knows how stifled you have been. You have no grounds to claim you do not care about the title.”

Tang Mo pondered a while, then smiled: “I have been muddle-headed. He once served as a retainer next door, and even that man valued him. He must outstrip the ordinary.” He shook his head, half amused, half wary: “I acquired him too easily. It feels unreal.”

He peeked out the door, saw no one nearby, then leaned close to Xin An and murmured Luo Qi Wen’s venomous scheme. He ended with a low whistle: “My single move would only strip a bit of skin from the Tao family. His deepening of the wound makes it feel as if the Tao family cannot escape doom.”

“Tao family’s fall will inevitably implicate the neighbor,” he added with a click of his tongue. “Pull one hair and the whole body moves. The man truly is ruthless.”

Xin An shot him a sidelong glance and said, dry and practical: “Save your secret glee. You need to hurry with the remaining ones as well.”

[The shameless must be answered by the crafty. In the previous life those two complemented one another; in this life they have become opponents. The thought was almost amusing.]

Tang Mo had tasted success and would not slacken in drawing in the remaining few, yet he knew he could not rush: “I have it in hand.”