The Prince Regent said, "What does a bit of money matter if it's lost? Proving you're not always victorious is more important than this sum."
I replied, "No one is always victorious, especially in jade gambling. Seventy to eighty percent is luck. If it's black sand, it's eighty to ninety percent. If you ask me, you should cut your losses, just open a window to recoup your initial investment."
The Prince Regent said, "No, I must cut it. Give me a single cut right in the middle, a cut to decide life or death!"
Seeing I couldn't dissuade him, I asked Master Zhang to cut it for him.
Master Zhang said nothing, fixed the stone on the machine, and began cutting.
The rough material was hard, as could be heard from the machine's hum, indicating fine and dense quality – a superior piece.
The Prince Regent listened to the sharp whine of the machine with smug satisfaction, as if the rough stone was about to transform into a gem worth billions.
I remained impassive. I would rather see this stone turn out to be a dud, even if it meant earning a reputation for not being always victorious, than for it to be a superior piece.
After a while, the machine stopped. I watched the Prince Regent personally rush over to Master Zhang, eagerly taking the cut stone and frantically wiping the cut surface with a cloth.
From a distance, I saw the cut surface was very beautiful. The color alone was a high green, not to be exaggerated as Imperial green. I truly felt a pang of unfairness that the Prince Regent had guessed right, that I had missed a great opportunity.
I walked over, shone my flashlight on the cut surface, and felt a surge of delight. I said, "Congratulations, Prince Regent. This is already Imperial green. Aren't you going to give our masters red envelopes?"
The Prince Regent was also excited and declared loudly, "Of course! Ten thousand for everyone present, a share for all."
With that, he had his subordinates take bundles of cash from his handbag and gave ten thousand each to Master Zhang, Wen Siqiang, and the few security guards.
I said, "Now that the red envelopes are distributed, why don't you take a good look in the sunlight? Perhaps there are more surprises."
He looked at me hesitantly, trying to decipher my meaning.
Sensing a hidden implication in my words, he picked up the stone and examined it for a long time. The exhibition hall's lighting was poor, making it impossible to discern anything definite. He then took it to the main entrance to look at it in the sunlight.
I saw his expression change repeatedly. His previously joyful face contorted into a grimace. Suddenly, he threw the stone onto the ground, ran over to me, grabbed my clothes, and said fiercely, "Are you playing with me?"
I gently removed his hand and replied with a smile, "Heaven knows, this was a pure blind piece. I didn't even rub the surface. How could I be playing with you? But I did warn you to cut your losses. You didn't listen, wanting to find an Imperial crack. You can't blame others."
This rough stone had no issues with its texture or color. Earlier, when I used my light, I saw fine cracks within the jade. It was impossible to carve pendants or bracelets from it, not even beads.
Without a light or under strong illumination, it was completely undetectable. That's why he thought it was a treasure indoors earlier, happily giving out tens of thousands in red envelopes, only to find it worthless in the end.
I walked over, picked up the stone, and handed it back to him, "We don't allow littering here. Please take it outside."
He glared at me angrily, spread his hands, refusing to take it. I handed it to Wen Siqiang and told him, "Please escort our distinguished guest out and dispose of their treasure in the trash bin."
Wen Siqiang took the stone and made a gesture for them to leave.
The Prince Regent said, "Li, you're formidable. Just you wait!"
I cupped my hands and replied, "Rest assured, I'm ready to serve you anytime!"
The Prince Regent, enraged, exited the building, not forgetting to turn back and glare at me resentfully.
I remained calm and smiled at him, guessing he probably wanted to kill me right then.
After seeing off the Prince Regent, I felt it was time for Principal Sun to make his appearance.
They would not leave me in peace today, not because of their character.
I just didn't know if he would come in person or spend a fortune to bribe Wu Guodong to send people to cause trouble.
I thought he might change his approach, as he hadn't gained any advantage in the previous two encounters.
I stood at the entrance watching Wen Siqiang escort the Prince Regent out, then he came back to report to me.
I said we should still go to the jade gambling area to check if there were any developments.
Today's main event was the open-cut jade and rough stone gambling. The open-cut jade was over, and the main battlefield was the rough stone area.
Before we arrived, I could hear a commotion inside, with people arguing.
My heart sank. Was someone causing trouble? My mind was full of Principal Sun and the Prince Regent. Any disharmonious sound made me suspect they were behind it.
Wen Siqiang and I quickened our pace, rushing into the exhibition hall to see what had happened.
A large crowd had gathered inside, with several people arguing loudly. From their tone, the atmosphere was highly charged, with the possibility of an eruption at any moment.
I asked Wen Siqiang to go into the crowd and find out why they were arguing.
Our security guards were also inside. It seemed the argument was too intense for them to mediate.
Someone nearby said it appeared two people had taken a liking to the same stone and were bidding against each other. Both sides had come in groups, and the argument between two people had escalated into insults between two factions, attracting most people to watch the spectacle.
At this point, Wen Siqiang came out and told me, "These two quarreling factions are both locals from Ruili. They operate on the streets and belong to different gangs. They claim to be here for jade gambling, but they're actually here to cause trouble."
My mind stirred. They had animosity, would they come here to cause trouble for no reason? There must be something fishy going on.
I parted the crowd, and with Wen Siqiang, we squeezed into the center of the throng. Finding the two confronting each other, I stood between them and said, "Two gentlemen, could I have a word?"
They were in the middle of a heated argument. My sudden interruption made them stop and look at me. They said in unison, "Who do you think you are, to make us listen to you?"
I was surprised by their complete agreement. I quickly bowed and said, "Gentlemen, please just listen to this humble subordinate. I am the manager here. You two are arguing, and everyone else is neglecting to look at the stones. We are only open for two days, and we cannot afford to waste time. I implore you, gentlemen, to give me some face and let everyone disperse. I will recommend two rough stones to you, guaranteed to yield product. We will buy them outright. I dare not promise riches, but giving the boys some red envelopes will be no problem."
The two men were already tired of arguing. Hearing my words, one of them asked curiously, "You dare guarantee product?"
I replied, "I dare not promise high green, but I can guarantee at least glutinous ice bean green."
The other said, "With your word, I can't be bothered to argue with him anymore. It's pointless. It's more fun to gamble on a stone."
Seeing they were calming down, I quickly called them and led them out of the crowd's encirclement to look at the rough stones.