"Naturally, the talks fell through." Seeing that Zheng Xiu had a clear understanding of officialdom, Qing Shisan felt a secret admiration and shrugged. "But Dou Jiuyi, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, is no benevolent soul either. While Lord Blade was just going through the motions with him, Dou Jiuyi has spent the last two months making a lot of trouble for him, both openly and behind the scenes."
"Right then—heh, what a coincidence—an old, travel-worn couple entered the city."
"Xiaoyao Square has three tiers of games: 'Heaven, Earth, and Human.' From top to bottom, they correspond to the wealthy, the common, and the poor. As long as you have an acquaintance to get you in, even ordinary folk can go inside and try their luck."
"The husband in the couple was a gambling man. He spent a little silver to pull some strings and get into Xiaoyao Square, hoping to use his last bit of money to turn his fortunes around and establish a foothold in the Imperial City all at once."
