Fortune-Telling Is All Guesswork

In Chang'an City, there lived a fortune teller named Ding, whose predictions were incredibly accurate.

Although they weren't close, this was someone the new emperor knew well, and he was aware of Rong Tianding's background.

In the eyes of the new emperor, Rong Tianding -telling was undoubtedly a swindling and deceptive tactic, capable only of fooling the ignorant.

But Rong Tianding was able to keep up his deception without ever being exposed, and the new emperor was very curious about what gave Rong Tianding the confidence to do so.

You can't put all your eggs in one basket. The new emperor has indeed gone all in these past two days, and his mind is in turmoil. He doesn't know whether Zhang Xuezhou produced two hundred pills or more.

Unable to contain his anxiety, the new emperor also wanted to have his fortune told.

He rode off with two Imperial Guards, pressing the iron helmet covering his face down even further.

Rong Tianding is not hard to find; such a person, whose reputation is so good by word of mouth, can be found simply by asking a passerby.

As usual, the other party set up their stall at the brothels where wealthy people liked to seek pleasure.

"Yue Xian Si Lan Fang!"

The new emperor raised his head and glanced at the name on the plaque of the brothel.

The brothel was luxuriously built, with some structures comparable to the imperial palace. The new emperor had never been to such a place of pleasure before, but now he had made a rare visit.

It wasn't unusual for someone dressed in armor like him to appear in a brothel; the new emperor even saw several of his colleagues who were taking a break from the peak season.

They'll likely spend some time here, and when it's time to go on duty, they'll simply put on their armor and head out.

After paying an entrance fee of three hundred and a half taels of silver, the new emperor, accompanied by two Imperial Guards, ascended the high platform where Rong Tianding was located.

This elevated platform offers a panoramic view of Silanfang, where you can also watch the girls from Silanfang perform music, dance, and sing from time to time.

Those with money could climb to the high platform to get a better view of the people, while those without could simply listen to the commotion from below.

This simple design also distinguishes those who are just joining in the fun at Silanfang from those who are truly wealthy.

The new emperor glanced at the women dancing in the arena, then looked at where Rong Tianding was.

Rong Tianding's business was clearly doing well; he was still telling fortunes at this time.

"That's all I can say with a hundred and a half taels of silver; saying anything more would be a waste!"

"If you're right, I'll add another hundred and a half taels of silver!"

"I'll tell you if you pay more; if I'm wrong, I won't take a single penny!"

"This is one hundred and a half taels of silver!"

"Then I'll say another hundred and a half taels of silver, come closer and listen!"

Rong Tianding whispered a few words in the ear of the wealthy fortune teller, which immediately caused the man's expression to change.

"I'll add another three hundred and a half taels of silver, I want to hear it..."

That's all I can say!

Rong Tianding clearly didn't want to say anything more, and even when the wealthy businessman offered more money, he didn't accept. Instead, he told the businessman that he could only say so much, and if he wanted to have his fortune told again, he would have to wait until the next day.

What kind of tactic is this?

The new emperor didn't quite understand at first, but he placed himself at the back of the line in order.

Rong Tianding's fortune-telling time was not long; he only waited a moment.

When the new emperor pulled up a stool and sat down, he saw that Rong Tianding had changed.

"My lord, my Physiognomy Technique are limited. Your face is covered, so no one could possibly recognize you!"

The new emperor had just pointed to his mask as a gesture when Rong Tianding politely declined.

This left the new emperor speechless.

"I'll add more money," the new emperor said.

"Even with more money, it won't work," Rong Tianding shook his head. "Making money is a small matter; it wouldn't be good if I ruined my reputation by forcing you to do face reading!"

I didn't expect you to be so particular!

The new emperor felt around in his pocket, then took out a two-ounce piece of broken gold and placed it on the table.

"Not enough," Rong Tianding. "If you want to force a face reading with money, this amount isn't enough!"

Is this enough?

The new emperor reached out again and placed a Little Jin weighing ten taels on it.

"I've already paid a hundred times more than others, so you should at least be able to examine my face," the new emperor said.

"Your face reading is far too difficult," Rong Tianding shook his head and said, "Even ten times more difficult wouldn't be unusual!"

"Alright, alright, I'll multiply it tenfold, let's see what you can come up with!"

"Since you're willing to pay a hefty sum for a fortune telling today, I'll go all out and do it for you!"

After exchanging a few words with the new emperor, Rong Tianding couldn't help but take another deep breath.

The new emperor gave a slight snort. He didn't want to be taken advantage of, but given the current level of discussion, escalating the issue was only natural.

He wanted to see what Rong Tianding could come up with.

Gold ingots were taken out one after another and placed on the table, attracting a group of wealthy merchants and minor officials who were watching the song and dance on the high platform to gather around and watch the excitement.

"Get out of the way!"

"Don't block my master's view!"

The two Imperial Guards snorted repeatedly, grabbing and shoving, driving those who entered the cordon back outside the perimeter. This drew curses from the crowd, but no one dared to approach within half a zhang of the cordon, since the two Imperial Guards were covered in iron armor and could neither be pushed nor defeated.

What does the guest want?

"I don't need you to tell me what I want to predict today. Let me see if you have the ability to make accurate predictions!"

The new emperor glanced at the gold ingots on the table, then looked at Rong Tianding.

"Then I'll write a character, and the guest can see if it's accurate. If it is, then we can discuss further!"

Rong Tianding took out a bamboo slip and wrote the character 'medicine' on it. This caused the new emperor's expression to change, and he was momentarily puzzled as to why Rong Tianding had guessed it so quickly.

"Since you guessed correctly, I'd like to ask if this medicine will work?"

The new emperor frowned, then asked directly.

"It's difficult to guarantee success if you entrust something to someone else," Rong Tianding said slowly. "Entrusting yourself to the wrong person will inevitably lead to trouble. It depends on whether the person you've entrusted is reliable!"

"This..."

If Zhang Xuezhou were reliable, the new emperor wouldn't have bothered to ask about physiognomy.

He gambled half his money on the Office of the Inner Clerk. The new emperor was well aware of the average success rate of those people in the Office of the Inner Clerk, so what he gained would only be higher than he had estimated.

But the new emperor truly couldn't grasp Zhang Xuezhou's true nature.

"He can be reliable at times, but he can also be unreliable at others," the new emperor said after pondering.

"It seems that the success of this medicine depends three parts on skill and seven parts on luck," Rong Tianding replied. "If things go smoothly for you recently, sir, the medicine will surely be successful!"

"What if things don't go smoothly?" the new emperor asked.

"If things don't go well, you can only gamble," Rong Tianding said. "Gambling has a 70% chance of losing, 20% of the time, and 10% of the time you win. Are you going to have your gambling luck tested here, sir?"

"Yes!"

"Add more money!"

Rong Tianding's demand for more money was swift and decisive, leaving the new emperor bewildered as they exchanged glances, realizing that Rong Tianding was raising the price at a crucial moment.

But he really wanted to know the outcome of the bet.

How much?

"How much you add is up to you. If it's a small token, one and a half taels of silver is enough; if it's a big token, there's no limit!"

Rong Tianding held out his hand, indicating that the new emperor could take money as he pleased, and he wouldn't care whether the new emperor gave more or less.

"Will answers based on heartfelt sentiments be accurate?" the new emperor asked.

"It depends on how much the customer values the outcome. If they do, I'll put in more effort," Rong Tianding said. "But I must make it clear beforehand: in gambling, there's a 70/20 chance of loss, 20/20 draw, and 100/10 win. If the customer doesn't remove their mask, it exceeds my limit for fortune telling. What I say is also a 30/70 chance, and I can't guarantee it will be accurate!"

"Oh!"

Rong Tianding's attitude perhaps reflects the new emperor's current mood.

He looked at Rong Tianding, who had a calm expression. Regardless of Rong Tianding's abilities, the other party's mentality was indeed very good.

If the new emperor hadn't known that Rong Tianding had no interest in an official career and only wanted to assist Zhang Xuezhou in managing the household affairs, he might have even considered grooming him.

He reached into his waistband and took out two Little Jin ingots. When he touched them again, his expression changed.

If he didn't take the official gold ingots, he had already taken all the Zhongzheng circulating Little Jin Little Jin from his Great Heaven and Earth Pouch.

After a few seconds of silence, the new emperor pointed to the gold ingots on the table, and then looked at Rong Tianding.

"Then let's say it's a life worth twenty taels of gold!"

Rong Tianding gritted his teeth and prepared to directly try and bring home a beautiful wife.

Although the person in front of him was wearing a mask and speaking in a low voice, Rong Tianding was not a cultivator who recognized appearances.

From the way the new emperor sat down on the stool, to the other party's reluctance to remove his mask, and then to his extravagant act of taking a hundred-tael gold ingot, Rong Tianding had already made a rough judgment.

The word "medicine" he wrote had multiple meanings. It could mean that the other person's family member was sick and needed medicine, or that the other person needed medicine. Rong Tianding never thought that the other person was actually making elixirs.

Thinking back to what someone in the brothel had mentioned about the imperial court transporting dozens of cartloads of medicinal herbs out of the city, Rong Tianding vaguely guessed that it was true.

Thinking of the newly built Alchemy Chamber in Shanglin Garden, Rong Tianding could even guess who that reliable yet unreliable person was.