Chapter 989 - 991 Rigging the Draw_1
It didn’t take much thought to deduce that the manager must have been bought off by Li Dan, or perhaps he was already part of Elder Wei’s sect.
It would be difficult to manipulate the difficulty of the account books without arousing the suspicion of the judges, but there was definitely something fishy going on.
Either Li Dan had already seen the book he got and knew the many places that needed correction, or it was as Bai Ruozhu had initially thought, much of it had been prepared in advance, or perhaps marked secretly.
Bai Ruozhu whispered to Jianqi, instructing him to have someone keep an eye on that manager.
The account books were displayed, and all the competitors rushed to look at them, each hoping to get an early look at the contents to formulate a plan, counting on the chance that they might draw the very book they had considered, thus speeding up their completion.
Bai Ruozhu watched the account books but noticed that the manager slipped away quietly.
The person Jianqi had arranged to follow did so discreetly, not alarming anyone.
Soon, the dark guard returned and quietly told Bai Ruozhu, "My lord, he’s slipped an abacus into the mix; be extra cautious."
Bai Ruozhu nodded slightly, a cold smile forming inside her, "So they’ve tampered with the abacus as well, always a plan B when plan A fails. Too bad they don’t know I don’t need an abacus!"
After inspecting the account books, naturally, not all the books were of equal difficulty; some contestants secretly prayed to draw one of the simpler ones.
After the time to inspect the account books ended, the previously mentioned manager brought out a small box containing slips of paper for the contestants to draw lots.
The light in Bai Ruozhu’s eyes flickered slightly as she spoke again, "Elder Qu, since it’s a drawing of lots, why not let the slips be placed in the box while everyone watches, to make it all the more fair?"
Li Dan, not far away, had a fierce look flash in his eyes as he spoke, "Bai Ruozhu, why do you have so many issues? Are you afraid to lose to me and too scared to compete? If you’re afraid, just scram, and stop picking faults with the organizing committee."
Bai Ruozhu, squinting her eyes at him, saw that Li Dan wasn’t as impulsive as he seemed; his words, though seemingly spoken in anger, were laced with a threat, clearly meant to aggravate Elder Qu of the organizing committee against her, eventually disadvantaging her.
The more he behaved like this, the more it indicated that there was an issue at hand.
Bai Ruozhu scoffed, "Li Dan, what’s the hurry? Didn’t you just say that I manipulated relationships for the Competition in Jiangnan? Now it’s only right to let everyone see clearly so no one can falsely accuse me afterward. I don’t mind really, as long as it doesn’t tarnish the reputation of the Wuyuan City Commerce Association."
Li Dan found himself outmaneuvered by Bai Ruozhu and his expression darkened even more, "Humph, I naturally trust that the Wuyuan City Commerce Association wouldn’t do such a thing. Stop trying to sow discord here."
The manager also expressed displeasure, saying, "The lots are drawn by ourselves, how can there be any manipulation?"
Bai Ruozhu ignored him and instead looked towards Elder Qu, saying, "I have heard that Elder Qu is the epitome of fairness, surely my proposal isn’t too much to ask for?"
Elder Qu’s gaze flickered and he finally nodded. The Manager Su beside him panicked, "Elder Qu, we can’t let ourselves be led by the nose!"
Elder Qu glanced at him with a hint of suspicion in his eyes, sensing that Manager Su’s reaction was a bit too strong.
He turned to another person who seemed to be his disciple or attendant and said, "Xue Rang, open the box, take out the slips, show them to everyone, and then throw them back into the box."
Xue Rang swiftly snatched the box from Steward Su’s hands, took out the slips of paper inside, unfolded them one by one, and showed them to everyone.
Bai Ruozhu sneered inwardly. She didn’t believe there was nothing wrong with the lottery; otherwise, why would Steward Su’s face be so pale? And why were Li Dan’s fists clenched so tightly at his side?
Suddenly, Xue Rang’s brow furrowed, and he turned to his master, Qu Lao, "Master, there’s one number nine slip missing."
The crowd began to discuss among themselves. All the participants were experts at settling accounts; how could anyone be so foolish? What did the absence of one slip mean?
Bai Ruozhu glanced at Li Dan, her eyes filled with mockery. It’s likely that the number nine slip was already in his possession. Later, when he reached into the box, he would take nothing and then submit the nine slip he was holding.
Li Dan met Bai Ruozhu’s gaze, and this time real anger flared in his eyes. He had always thought Bai Ruozhu was relying on Elder Lin’s help, but he hadn’t expected such a young woman to possess such cunning schemes, nearly exposing the Steward Su he had so painstakingly bribed.
Qu Lao glared at Steward Su, his tone becoming much more severe, "Steward Su, how do you explain this?"
Steward Su wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said apologetically, "It was my oversight. There are more people in this competition than usual, and somehow a number was missed."
"Really?" Qu Lao’s voice rose sharply, clearly not believing Steward Su’s explanation.
"Qu Lao, you must believe me, I’ve been diligent and loyal to the Commerce Association for so many years and have never done anything to betray it. I swear it was just an oversight," Steward Su said bowing and nodding.
Qu Lao snorted coldly, but now was obviously not the time to deal with him. He glared over and said, "Whether it is or not, I will naturally find out. Get out of my sight, you need not meddle in this competition, and you won’t be responsible for the Association’s affairs for the time being, not until things are cleared up."
Steward Su protested his innocence in desperation. Having mixed in Wuyuan City for so many years, he could have become the chief steward of Wuyuan City after Qu Lao stepped down. And his closeness to Elder Wei was also for the sake of having a backer, yet now it all turned to nothing.
He wanted to explain further, but was pulled down by the guards.
Bai Ruozhu turned her head and smiled at Li Dan, revealing eight pearly white teeth. Li Dan shivered with rage; he had underestimated Bai Ruozhu indeed.
Xue Rang made a new number nine slip, then in front of everyone, put all the numbers back in the box before handing it out for the draw. Bai Ruozhu drew number six, and she nodded inwardly; she remembered the account book for number six and there was nothing too strange about it.
As for Li Dan, he drew number thirteen, while a young man got number nine, looking very excited as if the hidden nine slip was the best one.
The account books were distributed to everyone by number. The face of the young man with the nine slip quickly fell; there was nothing special about it after all.
Li Dan’s eyes briefly swept over the number nine account book, his face dark and foreboding.
Bai Ruozhu saw all this and became more convinced that Li Dan had seen the number nine account book beforehand.
Then a young servant came out and placed an abacus in front of everyone. Bai Ruozhu also had one placed in front of her that looked identical to the others, seemingly nothing special. But she was on her guard, inspecting it closely, and indeed spotted the problem.
So, Steward Su and Li Dan had dug such a deep pit here waiting for her. No wonder Li Dan dared to be so belligerent with her. Perhaps from the moment she appeared outside the Commerce Association of Wuyuan City, Li Dan began plotting, didn’t he?
To prepare so thoroughly in such a short time, Li Dan was also somewhat talented, but alas, a cunning "talent" who preferred to take the shady path!