Yang Jian asked Biao Biao and Ah Nan to stay and prepare for the casino.
Xiao Peng ended up only taking twenty thousand yuan from Xiong Er. This was due to Li Jin's persuasion, who said Xiong Er had a powerful protector behind him. If Yang Jian had demanded a hundred thousand yuan, it might have alerted this protector, leading to charges of fighting and extortion, putting them in a difficult position.
Twenty thousand yuan wouldn't cripple Xiong Er, and the demand wasn't excessive, so Xiong Er wouldn't complain to his superiors.
Six thousand yuan was given to the truck driver, leaving fourteen thousand for Biao Biao's operational expenses.
Zheng Guangyao settled the template fees with Yang Jian at forty yuan per sheet. Three hundred sheets amounted to twelve thousand yuan, which was the current market price. After deducting all costs, the template factory made a profit of eight to ten yuan per sheet.
After returning to the template factory with Ah Feng, Yang Jian decided to visit Wu Wangchun. The new casino needed a strong emperor company to act as the banker, and Wu Wangchun had acquaintances in that regard.
Originally, Ah Feng and his associates also had such resources, but the emperor companies they knew operated mainly in the Jiangbei area. Bringing them over would easily expose the whereabouts of Ah Feng and Ah Nan.
The meeting with Wu Wangchun took place at a casino near Xinqiao Town, though this one was located inside a lumber processing plant.
"Uncle Wang, why are there fewer gamblers in the place than before?"
Yang Jian entered the casino and observed from the periphery. There were only about twenty people gambling, with stakes not being very high, estimated at three to five thousand yuan per table.
Wu Wangchun pulled Yang Jian aside and sighed, "Alas, something happened a while ago, and the impact was quite significant. We had to shut down for a few days. We only reopened today, and not many people know about it yet."
"What happened?"
"Yu Jiangang's marker company, while collecting marker money, illegally detained a female gambler from our casino. One of his henchmen, in front of the female gambler's son, molested and insulted her. Unable to bear it any longer, the female gambler's sixteen-year-old son used a fruit knife from home and stabbed that henchman to death on the spot. He also injured two others. This incident blew up, and our casino was implicated, forcing us to suspend operations."
"How come I didn't hear about such a big thing? I even contacted Sister Feng yesterday, and she didn't mention a word."
"It was Yu Feng who used her connections to suppress the matter. She not only paid huge compensation to the deceased and the injured but also worked hard to lessen the boy's culpability. That's why the news didn't spread widely, and Yu Feng naturally wouldn't bring it up with you."
"What about Yu Jiangang? Was he arrested?"
"Of course, he was arrested. They are suspected of multiple crimes including trespassing, illegal detention, intentional assault, indecent assault, and loan sharking. It's uncertain whether Yu Feng can bail him out this time. He might even be targeted as part of a crackdown on organized crime."
"Damn, Sister Feng must be in a lot of trouble this time."
Wu Wangchun shook his head and said, "Yu Feng miscalculated. She wanted to emulate the Hong Xing father and son, with one in officialdom and the other in the underworld. Her original plan was to support Yu Jiangang in building his own power base to completely escape the harassment from the underworld in Chengguan. But Yu Jiangang can't compare to Hong Xing; he's not smart enough. As soon as he gained some notoriety in the underworld, he took a huge fall. This is a case of trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice, and she's dragged her own nephew down with her."
Yang Jian agreed with Wu Wangchun's analysis. Dong Sheng Group had long been entangled with organized crime. First, it was Pan Wenbin, then Old Gui, and now Hong Xing and Bao Guo were also eyeing her covetously. Yu Feng had been resisting organized crime, using herself to bring down Pan Wenbin and Lu Feng to eliminate Old Gui. Now, she was likely trying to have her nephew build a force to counter Hong Xing and Bao Guo.
"Uncle Wang, how much has this incident affected you?"
"It's had a big impact. After the incident, Wu Zhi was also taken away by the police. I spent two hundred thousand yuan to get him out. However, because of this, I've connected with a high-ranking, influential figure in the police force. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare to reopen the casino now. How about it, want to take a ten percent stake here? It'll be very safe from now on."
Yang Jian shook his head, "Thank you, Uncle Wang, for your constant concern, but I really can't. I came today for two reasons: to learn and to ask for your help."
Wu Wangchun was surprised, "Learn? What do you mean?"
"I'm planning to open a casino in Hancheng. I came here to learn from your experience."
"Open a casino in Hancheng? Where in Hancheng?"
"Xunsi River, where Brother Hao used to run his place."
"Oh, that Brother Xiong is dead, so he's no longer a threat to you. You have enough reputation there to open a casino. Who are you partnering with? Xiao Wu?"
"No, Xiao Wu is a vegetable now. The power structure in Xunsi River has been reshuffled. I'm partnering with a formerly obscure boss who is just rising now. I have a past connection with him."
"That's good. I heard they're doing demolition and major development there, which is indeed a good place to open a casino. Is Song Jianhao involved? He has experience."
Yang Jian smiled, "Uncle Wang, didn't your uncle, Old Wu, mention our situation to you? Our emperor company went bust, and Old Wu and I are no longer with Brother Hao's company. You know I'm under a lot of pressure now and need to make quick money, so I don't plan to involve Brother Hao."
Wu Wangchun nodded, "My uncle hasn't contacted me, but I know you lost badly at Old Pan's place. Song Jianhao even lost the car he just bought. Everyone in the underworld knows about it, which is why I invited you here. Since you're opening a place, that's good. Tell me, what help do you need?"
"I'd like you to help me find some reputable emperor companies to act as bankers, and also to impart some experience in running a casino. Although I've been involved in this business for a long time, I still feel the waters are very deep."
"No problem. When your casino opens, I'll personally come to act as the banker."
Yang Jian was a bit surprised, "You'll be the banker? What about your place here?"
"This place will be temporarily handed over to Wu Zhi. Anyway, we can't expand much for now. I was planning to visit Hancheng anyway, and I'll introduce you to two reputable emperor companies."
"Uncle Wang, thank you so much. You've solved my problem instantly."
"We're like father and son, so there's no need for thanks. But could you bring my uncle along? His family is in great difficulty now, but he's very stubborn. He had some disagreements with my father in the past, so he's unwilling to ask me for money or to work for me."
"Is that so? No wonder when I suggested he could come here to be a banker if all else failed, he didn't say anything. So that's the reason. Don't worry, I promised him before that if I got into the casino business, I'd bring him along. He's an old hand, and I need him to help me manage the place. I'll call him later."
Yang Jian was speaking sincerely. Even without Wu Wangchun's request, he intended to call Old Wu. Gambling companies also needed to guard against emperor companies cheating, which could damage the casino's reputation. Old Wu would serve as a firewall.