Cui Huan drove the carriage along the small path and circled back to the Wind - Listening Tower.
During dinner in the evening, when Uncle Li and the others heard about the street - side swindling incident in the bustling market, they all turned livid with anger.
Cui Huan casually picked up a chopstick - full of steamed perch, Dongling Wei's favorite dish, and said calmly, "The Crown Prince has power and influence, and there's nothing we can do about it. However, I once heard the young master mention that the East Gate Bank and the underground gambling house both belong to the Crown Prince." Her implication was, should we plan something?
Dongling Wei glanced at Cui Huan and then lowered her head to eat the fish without saying a word. She didn't want the uncles to put themselves in danger.
But the others didn't care.
Xunlong Luo put his arm around Haiming Yu's shoulder and said with a light smile, "I've been in the capital for so long, but I've never been to a gambling house. How about we go and have some fun tonight?"
Ruan Niang coughed softly and glanced at him without saying a word.
At night, Xunlong Luo came to knock on the door and dragged Dongling Wei out of bed who had just fallen asleep.
"Uncle Luo, I don't want to go!" Dongling Wei said with a long face.
Xunlong Luo grabbed the corner of her clothes and led her downstairs. He quickly stepped out of the back door and said with a smile, "Brother Lang always teaches us to never forgive those who have wronged us. Besides, staying cooped up in the house all the time is not good for your recovery." Without further ado, he stuffed Dongling Wei into the carriage.
Dongling Wei sat down helplessly and whispered, "I don't dare to go straight into the tiger's den when I know there's a tiger in it!"
Xunlong Luo smiled and said, "Don't worry! With us around, not a single hair on you will be harmed."
Dongling Wei was speechless.
Half an hour later, the four of them arrived at the entrance of the underground gambling house.
The guards at the entrance saw that they were strangers and didn't dare to let them in rashly. They just asked respectfully, "May I ask who recommended you?"
Dongling Wei was stunned. She didn't expect the Crown Prince to be so vigilant that strangers weren't allowed to gamble.
Cui Huan smiled charmingly, stepped forward, curtsied, and replied, "We were recommended by Young Master Linfeng Wang. I wonder if Young Master Wang has arrived?"
Dongling Wei vaguely remembered that Young Master Linfeng Wang seemed to be one of Zixi Yu's playboys. Presumably, he was also a regular here.
Cui Huan was quite resourceful.
Hearing Cui Huan's question, the guard quickly nodded and said, "Young Master Wang is playing dice inside. Please come in! I'll have someone lead you there." With that, he waved to the people inside, whispered something to them, and made a gesture of invitation to the four of them. Cui Huan led the others and followed.
This was Dongling Wei's first time entering an underground gambling house. She didn't expect there to be so many people still awake in the dead of night, crowding around the five or six large tables here. The gamblers had blood - shot eyes from staying up late. They stared intently at the dice cup in the banker's hand, not daring to be distracted for a moment.
The onlookers, three layers deep both inside and outside, were also on high alert, watching intently and eager to place their silver bets.
The guide led the four of them to the innermost table. They saw someone dancing and shouting, "Big! Big! Big!"
However, when the dice cup was lifted, everyone could see at a glance that the three dice showed small numbers.
The onlookers all sighed. Only a couple of them beamed with joy, scooped up the silver on the table, and stuffed it into their money bags.
The guide stepped forward and gently patted a young man in brocade clothes, saying, "Young Master Wang, you have friends coming to see you." Then he pointed at Dongling Wei and the others behind him.
Young Master Linfeng Wang had just won some money and seemed to be in a good mood. He looked at Dongling Wei and the others with a hint of confusion on his face.
"It seems that Young Master Wang has good luck today," Cui Huan quickly stepped forward with a bow. Without waiting for him to ask, she lowered her eyes and said with a smile, "Our Young Master Yu claims that Young Master Wang always has the best luck. He asked us to come and learn from you."
Hearing that they were Yu's family members, the confusion on Wang's face immediately turned into warmth. He stepped forward, bowed, and said with a smile, "It's been a while since I last saw Young Master Yu. Where has he gone to flirt with girls again?"
Dongling Wei's face darkened.
Seeing that these people were indeed acquainted with Young Master Wang, the guide didn't say anything more. He bowed and left.
Cui Huan smiled and said, "It must be that he made a mistake and angered Master Yu, so he went back to the countryside to play!"
Wang looked at the people behind Cui Huan, nodded to them one by one, and said with a smile, "The countryside is not as fun as the capital! Come on, gentlemen, try your luck!"
Xunlong Luo nodded and said with a smile, "That's exactly what I had in mind. Please, Brother Wang!"
The banker was a thin middle - aged man. He shook the dice cup in his hands for a long time, then suddenly slammed it on the table. He scanned the crowd and shouted, "Big or small?"
"Big!" Two or three people placed their silver on the table.
"Small!" Another group of people were not to be outdone. They rushed to throw their silver on the table.
Wang hesitated for a long time. Just as he was about to place his silver on the small side, Xunlong Luo grabbed his hand and said with a smile, "Brother Wang, bet on the big side with me this time." With that, he grabbed Wang's wrist and placed the silver on the big side. He also bet two shiny silver ingots himself.
Wang was skeptical and was about to hesitate a bit more when the banker shouted, "No more changes. I'm about to open!"
Wang felt that something was wrong when he heard this and could only retract his hand awkwardly.
The banker asked again, "Anyone else want to follow?"
Haiming Yu nudged Dongling Wei's arm with his elbow and whispered, "Follow."
Dongling Wei was extremely reluctant. She hesitated and took out her money bag, planning to bet a little. But Haiming Yu snatched the money bag, poured out all the silver in it, and bet it all on the big side at once.
Five shiny silver ingots and several silver notes rolled out of the money bag. Dongling Wei felt as if her heart was bleeding. She wanted to reach out and grab some back, but Haiming Yu stopped her.
The banker lifted the dice cup on the table.
Everyone saw that this time, it was a big number!
The people who had bet on the big number immediately cheered. Wang glanced sideways at Xunlong Luo, who was calmly collecting the silver.
Dongling Wei won the most in the whole field. She was not only stunned but also stood there motionless. Haiming Yu stepped forward and frantically scooped up the winning silver one by one.
Most people had bet on the small number this time. Seeing a large amount of silver lost, everyone couldn't help but sigh dejectedly.
The banker had also bet on the small number. Seeing the shiny silver go into Dongling Wei's pocket, his sharp eyes showed a hint of coldness. He shook the dice cup in his hands and slammed it hard on the table, shouting loudly, "Big or small! Place your bets!"
The people at the table looked at the dice cup in the banker's hand. This time, they all took out their silver and bet on the big side.
Wang looked at the dice cup and then at the others. Just as he was about to bet on the big side, he suddenly saw Xunlong Luo push all his silver to the small side. Xunlong Luo waved to him and said with a smile, "Brother Wang, bet on the small side this time!" Without hesitation this time, Wang took two ingots from the silver he had won earlier and bet on the small side.