Xiao Jingbai tugged at her secretly again. "Let's go... Stop causing trouble..."
But Li Wanming didn't even turn her head. She pulled out a chair and sat down. With a snap, she tapped the bamboo fan in her hand on the chair beside her. "You sit too."
Xiao Jingbai's heart skipped a beat. Before he could say a word, the wealthy merchant on the right grinned:
"Hey, which family's young lady is this? She even brought her younger brother here. What, do you want to earn some money for cosmetics so you can please your husband when you get back?"
Li Wanming didn't even lift her eyelids. "How much do you bet?"
The wealthy merchant was taken aback and actually answered honestly. "A hundred taels."
A hundred taels per round meant thousands of taels in and out in one night. Even in the capital city, such a big bet was rare.
However, Li Wanming said, "It's too small."
"What?" The wealthy merchant almost popped his eyes out.
Li Wanming said calmly, "A thousand taels per round. Are you brave enough?"
—Xiao Jingbai still had to go back in the afternoon to do the homework assigned by Pei Yanqi. She couldn't take him out for too long. It would be best to finish the bet quickly and settle the score in one round.
The old man on the left snorted and tapped his white jade ring on the rosewood table. "Little girl, don't brag. Be careful the wind is too strong and you'll hurt your tongue!"
The wealthy merchant showed his yellow teeth and his greasy eyes roamed over Li Wanming. "Miss, this is the Bright Moon Gambling House, not the pawnshop at the entrance of your alley." He deliberately shook the gold chain around his neck. "You'd better keep your small change for buying rouge. Otherwise, if you lose it all later, I'll feel bad for you."
Li Wanming didn't even lift her eyelids. She took out three one - thousand - tael silver notes from her purse and slapped them on the rosewood table. The bright red seal on the silver notes was especially eye - catching in the candlelight.
"Is it enough?"
On the opposite side of the gambling table, the dealer in a dark blue mandarin jacket's eyes lit up slightly. He nodded and said, "It's enough. Please, miss."
The wealthy merchant was slightly stunned. He didn't expect Li Wanming to be so generous.
The wealthy merchant was taken aback. He pushed the handle of his gold - inlaid silk fan forward, almost touching Li Wanming's fingers. "Yo, miss, have you brought out your dowry? " He licked his lips lewdly. "If your husband is so useless, why don't you leave him and come with me..."
"Presumptuous!" Xiao Jingbai's face turned bright red. He immediately slapped the table and stood up. "What are you talking about with your dirty mouth? Do you know who my sister - in - law is..."
"Sit down." Li Wanming interrupted him. Her voice was cold and calm as water.
Xiao Jingbai bit his lips and glanced at her. In the end, he didn't dare to say another word. He could only sit back reluctantly.
Hearing what he said, the wealthy merchant squinted his eyes and sized up Li Wanming again.
The woman in front of him was wearing a dark blue horse - face skirt with ruyi patterns. There was nothing special about it. She had her hair pulled up with a hairpin, and there were a few scattered pearl flowers as decorations. There were no other extra hairpins. She looked quite plain.
—She wasn't the wife of a wealthy family. She should just be the wife of a middle - class merchant. Maybe there was something wrong with her husband's business, and she came to this place to "borrow" some silver for emergency.
After making an estimate in his mind, the wealthy merchant opened his silk fan with a swish. His look at Xiao Jingbai also became lewd.
"This young gentleman is so fair - skinned and has such a hot temper! Coincidentally, I like hot - tempered people. How about after this round, you and your sister - in - law come back with me? Don't worry. I'll treat you well..."
"What if you lose?" Li Wanming suddenly said.
"What?" The lewd smile on the wealthy merchant's face, which he hadn't had time to take back, froze. Obviously, he didn't understand what she was talking about.
"I said," Li Wanming slowly straightened her cuffs. "What if you lose?"
"Haha, me lose? Miss, you have quite a big mouth!" He laughed twice. His fat cheeks trembled as if two pounds of oil could be squeezed out. "If I lose, I'll compensate you five thousand taels of silver on the spot!"
After saying that, he turned around and grabbed a package from the servant behind him, then slapped out five thousand taels of silver notes.
Li Wanming glanced at them and nodded. "Okay, but I'm in a hurry. Let's decide the winner in one round. How about that?"
"That's what you said!" A glint of greed and lewdness flashed in the wealthy merchant's eyes. "If you lose, you and your younger brother have to..."
"Are you done?" The young man in brocade clothes with a sword on his right side got impatient. "You've been babbling on and on. Are you going to bet or not? If you want to have fun, go to the brothel. I don't have time to listen to your nonsense!"
The wealthy merchant seemed to be a little afraid of him. When he spoke, the wealthy merchant awkwardly withdrew his fat hand on the silver notes and whispered, "Bet. Who said I won't bet... It's just that they want to decide the winner in one round..."
At this time, when they heard there was a big bet here, the hall suddenly fell silent. Even the tinkling sound of the Persian dancing girls stopped.
The crowd rushed over like a tide and surrounded the rosewood gambling table tightly.
The candlelight flickered on the ivory dominoes in the middle of the table, looking like glaciers under the cold moon.
The skinny old man stroked the ring on his hand expressionlessly. "Dealer, deal the cards."
The young dealer nodded. With a flick of his wrist, the thirty - two ivory dominoes made a rattling sound in his hand like flowing water.
Li Wanming got four dominoes but didn't turn them over. She just lined them up in front of her. She was smiling and looked very leisurely.
The skinny old man turned over his cards. His face turned black. He directly pushed the cards forward and cursed through gritted teeth. "Damn it!"
The young man in brocade clothes lowered his eyes and looked at his cards. He didn't say a word but silently placed a one - thousand - tael silver note on the gambling table.
The wealthy merchant spat on his hand. Following the nervous cries of "Ding San, Ding San" beside him, he slowly turned over his cards bit by bit.
"Ha!"
He slapped his cards on the table heavily. "Miss, now you have to go back with me!"
The four dominoes in front of the wealthy merchant were turned over. The black and red dots were especially eye - catching in the candlelight — it was actually a "Supreme Treasure".
But Li Wanming was not in a hurry. She stretched out her onion - like fingers. The fingertips flipped gently, like a dancing butterfly, slowly turning over the cards in front of her one by one.
Six points.
Six points.
Six points.
Still six points...
Each card had two columns of black and red dots, like soldiers lined up on the battlefield, standing solemnly and clearly distinct.
"Although the 'Supreme Treasure' is big, it still has to bow to the emperor... Coincidentally, my hand is the emperor." Li Wanming was smiling.
"No, it's impossible!" The wealthy merchant suddenly stood up. The fat on his face trembled violently. "You... You're cheating!"