"Princess Consort..."
A soft call from behind startled Xiao Jingbai so much that he almost bumped into a sugar painting stall by the roadside. He turned around in a flurry and found himself looking into Gao Yong's hawk-like eyes.
"G-General Gao..." Xiao Jingbai stammered.
Gao Yong nodded slightly, then turned to Li Wanming and reported in a low voice, "Princess Consort, we've found out everything. That obese merchant is a salt merchant from Huzhou. He just arrived in the capital half a month ago and has no connections with the powerful and noble in the capital."
"Thank you for your hard work," Li Wanming said softly.
"I'm not worthy of your thanks," Gao Yong replied with a respectful bow and continued in a deep voice, "It's all thanks to your brilliant foresight, Princess Consort. You ordered me to lay an ambush there in advance, so we were able to catch those despicable salt merchants like turtles in a jar and teach them a good lesson."
Only then did Xiao Jingbai notice that Gao Yong was dressed in black, just like the group of men in black in the alley.
"Oh, so it was you guys..." he exclaimed in realization.
Gao Yong nodded. "I'm sorry to have frightened you, young master."
Li Wanming smiled. "It's okay. People need to experience things to grow. He's such a coward now because he hasn't been frightened enough in the past."
Hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Gao Yong's cold lips. "I'll take my leave first."
Xiao Jingbai watched as Gao Yong's figure gradually disappeared into the bustling crowd. It took him a while to come to his senses. He stared blankly and asked, "Cousin-in-law, did you arrange all this?"
"Right!" Li Wanming also turned around, her eyes twinkling with a sly light. "How could I dare to go to the biggest gambling house in the capital without a few capable bodyguards?"
"Then... why didn't you let General Gao and his men follow us from the beginning?" Xiao Jingbai was both surprised and delighted, but also more confused.
"General Gao is from the Black Armored Elite Cavalry, the top secret guards in the capital. If he followed us, it would be easy to expose our identities. Besides..."
Li Wanming shielded her eyes from the glaring sun with her hand and smiled sweetly. "If I had such brave bodyguards by my side, anyone could tell that I'm someone of high status. Who would dare to gamble five thousand taels with us?"
Xiao Jingbai subconsciously touched the crumpled silver note in his bosom. It took him a long time to suddenly react. "Cousin-in-law, did you plan all this in advance? You knew someone would gamble five thousand taels with us?"
"I didn't expect the bet to be that large, but it was about the same," Li Wanming said with a faint smile and led him forward.
"A gambling house is a place where people from all walks of life gather. There are plenty of rich gamblers who are willing to throw away a fortune and noble young masters with too much money to spend."
"These people are all self - willed and narrow - minded. When they saw me, a weak woman, come alone, they couldn't help but have evil thoughts. With a little provocation from me, they naturally took the bait."
"This kind of thing is very common in a gambling house. You don't need to take it to heart."
"Cousin-in-law..." Xiao Jingbai suddenly stopped walking. His eyebrows furrowed slightly and he asked hesitantly, "You... seem to be very familiar with these things..."
He finally realized something was wrong.
From the moment Li Wanming appeared at the entrance of the Mingyue Gambling House, everything was off!
Wasn't Li Wanming the daughter of a general?
Wasn't she the princess consort?
She should be a well - bred young lady who never stepped out of her boudoir, spoke in a soft voice, and even ate in small bites!
Why did she appear in a gambling house?
Moreover, she walked in boldly as if it were her own backyard!
The most incredible thing was that she won the bet...
She won in one go!
Among those old gamblers, she won seven thousand taels in just one round!
"It's not 'seem'..." Li Wanming also stopped. Her eyes curved like crescent moons, and the fragmented sunlight sparkled at the corners of her eyes. "I'm really familiar with these things!"
"Back then in the military town in Fujian, my parents were either busy training soldiers or suppressing bandits all day long. They had no time to take care of me. So I hung out on the street every day with Liu Yiyi - oh, a good friend of mine."
"The people in Fujian are tough and warlike. As two girls wandering on the street, we had to learn some self - defense skills. One of them was gambling."
"I spent more than a decade in Fujian, visiting gambling houses of all sizes. I've played countless gambling games and seen countless gamblers. The dice I've shaken to pieces could probably fill half of the Tangxi River."
"Since I was thirteen, I've been able to control the outcome of the dice. I could get any point I wanted, and any card I desired. I'm proficient in all kinds of gambling games, such as dice, pai gow, backgammon, and mahjong. Tricks like pretending to be weak to defeat the strong are old hat to me!"
She said it casually, and there was even a hint of weariness in her eyes as if she looked down on the world.
The midday sun was shining brightly, casting a dazzling golden glow over her head.
She just stood quietly in the brilliant golden light, her figure free and straight, like an ever - green pine standing on a cliff, weathering the wind and rain. She had an air of calmness and grandeur.
Xiao Jingbai was dumbfounded.
He suddenly realized that he seemed to have never really known this cousin - in - law.
"Then..." A thought suddenly flashed through his mind. His Adam's apple rolled twice, and his voice was filled with uncontrollable excitement. "Cousin - in - law, do you never lose when you gamble?"
Li Wanming let out a soft cry and laughed. "To be exact, I do lose when I want to. Otherwise, I'd win every bet."
"How did you do that? Teach me!" Xiao Jingbai said excitedly. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest, almost jumping out.
Getting any point on the dice...
Getting any card...
Proficient in all kinds of gambling games...
More importantly, winning every bet.
What an amazing skill this was!
If he could learn it, wouldn't he be able to swagger around in the gambling houses in the capital?
Those people like Hu Si, Wang Liu, and Zhao Ergou would tremble at the sight of him in the future!
As Xiao Jingbai spoke, his eyes were almost turning red.
Li Wanming glanced at him. "Teach you? Teach you what?"
"Teach me how to win money!" Xiao Jingbai rubbed his hands anxiously. "For example, just now, how did you get that Emperor card? Teach me how to make the cards and dice obey me..."
Li Wanming sneered. "Do you think I'm a magician? Can I really make the cards and dice obey me?"
She picked up an unremarkable pebble from the ground and played with it between her fingers. She said unhurriedly, "Gambling depends on both skills and tools. What you saw in the Mingyue Gambling House just now was actually a fraud from beginning to end."
"The ivory bone cards in the dealer's hand were actually not one set, but three. One set was in his hand, and the other two were in a secret compartment under the table on his left."
"As for how I got the Emperor card..." She let out another soft laugh. "It's because I switched his cards."