Chapter 179 The Gamble
Lu Yunbo's mood has been like a rollercoaster recently, with ups and downs. He had previously tried to get back to work at the Dali Temple by asking around and using his connections, but after spending a lot of money, he didn't even hear a sound.
Just when he thought he would never be able to earn a government salary again, things took an unexpected turn. A few days ago, he unintentionally helped someone, and that person turned out to be Lord Wen, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial.
Lord Wen and he hit it off immediately, and Lord Wen offered to treat him to a drink. Lord Wen, after learning of Lord Wen's identity, was also interested in making his acquaintance, and the two of them got together.
After a few rounds of drinks, Lu Yunbo mentioned that he had been having a lot of bad luck lately. He lost his job at the Dali Temple because he was observing mourning for his elders, and now he was worried about where to take up his post.
Unexpectedly, after learning the reason, Lord Wen promised to get him a job at the Court of State Ceremonial. He even revealed that the Court of State Ceremonial was currently short of a seventh-rank official clerk, and Lord Wen happened to be in charge of the promotion and appointment of officials under the Court of State Ceremonial, so he could decide who to promote.
Lu Yunbo was overjoyed. When Lord Wen asked him if he was willing to take a job at the Court of State Ceremonial, he immediately agreed. To him, this was a windfall. If he could really become a seventh-rank official clerk at the Court of State Ceremonial as Lord Wen said, it would be much better than his previous job as a minor steward at the Court of Judicial Review.
From then on, Lu Yunbo clung tightly to the powerful Wen, who not only loved to drink but also enjoyed gambling after a few drinks. For several days in a row, Lu Yunbo hosted Wen for drinks and heart-to-heart talks, and the two became so close that they addressed each other as brothers.
However, he was short of money, and after a few times, he couldn't keep up. He roughly calculated that he had spent six or seven hundred taels of silver in just a few days.
Fortunately, Lord Wen said that his task would be completed in less than two days. At this critical juncture, he naturally dared not let his guard down. Today, he asked his mother for another two hundred taels of silver to invite Lord Wen to Furong Tower for a night of pleasure.
Just as he was getting impatient, he heard Lord Wen's voice from behind:
"Brother Yunbo, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I just finished my duties and came right away."
Upon seeing the person, Lu Yunbo immediately broke into a hearty smile: "Not at all, I've only been here a short time myself."
Today, Lord Wen was not wearing his official robes, but rather a light green casual outfit embroidered with dark patterns. He looked less like an official and more like a free spirit of the martial arts world.
The two entered the Hibiscus Pavilion together.
The madam immediately greeted them and led them to a private room inside. She called over two girls and set out a table of fine wine and delicacies. The two sat down and began to drink heartily.
After a few drinks, Lu Yunbo, with a thinly dressed girl in his arms and a strong scent of perfume, had already drunk himself into a flushed state.
Lord Wen, waving the gilded wine pot in his hand, looked around and saw that some guests were playing dice at the urging of the girls. He was tempted to join in.
The rules for dice throwing in brothels are somewhat different from those in casinos. Instead, the host of the brothel will publicly display a bunch of pleasing items as prizes, such as jewelry, rulers, and colorful screens. After a few rounds of dice, the winners will often give the items to the girls next to them, while the losers will take out their money.
Of course, the amount of silver must be several times greater than the prize money, otherwise it's considered not understanding the rules.
The clever girl nestled in Lord Wen's arms, noticing his eager expression as he stared at the group of people, seized the opportunity to advise him:
"My lord, drinking alone is no fun. Why don't we play a few rounds? If you're lucky enough to win that golden hairpin, it would be my great fortune to put it on me!"
Another girl also pestered Lu Yunbo for a lucky draw prize.
Lu Yunbo looked at the gambling table, where the plates were almost entirely filled with jewelry, including gilded and jade-inlaid pieces, pearl and agate pieces, and pure gold pieces with tassels, a dazzling sight.
Lord Wen had a particular fondness for this kind of thing, and upon hearing this, he looked at Lu Yunbo and said:
“Brother Yunbo, we’re here to have some fun. You can’t just stand by and watch all the time. Why don’t we try our luck together today?”
Lu Yunbo quickly declined, saying, "Brother Wen, you should do it. You have good luck, I can just watch."
He didn't dare to squander the little silver he had in his pocket, as he would have to pay for his entertainment here later.
The girl beside him shook Wen Daren's arm and continued to plead, "I really like that jade bracelet. If you win, would you give it to me?"
Lord Wen seemed a little tipsy. Seeing everyone around him staring at him, he stiffened his neck and shouted:
"Come on, come on!"
After saying that, he reached out and threw the dice.
Lu Yunbo hurriedly took out two silver ingots from his pocket and placed them on the mahjong table.
This Mr. Wen was lucky; he won the jade bracelet on his first try, earning him a round of applause.
Lord Wen generously stuffed the bracelet into the girl's arms, saying, "It's yours."
The girl was so delighted that she snuggled into Wen Daren's arms and kept flattering him in a sweet voice.
The girl on Lu Yunbo's side looked on with envy, and with a smile, she leaned close to Lu Yunbo's ear and whispered coquettishly:
"Sir, please grant me a prize as well."
Lu Yunbo was already itching to see it, but he still smiled rationally and indicated that he wasn't interested.
Lord Wen squinted and advised, "Since you've come this far, why not give it a try? Here's what we'll do: this time, the expenses are on me. Just go ahead and give it a shot."
"Then I won't spoil your fun, brother. I'll try my luck with that pearl hairpin."
Lu Yunbo was unwilling to let Lord Wen pay, so he readily agreed and casually tossed a silver ingot onto the table from his pocket.
He picked up the dice and started rolling them, silently praying: God help me, I hope I can win this round.
Perhaps the heavens heard his prayers, for he actually won this round.
Cheers erupted from the surrounding crowd. Lord Wen patted him on the shoulder and said:
"Brother Yunbo has better luck than me, we must play a few more rounds today."
Whether it was good luck or something else, Lu Yunbo won the next few rounds. Not only did the two girls receive several rewards, but they also exchanged their winnings for twenty-five taels of silver.
Lord Wen excitedly put his arm around Lu Yunbo's shoulder and cheered him on. The people around him also chimed in to appease him. Lu Yunbo felt a long-lost sense of flattery amidst the cheers.
The atmosphere in the hall was very lively at this moment. No one noticed that Lord Wen secretly gave the madam a wink, and the madam understood and turned to go through the small door at the back of the hall.
She soon emerged from inside, carrying a two-foot-tall famille rose porcelain vase with peony patterns, its body decorated with gold-threaded peony scrolls.
The madam walked up to Lu Yunbo with a wide smile and said, "This gentleman is on a winning streak today. Why don't you gamble a few more rounds and let us broaden our horizons?"
After saying that, he placed the porcelain bottle in front of Lu Yunbo.
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