Chapter 19: I don't care about winning or losing, I just want to accompany you
The vermilion lacquered gate of the west courtyard was locked heavily with a copper lock.
Tangli was so anxious that tears fell: "Miss, this is..."
Feng Yuyun's move can be said to kill two birds with one stone.
She has always looked down on the Ye family, who came from a merchant family, and also looked down on the Ye family's children. She would not tolerate Luo Wan surpassing her carefully cultivated children and stealing the limelight outside.
But in addition to Feng Yuyun who was the one in the open, this punishment must have been caused by the Gu family behind the scenes.
The house arrest was ostensibly to discipline the unruly daughter, but in reality it was a warning from the Gu family to the Shen and Jiang families.
Shen Zhiyan's staff was punished for proposing a title for Jiang Cichen.
The Gu family is announcing to the world: they are the Shen family's staff, and they can move or defeat them at will.
However, this house arrest order was exactly what Luo Wan wanted. Now that everyone in the mansion knew that she was imprisoned in the West Courtyard, it gave her a golden opportunity to escape.
She could then withdraw without any scruples, sneak into the Red Mansion, and track down clues about how the maid was trafficked.
The high walls of the West Courtyard can trap the daughters of the boudoir, but they cannot stop the assassins of Tingyu Tower.
The night was as dark as ink. Luo Wan changed his appearance and clothes into a neat men's suit. He climbed over the high wall and his figure blended into the deep darkness.
If the Zuixian Inn is a den of debauchery where the children of wealthy families indulge in drunkenness and debauchery, then the Red Mansion is a Shura battlefield where treacherous and powerful people commit murder for money.
The Red Mansion is hidden in a remote alley in the city. It looks like an ordinary two-story vermilion-painted building, far less luxurious and ostentatious than the Zuixian Inn.
As you passed the ebony door carved with a Pixiu, a foul smell mixed with cheap powder, sweat and blood hit you in the face, making you feel suffocated.
In the lobby, the gamblers stared with bloodshot eyes, slamming their banknotes on the stained gambling table, and their roars almost blew off the roof.
In the private room on the second floor, the delicate moans of the woman and the rough grin of the man could be heard intermittently, adding a touch of decadence.
Luo Wan specially changed into a moon-white long gown made of cloud brocade, with a lustrous mutton-fat jade button at the waist. He gently waved a Xiangfei bamboo folding fan in his hand, looking like a wealthy young man who knew no suffering.
Soon, a skinny waiter came up with a flattering smile, wrinkles forming at the corners of his eyes. "Sir, I don't see you. Is this your first time back?"
Luo Wan nodded nonchalantly, stroking the fan bones lightly with his fingers, and looked around.
The waiter noticed the folding fan in Luo Wan's hand and smiled even more: "Sir, what do you want to play?"
Luo Wan asked, "Which bet is the biggest?"
The waiter hurriedly said, "That must be dice, rolling the dice and betting." Rubbing his hands together, he pointed to the buzzing gambling table in the center of the hall. "Over there, they're just rolling the dice, with hundreds of taels won or lost per round."
Luo Wan had just taken a step when the waiter stopped him and said with an apologetic smile, "Excuse me, sir, we need to verify your capital first."
All gambling houses have a rule that you can only gamble if you have money, and Honglou is no exception.
Capital verification not only prevents gamblers from defaulting on their debts, but there is another more important reason: you cannot leave after making small losses or small wins. You can only end your gambling after losing everything or winning a huge amount.
This is how things have always been in this gambling house: you either get rich overnight or lose everything.
The winner may not be able to take away the money; the loser may even lose his life.
After all, in this place, gambling is never just about money.
Luo Wan took off the jade pendant from her waist and threw it over. The mutton-fat jade shone with a warm luster under the dim light.
The waiter held it in his hands and took a closer look. "Sir, please wait a moment."
At this moment, a heart-wrenching howl erupted from not far away: "Why the hell are you kicking me out?! I spent money! I spent money!"
A man with disheveled hair and a silk shirt as dirty as pickles was dragged out by two burly men.
He struggled desperately, his voice shrill: "I've spent all my money on this! Why can't you let me play? You black-hearted beast!"
"You've lost all your money, what are you going to play with?" The thug sneered and threw the man out of the door.
The man suddenly became weak and used his hands and feet to crawl towards the door: "Let me in! One more bet! Just one! Please..."
"Stop it!" The thug kicked him back onto the street, saying sarcastically, "You sold your wife yesterday, you sold your daughter today, and tomorrow you're going to have to chop yourself off as a stake?"
The man's face suddenly changed. He stood up and spat, "Bah! You look down on me! Wait until I get the money..."
The two men folded their arms and laughed: "We are waiting for you anytime!"
Luo Wan withdrew his gaze indifferently.
The waiter had returned with a sandalwood tray, on which were neatly stacked the cinnabar silver notes specially made for the Red Mansion.
So that's how it is! No wonder the gambler called me a "black-hearted man".
The Red Mansion has actually started making its own silver notes. Once these cinnabar notes leave the Red Mansion, they will be worse than waste paper.
The waiter bowed and asked, "Which table would you like to go to, sir?"
Luo Wan raised his chin slightly: "The table you just pointed at."
"Okay!" The waiter led her to the central gambling table.
Just after a round was over, the owner of the game saw the cinnabar tickets on the waiter's tray and immediately shouted, "Come on, make room for this new young man!"
At the gambling table, people fear veterans the most and like newbies the most.
Seeing a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered, everyone laughed and quickly gave up their seats.
The waiter put down the banknotes and said, "Enjoy yourselves, young master."
Then back away.
When everyone saw the not-so-thick banknote, they immediately started to laugh:
"That's all the money I have? How many games can I play?"
"I'm afraid I'll have to go out naked later!"
Amidst the laughter, Luo Wan just smiled calmly.
She had no intention of wasting time on these small fish and shrimp; she wanted to catch the big fish that truly ran the Red Mansion. Either she lost everything, or she won so hard that she felt bad for it—that was the ticket to unlocking the Red Mansion's underground dealings and uncovering the whereabouts of the maid.
Seeing her like this, everyone thought she was just a rich young man who was new to the business and inexperienced with the world, so they quickly turned their attention back to the gambling table.
The dealer banged the dice cup: "Bets are placed!"
Before the coin even started shaking, the gamblers could no longer hold back. Their faces flushed red and they shouted at the top of their lungs:
"Big! Big! Big! I'm going all in on this one!"
"Small! Small! Small! This one will definitely be a small one!"
The sound almost blew the roof off, and saliva was flying in the air.
Some people clutched the corners of their clothes tightly, some kept wiping the cold sweat from their foreheads, and stared at the dice cup without blinking.
Looking past the restless crowd, Luo Wan's gaze fell on the end of the gambling table.
There sat a young man.
Then, her gaze froze—
That face was wearing Jinxicheng's cold silver mask!
On a rainy night in Jinxi City, rain was flowing on the mask.
At this moment, it reflects the swaying splendor of the gambling house!
The masked man slumped lazily in his chair, with banknotes piled up like a mountain beside him.
"Buy it and don't let go--" the bureau owner drew out the tone, his eyes sweeping across the greedy and twisted faces.
The masked man supported his chin lazily, and his slender fingers casually pushed a stack of cinnabar bills to the "small" area. His movements were nonchalant, but with the calmness of a beast teasing its prey.
Luo Wan pushed half of the banknotes to the "big" area.
The light sound of the banknotes falling on the table seemed particularly clear amid the clamor.
At the end of the gambling table, a very light sneer seemed to be heard from under the mask, and the corners of the lips rose slightly.
The dice cup was shaken, and the sandalwood dice hit the copper wall, making a crisp and rapid "click" sound.
The gambler's roar reached a peak.
The director said: "Open!"
The dice cup fell heavily, and everyone in the room stopped breathing.
The betting master suddenly opened the lid of the cup. Three ivory dice spun rapidly on the red silk, finally settling on: four, five, six.
big!
The gambling table immediately went wild: "Big! Really big!"
Luo Wan remained expressionless as he watched the chips being pushed in front of him.
In my peripheral vision, the masked man tapped his fingers twice on the edge of the table slowly, without any regret about losing money just now. It seemed that it didn't matter to him at all.
He slowly stood up and casually threw a thick stack of banknotes on the table. His voice was not loud, but it suppressed the noise: "Everyone, may I have a private bet with this young master?"
After he finished speaking, he glanced at everyone.
There was money to be made and a show to watch, and everyone was eager for it. They laughed and quickly retreated, leaving a small space for everyone.
Disguise masks are not easy to make, and Luo Wan is still wearing the same one she wore in Jinxicheng. She is certain that the masked man has recognized her.
Otherwise, why bother? What exactly is he trying to test?
Luo Wan waved her folding fan lightly: "Why should I bet with you?"
The masked man asked back, "Don't people who come to the Red Mansion come here to gamble?"
Now that things have come to this, evasion seems suspicious. Luo Wan asked, "How would you like to bet, sir?"
He said, "Bet on treasure."
Luo Wan: "How much is the bet?"
He said, "One thousand taels."
Luo Wan closed the fan: "Okay."
The so-called "betting on treasure" is the game in the gambling house that tests your hearing and luck the most.
The dealer places three dice in a copper cup, shakes it and turns it upside down on the table. The gambler needs to guess the sum of the dice numbers, whether it is odd or even. It seems simple, but it actually contains a mystery.
An experienced player can control the direction of the dice with his skills, while an expert can hear clues from the sound of the dice colliding.
The copper cup in the bureau's hand drew several afterimages in the air.
The sound of dice colliding was like pearls falling on a jade plate, and it was particularly clear on this gambling table. The copper cup slammed heavily on the gambling table.
The director did not open the dice cup immediately, but looked at the expressions of the two people first.
The masked man said slowly, "This young master first."
Luo Wan's hearing was honed through blood and life in the Tingyu Tower Death Squad. Those with poor hearing would have long been thrown into the back mountains by Commander Liufeng to feed the snakes. Furthermore... she was no longer the sixteen-year-old Luo Wan.
Hear the odd and even? Even the points, nothing can escape her ears.
Luo Wan asked, "Sir, aren't you afraid of losing?"
The masked man said, "I don't care about winning or losing, I'll just consider it as accompanying you."
Luo Wan said: "Aren't you afraid of losing all your chips? You'll even give me this mask as a pawn?"
The masked man answered simply: "Then it's worth it."
It’s really refreshing.
Luo Wan looked at the dice cup: "Single."
The masked man said without hesitation: "I bet on even."
The bureau owner slowly opened the lid:
One, three, five.
Nine o'clock, single!
Luo Wan raised his eyes: "You lost."
The onlookers laughed and jeered: "Mr. Xiao, your luck is not good today!"
The masked man raised his eyebrows and remained noncommittal.
At this moment, a sharp gong sounded from the second floor, and a sharp voice pierced through the clamor:
"Win or lose! The Red Mansion sincerely invites all distinguished guests who spend a thousand taels of silver tonight to descend into the underworld—to watch a play!"
The author has something to say:
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Jiang Cichen's pseudonym (Mr. Xiao) is now online~ [Come on][Come on][Come on]
Humble begging for collection and comments
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