Chapter 66 The debt is not yet settled
Shen Xiao looked at the silver coins and banknotes scattered haphazardly on the gambling table, and then at the men's malicious eyes around her, and her stomach churned.
She clenched her fists, her voice trembling slightly with fear: "Your Highness, I...I don't know how to play."
"You don't know?" Xie Hanyu chuckled, his laughter full of sarcasm. "What's so difficult about that? I'll teach you."
He extended his finger, adorned with a jade thumb ring, and tapped the dice cup in front of Shen Xiao.
"Watch closely, shake it like this, and then guess whether it's big or small. If they guess right, they drink; if they guess wrong, you have to drink."
Shen Xiao's face turned deathly pale instantly. How could she not understand that this was no joke at all; they were using her as a plaything for amusement?
The bearded man chimed in, "Your Highness, the Princess Consort is of noble birth; how can she drink such strong liquor? In my opinion, instead of punishing her, why not have her sing a song to liven things up?"
Another man with a pointed face and monkey-like features chimed in with a laugh: "Singing is so boring, why don't we have her dance for us? I've heard that the Princess is proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting; her dancing must be incredibly graceful!"
The foul language came again, and Shen Xiao felt dizzy and could barely sit still.
"You all need to tone it down, lest you frighten the Princess." Xie Hanyu's voice was unreadable, yet it instantly quieted the surrounding noise.
"Forget about drinking, singing, and dancing. Let's gamble instead."
He slowly turned the jade thumb ring on his finger, his gaze falling on Shen Xiao's swaying figure, a slight smile curving his lips.
“We, husband and wife, will compete together. Whether we win or lose, the settlement will be in silver, paid by me! Does the princess have any objections now?”
"If even after all this, the princess still refuses, then she is disrespecting me."
Shen Xiao's nails dug deeply into her palms. She knew that she had no room to resist at this moment. Xie Hanyu's words seemed to give her a choice, but in reality, every word blocked all her escape routes.
Shen Xiao took a deep breath, trying to make her voice sound less trembling: "Your Majesty, I... obey your command."
The moment he finished speaking, Xie Hanyu smiled.
He nodded slightly and pushed a heavy dice cup in front of her: "That's right, wouldn't it have been better if you had done it this way earlier? Come on, let's start with you shaking it."
Shen Xiao's hands felt as heavy as lead. She closed her eyes and, following Xie Hanyu's instructions, picked up the dice cup with both hands and shook it haphazardly a few times.
After shaking it about a dozen times, she slammed the dice cup down on the table with a loud thud.
The bearded man urged impatiently, "Your Highness, guess quickly! Is it big or small?"
Shen Xiao had never encountered anything like this before, so she had no idea what was going on. She could only guess randomly: "Big..."
Xie Hanyu gestured to the servant next to him to open the dice cup, and the servant carefully lifted the cup.
After the bearded man saw the number on the table, he laughed so hard he almost fell over: "Hahaha, Your Highness guessed wrong, it's the small one! It seems Your Highness's luck isn't so good!"
The man with the pointed face and monkey-like features chimed in, "Since Your Highness lost, shouldn't you give her some money?"
Xie Hanyu pushed the silver in front of him forward, his masked face looking at Shen Xiao, his voice seductive: "Again."
Seeing that Prince Cheng had indeed given the money, Shen Xiao did not make things difficult for him.
My anxiety finally subsided a bit.
So the second round began.
Shen Xiao still lost.
Cheng Wang generously pushed his chips and silver forward again, indicating that he would continue.
Shen Xiao, trembling, began the third and fourth rounds...
Without exception, they all lost.
But King Cheng seemed unconcerned, throwing money away lavishly, as if his purpose today was truly just to entertain his so-called friends.
Gradually, Shen Xiao lowered her guard and started playing for real.
That's how gambling works.
If you don't touch it, fine, but once you do, it's like a hook dipped in honey, easily catching your heart and mind.
Shen Xiao was having a blast, and with Cheng Wang backing her up even after losing, she gradually became bolder and started to boss people around.
Even late into the night, if Xie Hanyu hadn't called a halt, Shen Xiao would still have been reluctant to stop.
That's enough for today.
Xie Hanyu straightened his sleeves, his gaze sweeping over the scattered chips on the table and the man's face, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.
"It's getting late. I've just recovered from my serious injuries and need to go back to rest."
Seeing this, Shen Xiao quickly followed.
Now she's not so unhappy about marrying Prince Cheng anymore, if he can take her out to eat, drink, and have fun every day.
This life is no better than that of a god.
But as soon as Shen Xiao stood up, she was stopped by the group of men.
"Your Highness, you can't leave yet, you haven't settled your bill."
A hint of surprise flashed in Shen Xiao's eyes: "What nonsense are you talking about? Didn't the prince settle everything at the gambling table just now?"
The bearded man chuckled: "The prince's share has naturally been settled, but the princess hasn't paid a single penny for her share. As the legitimate daughter of the Duke's mansion and the mistress of the Cheng Prince's mansion, you can't very well renege on your debt, can you?"
"Your Highness..." Shen Xiao's voice trembled, after all, Prince Cheng had not just said anything about distinguishing between you and me!
Xie Hanyu finally raised his eyes, his gaze falling on Shen Xiao's pale face, a hint of mockery in his tone.
“Your Highness, they are right. What I paid for was my own share. You had so much fun just now, so you should pay for the money you lost yourself.”
These words were like a dagger, piercing through Shen Xiao's last illusions.
Shen Xiao's fingers gripped the hem of her skirt tightly as she looked at the group of men with ferocious faces before her.
Looking at Xie Hanyu again, she felt like a complete fool! Being manipulated like a puppet!
"I...I have no money." Shen Xiao's voice was barely audible, yet it trembled with a hint of despair.
Although she was the legitimate daughter of the Earl's family, the wins and losses at the gambling table just now were enormous, and the amount of money involved was far beyond what she could afford.
The man with the pointed chin and monkey-like face immediately sneered: "No money? Your Highness must be joking! The Earl's Mansion is large and powerful, and the Prince Cheng's Mansion is even more wealthy and powerful. How could you be short of money? In my opinion, you just want to renege on your debt!"
"That's right! We all saw it. Her Highness was just throwing money around at the table, losing so much without even blinking. How come she's saying she has no money now? Is she trying to renege on her promise?"
A chorus of agreement rose and fell around him, and those gazes were like sharp steel needles, piercing Shen Xiao's entire body with discomfort.
At this moment, the bearded man lewdly said, "If the princess really has no money, it doesn't matter. I have a way. Although we are rough men, we are not heartless. How can we let the princess be in such a difficult position?"
Alarm bells rang in Shen Xiao's mind. She subconsciously took a step back and stared warily at the bearded man: "What method?"
The bearded man's fleshy face twitched, revealing a set of yellow teeth, and he spoke in a flippant tone.
"Your Highness, don't worry. You see, it's normal that you can't come up with so much money right away. How about this, you spend the night with us brothers, and we'll call it even. What do you say?"
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