Chapter 235: Get Ready
The days at the martial arts school are very fulfilling.
Su Zhizhi felt that the school days passed very quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was the day off.
On the afternoon before the holiday, students can finish their classes, pack up their things and go home.
Yuan Caiwei and Su Zhizhi packed up their things and left the academy together.
Yuan Caiwei said, "Zhizhi, have you ever been to Xishi? Xishi is right next to Qunxianfang, and there are so many delicious and fun things to do there."
Su Zhizhi: "I've been there before with our sister Hua. The braised pork ribs in Xishi are delicious, and there's also a shop that specializes in selling candy figurines. Last time, I saw a blue-eyed sister at the door of the tavern asking me to go for a drink."
Yuan Caiwei weighed a handful of silver in her bag:
"I have money, I'll take you to the West Market for a meal."
Su Zhizhi: "Okay, next time I'll bring money to treat you."
The two agreed to go to the West Market to play, but as soon as they left the house, Yuan Caiwei was stopped by the servants of the Yuan family who came to pick her up:
"Miss, the general and his wife are waiting at home. They are going to the Yan family for dinner tonight."
The Yan family is Yuan Caiwei's maternal grandparents.
When Yuan Caiwei heard that she was going to her grandparents' house in the evening, she said to Su Zhizhi embarrassedly:
"I forgot my mother said last time that she was going to visit my grandmother tonight, Zhizhi..."
Su Zhizhi didn't care: "It doesn't matter, then you go to see grandma tonight, and we'll go to Xishi together next time."
Yuan Caiwei smiled brightly: "Okay, I will definitely treat you next time."
Yuan Caiwei was welcomed into the carriage by the servants of the Yuan family.
Su Zhizhi spotted Hao Ren in the crowd and quickly walked over to him, calling out, "Dad!"
Hao Ren happened to be free today, so he came to pick up his daughter.
"How is Zhizhi doing at the martial arts academy? What did the instructor and the doctor teach you?"
Hao Ren reached out to help his daughter with the luggage, and when he weighed it, he felt it was really heavy.
Su Zhizhi took it easily: "Dad, I'll carry it myself. It's a bit heavy, you can't lift it."
Hao Ren: ...
Hao Rencong held a bamboo tube of juice and passed it to Su Zhizhi's mouth:
"Drink some juice first. Sister Qiu squeezed it for you."
Su Zhizhi took a big sip of juice and then began to talk about her experiences in the martial arts school over the past few days.
Bai Xun was waiting for the father and daughter beside the carriage.
"Uncle Dao!" Su Zhizhi looked at Bai Xun's sword and thought of Yuan Caiwei. "Uncle Dao, I know a friend at the martial arts school who is also very good at using a sword."
Bai Xun smiled: "Zhizhi made friends at the martial arts school?"
Su Zhizhi: "She is General Yuan's daughter."
Just as Hao Ren and Su Zhizhi were about to get on the carriage, Murong Ming and He Wenhan appeared.
"Su Zhizhi, we want to compete with you, do you dare?" He Wenhan said.
Murong Ming: "If you don't dare, you lose."
Hao Ren and Bai Xun looked at the two boys with alert eyes.
Bai Xun's eyes were sharp, and he could tear a layer of flesh off a person with just a glance.
Murong Ming and He Wenhan got goosebumps all over their bodies, but when they thought about the seven or eight servants standing behind them to pick them up, they felt more confident to speak.
Su Zhizhi put her luggage on the carriage, holding a half-drunk glass of juice in her hand:
"I don't want to fight with you guys who don't know martial arts."
Murong Ming refused to lose face outside and loudly retorted: "I know martial arts. I learned it from General Yuan!"
He Wenhan is slightly more cunning than Murong Ming:
"Uncle, we are Su Zhizhi's classmates, and we would like to invite Su Zhizhi to go to Xishi with us."
Hao Ren glanced at He Wenhan.
He Wenhan didn't need to say much, Hao Ren already knew his and Murong Ming's identities.
The people in Heishan Prefecture have already found out the backgrounds of all the students in the martial arts school.
Su Zhizhi didn't spare her face: "You just said you wanted to compete with me, and now you want to invite me to play?"
He Wenhan: "It's fun, it's also a competition, and we're going to a wonderful place you've definitely never been to."
"I've already been to all the fun places in West City." Su Zhizhi didn't buy it.
Murong Ming watched Su Zhizhi about to get on the carriage and left, and he lost his composure:
"We're taking you to Xiaoyaofang. Have you ever been there?!"
When Murong Ming was speaking, He Wenhan hurriedly winked at Murong Ming, preventing him from speaking out.
But Murong Ming still said the three words "Xiaoyaofang" directly.
Murong Ming and the servants behind He Wenhan's faces changed slightly when they heard this.
Su Zhizhi thought for a moment and said, "I haven't been there."
"Hmph." The reason Murong Ming was so sure that Su Zhizhi had never been there was because he himself had never been there either.
Xiaoyaofang is the largest and most luxurious gambling house in the capital.
Here, making a fortune is not just a daydream.
Murong Ming had heard it many times, but He Yan wouldn't even let him fight cocks at home, let alone go to the gambling house.
The He family also explicitly forbade their descendants from going to gambling houses.
Although He Tingfang accepted bribes, he did not gamble, and even the servants in his house were not allowed to gamble.
Anyone who dared to go to the gambling house would be fined immediately and then sent to a farm in the countryside.
But children like He Wenhan are born rebellious.
The more he was not allowed to go, the more he wanted to go, and he wanted to go with great anxiety.
Once, He Wenhan shook off the servants who were accompanying him and bravely sneaked in alone. He was deeply impressed by the scene inside Xiaoyaofang.
At that time, He Wenhan was unknowingly brought to the gambling table, lost all his money in one go, and ran out in panic.
He didn't tell anyone about this.
When He Wenhan heard Murong Ming say that he wanted to defeat Su Zhizhi, Xiaoyaofang immediately appeared in his mind.
If I trick Su Zhizhi into the gambling house and make her lose everything, wouldn’t that be a win?
After all, when it comes to gambling, it’s not about who has better kung fu or who can write.
It's just a matter of luck.
The He family's servant stepped forward and bowed to persuade He Wenhan: "Master, the master said that we can't go to the gambling house."
He Wenhan: "Shut up! If anyone dares to leak this information, I'll find a reason for my grandmother to spank you."
Murong Ming also warned the people behind him in the same way.
Su Zhizhi didn't know what Xiaoyaofang was, but it sounded like an unusual place.
She grabbed Hao Ren's sleeve and said, "Dad, what is Xiaoyaofang? Let's go there with Sister Hua and the others next time."
He Wenhan and Murong Ming definitely had bad intentions, so she wouldn't be fooled and follow them.
But when Hao Ren heard the words "Xiaoyaofang", his eyes dimmed slightly and then he smiled.
Xiaoyaofang.
He Tingfang’s largest treasury in the capital.
Most of He Tingfang's gold and silver were not hidden in his mansion, but were kept in the cellar of Xiaoyaofang in secret.
Originally, this secret was known only to He Tingfang and the gambling house owner. They concealed it from everyone on the surface, but they failed to prevent it from happening to Old Man Qin, who had been digging diligently in Chang'an for a year.
Old Man Qin accidentally discovered the vault, but he and Murong Di had no way to transfer so much treasure, so they did not make a sound or take any action.
When the two returned to Black Bandit Mountain and reunited with Hao Ren, they told him about this and gave Hao Ren a map of the Chang'an tunnel.
The places where Old Man Qin and Murong Di dug when they returned to the capital that year were all marked on the map.
Hao Ren changed his cold expression and bowed to Murong Ming and said:
"My eyesight is so poor that I only recognized this person as the Prince Gong. I hope you won't blame me."
Su Zhizhi's hair was a little messy from the wind: "Dad?"
Hao Ren smiled very kindly:
"Zhizhi, the prince has invited us, so we must be grateful for your kindness."
Anyone from the Black Bandit Mountain who saw Hao Ren's smile knew that someone was going to be in trouble.
Bai Xun and Su Zhizhi stopped talking and just nodded in agreement.
However, Murong Ming and He Wenhan were not from the Black Bandit Mountain and could not understand the meaning behind this smile.
Murong Ming felt relieved when he saw Su Zhizhi's father being so humble to him.
"This prince is not as knowledgeable as you, just be sensible."
Hao Ren put the empty bamboo tube of juice Su Zhizhi had drunk back into the carriage, fanning himself and laughing:
"Brother Bai, after you drop Zhizhi and me off at the entrance of Xiaoyaofang, please go back and tell Yingniang that Zhizhi and I are going to Xiaoyaofang at the invitation of Prince Gong. We'll be back late for dinner tonight."
Let the people in the palace get ready."
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