Chapter 16

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Chapter 16: Title

Gu Cheng looked at the person in front of him who was devouring her food with worry in his eyes. He kindly placed a tea cup in front of her. "Eat slowly, be careful not to choke, the Eldest Son won’t snatch it from you."

Gu Hengbo picked up the cup, took a sip, and let out a satisfied burp.

"Do you want to eat something else? I had the chef make some cold cakes you love."

Gu Hengbo waved her hand. "What’s so good about cold cakes? I’d prefer lotus paste. Have them make it, and I’ll take it back to the manor."

Gu Cheng was taken aback. "Lian Rong?"

"Mm, it’s been a long time since I had it," Gu Hengbo said as she used her tongue to pick at the leaves stuck in her teeth, resisting the urge to use her fingers.

Lian Chen frowned and shot a glare at the ungrateful person, clearing his throat lightly.

Gu Cheng quickly noticed the person beside Lian Chen and stood up. Just as he was about to bow, she raised her hand to stop him. Gu Hengbo sat across from Gu Cheng and, seeing him constantly looking over her shoulder, curiously turned around. She saw Lian Chen looking at her with a constipated expression, and beside him stood an androgynous person.

Lian Chen glanced at Gu Cheng and whispered to Lian Rong, "Royal uncle, I need to discuss something with Eldest Son. May we leave for a moment?"

Lian Rong nodded.

Lian Chen pulled Gu Cheng downstairs, muttering as they walked, "Gu Cheng, what’s wrong with you? Why did you let her eat that? I think you’re asking for trouble."

Lian Rong looked at the dazed Gu Hengbo and cheerfully sat down in Gu Cheng’s place. "Second Miss seems in good spirits."

Gu Hengbo snapped back to reality and gave a dry laugh. "Hehe, yes."

Lian Rong raised an eyebrow. "Why are you standing? Sit."

"Oh."

Their seats were right by the window, and Gu Hengbo found it awkward to look anywhere, so she stared outside instead. She wondered why Lian Rong came here for no reason, and it couldn’t have been more unfortunate that she was overheard shouting about wanting to eat. She might as well just slap herself.

Lian Rong glanced at the table, which was filled with fine dishes from Yipin Tower, now already swept away by a gust of wind, leaving some rice grains stuck on someone’s chin, creating a comical sight.

Holding back laughter, Lian Rong took out a silk handkerchief from her pocket. "You have something on your mouth, wipe it."

Gu Hengbo looked at the handkerchief she offered and thought it strange for a man to carry such a thing. Nonetheless, she unconsciously took it. "Thank you."

"A pig, right?" Lian Rong asked with a smile.

Gu Hengbo, holding the handkerchief and about to wipe her mouth, froze at her question. "Yes, why?"

"No wonder you eat so much."

Gu Hengbo narrowed her eyes. "Your Highness is an androgynous, right?"

"This king is a dog."

"Well, this prince doesn’t understand. An androgynous is like a dog, and a dog is like an androgynous. Therefore, your Highness’s attribute is ‘androgynous,’ no wonder you look so ‘manly,’" Gu Hengbo said with a smile.

Lian Rong obviously did not know the strange terminology Gu Hengbo used; during their first meeting, she had also given her a word, and to be honest, she thought at the time that the word was a compliment.

"Everyone come quickly, a new Fula Gambling House has opened in the east side of the city, and there’s no need to stake silver for the first three days!"

"Really? There’s such a good thing? Let’s go take a look!"

As soon as Gu Hengbo heard the words ‘gambling house,’ her ears perked up. She stood up and looked down the street, seeing a group of people heading east. With a twinkle in her eye, she touched the silver coins that Gu Cheng gave her in her pocket. It seemed she could make a little money. Just as she was about to leave, she remembered someone was still sitting across from her and smiled sweetly. "Your Highness, it’s getting late. Aren’t you going back to your residence?"

Lian Rong immediately saw through her intentions and smiled warmly at her. "Didn’t someone say a new gambling house opened? This king wanted to check it out. Second Miss, will you head back to the residence first, or do you wish to wait for Eldest Son here?"

Gu Hengbo cursed silently in her heart, displaying a troubled expression. "Oh, really? Then… why not let Meisheng go with you, too? She’s quite bored here by herself." What’s going on? You wanted to go yourself. If I don’t take some silver from you, it would be quite the shame for you, the wealthiest in Dongyin.

When Gu Hengbo stood under the sign of the Ruyi Gambling House, she felt delighted. It wasn’t that she was a big gambler; she rarely touched such things in modern times. She was just curious if ancient gambling houses were really like what she saw on TV, where people rolled dice and, with good luck, could fill their pockets with silver. Anyway, she wasn’t spending her own money; her benefactor was right beside her.

"Your Highness, you’re a man, so you should cover the bets," Gu Hengbo squinted at the chubby uncle across from her. The uncle looked at her… but then he was gazing dreamily at Lian Rong behind her. As soon as Lian Rong entered, all the men in the room had their eyes on them. Gu Hengbo felt frustrated; even though being stared at by those uncles was quite intolerable, she was a woman too! Why were they only looking at one man? This was unacceptable!

The dealer was a young man in his twenties and had started urging Gu Hengbo as she hesitated. Gu Hengbo nudged Lian Rong with her elbow. "Money!"

Lian Rong leaned into her ear and whispered, "This king never carries silver when going out."

Gu Hengbo grit her teeth. She didn’t care about anything else now and shot her an angry glare. "Why didn’t you say that earlier? If you don’t bring money, what are you doing here, starving?"

"You brought money, didn’t you?" Lian Rong replied cheerfully.

Gu Hengbo was speechless. This rich lady was so stingy! Reluctantly, she tossed her money pouch onto the gambling table. "Why are you hurrying? Do you want to be reborn or something? Look, I have money."

As soon as the dealer saw Gu Hengbo take out her money, everyone began to shout. The first round had just begun, and listening to the sound coming from the dice cup, Gu Hengbo tightened her grip on the pouch. With a ‘thud,’ she slammed the dice cup down on the table, and Lian Rong leaned forward, whispering, "Bet small."

Gu Hengbo felt her ears heat up, her back straightening. "Why should I listen to you?"

"Listening to me is a good idea."

"Place your bets! Lock in your choices!" The dealer was urging again.

Gu Hengbo bit her lip and pushed all the money from her pouch onto the ‘small’ spot. She leaned back. "This time, I’ll listen to you. If I lose, you double my money back."

"Deal!"

With a loud shout of ‘open,’ the game finally started. Gu Hengbo looked at the numbers under the cup: ‘two two three.’ Her eyes lit up; her money doubled. In the haze, she seemed to see the shining silver waving at her. For the next round, she bet all her money on ‘small’ again: ‘one two two, one two three.’ Round after round, she couldn’t tell why her luck was so good today. Just by looking at the dealer’s face, she knew she had made a fortune. Other gamblers saw this and followed her lead, making Gu Hengbo frown. With a sour expression, she hugged her money close. "I’m done, I’m done! Why do you all keep following me? Little Rong, put the money away; we’re leaving!"

The others shouted in response, "You want to leave after winning? Play a few more rounds first!"

"Yes, yes! Just play a few more rounds!"

Gu Hengbo carefully packed her silver. This money was for her future escape with Madam Dou; she had to protect it. "Whether I go or not is my business! You lost; it’s your bad luck. Luck doesn’t come every day. Everyone, just go home and sleep. Tomorrow morning, you’ll probably earn more than I did today. No need to rush!" Saying this, she dragged Lian Rong and started to walk away.

"Stop! Don’t let those two get away! They clearly cheated!" The dealer shouted after Gu Hengbo and Lian Rong.

"What are you doing? Who cheated? Are you refusing to take responsibility for your loss?" Gu Hengbo replied coldly.

"Hmph! Let’s ask around. Has anyone ever seen someone win every time at this table?"

"I haven’t seen that."

"I was wondering who could win every round. They must have cheated."

"A girl like her should be ashamed!"

Gu Hengbo blushed with anger. "Don’t listen to his nonsense! He’s just mad about losing! Besides, I’m just a beginner! I have no idea what small tricks you’re talking about."