books44 Chapter 348
Chapter 348
Seeing Huo Yunzhi's actions, Cheng Qingli could not help but raise an eyebrow.It seemed this Huo Yunzhi was absolutely certain she could win against her.
She could not even be bothered to hide her intentions anymore.
"Has Secondary Consort Huo thought this through? If you lose everything, there is no going back, you know," Cheng Qingli said, raising an eyebrow.
"Miss Cheng, I should be returning those words to you. After all, if Miss Cheng loses another round, you will not just be losing this exquisite gold hairpin before us, but also the Qin Pavilion. I wonder, is Miss Cheng ready?" Huo Yunzhi looked at Cheng Qingli with mockery.
She reasoned that Cheng Qingli had already lost two rounds, and ever since she joined the table, she had not seen Cheng Qingli win a single game.
She firmly believed that today, Cheng Qingli simply did not have the fate to win.
Thinking of this, Huo Yunzhi felt that if she had known earlier, she should have proposed a best-of-three match. That way, she could have saved the time of two rounds.
She could have gone back to carefully plan out how to arrange her Yunzhi Pavilion.
Rather than sharing the same air with a bunch of stinking men here.
At this thought, Huo Yunzhi fanned herself in disgust.
However, at the thought that the Qin Pavilion was about to be hers, Huo Yunzhi could not help but feel smug again.
"Is that so? Then I wish Secondary Consort Huo good luck. After all, if you win one more round against me, not only will this gold hairpin and the Qin Pavilion be yours, but even these three thousand taels in silver notes will belong to you," Cheng Qingli said, feigning distress.
Huo Yunzhi completely missed the sarcasm in Cheng Qingli's words, instead reveling in her own triumph.
It was as if those things already belonged to her.
At this moment, the way she looked at Cheng Qingli was more like she was looking at a clown.
"Then I must thank Miss Cheng for parting with her treasures!" Huo Yunzhi said bluntly.
"Isn't Secondary Consort Huo speaking a bit too soon? We agreed on best three out of five, and this has only been two rounds," Cheng Qingli said, again pretending to be troubled.
"Miss Cheng, do not blame me for not giving you a chance. I will add another thousand taels. As long as you win this round, all four thousand taels will be yours." After speaking, Huo Yunzhi took another thousand taels in silver notes from her robes and added them to the pile.
"Is that so? Then thank you, Secondary Consort Huo." Cheng Qingli sneered inwardly. It seemed this Huo Yunzhi truly believed that she was just having a run of bad luck today.
To think she even wanted to up the stakes, was she afraid of losing out on too much profit?
Only, she was afraid she was about to disappoint her, because in the next round, she was going to win.
Cheng Qingli shot a glance at Shopkeeper Xu beside them. She had no intention of letting her get her way this round.
Not to mention the Qin Pavilion was already in Li Zhiwei's hands, but even if it were not, she had no intention of letting the woman before her off so cheaply.
Though, she was actually quite curious, what did she want the Qin Pavilion for?
"Dealer, what are you waiting for?" Huo Yunzhi raised her chin, looking rather haughtily at Shopkeeper Xu as she spoke.
Shopkeeper Xu did not pay the slightest heed to the Huo Yunzhi before him. As for her identity, he had already sent someone to look into it, she was merely the secondary consort of Prince Lanhuai.
And a secondary consort without an official decree at that; strictly speaking, she was nothing more than a concubine.
He was the Emperor's man, so naturally, he had no reason to fear a lowly concubine.
However, at this moment, he merely cast an impassive look at Cheng Qingli beside him, she was the one who was truly difficult to please.
"Dealer, you must look carefully. If I lose again, this gold hairpin of mine was a reward from Her Majesty the Empress," Cheng Qingli deliberately looked at the gold hairpin with a face full of reluctance, speaking as if unintentionally.
Hearing this, Huo Yunzhi's eyes burned with intense greed. Given her status, she had naturally seen many rare treasures, but the one thing she had never seen was an item rewarded by the imperial palace.
She had not even had the opportunity to touch one.
If she could possess a piece of jewelry from the imperial palace, those wretched women in the Prince Lanhuai's manor would have to weigh their actions carefully around her.
But what Huo Yunzhi did not know was that all items from the imperial palace were registered and cataloged, and absolutely could not be gifted to others.
If Huo Yunzhi really won it today, she might very well invite a capital offense upon herself.
Cheng Qingli signaled to Shopkeeper Xu. Since someone wanted to die with clarity, there was no need for her to delay time, was there?
Catching Cheng Qingli's hint, Shopkeeper Xu hurriedly shook the dice cup in his hand and shouted, "Place your bets! Two esteemed guests, I am going to open it now! Let us see exactly whose hands today's grand prize will fall into!"
Shopkeeper Xu's shout drew the attention of everyone nearby. Although the Jubao Casino was a famous gambling den, it was the first time they had seen two women gambling against each other.
Seeing the massive gold hairpin and the four thousand taels of silver notes on the table, the bystanders all wanted to join in.
It was well known that this Cheng Qingli was a veritable wealth-scattering child.
If they joined in, out of those four thousand taels, earning even a hundred taels each would be a profit.
At this thought, several people eagerly tried to jump in.
"Hey, it has not opened yet, we want to add our bets too!"
"Me too, I want to bet as well!" someone quickly could not help but speak up.
"Everyone, my Jubao Casino is not a place for you to cause trouble. This is a private game between these two ladies, so you all can just watch." Shopkeeper Xu shot a look to the attendants behind him.
How could he not know what intentions those people harbored?
But for today's game, he absolutely would not let them join.
"Oh, milords, what is so great about joining a women's game? Let us head over there." The attendants quickly stepped forward and led the men towards another table.
"What, are you afraid we cannot afford to lose, or cannot afford to win? Do not tell me you fancy these two women and want to cover for them?"
Hearing this, Liu San was displeased.
The twenty taels of silver he had just won from Cheng Qingli were already lost.
What did these two women know about betting on big or small?
With that kind of money, they should leave it for him to spend.
If all four thousand taels were his...
At this thought, Liu San could not help but let out a burst of laughter.
The people around him looked at him rather strangely.
They did not understand what he was laughing about.
"Alright, just open it already!" Clearly, Liu San's laughter displeased Cheng Qingli, but right now, it was better to deal with Huo Yunzhi as soon as possible. She really did not want to play with her anymore.
"One, two, two, Small!" Shopkeeper Xu's voice rang out loudly.
The surrounding onlookers all gasped. Who was it that just said this young lady had bad luck?
What kind of unlucky young lady wins four thousand taels of silver in a single go?
This girl had lost earlier, but that was not more than five hundred taels.
This single win multiplied that several times over.
Beside them, Huo Yunzhi was dumbfounded. How could she lose?
It should not be like this!
Was she not supposed to win?
She was going to win this round, and then, not only win that gold hairpin, but also win the Qin Pavilion, right?
"There must be a mistake!"
Huo Yunzhi looked at Shopkeeper Xu with dissatisfaction and declared.