Prince Jing’s reaction indeed exceeded their expectations. They had assumed such a cautious person wouldn’t easily trust a stranger. Unexpectedly, Miss Jiang possessed remarkable skills, managing to naturally capture Prince Jing’s attention. However, this was beneficial for their master, as Miss Jiang was helping him.
So why was their master still angry?
“Let’s go,” Shen Zaiye said, rising and striding downstairs. Zhanlu hurriedly followed, keeping an eye on the situation ahead while muttering, “What does Miss Jiang intend to do?”
Shen Zaiye didn’t answer, observing Mu Wuyin supporting Jiang Taohua as they walked slowly, surrounded by guards. His left hand rested under her wrist, his right on her waist.
Pursing his lips, he couldn’t help but sneer, thinking this must be why Prince Jing struggled to achieve greatness. Lust was like a knife above one’s head. How could someone in his position so easily trust a stranger? If not him, who else would fall into such a trap?
One glance at Jiang Taohua’s beauty made it clear she couldn’t be someone casually found on the street. Why did these people believe they’d have such good fortune? And to get so close? What if Jiang Taohua knew martial arts? She could stab him to death in an instant.
Concealing himself, he followed them halfway down the alley. Most of the prince’s guards remained outside the Daxi Gambling House, while Prince Jing entered with only two men accompanying Jiang Taohua.
Why go to a gambling house?
Shen Zaiye pondered briefly before turning to Zhanlu, “Go to the Capital Yamen first and make arrangements. Ensure they’re cooperative and await my orders.”
“Yes,” Zhanlu acknowledged, departing silently.
After standing there for a moment, Shen Zaiye entered the neighboring Hefeng Wu, emerging in inconspicuous cloth garments and a bamboo hat. He then entered the Daxi Gambling House.
Inside, Jiang Taohua searched anxiously beside Prince Jing, her lips pale with worry. “Where’s Father? Where has he gone?”
Mu Wuyin, filled with sympathy, held her hand. “Don’t worry, we’ll search slowly. If we truly can’t find him, you can return to my residence.”
“No!” Taohua firmly refused. Realizing she needed to mind her manners, she quickly bowed and choked out, “This humble girl isn’t homeless. If I truly can’t find Father, I’ll return to my hometown.”
Mu Wuyin, somewhat surprised, relaxed his expression. “Can’t you see my noble status?”
Timidly eyeing him, Jiang Taohua appeared uneasy. She freed her hand and stepped back. “I… I can see. Thank you for helping me search for my father.”
How strange, Mu Wuyin thought. Usually, women would throw themselves at him upon seeing his dragon-embroidered robe. Why did this girl seem afraid?
People often have contrarian psychology, so the tactic of “letting the prey escape to catch it” has always been effective when undetected. Prince Jing, accustomed to adoration, found himself intrigued by this commoner’s apparent disinterest. “Don’t rush to refuse. Let’s see if we can find your father first.”
Taohua hesitated, then nodded slightly, continuing her search through the crowd.
Shen Zaiye observed coldly from the sidelines, thinking this trick wasn’t novel. If not for her beauty, Prince Jing wouldn’t have fallen for it today!
But what was the purpose of keeping him in this gambling house?
Taohua approached the counter, gesturing as she asked, “Sir, have you seen a man about this tall, around forty years old? Wearing a blue cotton shirt with a mole on his face.”
This was pure fabrication, but with so many people coming and going into the gambling house, her random description might match someone.
The clerk looked up, initially impatient, but straightened immediately upon seeing the man in the four-clawed dragon robe behind her. Respectfully, he answered, “I believe someone like that did come by, but our establishment is quite large. It might take some time to find him.”
Seeing her genuinely searching for her father without paying him much attention, Prince Jing gradually came to trust Jiang Taohua completely.
In this moment of lowered guard, he met the woman’s eyes.
Her eyes were beautiful, clear yet misty, like a whirlpool of warm water stirred by the wind, drawing people in.
“My lord, we’ll need to search for quite some time,” Jiang Taohua said, lowering her head slightly, her fair neck alluringly exposed.
For a moment, Mu Wuyin forgot where he was, nodding dumbly, “Alright, we can search as long as needed. I’ll accompany you.”
Taohua smiled radiantly, captivating even the two guards behind her as they followed her toward the gambling tables.
“Come one, come all! If you win ten rounds in a row, not only will we refund your stakes, but you can also choose any item from this shelf to take home!” a dealer shouted as they passed a table.
Jiang Taohua stopped, her gaze lingering on a golden hairpin.
“Do you want it?” Mu Wuyin asked gently.
Taohua bit her lip and shook her head. “No, I don’t.”
Yet her eyes remained fixed on the hairpin.
Prince Jing immediately sat at the table, his two guards not stopping him.
Observing this, Shen Zaiye began to understand. The current emperor most despised princes who lacked self-restraint and moral integrity. Prince Jing, who had sailed his cautious ship for years, seemed about to sink in the ravine of beauty today.
After some thought, he turned to find the owner of this gambling house.
Though Prince Jing was royalty, the house owner wouldn’t dare to completely ruin him, even with backing. Shen Zaiye decided to give them some courage and let the prince experience the formidable nature of civilian gambling houses.
Historically, few gamblers led good lives, and once started, it was difficult to stop. Prince Jing knew this, but somehow he began, and once he did, seeing the beautiful woman gazing at him expectantly, he couldn’t bring himself to give up on winning that hairpin.
The game used three dice, betting on numbers. The method was simple, the odds were high, but one had to win ten rounds to claim an item from the shelf as a gift.
Jiang Taohua watched him with anticipation as he won the first three rounds, then began to lose consistently.
“How can this be?” Mu Wuyin frowned, instructing his guard to exchange more tokens. “Isn’t winning ten rounds too difficult?”
The dealer smiled nervously, sweating profusely. He was considering letting the prince win when an attendant whispered something in his ear.
Suddenly emboldened, the dealer smiled at Mu Wuyin. “If the guest finds ten rounds too many, you can win a treasure with just five rounds. However, each round’s stake must be 100 taels of silver.”
“100 taels?” Mu Wuyin was shocked, wanting to say that 100 taels could support a common family for life. How could the gambling house be so greedy?
But with the beautiful woman still gazing at him admiringly, he couldn’t back down. He steeled himself and said, “Fine, 100 taels it is.”
Taohua gasped, gently tugging at his sleeve. “My lord, isn’t this too much? We shouldn’t…”
“Don’t worry, I have plenty of money. This is nothing,” Mu Wuyin patted her hand.
As he did so, he felt her skin as smooth as jade. He couldn’t help but caress it gently.
Taohua blushed, glancing at him shyly before quickly withdrawing her hand.
Unfortunately, Shen Zaiye, who had just returned, witnessed this. He narrowed his eyes slightly.
Her seduction techniques seemed too practiced. How many men had she tried them on? Moreover, it seemed that night at Hefeng Wu might not have truly been her first time.
Snorting softly, Shen Zaiye continued to observe from the sidelines.
With the stakes raised, more onlookers gathered. Mu Wuyin felt increasingly trapped, forced to bet repeatedly. When his money ran out, he had the bets charged to Prince Jing’s estate.
After over thirty rounds of wins and losses, the hairpin was finally placed in Taohua’s hair.
“My lord, you’re amazing!” Taohua’s eyes sparkled as she looked up at him. “Do you gamble often? My father has gambled for over ten years but never won anything for me.”
Initially feeling guilty, Mu Wuyin’s spirits lifted upon hearing this and meeting her gaze. He suddenly felt the thousands of taels were worth it. Smiling, he asked, “Do you want anything else?”
“No, no more,” Taohua waved her hands adorably, her eyes full of admiration. “It’s just that when you were placing bets earlier, you looked so imposing, like a general commanding thousands of troops.”
Mu Wuyin laughed, leaning close to her ear to whisper, “If you follow me, you’ll have the chance to see me command thousands of troops.”
Blushing, Taohua sensitively covered her ears and stepped back. Composing herself, she said, “My lord jests. How could a humble girl like me be worthy of someone of your status? Since we can’t find my father, I should…”
“Don’t go,” he quickly grabbed her hand, speaking softly, “I was too forward. Don’t be angry. Your father is in this gambling house. Let’s keep looking. If you get bored, I’ll play a few rounds for you to watch. How’s that?”
“This…” Taohua hesitated, but Prince Jing paid no heed, directly taking her hand and walking to the next gambling table.
Shen Zaiye sat quietly drinking tea on the second floor, watching Prince Jing lead Jiang Taohua between gambling tables downstairs. He sneered.
The afternoon passed, then early evening. The Daxi Gambling House was bustling, with crowds gathering to watch the prince gamble. Prince Jing seemed to have forgotten his appointment with Prince Yu, focused solely on spending thousands for his beauty.
However, at the final table, he could no longer continue.
“You’re cheating!” He slammed the table, shouting, “I can’t lose every time!”
The dealer calmly looked at him. “Fortune is fickle. If you gamble, you must accept the outcome. Our Daxi Gambling House has been in business for a hundred years and has never cheated. If the noble guest chooses to gamble, he cannot renege on his losses!”
Sweating profusely, Mu Wuyin didn’t want to renege, but the bet had unconsciously risen to 200,000 taels. Even Prince Jing’s estate couldn’t produce such a sum at short notice!
(Chapter ends)