The Child Emperor

Chapter 96: The First Invitation

It went without saying that gamblers were risk-takers.

Zhang Yanghao did find three people to play dice with the deposed emperor. With him included, there were just enough to make five. Originally, everything went smoothly. The deposed emperor’s skills were as awkward as his movements, almost like he was giving away money. However, they absolutely should have agreed when the deposed emperor said that he was tired and asked that his attendant play on his behalf. At the time, Zhang Yanghao and the others agreed without thinking.

An hour passed, and the night outside was getting darker. Four noble scions knelt on their seating mats, staring blankly at a few dice, still not understanding how all of this had happened.

Apart from Zhang Yanghao, the others hadn’t revealed their names, addressing each other as “young master.” They were all in their twenties, deeply immersed in the gambling scene and had never suffered such a heavy loss before.

Du Chuanyun sat opposite the four, his hands resting on his knees. His gaze swept back and forth as they placed their bets. He was in no hurry, as those who were winning money always acted this way.

Zhang Yanghao had lost the most, and it was money he had borrowed with great difficulty. He turned his head and asked, “How much is it now?”

Han Ruzi sat bored in a chair in the corner, picked up a piece of paper from the table, and examined it under the oil lamp for a while. “Not much, just over six thousand taels when you add up the four young masters.”

The cash brought by the four was not much, and it had already been lost. The rest were debts written on paper.

One of the young masters angrily pounded the table and said to Du Chuanyun, “You’re cheating!”

“The dice are yours. How can I cheat? Show me how you’d cheat.”

“Let the marquis return to the game. We won’t play with you anymore,” another young master said.

“When I joined the game, you all said it was okay. Now you’re backing out? If you want the marquis to play, fine, settle the accounts first.” Du Chuanyun extended a hand without fear, facing the noble scions.

“We’re not playing anymore. We agreed to playing with the Weary Marquis. Why would we want to play with a servant?” the third young master stood up.

“You could get a servant to play on your behalf too,” Du Chuanyun said with a smile.

The three young masters left in a huff. Han Ruzi called them over. “Wait, I don’t quite understand the rules, but you should put your signatures on this paper, right? Otherwise, who would I seek to collect on these debts?”

The three stopped and looked at Zhang Yanghao. Before coming to gamble, they had agreed not to reveal their identities, so they hadn’t even brought their personal attendants with them.

“You can come look for me me; I’ll vouch for these three young masters.” Zhang Yanghao said, standing his ground.

“That’s good then. Farewell.” Han Ruzi bid them farewell. As soon as they left, he turned to Zhang Yanghao and said, “I didn’t expect us to actually win. Come on, let’s split…”

Zhang Yanghao hurriedly ran to the door, took a glance outside, closed the door, and then turned to whisper, “Are you trying to get me killed?”

“Don’t you want the money? It’s nearly two thousand taels of silver. Although it’s not much, it’s rightfully yours,” Han Ruzi did not mind giving Zhang Yanghao his thirty percent cut.

This silver could almost offset the losses he had tonight, but if those three young masters found out, he would be in trouble.

“Hehe, why not?” Zhang Yanghao slowly approached the Weary Marquis, but his gaze remained on Du Chuanyun. “Where did you find such a skilled player?”

“I didn’t find him. I asked for someone in the manor who could play dice, and he stepped forward, so I brought him here,” Han Ruzi pointed to the paper on the table. “Can we really collect this silver owed? Don’t let me have false hopes.”

“Don’t worry, everyone here has status and wealth. Their families won’t miss this amount of silver. In at most, three days, it will be delivered to your manor. You just need to figure out how to collect it and explain it to the Manor Clerk.”

“Alright then, let’s take our leave. To be honest, the winnings and losses weren’t that significant. I thought we’d be dealing with tens of thousands of taels in a single night,” Han Ruzi seemed disappointed.

Zhang Yanghao chuckled. “They came for to play with you. When you asked someone else to play for you, naturally they wouldn’t be interested.”

“I also found it boring. Never mind, after settling this account, I won’t bother you again.”

“No! If you want to play big. I can find players. But they might also seek skilled players to represent them.”

“I have no objection. You can go look for them,” Han Ruzi pressed down on the written debt. “At least, you should put your signature on it. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but having just this piece of paper and a pile of numbers in my hand doesn’t make me feel secure.”

Zhang Yanghao walked over with a smile, took the pen-brush, and signed it. “In less than three days, this pile of numbers will turn into real gold and silver.”

Zhang Yanghao personally saw off the Weary Marquis and his attendant.

The gambling location was not far from Hundred Prince Street, a small courtyard within a larger mansion, with a separate entrance leading to the back alley, quite concealed.

At the back door of the Weary Marquis’s manor, Zhang Youcai was anxiously waiting. Seeing his master return safely, he breathed a sigh of relief. “Let’s make this the last time, alright? Don’t go out at night in the future.”

“We’ll see how things go,” Han Ruzi replied with a smile.

Entering the study, Du Chuanyun said, “I didn’t do well today.”

“Aren’t your winnings enough? You’ll get thirty percent of this money.”

“Of course, it’s not enough. You had me appear too early. Tonight, you should have played by yourself. Losing some money wouldn’t have mattered. It would have piqued their interest, and next time, you could have won more. Now they are on guard. Next time, they’ll either refuse to play or bring in skilled players.”

“Are you afraid of skilled players?”

“I’ve never been afraid of anyone in dice. But in the Capital, there are indeed a few skilled players. I can’t be sure I’ll win every time. I don’t know if these noble scions and princes are able to find such players. Tomorrow, I’ll go inquire.”

Du Chuanyun didn’t want to linger in the study and turned to leave.

Zhang Youcai attended to the Weary Marquis and whispered, “Master, you are of noble status. You shouldn’t keep exposing yourself to danger. Things have finally stabilized, and the household lacks nothing. The Lady is gentle and virtuous…”

“In one night, I won nearly three thousand taels of silver, and Du Chuanyun won two thousand taels,” the Weary Marquis said.

Zhang Youcai was stunned, opening and closing his mouth several times, and finally said with difficulty, “Do we really need this money?”

“It came easily, why not take it? Besides, small gains add up. In the future, it could be tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of taels!”

“I feel…” Zhang Youcai sighed softly. “Master, you should rest.”

The Weary Marquis love for gambling was surely disappointing to some, but Han Ruzi didn’t feel the need to explain or justify himself. Being engaged in such frivolous behavior suited the image of an unambitious layabout, didn’t it?

Du Chuanyun didn’t care about all this; the whole affair was just a game to him. He enjoyed it. He spent the entire next day outside the residence, only returning at night. When he came to join the Weary Marquis for their martial arts practice the next morning, he smiled and said, “Everything went smoothly.”

In the afternoon of the same day, Zhang Yanghao delivered the silver and visited personally. The Weary Marquis didn’t mind his actions being recorded by the Manor Clerk.

Zhang Yanghao also brought an invitation card: the day after tomorrow was the seventieth birthday of Lady Hengyang. She was the Martial Emperor’s sister, and was married to Marquis Hengyang. Many scions of the imperial clan were invited to the celebration.

Since this was a family matter among the imperial clan, it was customary for the Weary Marquis’s manor to send gifts. This was the first time they had received an invitation, but Han Ruzi noticed that it wasn’t signed by Marquis Hengyang or by Lady Hengyang but by one Chai Yun, who held the position of Cavalry Attendant of the Emperor.

Zhang Yanghao explained, “Chai Yun is Marquis Hengyang’s grandson and the most favored in the family. He’s around our age, so he invited some people separately to the banquet. There would be no need to pay respects to Lady Hengyang; we can enjoy ourselves. Just arrive around noon.”

Zhang Yanghao took his leave. The Manor Clerk was quite nervous but chose not to pursue it any further. Even being treated with the best food and wine was not enough to turn a blind eye to these events. He immediately headed to the Bureau of Imperial Clan Affairs to report the situation. By evening, all he received was a reply, “Noted, go back,” without even an official document.

Though he still felt uneasy, the Manor Clerk could finally turn a blind eye with a clear conscience.

Du Chuanyun was eager to gamble again, and everyone in the manor was delighted that the Weary Marquis was invited to the event, except for one person.

Cui Xiaojun noticed that her husband’s bedtime routine was no longer as punctual as before. Occasionally, he would even stay in the study overnight. On this particular evening, after changing into nightclothes and getting into bed, she didn’t lie under the covers. Instead, she sat in the bed, wanting to have a serious talk with her husband.

Han Ruzi climbed into bed later and had no choice but to sit on the opposite side, smiling, “What’s going on? Are you planning to train too?”

Meng E had taught a new martial art technique, and Han Ruzi had to spend some time meditating every day. It was something he couldn’t hide from his wife.

Cui Xiaojun positioned her legs to one side, definitely not in a meditative posture. She spoke seriously, “I heard that Lady Hengyang is celebrating her seventieth birthday, and you have received an invitation.”

“That’s right, it’s the day after tomorrow. Aren’t you happy?”

“It’s not that I’m unhappy, but… do you know about Marquis Hengyang’s family?”

Han Ruzi shook his head, “I only know that Lady Hengyang is the Martial Emperor’s sister.”

“Lady Hengyang was quite prominent back in the day. She had some credit in the Thoughtful Emperor becoming Crown Prince.”

“No wonder she dares to invite me.”

“Is it really Lady Hengyang who invited you?”

Han Ruzi considered pretending not to know but decided to tell the truth after a moment, “It’s Chai Yun, Marquis Hengyang’s grandson. It should be the same, right?”

Cui Xiaojun sighed, “Just as I expected.”

“What did you expect?”

“Chai Yun is not a good person.”

“Do you know him?” Han Ruzi was somewhat surprised.

“I don’t know him, but my brothers do. They are an unruly gang, and based on what my brothers are like, I can tell what kind of person Chai Yun is.”

Han Ruzi felt relieved; his plan was about to succeed. The connections among noble sons and princes were extensive. Although Prince Donghai had tried to conceal it, his familiarity with Zhang Yanghao had become apparent in the palace. Through this connection, Han Ruzi believed he would soon meet Prince Donghai again and discover whether he had any hidden agenda.

“Why are you smiling?” Cui Xiaojun asked.

“Am I laughing?” Han Ruzi touched his own face.

Cui Xiaojun said seriously, “Don’t hide it from me. Are you deliberately trying to get in touch with Chai Yun and those around him?”

“I did want to interact more with outsiders, but I haven’t actively sought Chai Yun out. It was he who approached me,” Han Ruzi explained.

Cui Xiaojun moved a little closer, saying, “In that case, you should be even more cautious. It’s better not to go. They are really not good people, and you are not like them.”

“I’m not a good person either. Aren’t you afraid of me?” Han Ruzi enjoyed his wife’s serious expression and couldn’t resist making a joke.

Cui Xiaojun’s face turned slightly red as she replied in a low voice, “You don’t even know how to be a bad person properly…”

Han Ruzi put away his smile and said, “I have to accept the invitation. We can’t fend off the bad guys. I need to know what kind of ‘bad guys’ they really are to be prepared.”

The peaceful and quiet life would only be temporary; Cui Xiaojun felt quite disappointed, but she didn’t show it on her face. She would do everything she could to protect her husband. “My second brother, Cui Teng, has a close relationship with Chai Yun because they’re both crazy in the same way. I heard…,” Cui Xiaojun hesitated for a moment, “I heard they’ve personally killed people. If you insist on accepting the invitation, you must be careful. Take Little Du with you and don’t let him leave your side for a moment.”

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