Chapter Eight: I See You as a Good Person!
Li Changheng had merely stopped by the gambling house to collect some silver; normally, he never concerned himself with its affairs. After all, it was his father’s territory—any problem could be smoothed over easily.
Despite this, the gambling house still earned a substantial income each year, providing him with more than enough to squander freely.
However, the moment he saw the infamous “Foolish Prince” arrive, his ambition flared up instantly!
If he couldn’t win a few tens of thousands of taels from this fool, how could his father, the county magistrate, recognize his true talent for business?
“Your Highness, would you like to try your hand at something? Dice, Pai Gow, or whatever you prefer—I will personally accompany you!” Li Changheng said warmly, putting his arm around Xue Yuan as they approached a dice table. He discreetly shot a glance at Jian Qi, signaling him to keep silent.
Jian Qi was not one to speak unnecessarily anyway; he had agreed only to ensure Xue Yuan’s safety and would not meddle beyond that.
Xue Yuan smiled foolishly as he reached the table, pointing at the dice cup. “What is this?”
“Heh, you don’t even know what a dice cup is!” someone chuckled.
That person was soon escorted outside by one of Li Changheng’s attendants, and muffled screams could be heard faintly from beyond the door.
Inside, no one dared to speak further, but the crowd remained, watching with eager interest.
Li Changheng enthusiastically explained, “Your Highness, this is called a dice cup—it’s a game of guessing whether the dice total is big or small. It’s really fun!”
“I want to play!” Xue Yuan declared.
“All right, Your Highness, do you have silver to wager?”
Xue Yuan frowned in frustration. “No, all the money is with my steward. What should I do?”
Li Changheng laughed. “No problem. I’ll lend you ten thousand taels first. Just press your seal here.”
With the prince’s signature on the IOU, Li Changheng was not worried about Steward Qian Zhongxian defaulting. Though Qian managed the king’s official seal by imperial command, he held no real power; that was still in the hands of Li’s father, the county magistrate.
Hearing the amount—ten thousand taels—everyone inhaled sharply.
One must know, a large two-entrance mansion in Ning’an’s most prosperous district cost only about two thousand five hundred taels. Meanwhile, an ordinary family of five could live comfortably on just thirty taels a year.
Li Changheng was essentially bleeding the prince dry!
Yet Xue Yuan did not hesitate. Clapping his hands with a broad smile, he said, “Excellent! Bring it over quickly, you really are a good man!”
Li Changheng laughed heartily, “Your Highness is right—I am indeed a good man!”
Everyone laughed along, though their expressions were somewhat peculiar.
Soon, the gambling house manager brought over an IOU and a stack of silver notes and placed them on the table.
Xue Yuan didn’t even check the silver notes and immediately pressed his seal on the IOU.
“Your Highness is generous!” Li Changheng laughed and signaled the dealer to shake the dice.
The dealer, who sported a tuft of chest hair, shook the dice cup in a flurry before slapping it down on the table.
Xue Yuan fixed his gaze on the cup and, as expected, saw the game’s description:
[Mechanical Dice Cup | Current points: 2, 3, 5, 10 | Upon reveal can change to 3, 5, 11, 12, or triple six]
Xue Yuan understood immediately.
This dice cup, when shaken, produced random results unknown even to the dealer, who normally revealed honest outcomes.
However, when the stakes were exceptionally high, the dealer could select from five cheating modes, covering small, big, and the all-encompassing triple six.
It was probably based on magnetic principles or had preset dice hidden beneath the cup.
This made sense—unlike in films, where ancient dealers supposedly manipulated dice numbers with no technology, that was absurd. Even weighted dice could only influence the throw, but controlling the force inside a shaking cup was impossible.
Having grasped this, Xue Yuan calmly wagered the entire ten thousand taels on “Big.”
Under the crowd’s eager anticipation, the dealer revealed the dice—three points, small.
Ten thousand taels vanished in an instant!
Gasps echoed through the room.
Li Changheng shook his head regretfully. “Ah, Your Highness, why bet so much at once? How about another ten thousand?”
Xue Yuan nodded, “Sure, bring it on!”
Signing again, another ten thousand taels were handed over.
The dice cup settled; Xue Yuan continued to bet on “Big.”
The result was five points, small.
Feigning anger, Xue Yuan slammed the table. “No, no, another ten thousand!”
Li Changheng had no reason to refuse.
“But, Your Highness, that brings your total to thirty thousand taels now!” he cautioned.
“Is thirty thousand a lot?”
“Not at all! A mere trifle to Your Highness!”
Xue Yuan grinned slyly. “That’s too boring—I want to bet three hundred thousand taels!”
“Whoa~~~”
The crowd erupted in astonishment.
Three hundred thousand taels? The prince’s annual salary converted to silver was only about fifty thousand taels!
For ordinary people, it would take over ten thousand years to earn that much!
Even Li Changheng was taken aback.
Good heavens, is my forehead shining with fortune today?
Father will never worry about my spending again!
He quickly added, “Your Highness, you do understand that for such a bet, you’ll need to mortgage the royal land deeds, your two hundred seventy-two shops, and thirty-seven thousand acres of fertile farmland outside the city! All must be written on the IOU!”
Li Changheng knew the prince’s estate well; nearly every official in Ning’an coveted some share of the royal wealth—it was common knowledge.
Of course, even if this fool owed him three hundred thousand taels, Qian Zhongxian would never pay it all, but as long as he got a hundred thousand, Li would still profit immensely!
Xue Yuan waved his hand grandly. “Of course! I always keep my word.”
Then he paused and asked, “Wait, if I’m mortgaging, don’t you have to mortgage something too?”
Li Changheng laughed. “Your Highness is right. I don’t have that much ready silver either—let’s also draw up an IOU! If I lose, this gambling house, our ninety-five shops, two mansions, and three thousand acres of farmland outside the city all belong to you!”
In front of the assembled witnesses, both parties signed and sealed the agreement.
There was no chance of foul play with so many eyes watching.
Jian Qi could not help but warn, “Your Highness, if you lose, you’ll lose everything.”
Xue Yuan’s eyes widened, and he smiled foolishly. “How could that be? This is nothing to me!”
Jian Qi shook his head helplessly, thinking that although this fool was kind-hearted, he was still a fool… nothing would get through to him now.
At least he was a prince; even if he lost, he wouldn’t be homeless. A lesson wouldn’t hurt.
Meanwhile, a smile crept uncontrollably across Li Changheng’s lips. He felt that after today, his gambling house would rise to new heights, and his reputation as a business prodigy would spread throughout Ningzhou!
The dealer shook the dice cup again.
It settled.
Xue Yuan stared down, reading the description: five, five, six—sixteen points!
But just before the bet was placed, he suddenly jumped up, grabbed Li Changheng, and rushed to the dice cup.
With a swift shove, he sent the dealer flying out of the way.
Li Changheng was dumbfounded.
When he came to his senses and looked down, he saw one of his hands pressed firmly on the cup, while the other strong hand of the fool gently covered his.
Hand in hand, warm and sweet.
Li Changheng’s face flushed red; inwardly, he pleaded, “No, stop… please…”
Now cheating was impossible, damn it!
Yet Xue Yuan pouted. “I don’t like him—I don’t want him to roll this round! You’re a good man, so I want you to do it!”
He threw the contract in his other hand onto the “Big” mark.
“I’m still betting big, because I am the Big Prince!”
Li Changheng’s face turned stiff; at this moment, he even wanted to call it off.
The stakes were enormous, and without cheating, if he lost…
But with all eyes upon them, how could he say a word?
Before he could hesitate further, Xue Yuan grasped his hand and suddenly lifted the dice cup’s lid!
Five, five, six—big!
“Whoa~~”
The crowd erupted in cheers!
But Li Changheng felt a chill run through him; his legs weakened, nearly causing him to collapse.
“It’s over!”
Yet he was quickly embraced by a firm, warm chest.
“Oh! Oh! I won! You really are a good man!” Xue Yuan exclaimed, lifting Li Changheng and spinning him around several times on the spot.