Your Majesty, Please Stop!

Chapter 56: Betting on Xin Zhuo and Miss Murong

Jiang Hezhu laughed, "Miss Su ignores us, so it's boring to follow her. Why not go have some fun?"

"Where?" the young gentlemen asked in unison.

Jiang Hezhu put away his folding fan and said, "A Touch of Red by the Canglan River, the most gentle place in the world. Let's go to the Drunken Heart Pavilion!"

"Wonderful! Tonight, let's get drunk with eighteen white strips and enjoy a half-day of leisure!"

"Oh, how lively! It's really using sweet words, taking advantage of the situation, and acting under the guise of others. It's like a pear blossom pressing against a sea of red peonies!"

Just as these idioms were being said, someone passed by the crowd.

"Young Master, you're using idioms incorrectly again!" A young maid followed behind, trying to correct her master's misuse of words.

"Are you unhappy about being pressed, Sea of Bitterness? Haha, there's no silver here, but a thousand troops and horses are crossing the river!"

The young master was pleased with himself and continued to fan himself as he headed towards the nearby Jin Gou Gambling House.

The Jin Gou Gambling House was a grand mansion, comparable to the Fengfu Manor in terms of its exquisite architecture. At this moment, there was a crowd of people in front of the gate, and mocking voices could be heard one after another.

The odds of the four major families' experts chasing after the leader of the thieves, Xin Zhuo, had been soaring as time went on. Even those who were not fond of gambling wanted to try their luck.

But yesterday afternoon, a peculiar bet suddenly appeared: "Bet on Xin Zhuo to capture the experts of the four major families, three thousand taels!"

No one knew who made the bet, but it was simply an insult to culture and a violation of morality!

Unfortunately, the Jin Gou Gambling House accepted the bet! The odds were twenty to one!

This was infuriating!

However, this morning, someone bet three thousand taels on the thief leader Xin Zhuo to win, and the person's identity was exposed—

It was a servant from the household of Xue Huaiwei, the chief catcher of the Fengfu Manor, who had been away on official business for two months. Anyone with eyes could tell that a mere servant of the chief catcher wouldn't have so much money. It must have been an order sent by the chief catcher from out of town!

Could there be anything more absurd than this? A chief catcher betting on the thief leader to win?

So, everyone came together to confront him.

The manager of the Jin Gou Gambling House turned a blind eye and sat at the entrance, ignoring them.

Just then, someone shouted, "I bet five thousand taels!"

The crowd fell silent.

They saw the young master walking into the crowd with his maid, Haitang, and taking out five thousand taels in silver bills.

The manager finally looked up, a smarmy smile appearing on his chubby face. He arranged the documents and red ink one by one and asked, "Which side is the young master betting on?"

The young master handed over the silver bills and casually said, "I am Fan Qing from the Shangguan family. I bet on Xin Zhuo to kill the experts of the four major families!"

The manager paused, and the gamblers who had come to confront him were also stunned. This was even more infuriating than the chief catcher and the mysterious gambler. They were at least betting on capturing, but he was betting on killing?

"The world is in decline, people's hearts are not ancient, and morality is lost..." someone shouted, followed by a chorus of curses.

"Daddy Yazi will surely take revenge, and the Sea of Bitterness is boundless. Turn back while you still can!"

Shangguan Fanqing didn't care. He had already taken the documents and left with Haitang, swaggering away.

Haitang asked in a low voice, "Where are we going next, Young Master?"

Shangguan Fanqing said, "Didn't those people just mention the Drunken Heart Pavilion? Let's go there too. This is called catching the yellow sparrow while the mantis is behind."

"It's useless for the mantis to be behind. It can't beat the yellow sparrow," Haitang said, supporting her forehead.

...

"Young Master, who is your family?"

Xin Zhuo had been stared at all the way while searching for the Drunken Heart Pavilion, and he felt a bit uncomfortable. Was my portrait posted by the government? Or is my bandit-like appearance too eye-catching? Or maybe Cui Ying'er and Murong Xiu played a prank on me and made me look ugly?

He felt a bit embarrassed and insecure.

Until he was stopped by two girls, both around fourteen or fifteen years old, dressed in silk clothes. They should be daughters of a well-off family. They weren't particularly beautiful, but they were youthful and lively.

"Oh, this...," Xin Zhuo thought, let me make up something, "I'm surnamed Jiang, from a family in the west of the city. Is there something you need?"

The manager in his past life was surnamed Jiang and liked to make things difficult for people. He decided to use that surname.

"Jiang family..." The two girls nodded, their eyes lingering on him. Suddenly, blushing, they said in unison, "Do you... do you have a betrothed?"

"Oh..." Something was off. Xin Zhuo coughed, "Not yet, I'm still young, only sixteen."

"Pfft..." The two girls burst into laughter, their eyes bright. They both handed him flowers:

"I live in the south of the city, in the Ten Li District, the fourth house to the east. My surname is Li. Others call me Third Miss. Remember that!"

"My family also lives in the southern part of the city, in the Ten Li District. We are the sixth house to the east. Miss Wang Er, I am more obedient and sensible than Li San Niang. Be careful not to make a mistake when choosing a partner."

"You're going to die! I saw it first!"

"Hmph!"

The two little girls ran away, constantly looking back.

Xin Zhuo stood there holding the flowers, stunned. After a while, he finally reacted, "Is this... a traditional way of finding a partner? Am I good-looking?"

This is too direct, two middle school Lolitas.

Actually, my family lives in Fulong Mountain, Fulong Village, Unit One, in the Juyi Hall. My profession is the leader of the bandits. Can you accept that?

He sniffed the fragrant and vibrant bouquet of flowers. Well, it smells good.

"Young master..."

"Yes! I'm calling you. I have something to tell you."

A few young girls with eager eyes ran over from a distance.

Xin Zhuo's scalp tingled, and he couldn't help but quicken his pace. He ran through the crowd, rushing towards the distance.

Ahead was the Canglan River, with flower boats densely woven on the surface of the river. The lights on both sides were bright, and the voices of people filled the air. The girls upstairs, dressed in simple clothes, waved their handkerchiefs and their soft voices gave people goosebumps.

It should be around here.

The seventh house on the left?

Following the bustling crowd along the street by the river, Xin Zhuo pushed forward, counting the flower houses one by one, until he reached the front of the seventh house. He looked up at the plaque and was surprised.

"Xiao Xiang Ju"!

Not "Zui Xin Lou"!

Didn't we agree that the seventh house on the left was Zui Xin Lou?

He retreated to the wooden railing by the river, scanning the street from a distance, but there was not a single place called "Zui Xin Lou".

What is Murong Xiu up to? Reporting the wrong address in an unfamiliar place, where am I supposed to find Zui Xin Lou?

After thinking for a moment, he looked to the side and happened to see three girls standing by the river, enjoying the view.

"Hey!"

Murong Yunxi twisted her handkerchief with her slender and fair fingers, a hint of sorrow appearing on her pretty face as she stared blankly at the river.

She was the second miss of the Murong family, and she had two sorrows: one was that her beloved older brother, Murong Xiu, had become a thief since childhood, causing her great distress.

The other was that her heart belonged to the chief constable, Xue Huaiwei. Although the cold and imposing man was eight years older than her, what did age matter when they were both unmarried? Because of this, she even refused the marriage proposal from Song Dongxi, the eldest son of the Song family. That big guy just doesn't get it. Always avoiding her, hmph!

At this moment, a warm and pleasant voice next to her asked, "Excuse me, ladies, how do I get to Zui Xin Lou?"

"Get lost..."

Murong Yunxi looked at the person in embarrassment, paused for a moment, and immediately changed her tone, "Deng Tuzi... Ah, I've seen you, young master. I greet you, young lady."

As everyone knows, the way young ladies address young men:

If they are poor and ugly, they usually say "get lost"!

If they are average-looking but poor, they say "stay away"!

If they are poor but good-looking, they say "you're a good person"!

If they are ugly but rich, they say "Deng Tuzi"!

If they are good-looking and rich, they say "young master"!

No matter if they are good-looking or not, rich or poor, they all say, "Ah, I've seen you, young master. I greet you, young lady!"

Murong Yunxi's face cleared up, her eyes shining brightly. A shy smile appeared at the corner of her mouth, and she even tidied up her hair, which had never been messy.

This young master in front of her had sword-like eyebrows, eyes as black as lacquer, and a face as beautiful as jade. His long eyelashes and deep gaze were enchanting, especially when he smiled, revealing a pair of charming dimples.

A boy like a painting.

Even more handsome than the girls in her family.

How did his parents give birth to such a wonderful person?

Xin Zhuo repeated, "Excuse me, how do I get to Zui Xin Lou?"

Murong Yunxi was stunned.

It wasn't until the maid next to her chuckled softly and lightly tapped her that Murong Yunxi reacted, her cheeks turning red. "W-why does the young master want to go to Zui Xin Lou?"

"To have a good time!"

Xin Zhuo said matter-of-factly. A normal man wouldn't go to Zui Xin Lou without having a good time. What's the difference between that and a salted fish?

(End of this chapter)