Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 14: The Half-Abandoned Prince
At the end of January, the ice and snow in Shangjing City melted and the first signs of spring appeared.

After leaving Xue's house, Ruyi finally let out the sullen anger she had been holding back in the old lady's room. "No wonder the young lady said that it's better to dress modestly. Dress modestly and economically."

Xiao Zhao said, "Our girl has a long-term vision when doing things. It's not just for a few clothes or a few pieces of jewelry."

Everyone says that the Old Mausoleum Swamp is a dirty place with no rules.

But in the old mausoleum swamp where there are no rules, the girl can have the best of everything.

Jinshu also smiled and said, "The girl doesn't care about those worldly things."

Ruyi was puzzled, "Then why are we going out on the street?"

Xue Sui smiled and glanced at the warm sky. "Such nice weather is suitable for going to the gambling house and rolling the dice."

"Ah?" Ruyi was stunned.

Ruyi had never been to a gambling house before. When she saw Xue Sui walking towards the largest Hongfu Casino in Shangjing, her heart rose to her throat.

"Girl, I heard that the people in the gambling house are very fierce..."

Xiao Zhao sighed slightly, "The girl is more fierce."

Ruyi looked around like a thief, "But... there are only men in the gambling house."

Xiao Zhao said, "Girls are the best at being mean to men."

Ruyi glanced at Xue Sui who was walking in front.

The Sixth Girl is only two years older than her. No matter how powerful she is, how much has she seen of the world? What should she do if she is bullied by a man in a gambling house?
Ruyi was about to persuade her when laughter came from under the eaves on the street.

She glanced over and her eyes widened.

A handsome man came from nowhere, wearing a plain green robe, with straight shoulders, and was walking slowly towards them.

"Thirteen, long time no see."

"Senior Brother Yaoguang." Xue Sui smiled slightly, "Where is Senior Brother?"

Seeing her like this, Yaoguang pretended to be displeased and snorted coldly: "Thirteen is hurting my heart again. Am I not your senior brother? Why do you only care about the boss?"

Xue Sui raised her eyebrows and said, "Why don't you try another joke?"

Yaoguang smiled so much that her eyes curved into crescents.

To be fair, he is handsome and very likable.

"The boss is busy and has no time to see you. He asked me to come and welcome the imperial envoy. Please come in!"
-
What is the most profitable business in the world?
Gambling is one of them.

The Hongfu Casino in Shangjing is famous, but no one knows who the owner behind it is.

Some said it was a royal relative, some said it was a gangster, but few suspected it was the Old Mausoleum Swamp.

In the eyes of outsiders, Jiuling Marsh is just a small place far away from the capital, where various forces are mixed together but it is like a pile of loose sand. The corpse keepers have some skills, but they live in seclusion and do not interfere with the outside world. Most of them only deal in human lives or do shady things, and they don't have any legitimate livelihood.

But in fact, in addition to those things that cannot be seen in the light, there are also many things in the Old Mausoleum Swamp that can be seen in the light.

Otherwise, how could we do so many good deeds and help so many poor people?

Yaoguang brought Xue Sui from the back corner of Hongfu Casino into the elegant room on the second floor, personally poured tea and water, and looked at her face.

"I originally thought that the boss invited me to Beijing to have fun, but I didn't expect that I was here to pick up the mess for Thirteenth Sister..."

Xue Sui also laughed, "Then let Senior Brother stop. You don't need to interfere in my affairs."

Yao Guang's hand shook and he was nearly scalded by the boiling water in the kettle.

"Thirteen……"

Back then, the brothers and sisters fought fiercely for the right to be the head of the Seven Gates of the Big Dipper. The youngest sister, the Thirteenth Junior Sister, just watched the fun silently and peeled melon seeds for the Master.

Who could have imagined that several years later, she would be the one who ultimately won.

The master named her "Imperial Envoy".

The imperial edict ordered the seven sects to only obey the three masters.

Yaoguang was very upset at that time. If he had known this would happen, he would have gone to peel melon seeds.

But his junior sister easily gave up the imperial edict that he had been longing for and returned to the capital in a carefree manner.

Yaoguang said, "Why bother with all this effort when you can just do a good job as an imperial envoy?"

The little apprentice sister was cold and didn't like to confide in others. Yaoguang didn't know her very well, but he had some sincerity towards her and spoke to her in a serious and heartfelt manner.

"If you have any difficulties, call up your brothers and sisters and deal with it together."

Xue Sui: "Guess why Master chose me as the imperial envoy?"

Yaoguang snorted, "It's because Junior Sister... knows how to flatter the Master. Oh, and she's also very good at flattering him!"

Xue Sui smiled good-naturedly and shook his head.

Yaoguang half-closed his eyes, looked at her and teased, "Apart from this advantage, I don't see what's so special about the little junior sister? Anyway, either the first master is biased, the second master is biased, or the third master is biased."

Xue Sui remained silent.

Yaoguang's joke made her feel suddenly disappointed.

She doesn't deserve such kindness.

"When this matter is over, if I am still alive, I will go back to accompany my three masters in seclusion. But right now, my personal affairs should not affect my brothers and sisters."

Yaoguang understood.

When dealing with the Daliang court, Junior Sister doesn't want to implicate the Old Mausoleum Swamp.

He smiled and said, "I can't make the decision. I have to ask the boss."

Xue Sui blinked at him and said, "As for Senior Sister Yuheng, I can't control her either. If she refuses to pay attention to you, I won't speak for you anymore."

Yaoguang was in love with Senior Sister Yuheng, who was five years older than him. It was known to all the inner disciples of Jiuling Marsh. He was not afraid of being laughed at. He rubbed his nose and said angrily, "Junior Sister is always good at controlling people... Well, I'll go talk to the eldest brother later."

Xue Sui: "Master..."

Yaoguang said: "Don't worry, the masters don't know yet."

Just at this moment, there was a sound of tables and chairs overturning.

The clanging of fighting was accompanied by the clanging of iron, and faint sounds of cursing and quarreling could be heard.

The two looked at each other, pulled aside the curtain and looked down.

The gambling house is similar to many restaurants, with upstairs and downstairs in a staggered layout, and the lobby can be seen from here. At this moment, the orderly lobby has become a mess.

The gamblers were in panic and scattered everywhere. The tables, chairs, and gambling tools were scattered all over the floor. Someone had used a knife, and blood splattered on the mottled table. A group of thugs from the gambling house came over and surrounded the man, but they didn't dare to approach rashly.

A stern-faced young man sat in the center of the storm.

Her face is as white as mutton-fat jade, and her eyes are like stars falling into a pond.

Just now I saw Yaoguang as suave and handsome, and now looking at this young man in gorgeous clothes, I understand what brilliance means.

Just looking from afar, it seemed as if I saw a person crossing the water through lotus leaves in the hot summer light, carrying a sword, and stealing my heart with one sword...

"Oh my God!" Ruyi took a breath.

"Xiao Zhao, help me! I can't breathe..."

Xiao Zhao ignored her and was stunned.

Neither did Xue Sui.

She looked at the rich young man, deep in thought.

The manager pushed the door open.

He didn't recognize Xue Sui, so he just bowed to Yao Guang and said, "Qilang, that young man won a lot of money, which made the gamblers unhappy. They want to get their money back..."

Yaoguang said: "Hongfu Casino doesn't have such rules."

The manager said awkwardly: "He... even took down the banker."

Yaoguang raised his eyebrows, his dark eyes narrowed slightly.

The headmaster said, "Everyone was dissatisfied. Who knew that young master was not a pushover? The guards beside him were not very impressive, but they were very skilled. They not only beat those who demanded money, but also nearly killed our people. Look, a lot of tables, chairs and benches were broken..."

From time to time there were screams coming from downstairs, which showed how tragic it was.

The manager was in a difficult situation.

Yaoguang glanced at Xue Sui and snorted.

"Uncle Chen, you are a guest, please be polite and greet him well."

The manager was stunned for a moment, then he nodded and bowed, put on a smiling face, walked down the stairs, and bowed to everyone.

"Dear guests, calm down, calm down, and listen to me..."

"You come to our shop to have fun. Winning or losing depends on your own ability. You shouldn't resort to violence. Once you place your bet, you won't regret it. There is no reason to force money. Don't break the rules of Hongfu Casino because of a momentary impulse."

These words were spoken politely, but they were both soft and hard.

How many people who dare to open a gambling house in Beijing are incompetent?

Several gamblers were beaten black and blue, and were very angry. But seeing that the shopkeeper Chen was smiling but his eyes were sharp, they did not dare to get angry, and pointed at the young man who was counting money with his eyes downcast and complained.

"It was him. He was the one who cheated and he was the first to do it..."

The young man turned a blind eye.

He raised his eyes and asked the manager: "Calculate your losses and I will compensate you."

The manager bowed and smiled, "Sir, you don't have to be polite. We can afford this loss. You can go on your way."

The young man raised his eyebrows and pointed at the money on the table, "Can I take it away?"

The manager laughed out loud, clasped his fists and replied, "Of course. What you won by your own ability should belong to you. Our shop never cheats customers."

The young man then looked up and looked at him seriously.

His attitude was neither friendly nor frivolous, but it made Chen, a man who had traveled far and wide and met countless people, feel his scalp tingling slightly.

The gaze of a superior is sharper than a poisoned arrow.

He did not move until he watched the young man casually sweep up the money and leave with his entourage, then he breathed a sigh of relief.

Yaoguang, who was on the second floor, was amazed at what was happening.

"He's a ruthless man. He plays both black and white at the gambling table. This is the first time I've seen him do that."

In a casino, the dealer rarely loses money, there are always some tricks. But the young man seemed to be well prepared, he knew all the tricks, not only won a lot of money, but also beat the man so badly that he could not seek redress.

Xue Sui said: "I'm afraid the person who came here has bad intentions."

"How unkind?"

"The whole East Palace is not kind."

Yaoguang was slightly surprised, then laughed, "I was wondering which rich young man from a prince's or minister's family would have such an aura. It turns out he's the half-abandoned prince of the East Palace. Interesting."

Xue Sui rolled his eyes at him.

The name “half-deposed prince” sounds harsh but is apt.

Like her, Li Zhao was unpopular both inside and outside the palace. In the eyes of the emperor and court officials, he was far less capable of shouldering the heavy responsibility than the kind-hearted, loyal and righteous Prince Duan Li Huan.

"Thirteen, if you hadn't stopped me, I would have definitely fought with him just now..."

"Isn't that exactly what he wants?" Xue Sui said, "He knows that the gambling house won't let us go easily, so the guards have drawn their swords. If we fight him, we'll be in big trouble."

Not only the East Palace, but also Prince Duan's attention will be attracted.

"As a prince, he wouldn't do it for two taels of silver..." Yaoguang pinched his chin and muttered to himself, "Could it be that Li Zhao has set his sights on the Old Mausoleum Swamp? Or does he suspect us..."

The two exchanged glances, both of them looking fierce.

Qionglou.

Just next door.

The railing of the flying bridge where You Zhimu fell was less than three meters away from the gambling house.

Xue Sui said: "It's good that he came. I was just thinking of giving him a big gift."

　Li Zhao: I succeeded in adding the play. I will continue to wait for Xue Ping'an's gift...

　　Xue Sui: Place an order? You die, or Prince Duan.

　　Author: Are you reading this, sisters? Are you reading this? Are you reading this?

　　(End of this chapter)