The charming widow of the Marquis's mansion: The stable boy carries the flag and raises the dra

"Of course! That old man can win? You're kidding me."

"The Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion is truly in dire straits; they're grasping at straws in their desperation."

"I think she's obsessed with money, thinking she can get rich overnight by losing 100?"

"Get rich quick? I think it's more like losing everything."

Whispers rose and fell, making no attempt to hide their mockery of Luo Hanyi.

Zhao Pojun also heard it, turned his head, and looked at Luo Hanyi with a half-smile.

"Hanyi, do you lack confidence in my servants, or in yourself?"

Luo Hanyi finally glanced at him, her gaze cold and frosty.

"I have no confidence in anyone but my own servants."

Zhao Pojun smiled but didn't say anything more, though a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

Qin Minglan stood behind Luo Hanyi, feeling somewhat uneasy.

Ten thousand taels of gold.

She knew about the family's situation; over the years, her sister-in-law had sold off a considerable amount of family property to maintain the Hou family's expenses.

This 10,000 taels of gold was almost the family's last savings.

If Wang Long loses...

Qin Minglan bit her lip, not daring to think any further.

She raised her head, her gaze passing over the crowd to Wang Long at the edge of the square.

The old man had his hands tucked into his sleeves, his back slightly hunched, and his cloudy old eyes half-open and half-closed, looking like he hadn't woken up yet.

Seeing his expression, Qin Minglan felt both angry and anxious.

Does this old man even have any confidence?

Ten thousand taels of gold!

If he loses, she will...

She just...

Qin Minglan thought for a long time but couldn't figure out what to do with him.

killed?

I can't bear to part with it.

Did they fight?

Useless.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.

Fine, since my sister-in-law trusts him, then she'll trust him too.

Wang Long seemed to sense something, and looked up, meeting Qin Minglan's gaze.

Eyes facing each other.

Qin Minglan saw a hint of a smile flash in his cloudy old eyes, and he nodded slightly to her.

That smile seemed to be saying something.

Don't worry, young lady, this old servant knows what he's doing.

Qin Minglan was stunned for a moment, then snorted and turned her head away, refusing to look at him.

But the unease in my heart inexplicably dissipated a bit.

……

On the stands, Emperor Murong Yuan's gaze swept across the entire arena, and he nodded slightly.

"Now that the betting odds are open and everyone has placed their bets, let's begin."

He paused, then his voice suddenly rose.

"The first round of the competition—"

The eunuch picked up the conversation in a high-pitched voice.

"Wang Long, a servant of the Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion, is correct—"

The eunuch glanced at the register in his hand and frowned slightly.

"Yes... Zhang Tiezhu, a servant in the household of the Vice Minister of War!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a commotion broke out in the square.

"The Ministry of War Vice Minister's Office? That Zhang Tiezhu is a second-rank martial artist!"

"A second-rank official... that old man looks very weak. This servant of the Vice Minister of War really got a bargain."

"Why even bother fighting? Let's just admit defeat."

Amidst whispers, Wang Long strode towards the ring.

His steps were slow, his back slightly hunched, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his cloudy old eyes half-open and half-closed, looking like he was about to die.

Those around him couldn't help but laugh as they watched his retreating figure.

"This old man can barely walk straight, and he still wants to go into the ring?"

"I think he was about to fall down before he even reached the ring."

"Is the Marquis of Zhenbei's residence trying to be funny?"

Wang Long ignored him and continued walking slowly.

Qin Minglan watched his retreating figure, bit her lip, and suddenly took a step to chase after him.

"Old man, wait a minute!"

Her voice came from behind, sounding somewhat urgent.

Wang Long paused, turned around, and saw Qin Minglan jogging after him.

She ran up to Wang Long, slightly out of breath, her face flushed slightly from running.

"Is there anything else you require, young lady?"

Wang Long bowed slightly, his posture humble, but a hint of mischief lingered in his cloudy old eyes.

Qin Minglan unsheathed the sword and handed the entire sword to Wang Long.

"Take it."

Wang Long was taken aback and looked down at the gleaming longsword.

This is Qin Minglan's precious darling; she'll get angry if anyone touches her even slightly.

Now, she's going to lend him this sword?

"Young Miss, this—"

"Stop talking nonsense."

Qin Minglan interrupted him, shoving the sword into his hand, leaving no room for refusal.

Her almond-shaped eyes widened, with a hint of arrogance.

"Just take it if I tell you to. Why all the nonsense?"

The sword hilt still retained the warmth of her palm, warm and cozy, with a faint, pleasant fragrance.

Wang Long gripped his sword, looked down at it, then looked up at her.

"Young Miss, this is your precious treasure. What if this old servant damages it—"

"If you break it, you'll have to pay for it!"

Qin Minglan glared at him, her tone fierce, but a hint of concern was hidden in her almond-shaped eyes.

"If you come back alive, I'll spare you. If you die, I'll dig you up from your grave and whip your corpse!"

Wang Long couldn't help but laugh.

This girl has a really unique way of showing concern for people.

"Then this old servant must live well, otherwise he will not find peace even in death."

"It's good that you know."

Qin Minglan snorted, slightly raised her chin, and adopted the haughty demeanor of a young lady.

"Perform well and bring honor to the Marquis's mansion. Don't let people say that our Zhenbei Marquis's mansion has no one left to rely on."

Her voice was clear and resonant, carrying an undeniable air of authority.

But Wang Long noticed that when she said this, her fingers were constantly twisting the hem of her clothes, and her knuckles were slightly white.

This girl is nervous.

No, to be precise, I'm worried about him.

Wang Long felt a warmth in his heart, tucked the Azure Frost Sword into his waistband, and grinned.

"Don't worry, young lady, this old servant will do his best."

Qin Minglan nodded with satisfaction and turned to leave.

"Young Miss".

Wang Long suddenly called out to her.

Qin Minglan paused, turned around, and looked at him with a hint of confusion in her almond-shaped eyes.

"What's wrong now?"

Wang Long took a half step forward, a mischievous smile flashing in his cloudy old eyes, and lowered his voice.

"This old servant is ready to fight to the death now, young lady, wouldn't you like to show your support?"

Qin Minglan was taken aback.

"What does that mean?"

Wang Long chuckled and dabbed his face with his rough fingers.

"Give this old servant a kiss now, in case this old servant dies in battle..."

Qin Minglan's face flushed red instantly, from her neck all the way to her ears, and even the corners of her eyes were tinged with a blush.

"you--!"

Her almond-shaped eyes widened, filled with both shame and anger, and her fists were already clenched.

If there hadn't been so many people around, Qin Minglan would have already taken action, she said in a low voice.

"You old bastard, are you looking for death?!"

Wang Long quickly took a half step back, raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, and looked completely innocent.

"Please calm down, young lady. This old servant was just joking, just joking—"

"you--"

Qin Minglan pointed at him, her fingers trembling, but she couldn't utter a single word of curses despite opening her mouth for a long time.

Her face grew increasingly red, and even her breathing became more rapid.

People around were already looking this way.

Several servants whispered among themselves, pointing and whispering about the two of them.

Qin Minglan bit her lip, then suddenly took a deep breath, as if she were making some important decision.

She took two steps forward, stood in front of Wang Long, tiptoed, and whispered in his ear.

The warm breath sprayed onto Wang Long's earlobes, carrying a faint fragrance of osmanthus.

There are too many people now...

Her voice was barely audible, almost inaudible, and carried a clear hint of shyness and panic.

"Didn't I promise you that I'd wait until after the competition, and then...and then..."

She stammered for a long time, unable to bring herself to say the word "dear".

Wang Long's ears were itchy, but his heart was itching even more.

He suppressed a laugh, feigning ignorance.

"What? Young Miss?"

"Kiss me again!"

Qin Minglan finally managed to squeeze out the word, her voice urgent and soft, as if it were being forced out from between her teeth.

After she finished speaking, her face turned even redder, and she looked like a cat with its fur standing on end, both ashamed and annoyed.

Wang Long found her extremely cute and wished he could devour her right then and there.

Qin Minglan mustered her courage and said.

"Consider it something I owe you!"

"Once the competition is over, I'll make you kiss me twice as much!"