Chapter 333

The Prince Ji Mansion, located on Wulin Street, was packed tight at this moment.

Hundreds of people surged forward like the Qiantang River tide, each excitedly waving their receipts, clamoring for the people inside to pay up.

"Heir Apparent Shen, come out and face us!"

"If you have the guts to open a gambling den, why don't you have the guts to pay out? If you don't come out, we're going to smash the door down!"

"I've staked my entire livelihood on this. If you dare to welsh on the debt, I'll fight the Prince Ji Mansion to the death!"

"..."

For a time, the shouting was deafening, drawing more and more people to gather here—some to watch the fun, some to complain, some to gloat, and some, being quite shrewd, simply carried their carrying poles through the crowd to hawk their wares.

"Melon seeds! Melon seeds! Ten wen a handful! If they aren't salty, you don't pay!"

"Muskmelons! Muskmelons! Fifty wen each! Give them a pat and a twist, I guarantee they're sweet enough to make your teeth ache!"

Believe it or not, business was actually quite good.

When Du Ruo and Lao Tietou arrived, this was the scene of human joy they witnessed.

She hadn't expected so many people to bet on Jiang Zhan to win. Even at an average of ten taels of silver per person, with odds of one to six, just these people alone would cost the mansion over ten thousand taels.

Plus the thirty thousand taels she and Lao Tietou had bet...

Oh yeah, the Prince Ji Mansion was going bankrupt!

Du Ruo's mood was soaring; she simply bought two handfuls of melon seeds, and she and Lao Tietou squatted in the back, cracking them one by one.

There was no rush, anyway.

The monk might run, but the temple couldn't; could they hide for a moment, or could they hide for a lifetime?

With such a ruckus, unless the people in the Prince Ji Mansion planned to starve themselves to death inside, they would sooner or later have to crawl out and face it.

Just as Du Ruo expected, half an hour later, the tightly shut vermilion gate finally creaked open.

A dozen servants and guards rushed out.

Each of them held a weapon, looking aggressive and imposing.

Protected in their center was none other than the Heir Apparent of the Prince Ji Mansion, Shen Jing Bin.

"What are you shouting about? What are you all shouting about!" Shen Jing Bin scanned the crowd with a sidelong glance, his donkey-like face filled with irritation. "A bunch of ignorant paupers, coming here to make a scene over a few coins? Our Prince Ji Mansion has vast assets; do you think we'd be short of your measly scraps?"

The crowd fell silent for a moment.

Then, it began to buzz again, and someone bold immediately shouted loudly: "Then pay up!"

"That's right, pay up!" others echoed one after another.

"Shut up, all of you! Did I say I wouldn't pay? My word is as heavy as a tripod; I am willing to bet and willing to lose. I can afford to play and I can afford to pay. Would I welsh on this little bit of debt?"

After saying this through gritted teeth, Shen Jing Bin stepped back with a sour face and gave a look to the accountant beside him.

The accountant cleared his throat and stepped forward to announce the payout method.

Because there were so many people, it wasn't easy to form a line; after all, if you claimed to be the first to arrive, who could prove it? They would end up fighting.

So, they simply went by the size of the bet.

Those who bet less than ten taels went first, then those less than thirty, then fifty... and so on; the larger the bet, the later the payout.

Everyone had no objections to this.

The first person to go in had only bet one tael of silver; they went in smiling and came out crying.

"Why did I only bet one tael... I'm such a fool..." They beat their chest and stamped their feet, regretting their past actions.

Human hearts are never satisfied.

They get a foot and want a yard.

As the amounts got larger, there were those who bet three or five taels, and those who bet three or five hundred; they were all overjoyed.

Especially the man who had bet five hundred taels; when he came out, he almost didn't know how to walk, his hands trembling with excitement as he clutched the silver notes. "I'm rich, I'm rich! I'm rich! Hahahaha!"

The others couldn't help but cast looks of envy, jealousy, and hatred at him.

Why didn't they have such courage back then? If they had known Jiang Zhan could win, they should have bet their entire fortune.

Sigh, a miscalculation...

Shen Jing Bin sat at the entrance keeping watch, glaring at everyone who went in, and his face grew darker with every person who came out. Just like that, with people going in and out, until the sun climbed directly overhead and the onlookers' stomachs began to growl, the crowd finally thinned by more than half.

Half an hour later, it was finally Du Ruo and Lao Tietou's turn.

There shouldn't be anyone left who bet more than them.

The two walked inside swaggeringly, but just as they reached the door, they were stopped by a servant. "Only one person allowed in!"

Lao Tietou looked at Du Ruo.

Du Ruo stuffed the receipt into his hand. "Then you go in, Uncle Lao Tie."

As long as the money could be collected, it didn't matter who went in.

Lao Tietou nodded in agreement, then took the receipt and stepped over the high threshold. A large table was set up a few dozen paces from the door, and sitting behind it was the accountant from earlier.

Besides him, there was a middle-aged noblewoman dressed in finery, covered in pearls and jade.

Seeing Lao Tietou enter, the noblewoman raised her brows and gave him a faint look, her eyes filled with undisguised disgust.

"Let me see the receipt," the accountant signaled.

Lao Tietou obediently spread the receipt out before him.

Just as the accountant was about to reach out and take it, Lao Tietou pulled it back with a *whoosh* and chuckled, "Something this important can't be given to you first. Hand over the money and I'll hand over the receipt. You can rest easy, and this old man can rest easy too, right?"

The accountant glanced at the noblewoman beside him.

She was the mistress of the Prince Ji Mansion—Su Jin Xiu.

Su Jin Xiu curled her lips coldly. "Looking at you, you don't seem like someone from a wealthy or noble family, yet you bet five thousand taels right off the bat. Is that money really yours?"

"The Madam has a sharp eye." Lao Tietou clapped his hands sharply. "That money is indeed not mine, but my master's."

"Your master?"

Su Jin Xiu frowned. "Where is he now?"

Lao Tietou turned back and pointed at the door. "Right there, being blocked outside."

Su Jin Xiu glanced at Shang Chun beside her. Shang Chun understood and immediately went over to bring Du Ruo in.

Shen Jing Bin followed behind.

Shen Jing Bin's gaze kept circling Du Ruo; it was strange, he felt this woman looked a bit familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen her.

Du Ruo completely ignored Shen Jing Bin and reached out directly to the accountant. "Thirty thousand taels, thank you."

The accountant's eyelids twitched, but he didn't say a word.

"What's the rush? You'll get your money." Su Jin Xiu took over the conversation, looking Du Ruo up and down. "What is your surname? Where are you from?"

Du Ruo smiled. "What's this? Do I have to register my household before I can collect money? If I'm not a local, I don't get paid?"

Su Jin Xiu narrowed her eyes.

She hadn't expected this little bitch to be so difficult to talk to; she wondered if the plan for later would work...

She straightened her back, lifted her chin, and got straight to the point: "Thirty thousand taels is too much; we can't take it out for the time being. How about this: we'll return the five thousand taels of principal to you first, and as for the remaining twenty-five thousand, we'll send it to you personally once we've raised it. How about that?"

Du Ruo chuckled. "Not good at all."

Did she take her for a fool?

Raising silver? It was more like they wanted to welsh on the debt. They'd use the five thousand taels to dismiss her, and then find ways to push it back day by day until, in the end, they'd surely disappear.

If they were even more ruthless, they might even secretly resort to foul play and kill her to avoid the debt.

"We are here to participate in the Prefectural Examination and will be leaving Fengyang Prefecture soon; we don't have that much time to wait for you to raise the money."

Du Ruo's gaze swept across the mansion. "I think this residence is quite nice. Why don't I take a loss and you can use it to settle the debt? It should be enough to cover the thirty thousand taels."

Su Jin Xiu was furious.

This mansion was the last shred of dignity they had as nobles; even if it was just an empty shell, they had to maintain it!

Otherwise, how could they continue to mingle in the circle of noble families?

"Audacious shrew, how dare you speak such wild words!" Su Jin Xiu stood up abruptly, pointing her blood-red manicured finger at Du Ruo in anger. "Shang Chun, slap her mouth for me!"

"Yes, Princess Consort!"

Shang Chun rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward, raising her palm with a sinister smile.

Du Ruo turned and ran.

As she ran, she shouted, "Help! Help! The Prince Ji Mansion is bullying people, welshing on debts, and hitting people!"

Shang Chun stumbled, and her palm almost hit herself.

Why didn't this woman play by the rules? Shouldn't she be kneeling and begging for mercy? Why did she run?

The onlookers outside hadn't gone far yet, and hearing the commotion, they immediately got excited and crowded to the door to watch the fun.

Seeing the situation was unfavorable, Su Jin Xiu gritted her teeth and had to soften her expression. "It was just a joke, little lady, don't be afraid. Our Prince Ji Mansion would never bully the weak."

"Who knows?" Du Ruo didn't want to waste any more time and gave them an ultimatum directly: "Since you say you can't come up with that much silver, I am a very reasonable person, so I'll give you two days. If you still haven't raised the silver after two days, I'll go to the government office and report you. By then, your mansion will still be auctioned off to pay the debt."

After thinking for a moment, she added, "Oh, by the way, your Heir Apparent will also get to eat prison food."