Chapter 93

Li Jiao narrowed her eyes and said coldly, "What does the Princess mean by this, are you going to stand up for Liang Xiao?"

"No, this is Liang Xiao's money," Liu Ling smiled slightly and added, "Just a part of it."

Li Jiao sneered, "If he has so much money, why does he live in a melon shed?"

"You just don't understand," Liu Ling's smile grew wider. "He simply doesn't want to seek wealth and honor. Otherwise, he would have been wealthy and honored long ago. My Huainan王府 has heard of his virtue and sent envoys to Jiangdu three times, offering him a high salary to join our household, but he refused. If he had agreed, he wouldn't need to live in a melon shed. Although Huainan is small, it has thousands of courtyards ready to welcome virtuous scholars. But he is determined to serve the emperor and refuses to join Huainan."

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd began to murmur. This unremarkable-looking young man had actually refused the summons of the Huainan王府? The Prince of Huainan was known for his virtue and respect for scholars. To be invited by the Prince of Huainan, especially three times, was no small feat. To refuse such a generous offer and prefer to live in a melon shed, this person must not only be talented but also loyal to the court. At such a young age, he already had the demeanor of a noble scholar.

For a moment, the way people looked at Liang Xiao changed. There was less of the arrogance of the capital and more admiration. A few young girls began to point and whisper, their eyes filled with affection.

Dongfang Shuo smiled. He shook his head, somewhat helplessly. Liu Ling's reaction was beyond his expectations, surprising him. However, by saying these things in public, Liu Ling had sufficiently cleared Liang Xiao of any suspicion of colluding with the feudal lords, so he no longer needed to worry.

Liang Xiao sighed inwardly, feeling somewhat guilty. Liu Ling was doing this to enhance his reputation. But he already owed Liu Ling too much. The more Liu Ling did for him, the more uneasy he felt. He stepped forward and stopped Liu Ling.

"Princess..."

"What, don't want to?" Liu Ling raised an eyebrow, glancing at Liang Xiao with a mix of teasing and disappointment. "I can't come up with five hundred gold, so I want to discuss another way of cooperation. I'll pay you a hundred gold now, and then give you thirty percent of the profits each year. How about that?"

Liang Xiao was taken aback. "This... is too much."

"Then it's a deal." Liu Ling smiled, taking Liang Xiao's hand and clapping it three times, "Papap!" After the three claps, Liu Ling laughed again. "Lend me ninety gold, I'm going to place a bet." She mounted her horse, lightly kicked its belly, and rode into the center of the field, waving her riding crop.

The crowd immediately fell silent, their eyes fixed on Liu Ling.

"Gentlemen, you live in Chang'an, and you have seen many contests. But today's contest is not something you see every day. One is the son of the famous General Li Guang, who has practiced archery all his life. The other is a young man from Wu and Chu, born with strong arms and skilled in the legendary art of sound archery. They are both young heroes of our great Han. This contest is not an ordinary one."

The audience only knew that there was a contest and had gathered to watch, with some recognizing Li Jiao and thinking it would be interesting, but not expecting much of a challenge. Hearing Liu Ling's words, they realized that Liang Xiao's archery skills were on par with Li Jiao's, and he even knew the art of sound archery.

Although not everyone knew what the art of sound archery was, if it was legendary, it must be impressive.

What was supposed to be a one-sided contest turned into a fierce and evenly matched duel, instantly raising the excitement level. The audience cheered and discussed, drawing more people. Soon, the area was packed, with people three layers deep, unable to move.

Liu Ling lightly spurred her horse, riding along the crowd, her body swaying with the horse's steps, her red cloak fluttering like a dancing flame. She raised her arm and shouted, "Such an exciting contest, how can there be no stakes?"

This sentence immediately ignited the crowd. Countless people laughed and shouted, "No way!"

"Bet, bet!"

"Ha, we must place bets! I'll be the bookie!"

Liang Xiao rubbed his hand, looking at the excited audience, dumbfounded. How could these people get so excited about gambling, more than the actual contest? Even the young wives and girls were eagerly digging into their purses, their eyes shining with excitement. They were really into gambling.

Not just Liang Xiao, even Li Jiao felt somewhat helpless. This was supposed to be a contest between him and Liang Xiao, but Liu Ling had not only increased the stakes but also set up a betting ring. Watching Liu Ling handle the betting with ease, he unconsciously shrugged like Liang Xiao.

Liu Ling clearly did this often. With a wave of her hand, someone laid out a mat on the ground and set up a betting ring, accepting bets. The odds she offered were one to five, but most people bet on Li Jiao winning, with only a few dozen betting on Liang Xiao, and half of those were teenage girls, placing small bets of a few coins, the largest being one hundred coins. Compared to the bets on Li Jiao, these were negligible.

Liu Ling rode back, leaning on her horse, and said to Liang Xiao with a smile, "You must win. If you lose, I'll lose at least a hundred gold. I'll deduct it from your profits."

Liang Xiao frowned. "Princess, are you helping me or him? You're putting so much pressure on me, how can I focus on archery?"

Liu Ling raised an eyebrow. "If you really lose, it's no big deal. Come work for me as a retainer, and you can pay off your debt whenever you want."

Liang Xiao was flustered. "Princess, that's not fair. When did we agree to this?"

"I'm sticking to it," Liu Ling giggled. Her eyes flashed, and she suddenly called out, "Hmph, isn't that Xiu Chengzong? Are you going to place a bet too?" As she spoke, she rode over to him.

Liang Xiao followed Liu Ling's gaze and saw a boy, no more than twelve or thirteen years old, riding a magnificent black horse, followed by a dozen or so young men who didn't look like good people. Despite the crowd, they didn't dismount, charging straight through, scaring the people placing bets and causing several to fall, but no one dared to speak up.

Hearing Liu Ling's words, Xiu Chengzong grinned. "I wondered why it was so lively, it turns out the Princess of Huainan is setting up a bet. What are you betting on? I'll join in."

Liu Ling explained the betting, and Xiu Chengzong glanced at Liang Xiao, then turned to consult with one of his followers. He waved his hand. "I bet on Li Jiao, a hundred gold."

The crowd was stunned.

Before this, the bets were in the hundreds of coins, with the largest being a couple of gold. Xiu Chengzong's bet of a hundred gold meant that if Li Jiao won, Liu Ling would have to pay him five hundred gold. This was a huge bet. Compared to this, the other bets were insignificant.

Even Liu Ling was surprised. "Xiu Chengzong, isn't that a bit too much?"

"Scared?" Xiu Chengzong smirked. "If you're scared, don't be the bookie. Step aside, I'll take over."

"Wait." Liu Ling reached out to stop Xiu Chengzong, glanced at Liang Xiao, and smiled. "I'll take it."

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