Chapter 27

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Translator: Anne

Editor: Miqi

Proofreader: Ani

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Eunuch Mo frowned, “Master Fan.”

Truthfully, Fan Rusu didn’t dislike these ignorant ‘young man.’ However, he didn’t dare to neglect his duties; he beckoned for two assistants to come over so they could drive them away.

He personally went to catch the green clothed girl, but before his hand could graze her shoulder, he heard the crown prince’s voice come out from within the palanquin, “who gave you permission to touch her!”

Although it was a soft reprimand, Fan Rusu and Eunuch Mo were startled and they began to sweat. The two of them quickly begged for humble forgiveness. In their dazed state, the man’s faint voice could be heard through the curtain, “I’ve gambled on women, treasures, and money, but not once have I ever gambled on luck.”

His voice was listless, but the crowd of commoners weren’t soothed by his gentle tone of voice that seemingly flowed with the wind. Instead, they became increasingly more nervous. The crown prince was the rightful heir to the throne; his luck was undoubtedly incomparable. And yet, this ‘young man’ wanted to bet ‘his’ luck with the crown prince? How dare ‘he’? Everyone stared at the ‘young man’ in front of them, wanting to see what ‘he’ was going to gamble with the crown prince.

At that moment, Wang Mang smiled and asked, “what happens if you lose?”

“Then, would it be alright if I become a slave for the rest of my life?” With a light cough, Qiao Chu replied softly.

Eunuch Mo sneered and pointed his finger out, scolding, “how impudent! You think you can ask His Highness, the crown prince, to be his slave just because you want to?”

Wang Mang frowned slightly. He glanced at Qiao Chu, then looked toward the crown prince’s palanquin.

The curtain was closed; no sound could be heard.

But suddenly, the corner of the curtain was lifted. Through the opening, a jade-white embroidered robe swayed. The hand holding the curtain seemed even paler than the robe.

It had been said that his beauty was like a field of flowers situated in the middle of misty clouds; there was no one in the world who didn’t know of the man in the palanquin’s elegance. At that moment, under the cover of the tense atmosphere, the crowd was more amazed with the man himself, rather than his appearance; unlike Qiao Chu. They held their breaths, waiting for him to step down. But suddenly, the crown prince commanded, “Wang Mang, please gamble in my stead.”

Having heard these words, everyone became extremely perplexed and disappointed. Meiren secretly glanced at Qiao Chu and saw that her complexion was the same as before, but her original grip on the pendant slowly loosened and her arms dropped to her sides. However, she began to grip it tightly again.

Wang Mang immediately agreed and walked over to Qiao Chu. Fan Rusu retreated to Wang Mang’s side, guarding him.

Amidst the deeply anxious gazes of the crowd, Qiao Chu slowly retrieved a silk brocade bag¹ from her sleeves.

Wang Mang was accustomed to seeing this kind of scene, however, at that moment, his curiosity was inevitably piqued; his eyes followed the silk brocade bag as it moved.

Qiao Chu smiled and immediately opened the brocade bag, throwing something into the air, “Meiren, catch two.”

The crowd only saw a blur of light, then countless copper coins fell from the bag.

Si Da quivered while Meiren got the hint. Her eyes were bright as she concentrated. In a flash, she had picked up two copper coins with her fingers.

Fan Rusu was surprised and secretly praised her for her impressive talent. He had been on guard and was about to grip the sword at his waist, when he caught sight of Meiren’s ridiculing smile. His heart began to tremble inexplicably.

Qiao Chu took the copper coins from Meiren’s hand and said, “Great Imperial Censor, out of these two coins, one of them is ordinary, with different patterns on both sides. The other one is a coin this lowly person made for fun, with identical patterns on either side.”

Wang Mang put his hands behind his back, raising an eyebrow as he smiled, “but, there’s something dubious about this. Dare I ask you, younger brother², how do you plan to gamble?”

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¹A brocade bag is a bag made of silk, satin, etc. It was used in ancient times to carry letters, poetry manuscripts and other precious items. It’s basically equivalent to a modern-day envelope.

²Younger brother is a form of address in China, usually used by older men to refer to their juniors (someone younger than them). This does not indicate that they have blood relations.

TL:

Hi! I was thinking of dropping the novel when I saw someone else had decided to pick it up as well. However after some pondering and discussing with my great team, we fueled up instead. So do expect lots of chapters coming your way!