Chapter 41: Ill-Gotten Gains

After nightfall, the North Tile of Zhong’an Bridge becomes the most bustling and boisterous place in the city of Bianliang. Within the North Tile, one finds not only various jugglers, song and dance troupes, and sumo wrestlers, but also puppet theaters, all manner of pleasure houses, and gambling dens lined up one after another. The lights here burn through the night, and no matter how bleak or rainy it may be outside, this place remains entirely unaffected, continuing its music and dance as if nothing were amiss.

In the Chengfeng Gambling House, every table is packed with people. Gamblers shout with excitement, shaking dice with such frenzy that the noise threatens to lift the roof. Li Xubai and Song Shiyu scouted three or four tables before settling on one and squeezing their way in.

"Are you certain of this?" Song Shiyu asked, her face full of skepticism.

Li Xubai rolled up his sleeves, his face glowing with spirit. "Don't underestimate me. Back in the day, I was a master of small bets and a conqueror of big ones; people gave me the nickname 'The Half-Immortal of Gambling'."

Song Shiyu: "..."

Li Xubai had brought all the silver remaining after buying their house and setting up their household—over a hundred taels. At first, he only placed bets of three or five taels. True to his boasting, whether he bet big or small, he won every single time. Song Shiyu’s gaze toward him gradually shifted.

Li Xubai weighed the silver in his hand and raised an eyebrow triumphantly. "Convinced now?"

The man opposite them, having lost until his eyes were bloodshot, looked like a refined scholar, but his anger had stripped away all traces of scholarly grace; he was cursing foully, using every vile word he could think of.

"Young Master Wang, if cursing could win back your silver, we’d all join you in the swearing," the onlookers burst into laughter.

"Well, are you still betting? If you’re too scared, stop hogging the spot," Li Xubai goaded him.

The scholar surnamed Wang was incensed. He dumped all the silver from his purse onto the table, pushed it forward, and declared, "All in! Betting big! I refuse to believe my luck!"

Li Xubai said confidently, "It would be rude of me not to follow." With that, he poured out all the hundred taels he had left.

The result held no surprises. The scholar surnamed Wang collapsed to the floor with a thud. His purse was cleaner than his face, and he had no capital left to try for a comeback. Li Xubai and Song Shiyu spent the entire night in the Chengfeng Gambling House, only stopping when the sky began to gray. They had worked hard all night and gained much, but their success had also drawn many covetous gazes.

The two were extremely cautious. On the way back, they dared not reveal their wealth, taking several detours through alleys to ensure no one was tailing them before finally returning to their home in Banyan Lane. Once inside, they locked the door and frantically counted their money. They counted it three times over before they finally calmed down.

Song Shiyu sighed with worry, "Although we have enough silver to ransom the people, we still have to get them out of the city and help them make a living later—everything requires money. This amount is far from enough. Besides, this way of making money is opportunistic; it’s not a long-term solution, nor is it the way of a gentleman. In the future, we should avoid it if we can."

Li Xubai nodded, "Even if you didn't say it, I wasn't planning on doing it again."

Song Shiyu was very surprised. "Why? You seemed like a fish in water."

"What, you really think I’m an old hand at gambling?" Li Xubai said helplessly. "Would you believe me if I said this was my first time getting into a sedan chair, so to speak?"

"..." Song Shiyu let out a skeptical snort. "No."

"..." Li Xubai looked solemn. "I once had a friend who came from a famous gambling city. He taught me this technique. He said that no matter how experienced a gambler is, no matter how high their skill or how many wins they have, they all end up the same way: losing everything they own."

"Your friend? A friend from your hometown, Blue Star?" Song Shiyu found the words profound and nodded repeatedly. "Your friend is right. But once someone sits at a gambling table, those who win want to win more, and those who lose want to recoup their losses. No one can easily walk away." She paused slightly. "If one had that kind of self-control, they wouldn't have sat at that table to begin with."

Li Xubai sighed meaningfully, "Life itself is a high-stakes gamble. Some bet their lives, some bet their wealth, and some bet their futures. Until the day they draw their last breath, no one can walk away in time."

This day, the Yunyi Pavilion was different from usual; the daytime, typically quiet, was exceptionally lively. The two red lanterns at the entrance glowed with a dazzling, piercing brilliance. The main hall on the first floor was packed with people, everyone rubbing their palms together, looking forward with anticipation. It seemed as if half the young masters of Bianliang had flooded into the Yunyi Pavilion.

Song Shiyu had changed into men's clothing and squeezed into the crowd. Her face lacked the curiosity and predatory gaze of the others; instead, deep within her eyes lay heavy concern.

Li Xubai said with confidence, "Don't worry, as long as the price isn't astronomical, we should be able to ransom a few people."

They had expected the madam of the Yunyi Pavilion to build up anticipation, thinking the women of the Gu family were rare goods. To their surprise, as soon as the auction began, she pushed all fourteen of the direct-line female relatives onto the stage.

The crowd below erupted in an uproar.

"The young, unmarried ones might be useful to buy, but what are we supposed to do with the older women? Worship them like ancestors?"

"I don't need an ancestor; I need a concubine."

"The imperial court forbids the buying and selling of slaves, but this batch of Gu women is different. They have been registered as slaves with the Ministry of Revenue and can never have their status cleared. Buying and selling them is permitted by the court."

"What a pity, to be a slave for the rest of their lives."

Although Song Shiyu had known this would be the outcome, hearing these comments made her tremble involuntarily. This life was indeed different from her previous one. In her past life, even though they had been exiled a thousand miles away, they had still held the status of commoners—they could study, trade, own property, and live the lives of ordinary people. In this life, that status was nothing more than a pipe dream.

"What about Gu Shiyan and Gu Aman?" Li Xubai whispered.

Song Shiyu shook her head. "They are undocumented now."

Li Xubai: "..."

That was worse than being a slave; undocumented people could be arrested at any moment.

Just as the two were worrying about the future of the Gu family, the madam revealed the starting prices. For the nine unmarried girls, the starting price was one hundred taels each. For the five married women, the starting price was fifty taels each. Gu Shiyan should have been standing there as well; that would have made exactly the fourteen people the court had publicly declared. The price matched Song Shiyu's expectations, but this was only the floor price; if they were highly sought after, the cost would skyrocket.

The Gu women on stage all kept their heads down, looking somewhat numb. The successive blows over the past half-month had already shattered their spirits.

The moment they were pushed onto the stage, Song Shiyu had kept her eyes fixed on Lady Gu. She was no longer the person Song Shiyu had seen at the Wanfo Temple. Her hair had turned white overnight, her face was aged and haggard, and she showed no will to live—all of which made Song Shiyu’s heart ache unbearably.

"Something’s not right. Didn't you say there were fourteen direct female relatives of the Gu family? Is Gu Shiyan not included?" Li Xubai counted and found it strange.

"She is included."

"Then there should only be thirteen here at the Yunyi Pavilion."

"..." Song Shiyu had been too caught up in her grief and had indeed overlooked this. She suddenly became alert, her gaze sweeping over the people on stage like a blade.

"That's not right. Look, the one on the far right—she isn't from the Gu family!" Song Shiyu whispered.

"Are you sure?"

"I am sure."