newbobooks Chapter 349
Chapter 349
"Madam, what do you mean by that?" Shopkeeper Xu, standing to the side, was displeased upon hearing Huo Yunzhi's words. One must know, even if she suspected his loyalty to the Emperor, she could not suspect him of cheating."Are you perhaps seeing that I bet a lot of money and deliberately making me lose?" Huo Yunzhi glared angrily at Shopkeeper Xu and questioned.
"Our Jubao Pavilion is not lacking your meager sum. Could it be that you, Madam, cannot afford to lose?" Shopkeeper Xu felt insulted by Huo Yunzhi.
"Secondary Consort Huo, I lost so many times just now, yet I was not as indignant as you. It is just four thousand taels; surely you can afford to lose it, right? If not, there is no need for us to continue playing." Cheng Qingli knew that what Huo Yunzhi wanted was the Qin Pavilion. Perhaps, just a moment ago, she actually thought she could win against her.
It was just unexpected that her plan would fall through.
And it even gave her an extra four thousand taels in silver notes for nothing. Although she was not short of money or good things, who would ever complain about having too much money?
She would take this four thousand taels later to make a beautiful set of jewelry for Li Zhiwei. After all, Li Zhiwei had not forgiven her yet.
"Who says I cannot afford to lose?" Huo Yunzhi gritted her teeth. She had already lost four thousand taels; if she did not win back the Qin Pavilion, wouldn't she suffer a massive loss?
"Then, Secondary Consort Huo, do you have any other stakes?" Cheng Qingli asked, looking at Huo Yunzhi with a smile.
"Secondary Consort, all the silver notes we brought are right there." Fangcao quickly walked to Huo Yunzhi's side and whispered.
Huo Yunzhi cursed inwardly. This stupid Fangcao! Before others even said anything, she was already exposing their own shortcomings.
"It seems Secondary Consort Huo truly did not bring enough gambling funds. That is a bit of a pity. I am afraid you will not be able to take the Qin Pavilion away today." Cheng Qingli took out something resembling a deed from her bosom and said with feigned regret, before stuffing it back into her sleeve.
Huo Yunzhi's eyes were glued to Cheng Qingli's sleeve, as if staring at it long enough would make the deed hers.
Thinking of this, Huo Yunzhi took out two deeds from her bosom without a second thought. Those were what Huo Yunxuan had asked her to pass on to Prince Lanhuai. In her eyes, they were merely the deeds to a residence and a mountain.
Huo Yunxuan had never told Huo Yunzhi what that mountain was used for, nor that the things left in that residence were the capital for the Huo family to stage a comeback.
Fangcao looked at the two deeds and wanted to persuade her otherwise, but was silenced by a sharp glare from Huo Yunzhi.
Fangcao did not understand. The Qin Pavilion was not in a particularly good location; why was her Secondary Consort so obsessed with it?
"Secondary Consort Huo, there are still two rounds left. What if you lose again later?" Cheng Qingli did not know what deeds Huo Yunzhi held in her hand, but she did not take it to heart.
After all, if Huo Yunzhi had anything truly valuable in her hands, she probably would not want her Qin Pavilion. After all, the location of the Qin Pavilion was not considered especially good.
She still had shops in better locations than the Qin Pavilion.
Initially, the reason she brought out the Qin Pavilion to cooperate with Li Zhiwei was partly because this restaurant happened to be vacant, and partly because she felt the Qin Pavilion might suit Li Zhiwei's taste.
As for why it coincidentally caused the people of Prince Lanhuai's mansion to repeatedly come to her to demand it, this matter also surprised her greatly.
Could it be that there was treasure hidden in the Qin Pavilion?
Thinking of this, Cheng Qingli felt she definitely needed to go back and take a good look.
Even if she gave the restaurant to Li Zhiwei, she should still be able to visit, right?
"You!" Huo Yunzhi had not expected Cheng Qingli to be so detestable. She had only won one round against her, yet she was being so arrogant.
There were still two rounds; her chances were definitely greater than hers.
She refused to believe that she would not win even once in the next two rounds. Thinking of this, Huo Yunzhi slammed the deed of the residence located five hundred miles away from the capital onto the small betting area.
After placing it, she looked at Cheng Qingli with a provocative expression.
Seeing this, Cheng Qingli did not hide the smile on her face as she looked at Huo Yunzhi, thinking to herself: A brainless woman like this probably wouldn't last long in Prince Lanhuai's mansion, right?
Or did she hold some special significance to Prince Lanhuai?
Thinking of this, Cheng Qingli's gaze towards Huo Yunzhi became more inquiring. She thought that perhaps she should have her father thoroughly investigate Prince Lanhuai later.
One must know, her father would never tolerate the existence of anything that could endanger her older sister.
Even if that Prince Lanhuai was the Emperor's biological uncle.
As long as he dared to offend her sister and her Emperor brother-in-law, their Cheng family would not tolerate him prancing around the capital.
"Secondary Consort Huo, are you sure you are betting on small this time? Do you want to reconsider?" Cheng Qingli looked at Huo Yunzhi, acting as if she also wanted to bet on small.
"Miss Cheng, I am sorry, but I will not change it this time." Huo Yunzhi looked smug, thinking that by switching her bet this time, she might just win.
Although she had lost four thousand taels, compared to winning the Qin Pavilion, Huo Yunzhi felt she was not losing out.
As for losing?
Huo Yunzhi had never even considered the possibility that she might lose.
Even if she lost this round, it was impossible for her to lose the next. After all, Cheng Qingli had been losing the entire time earlier.
"Sigh, what a pity. However, Secondary Consort Huo, isn't offering just this one deed a bit too shabby?" Cheng Qingli deliberately placed the four thousand taels in her hand onto the big betting area, and then pulled out the deed from her bosom again.
"As long as Secondary Consort Huo wins this time, the Qin Pavilion will belong to Secondary Consort Huo." As Cheng Qingli finished speaking, a bewitching smile curled the corners of her lips.
She gave off an air that if Huo Yunzhi did not raise the stakes, she might not win against her.
Hearing this, Huo Yunzhi took a deep breath. After hesitating again and again, she finally placed the deed for Yutu Mountain onto the small betting area as well.
"Shopkeeper, hurry up," Huo Yunzhi then said to Shopkeeper Xu at the side.
Shopkeeper Xu shook the dice cup and then slammed it upside down onto the table.
"You two, shall I open it now?" Shopkeeper Xu asked with a smile.
"Secondary Consort Huo, what do you say, do you want to change it?" Cheng Qingli was still looking at the deeds on the small side with an unwilling expression, asking as if she were reluctant to concede.
"Miss Cheng, I am sorry, but I might just have to accept these things of yours." Huo Yunzhi thought about how she had just been upset that those silver taels had cheaply gone to Cheng Qingli.
Now it seemed this Cheng Qingli was truly a fool, actually sending the four thousand taels of silver right back to her.
Thinking of this, Huo Yunzhi urged Shopkeeper Xu again, "What are you still standing there in a daze for? Do you want me to go to your boss and tell him you are slacking off?"
"Alright, this lowly one will open it right now, right now!" Shopkeeper Xu wore a smile on his lips, but inwardly he cursed Huo Yunzhi for being a fool. She was being so arrogant now, but she would soon know how to cry.
Daring to covet Miss Cheng's things—was she even worthy?