Chapter 161 – Are You Looking for Trouble? (5)
From a losing streak to a winning spree, Jiang Pengji quickly racked up two hundred and fifty-six taels, making Nong Qin’s eyes widen in disbelief.
How much time has passed?
From one tael to two hundred fifty-six taels!
The dealer was already sweating bullets, subtly wiping his brow while maintaining a façade of calm.
Two hundred fifty-six taels was a substantial amount for a mid-sized gambling house.
“Is Young Master placing another bet this round?”
Jiang Pengji lowered her gaze and said, “I originally wanted to bet small, but I’ll hold off this round.”
Nong Qin was puzzled; why did her Young Master want to bet small but then choose not to?
The other gamblers didn’t share this insight and, in hopes of making a profit, started betting on small.
However, Jiang Pengji knew full well that this round was a house win—betting big or small wouldn’t do a thing.
Sure enough, a rare triple six rolled out—three of a kind!
Even though the house won this time, the dealer couldn’t laugh because Jiang Pengji won the next two hands as well.
This meant Jiang Pengji only lost five taels, but in the end, she walked away with one thousand and twenty-four taels!
The dealer was fidgeting, as if sitting on countless tiny needles that prickled uncomfortably.
He made an excuse, claiming he needed to step away, but actually sneaked upstairs to find the gambling house owner.
If Jiang Pengji continued to win two or three more times like before, the gambling house would face a disaster, wiping out years of profits.
In places like this, underhanded schemes were rampant—how could they not have some dirty tricks? Otherwise, how could they ruin people and leave them destitute, eventually pushing them to sell their own children or wives to pay debts?
They made money off a corrupt system; what seemed like fair play often hid dark secrets.
In the simplest of larger/smaller bets, each die was specially made, designed with weight biases. The dealer, using skilled methods and keen touch, could manipulate the outcome of each roll immensely.
In larger establishments, they could even switch out the dice right after bets were placed, turning large into small.
That’s why, despite having equal chances, more people ended up losing with only a few who won.
Even if someone did win, they’d quickly lose it back.
These were the tricks of a gambling house; when they spotted an easy target, they usually let the mark win a few times, then slowly tilted the odds back in the house’s favor once the bets got larger, reassuring the mark with phrases like, “Winning and losing depend on luck. This time, you were just unlucky; next time will surely be better!” to keep them betting heavily.
The owner was now restless upon hearing this.
He asked the dealer, “Didn’t you do anything?”
The dealer feigned innocence, “I did, but that kid is slippery—seems like he knows something. I can’t roll three of a kind every single round, or people will catch on…”
The owner was frantic—this business belonged to him, and with Jiang Pengji winning, it felt like he was being robbed of his flesh.
“If it comes to it, just let her win this time!”
The owner slashed downward with his hand for emphasis.
In this line of work, what dirty deeds haven’t been done?
Blocking someone’s wealth is akin to killing their parents; Jiang Pengji had already made a fortune off him, and feelings of hatred had risen to the level of a vendetta.
The dealer was startled, intrigued but hesitant. “This might not work, though. The way those kids are dressed, they don’t look like commoners…”
In Hejian, the aristocratic class was abundant. If they weren’t ordinary folk and dressed so finely, they could very well be young masters from distinguished backgrounds.
What could a petty gambling house do against such a background?
The owner, furious, shouted, “Then what do you propose we do?”
After thinking for a moment, the dealer suddenly had a bright idea. “I remembered that kid has a companion playing at another table—he’s doing well, but he’s not winning like that slippery one… why not target the other one?”
While Jiang Pengji was formidable, that older boy seemed quite ordinary, a perfect target for scamming.
If that slippery kid won a fortune, then let’s make the other one lose even more!
This idea… was actually quite clever!
The owner and dealer exchanged a glance, each seeing satisfaction in the other’s eyes.
What a brilliant plan!
Jiang Pengji coldly watched as the dealer returned to his spot, her eyes barely closing as she realized the big fish was thoroughly hooked.
Dare to scheme against her?
She would make sure they learned what it meant to lose everything!
“Let’s continue,” Jiang Pengji said languidly, a slight smile gracing her lips.
That look made the dealer’s heart race, nearly causing him to drop the dice cup.
It wasn’t that Jiang Pengji’s smile was particularly pretty, but his streetwise instincts sensed a looming threat.
A crowd of gamblers was enthralled, always losing more than winning, feeling thrilled even by an occasional small victory.
Now, seeing someone genuinely on a winning streak, with the stakes climbing to over four thousand taels of silver, they were nearly blinded by the gold piled before Jiang Pengji.
If they could turn all that gold into an equivalent of over four thousand bright silver taels, they wouldn’t even be able to haul it back home.
The dealer steadied himself and asked, smiling, “Young Master, will you be placing another bet?”
Jiang Pengji suddenly beamed, causing the dealer to choke up his words, “No more! It’s not challenging—so boring!”
She pretended to stand, and Nong Qin rushed forward to wrap up the gold on the table in her arms.
Heavy in her grasp, Nong Qin felt dizzy, as if the whole affair wasn’t real.
In a panic, the dealer attempted to plead with her, but upon hearing Meng Liang’s loud indignation at another table, he gathered his focus back.
Not a problem; one table lost, but the other would win it all back, right?
Jiang Pengji seemed to just realize Meng Liang had gone to another table.
“Cousin?”
Jiang Pengji brought Nong Qin over, only to find Meng Liang, who was once dignified, now wild-eyed and frantic.
“Get lost!” Meng Liang shouted, pointing at the dealer at his table. “Let’s keep gambling!”
Jiang Pengji didn’t get angry, instead asking the nearby gambler, “What’s wrong with my cousin?”
The gambler chuckled, barely able to contain his glee. “You should stop your cousin; he’s already lost over six thousand taels of silver!”
Tsk, over six thousand taels?
Jiang Pengji couldn’t help but be stunned; was he playing too high?
This table bet on odd/even, appearing fairer than the last, yet Jiang Pengji’s eyes swept over the dice cup and she instantly understood why Meng Liang was losing so badly.
Rubbing her forehead, she lamented that someone so clueless should even think to play here.
