Pampered Consort's Acting Awards - Chapter 29

Ah Ling, I want a child.

Such a family was really found after an investigation.

The Yu family of Suzhou.

The eldest lad of the Yu family invested his money on the official tax, however, unexpectedly, his father committed a crime when doing business. Therefore, he could not become an official, and his money was not returned.

After losing money, another problem occurred.

Right after Old Master Yu had an accident, the eldest lad threw himself into the river to end his life, leaving only Niu shi, the Old Madam, at home.

The pain of losing a child made Niu shi become reclusive and eccentric. Whenever she saw officials, she’d go crazy, shout, and glared at them.

If they forcefully drag this kind of person back for questioning, perhaps the person would go totally insane before their questions are answered. After pondering for some time, Xiao Yu thought it would be better if Su Ling, who was also a woman, put on a disguise as a commoner and approached Niu shi, while Fan Cheng waited outside.

Xiao Yu did not express any opinion regarding how much Su Ling had to ask. He only told Fan Cheng: Ask as many as you can. If Niu shi goes mad, stun her and get out of there.

On this side, Xiao Yu has called a physician over.

Hearing the sound of footsteps outside, a manservant opened the door, revealing Su Ling, who was taking off her veil hat and entering the room slowly.

Fan Cheng followed after her while tidying the booklet of oral confession and presented it to Xiao Yu: “Your Highness, we have an answer. The reason why their ledger is so clean is because of the gambling lane by the Qinhuai River.”

Xiao Yu looked at the booklet in his hand, his expression became more solemn.

Throughout the dynasties, corruption has always existed despite repeated prohibition. No matter how tightly the court investigates, those corrupt officials could always come up with new ways.

The selling of official positions in Suzhou was actually made into the selling of hidden accounts!

The open account was delivered to the court, while the hidden account to the gambling place. This was a really good scheme.

According to Niu shi, at that time, she initially let the eldest lad purchase a fifth-rank official Government Sub-prefect. They paid 3.000 taels written in the open account, and also paid another 6.000 taels in the hidden account. Afterwards, it was said that if they dare to report this matter to the court, even if Eldest Lad Yu succeeded in becoming an official, he’d have no hope of being promoted in the capital.

These words were very clear. It implied that the stolen money from Suzhou would be sent to the capital.

What is being checked right now was who the money was finally sent to.

Fan Cheng smiled and sighed from the bottom of his heart: “Your Highness, it was all thanks to Her Highness this time.”

Hearing this, Xiao Yu looked up at Su Ling and asked: “Niu shi is clearly known as antisocial and from time to time she’d lose her mind. How could she tell you so many things?”

Su Ling did not answer immediately. Instead, she bit the corner of her lip.

Xiao Yu knitted his brows and turned to look at Fan Cheng, “Tell me.”

Fan Cheng took a glance at the princess consort who kept her mouth shut and worded his next words carefully: “In the beginning… Niu shi truly refused to say anything. She was so erratic and threw curses at Her Highness endlessly, but fortunately, Her Highness was quick-witted, and quickly lied about being a widow…”

After this, Fan Cheng couldn’t help but swallow his saliva while stealing glances at his master. Then he said again: “Her Highness said that… That her husband died in battle, and she wanted to use the compensation money for the child’s future prospects… That’s when Niu shi finally lowered her vigilance.”

These words were obviously already beautified by Fan Cheng.

Su Ling was the daughter of the Duke of Zhen. Her ancestors have made countless war achievements. She knew better than any other noble lady about marching and fighting. Just now when she mentioned that her husband had died in battle, she even told Niu shi that this “husband” was stabbed several times to death, how the body was carried back, and how much exactly the compensation money was issued.

In any case, Niu shi was still a lady of a family. She did not suspect Su Ling after hearing all this.

It was silent all around.

Xiao Yu inclined and looked at Su Ling with a fake smile, “A widow?”

Su Ling listened to his deliberate trailing voice, her cheeks instantly blushed. She clenched her sweating fists and met his eyes, “It was just a stop-gap measure. What is inappropriate about this?”

The young lady’s tone was burning, like a cluster of fire, which might put the room on fire the next moment.

Xiao Yu tapped the table randomly with his hand, and after a chuckle, his tone was weaker: “Well, it is not inappropriate.”

Fan Cheng had followed Xiao Yu for at least 6 years and this was the first time he saw the prince in this state; not angry, and yet not happy either.

Outside the window, dark clouds slowly moved to cover the moon. The night breeze seemed to be colder. Su Ling was busy all day, and she had long been tired. At this moment, it was already hard to keep her eyelids open.

But she had not fallen asleep. In a haze, she listened to the sound of the door opening, footsteps, and the rustling of undressing sound.

Xiao Yu walked to the bedside, and she opened her eyes in reflex. Perhaps because she was too sleepy, the apricot eyes have long ceased their daytime vitality. Only a pair of slits were open, looking at him in a daze.

Xiao Yu lifted the corner of his mouth and whispered: “Did I wake you up?”

Su Ling said in a hoarse voice: “Finished with your work?”

“Mm,” Xiao Yu laid down and leaned towards her. His warm palm landed on her waist without warning, “Sleep early. We still have to go to the gambling lane tomorrow.”

Su Ling turned stiff. This movement had thrown her off guard, making her sleepiness reduced by at least three points.

If she pushed his hand away, it’d seem too deliberate. So, with superb acting skills, Su Ling yawned while turning over, and finally got out of the man’s reach.

As the man’s palm became empty in an instant, he smiled softly: “Ah Ling, come over.”

She did not move.

But he knew she was not asleep.

***

The next day, when the night fell.

At the bank of Qinhuai River, the lighted boats were connected from end to end.

The first boat was a gambling house dedicated to money laundering.

The goat-horn lanterns hanging under the eaves of the boats were shaped like a series of pearls. The lights were dense, reflecting on the water like stars falling into the river.

Xiao Yu, dressed in a crane-patterned black-colored cloak, pulled Su Ling into the gambling house. The painted boat was filled with people, there was the sound of shaking dice everywhere.

The shopkeeper smiled when he saw someone with a noble face entering: “Today, this distinguished guest came to…”

Xiao Yu handed him a silver ingot, “Give us a room.”

The shopkeeper noticed his noble aura and the girl beside him, who was also a rare beauty, so he politely said, “A room will be 8.000 taels.”

Xiao Yu replied: “Just lead the way.”

They both sat on the same side. After a long time, they saw a smiling man in black clothes entering the room, followed by a dealer.

The dealer sat on his knees beside the couch and said: “Are you playing dice or cards today?”

Xiao Yu: “Dice.”

The dealer raised his hands and shook. The clattering sound was very harsh.

“Big or small?”

Xiao Yu looked at the man in black and did not speak.

The man in black said “big” before Xiao Yu followed with “small”.

The man in black relaxed his frowning brows while thinking: This is indeed a man who knows the rules.

The second and third rounds followed, and they were still the same. Each time the man in black spoke first, and then Xiao Yu answered the opposite.

After a few rounds, he had lost nearly 10.000 taels.

The man in black smiled and said: “It’s almost 10.000 taels. Does my lord still want to continue?”

Look, this guy has started calling “lord”.

Xiao Yu said indifferently: “Continue. I want to take my wife to the capital.”

Within half an hour, Xiao Yu had lost 60.000 taels.

A whole 60.000 taels.

The man in black gradually lowered his guard and said directly: “Why did Young Sir come to this place?”

Xiao Yu replied: “I failed the Imperial examination.”

“The capital examination?” The man in black shook his head and laughed heartily: “I won’t hide it from Young Sir. This humble servant was the runner-up of the triennial provincial exam that year. I aimed to succeed as the top scorer in the Imperial examination to make my old mother at home proud. Young Sir might as well guess what happened later?”

Xiao Yu: “You also failed the examination?”

The man in black laughed and said, “The court does not select talents out of grace nor does it think about the suffering of the poor. The chief examiner openly accepted bribes, and those who knew had no way to report. The successful candidates of that year were the offspring of the four distinguished families of Xue, He, Chu, and Mu, and each one was ranked high. Young Sir’s probability of succeeding the capital examination must’ve been none since the beginning.”

“But those are irrelevant to Young Sir now. Let us do business now. Come back in 2 days to choose which official position you want to buy. Aside from positions in the Ministry of Appointments and the Ministry of Rites, any position below the fourth-rank is at your disposal.”

“Later on, someone in the capital will help you through the promotion examination.”

Su Ling’s hands tightened.

She knew very well that such words could make Xiao Yu kill with a single cut.

After that, the man in black got up and poured Xiao Yu a glass of wine and made a toast, “This humble servant’s ambition is long gone, but I hope Young Sir will have a bright future.”

Xiao Yu met his cup and said: “Many thanks.”

“Then, this humble servant will retreat now. The two of you please go ahead.”

Once the man in black and the dealer left, Su Ling lifted her eyes, wanting to say something, but stopped.

Xiao Yu lowered his eyes and gave a smile: “Although they’re all wildly rebellious words, not a word was wrong. Ah Ling, high officials selling official positions is not a trivial matter, and bribery is not even more so. The aristocratic family has been domineering so far. To keep going like this is tantamount to self-destroying the country’s foundation.”

“Scholars from humble families light the lanterns to study throughout their life because based on just their background, they’re not allowed to enter the officialdom. Is this fair?”

Su Ling looked at Xiao Yu’s unwavering gaze, and suddenly understood why he had to take her out of the capital.

At this moment, she somehow believed that even though the person in front of her had such a rotten heart, if he really got that position, he would be a bright ruler.

Su Ling met his eyes and suddenly asked: “Just now, when you played dice, did you deliberately choose the opposite of the man in black knowing that you’d lose?”

Xiao Yu gave a “mm”.

Su Ling said again: “Then how do you guess the size?”

“If you don’t have the ability to listen to sound, you won’t survive in a gambling house.”

“Listen to the sound?” Su Ling had never heard of such a bizarre thing, she blinked and said: “Then what about you?”

Xiao Yu gave a “mm” again.

Su Ling’s body leaned forward and said in a low voice: “Where did His Highness Prince Jin learn such a thing? Don’t try to fool me…”

Xiao Yu abruptly smiled, inclined his head towards her ear and said in a deep voice: “Princess doesn’t want me to return home, so I wander outside to learn.”

This low and deep tone sounded somewhat coquettish, making Su Ling’s ear reddened, and she glared at him.

The boat swayed slightly. Xiao Yu held two dice close to her, “Ah Ling, do you dare to gamble with me once?”

The two people were nose-to-nose, their breath interlaced. Her voice involuntarily became a little tender, “On what?”

“If you win, I’ll agree to whatever you wish.”

Su Ling looked defensive, “What if I lose?”

Xiao Yu directly replied: “I won’t let you lose.”

Su Ling hesitated for a while, then nodded, “Then let’s gamble.”

But she secretly thought: Just gamble. Even if he tries to cheat, it still depends on his method. In any case, just like her father said, women and nasty people are the most difficult to raise.

With a smile on the corner of his mouth, Xiao Yu shook twice randomly and said, “I choose big.”

Su Ling looked skeptical but said probingly: “Then… I chose small.”

Xiao Yu lifted his hand. And it was indeed “small”.

Su Ling unconsciously raised the corner of her mouth and looked at him: “Whatever I ask for will do?”

Xiao Yu nodded.

Su Ling’s heart immediately leaped.

Opportunities are hard to find. She must seize them.

As a result, she was not afraid anymore and said frankly: “In the future, you must not force my dad to do things for you.”

These words were expected.

Xiao Yu looked at the clear eyes in front of him, and solemnly said: “I promise you. Do you want to continue?”

Of course Su Ling willingly accepted such good things.

She nodded.

And won again.

Su Ling thought for a while and coughed lightly: “After returning to the capital, can you stay quieter if you go to the red-light district? Don’t let others know?”

Because Xiao Yu rarely went home and often visited those ‘romantic’ places, she was annoyed by those slanderous rumors and rarely went outside anymore.

Xiao Yu chuckled, “If not for official business, I’d return home every day.”

She thought it’s good that he still cares.

“Continue?” The man said.

The greedy girl still nodded.

Xiao Yu continued to shake, then when he stopped, his Adam’s apple moved and he spit out the single word, “Big”.

Su Ling said immediately: “Small.”

This time, he opened it, but it was not the result Su Ling wanted.

She said vigilantly: “Didn’t you say that you won’t let me lose?”

“But one cannot be greedy ah…” Xiao Yu’s voice was low as he stretched his hands over her waist. After facing each other for a long while, he said: “Ah Ling, I want a child.”

Translator’s Note:

SHE’S BEEN HAD KANSLXKASNXOAISXNALKX