Chapter 9: Dice
At the entrance of Letong Manor, a woman adorned with floral hairpins stopped He Yan, cooing sweetly, "Young master, this is a gambling house."
"I know," He Yan nodded, pulling a small piece of silver from her sleeve and waving it before the woman. "I'm here to gamble."
The woman was momentarily stunned, but before she could respond, He Yan had already stepped inside.
The woman standing outside the gambling den was a gambling courtesan. Letong Manor catered exclusively to the wealthy, where silver held little value, so she had learned to judge patrons at a glance. Those who appeared less affluent were gently persuaded to leave. Firstly, the presence of poor folk inside was unsightly, and their feet might dirty the embroidered carpets. Secondly, the impoverished cared too much about money—they couldn't afford to lose, and once they did, they would wail and refuse to pay, ruining the enjoyment of the noble patrons.
He Yan's faded, well-worn clothes clearly didn’t belong to a wealthy young master. Unfortunately, the gambling courtesan hadn’t managed to stop her before she barged in uninvited.
Inside the gambling house, the air buzzed with noise and excitement. Faces were flushed—some with the triumph of victory, others with the bitterness of defeat. One man, having lost, pulled out a stack of silver notes from his robe and roared, "Again!"
As He Yan walked and observed, she thought to herself, So the rumors about gambling dens and brothels being money pits are indeed true.
Earlier that day, after teaching Wang Jiugui a lesson, she had asked him one question: which was the largest gambling house in the capital? A street ruffian like Wang Jiugui would surely know, and sure enough, he told her about Letong Manor.
He Yan had never been to a gambling house before. Before joining the Pacify Yue Army, her special status meant she couldn’t go to crowded places, let alone gambling dens. After enlisting and returning victorious to the capital, He Yun Sheng had come back, and she became the legitimate young lady of the He family’s second branch—making such disreputable places even more off-limits. Thus, she hadn’t even known where gambling houses were located. This was her first time.
Letong Manor had it all—pai gow, marble chess, Chinese chess, grass competitions, cockfighting... Her head spun at the sight. While marveling, she also felt a pang of regret—she didn’t know how to play any of these.
Some were guessing dice, the simplest game of all, where dice were shaken in a bowl and bets were placed on the outcome. It drew the largest crowd, and silver flowed like water with each round, dazzling He Yan’s eyes. A faint smile finally curled at the corners of her lips.
The He family was truly poor, yet He Yun Sheng still needed to attend school and martial arts training. The pawned jewelry fetched little, far from enough for tuition. Even selling homemade Da Nai cakes would take too long to save up. After much deliberation, He Yan could only think of one solution—the gambling house. Money begets money. Though it was a shortcut and a gamble, she had no other choice at the moment.
"Hey, brother, what are you blocking the way for? If you're not gambling, don’t stand here," someone nearby shoved He Yan, his eyes filled with disdain.
Coming to a gambling house without money? Couldn’t you at least buy decent clothes? What an eyesore.
He Yan replied, "I am gambling."
The crowd around her was decked in gold and silver, all either rich or noble. The sudden appearance of a shabbily dressed youth drew curious glances. He Yan pulled out the only two small pieces of silver from her sleeve and placed them on the table.
Someone sneered, "Kid, think carefully. This isn’t child’s play. I don’t see any more silver on you—maybe you shouldn’t gamble. If you lose and start crying, no one’s going to give your money back!"Such incidents were not uncommon. Gambling could be addictive—the more one lost, the more one gambled, and the more one gambled, the more one lost. Some had wagered away their land deeds, wives, and children, only to regret it later. When they tried to cheat or renege, they were thrown out by the people of Letong Manor. Such scenes happened frequently here.
The onlookers gazed at He Yan with pity. For the poor, there was no way out in Letong Manor.
He Yan smiled faintly. "It's fine, just playing for fun."
The crowd burst into laughter—whether it was good-natured or merely for amusement, no one could tell.
The dice clattered into the bowl, which was then overturned. The dealer shook it vigorously, the crisp sound of the dice mingling with the lively chatter, almost like music. Rough voices of burly men laughing and joking could faintly be heard.
He Yan was reminded of her years in the military camp.
She had entered the army as a common soldier, rising from deputy general to general—without any help from the He family, solely through her own blood and sweat.
The borderlands were harsh and barren, offering little in the way of entertainment. The men in the camp, restless and bored, would secretly gamble.
Every time He Yan caught them, she punished them according to military discipline. Yet, they continued to gamble in secret, undeterred. Helpless, she eventually relented, decreeing that they could not wager silver but could bet other things—a chicken leg, a piece of dry rations, or a fur pelt.
They weren’t truly addicted to gambling; they were simply bored. Beyond drills and battles, this was perhaps their only pastime, and He Yan couldn’t bring herself to take it away. They invited her to join, and sometimes, when the mood struck her, she would play a round or two—only to lose spectacularly each time.
She lost nearly all her little trinkets, yet she never grew angry. She simply accepted that gambling was a skill not everyone possessed.
The crisp sound of the dice abruptly stopped. The dealer set the bowl down and looked at her.
"Big," He Yan said.
"Open—"
The bowl was lifted, revealing two dice lying quietly on the table. The crowd held their breath and leaned in. One die showed a five, the other a six—indeed, it was big.
The onlookers were slightly surprised. After a moment, the man who had mocked He Yan earlier laughed loudly. "You’ve got some luck! Take this money and buy yourself some decent clothes!"
A scattering of silver coins and notes piled up before He Yan.
She pushed the silver back out.
The crowd stared at her.
"Again," she said with a smile.
Someone couldn’t hold back. "Hey, this kid’s got some nerve!"
"Brother, you should quit while you’re ahead. Winning once is already good luck," came a well-meaning piece of advice.
"You really think your luck will hold? Hahaha, kids are so naive!"
Mockery, admonitions, and the clamor of spectators filled the air. Amid the sea of faces, He Yan’s eyes remained fixed on the two dice.
He Yun Sheng needed tuition for school and martial training. Qingmei, a mere maidservant, couldn’t handle all the chores—the He family needed to hire a few more servants. In a few months, summer would arrive, bringing the rainy season. The roof tiles above the He family’s gatehouse were missing a few, and leaks were inevitable. Inside and out, everything required money.
If she wanted to investigate Xu Zhiheng and He Rufei, she would need money as well.
Money wasn’t something one needed in vast quantities, but it was absolutely indispensable. Without it, one would quickly learn how difficult life could be.
"Are you sure?" The middle-aged man shaking the dice stroked his beard, his smile kind and gentle.
He Yan returned a polite smile.
"Again."
(End of Chapter)
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