After Rebirth, I Married my Archenemy - Chapter 103

The sound of tiles and dice was sealed behind the heavy door. Inside, Liu You was reading.

A subordinate pushed open the door and said, “Young Master, there’s someone outside. I think he’s here to cause trouble.”

This was a gambling house. It wasn’t rare for reckless gamblers to show up thinking they could defy the odds and show off. Liu You wasn’t surprised. He flipped a page in his book and only after a while did he ask, 

“How many chips does he have?”

“He exchanged a thousand taels when he arrived and has been betting on dice for the duration of an incense stick. Now he has nearly ten thousand taels.”

That number made Liu You glance away from his book briefly, then return to reading. 

“Send him to the Plum Blossom Table. One round there should be enough to clean him out.”

“He won at the Plum Blossom Table too,” another subordinate reported.

In every casino, the real controls of win and loss remained firmly in the owner’s hands. The Plum Blossom Table was essentially the casino’s stabilizing anchor. Liu You frowned. 

“What about the magnet?”

“It happened to break today,” the subordinate replied hesitantly.

They dared not describe what had happened outside. At the Plum Blossom Table, both the dealer and players were planted by the casino. Dozens of eyes exchanged subtle glances through the haze of smoke, waiting for the fat sheep to enter the trap.

Who would’ve guessed—when the dice cup was lifted, the magnets failed. The result on the dice perfectly matched the red-robed youth’s call. He merely raised his eyebrows, smiled at the table, and calmly raked in the chips.

Liu You slammed his book onto the desk with the tension creeping in. 

“He brought his own magnet? And he can read the dice? Could he be here to sabotage us? Who is he? Did he say what he wants?”

“He did. He wants to bet with the young master for twenty bolts of the best yunjin brocade. The word’s already out, and there’s a crowd gathering outside to watch. If Young Master doesn’t show, people will talk.”

Liu You looked down at his brocade robe. Everyone in the city knew about his fondness for collecting yunjin brocade. Hearing this felt like a direct provocation—as if the man meant to walk away with something he deeply treasured. His fingers clenched slightly.

The crowd parted, and Lu Huating emerged. Liu You saw a well-dressed young man being ushered forward by the crowd.

The two greeted each other. Liu You’s gaze lingered with a hint of unease—Lu Huating wasn’t alone. He had a woman by his side.

The woman carried herself with poise, standing quietly at his side. Beneath her veil, the curves of her neck and shoulders hinted at a grace that surpassed snow and frost. She remained silent, their hands joined together.

“Master Lu is skilled at dice. I wonder—are you equally good at Pai Jiu?”

Lu Huating smiled. “If Master Liu is skilled at Pai Jiu, I’ll accompany you.”

There was arrogance laced in his tone, and it immediately displeased Liu You. He pulled out a silk handkerchief and wiped his scholarly hands. With a proud air, he said, 

“I heard you want yunjin brocade from me. If you’d simply asked, I might’ve given you some today. But if you insist on betting with me, unless the stakes are big enough, I won’t taint myself with the stink of money.”

He had every reason to be proud. As the son of Officer Liu, Liu You was not only a scholar but also a master gambler. In two years, he would enter court and be known in Chang’an for his skill at Pai Jiu.

Lu Huating said nothing and pushed all his chips forward. Liu You didn’t even bother to look at them properly. 

A servant at his side said, “Our Young Master only gambles when the stakes are serious. An arm or a leg would do. Otherwise, everyone will come challenging him and cause trouble—what’s he to do then?”

Hearing this, Lu Huating’s eyes darkened. He casually played with the finely polished bamboo tiles before him. 

“If I bet my life, would you dare to play?”

To wager one’s life for twenty bolts of yunjin brocade—the room went quiet for a moment. Liu You’s expression tightened. He glanced at Qun Qing, suspicion flickering in his gaze, then couldn’t help but speak: 

“Master Lu, this woman mustn’t stay by your side. There are rumors of women skilled in card reading and dice listening. If she stands here and signals you…”

Lu Huating found his imagination amusing.

The casino attendants stepped forward to remove Qun Qing, but the moment they moved, Lu Huating felt her cold grip tighten. That unease passed through him. He raised his fan and blocked their way. 

“No. If my wife isn’t by my side, I’ll be afraid.”

He cast Qun Qing a glance and said to Liu You, “I’m betting my life. Why not put it in writing, so there’s no dispute afterward?”

Liu You thought to himself, Just twenty bolts of brocade and he’s making such a show. Does he plan to renege? Either he’s mad—or fearless. He immediately ordered paper and ink. The two signed a contract.

Lu Huating glanced at Liu You’s signature, folded the paper with one hand, and tucked it into his robes. A clear sound rang out nearby. The servant had finished shuffling the bamboo tiles and pushed them to the two men.

Liu You picked out two hands from the shuffled tiles. After checking his hand, he discreetly watched the man opposite of him. Lu Huating, too, was gazing at him. Both bore equally impassive faces—neither revealing the slightest emotion.

Liu You was very good at counting card. When he focused, no one dared disturb his concentration. From his four tiles, he selected two to play. Slowly flipping them open—he had a pair of twos.

Lu Huating flipped open his first hand—it was a pair of twos as well, but unfortunately, his total points were lower.

Liu You was skilled in pairing cards, but he miscalculated this time. His hands were already flawed, and when he glanced up to see his attendant slightly shaking his head across the table—a silent warning—he knew the cards Lu Huating had drawn were a mess. No Heaven card, his first hand was weak, and the second hand was likely unwinnable.

Liu You opened his second hand, and Lu Huating also flipped his. The total wasn’t impressive. Liu You relaxed for just a moment—but in the blink of an eye, Lu Huating combined the second pair with the first, and the four cards unexpectedly formed a “double heaven” combo. The crowd’s reaction burst like boiling water.

Lu Huating said calmly, “Thank you for letting me win.”

He lost!

And with this loss, Liu You went on to lose three straight rounds. Sweat broke out on his forehead. The way the man played, calculating and casual, even pretending to lose at first—he felt like he was being toyed with. It wasn’t just frustrating—it was humiliating.

Just then, a subordinate rushed over and whispered in Liu You’s ear, “Master sent a message. He wants to ask if you’ve signed or left behind anything. It’s best to stay cautious. Something’s going on with Prince Yan’s household…”

Pairing cards required intense focus. Liu You was in the middle of a critical hand—he couldn’t afford distractions. He shoved the man aside and growled, 

“Talk later!”

The poor subordinate tried again, but Liu You struck him with a backhand.

More than half of the seven rounds had passed, and more and more people gathered around the table to watch.

The murmurs, the sound of shuffling, and cheers came in waves, pouring into Qun Qing’s ears. She could gradually smell the scent of smoke. Her head felt foggy, as if awakening from a long dream, and the pain in her skull was intense.

A hand lifted the edge of her veil. Qun Qing saw Lu Huating holding her hand—her fingers were entwined with his long, slender ones.

That scene made her fingertips tingle slightly. Qun Qing froze for a moment, then closed her eyes again.

Strange… why dream of something like this?

Through the dizziness, she tried to concentrate. Then she clearly heard the soft jingle of a bell.

Behind her, people kept jostling and pushing. Amid the chaos, someone lightly tapped her shoulder, and a scented pouch with a tiny bell fell to the ground. Qun Qing stared hazily at the pouch at her feet. Embroidered with a little rabbit, it wasn’t old—it looked new, and it bore the distinctive style of those made by her mother.

She turned to look into the crowd, instinctively trying to find the one who had dropped the pouch and tapped her. She saw the back of a woman whose gait resembled her mother’s—shuffling slightly as she walked—and soon vanished among the crowd.

Qun Qing’s heart clenched. She immediately followed, shaking off the grip on her hand.

Liu You had played his front hand. Lu Huating’s eyelashes twitched. Suddenly, he felt his left hand go empty, as if a string had snapped. He instantly turned back to look—but Qun Qing’s figure was nowhere in the crowd. His eyes lowered to the tiles, dark pupils deepening.

Lu Huating relied on the subtle grain patterns on the backs of the tiles to memorize the deck. All tiles were of equal size, but after polishing, the bamboo grain left behind was never identical. Before gambling, he had memorized each pattern, so when Liu You drew his hand, Lu Huating already knew exactly what he had. That was how he remained undefeated.

But during pairing, full concentration was needed. At that moment, Liu You flipped Lu Huating’s back hand, eyes gleaming as he said coolly, “Master Lu, you’ve lost.”

A loss—meant all his previous wins were mere luck.

The tide turned. Lu Huating lost three rounds in a row.

The shuffling of tiles was crisp and fast, rising like a wave. Liu You looked at Lu Huating’s expressionless face and said, “The deciding round, Master Lu. I hope you’re ready. If you lose again, your life is forfeit.”

—

This was the fourth day Li Huan and Xiao Yunru had been distributing grain in the inner city.

The disaster had temporarily eased. The secret guards of Prince Yan’s household were handing out wormwood and medicine sachets door to door, and no outbreaks had occurred yet. Refugees who still had some money were able to resolve their food crisis, and for those with nothing, Prince Yan’s household offered daily porridge.

Li Huan had never done such exhausting work. Holding a ladle of thin gruel, he was scolded by a young beggar when he served slightly less. His temper flared, and Xiao Yunru stepped in, taking the ladle from him. 

“Your Highness has been busy all day. Go take some water and rest. Let your consort do it.”

So Li Huan stepped aside, watching from afar as Xiao Yunru served porridge. 

“Zhu Su, bring a cloak for Her Highness. Don’t let her catch a chill.”

Zhu Su went to carry out the order. There were far more refugees queuing today than before, and even deep into the night, the task was still unfinished.

It was then that Officer Liu’s carriage arrived.

Officer Liu quickly stepped down with a lantern, surveyed the scene, and led his attendants to kneel before Li Huan. 

“Your subject has failed in disaster relief. I ask Prince Yan for punishment. May Your Highness and Her Highness come to the governor’s residence to speak—please don’t tire your noble bodies here.”

Li Huan did not move. Officer Liu remained kneeling.

Regarding the ruse involving Cai Laoliu impersonating members of Prince Yan’s household, both sides tacitly chose not to mention it.

Li Huan wiped the sweat from his face, his voice cold as frost. 

“The situation in the city was reported to the capital long ago by fast courier. It’s too late to put on a show now. Go back and await your verdict.”

Officer Liu looked sorrowful and raised his face. 

“Your Highness, won’t you reconsider?”

Li Huan did not respond, but heard the veiled threat in those words. He stared hard at Officer Liu, who also stared steadily back and subtly lifted a finger inside his sleeve.

Li Huan sensed danger. Those “refugees” in the line suddenly surged forward, crowding around Xiao Yunru. Several of Prince Yan’s hidden guards rushed to her side, but a sudden blast rang out, and in the smoke, Xiao Yunru disappeared.

Li Huan dropped his sleeve and saw only a single flower pin from her hair left on the ground. His heart plunged into chaos. He kicked Officer Liu in the chest and drew his sword, pressing it to Liu’s throat. 

“You dare kidnap Princess Yan? What are you trying to do?”

“If Your Highness kills me, you’ll never know the Princess’s whereabouts,” Officer Liu replied. “I wish to negotiate.”

“What?”

Officer Liu wiped the bl00d from the corner of his mouth but kept his eyes on him. 

“My son, being foolish, may have signed something reckless at the gambling house. I hope Your Highness can retrieve it from the Advisor—so that my family doesn’t fall into ruin. Spare me, and I’ll make sure the Princess and your heir are safe.”

The tip of Li Huan’s sword trembled.

On such a cold night, Xiao Yunru hadn’t even worn a cloak. Thinking of her being taken, his heart ached as if torn by the wind. But he also knew—this was not the time to provoke the other side. He slowly sheathed his sword and said with forced calm, 

“I’ll go to the gambling house now. If you dare harm her, I will kill you.”