General, you should rest now; the lady is even more ruthless.

An hour ago.

Twelve, having received orders from his wife to keep watch at the Jiang residence, was idly sipping a blade of grass while basking in the sun when footsteps suddenly echoed from the courtyard below.

Nineteen silently lifted a tile and looked directly into the room.

The man entered the room: "My lord! The Second Prince and the General Zhenguo have gone to our gambling den."

"I know! Don't make a fuss. Just do as I told you before."

Ever since Wang Liang was arrested, Jiang Qianzhong has been in a state of extreme anxiety, even suggesting that the casino be shut down.

At the crucial moment, it was the Third Prince who sent a message to him, instructing him to continue running the casino and cooperate with him to deceive Wang Liang in this matter.

Jiang Qianzhong had considered that the Third Prince might embezzle casino funds to bribe officials, and even considered abandoning the casino to pin the blame on Wang Liang, but he never expected that the other party would use the casino to launder money!

"Your Highness, this is unacceptable," Jiang Qianzhong advised.

The Second Prince is manageable, but Shen Luo is like a persistent nuisance; once he discovers something, he'll relentlessly investigate to the end. If he finds out about the casino, those secrets won't be kept for long.

But the Third Prince had already made up his mind.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

These were people he frequently dealt with, so Jiang Qianzhong intentionally disguised his voice.

But for someone like Jiang Qiqi, a master of disguise, it makes no difference.

Shen Luo had previously uncovered some clues about this casino, but since the casino only sought profit and had no other activities, he didn't continue the investigation. Now, hearing the other party's words and combining them with the previous clues, it was easy for him to know that it was Jiang Qianzhong.

The man in black was unaware that his identity had been discovered, even though he had only uttered one sentence.

……

"You casino owner are quite mysterious, daring to wear a mask when you meet this prince," Chen Chengwu said, displeased. How could anyone know who was who if they were masked?

"Your Highness, please forgive me." Jiang Qianzhong was, after all, an old man who had been in the court for more than ten years, and he came up with a solution in the blink of an eye.

"It's not that I intentionally don't show my true face, but a few days ago I was infected with urticaria, and my face is still full of pockmarks today, so I don't dare to see anyone."

……

Chen Chengwu silently took two steps back.

He wasn't afraid, but his wife was about to give birth. What if he got infected and then infected her?

Chen Chengwu silently raised his sleeve to cover his mouth and nose.

"Fine. Just answer my questions."

Although Jiang Qiqi was summoned, she was ultimately just an ordinary citizen and couldn't get a word in edgewise.

"I ask you, how much silver did you earn at your casino last month?"

"Seventeen thousand taels."

…Jiang Qiqi understood why the other party was unwilling to give her the money; in just one hour, she had won more than half of the other party's monthly income.

Jiang Qiqi shook her head.

Poverty limited the imagination of people in ancient times. With a monthly income of only 170,000 taels, what kind of casino are you going to open?

Jiang Qiqi wouldn't do something that skirts the law, but she felt that if she were given the casino, she could double the turnover!

Jiang Qianzhong (the unimaginative version) is still dealing with Chen Chengwu's questioning.

Whether it was the flow of funds or industry rules, what Jiang Qianzhong said matched the evidence they had previously investigated perfectly. It seemed flawless.

But everyone knows in their hearts that the more perfect something is, the more suspicious it is.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Your Excellencies, may I, a humble citizen, interject?"

Chen Chengwu and Jiang Qianzhong had been exchanging questions and answers for some time, and both of them were sweating profusely due to nervousness.

Seeing that the situation was deadlocked again, Jiang Qiqi had no choice but to speak up and be the one to break the deadlock.

Sure enough, her opening remarks immediately drew everyone's attention.

"Who are you?" Jiang Qianzhong narrowed his eyes and carefully examined the other person.

Unfortunately, disguise was Jiang Qiqi's specialty, so no matter how much he observed her, it was useless.

Jiang Qiqi cupped her hands slightly, maintaining proper etiquette: "I am Mu Sijiu, from Longcheng. I have been traveling the martial world for several years and am known as Ninth Master. I just arrived in the capital a few days ago. I just won 100,000 taels of silver at the gambling table, which your establishment has not yet paid out."

"Oh, Ninth Master, right?" Chen Chengwu's interruption made Jiang Qianzhong forget that he was originally supposed to deal with this matter.

"The manager just told me about your situation. I regret to inform you that you were able to win because our casino's machines were broken. You were supposed to lose. So we don't acknowledge those losses."

Sixteen's eyes were slightly cold.

Jiang Qiqi also disagreed: "You don't acknowledge it? Then all my 100,000 taels of silver was won for nothing?"

Jiang Qianzhong nodded: "You didn't win; the machine malfunctioned."

……

"Heavens above! Earth below! There is no law, no justice!"

When everyone saw that Ninth Master, who had been standing there upright just moments before, had suddenly disappeared, cries and screams came from below.

...This person actually sat down on the ground and started acting like a scoundrel!

"When I left home, my mother told me that the high-ranking officials in the capital were powerful and could bankrupt me with just a word!" He cried and pounded the ground.

"Mother! You're right, the people of the capital are treated like predators, killing without blinking an eye and leaving no trace..."

No one expected him to pull this stunt.

Jiang Qianzhong was dumbfounded: "You! How could you use such shrewish, street-scolding tactics!"

"...Mother! They even called me a shrew!"

Jiang Qianzhong: "..."

With both princes and Shen Luo here, how can this fellow behave so unreasonably?

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that the Third Prince's brows were so furrowed they could trap a fly.

"Okay, stop crying."

Just as Jiang Qianzhong was about to swear in his impatience, Shen Luo spoke up.

The crying stopped immediately.

Jiang Qiqi: Why did it take so long to stop? Your voice is almost hoarse from crying.

Shen Luo: I've never seen Qi Qi like this before. Let's admire her for a while longer.

……

"You're saying he won because of a machine malfunction, right?" Shen Luo asked.

Jiang Qianzhong nodded, not understanding what he was trying to say.

"Then let's have a bet right now. If Ninth Master wins, he'll get the silver; if he loses, he won't."

Jiang Qianzhong thought about it for a while and then surprisingly agreed.

In truth, he had no choice but to agree.

The original intention of having the manager bring the person was to discourage him and prevent him from testing his patience at this critical juncture.

But it seems this so-called Ninth Master isn't satisfied until he gets the money.

Since that's the case, we might as well gamble again to shut him up.

Anyway, with that ace player around, he won't lose.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The game is simple: three dice, whoever rolls the highest number wins.

To ensure fairness in the rejection process, the two worked on a small wooden table.

Jiang Qiqi rubbed the dice between her fingers, looking at the person across the table.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Qianzhong brought a very beautiful woman, dressed in a red gauze dress and with her face covered by a white veil, revealing only a pair of captivating phoenix eyes.

"Please, young master, show mercy," the woman said with a charming smile.

Unfortunately, everyone present was preoccupied with their own affairs and no one was buying her act.

Jiang Qiqi: "Let's begin." The ancients loved to say such time-wasting platitudes.

The woman's smile froze for a moment, then quickly returned to normal: "Okay."

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the two raised the cups containing the dice and began to shake them.

Jiang Qiqi noticed that the other person was different from her previous humility; her eyes were full of smugness and determination.

—This person is truly talented.

However, Jiang Qiqi is no less capable; in fact, she has even more experience.

"Snap!" After the woman finished turning, she placed the cup upside down on the wooden table.

She was confident that she could beat the pale-faced young man opposite her.

Jiang Qiqi, however, was in no hurry. She held the cup and swayed it left and right, refusing to put it down.

After everyone had grown tired of her technique, she slammed the cup down on the wooden table with a loud "bang."

The wooden table trembled twice.