In Chuanliu Lane, at Cui Ming Pavilion, students from the Imperial Academy gathered throughout the building, and cheers erupted from the literary competition stage from time to time.
When Fu Jing stepped down from the stage, classmates came forward to congratulate him. He smiled modestly, and only after the next round of the competition began did they leave him be.
People from the Imperial Academy would come here periodically for academic exchanges, but the teahouse was not exclusive to them; there were also outside patrons who came on these days just to join in the excitement.
Fu Jing sat down, sipping tea while gazing at the students on the stage engaged in a battle of wits. His expression remained unchanged from beginning to end.
Suddenly, he heard something and tilted his head slightly to look at two men whispering on the balcony above.
Li Xia stood behind him and looked in the same direction. “Shall I go up and invite them down, sir?”
Fu Jing set down his teacup and stood up, heading toward the upper floor.
“When will these pedantic scholars leave? Their mouths are never tired, and I do not see why there is anything worth debating here.” One of them cracked melon seeds and tossed the shells down to the floor below with practiced ease.
A shell wet with saliva landed on the head of a servant below. The servant reached up to touch it and looked up in confusion. The man above spat, “What are you looking at? Get lost!”
The servant pursed his lips and walked away.
The other man said, “Who knows? If you ask me, these people are not as fun as the one who has been following Gao Yi lately. Oh, Fu Sili. That guy knows how to have a good time.”
“Even though he was only recently recognized back into the Fu family, you cannot deny he knows how to play. Last time at the brothel, when the young masters from the Zhang, Wang, and Li families saw the women, their eyes lit up and they got straight to business. My group was watching from the side, but this Fu Sili just sat there calmly chatting with the courtesan, even calling her Sister.”
“Pfft! What kind of Sister is that!”
“Hey, do not say that. He really got her in a good mood. Later, the two of them opened a private room and did not come out until night. Every time Fu Sili went there after that, he only called for this Sister. The two of them seemed to have quite a good relationship.”
Fu Jing: “…”
“But with Fu Sili’s looks, it is hard to say who gets the short end of the stick.” The man chuckled strangely. “That figure.”
The other man laughed slyly. “On the way to the teahouse, I happened to run into an acquaintance who said he saw Fu Sili and Gao Yi go to the Tianxia Gambling House. Why do we not go find him after we finish our tea?”
“This guy has no taboos, unlike those other hypocrites in the Fu family. His brother, Fu Jing, is sitting right downstairs with these sour scholars.”
The man tilted his chin, signaling the person next to him to look, only to see that Fu Jing’s seat was already empty.
“Where is he?”
The man slowly scanned the area for Fu Jing. Not seeing him downstairs, he thought perhaps he had left early. He turned his head, his legs went weak, and he slumped against the railing. “Fu, Eldest Young Master Fu, why are you standing here?”
The person next to him turned around, immediately stiffened in place, and chuckled dryly, “You, when did you come up here?”
Fu Jing remained expressionless. He seemed to be deliberating, staring at them for a long time. Just as the two were about to grab their foreheads and slip away, Fu Jing finally spoke.
He seemed to have found the point, a polite smile appearing on his face. “You are going to find Fu Sili? He went to the gambling house with Gao Yi?”
The Tianxia Gambling House had three floors. The ground floor was for casual gamblers and was noisy. The second floor was quieter with fewer people; those who could enter had status, and the stakes were higher. The third floor was for private games.
A servant on the second floor led Fu Sili in, introducing the rules in a clear, bright voice. Fu Sili waved his hand. “No need to explain. I know this. I will look around myself.”
The second floor was divided into the gaming area and the seating area. The gaming area had tables for betting, and the seating area faced the tables, offering chairs for resting and tea.
The second floor of the gambling house provided free food. Fu Sili strolled around the tables and then went to the seating area, ordering some refreshments.
Gao Yi felt a false alarm. “I thought you were going to play a round. Turns out you were just hypocritically looking for a free meal.”
Fu Sili’s mouth twitched. “I was afraid you would start gambling. If you touch even a single piece, from now on, you go east and I go west. We are not to cross paths.”
He paused after saying this. When Fu Jing brought him to the gambling house, it was likely to test him as well.
Gao Yi hummed softly, an inscrutable look in his eyes, and plopped into a chair. Being tall and long-legged, he curled his legs awkwardly under the table. His large feet had nowhere to go, so he started trying to nudge them toward Fu Sili.
Fu Sili kicked him back and signaled for Bing Chun to sit in the chair nearby. “Hurry and eat. After you are finished, Bing Chun and I need to walk around. You should leave as soon as you are done.”
Gao Yi gave him a strange look. “I just had lunch. How long has it been, and you want me to eat dinner already?”
Fu Sili: “No.”
Gao Yi saw he was about to leave and mollified him. “Wait a moment. I might be hungry in a little while.”
The lighting in the seating area was dim, with lamps only lit on the gaming tables.
The servant who came to deliver the tea poured it into three cups. Hearing the sound, Fu Sili’s eyes flickered, but he saw a fan suddenly blocking his view.
Fu Sili curled his lips. “You can leave after serving the tea.”
The servant smiled sheepishly and apologized before leaving, returning shortly after with two more plates of snacks.
After the person left, Fu Sili pulled a long face. “If you do not eat now and you get recognized later, I will not say anything when they throw you out. You can stay hungry for the day.”
Gao Yi changed the subject, becoming serious. “That is not urgent. Do you not want to know why they do not let me come over anymore?”
Fu Sili sneered, not wanting to pay attention to him. Bing Chun, however, was curious. “Could it be because you mooch too many meals?”
Gao Yi’s face darkened. “Do not interrupt!”
Bing Chun made a face at him. Fu Sili remained unmoved, ignoring everyone. Seeing this, Gao Yi stopped holding back and pulled three dice from his sleeve as if by magic, placing them on the table.
“I secretly swapped their dice.”
“Some gambling houses mess with the dice by injecting lead inside to shift the center of gravity and control the points.”
Fu Sili raised an eyebrow slightly. He picked one up and tossed it on the table out of curiosity.
Gao Yi explained, “The first floor of Tianxia Gambling House uses these kinds of dice to swindle money from the gamblers below. I seized the chance to swap their dice. Later, the person shaking the dice was replaced by someone more experienced who sensed something was off immediately. They would not have discovered me, but a tooth broker pointed me out.”
Seeing that Fu Sili was listening carefully, he subconsciously brushed a lock of hair from his forehead, revealing a smooth brow, and leaned in, smiling even more dashingly.
“Later I thought, if I had another chance, I would definitely not let them find out.”
Fu Sili was speechless. Gao Yi tapped the tabletop. “Do not believe me? If you do not believe me, give me a few taels of silver, and I will show you a trick or two.”
Going in circles, he was still after his money. Fu Sili rolled his eyes and slapped Gao Yi’s reaching hand hard. “Get lost.”
Gao Yi sniffed his own hand. “What is that scent? It smells quite good.”
Fu Sili’s mouth twitched, and just as he was about to scold him, a hand suddenly rested on his shoulder.
He turned his head and felt a wave of panic for no reason. He stood up subconsciously. “Brother?”
The chair behind him let out a harsh sound against the floor. The hand on his shoulder tightened slightly, pulling him back.
Fu Sili stood blankly by Fu Jing’s side, still holding a die. Fu Jing lowered his eyes to look at him, then at Bing Chun who had also stood up, and finally at Gao Yi, who was squinting at him from his chair.
The smile on Fu Jing’s face was so faint it was barely visible. “Sili is young and inexperienced. If Young Master Gao would like to play, you may go play by yourself.”
Fu Sili coughed lightly. Seeing a hand extended to him with the palm facing up, he looked at it in confusion. Seeing Fu Jing staring at his palm, he realized what he meant and placed the die into Fu Jing’s palm.
Fu Sili said, “That belongs to Gao Yi.”
The servants in the seating area saw the commotion and were about to shout for people, but Qiu Yuan and Li Xia moved to intercept them.
Gao Yi raised an eyebrow. “I wondered who was so rude to interrupt others. So it is the Eldest Young Master Fu. However, perhaps your ears were wrong and you misunderstood us. We do not touch these things.”
Fu Sili coughed heavily, gesturing with his eyes for him to speak properly.
Fu Jing placed the die, which still held lingering warmth, gently on the table and said indifferently, “Is that so?”
Gao Yi saw Fu Sili standing obediently beside Fu Jing and looked at Fu Jing with even more displeasure. “What else could it be?”
A commotion broke out downstairs. Gao Yi sat firmly in his chair, watching as Fu Jing looked at him with eyes as if looking at a dog and said, “Young Master Gao had better go home and explain this in detail to your father.”
Fu Jing stepped aside with Fu Sili as a crowd of guards surged from behind.
Gao Yi wondered where the wind was coming from, and upon closer look, realized they were guards from the Duke Cao’s mansion. He stood up and cursed Fu Jing. “Damn you! You are the only one who knows how to tattle, are you not!” He then quickly found a window and jumped out.
Fu Sili saw that this annoying person had finally left and let out a sudden laugh. He nudged Fu Jing. “Is he that afraid of his father?”
Fu Jing did not speak. He took Fu Sili’s wrist with his cold hand, giving him a start, and pulled him toward the exit.
“Keep your mouth shut next time. Scram.”
This abrupt voice carried a measured gentleness, but the content genuinely stunned Fu Sili. He looked at Fu Jing subconsciously, only to see two other men standing nearby with awkward and somewhat familiar expressions.
Oh, goodness. Fu Jing actually knows how to say “scram”?
Fu Sili widened his eyes slightly and saw the two men nodding and bowing before turning and running away.
Fu Sili leaned in to look. “Who are those two? Did they offend you?”
Fu Jing looked down, his glaze-colored eyes locking onto him. “What happened today?”
Fu Sili: “No.”
The carriage was parked by the road, and the two sat inside together.
Fu Sili lifted the curtain to see the direction the carriage was heading, realized they were returning to the mansion, and lowered the curtain. “Do not listen to Gao Yi’s nonsense. He just likes to take advantage of people with his words.”
Fu Jing said, “I have said before that gambling is prohibited. Breaking that rule means lashes and kneeling in the ancestral hall.”
Fu Sili pressed his arms against his knees and leaned in to look at him. The man’s expression was indifferent, his lips tightly pressed together, as if only at this moment could he reveal all his sharpness.
He was angry.
For no reason, a feeling of happiness bubbled up in Fu Sili’s heart. He grabbed Fu Jing’s sleeve and tugged it gently, grinning. “Good brother, spare me this once.”
Fu Jing’s gaze flickered. “Good brother?”
Fu Sili nodded repeatedly. “Yes?”
Why did his face look even worse?
Fu Jing stared at him for a long time. The young man tilted his head slightly, gazing at him with an innocent look. His drooping peach-blossom eyes revealed a deceptive, crafty innocence.
Fu Jing removed Fu Sili’s hand inch by inch. “Begging for mercy from me is useless. You might as well go find your other good sisters, good brothers, good younger brothers, or good younger sisters.”
Fu Sili: “I do not understand.”
Fu Jing paused, realizing he had spoken out of turn, and closed his eyes to rest in his seat.
Fu Sili thought for a long time. “My mother only gave birth to me. Where would I get so many brothers and sisters?”
He tugged at Fu Jing. Fu Jing pulled his sleeve back and covered himself with it, frowning. “I do not know either.”
If you do not know, why are you so full of spite? Fu Sili thought. He propped himself up on the cushion and leaned forward to look at Fu Jing. “Since that is the case, you do not like being called brother. Then what should I call you?”
“Fu Jing? Fu Mingzhang?” Fu Sili’s eyes rolled. “Brother Fu? Brother Mingzhang?”
He watched the eyelashes of the man with closed eyes tremble. The laughter was already at his throat when the carriage suddenly accelerated and then stopped abruptly.
Fu Sili was not sitting steadily and flew forward, landing on Fu Jing’s lap. He knocked his nose hard and his face contorted in pain.
The driver apologized. “A child just ran across the road.”
Fu Jing signaled for the driver to continue. He looked down at the person lying on his lap holding his nose. Fu Sili looked up awkwardly, but the man had no intention of helping him up.
Fu Jing said, “Are you not getting up?”
Fu Sili immediately stood up, retreated to his own seat, and lifted the curtain to let in some air.
He was unwilling to give up, yet unconvinced. He glanced at the closing eyes of Fu Jing and sighed softly.
“Are you really going to punish me?”