Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Chapter 299 Gambling on Chess

Luo An's brows relaxed slightly, but he remained noncommittal.

Nianyao's thoughts returned to the war: "You are not suitable to negotiate with Prince An, but there is someone else who is very suitable."

Luo An said, "Xu Sheng. Xu Sheng went to Heaven and Earth to look for me yesterday afternoon."

Xu Sheng first went to her, but probably didn't achieve his goal, so he went to Heaven on Earth to find Luo An.

An Liangchen sent men to hunt down Xu Sheng, yet Xu Sheng was still able to come and go freely in Bianjing, which truly shows his skill.

Or was the wound Xu Sheng showed her fake? An Liangchen didn't send anyone to kill him, and he wasn't injured?

Seeing that Nianyao didn't speak, Luo An assumed that Nianyao was waiting for him to finish his story: "He asked me if I could rescue Qin Jiu."

Luo An had a fight with Nian Yao and was then invited back to the Heaven and Earth nightclub. He was so busy that he almost forgot about Qin Jiu. Qin Jiu had been playing chess with him for several years and hadn't done anything serious, so it was only right and proper for him to inquire about her.

Luo An first went to the prison to see Qin Jiu, but the jailer said that no one was allowed to visit without the Crown Prince's personal permission. Luo An naturally didn't bother arguing with the jailer and went directly to find An Liangchen.

An Liangchen was reviewing memorials in the imperial study when he heard the purpose of Qin Jiu's visit. He said, "Grandmother Liang is seriously ill. Qin Jiu and Liang Qingcheng have returned to their hometown in Shangyang to visit her. They have been married for so long, and it is not appropriate for the grandson-in-law to have never met his grandmother."

Luo An said, "But the jailer said that he only let me see Qin Jiu because you personally approved it."

An Liangchen said, "Qin Jiu was not interrogated. If I released him without permission, this matter would leak out. What would become of the Ministry of Justice and the laws of Dongyang? That's why I forbade anyone to visit him."

I told the Duke of Liang that after visiting my grandmother, they should detour to Yuzhou to apologize to Prefect Wang, and that would be the end of it.”

Seeing that An Liangchen was reasonable, Luo An impulsively said, "Your Highness, shall we make a deal?"

An Liangchen was surprised and asked with a smile what kind of deal it was.

Luo An realized his mistake as soon as he finished speaking, but there was no going back on his words.

An Liangchen threw the memorial in his hand onto the table, and the memorial flew off the table and hit Luo An.

Luo An kicked the memorial, sending it crashing onto the inkstone. Ink splattered onto An Liangchen's face, turning it even blacker than the ink. The two then began to argue.

Dexi paced anxiously outside the door, finally deciding to go and invite the Emperor. Before the Emperor arrived, Luo An stormed off in a huff.

Nianyao was still thinking about "Qin Jiu and Liang Qingcheng going back to their hometown in Shangyang to visit", but now that the Liang family has all left, it means there is no evidence to prove it?

If what An Liangchen said is true, it means that Xu Sheng has also been deceived by An Liangchen.

An Liangchen insisted on keeping Qin Jiu trapped, but Xu Sheng tried to find a way to rescue him. Could it be that Qin Jiu possessed something crucial to the grand scheme of things?

Seeing that Nianyao didn't respond, Luo An reminded her, "I'm done."

Nianyao frowned slightly: "Didn't you go to the prison to see Qin Jiu last time?"

Luo An shook his head: "No. Last time my uncle was in the palace, we drank and chatted together, and I forgot about it."

Nianyao sensed something was off: "Then how did you know I went to see An Jingchen?"

Luo An looked at her: "That's what my uncle said."

Nianyao was very surprised: "Uncle? How did he know?"

When the Dahe Gang disbanded, Qin Jiu didn't take any of their money; instead, he took out all his own and distributed it among himself. Back in Bianjing, he realized he couldn't go to his wife's family empty-handed, nor did he want to be too shabby and lose face, so he decided to gamble on chess to earn money to buy some gifts.

People often gamble on chess on the street corner, with stakes usually around two or three copper coins, just for fun and to pass the time.

Qin Jiu won the chess master position as soon as he arrived, earning a few dozen copper coins after one round of gambling. Qin Jiu was thinking that making money through chess was too slow and he should go to a casino when he saw An Qile.

Qin Jiu casually handed a handful of copper coins to a man watching the game, who then shouted, "Chess game! Chess game! A three-piece handicap bet of one hundred taels, or a thousand taels if you lose. It's a sure win... Your Highness, come on, let's make some money and go out for drinks..."

An Qile came over and saw Qin Jiu, and joked, "So you're my nephew-in-law. I've heard that you're quite good at chess, and today I'll finally get to see it for myself."

Qin Jiu stood up respectfully and said, "So it's my uncle."

Those who had benefited from Qin Jiu's favors kept speaking up for him: "So you're all family, that's fine. The Prince is the elder, he should give way to the junior."

To be on the safe side and to finish quickly, Qin Jiu went along with it: "That's true, Uncle, you're too kind."

An Qile said, "The student surpasses the teacher; we are old and cannot compare with the young. We still have to rely on our nephew-in-law to give way to the three sons."

Someone nearby chimed in, "No one should give way to the fairest outcome. Come on, hurry up!"

An Qile didn't know what to say, but Qin Jiu was delighted. When Qin Jiu won the game, everyone watching erupted in cheers.

Before the two of them could speak, the onlookers started chattering away:

"The prince has no money, he won't try to renege on his promise, will he?"

“It’s alright to cheat, my nephew-in-law, don’t take it so seriously.”

“Even close brothers keep clear accounts, let alone a nephew-in-law. The prince must give it to him.”

"If you're going to give it, you have to have the money. Everyone in Bianjing knows that the Princess Consort is the one in charge."

"That's right, that's right. I heard that the Prince of the County never carries more than one tael of silver in his pocket."

……

An Qile felt embarrassed by what he was being said and could only say that he hadn't brought any money with him when he went out, asking Qin Jiu to go home with him to get some. Qin Jiu didn't stand on ceremony and actually went.

Meng Dong was very enthusiastic towards Qin Jiu, repeatedly calling him her nephew-in-law. After An Qile finished explaining the whole story, he praised Qin Jiu for his handsome appearance and superb chess skills.

Qin Jiu then said he was just joking with An Qile and told Meng Dong not to take it seriously. He only had a few taels of silver on him and it was inconvenient to go to the Duke's mansion empty-handed, so he came to borrow one hundred taels of silver. He could write an IOU and repay it later.

Meng Dong was very generous. Not only did she give him one hundred taels of silver, but she also brought out a jewelry box and picked out a purple jade hairpin with gold inlay, saying it was suitable to give to the Duke of Liang. She also picked out a cloisonné enamel hairpin with gold inlay, saying it was suitable to give to the Princess. And she picked out a silver double-clasp bracelet with filigree, saying it was suitable to give to Liang Qingcheng.

As Meng Dong spoke, she wrapped the gift up and handed it to Qin Jiu: "Ajiu, trust my judgment. You can't go wrong with this gift. If I had such a good son-in-law who would give me such a suitable gift, I would be so happy I wouldn't be able to sleep."

My elder sister, the eldest princess, has a bit of a temper, but she's very considerate of the younger generation. If you're really worried, I'll go with you.

The way she called out "A-Jiu" was so affectionate that Qin Jiu's eyes welled up with tears: "Auntie, you're too kind. I'll accept the hundred taels of silver, and these things..."

Meng Dong's expression immediately changed: "You call me aunt, and you're still being polite with me. That's being too formal. How about this, if you really feel bad, play ten more games of chess with your uncle."

Your uncle always boasts about his chess skills; today we'll show him what it means to be a master, and what it means to be a formidable young talent. Steward Feng, bring the chess set.

Meng Dong was always irresistible, and the two of them hadn't finished their game of chess by dinner time. Qin Jiu naturally stayed at the Prince's residence for dinner, and after dinner, Meng Dong said she would accompany him to the Duke's residence.

An Qile advised, "Sister is overjoyed that such a good son-in-law as Ajiu has come to visit. You shouldn't cause any trouble."