Do you know: I, a commoner prime minister

Chapter 86 Appearance

"Playing it like this is no fun. How about adding some stakes?" Gu Tingye said casually.

After learning Sheng Changfeng's identity, he came up with a plan.

As long as you gamble with Sheng Changfeng and make him lose badly and get angry, it will naturally reach Sheng Hong's ears.

If the Sheng family goes to question the Yuan family, Yuan Wenchun will definitely reveal his identity.

"Okay, what kind of prize do you want to add?"

Sheng Changfeng agreed without hesitation. It's common to add a prize to pitch-pot; strictly speaking, it's not really gambling.

Gambling involves uncertainty. For pitch-pot to bet, the two players need to be of similar skill level. Otherwise, after playing one or two rounds, if they realize that their skill is inferior to the other's, they will not be able to continue.

Although Sheng Changfeng did not know Gu Tingye's identity, he was confident in his pitch-pot skills and did not think he would lose to his opponent.

Upon hearing this, Gu Tingye took a jade pendant from his waist.

"This jade pendant is carved from top-quality mutton-fat jade, worth several hundred taels. I'll use this jade pendant as the prize!"

Sheng Changfeng was startled by what he heard, and even the onlookers started talking about it.

"I wonder which family this young man belongs to, but he actually offered a piece of top-quality mutton fat jade."

"Judging from his clothes, he's no ordinary person. Could he be the eldest grandson of Prefect Xu?"

"Impossible! I've met Prefect Xu's eldest grandson, and the ages of the others don't match up either!"

Top-quality mutton fat jade is expensive and rare; many officials in Yangzhou might not even have it in their homes, let alone give it to a junior to wear.

Sheng Changfeng hesitated. Gu Tingye's ability to produce a jade pendant carved from top-quality mutton fat jade indicated that his identity was not simple.

Sheng Hong was the Vice Prefect of Yangzhou, and he wasn't particularly wary of Gu Tingye's identity.

However, the jade pendant was very valuable, and he was afraid that if he won it, he would be punished by Sheng Hong.

As for losing to Gu Tingye, that's even more impossible; since it's a prize, the value should be about the same.

Even if he could afford it, he couldn't just give it to Gu Tingye on purpose, could he?

"May I ask how this gentleman is addressed?" Sheng Changfeng asked.

"At home, I am Bai Ye, the second son in the family. You can call me Bai Erlang!" Gu Tingye said.

Actually, revealing his identity now would be a good option, but after careful consideration, he gave up the idea.

If his identity were common knowledge, the Bai family wouldn't dare to do anything.

The officials in Yangzhou might not necessarily favor him just because of his status.

"Bai Ye?"

Sheng Changfeng thought about it carefully and realized that there were no high-ranking officials with the surname Bai in Yangzhou or the surrounding area.

Since he's not an official, and Gu Tingye is being so generous, he's probably the son of some wealthy merchant.

So what does he have to be afraid of?

Thinking of this, Sheng Changfeng said, "I'll accept it, but the jade pendant I have is worth far less than yours. I'll have someone fetch two more!"

He was somewhat embarrassed at this point, as he needed three jade pendants to equal one of Gu Tingye's.

As for gambling with money, that's a very low-class thing to do.

"It's alright, we can take the first shot!" Gu Tingye said with a smile.

"Can!"

Sheng Changfeng immediately ordered his attendant to fetch the jade pendant, and then he and Gu Tingye began the game of pitch-pot.

At first, Sheng Changfeng had the upper hand and was ahead by a few points, but Gu Tingye kept up the pace.

There is no strict rule about the number of arrows used in pitch-pot, but the mainstream way to play nowadays is with eight arrows.

When it came to the fifth shot, Sheng Changfeng made a mistake. His arrow hit the mouth of the pot and bounced out, allowing Gu Tingye to overtake him!

Sheng Changfeng's expression immediately changed, but fortunately Gu Tingye was only two points ahead, which wasn't much.

Zhou An, standing in the crowd, shook his head slightly. From the moment the two started throwing arrows into the pot, Sheng Changfeng had been extremely serious, and because of his nervousness, he had missed several shots.

But Gu Tingye handled it with ease, clearly deliberately letting him win.

Gu Tingye, on the other hand, was shooting second, and with his ability, he could easily control the score.

Only by giving Sheng Changfeng hope will they continue to gamble with him.

As expected, Gu Tingye came out on top.

Those watching all expressed their regret, and Sheng Changfeng seemed somewhat dejected.

"Young master, the jade pendants have been retrieved!" The attendant presented the two jade pendants with both hands.

Sheng Changfeng snapped out of his daze, took the jade pendant, and then took off the one from his waist. His face was somewhat grim as he said, "A bet's a bet, here you go!"

Gu Tingye smiled and accepted the vote, saying, "You did a good job; I almost lost!"

"How about we play another round?"

Sheng Changfeng was unwilling to accept defeat. He only had three jade pendants in total. If Lin Xiaoniang found out, she would scold him to death.

He is now determined to win the jade pendant back.

"Forget it."

Gu Tingye hesitated for a moment and said, "It wouldn't be good if I won again."

"You won because of your skill!"

Sheng Changfeng said in a deep voice, "It's not that I can't accept defeat, it's just that I'm eager to have another match with you!"

"Then I'll use Young Master Sheng's three jade pendants as a prize. May I ask what Young Master Sheng will use as a prize?" Gu Tingye asked.

"I…"

Sheng Changfeng opened his mouth, but he didn't have anything valuable to offer.

Even if he were to gamble with silver, he wouldn't have that much.

Seeing his hesitation, Gu Tingye couldn't help but smile.

In Sheng Changfeng's eyes, that smile was both mockery and relief.

They mocked him for not having enough to offer, and were relieved that they didn't have to continue gambling.

In Sheng Changfeng's opinion, Gu Tingye was no better than him, and even worse.

If he hadn't made that mistake, he definitely wouldn't have lost, since connecting shots can add points.

If his arrow had landed, he would have scored at least several points higher than Gu Tingye's final score.

He naturally felt that Gu Tingye didn't want to continue gambling with him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sheng Changfeng saw the betrothal gifts displayed in the courtyard not far away, and in a moment of impulsiveness, he blurted out, "I'll offer you a betrothal goose!"

"Isn't this inappropriate?"

Gu Tingye frowned. He only wanted to make things bigger; he really didn't mean to ruin someone else's happy occasion.

If the betrothal goose is won away on the day of the engagement, not only will the Sheng family become a laughing stock, but the Yuan family will also lose all face.

"What's wrong with it?"

Sheng Changfeng regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth, but since he had already said them, he might as well go all out.

"Those are betrothal gifts from the Yuan family; you can't make that decision!"

"The betrothal gifts are for my sister, why can't I make the decision?"

Sheng Changfeng sneered, "You wouldn't not..."

"That's enough!"

Zhou An stepped forward and coldly retorted, "Playing pitch-pot is just a game for fun; how can it be used for gambling and ruin the harmony?"

Sheng Changfeng naturally recognized Zhou An. Although he looked down on Zhou An, he didn't dare to contradict him since everyone around was an outsider.

"Hey bro!"

Zhou An smiled and cupped his hands in greeting to Gu Tingye, saying, "My brother-in-law is quite mischievous; please excuse his unruly behavior!"

"I brought this up myself, and I was also at fault. I'll return the jade pendant to Young Master Sheng as an apology!" Gu Tingye said.

"No need, it's just a few jade pendants. It's enough to entertain all the guests!" Zhou An smiled and shook his head.

"My nephew-in-law is right!"

At this moment, Sheng Hong pushed through the crowd and walked in. He first gave Sheng Changfeng a subtle glare, then cupped his hands and smiled at the onlookers, saying, "The banquet is about to begin, everyone can disperse now."