After having dinner in Yong'an Lane, Rong Tang stared at Su Huaijing with his eyes wide open, with the expectation in his eyes not concealed at all, which even surprised Mu Jingxu, and he signaled with his eyes that Su Huaijing should agree to him quickly.
Su Huaijing felt helpless.
As expected of Tangtang, not only did he coax himself into spoiling him, but even his brother, who had only known him for half a year, now spoiled him without caring about anything else.
He curled his lips and asked Ke Hongxue: "There is a new gambling house opened in the city. Are you interested in going there together, Master Ke?"
Ke Hongxue was thinking about finding a yard in Tang Jing's house as a residence for him and his senior to eat and stay overnight in the future. Hearing this, he paused, blinked, and looked at Su Huaijing inexplicably, but his attention was attracted by Rong Tang who suddenly glanced at him.
The third place winner was stunned for a moment, then he smiled and nodded: "I'm so lucky."
Yu Jingtanhualang was a well-known talented and romantic man, so it was only natural for him to go to the opening of the gambling house to show his support.
It was opened in the west of the city, facing the Jinfen River, and separated from Fengyue Tower by a few shops. When the carriage drove onto Shuiling Street, one could hear the hustle and bustle of the entire street and smell the prosperous atmosphere of the world from a distance.
The end of the year is approaching, which is both the busiest and the most idle time. All the rich young men have gone on vacation from school, and now it is a wonderful thing for them to go out in groups of three or four to tour the capital at night.
Rong Tang was a little excited.
In his three lifetimes combined, he had seldom been to a gambling house. Even if he had really gone there with Ke Hongxue, he would most likely have run into the plot, and in the end the focus would have shifted back to the male protagonist.
It was only at this moment that Rong Tang realized that he seemed to have never lived for himself in his previous two lives.
It is said that he is completing the mission to exchange for a body without disease that can be reborn, but in fact all the actions and stories revolve around Sheng Chengli. He is more like a tool, being used at will in the hands of others without caring about his emotions and perceptions.
Fortunately... he still has this last life.
At first, Rong Tang felt tired and didn't want to be a savior. He was also too lazy to care about Sheng Chengli anymore. The only person he couldn't let go of was Su Huaijing.
That was the existence that amazed him as soon as he appeared in the original text, and Rong Tang just wanted to help him. As for his own life and death, he didn't really care.
But along the way, Rong Tang began to avoid life and death. Instead, he wanted to live his life to the fullest, so that these three rebirths that he had picked up would be worthwhile.
He jumped off the carriage and rushed into the gambling house excitedly. Su Huaijing reached out his hand but failed to catch him for a moment and was slightly stunned.
He twisted his fingers, stared at Rong Tang's back, and shook his head helplessly.
Ke Hongxue hugged Mu Jingxu, worried that the cold winter night wind would hurt him. Su Huaijing looked back and followed Rong Tang's steps.
Most of the buildings on this street are three-story wooden buildings, but this gambling house is the only one with four floors and a roof that is higher than the others.
The name of the shop is Yu Zhong Qiu, and even the most common dice are made of jade; the thinner leaf cards, if you touch them lightly in your hand, you will find that they are almost all made of gold and silver beaten into thin sheets, and then polished bit by bit to become the little toys in the hands of gamblers.
Everywhere is filled with wealth, luxury and extravagance that cannot be found anywhere else.
The building was brightly lit, and if one looked at it leisurely, one could see the faces of the guests were filled with madness as if they were in high spirits.
Someone had gambled away all his belongings and his face was pale. He was holding his head and felt dazed. After a while, a servant in the alley came over, bent down, whispered a few words in his ear, and then led the man upstairs.
When he came down again, he became excited and happy again. He held a pile of chips and went back to the gambling table.
Rong Tang stood in the middle of the hall, looking a little dazed.
Su Huaijing followed him from behind, grabbed his wrist, and asked with a gentle smile: "What do you want to play, Tangtang?"
Rong Tang looked around and felt that something was wrong. He seemed to be thinking about something, then turned his head to look at Su Huaijing. He caught a glimpse of the smile on his face, and his expression suddenly became suspicious.
Su Huaijing asked: "What's wrong?"
Rong Tang was silent for a moment, then asked, "Did you own this gambling house?"
Su Huaijing was slightly surprised, his eyebrows slightly raised, and instead of answering, he asked: "Why do you feel this way?"
Rong Tang: “…”
OK, it's you.
He almost forgot that this gambling house, like the Shudao Pavilion that now specializes in hotpot, was something that had never happened in his previous two lives.
There will be changes of the butterfly effect in every life. Even if we travel through the torrent of time, there will still be subtle differences.
For example, people who were married in the first life became enemies in the second life; an old man who sold candied haws on the street corner in the previous life died riding a horse in a busy city, but in this life he enjoys his old age with his children and grandchildren.
Apart from the characters in the original plot who have predetermined fates and missions, it is normal for most ordinary people in this world to have their lives changed by a trivial decision.
Such a change would make Rong Tang feel that there was at least hope, and among the main characters, the most butterfly effects he had experienced were all brought about by Su Huaijing.
He never follows the plot line, but always achieves the ending prescribed by the original text in the end.
At first, Rong Tang felt that this was actually a manifestation of being framed by the plot. No matter what efforts and changes he made, he could never escape the predetermined fate given by the author.
But after carefully analyzing Su Huaijing's character motivations and behavioral logic, Rong Tang found that this was not the case.
All his actions are in his own interest.
It's not that the author has set the ending for him, but that the ending is the result that Su Huaijing himself needs to achieve, so no matter how many obstacles and hardships the author has set for him in the process, he can still reach his destination.
Rong Tang sometimes wondered whether it was the author who controlled the characters or the characters' will that influenced the author in the book "The Emperor's Journey".
If the logic chain of the novel is complete enough to give birth to a self-operating world, then the opposite is also true...
"What are you thinking about?" Su Huaijing interrupted his thoughts.
Rong Tang was stunned for a moment, then looked up and looked at him, and saw the worry on Su Huaijing's face.
Rong Tang asked in confusion: "What's wrong?"
Su Huaijing stared at him for a while and shook his head: "It's okay."
He didn't tell Rong Tang that during the few moments when he was lost in thought, a very unusual aura lingered around him.
Although they were in the most bustling gambling house in the world, Rong Tang seemed to be out of tune with it, and not a single bit of filth and bad luck could touch him.
The feeling of being detached from everything and unable to fit in with this world came over him again, and Su Huaijing couldn't help but panic.
He tightened his fingers and didn't tell Rong Tang what he was afraid of just now.
Ke Hongxue was puzzled: "What did you guess? You guessed something in the gambling house. Did the prince and the princess place a bet?"
Rong Tang was very excited before he came here, but once he got here, he was disturbed by all those troubled thoughts and he lost the desire to play.
Su Huaijing asked: "Do you want to go upstairs and take a look?"
Rong Tang hesitated for a few seconds and nodded.
Ke Hongxue was puzzled at first, but when the building gradually quieted down, he saw two burly men guarding the stairs on the fourth floor. However, when they saw Su Huaijing at first sight, they bowed their heads respectfully and made way for him. Then he finally realized what Rong Tang had said he guessed before.
He subconsciously turned his head and looked at Mu Jingxu, only to see a layer of surprise flash across the latter's face, which quickly disappeared, with some unresolvable worry lingering between his brows.
He was still worried about his younger brother. Ke Hongxue sighed silently in his heart and took a few steps towards him.
There are several rooms with excellent privacy on the fourth floor, and the abbot's room is at the other end.
Su Huaijing led them inside, where tea had already been brewed.
The position of the window was unusual. Rong Tang glanced into the distance inadvertently and his pupils shrank.
System reminder: [That is the imperial palace. ]
Across half of the capital city, he stood on the tallest building on Shuiling Street, looking through the window sill and seeing large areas of brilliant lights.
The magnificent palace is all within sight.
Not only Rong Tang, everyone present noticed this unusual thing. Ke Hongxue raised his eyebrows, while Mu Jingxu frowned in disapproval.
Ke Hongxue sat down with a smile, took the teacup handed to him by Su Huaijing, took a sip, and asked casually: "Who manages this gambling house?"
Su Huaijing: "The actress that Tangtang saved at the flower picking party, Su Lian'er."
Ke Hongxue was stunned. After thinking carefully for a while, he remembered that he was talking about the actor that Sheng Chengxing had found to embarrass Sheng Chengli.
He lowered his head and smiled: "So I'm at your house."
Rong Tang was no longer surprised. Saving Su Lian'er and letting her go to Yong'an Lane was a signal to Su Huaijing that he had made his own decision. So no matter where he used this chess piece later, Rong Tang would not be surprised.
Even just by listening to Su Huaijing's words, he guessed why those who lost the bet were brought upstairs and why there were so many small compartments on the fourth floor.
He picked up a cup of tea and stood at the window in a daze, his gaze moving from the distant palace to the nearby taverns and teahouses.
There was a constant flow of cars and horses on Shuling Street. It seemed that a heavy snow had fallen in the capital, and the road surface was covered with a layer of white.
Ke Hongxue asked: "Let me guess, it's a gambling house on the surface, but secretly it's an information collection site? I just don't know what Mr. Su has gained in these short three or two days?"
"There are many interesting things, Master Ke, do you want to know?" Su Huaijing asked.
Ke Hongxue: "I was born with a curious mind."
Su Huaijing curled his lips, and when he answered Ke Hongxue, he always kept a little of his eyes on Rong Tang. He said, "Bring the money to buy it."
Ke Hongxue was startled and opened her eyes in disbelief, but she heard Su Huaijing add calmly: "Or you can exchange it for information."
"… "
Tanhualang was speechless for a while, lowered his head and took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, then sincerely suggested: "You should come back to Jiangnan with me to do business."
Su Huaijing didn't comment. Mu Jingxu hadn't said a word since he entered the room, but now he asked, "Is there any danger?"
Su Huaijing chuckled and said, "Are you worried that a group of gamblers will endanger me? Brother, you underestimate me."
Mu Jingxu didn't say anything, but there was still some worry and disapproval in his expression. However, Su Huaijing and Ke Hongxue had surprisingly consistent opinions. After a brief silence, they started talking about the secrets in the capital.
Mu Jingxu listened quietly and Rong Tang watched from afar, neither of them intervened in their conversation.
It was not until snowflakes began to fall from the sky and the temperature dropped that Ke Hongxue stood up to say goodbye and take Mu Jingxu back to Yong'an Lane.
Before leaving, he asked Rong Tang if he wanted to come with him. Su Huaijing smiled and shook his head: "Tang Tang, come with me."
The door opened and closed, and the room became quiet.
Downstairs, various gambling games were in full swing. Upstairs, Rong Tang whispered, "You once told me that trying to figure out people's minds is the most dangerous thing to do."
Su Huaijing: "You can't get a tiger cub without entering the tiger's den."
So Rong Tang once again realized that this person actually had two sets of standards for himself and for others.
He looked at the continuous cities and palaces outside the window, and suddenly became curious and asked, "What does it feel like to look at it from here?"
There were footsteps behind him, and Su Huaijing came over, put his arms around Rong Tang's waist, put his chin on his shoulder, looked at him level, pointed at the light sources emanating from all directions in Yujing City, and finally pointed to the city that never sleeps in the north.
It stretches for hundreds of miles, shining brightly, yet is as silent as the abyss.
He asked: "Tangtang, guess what this capital city would become if a fire started there?"
"… "
With the imperial palace as its center, the entire Yujing City was trampled by iron hooves, and then there was endless war.
Rong Tang frowned and said to stop him: "That's not good."
Su Huaijing smiled and asked, "Why?"
Rong Tang: "I haven't had enough fun yet."
After a moment of silence, Su Huaijing leaned against Rong Tang's shoulder and laughed grimly: "I will listen to Tang Tang."
On the eve of the Chinese New Year, the capital was bustling with activity and lanterns floated on the Jinfen River again.
Su Huaijing knew that he was in a bad mood, so he chuckled and coaxed him, "Do you want to go see the lights?"
(End of this chapter)