A pure heart in a jade pot

Chapter 161

"A bet?" Ning Jin asked curiously, "What kind of bet?"

“We’ll bet whatever we have.” Mo Yan seemed to perk up a bit and sat up straighter. “We’ll usually bet on dice, or if we don’t have dice, we’ll bet on something else. We can bet on anything, it’s a lot of fun.” This was something she and the other constables used to pass the time when they were bored while investigating cases in Kaifeng Prefecture.

Upon hearing this, Ning Jin began rummaging through the lacquer box beside him, seemingly looking for something.

What are you looking for?

“…Found it.” He took out a few dice from the lacquer box and said happily, “I remembered that it was placed next to the chessboard, and I was right.”

"You want to bet with me?" Mo Yan rubbed her hands together, a mischievous grin on her face.

"Anyway, I have nothing to do, so I might as well just sit around doing nothing."

...

Fearing that Ning Jin might give instructions that he might not hear, Wu Zichu rode his horse close to the carriage. He could hear the commotion inside the carriage clearly, which made him feel extremely uncomfortable. He kept looking around furtively, afraid that the other Liao people nearby would hear him.

"Leopard! Leopard! Leopard!"

"Yao, yao, yao!"

"Leopard! Leopard!"

"Yao! Yao!"

"...You drink it!"

"What do you mean 'me'? It should be 'you'!"

It sounded like there were two gambling addicts sitting inside the carriage. Wu Zichu sighed inwardly. Although he knew that His Highness would lose his composure when he was around that girl, he still had to consider the dignity of the Song Dynasty royal family. What kind of behavior was this, shouting and yelling like that?

He endured the noise for another half day, but it only grew louder. Finally, he could no longer bear it and waved for the carriage to stop. He reined in his horse, lifted the curtain, and bowed respectfully to Ning Jin, saying, "Your Highness..."

Ning Jin interrupted him with a decisive gesture, quickly turning his face away to look for the water clock: "Wait a minute, let me see what time it is now."

“Just past Shenshi (3-5 PM).” Mo Yan said almost triumphantly, “I won! I knew Lord Wu would be able to make it past Shenshi.”

Ning Jin glared at Wu Zichu, then angrily downed the full cup of tea in one gulp. The latter was stunned for a long time before realizing that the two people in front of him were not only gambling on dice, but also on when he would finally give in and offer his opinion.

His face darkened, and he said with slight annoyance, "This concerns the dignity of the nation, so I urge Your Highness to act with caution."

"I know, I know, I know." Ning Jin chuckled.

Someone approached from behind the carriage. Before the person even appeared in front of the carriage, a voice came: "Lord Wu, what's wrong? Why did you stop?"

It was the voice of Yelü Pusa Nu.

Mo Yan had a sudden inspiration. Taking advantage of the gap in Wu Zichu's conversation with Yelü Pusa Nu, she whispered to Ning Jin, "Let's bet on which foot Lord Yelü will step out first when he leaves. I bet on his right foot."

“Then I’ll bet on my left foot,” Ning Jin said in a low voice as well.

Mo Yan nodded, concealing the smile on her lips. She had observed Yelü Pusa Nu's walking posture before and remembered that he was used to stepping with his right foot first, so he was bound to win.

After saying that, the two of them simultaneously poked their heads out.

Zhan Zhao, who was talking to Wu Zichu, suddenly saw two heads sticking out of the carriage at the same time. Although he remained calm on the surface, he was actually both amused and exasperated. Looking at Mo Yan, whose lips were curved in a smile and whose eyes were bright and lively, she looked exactly like she used to be, and a sense of warmth rose in his heart.

"Does Your Highness have any further instructions?"

Seeing Ning Jin staring furtively at his legs, Zhan Zhao asked in a deep voice.

"It's nothing, it's just... this... your boots are tiger skin, right? They're really nice." Ning Jin made up a story casually.

Zhan Zhao corrected him: "It's deerskin."

“Deer hide is also good; it’s a good thing,” Ning Jin affirmed.

"If there is nothing else, Your Highness, please continue on your way."

Although he tried his best to restrain himself, Zhan Zhao couldn't help but take another deep look at Mo Yan before turning back. He hadn't taken two steps when he heard a cheer behind him; it was the voice of Prince Ning.

"Left foot, it's the left foot! I won!"

He turned around curiously, only to be met with Wu Zichu's embarrassed and helpless smile. Not knowing what was going on, and not wanting to pry, he could only turn and leave.

Inside the carriage, Mo Yan looked suspicious, scratching her ear as she pondered something.

Ning Jin waved his hand in front of her, saying, "Girl, if you lose, you have to accept it. Don't think you can get away with it by pretending to be thinking about something." He had lost more than he had won today, so winning once was not easy, and he was naturally a little excited.

Mo Yan resignedly accepted the teacup that had been filled, but still asked in confusion, "I clearly remember that he always stepped with his right foot first, so why did he step with his left foot?"

Ning Jin then realized that she had observed Yelü Pusa Nu before: "So you knew all along that he was used to stepping with his right foot, and you even made a bet with me. Luckily, heaven had eyes and didn't let you win."

"What do you mean by 'heaven has eyes'?" Mo Yan rolled her eyes at him, still frowning, and said, "There's no reason for me to lose."

"Can't he just change his habits?" Ning Jin said nonchalantly. "After all, you haven't seen him for more than three years. Maybe he's already changed."

Mo Yan shook her head, expressing her confusion: "This habit is something that few people usually care about, and even fewer people would specifically try to change it."

"I say, you've really made a habit of being a constable, even taking half a day to think about such a small matter."

"...You don't understand anything."

Mo Yan ignored him and slowly drank the tea she was being punished with, her brows furrowed.

Volume 3, Chapter 8

After four arduous days of travel through the snow, they finally arrived at Zhongjing at dusk.