"Cai, you won't renege on the debt, will you?"
Han Mo smiled, a very happy smile at that.
No wonder the saying goes, a horse can't get fat without night fodder, and a man can't get rich without windfalls. He had truly struck gold today.
"You, you..."
Cai Shu's face turned ashen. He had lost terribly tonight.
Although the promissory notes on the table, all added up, were around two hundred thousand strings of cash.
Combined with the money he had brought out himself tonight, all his money added up to less than three hundred thousand strings.
This was almost his entire net worth, including the rewards he had received from his parents and grandfather over the years, as well as the money he had acquired through unscrupulous means.
With one careless move, he was completely ruined.
"The money on this table, when added up, doesn't seem to be enough!"
Regardless, Han Mo was the one who had truly competed tonight.
He was naturally the most qualified to claim the bet first, so Zhong Yanchong directly led those students from the Imperial Academy to help Han Mo count the winnings.
With more people, work was easier. In a short while, all the money Cai Shu had brought was confiscated, and even his personal accessories were all counted by Zhong Yanchong and the others.
"Brother Han, according to the bet, there's still a deficit of twenty thousand strings!"
After counting, Zhong Yanchong said excitedly.
"It's just a mere twenty thousand strings, what's that worth? Does our Cai heir lack this much money? But brothers should settle their accounts clearly. Brother Cai, why don't you write an IOU first?"
As Han Mo spoke, he directly stepped forward, pulled Cai Shu up from the ground, and said with a sinister grin.
"I..."
"Cai, if you don't write an IOU, I will have a hard time explaining to the Grand Commandant!"
Just as Cai Shu was about to argue, the head steward of the Liang family also walked over.
At this moment, the words that had already reached his lips, he could only swallow them obediently. In Bianliang city, there was truly no one who dared to welsh on Liang Shicheng's debts.
Ordinary IOUs, just a few dozen words in total, took Cai Shu nearly fifteen minutes to write.
Liang Shicheng received the IOUs, and Han Mo also received one for twenty thousand strings.
Following that, the gamblers who had not received their money swarmed forward and surrounded Cai Shu.
The entire third floor of Fanlou completely turned into a marketplace. To protect Li Shishi's safety, her maids and nannies quickly escorted her back to the private room.
It had been a great victory tonight, and Han Mo was extremely excited.
After the excitement was over, those who lost money left dejectedly, while those who won money were still surrounding Cai Shu, unwilling to let him go.
As the biggest winner tonight, the manager of Fanlou immediately sent someone to arrange the largest private room for Han Mo and his companions.
"Thank you, senior brothers. If not for your strong support tonight, Han Mo would truly have been embarrassed."
Although the money these students had contributed together was only about three thousand strings.
However, Han Mo always believed in repaying kindness with kindness. If they hadn't helped him maintain his standing earlier, it was uncertain whether he would have won or lost tonight.
So, after cupping his fists to the surrounding students, Han Mo directly took out about fifteen thousand strings of cash from the promissory notes in his hand.
"Brother Han is too kind. Such trifles, what are they worth? It is Brother Han who has opened our eyes tonight. These two ci poems will surely spread throughout the land soon!"
As Zhong Yanchong spoke, he looked at Han Mo with envy.
Li Shishi played the zither personally, and Han Mo wrote lyrics on the spot, two of them at that. It was probably comparable to Su Dongpo in his time.
After some polite refusals, the students eventually accepted. With Zhong Yanchong helping to distribute the money, they were repaid five times the amount they had lent to Han Mo.
While they were excitedly dividing the money, Han Mo, led by a young maid, returned to Li Shishi's room.
"Student Han Mo thanks the young lady for her righteous assistance earlier."
"It's just a small matter of money, young master need not take it to heart!"
Li Shishi smiled, like a celestial being untouched by worldly affairs.
Looking at her smiling face, Han Mo's heart fluttered. She was truly a peerless beauty.
However, he quickly told himself in his heart that she was the Emperor's woman.
Lust was a double-edged sword!
Zhou Bangyan's fate was a cautionary tale!
"To the young lady, it is a small matter, but to Han Mo, it is a big matter. This is the money that was agreed upon beforehand. Please accept it, young lady!"
Han Mo coughed dryly and quickly placed Li Shishi's share, which he had calculated, on the table in front of him.
"Didn't I already say it? Such trifles, what are they worth? You can keep these things, young master!"
Li Shishi smiled but showed no intention of accepting.
Han Mo's heart skipped a beat. As expected of a courtesan queen.
If calculated, the money he had brought out was a full eighty-five thousand strings, yet Li Shishi refused it without even looking.
Could it be that this woman had taken a liking to him?
Although his face was indeed quite handsome, if they were to get involved like this, it seemed a bit too easy to win over a courtesan queen...
"No, no, no, this was agreed upon beforehand. Please, young lady, you must accept it!"
Han Mo coughed dryly and said again.
"I am confined in this cage, what use are these things to me? Besides, do I look like someone who lacks money, young master?"
Li Shishi's smile was somewhat bitter, and her expression immediately became much more somber.
But the more she acted like this, the more Han Mo's heart pounded.
This courtesan queen was not to be trifled with!
"Since the young lady says so, how about this? Han Mo is also planning to start some money-making ventures recently. Consider this money as your stake!"
Han Mo's words truly amused Li Shishi. Over the years, she had probably seen more men than she could count.
Those men were either deliberately pretending to be virtuous or acting debonair.
Even Emperor Zhao Ji, none of them were unmoved by her beauty. When they entered, each and every one of them tried their best to play the role of a noble gentleman who disdained wealth in front of her.
But someone like Han Mo, who had finally entered her boudoir and was still incessantly discussing money with her, was truly the first...