The fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival, is auspicious for travel and for making wealth.
Wang Qingyao had just changed into male attire when her maid, Yin Zhu, rushed in stumbling. Wang Qingyao, thinking she was trying to stop her from leaving, quickly dodged to the doorway.
Yin Zhu missed and burst into tears.
Wang Qingyao couldn't bear it and comforted her, "Yin Zhu, I'm going out to gamble, not to sell myself. When I win money, I'll buy you rouge and powder from Huaxiangrong!"
Seeing her mistress's carefree demeanor, Yin Zhu felt heartbroken.
"Miss, you're still thinking about gambling? Do you know that the palace is arranging a marriage for you with Prince Ding'an!"
Wang Qingyao was stunned. Who was she to be considered for a marriage arranged by the palace?
Although the Wang family of Duanjing was not unknown in the Great Sheng Dynasty, and her uncle, the eldest master of the Wang family, was a third-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue,
She, Wang Qingyao, the sole blood descendant of the second branch, with both parents deceased and nothing to her name, was an orphan.
Why would the palace arrange a marriage for her?
Was it because she was fated to be unlucky, bringing misfortune to her parents and destined for a solitary life?
Yin Zhu quickly provided the answer.
"...The Imperial Preceptor Feng Fu said that Miss is not fated for a solitary life, but rather possesses a noble destiny that ordinary people cannot bear. Prince Ding'an holds a high status, and the Xiao family is cursed. Marrying Miss might help resolve the curse."
"Curse?"
Yin Zhu suddenly remembered that after her mistress's accident, she had forgotten many things.
She hurriedly explained, "Since Prince Ding'an's great-grandfather, the men in the Xiao family have not lived past the age of twenty-five. Prince Ding'an is currently twenty. If Miss marries him, she will be a widow in less than five years!"
The Xiao family was one of the two non-royal noble families in the Great Sheng Dynasty, the other being the Feng family, the Prince Dingnan's household.
In the chaotic times of the past, when the late emperor raised his army, the Xiao and Feng families wholeheartedly supported him, one with financial resources and the other with military might. It was then that the late emperor seized the empire and founded the Great Sheng Dynasty.
Because of this meritorious service in aiding the emperor's rise, the late emperor enfeoffed the then head of the Xiao family as Prince Ding'an and the head of the Feng family as Prince Dingnan, with hereditary succession.
The Xiao family was as wealthy as the nation. It was said that the father of the first Prince Ding'an was a tomb robber who inadvertently offended the spirit of an ancient tomb, thus incurring the curse.
Whether it was true or not, ever since him, up to the father of the current Prince Ding'an, the men of the Xiao family had not lived past twenty-five.
Wang Qingyao's eyes gleamed. Marrying Prince Ding'an meant she would be Princess Consort. Wealth, power, and a dead husband – what a fortunate turn of events!
Yin Zhu: "..."
Why did she feel that her mistress was getting excited? She must be mistaken. Her mistress was filled with grief and anger.
"Yin Zhu," Wang Qingyao said, "I'm feeling a bit down right now. I need to go out and find some fun. None of you follow me!"
As she spoke, she nimbly hitched up her robe and strode out.
Yin Zhu looked at Zhi Zi, who was standing nearby and speaking little, "Did you hear laughter?"
Zhi Zi looked bewildered, "Ah?"
...
Wang Qingyao had transmigrated here half a month ago after dying of overwork.
The timing was excellent, New Year's Eve, crossing from the old year to the new.
The original owner was an unfortunate soul. Her birth mother died during childbirth, and her father, consumed by grief, drank heavily and drowned in a drunken fall when she was only three months old.
The eldest branch of the Wang family shunned her, and her grandmother disliked her. She was raised by her wet nurse.
Unfortunately, when she was fifteen, her wet nurse also died of illness.
Wang Qingyao transmigrated when the original owner was seventeen.
At the blossoming age of seventeen, she had hanged herself with a white silk ribbon, unable to bear the heartbreak of being jilted by her future husband.
Yin Zhu went to the eldest branch to seek out the eldest madam, but couldn't even get to see her.
The old woman guarding the gate said that if the second young lady was dead, she was dead. It was too inauspicious to have a death on such a joyous occasion, so she should report it after the first day of the New Year.
Was that something a human would say?
Later, Wang Qingyao learned that a significant reason for the original owner's broken engagement was that the eldest daughter of the eldest branch, Wang Qinglin, and her former fiancé, Tian Yu, had taken a liking to each other.
The Tian family privately broke off the engagement with her and replaced the intended bride with Wang Qinglin. When the wedding took place, they publicly claimed that Wang Qinglin had been the intended bride all along, and the other engagement was a misunderstanding.
Wonderful. Both the Wang and Tian families' reputations were preserved.
Just no one considered the original owner.
The original owner couldn't swallow this injustice and took her own life, which conveniently benefited her, who had died in a car accident.
And her transmigration was different from others; it came with a bonus—clairvoyant eyes.
She discovered this when she woke up. As long as she stared intently at a person or an object, she could see its inner parts.
For example, nakedness, the inside of a box, or the filling of a pastry. More impressively, she could even see people's internal organs.
However, the deeper she looked, the more effort it required.
Wang Qingyao quickly found a way to make a fortune using this special ability.
Gambling.
She didn't play complicated games, just guessing "big" or "small."
Her success rate was one hundred percent.
The casino she frequented the most was called Changle Fang, the largest high-end casino in Duanjing.
Unlike those smoky, mixed-bag gambling dens, Changle Fang had an elegant environment and complete facilities. Even the staff members were specially trained and of much higher caliber than elsewhere.
However, before she could even step through the doors of Changle Fang today, she was "invited" into Xinghua Tower by someone dressed in black.
"Young Master, the person has arrived."
The person addressed as Young Master turned from the window. He wore a moon-white brocade robe, had deep-set features, a prominent nose, and an air of cool nobility about him.
He was handsome.
Wang Qingyao's anger subsided by more than half. She had always been lenient towards good-looking people.
"Who might you be?" she asked with a smile, her gaze roaming over the handsome man from head to toe.
The clothes on the handsome man began to disappear one by one, revealing his muscular physique underneath.
She hadn't expected it. He looked slim in clothes, but had a well-built physique when undressed. His chest and abdomen were muscular, and his legs were long and strong...
The young man in white silently pulled his clothes tighter. He had a feeling of being completely exposed.
Suddenly, Wang Qingyao felt a warmth under her nose, and a stream of hot liquid flowed out...
She calmly took out a handkerchief and wiped it, explaining, "It's dry and hot, I'm a bit overheated."
The young man in white raised an eyebrow and ordered someone to bring a bowl of Seven Star Tea.
"My surname is Xiao, and I am from Changle Fang. Young Master Wang has won every bet at Changle Fang for the past ten-odd days, attracting a large following who bet on your games. Changle Fang has suffered considerable losses. Therefore, I wish to make a deal with Young Master Wang."
Wang Qingyao understood. This Young Master Xiao wanted to buy her off, so she would no longer frequent Changle Fang.
How much was he prepared to offer? One million? Five million?
No, this was ancient times. Ancient currency was different from modern currency. How much was one tael of silver equivalent to in modern times?
Wang Qingyao was silently calculating in her mind...
Then she heard Young Master Xiao continue, "I wish to invite Young Master Wang to join Changle Fang. Name your price for wages."
Wang Qingyao: "..."
The plot was not going as expected! This Young Master Xiao's thought process was unusual!