"Yes, a bet... on the girl's life."
Ren Zhong Yu laughed loudly, "Oh? Then I bet that she will not make it. You saw what happened that night. Xia Hei is merciless. He will not give her the antidote. Zheng Qing Yao is compassionate, but he is not a fool. Not to mention, he understands that every action of his will affect his beloved sister."
Yin He shook his head and laughed, "That is what make it more intriguing, don't you think so?"
Ren Zhong clasped both of his hand excitedly and said, "Ha, don't cry when you lose! What will you use as a wage then?"
"What do you have in mind?" Yin He asked ambiguously.
Ren Zhong Yu thought to himself for a moment, and finally raised his hand up, pointing his finger toward Yin He's waist. Hanging by his belt was his favourite folding fan, Li Xu, named after the creator, himself. It was painted and crafted by the famous Scholar Li Xu, who had travelled around the world in his youth.
He was a man of wisdom who was widely acknowledged and was the inspiration for many young scholars worldwide. After the passing of Li Xu, the fan was later kept in the palace for many years as valuable antique. It was later bestowed to Yin He by the late Emperor when he received his first royal tittle as the Prince. The workmanship was intricate, but the meaning behind the fan was even greater. Indeed, it was a treasure among treasures, and Ren Zhong Yu knew exactly how precious it was to Yin He.
Yin He lazily lowered his gaze and look at the folding fan on his waist. His mouth curved into a deep smile, and his deep black eyes rippled gently. Ren Zhong Yu had an obsession towards valuable antiques and treasures, and it was no secret that he had always fancy the folding fan of his.
Ren Zhong Yu grinned sheepishly, as he asked without a shame, "So you still want to bet?"
Yin He lifted his gaze back to Ren Zhong Yu, and nodded nonchalantly. "Of course."
Ren Zhong Yu was ecstatic to hear his reply. Before Yin He could change his mind, he quickly added, "Gentleman do not go back on his word."
"Definitely." Yin He drawled, as he walked back to the table and took a seat. "But what do you have to offer me in return?"
Ren Zhong Yu snorted in disbelief. The Ren clan was filthy rich that their money could be spend lavishly for ten generations. They could even afford to buy a small kingdom. How could Yin He spoke as if he could not afford to wage something as valuable as his Li Xu fan? Feeling that his ego was bruised, Ren Zhong Yu growled in annoyance, "Stop spitting nonsense! Just say what you want."
Yin He lightly tapped his finger on the table, as he contemplated for a moment. There was a faint smile on his face as he spoke slowly, "Gold, land and jewelleries, the Ren clan has too much, and neither do I need them. I don't really think you have anything that worth as much as my Li Xu fan."
"You, you, you -"A vein popped out of his neck as Ren Zhong Yu stammered in anger. The other person tilted his head and smiled brightly as he watched Ren Zhong Yu choking in anger. Realizing that Yin He was provoking him on purpose, Ren Zhong Yu sucked a deep breath in to calm himself down. He lifted his finger to point at Yin He accusingly.
"You should stop fooling around! Do you think I cannot see through you?"
Yin He pursed his lips and lightly exclaimed, "Oh, really?"
"Just spit it out already! What do you want?" Ren Zhong Yu snapped in annoyance. Growing up together, he knew Yin He temperament very well. He realized Yin He was fishing something from him, and purposely used his fascination toward antiques to bait him.
Despite that, Ren Zhong Yu still walked into the trap, partly because he had grown curious of what Yin He was planning behind the scenes. Sometimes he could not help but let himself be drawn toward his old friend's complicated thinking and actions. If he was to describe Yin He, he would say that he was like an unsolved puzzle. A deeply intriguing puzzle that he was trying to solve since their first meeting many years ago but to no avail. Hence, Ren Zhong Yu would occasionally indulge himself with Yin He's little mind game.
"That day in the Red Lantern Manor, I noticed there were a lot of antiques from the Mo Imperial Palace. As far as I know, after the Emperor Mo Xing Hong Yu has fallen, everything from the palace should have been confiscated and placed under the care of Yin army. How did Xia Hei get his hand on all those things?"
Ren Zhong Yu's mouth twitched slightly. He always knew Yin He was a sly fox, but he did not realize he had been observing this during the auction.
"I know the army is not completely clean. I am simply curious, as to how much he took... and how much did you take from him?" Yin He continued in a business-like manner, completely opposite of his usual playful demeanour. He stared at Ren Zhong Yu calmly, his deep eyes inscrutable.
Ren Zhong Yu's eyes darted involuntarily from his gaze, as he turned to look out the window. Gulping, he scratched his head anxiously, and murmured, "What are you talking about..."
Ren Zhong Yu laughed nervously as the other party continued to look at him with a deadpan expression. The penetrating gaze made him extremely uncomfortable. He quickly took a silk handkerchief out to wipe the bead of sweats forming on his forehead. How did Yin He know about this? He was very discreet to the point that even Xia Hei had no inkling about this.
"You did casually bid on a few things that night, but you did not really have any interest on those things. In fact, you only paid attention to the painting. It was as though..." Yin He paused, before delivering the killing blow "It was as though you have already gone through the inventory yourself."
Ren Zhong Yu chewed on his lower lips and shifted uncomfortably in his seat again. Yin He did not seem to be paying much attention on the day of auction, yet the truth was that he did take note of the little details.
"Well... I just took a little..." He finally mustered the courage to admit. He knew Yin He had already investigated this matter carefully and was only looking for a right time to brought it up. There was no point in denying, so he might as well be honest about it.
"I did not want to offend Xia Hei. The broker came to me first, so I just bought some for my own private collection." Ren Zhong Yu explained guiltily.
"Sometimes I feel that businessmen like you are more cunning that the ministers in the court," Yin He lamented in amusement. Frowning, Ren Zhong Yu rebuked, "This is just business. Business. Don't put me together with those dirty ministers, alright?"
Yin He lightly hum in reply.
"Very well then. If I win the bet, you shall give me the name of the broker."
Ren Zhong Yu glowered at Yin He, feeling completely fooled as if he was forced to make an unfair deal with the devil himself. Yin He finally tilted his head and laughed heartily. He said slowly, "Why? Do you think my Li Xu fan does not worth that much as compared to a name?"
"Business is all about trust-"
"Should I report you then?" Ren Zhong Yu barely finished his sentence before Yin He cut him off coldly. He was not involved in any normal illegal trade, because the Mo Imperial treasures were under the custody of Yin Army, hence it rightfully belonged to the Yin Country. For him to partake in this trade was equivalent to stealing from the country treasury. The punishment will be death sentence on the whole Ren Clan.
Of course, it would not be easy to pin it down on him, because Ren Zhong Yu was not a fool to leave any evidence behind. Yin He was just giving him some pressure and putting him in a situation that he cannot back off. Even though Yin He will not mercilessly push him off the cliff, but he would still throw him to the wolf and let Ren Zhong Yu suffer some grievances as punishment. Ren Zhong Yu knew the wolf would be Xia Hei himself. A little tip to that man, and troubles would brew for him. The consequences would be even worse than him having a hand in helping the young lady to escape Red Lantern Manor that night. Ren Zhong Yu simmered in anger when he realized he was played by that despicable Yin He this round.
"Deal! I say deal! Are you happy now?"
Fuming, Ren Zhong Yu called out to the servants to bring him the best wines in the teahouse. Tea was not enough to wash away the grievances he was feeling right now. In his heart, he was cursing himself for letting Yin He fooled him. He always knew Yin He was a scheming master, yet he still let himself fall under his schemes again and again. Him, the leader of Ren clan, who made a name for himself for his brilliant decision making and sharp eyes in business. Tonight, he was determined to drown his sorrow with wines, woman, and songs.
Bai Qin walked in and saw Ren Zhong Yu looking extremely devastated. He grabbed the wine bottle and took a swig without his usual poise demeanour. She casted a glance at Yin He, who was wearing a wry smile on his face, and shook her head helplessly. Walking over to Yin He, she lowered her head and whispered something to him quietly. The gentle evening breeze blew in from the window, and his long lashes fluttered lightly as he listened to what Bai Qin had to report. Nodding his head in acknowledgement, he turned his attention back to Ren Zhong Yu.
"Looks like I cannot accompany you for some good drinking today." Yin He said to Ren Zhong Yu as he stood up. Flapping his sleeves, he left with Bai Qin without looking back.
"Looks like a storm is brewing in the capital," Ren Zhong Yu lamented from behind.
Yin He did not reply, nor did he stop walking. He just lifted his hand up and waved to the person behind him nonchalantly.