Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 10 Bureau
Liu Daogui was stunned. Isn’t the Duke of Nanjun the youngest son of Huan Wen, Huan Xuan?

How did he get to Jingkou?

However, his father Huan Wen also loved this art and lost all his property. The creditors came to his door and he finally asked for help from Yuan Dan, a master of Chupu, to settle the old accounts.

Xie An, the Grand Tutor, once lingered in gambling dens and lost all his money, including his ox cart, and had to walk back to Wuyi Lane.

Wen Qiao, the Duke of Shi'an, often played Chupu with merchants from Yangzhou and Huaizhong. Once, he lost badly and was unable to withdraw. So he shouted to his friend Yu Liang from the boat, "Can you redeem me?"

Yu Liang immediately sent the ransom, and Wen Qiao was able to escape. The four words "Can you redeem me" then became an allusion.

Seeing how close he was to Liu Jingxuan, Liu Daogui guessed most of what was going on.

After Xie Xuan left, Liu Laozhi was suppressed and the Northern Army was neglected. Huan Xuan specially rushed to Jingkou and became so close to Liu Jingxuan, of course it was not for Chu Pu.

When Huan Wen was in power, he used all means to seize the military power of the Northern Palace from Xi Yin.

The Northern Army’s base was in Jingkou.

As Huan Wen's favorite son, Huan Xuan would certainly not miss such a good opportunity. To win over Liu Jingxuan was to win over Liu Laozhi, and also to win over the Northern Palace Army.

Even the Tianshi Dao was infiltrating Jingkou, not to mention the Huan family.

At that time, Huan Wen took the position of governor of Xu and Yan provinces, annexed the Northern Palace Army, and supervised the garrison in Jingkou, where he also cultivated some power.

As he was thinking, his eyes met Huan Xuan's, and he immediately attracted his attention. "Who are you?"

Liu Jingxuan said: "Ji Nu's brother, Liu Daogui, is also my cousin."

Liu Huaisu should have greeted him before, and since they were all from the Liu family, they would meet each other every day.

However, Liu Jingxuan publicly recognized Liu Daogui as his cousin, giving him a lot of face. Although Liu Laozhi was suppressed by the court, everyone knew that as long as the Northern Palace Army was there, Liu Laozhi's position would be unbreakable.

Liu Laozhi's power came from the support of the generals in Jingkou, and he had the support of hundreds of people.

Therefore, although the imperial court suppressed him, it did not dare to offend him too harshly and still retained the title of Wugang County Baron. Otherwise, with Liu Laozhi's reputation and strength, he could become the next Su Jun with a single move.

"Greetings, Duke of Nanjun!" Liu Daogui bowed.

"There is no Duke of Nanjun here, only Huan Lingbao." Huan Xuan smiled, his face was piled with fat, his eyes narrowed into a line, and his eyes were shining.

"Greetings, Duke Huan." Liu Daogui did not dare to be arrogant. Just because Liu Jingxuan could call him Lingbao, it did not mean that others could do so.

Huan Xuan smiled and nodded, concentrating on Chupu.

Liu Yu's luck seemed to have returned, and he no longer made any good throws. He was even stepped on and lost three arrows.

"Pheasant, pheasant, white, white, white, noble!" A thin man on the opposite side shouted, took twelve steps in a row, and happened to step on Liu Yu's horse again, retreating to the starting point and losing five more arrows.

"Damn it, what bad luck!" Liu Yu's expression remained unchanged.

Liu Daogui glanced at the table. Of his six horses, only three were left. One horse was stuck in a pit and couldn't get out. The remaining two horses were blocked from the front and back.

"Ji Nu, your luck is not good today. Why don't you follow me to the second floor to play pot-to-pot," Liu Jingxuan advised.

"Now that we're on the scale, we can't give up halfway."

As soon as the words came out, another horse was stepped on by the next player.

Liu Daogui glanced at a few people and suddenly felt something was wrong. It seemed that several people were targeting him intentionally or unintentionally.

In the previous round, that person could have taken his second horse, moved forward five steps, and stepped on another person, but he chose to take his fourth horse and step on Liu Yu's third horse...

The hostility is too obvious.

Not only Liu Daogui felt it, but Liu Jingxuan also felt it. He frowned and kept looking at those people.

Liu Yu is now deeply involved in this matter. If he withdraws now, it would be tantamount to surrendering. Not only will he lose face, but he will also have to pay three more arrows.

This is definitely not the style of a gambler, nor is it Liu Yu's character.

On the scale, the fighting became more intense.

The other party no longer concealed their true intentions, and the four of them joined forces to surround Liu Yu.

Liu Jingxuan was very considerate and rushed over to try to break the siege, while Huan Xuan's six horses followed behind and watched the situation.

The other players, having already seen that this was an unusual game, immediately conceded and paid three arrows.

The more difficult the situation, the higher Liu Yu's fighting spirit became. He threw a Jue Cai, took three steps forward, and just stepped on an opponent's horse, forcing it to retreat to the starting point.

But soon, four or five horses surrounded them.

He pushed Liu Jingxuan's two horses back.

The other party's purpose became increasingly clear, and they were determined to deal with Liu Yu.

At this moment, Huan Xuan threw out the black calf pheasant. Although it was a mixed color, it could move six steps. If the fourth horse was moved, it would just step on the opponent's horse.

Liu Daogui breathed a sigh of relief. With Liu Jingxuan and Huan Xuan, the situation could be greatly eased.

Liu Yu would not be forced to fight alone.

This move was quite crucial. Huan Xuan's attack not only disrupted the opponent's formation, but also supported Liu Yu from behind.

However, Huan Xuan did not ride the fourth horse, but the sixth horse at the back, choosing to follow behind and wait and see what would happen...

The four people opposite looked at each other, their faces full of surprise.

Liu Daogui glanced at Huan Xuan. He still had a smile on his face, but his eyes were narrowed into a line, as if he was harmless and would not offend anyone.

But then he thought again, Huan Xuan was trying to win over Liu Jingxuan, not his two brothers. The other party was just being polite and did not really think highly of him.

Chupu is like a battlefield. There is only one chance, and if you miss it, there is no way to turn the tide.

The three opponents stepped on the horses of Liu Yu and Liu Jingxuan in succession, and killed two of their own men, and their defeat was inevitable.

"Oh my, I lost again." Liu Yu only had one arrow left. If he had just admitted defeat, he would not have lost so much.

Liu Jingxuan took out five arrows and threw them over, "This round is mine."

"If you lose, you lose. How can it be yours?" Liu Yu was clear about right and wrong and returned the five arrows.

"This game is not over yet, it's too early to tell who will win or lose." Huan Xuan laughed conceitedly, and threw the dice lightly with his chubby white hand, just in time to throw out a black calf.

"Lou!"

Everyone cheered.

Huan Xuan's morale was greatly boosted, and he no longer hid his edge. He fought against three people alone, becoming more and more courageous as the battle went on, and he was able to break out of the encirclement.

However, Liu Daogui also noticed that the three people opposite him had no hostility towards him. They did not kill him as they had just done. They were even deliberately tolerant. They must have known his identity and did not want to be his enemy.

A lean camel is bigger than a horse. Even if the Huan family loses power, they are still no match for the Diao family.

The Huan family has been operating in Jingzhou for decades and has a deep foundation. They also have many students and former officials in the court.

At the end of the game, Huan Xuan won twenty-one arrows. He picked them all up with his fingertips and gave them to Liu Yu, looking at Liu Yu with a smile.

But the arrogance that he inadvertently exudes makes people feel a little uncomfortable, as if declaring that this is not a gift, but alms.

Although the Liu family was a little poor, they had not lost their backbone under the management of their mother Xiao Wenshou.

If you eat the food given to you out of pity by others, you will be controlled by others.

"I appreciate your kindness, but I still have an arrow in my hand, so there's no need for that." Liu Yu pushed the thin arrow in front of him back without being humble or arrogant.

Huan Xuan's smile froze on his face.

Liu Jingxuan noticed that the atmosphere was not right and complained, "Ji Nu, Ling Bao is so kind, why refuse?"

It seemed that he was speaking for Huan Xuan, but in fact he was still on Liu Yu's side.

"No reward without merit. If you gamble, you must admit defeat. What's the big deal about taking other people's things?" Liu Yu smiled and bowed to Huan Xuan.

"What a hero." Huan Xuan originally came to win over Liu Laozhi and his son, so he naturally would not offend Liu Jingxuan and make things too awkward.

However, the look in his eyes when he looked at Liu Yu had changed a little, more curiosity than anger.

(End of this chapter)