Chapter 133 Patting the shoulder as a good omen

All in one suit.

Refers to a winning hand consisting of cards all in one suit.

Consort Yu’s hand was indeed correct, all in one suit of circles.

However, counting the tile she’d drawn herself, she should have fourteen tiles, but she only had thirteen now.

That means she’s missing a tile.

"Another busted hand," Chen Mo said.

The congratulatory smile on Die’Er’s face came to an abrupt stop.

"Impossible."

Consort Yu gritted her teeth and counted again; indeed, only thirteen tiles.

Her teeth nearly bit through her thin lips, feeling quite unwilling, having painstakingly drawn an all-in-one suit herself, but ending up missing a tile.

The most frustrating part was she didn’t even know at which point she missed it.

A palace maid standing behind Consort Yu suddenly spoke up, "Madam, it seems you played a tile during one round but didn’t draw."

Hearing this, Consort Yu was furious, turned around, and glared at her, "Why didn’t you say that earlier?"

The maid trembled in fear and said, "Your servant just... just remembered, madam, please forgive me."

"Fool, slap yourself." Consort Yu’s temper was already bad, and with a good hand being played out like this, she was instantly filled with rage and needed to vent.

The palace maid behind her trembled and didn’t dare to protest, she could only comply.

Just as she was about to slap her own face.

Chen Mo spoke, "Consort Yu, we are in good spirits playing, don’t let the subordinates spoil the fun, let it go."

On hearing this, Consort Yu frowned and said, "You even want to interfere with how I discipline my subordinates?"

"Madam, that’s not what I mean..."

As he spoke, Chen Mo paused his speech for a moment, then faintly muttered, "Madam, you really should temper your temper, this was your own mistake."

"You..."

"Getting angry often can lead to premature aging," Chen Mo added.

Consort Yu: "..."

"You, leave my presence." Consort Yu suppressed the fury in her heart and motioned for the palace maid behind her to leave.

"Yes."

The palace maid knew this meant she wouldn’t have to slap herself, after giving Chen Mo a grateful glance, she bowed and retreated.

This scared Die’Er, who was standing nearby, quite a bit.

"Sister Yu, have a lychee to calm down." Ye Wanqiu offered a fruit platter to Consort Yu at the right moment.

Consort Yu picked one up and peeled it, eating it, then said after a moment, "Strange, why doesn’t this lychee taste like what I usually have?"

After speaking, she took another one, then said, "These lychees from Wanqiu younger sister are a bit sweeter."

Ye Wanqiu just smiled and said nothing.

"Madam, shall we continue?" Chen Mo didn’t expose anything, then immediately said.

"Let’s continue." After eating two lychees, Consort Yu stopped, glared at Chen Mo, and said, "This time we must add some stakes to the game."

"Madam, it’s just a game for fun, gambling isn’t good." Chen Mo smiled.

"Yes, yes." Ye Wanqiu also nodded.

"Could it be you’re afraid to play?" Consort Yu used a provoking tactic.

"How does Consort Yu want to play?"

Chen Mo’s lips slightly curled, thinking to himself, you all learned from me, am I afraid to play?

"Start with one tael as the base, then increase according to the level of the hand type, no upper limit." Consort Yu said grandly.

Although she wasn’t favored, she wasn’t short of silver taels.

Ye Wanqiu almost choked on the lychee in her mouth and said, "Sister Yu, do we have to play this big?"

Before entering the palace, Ye Wanqiu was acquainted with the outside world, and a single tael of silver could buy many things.

"Is one tael a lot?" Consort Yu, never handling accounts, wasn’t aware of the concept of a tael.

"Alright, one tael it is." Chen Mo agreed.

"Madam, your servant has no money." Die’Er said timidly with her head down.

"I’ll give it to you." Consort Yu said confidently, she just wanted to win against Chen Mo, eventually winning everything back, and get revenge.

"I... don’t have any either."

Ye Wanqiu was also out of money.

She had used some silver making a sachet for Chen Mo and buying spices previously.

Then she secretly purchased a piece of cloth, intending to make a robe for Chen Mo, which cost another sum.

Her monthly silver taels weren’t much.

Her father being an honest official, also couldn’t assist her much at home.

Adding up other expenses.

Thinking carefully, she really had no money left.

Seeing Ye Wanqiu’s slightly embarrassed look, Chen Mo couldn’t help but feel a bit pitiful and thought to himself, he’d have to support her with some silver.

Of course, doing so openly in front of Consort Yu now wouldn’t be appropriate for Chen Mo.

He simply remained silent.

Consort Yu furrowed her brows and said, "Then what do we do? Without any stakes, playing this has no fun at all."

"How about slapping the palm?"

Ye Wanqiu recalled the scene of being slapped on the palm with a ruler by the teacher during her studies.

"Childish." Consort Yu said.

Ye Wanqiu blushed and said no more.

Chen Mo had many ideas.

But they all involved disrespect, so he dared not voice them.

"How about drawing a turtle?" Die’Er suddenly suggested.

"Drawing a turtle?"

Consort Yu, Chen Mo, and Ye Wanqiu all were stunned.

"It’s about drawing a turtle on the loser’s face, the winner draws on the face of the loser." Die’Er said shyly, blushing.

"That’s an idea." Consort Yu’s eyes lit up.

But Chen Mo shook his head and said, "This won’t work. If there’s a self-drawn thirteen wonders, flipping dozens of times, I’d have to draw dozens of turtles on your faces. That would tire me out, and your faces couldn’t hold that many."

"Slapping palms is more reliable."

Having her suggestion rejected, Die’Er also fell silent.

But Consort Yu thought slapping palms was too bland, after thinking, Consort Yu said, "No slapping palms, slap faces."

"..."

"Consort Yu, are you serious?" Chen Mo felt one slap might knock Consort Yu out cold.

"Madam, your servant doesn’t dare."

Die’Er was a bit too scared to play after hearing this.

If Consort Yu were good-tempered and easy to get along with.

Die’Er might dare.

But with Consort Yu’s current temperament.

If Die’Er won and dared to slap Consort Yu, her ashes would be scattered.

"Sister Yu, I also think it’s inappropriate." Ye Wanqiu was a bit afraid as well.

"If this doesn’t work and that doesn’t work, how do we play? You tell me?"

Consort Yu glared at Chen Mo.

Chen Mo thought for a moment, then said, "Shoulder massage."

"Shoulder massage?" Consort Yu was taken aback.

"For example, one minute as the base, if I self-draw, you all have to massage my shoulders for a minute. For all-in-one suit, fishing the moon from the sea, etc., calculate the time based on the hand type."

Chen Mo said.

However many times it flips, that corresponds to how long the other players massage shoulders.

Hearing this, Consort Yu’s eyes lit up and she said, "This is feasible. But with this, we can’t settle each round, it’s too troublesome."

"Then unify and settle after playing." Chen Mo said.

"I’ll have Qing Shuang do the calculations." Ye Wanqiu quietly interjected.

"That works."

"..."

Finally, they settled on massages as the stake.

"This time I’m definitely going to win big." Consort Yu looked at Chen Mo, raising her eyebrow.