The Liar's Dice by Jeannie Lin

Author:Jeannie Lin [Lin, Jeannie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jeannie Lin

I would never have found the place if Gao hadn’t directed me. There was no lantern, no signboard. Not even a sliver of light through a crack in the doorway. It was just a plain building in the middle of a street like any other.

Gao knocked four times and the door opened. Whoever was behind it took one look at Gao, then over his shoulder at me. I tried to look back at him as if I always went to secret doors in the middle of the night.

It must have worked or the man didn’t care. He stepped aside and I followed Gao through.

The interior was dimly lit. The hanging lanterns were of dull, serviceable paper and there were about five wooden tables arranged close together. Three at the back and two at the front. Around each table stood a cluster of patrons.

The first sound that came to me was the rattle of dice inside a porcelain bowl. Fascinating how such a sound could cut through the murmur of voices so effectively. Then again, the people didn’t come here to converse. At each table, all eyes watched the dice as if in worship.

A sinking feeling came to me. “When was the last time Huang came here?” I asked Gao.

“Not often lately. Months ago.”

But it had been often once. And the last time was after he’d already earned his imperial degree. Long after he’d promised that he was done with gambling.

“He’d risk everything,” I murmured sadly. “For this.”

“It’s not so bad as that.”

I regarded him sullenly.

“This is just a bit of entertainment. One of many. Wine, women.”

I flushed at his mention of women. Would it be any better if Huang preferred courtesans to gambling? “Gambling is against the code of law. It leads to the decay of society.”

Gao raised his eyebrows. “Is that something you read in some old book, young lord?”

I scowled at him. “Gambling almost ruined my brother and our family with it.”

Maybe it had led to Scholar Chen’s death.

“Let’s face this loathsome thing then.” Gao started toward one of the tables.

I hurried after him. “What are we going to do?”

“Ask about your brother, but you’ll need that money of yours to make it happen. The dice men are not keen to talk without it.”

Gao shouldered open a spot and deposited me at the edge of one table with him in beside me. My arm pressed tight against his. My pulse quickened as we were jostled even closer.

Before us, the dealer placed three ivory dice onto a plate before clapping the bowl over them.

“Place your bet, Bai.”

I stared down at the table. Some sort of intricate game board had been painted onto the surface, with characters detailing different bets. The table was so well-used that much of the board had rubbed away.

The gambler beside me gave an impatient snort. I sensed this was not the time to ask for an explanation of rules, but as I prepared to bet, there was another problem. Everyone was playing with copper zhu cash.

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