Li Jing continued,
"Who would have thought the murderer was the Prefect's subordinate? I heard that man was personally promoted by the Prefect. Alas... some people who rise from the lower rungs are truly dreadful, lacking gratitude—"
As she finished her last word, Li Jing drew out the sound, her gaze drifting towards Chen Liangyu.
Everyone present understood the implication.
Indeed, Chen Liangyu's expression soured, her eyes filling with anger.
However, before the person in question could react, her hanger-on spoke up first.
Li Xiqin stood, tilting her chin up as she addressed the group,
"Heh, so you think you're so great just because your family has a bit of money? What's there to brag about? We scholars, what truly matters is our knowledge. Can you get onto the top ranks in this examination? Liangyu will definitely be in the top three!"
Chen Liangyu did not verbally agree with Li Xiqin, but she privately concurred.
To claim she could make the top rank might be a bit of an overstatement, but she was confident in securing a spot within the top three.
Li Jing let out a cold laugh,
"Heh, such big talk. Do you dare to wager with me?"
Li Xiqin was not intimidated; she had absolute confidence in Chen Liangyu.
Thus, she nodded and said,
"Alright! What do you want to bet on?"
Li Jing was no fool. Despite her animosity towards Chen Liangyu, she was aware of the latter's capabilities.
If they were to bet on whether Chen Liangyu would make it into the top three, it would be a gamble with extremely low odds of winning, and she naturally would not win.
So, she proposed,
"Let's bet on who between our faction and your impoverished faction will secure more spots in the top three during this examination. You think we only have money? Dare you compare?"
Li Xiqin lowered her head in thought. Chen Liangyu was guaranteed one spot. As for the other students in the class, their performance was largely similar, relying on their actual performance in the examination hall and the luck of whether the questions fell within their revision scope.
Therefore, Li Xiqin gritted her teeth and said,
"Fine! I'll bet with you! But what's the stake?"
Li Jing curved her lips and replied,
"We are all fellow students, so I wouldn't say something as devoid of camaraderie as 'the loser drops out.' However... let's bet a thousand taels of silver."
"One, one thousand taels!"
Li Xiqin gasped in shock.
Her entire family's savings amounted to barely a hundred taels. Most of that had been spent on her by her family, who scrimped and saved. She simply could not produce such a sum.
At this moment, Li Xiqin, trapped by her own words, looked to Chen Liangyu for help.
Chen Liangyu's lips twitched imperceptibly.
She could afford a thousand taels, but it would cripple her financially.
After all, she currently possessed only eleven hundred taels. If a thousand taels were gambled away and lost, her subsequent lifestyle would be on par with Li Xiqin's.
Although her family was reasonably well-off, the money was not readily accessible. Especially since her mother had recently become infatuated with that cheap woman, her family's financial control had become even stricter.
Despite all this, Chen Liangyu could not refuse.
Li Xiqin was her "friend," and publicly, she was the one speaking up for her.
If she did not step forward, she feared she would lose her standing among the impoverished faction.
With this thought, Chen Liangyu could only step forward and declare,
"I will pay this thousand taels!"
As she said this, Chen Liangyu tried to console herself.
Her side had a higher chance of winning. If they did win, the money she bet would be her own earnings.
Li Jing let out a hearty laugh, clapping her hands and saying,
"Hahaha, good, good, good. It's settled then."
After speaking, she turned to Nian Jiaojiao and said,
"Jiaojiao, if we win this money, I'll take you to a different teahouse!"
Nian Jiaojiao: ...
Absolutely unnecessary (≖_≖)