As Cai Shu was contemplating whether to add more money to Han Mo's bet himself, a man dressed as a steward, wearing a blue robe and cap, directly slapped a large invoice onto the table in front of Cai Shu.
"You, your master is..."
Cai Shu's mouth twitched. This was a hundred thousand strings of cash!
In Bianliang City, anyone who could produce a hundred thousand strings of cash at once was truly either extremely wealthy or of noble birth.
If Han Mo actually won, this sum alone would be enough to get him beaten to death.
"What, Young Master Ya, are you afraid to accept? When accepting a bet, do you have to investigate ancestry thoroughly?"
"That's right, I'll accept it!"
Since there were already so many problems, Cai Shu had already made up his mind. After snatching the invoice to verify it, he immediately signaled the accountant by his side to prepare the ticket.
"Young Master Ya, this is the head steward of the Liang Mansion!"
An accountant by his side quickly whispered to him.
"The Liang Mansion? Which Liang Mansion?"
Cai Shu was stunned for a moment. He really couldn't recall which Liang family had the ability to produce a hundred thousand strings of cash as a bet overnight.
"Which other Liang Mansion could it be? Of course, it's Grand Tutor Liang's family..."
"Grand Tutor Liang..."
Upon hearing these three words, Cai Shu felt a wave of dizziness.
Why would Liang Shicheng get involved in this? Shouldn't he be enjoying himself at home right now?
But he had already accepted the money, and it seemed too late to regret it now.
Looking at the steward's half-smile, he truly wished he could chop off his own hands.
At this moment, all his hope rested on Zhou Bangyan.
If this old fellow lost tonight, he would truly be beaten to death.
Although his Cai family was wealthy, a million strings of cash, while substantial, was not an insurmountable sum. However, if they had to pay a million strings of cash to Liang Shicheng, the imperial censors' memorials would likely pile up on the emperor's desk the very next morning.
It wasn't just Cai Shu who looked like he had eaten a fly; even Han Mo felt a sense of disgust. This Grand Tutor Liang truly had a knack for accumulating wealth.
He had just profited ten thousand strings of cash from Han Mo, and in such a short time, he had managed to earn it all back with ten thousand strings.
This Grand Tutor Liang was truly an interesting character.
Putting aside his detrimental influence on the nation, just his discernment and his ability to seize every opportunity made Han Mo somewhat admire him.
"Alright, that's all for today!"
After collecting the ten thousand strings of cash bet, all of Cai Shu's hopes were now pinned on Zhou Bangyan.
If Zhou Bangyan won, even if he lost a small amount of money tonight, it wouldn't be much.
Instead, he could severely shame Han Mo. But if Han Mo were to win, he would truly suffer a huge loss tonight.
He might be able to renege on other people's money, but anyone who dared to default on Liang Shicheng's money was truly courting death.
Not only did he not have the ability to do so, but even his grandfather Cai Jing wouldn't dare.
"Since you, sir, have issued a challenge tonight, why don't you set the terms? How shall we play tonight?"
Seeing the atmosphere within the entire Fan Lou reach its peak, Han Mo directly stepped forward, approached Zhou Bangyan, and cupped his hands in greeting.
"Young Official, your two consecutive masterpieces have spread throughout Bianliang City. If I were to set a theme, it might hinder your performance. How about this: tonight, we will each compose a new lyric, and let those present be the judges?"
After Zhou Bangyan finished speaking, he immediately drew a wave of boos from the audience. Wasn't this fellow clearly bullying someone?
This old fellow had boasted here last night that he would spar with Han Mo.
But when he himself issued the challenge, it was at noon today.
He clearly had more preparation time than the other person, a whole night plus half a day.
Furthermore, he wasn't even setting a theme now. Wasn't this old fellow clearly bullying someone?
"With such a great reputation, sir, you are nothing more than this! Setting no theme, are you going to bring out your old lyrics from years past?"
Before Han Mo could speak, Zhong Yan Chong and the others were already unhappy. These people had borrowed all their living expenses for the year from Han Mo. If Han Mo lost, their lives would be truly difficult this year.
Even though they were all children of high officials, their fathers and family businesses were not in Bianliang.
If they lost this money, they would probably all have to live on borrowed money.
Hearing Zhong Yan Chong's words, Zhou Bangyan's old face flushed. Doing so was indeed a bit unsportsmanlike.
"Alright, since that's the case, do you want to go first, or should I?"
However, to his surprise, Han Mo didn't object and readily agreed.
Han Mo had been worried that if this old fellow truly came up with a thematic composition tonight, he wouldn't know how to handle it.
Since it was an improvised performance, the matter became much simpler.
Although Zhou Bangyan was a famous lyricist of the delicate style, to be precise, while his works were indeed numerous and many were excellent, there wasn't a single truly enduring masterpiece.
Just any of the great masters whose names Han Mo remembered could easily defeat this fellow a hundred times over.
"Then let me offer a humble brick to attract jade!"
As Zhou Bangyan spoke, he confidently opened his folding fan and strode to the center of the stage.
His ostentatious demeanor almost made Han Mo burst out laughing.
"In that case, sir, please proceed!"
As Han Mo spoke, he took a step back, completely ceding the stage to Zhou Bangyan.
"Brother Han, that old fellow is clearly prepared. How could you agree to him?"
Taking this opportunity, Zhong Yan Chong sidled up to Han Mo and whispered.
"Don't worry, my brother. It's a small matter. Let him be smug for a while longer!"
Han Mo said with full confidence.
"Are you confident?"
Seeing Han Mo's confident demeanor, Zhong Yan Chong felt a bit relieved, but he still asked cautiously.
"Don't worry, just wait and count your money. However, you must keep a close eye tonight. If Cai Shu manages to escape, then we'll truly have lost all our capital!"
As Han Mo spoke, he glanced at Cai Shu.
Cai Shu was also glaring venomously at Han Mo. If Han Mo won tonight, he would probably never have a chance to recover in this lifetime.