At the beginning of the Tang dynasty, gambling was strictly prohibited, explicitly codified in the Tang Code’s “Miscellaneous Laws”: “Anyone who gambles for property shall each be caned one hundred times (taking gambling as an example, all other games are the same). If the amount is large, each person’s share shall be judged according to theft (the loser is also punished according to their share). The host who allows it, as well as those who act as intermediaries or facilitators, shall be punished likewise.”

However, in later periods, this law gradually became a mere formality. By the late Tang, during Emperor Xizong’s reign, when three military governor posts were vacant and there were four candidates, Emperor Xizong had the four of them bet on a polo match—the winner would go to the wealthiest military district, and the last place would be eliminated...

Moreover, exiled officials and poets mostly believed that gambling only flourished in times of peace and prosperity, so they often romanticized the pleasures of gambling in their poetry.

In this dynasty, it was even more so. The south was prosperous, and cities like Jinling and Yangzhou were the most bustling in the land. The trend of young nobles betting on cockfights and cricket fights grew ever more intense, spreading to the common folk and becoming popular in every street and alley.

The current dynasty’s law code, “Shengyuan Regulations,” did not include any articles prohibiting gambling.

But this time, the Duke of Donghai seemed to be playing for very high stakes.

Mr. Bennett and David Johnson were both lost in their own thoughts.

“Captain King, if you don’t dare to bet, then forget it!” Over there, Nathaniel Brooks shook his head and turned to Henry Clark, saying, “Looks like it’s not that Donghai lacks people, but that some people lack courage!”

All the Donghai clerks burst out laughing, some even laughing loudly.

The ruler’s words were crude enough, and insulting enough.

But they suited the tastes of some of the minor officials.

Peter King’s face flushed red. He gritted his teeth and said, “Fine, I’ll bet with you! But if I win, I’ll only take three hundred thousand strings of cash from you!” To take ten years’ worth of tax revenue from the Duke of Donghai—he didn’t have the guts for that.

Nathaniel Brooks laughed and said, “Good, it’s settled then! Mr. Bennett and Mr. Johnson will be the witnesses!” He stood up tall and walked toward the open space in the center.

“Sword, sword!” Henry Clark hurriedly shouted, his heart pounding with excitement. He had seen with his own eyes how formidable his master was—beating Peter King a hundred times over would be child’s play!

He had played a part in stirring up this bet for three hundred thousand strings of cash. If his master was pleased, maybe he’d let bygones be bygones?

Several attendants rushed over, wanting to hand a long sword to Nathaniel Brooks.

But Nathaniel Brooks just smiled and waved his hand, saying, “Today, I’ll perform for you all—empty-handed against a live blade!”

Empty-handed against a live blade? Everyone understood what that meant, but they hadn’t expected that the young ruler would actually face Peter King barehanded?

Everyone was stunned.

Mr. Johnson and Mr. Bennett were also a bit bewildered. Mr. Bennett smiled wryly to himself—could it be that the young ruler’s fits were acting up again at such an inopportune moment?

Looking at his slight build, a gust of wind could blow him over—what was he thinking? Facing a swordsman with bare hands?

Peter King sneered. If you’re courting death, you can’t blame me.

Originally, with such a high-stakes bet, he was under a lot of psychological pressure—he even felt like his body was floating, as if it wasn’t his own.

But now he felt certain. He planned to stab Nathaniel Brooks’s arm with his sword, just enough to render him unable to resist.

After winning, he’d have Nathaniel Brooks allocate four or five thousand strings of tax revenue to him each year—it wouldn’t affect the expenses of the ducal office or Donghai County anyway. After all, those salt taxes never belonged to Donghai County in the first place, right?

This way, in less than ten years, the three hundred thousand strings would be paid off.

Thus, he wouldn’t attract too much outside criticism, and he’d still get a huge sum.

As for the little country bumpkin, his prestige would be ruined, and no one would cause trouble for Peter King over winning the tax revenue bet.

The more Peter King thought about it, the more excited he became. Three hundred thousand strings of cash! His annual salary was less than two hundred strings—if he relied on salary alone, he’d never earn that much in dozens of lifetimes. Was this little country bumpkin a godsend, a bringer of fortune? Was he the chosen one?

While Peter King was calculating, Nathaniel Brooks shrugged off his fox-fur coat, revealing his brocade robe. He stood up and walked unhurriedly to the center, beckoning to Peter King, “Come on.”

That brazen, infuriating look was pure mockery.

Peter King’s anger flared up. For a moment, he even wanted to stab this bastard to death—if he killed him in a gambling match, with someone backing him, the worst would be exile! Three years at most, so be it!

Gritting his teeth, Peter King’s eyes flashed with a fierce light. He brandished his long sword, and at once, cold light shot everywhere, like a ball of light, as he advanced on Nathaniel Brooks.

The barbarian woman innkeeper couldn’t help but cheer loudly. It was her first time seeing a Tang man’s sword dance, and it truly dazzled her.

She quickly came to her senses and covered her mouth—after all, this was the territory of the Duke Brooks, and her fate was entirely in his hands.

Then she saw Henry Clark glaring at her fiercely, and she broke out in a cold sweat.

Seeing Peter King’s swordplay, David Johnson’s eyes suddenly sharpened. This sword-dancing skill was useless on the battlefield, but in a duel, with one side unarmed, even a slight misstep could be fatal.

“Duke of Donghai, just admit defeat!” Mr. Bennett was startled and quickly called out to Nathaniel Brooks, afraid that the young ruler would get hurt and cause a huge mess. Since he was present, he’d be held responsible as well.