The alcohol had dulled Jiang Zhan’s senses and slowed his reactions. For a moment, he was completely unaware of what had just happened.
Once he realized it, his body reacted before his mind could process it. He threw a punch straight into Yang Shengcai’s face.
Jiang Zhan, intoxicated, had completely forgotten the other’s status. This punch held nothing back. As it landed, Yang Shengcai let out a miserable cry, blood spurting from his nose.
The hot blood splattered across Jiang Zhan’s face and body.
Jiang Zhan wiped his face, and realizing it was blood, immediately spat it out – right onto Yang Shengcai.
Yang Shengcai hadn’t drunk much, as he wanted to stay sober to do some “interesting things” with the beautiful young man before him. It was this sobriety that made the other’s vomit attack utterly unbearable. Yang Shengcai instantly cast aside his lustful thoughts and shouted, “What are you all standing around for? Beat this fool to death!”
Cui Yi tossed his cup to the ground, wiped his mouth, and sneered, “We should have done this earlier. Speaking gently to this brat was suffocating!”
The group immediately surrounded Jiang Zhan, swinging whatever objects they could grab at his head.
Seeing this situation, the young male entertainers quickly bowed their heads and fled the hall, fearing involvement in any trouble. They dared not interfere in fights between young nobles, nor even watch. Such scenes of jealousy and brawling were all too common in this den of luxury and debauchery.
Jiang Si stood in an inconspicuous corner, unnoticed by either the brawling youths or the retreating entertainers. From this vantage point, she could see everything.
Was this how Second Brother met his end on that night in her previous life? Beaten to death and then tossed into the Jin Shui River?
Jiang Si didn’t rush to rescue Jiang Zhan. Firstly, her brother was tough; a few punches and kicks weren’t much to him. More importantly, she wanted to see how things would unfold.
Normally, Jiang Zhan could handle two or three opponents without issue. But now, with alcohol clouding his mind, he slipped after dodging a punch from Cui Yi and his upper body fell onto the table.
Cups and plates clattered to the floor, the smell of alcohol permeating the air.
Two other youths pinned Jiang Zhan’s arms, one on each side, immobilizing him.
A cruel glint flashed in Cui Yi’s eyes as he raised a chair, ready to smash it down on Jiang Zhan’s head.
Jiang Si was about to release her phantom firefly when Yang Shengcai shouted, “Wait!”
Jiang Si turned to look at Yang Shengcai. Could it be that he had a sudden attack of conscience?
Although she had already decided not to let these four off, the severity of their punishment would depend on their actions.
Cui Yi lowered the chair he had raised, looking puzzled at the disheveled Yang Shengcai. “You can’t be serious. At a time like this, you still have designs on this brat?”
Unlike Yang Shengcai, he had no interest in men. Occasionally joining in such games was just for fun, but although Jiang Zhan had a pretty face, his personality was utterly detestable. If it weren’t for Yang Shengcai’s sake, he wouldn’t have bothered approaching.
“Designs?” Yang Shengcai wiped his face, the mix of alcohol and sour vomit making him retch, deepening his hatred for Jiang Zhan. He had been pampered all his life; when had he ever been so humiliated? He absolutely wouldn’t let this brat off today!
Yang Shengcai’s expression grew increasingly vicious. “Why beat him? He’s still an Earl’s son. If anything happens and he ends up covered in injuries, we won’t be able to escape responsibility.”
Cui Yi sneered, “What’s there to worry about? The Earl’s manor wouldn’t dare to come at us hard, would they?”
Yang Shengcai coldly laughed, “If we can avoid trouble, it’s best to do so!”
“Then how do we deal with this brat?” Cui Yi looked disgustedly at Jiang Zhan, who was still struggling on the table.
Yang Shengcai glanced out the window.
The windows of the pleasure boat’s hall were all open, revealing the shimmering river outside. By now, the moon had climbed high, and though the night was dark, the strings of swaying red lanterns and brilliant crystal lamps made the river surface brighter and more beautiful than daylight.
But to Jiang Si’s eyes, this ever-rippling river surface was like a fatal mirror, ready to swallow the most precious things at any moment.
Yang Shengcai said coldly, “Throw him out from here, and it’ll all be over.”
Cui Yi’s eyes widened in shock, clearly not expecting Yang Shengcai to want Jiang Zhan’s life.
The two youths holding Jiang Zhan also looked surprised.
Cui Yi licked his lips, “Brother Yang, there’s no need to cause a death, right? Giving this brat a good lesson should be enough.”
Yang Shengcai looked at the other two youths, “You think so too?”
The two nodded involuntarily.
Although they came from prominent families and often bullied others, they rarely caused deaths, especially not to an Earl’s son like Jiang Zhan.
“Scared?” Yang Shengcai glanced at the three, sneering, “I knew you’d all chicken out at the crucial moment!”
Young rakes of this age couldn’t resist such provocation. The three immediately retorted, “Who’s chickening out?”
Yang Shengcai pushed aside the two youths and grabbed Jiang Zhan from behind, lifting him.
After the scuffle, Jiang Zhan’s intoxication had worsened, and he could barely stand, unaware of the danger before him.
Jiang Si watched as Yang Shengcai pushed Jiang Zhan to the window, and then shoved him out.
A splash sounded as he hit the water. Cui Yi and the others stood stunned.
Though they had put on a brave front, they truly hadn’t expected Yang Shengcai to do it.
“There, now it’s quiet,” Yang Shengcai said, dusting off his hands.
“Brother Yang, did you push him in?”
“What, scared now?”
Cui Yi rubbed his hands nervously, “Many people saw Jiang Zhan board the boat with us. What do we say when his body is found?”
Yang Shengcai smiled nonchalantly, “What’s there to explain? The upper deck is an open terrace. We’ll say we all went up to play, and Jiang Zhan, drunk as he was, lost his footing and fell. At most, we failed to rescue him. How is his death our fault? We couldn’t be expected to jump in and risk our own lives, could we? We’ll send some money to the East Peace Earl’s manor to express our condolences. That’s more than generous.”
As Yang Shengcai spoke, his eyes grew brighter, as if what had fallen into the water wasn’t a person, but a wine cup or a plate of cold meat.
Throughout all this, Jiang Si watched him coldly.
She wasn’t worried about Jiang Zhan’s safety, having already instructed Old Qin to keep a close eye on the boat and rescue her brother immediately if he fell into the water.
She just wanted to see the truth hidden beneath the confusion of her previous life, to see how her brother had been killed by these people.
Now, knowing what she needed to know, she understood what to do.
Jiang Si took out the oil she had prepared and poured it on the floor, then splashed the wine jars on the ground, mixing the oil and wine as they spread.
It was at this moment that Yang Shengcai and the others finally noticed the young entertainer who hadn’t left.
“What are you doing?”
Jiang Si smiled and tossed a candle with its shade removed onto the floor.
What was she doing? Why, commit arson and murder, of course?