The Jin River was as lively as daylight. As Cui Yi and the other two were rescued one by one, people quickly learned that a group of young masters had been drinking when their pleasure boat caught fire and that the fire had been set by one of the boat’s young entertainers.
However, at this point, the arriving constables couldn’t spare time to investigate the young entertainer, because they learned something from Cui Yi and the others: Yang Shengcai, grandson of the Minister of Rites, was still missing!
So much time had passed since the four had jumped into the water, and if he still hadn’t been found, the situation was dire.
Unfortunately, few of these constables were proficient swimmers, so they could only mobilize those who made their living on the Jin River to help.
The Jin River was vast and turbulent. Finding a person who had fallen into the water was as difficult as ascending to heaven.
As midnight approached with no progress, most people were preparing to leave, except for a few with particularly strong curiosity.
There were only about a dozen constables guarding the dock on the riverbank. They couldn’t stop everyone, so they had to let the nobles who had been on the pleasure boats pass without hindrance while focusing on inspecting some flower boats and fishing boats.
Even so, most boats weren’t checked – there simply weren’t enough personnel.
Old Qin blended in with those boats and avoided inspection, while Yu Jin’s pleasure boat docked without any obstruction.
The shore was enveloped in even thicker darkness, with pitch blackness stretching into the distance.
The night was more than half over, and the lights of countless homes had long since gone to sleep, leaving only sparse stars twinkling in the ink-jade sky.
“Let Cold Shadow escort you back,” Yu Jin said to the girl dressed as a man in the hazy night, swallowing his offer to personally escort her.
She would certainly reject that without mercy.
“There’s no need. Having more people would be inconvenient. Old Qin is enough,” Jiang Si refused as usual, but her tone was quite gentle. “I’ll trouble you to take care of my second brother.”
Yu Jin smiled slightly. “Don’t worry, I’ll take ‘good’ care of him.”
He deliberately emphasized the word “good” because the two had already agreed that it would be more appropriate for Jiang Zhan to believe he had been saved by Yu Jin. Jiang Si had one request: to give Jiang Zhan a good lesson so he would learn from it.
Faced with his sweetheart’s request, Yu Jin agreed without hesitation.
As for his friendship with Jiang Zhan? Hah, nonexistent.
“That’s good then.” Jiang Si smiled and left with Aman.
That night, more than half of the capital was bustling.
The General’s Manor, the Vice Minister’s Manor, and the Taiping Earl’s Manor received messages from the Shuntian Prefecture. Everyone in these households was roused, and they hurriedly sent people to the Shuntian Prefecture to pick up their family members.
The household of the Minister of Rites, upon hearing that the fallen Yang Shengcai had still not been found, was in chaos. They sent all the manpower they could gather to the Jin River to search.
Zhen Shicheng, the Prefect of Shuntian, naturally couldn’t sleep. He sat in the public hall and began to question Cui Yi and the other two.
“How did the pleasure boat catch fire?”
When asked this, the emotions of Cui Yi and the others became agitated. They all shouted, “A young entertainer deliberately set the fire!”
“Young Master Cui, you speak,” Zhen Shicheng said.
After listening to Cui Yi’s account of how the pleasure boat caught fire, Zhen Shicheng stroked his beard without comment.
The brief silence made all three uncomfortable. Cui Yi shouted, “Lord Zhen, you must find that damned young entertainer and cut him into a thousand pieces!”
“The Shuntian Prefecture will do its best,” Zhen Shicheng said, of course not making any promises.
These wastrels had offended who knows how many people from childhood to adulthood. Trying to find someone based on the clue of a grudge was like searching for a needle in the sea.
“There were more than four of you drinking together, weren’t there?” Zhen Shicheng asked.
As soon as he said this, the three changed color.
Zhen Shicheng lightly tapped his fingers on the table, saying unhurriedly, “This official learned from the young entertainers who escaped from the pleasure boat that there were five of you drinking together.”
Cui Yi suddenly slapped his forehead. “Oh right, there was also the Second Young Master of the East Peace Earl’s Manor, Jiang Zhan. He fell into the water too!”
Zhen Shicheng’s face darkened. “If that’s the case, why didn’t you say so earlier?”
Cui Yi pouted, dismissively saying, “We were too nervous and forgot for a moment.”
“You forgot someone you were drinking with?” Based on experience, Zhen Shicheng could already determine that there was some unspeakable secret here.
“We’re not familiar with him. Yang Shengcai invited him, so when we encountered the scary fire and fell into the water, we forgot about him in our panic,” the other two young men said.
Cui Yi looked displeased. “Lord Zhen, we are the victims. Instead of quickly finding that young entertainer who set the fire, your Shuntian Prefecture is interrogating us three like criminals. What kind of logic is this?”
Zhen Shicheng suddenly slammed down his judge’s mallet. Although no yamen runners were standing on both sides of the hall shouting “Mighty!” while holding execution sticks, the three were still startled.
“What do you mean by that?” the three shouted, their voices betraying their fear despite their fierce appearance.
Zhen Shicheng calmly put down the judge’s mallet. “I’m telling you, young masters, this is what an interrogation is like. Just now, this official was merely trying to understand the situation from you, yet you felt you were being interrogated like criminals. Could it be that you’ve done something to feel guilty about?”
“We haven’t!” the three denied in unison.
“That’s good then. You young masters have had a trying time. You may return to your manors now, but this official may need to trouble you to come back later if there’s a need for more information,” Zhen Shicheng said, narrowing his eyes.
These brainless little brats weren’t even as troublesome as his son. They thought they could fool him?
Thinking of his son who had been listless recently, Zhen Shicheng suddenly felt a bit guilty.
After Cui Yi and the others left, Zhen Shicheng immediately ordered someone to inform the East Peace Earl’s Manor.
Thinking about Jiang Zhan’s fate, Zhen Shicheng’s mood soured.
Although he was long accustomed to matters of life and death, facing a familiar person was completely different from facing a stranger.
Had that young man just perished like that?
And that young girl would surely be heartbroken when she learned of her brother’s misfortune.
The East Peace Earl’s Manor, upon receiving the news, indeed fell into chaos. Jiang Ancheng immediately gathered the household servants and rushed to the Jin River, cursing all the way: “You little beast, just wait till I find you. I’ll skin you alive!”
Though his words were fierce, his eyes glistened with moisture, and his tightly clenched fists trembled violently.
The Second and Third Masters of the Jiang family continuously consoled him, their expressions grave. However, the hint of relief in the Second Master’s eyes was concealed by the night, unnoticed by others.
In Yaxin Hall, Second Madam Xiao, covered by her brocade quilt, laughed for quite a while before regaining her composure. She then tidied herself up and went to Cixin Hall to comfort Old Madam Feng.
With Jiang Zhan’s death, the main branch was left without an heir. If in the future, the Earl could achieve some great merit like their neighbor, the Marquis of Yongchang, the title would naturally fall to their branch of the family.
In Haitang Residence, Aman, watching Jiang Si unhurriedly change into clean undergarments, couldn’t help but remind her, “Miss, there’s a lot of commotion out front. The First Master and the others have all gone to search for the Second Young Master.”
Fearing his daughter would worry, Jiang Ancheng hadn’t sent anyone to Haitang Residence to relay the message. In others’ eyes, the Fourth Miss should still be sound asleep at this time, unaware that she had just returned from committing arson and murder.
Jiang Si changed her clothes and lay down. “Don’t worry about all that. Go to sleep.”
The more chaotic things were in the manor, the better. Let her second brother see what kind of pain his thoughtlessness would bring to the family!