As soon as they boarded, Jiang Wan was in a state of excitement, running around the boat. Cheng Sinian followed her, constantly reminding her, "Wan Wan, slow down, don't run too fast, be careful not to fall."
Jiang Wan smiled and said, "Let's play hide-and-seek. I'll hide, you find me."
After saying that, without waiting for Cheng Sinian's reply, she dashed away.
When she reached a deserted corner, Jiang Wan called out to Xiao Mazai.
Xiao Mazai chirped, telling her that everything was ready.
Then it gestured for Jiang Wan to look up at the sky.
In the sky, which was neither dark nor light, several eagles were circling.
Jiang Wan reached out and stroked Xiao Mazai's feathers: Tell your friends that after this is done, they will be richly rewarded.
Xiao Mazai immediately chirped a few times towards the sky.
Those eagles quickly responded.
Cheng Sinian's footsteps could be heard. Xiao Mazai flapped its wings and flew away, followed by the eagles, swiftly heading towards the small mountain village.
When Cheng Sinian found Jiang Wan, he saw her looking up at the sky. Curious, he also looked for a while. Apart from the stars, there was nothing.
"Wan Wan, what are you looking at?"
Jiang Wan smiled slightly: "I'm looking at the stars. Do you believe that in a moment, there will be several more stars in the sky?"
Cheng Sinian was shocked: "How do you know? There are so many stars in the sky, are there many? Can you count them all?"
Jiang Wan smiled mysteriously.
She certainly wouldn't count them.
But she had once told a white lie to children: after people die, they turn into stars in the sky.
Xiao Mazai, with those eagles, landed silently in the woods behind the Jiang family's house.
The majestic eagles that were so imposing in the sky instantly turned into ground-bound chickens upon landing.
Xiao Mazai led them to where Jiang Wan had hidden the bag.
After confirming that the venomous snakes were still waiting obediently in the bag, Xiao Mazai chirped a few times. One of the eagles grabbed the cloth bag with its talons, flapped its wings, and flew into the sky.
The other eagles followed closely.
By this time, the sky had completely darkened. Painted pleasure boats plied the river, and the sounds of string and wind instruments drifted from them.
The lanterns of the shops on both banks illuminated the entire river surface as bright as day.
The hawkers' cries and the laughter of the tourists created a picture of extreme prosperity, a scene of a Jiangnan night tour.
The people playing below had no idea that just above their heads, several eagles carrying a bag of venomous snakes were silently gliding by.
Xiao Mazai, with those eagles, landed on the roof of the Wan mansion.
Following Xiao Mazai's instructions, the eagles tore open the bag and scattered the venomous snakes in Master Wan's courtyard.
Upon landing in the garden, the snakes slithered aimlessly for a while before suddenly smelling an aroma that excited them.
This scent awakened the bloodthirsty instincts within them, making them uncontrollably agitated. They then followed the scent.
At the same time, Scholar Zhong, wearing a straw hat with black gauze sewn around the brim, alighted from his carriage, preparing to enter the Wan mansion through a side gate stealthily.
The bustling street in front of the Wan mansion was filled with people enjoying the evening lights. Many people turned their heads to look at Scholar Zhong's peculiar attire.
Scholar Zhong, who valued his reputation above all else, felt that despite the thick black gauze on his hat, people could still see his swollen face.
He quickly raised his hand to cover his face as he prepared to enter the side gate of the Wan mansion. Suddenly, he heard a strange sound.
"Whoa, what is that!"
A pedestrian on the street exclaimed. Scholar Zhong instinctively turned his head and saw a tabby cat pouncing at him, causing him to retreat repeatedly.
The tabby cat jumped onto Scholar Zhong, reaching out to pull at his hat.
Scholar Zhong felt a sharp tugging pain on his scalp. He desperately tried to shake off the tabby cat and protect his hat, but this only enraged the cat further, and his face was scratched several times.
After a struggle of pulling and tearing, Scholar Zhong suddenly saw the light.
His hat had been snatched away by the tabby cat!
The pedestrians on the street, upon seeing Scholar Zhong's face, recoiled in fright.
Scholar Zhong's face was so swollen it was gleaming, even his scalp was puffed up. His entire head was larger than a pig's head, and his features were distorted.
"What monster is this?"
"That person's clothes look familiar, isn't that Scholar Zhong? I heard he bullied a student today and got beaten by the student instead."
"Which student is so disrespectful to beat their teacher!"
"It's said that Scholar Zhong helped Master Wan's concubine vent her anger and falsely accused that student of stealing silver from the concubine's brother. He even tried to torture the child to extract a confession, but ended up being beaten by the child himself. What a disgrace."
"Wait, how is this so complicated? Scholar Zhong helped Master Wan's concubine vent her anger? Does Master Wan's concubine need Scholar Zhong's help? Scholar Zhong is a scholar, why would he do such a thing?"
"Tsk, who knows? I heard that Master Wan's newly taken concubine is not simple. It's said she previously drugged innocent young men with aphrodisiacs. Perhaps she has some unclear relationship with this Scholar Zhong."
"If that's the case, Master Wan not only took a fallen woman but is also being cuckolded."
Scholar Zhong, hearing the scandalous gossip, was furious and jumped: "Nonsense, it's an insult to scholarly conduct!"
But his face was so swollen that he was unrecognizable. His lips were like sausages, and he couldn't open them properly. His words were slurred, and saliva dripped from his mouth, making everyone cringe.
"Your appearance is truly an insult to scholarly conduct! How dare you go out after doing such things! You're still trying to hold on and come to the Wan mansion even after being so injured, and dressed like this. You're probably here to find Master Wan to vent your anger, aren't you?"
"Someone like this can be a scholar? It's no wonder people's children are taught badly. Fortunately, my child doesn't attend school with him, otherwise, who knows how much injustice they would have suffered."
As the crowd berated him, Scholar Zhong, feeling guilty, rushed into the Wan mansion without regard for his appearance.
Led by a servant of the Wan family, Scholar Zhong was taken to Master Wan's courtyard.
"Master has given instructions that when the scholar arrives, he is to be admitted directly."
Scholar Zhong thanked them incoherently, stepped into the room, but moments later, screams from the room echoed throughout the courtyard.
On the painted pleasure boat, all the Jiang family members, except for Jiang Pan and the third son, were listening intently to the storyteller's wonderful performance. Jiang Wan was particularly engrossed, her eyes shining, and she tightly clutched the copper coins in her hand, ready to reward the storyteller later.
Madam Cheng and Magistrate Cheng also rarely came out together. However, like Jiang Pan and his sons, they were somewhat worried about Master Wan's affairs and therefore couldn't quite focus on the story.
When the storyteller finished a story and stood up to thank the audience, the guests below began to offer their rewards in the form of money.
Just then, a commotion erupted from behind: "Your Honor, Your Honor, there's an urgent case at the yamen!"
Magistrate Cheng was startled. He stood up and walked to the stern of the boat, where he saw a yamen runner rowing a small boat rapidly towards them, shouting loudly.
"What urgent case?"
"Master Wan of the Wan mansion has died suddenly!"