The younger one clearly had second thoughts.
"Qian Ge, I'm a bit scared."
"Scared of what?" the older one urged him on. "Er Jiang, don't you think about it, if this plan works, how much profit we can make."
Er Jiang looked conflicted. "Profit... I'm just afraid we won't get any profit and will lose our lives."
"How is that possible! We're helping them catch snakes, that's doing a good deed," Rong Qian said proudly. "Just wait to get rich!"
Just as they were speaking, they suddenly heard the sound of hurried footsteps.
The two exchanged glances, their eyes betraying an undisguised eagerness.
"They're here! Er Jiang, quickly..."
Before the word "quickly" could be fully uttered, they heard the footsteps drawing nearer.
"They're here!"
"Don't let them escape, the scoundrels who released the snakes."
The two were startled. This was not what they had planned!
Their original plan was to release the snakes into the room first, then wait for the people inside to panic. They would then pretend to stumble upon the scene, skillfully catch the snakes, and seize the opportunity to snoop around their mistress's room.
But no one had anticipated that the people inside wouldn't be afraid of the snakes at all. They had even discovered their hiding spot, bound them up, and thrown them into the courtyard of Qingping Xuan.
"Kneel."
"Kneel." The women escorting them were fierce, and with great force, they kicked the backs of the two men's knees. With a thud, they both fell to their knees on the cold bluestone bricks.
Li Man'er placed a chair in the courtyard, holding a hand warmer, and draped in a fiery red cloak. Beside her were two braziers, their charcoal burning a bright red.
"Speak, who sent you to put snakes in my room?"
Er Jiang was already terrified, his body trembling, unsure if it was from fear or cold.
In contrast, Rong Qian was much tougher, refusing to admit anything.
"The young lady is asking, and I dare not not answer, but what snakes? I don't know about any snakes." Rong Qian kowtowed to Li Man'er. "We servants all know that the young lady is the ultimate authority in the manor, so we would never lie. But snakes, aren't they supposed to go into their holes at this time? How could they possibly crawl into the young lady's room?"
Li Man'er sneered, "Your mouth is indeed hard. I wonder if it's truly hard or just pretending." She reached for the fire tongs beside the brazier, poked the glowing coals a couple of times, and with them, clamped a burning hot piece of charcoal. She said sinisterly, "I've heard of a torture in the criminal courts that is extremely cruel and inhumane, called 'Swallowing Charcoal'. It involves placing this red-hot charcoal into the prisoner's mouth, scorching their tongue and flesh."
"Of course, with such torture, one wouldn't expect them to say anything. It's merely a way to torment people."
Hearing her words, both Er Jiang and Rong Qian shivered, but when they remembered that Li Man'er had no evidence, their confidence grew.
"Young lady, you've wronged us! We truly did nothing. The matter of the snakes has nothing to do with us."
Li Man'er then placed the fire tongs back into the brazier.
Seeing this, the two thought Li Man'er believed them and breathed a sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, their relief was short-lived as someone brought over a sack, and Li Man'er pulled a snake out of it.
She was surprisingly not afraid of snakes, holding the half-limp serpent as if it were a mere willow branch.
"Look at this snake, it might recognize you. How about we let it be a witness and see if you were the ones who put it in the room?" Li Man'er then stood up and, holding the snake's head, walked towards them.
For some reason, both men felt an oppressive aura coming towards them, as if they were facing a high-ranking official in court. Their legs trembled, and they wished they could prostrate themselves on the ground.
Li Man'er actually wrapped the snake's tail around Rong Qian's neck and made him look at the snake's head in her hand.
Rong Qian didn't dare to move. He wasn't usually afraid of snakes, but for some reason, the snake around his neck now felt terrifying, as if it could end his life at any moment.
"You don't need to be afraid. I'm just letting it recognize you. It's not venomous, is it? Even if it bites your neck, you won't die."
Li Man'er paused here, then frowned in apparent confusion. "That's not right. If it bites deeply enough, it might be fatal. And if it bites a little off, and hits your throat, that would be an instant kill." She seemed to be enjoying herself, smiling as she said the last sentence.
Rong Qian almost wet himself. This was too bizarre. The young lady looked like a celestial being, but why did her words sound so venomous?
A faint odor of urine wafted over; it was Er Jiang next to him who had wet his pants.
Li Man'er glanced at him with disdain. "This snake hasn't even coiled around your neck yet! And you're already this scared? What serious business were you doing?"
Er Jiang sobbed, "Young lady, young lady, I'll tell you everything! Please, have mercy on me!"
Rong Qian's face turned ashen, then pale, with a hint of death about him. It was over, completely over!
He had never dreamed this kid was so cowardly.
The matter was quite simple, explainable in a few words. Bai Shi had found them and presented them with a seemingly clever plan.
Women, no matter how strong-willed, feared snakes. Those creepy creatures were enough to make one's scalp tingle, let alone several of them.
If they woke the snakes and put them in the courtyard, they would naturally crawl towards warmer places. The warmest spot in Qingping Xuan at the moment was Li Man'er's room.
If the snakes entered the room and injured someone, so much the better. If they didn't cause any harm, they would surely create a commotion. When the women in the courtyard lost their leader, these two could then make their appearance.
They claimed to be there to catch the snakes, but after all, two servants had entered the young lady's room. It was bound to create gossip. With a little embellishment and spreading rumors, who knew what version would emerge that they couldn't control.
They naively thought their plan was brilliant, but they never imagined Li Man'er would be fearless of snakes, catch them all herself, and even capture the two servants who released them.
Bai Shi naturally denied it. She even said solemnly to Li Man'er, "Young lady, don't be deceived by them! Perhaps these two were instructed by someone else! I'm not foolish enough to use servants from my own courtyard for such a task. Besides, you treated your second aunt's illness not long ago. I'm not heartless, how could I do such a thing!"
This was a denial.
Li Man'er didn't intend to investigate further. She figured Bai Shi would never admit it.
"I regret it now. Treating second aunt's illness was truly overestimating my abilities and meddling."
"You..." Bai Shi was so angry her hair seemed to stand on end. "If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do. You believe the accusations of two servants, but where is the evidence?"