Next to the cabin window, which was right next to the ship's passageway, three women dressed as women walked past Gu Jingheng and his companions, hand in hand, whispering to each other.

Although the three of them kept whispering, their eyes kept glancing into Gu Jingheng's room.

Gu Jingheng was looking down at his book at the moment, and from the window, you could see his sharply defined profile.

"Oh my god, this is the best one! Look, look!"

"Hey, keep your voice down, they heard you."

"You two are blocking my way. Where are you? Ah, I see you! That young man is so handsome, and his waist is so slender."

"Your movements were too obvious; everyone noticed."

"What are you afraid of? Take another look!"

The three of them secretly watched Gu Jingheng and the others, whispering among themselves.

"Xu Meng, go and close the window."

Lian Yingtong, with his back to the window, was setting out tea and snacks on the table. Hearing the noise outside the window behind him, he didn't turn around but whispered to Xu Meng.

Xu Meng chuckled: "Alright, a young man with a very slender waist!"

Under Lian Yingtong's murderous gaze, Xu Meng laughed and went to close the window.

The voices and gazes of the three women were shut out through the window.

With the window closed, Gu Jingheng continued reading his book, seemingly undisturbed.

"Young master, these are the snacks and fruits prepared by the boatman, as well as a pot of Biluochun tea. Would you like some?"

Last time, Lian Ying and the others called Gu Jingheng "Master," and some strangers were surprised to hear that there was such a young master. So this time, the group changed their address.

"I'm not hungry yet, you guys eat first."

Xu Meng sat down without ceremony, picked up a piece of pastry, and began to eat.

"Young master, where are we going this time? I'd like to send a message to Xian Shun by carrier pigeon so he can find us when he returns," Xu Meng said while eating.

"We haven't decided on a destination yet. We'll see where the ship stops, and if the scenery is pleasing to the eye, we'll disembark." Gu Jingheng's gaze remained fixed on his book.

"Oh, that's great. We'll ask the crew where there's good food along the way."

"All you ever think about is eating," Lian Yingtong rolled her eyes at him.

"That's right, I just love to eat. Eating brings happiness and is so simple, simpler than anything else."

Lian Yingtong was amused by Xu Meng's shameless behavior: "Young master, there's no need to arrange a wife for Xu Meng anymore. I think he likes eating more than a wife."

"You seem to prefer your wives. Why didn't you even glance at the three young wives who came to see you earlier?"

"Are you trying to kill me? That's comparing her to someone else's wife!"

The two started bickering again after exchanging only a few words, but Gu Jingheng turned a page of his book and ignored them.

The boat rocked gently until nightfall.

The river was pitch black at night, with only the lights from the boats illuminating a small part of the surrounding darkness.

Gu Jingheng had Xu Meng move a bamboo chair over, and sat on the quiet deck at night, closing his eyes to rest.

The sound of rushing water filled my ears, and I could faintly hear the chatter of passengers coming from the direction of the cabin.

It has been a long time since we have received any news from the Seventh Prince regarding the military rations case.

It was previously said that the order to assassinate the witness came from one of the four northern states, but so far no further information has been found.

With his eyes closed, Gu Jingheng felt a surge of irritation.

The waves were getting bigger and bigger. Several crew members went up to the deck and said to Gu Jingheng, "Guest, it looks like the wind is about to pick up. You should go back to your cabin and not catch a cold."

That night, a great storm indeed arose.

Lian Yingtong and Xu Meng were both seasick and vomited repeatedly, while Gu Jingheng didn't have much of a reaction.

On the morning of the third day, the river, which had been overcast for two days, finally returned to calm and the sun came out. Lian Yingtong and Xu Meng finally felt less uncomfortable.

"This is my first time on a boat, and I never imagined it would be so uncomfortable. I've heard that rich people go boating on lakes before, but damn it, don't they feel uncomfortable?"

"Speak less and save your energy. The general has been taking care of us these past two days. What kind of behavior is this? We need to get better soon." After saying this, Lian Yingtong felt nauseous and dry heaved again.

Gu Jingheng was admiring the scenery alone on the deck when suddenly, a familiar eagle's cry rang out.

He looked up and saw a small black dot flying closer and closer from the distant horizon.

Upon recognizing what was flying closer, Gu Jingheng smiled, raised his arm, and a moment later, a glossy-feathered, dashing eagle landed on his arm.

The eagle was too large to stand on a person's arm for long. It raised its left leg, allowing Gu Jingheng to untie the letter tube. Then it circled Gu Jingheng twice, let out two cries, and took flight.

Everyone on deck saw this scene, and even those in the cabins heard the eagle's cry. Everyone looked up, only to see the eagle flapping its wings and soaring high above the ship, circling it a few times before turning and flying away.

"Wow, what a beautiful eagle!"

Inside the cabin, Lian Yingtong and Xu Meng, whose faces were still pale, also heard the eagle's cry. They exchanged a glance, and their first reaction was: the Seventh Prince's messenger has arrived.

Sure enough, a short while later, Gu Jingheng returned, holding a small letterbox in his hand.

"General, is this a letter from the Seventh Prince?" Lian Yingtong asked in a low voice.

"Yes, it's finally here after all this time." Gu Jingheng opened the mailbox and took out a note.

I glanced at it quickly.

His gaze darkened slightly.

"Qingshui County, Yongning City".

Although it was only six simple words, Gu Jingheng knew that it meant an order to assassinate the witness, and that it came from Yongning City.

"So, are we going to Yongning?"

Even Yingtong and Xu Meng asked.

"Well, now that we know the location, let's go straight to Yongning!"

***

Early that morning, the wind began to pick up again on the river, and the boats, in the wind and waves, were like drifting duckweed.

Seasickness struck many people on board again, and the captain and crew worked back and forth on the ship's side, trying to maintain the ship's balance.

"Boss! The wind and rain are too strong, we can't see the river at all, should we anchor?"

"No! It's not safe to anchor here! Let's keep going!"

"yes!"

The crew continued to steer the boat, but suddenly, a series of sharp alarm sounds came from the port stern!

"Boss! There's a ship coming at us on port! A ship is coming at us!"