Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 238 Dead End
"Aren't the Imperial Guards still a day away from arriving in Daming Prefecture?"

Madam Liu asked Prefect Liu, "Can't we think of another way?"

Prefect Liu remained silent.

Madam Liu continued, "Wang Yan is indeed an imperial envoy, but he didn't bring the documents to the yamen, so it's no wonder we made a mistake. Your husband is a fourth-rank official, while Wang Yan is only a few ranks. He only got the title of imperial envoy because of Prime Minister Wang. They are acting unreasonably and recklessly, and we can't even defend ourselves?"

Liu Erniang was already in a panic. She couldn't understand how, just a moment ago they were searching everywhere for Yang Xieshi, how could they suddenly say that Wang Yan had come to Daming Prefecture, and that he was coming for her father.

Liu Shizhang stood to the side, his face grim, and dared not utter a word.

To assassinate an angel is tantamount to treason.

When Feng Chuan led his troops to the armory, Wang Yan was accompanied by a eunuch. Wang Yan even had the eunuch return to the capital with the evidence. If they had known this earlier, they wouldn't have had Wang Yan besieged in the mountains.

Liu Shizhang's hands trembled slightly as he brought Feng Chuan to his father. It was he who had made up his mind to take advantage of the situation and strike at He Tan; it was he who had led the Liu family into utter ruin.

Thinking of this, Liu Shizhang knelt down before Prefect Liu: "Father, please hand me over to the imperial court. Everything was a secret conspiracy between me and Feng Chuan."

"It was my idea to have Judge Hu arrest He Tan; it had nothing to do with my father."

Madam Liu's face immediately changed, but Liu Erniang's eyes lit up. Afraid that her elder brother would see through her, she quickly lowered her head, wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, and pretended to be sad.

"How can that be?" Madam Liu said, "Are you trying to kill your mother!"

Liu Shizhang said, "It was originally my son's fault. I never expected that such a small matter would cause such a disaster."

Liu Erniang felt that her elder brother was right. If her elder brother hadn't failed to understand the situation, he wouldn't have dragged the entire Liu family into this mess. Her elder brother still didn't see the bigger picture and was tricked.

If the eldest brother can explain things clearly, the Liu family will at least have a way out.

Whoever does something should bear the consequences. Although she was also reluctant to part with her older brother, she had to consider the bigger picture.

Liu Shizhang continued, "I'm not afraid of anything. At worst, I'll die. If Father is alright, he can protect more people."

Hearing her son say this, Madam Liu burst into tears, but as a woman, no one would believe her if she tried to take the blame for the father and son.

Liu Erniang wiped away her mother's tears and sobbed softly as well.

Prefect Liu said coldly, "Even if you die, I cannot escape punishment. Not only me, but even the magistrate of Xingren Prefecture has been arrested."

The prefectural magistrate of Xingren Prefecture had tipped off the Liu family, which enabled them to arrest Han Tong and his associates. It wasn't a serious crime, but the imperial guards didn't hesitate to imprison them; this demonstrated the Emperor's resolve.

Hearing her father's words, Liu Erniang panicked completely: "Father, is there really no other way? Won't Privy Councilor Xie help?"

If Xie Shumi could have helped, the Imperial Guards wouldn't have arrived so quickly.

Prefect Liu said, "At this point, no one can help us. If the officials want to arrest us, anyone who dares to speak up will be implicated."

“It’s all because of that Yang Xie woman,” Liu Erniang suddenly said. “If we had gotten rid of that Yang Xie woman sooner, there wouldn’t have been the clay stove incident later…”

As soon as Liu Erniang finished speaking, her scalp tingled. Prefect Liu's sharp gaze fell on her head: "If I had known you looked like this, I should have married you off from the Liu family years ago."

Liu Erniang's face immediately turned ugly.

Seeing this, Liu Shizhang quickly spoke up for his sister: "This has nothing to do with you, sister, it's all..."

"You just said you wanted to confess, did she speak up for you?" Prefect Liu said. "If it weren't for her, would Wang Yan have been able to seize the opportunity so quickly? All those books she read were just for show, she's just a fool."

Prefect Liu had long since figured it out: that Yang Xie was Wang Yan's woman, and He Tan and Wang Yan were using that woman to stir up trouble in Daming Prefecture.

If it were a man running a tabloid and competing with the Xie family for business, he would have been on guard long ago.

"Go out!" Prefect Liu ordered calmly.

Madam Liu hesitated, and Liu Shizhang wanted to say something more, but Prefect Liu had lost his patience and his voice was much lower: "Get out."

As the two women left, Liu Shizhang turned to close the study door, but suddenly said, "Father, how about we head north?" Some officials from the Great Liang had once defected to the Northern Qi…

In the Liang Dynasty, there were scholars who, after failing the imperial examinations, went to the Northern Qi Dynasty to serve as officials in a fit of anger.

Both countries are well aware of these matters, but neither has ever exposed them.

Prefect Liu said calmly, "Guess where He Tan is?"

He Tan went north, and Judge Hu led his men to chase after him, but there was still no news. He was probably captured by He Tan.

If they head north, a large army will be waiting for them ahead, and with pursuers behind them, they will not be able to escape smoothly.

Wang Yan had foreseen all of this and blocked all possible escape routes.

Liu Shizhang stopped talking, turned around and walked out.

The study returned to quiet.

Prefect Liu raised his eyes. In fact, the Imperial Guards could have come to Daming Prefecture first and then to Xingren Prefecture. The reason they lingered in Xingren Prefecture was to give him a chance to save face.

He made outstanding military contributions to the Liang Dynasty, but unfortunately, he did not have a good ending.

Prefect Liu took out a brocade box from a hidden compartment and gently stroked the intricate patterns on it. Inside was an inkstone, but beneath it was a pill.

Prefect Liu swallowed the pill almost without hesitation. He had to die, otherwise not only would he lose face if he were caught and imprisoned, but... they wouldn't let him go either.

The Imperial Guards did not go directly into Daming Prefecture, giving him one last chance.

Who told him to know too much...

Man proposes, God disposes. If it had been a few days later, even if Wang Yan had discovered something, he would have been able to find a way to escape.

Unfortunately, that's not possible now...

Prefect Liu felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. He gritted his teeth and made no sound, gripping the armrest of the chair with one hand, leaving scratch marks on it.

Blood trickled down the corner of his mouth.

Just then, there was a noise at the door. It was Liu Shizhang who had returned. He was worried about his father, but he didn't dare to come in again. He hesitated at the door for a while, and when he found that there was no movement inside, he finally pushed the door open again.

What we saw was Prefect Liu's distorted face.

"father."

Liu Shizhang shouted and stepped forward, but it was too late. He watched as Prefect Liu's body convulsed and his eyes became unfocused.

"Wait……"

Prefect Liu uttered one last word, and then fell silent.

Liu Shizhang had no intention of pondering his father's words; instead, he burst into tears. His esteemed father, before even the Imperial Guards arrived in Daming Prefecture, had committed suicide.

On the table, there was still the confession written by Prefect Liu.

Feeling ashamed before the Emperor, he felt that death was the only option.

With Prefect Liu's death, the Liu family lost all hope. Liu Shizhang couldn't stop his tears, because he had lost his father and because the Liu family had collapsed.

Hearing the commotion, Madam Liu and Liu Erniang hurriedly entered the room.

When Liu Erniang saw that it was her father lying on the ground instead of her eldest brother, her legs went weak and she almost fell to the ground. After the incident in Daming Prefecture, she was worried and afraid, but she always felt that with her father there was still room for maneuver.

Now... she truly felt like the sky had fallen.