Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 390 Assassination
Yang Qin knew how much his sister-in-law cherished this tricolor reliquary. When it was made, he put a lot of effort into it, and after firing a whole kiln, not a single piece could satisfy his sister-in-law.

When they were in Daming Prefecture, some people went to Baode Temple just to see the relic box, but it had already been put away by Master Zhiyuan.

Later, when his sister-in-law came to Bianjing, she specially went to the temple to retrieve the reliquary. He then realized that their new kiln's porcelain would become famous thanks to this reliquary.

The reliquary hasn't even been shown to the public yet, and they're already going to smash it?
"Sister-in-law, did you say something wrong?"

Yang Qin couldn't help but speak up as well.

Xie Yuyan said, "I'm right. We should smash it and crush it with a stone mill, leaving no fragments behind."

Xie Yuyan repeated it a second time, and Tang Xing did not hesitate any longer. He picked up the reliquary and walked towards the courtyard. A short while later, the sound of porcelain shattering was heard.

Yang Qin didn't even have time to take another look before the reliquary was gone.

Zhang stared at the door for a long time before she came to her senses: "What a pity, such a good item."

Xie Yuyan nodded: "Even if it is fired again, it will be difficult to fire a reliquary that is exactly the same."

"Then why smash it?" Zhang said. "If you don't want to take it out, then... just hide it."

“It would be dangerous if we were discovered,” Xie Yuyan said. “In that case, we might as well smash it clean.”

Yang Qin muttered, "I can't make one that's exactly the same again." He felt sad just thinking about it. When the reliquary was brought to Bianjing, he had always tried to protect it carefully, afraid that it might be bumped or damaged in the slightest.

Xie Yuyan said, "This is the only way to make the new kiln famous."

Yang Qin didn't understand: "If everything is gone, how can we still make a name for the new kiln?"

Xie Yuyan said, "I already sent a message back to Daming Prefecture, asking the three elders to remake a new one. That reliquary will be sent to the capital along with this batch of porcelain."

"Besides, without the original reliquary for comparison, who could possibly notice the difference?"

The re-firing of the reliquary was something that happened before the perfume shop was opened.

That left her uncertain whether her plan would succeed; she had only prepared a backup. Now, everything was proceeding as planned, and the old one naturally had to be smashed.

The woman was right. Without the previous reliquary for comparison, who would know where the difference lay? But Yang Qin still couldn't understand why they did it this way.

Xie Yuyan said, "You'll find out soon enough."

After speaking, Xie Yuyan looked at Madam Zhang: "I'm going back to the South City Wharf in a while. Mother and Qin'er will stay here. If any news comes through, Mother, don't worry."

Both Zhang and Yang Qin wanted to be with Xie Yuyan, but they were afraid of ruining her plans, so they had no choice but to agree.

……

Bianjing, at Xiajiazhuangzi.

After having breakfast, Manager Li wandered around the ridges of the fields.

The Li family had a share in all the businesses the He family did, so the Li family sent Manager Li here not only to help but also to keep a close eye on the He family to prevent them from playing any tricks.

Even among relatives by marriage, absolute trust is not possible when interests are at stake.

After the He family was arrested, Steward Li was arranged by Madam Li to stay at the estate. Because of this, neither the Li family nor the Xia family was implicated.

Manager Li has been pondering why the He family's business dealings were exposed. Everything had been fine before, and there was no indication from the government that anyone was watching the Xia family. He doesn't believe that it was just a lawsuit filed by the Guo brothers that aroused the government's suspicion.

There must be some reason they don't know about.

We can only wait until the storm has passed before trying to find out more about the Guo brothers by getting involved with them.

"Manager," a servant beside Manager Li whispered, "people from the western estate have arrived. They say everything is ready and ask when we should make our move."

Outside the west city, there were still more than a dozen women imprisoned in the manor. They were all taken in by the He family from kidnappers. Originally, they would have been sold to various places, but the He family had an accident, so the business had to be stopped.

Whether he released them or killed them, Steward Li would feel it was a pity, because several of them had already been persuaded by him to become believers.

The more people recruited into the Holy Church, the stronger it becomes. Those who have suffered and tormented are especially prone to clinging to the Holy Church as their last lifeline.

After all, it was the Holy Church that gave them the opportunity and courage to live.

Whenever a woman was abducted and sold into slavery, Li Guan would deliberately have her tortured beforehand, and then, when they were in the most pain, he would extend a helping hand, either by giving them food or medicine, and tell them that he was a member of the Holy Church and would do everything he could to rescue them.

He certainly wouldn't actually save them, but in the hearts of these women, he had risked great danger to help them survive by doing everything he could.

He would also promise that no matter where they were sold, the Church would find them, as long as they were devout believers in Mani and His Holiness.

He did all this without letting the He and Li families know, because the Holy Sect wanted to seize profits from these high-ranking officials and nobles.

By taking advantage of the status and identity of high-ranking officials and nobles, and relying on them for survival, they could accumulate enough manpower and financial resources before calling upon a hundred people to join them and seize the throne of Daliang.

With more believers like him, the Holy Church will naturally grow stronger.

His words were not entirely unfulfilled. The Holy Church sought out those women not to rescue them from their suffering, but to have them continue to work for the Holy Church.

The women who were sold were all quite beautiful. If they were sold to good families as concubines, they could naturally earn money. In addition, they could also help the Holy Sect gather all sorts of information.

This is also why Steward Li looks down on Yunqi Temple.

Several nuns at Yunqi Temple, relying on their long service in the sect, were exceptionally unruly, as if the Holy Sect could not make an inch in Bianjing without them.

He then showed those nuns who the Holy Church truly relied on in Bianjing.

"Let's go now," said Steward Li, "lest things get complicated."

Madam Li had been urging him to deal with those women, and it was time to take action.

However, he would also take the opportunity to rescue those who believed in the Holy Church, and have them join the Holy Church immediately so that they could work under its arrangements.

The servants went to fetch the horses, and the master and servant headed straight for the manor outside the city.

After dismounting at the entrance of the manor, Steward Li looked at the servant who came to greet him. This servant was also a member of the sect and had been placed here by him to work.

"What about people?"

The servant said, "It's still in the backyard. I've had someone prepare food with poison in it. Just give the order, and it will be sent to them immediately."

The manager nodded: "Let's go now."

Without delay, the servant led the steward forward. However, when they reached the backyard, the servant suddenly took a step back. The steward, unaware of the oddity, continued forward. But at that moment, a whooshing sound rang out, and an arrow flew straight toward him.