Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 393 Arrest
Manager Li dared not linger any longer; when the government officials arrived, he had no choice but to flee for his life.

He dared to deal with these nuns in the manor because he knew they wouldn't dare reveal the secrets of the Holy Church. As long as the government didn't know, he could gain the upper hand with his superior numbers.

But once he causes a major incident, he becomes nothing.

Even as he fled, Steward Li did not forget to gather his men, so that if the authorities caught up with him, someone would be needed to protect him.

The followers around Manager Li were also caught off guard and panicked. As he ran, he asked, "Manager, what do we do now?"

Manager Li's face was tense, but he remembered to reassure everyone, saying, "They haven't seen our faces and don't know our identities yet. As long as we can get away now... by the time the court finds out everything, we will have already found a place to hide."

"Don't worry, I've left some money outside, enough for us."

"We ended up like this because we were eliminating traitors for the Holy Church. When we return to the Holy Church and meet the Head, I will speak up for everyone."

These words immediately boosted everyone's spirits.

"Where shall we go?" the attendant asked. "There are horses on the estate; we should have brought them out..."

Manager Li glanced at his attendant: "I have a faster way to leave."

"Now, let's go to the dock."

Although the He family was taken down, the relationship on the Bian River was not severed because of the Xia and Li families. He had already asked the Zheng family to leave boats in advance, just in case something went wrong.

So that's why he was able to flee westward immediately after discovering the constables. Trying to catch him? Not so easy.

Manager Li turned around and shouted, "As long as you can all keep up, I can get you all out of here."

……

When Xu Huaiyi discovered that someone had escaped from the manor, he immediately ordered several constables to give chase. He finally understood why the secret letter had instructed him to bring more men.

Encircling the village was already a struggle, and now they also have to hunt down those who escaped...

It was impossible to spare enough manpower to arrest the suspect, so Xu Huaiyi had no choice but to send three men to follow along, leaving marks along the way to await reinforcements.

One by one, the women were led out by the constables.

Seeing the women's miserable state, Xu Huaiyi frowned. How much torture must they have endured to end up like this? When he saw that several women's hands and feet were bound, he immediately looked at the head constable: "Why are you doing this?"

The head constable, having no other choice, recounted what had happened in the cellar.

“These women are like madmen. No matter what we say, they won’t listen. We have no choice but to deal with it this way for now. If it weren’t for them… the people inside wouldn’t have been able to escape.”

The women were trembling, muttering incantations, and Xu Huaiyi listened carefully.

The woman said haltingly, "The law is... equal... without high or low... the law is... equal, without high or low..."

Xu Huaiyi's expression immediately turned solemn: "It's the Demonic Cult."

He originally came looking for clues about kidnappers, but unexpectedly discovered a demonic cult. Finding even the slightest clue was incredibly difficult before, but now it felt like he'd stirred up a hornet's nest.

If he can't arrest everyone and get a result from the interrogation, then he won't need to stay in the Ministry of Justice.

Xu Huaiyi immediately said, "Go to the nearby villages and find the village head, and call upon the village servants to help us capture the people." No one else in this village can escape.

The constable immediately went to make the arrangements.

Xu Huaiyi stared at the raging fire on the estate, his eyes filled with doubt. Who was the person who wrote that secret letter? How did they know all this?
...Inside Bianjing City, the Xia family.

Xia Ziqiao had drunk a few too many drinks at the banquet last night and was helped back to the Xia family home.

He vomited several times during the night, keeping the servants in his room very busy, and he didn't finally fall asleep until the very end of the fourth watch.

The housekeeper specifically instructed everyone not to disturb Fifth Prince, so that he could get enough sleep before getting up.

Madam Li instructed the kitchen to prepare and keep the food warm; she doted on her youngest son. Going out to banquets was also a way to cultivate relationships and do favors for the family.

Unfortunately, Xia Wulang's sweet dream was still disturbed.

Xie Chengrang arrived early and waited in the study. Xia Ziqiao dawdled as she washed and dressed before meeting him.

"Why are you up so early, Erlang?" Xia Ziqiao yawned and sat down in a chair, instructing his maid to rub his head. "I should have asked you to go with me last night. Those scholars can all drink a lot, and they were really hard to deal with. However, among them, four people should be able to participate in the palace examination. They have secured positions in the court, so we will have more manpower to use in the future."

"I need to think carefully about which two to cultivate first, since we don't have enough money."

The money spent to pave the way for officials' career advancement is considerable; supporting four people at once would inevitably strain the finances.

Thinking of this, Xia Ziqiao said, "We must take over that perfume shop. We should get involved in any business that makes money."

Xie Chengrang finally found a suitable opportunity to speak: "I came here for the perfume business."

Xia Ziqiao raised his eyebrows slightly, a smile appearing on his face: "What? You went to take a bath too? And you feel better too? That's really rare. When have you, Xie Erlang, ever been so concerned about a deal?"

As he continued, Xia Ziqiao noticed Xie Chengrang's solemn expression, and he couldn't help but suppress his smile: "What exactly happened?"

Xie Chengrang looked at the servants in the room.

Xia Ziqiao waved the person away and then sat up straight.

Xie Chengrang then asked, "Do you know who owns the perfume shop?"

Xia Ziqiao was about to speak.

Xie Chengrang spoke first: "It might not be the Duan family."

Xia Ziqiao frowned upon hearing this: "Who is that?"

Xie Chengrang said, "I guess it's the Xie family from Daming Prefecture."

Xia Ziqiao was stunned for a moment before he finally asked, "Did Erlang see Xie Shi? Or did he find out something?"

Xie Chengrang shook his head: "I haven't found any trace of the Xie family, but I know that it's unlikely that the Duan family would cause such a big commotion in Bianjing." As he spoke, he handed the letter in his hand to Xia Ziqiao.

Despite his headache, Xia Ziqiao focused on reading the text. He wasn't stupid; he gradually pieced together some clues from between the lines.

Xie Chengrang said, "Knowing how to use coal and being good at business, yet hiding in front of others, who could it be?"

Xia Ziqiao slammed the note on the table: "You're worried that the business outside Yunqi Temple was led to us by the Xie family?"

“It’s not impossible,” Xie Chengrang said. “Judging from the cases in Daming Prefecture, the Xie family is cunning and unlikely to suffer a loss.”

Xia Ziqiao thought it over carefully, and he really couldn't imagine how Xie could have deceived him.

All he did was secretly help them acquire the land of Yunqi Temple, allowing those people to build shops there.