Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 397 Meeting
Sharp weapons were not allowed on the boats, especially those heading to Bianjing, which would be inspected at checkpoints. So the boatmen only had sticks. Since they had no sharp weapons, they had to rely on brute force in the fight, making it especially important to seize the initiative.

The Zhou family was caught off guard by Guo Xiong's sudden and reckless attack. Several boatmen were knocked to the ground by wooden sticks. One boatman instinctively grabbed a stick, but lost his footing and fell into the water.

Seeing this, the Guo family's boatmen were even more motivated, leaving the Zhou family unable to cope and forcing them to dodge in a sorry state.

During this period, although the Guo family's fleet did not retaliate against the fleets that had bullied them, they did not stop training in private. They vented all the anger they had suffered at the hands of the four fleets during their training, and the results were surprisingly good. Not only did their skills with sticks and fists improve, but their teamwork also became more seamless.

The Zhou family steward fled hastily on the boat, finally finding an opportunity after a long while. He stuck his head out and shouted angrily, "You dare to lay a hand on me... You just wait, today I will definitely take you all to the yamen..."

Before the Zhou family steward could finish speaking, he felt a heat on his forehead and was spat on in the face.

Guo Chuan sneered and said, "Your four fleets have been running rampant on the Bian River, bullying other ships together. This time, you even disobeyed the yamen runners."

"I want to see who it is that's walking into the yamen."

The Zhou family steward was so angry that he jumped up and down, not even listening to what Guo Chuan was saying. While wiping his face, he ordered the boatmen: "Grab your weapons and fight back, fight back... kill them."

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a jolt at the stern of the boat, and another Guo family boat crashed into it. The Zhou family steward lost his balance, took a few steps back, and fell onto the boat.

"They tied wooden barrels to the boat."

"No wonder they weren't afraid of crashing."

"This was prepared in advance."

"Ouch..."

Some boatmen started shouting, and then they accidentally fell into a heap.

The boats were rammed one after another, and the Zhou family's boatmen could hardly keep their balance, let alone fight back.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Guo Xiong ordered the boats to surround the two boats belonging to Manager Li: "Don't let them get away."

Xia Ziqiao was also knocked around and was completely disoriented. He was not a good swimmer to begin with, so he had to grab the mast to steady himself.

"How dare these people act so lawlessly?" Xia Ziqiao looked at Xie Chengrang, thinking, "Go up and kill a few to establish our authority, and see who dares to make a move then."

Boatmen dared not carry sharp weapons, but people like Xia Ziqiao and Xie Chengrang naturally did not have to abide by this rule; they always carried short blades with them.

That's what they said, but if they wanted to get closer to Guo Xiong and the others, they would have to go to the side of the boat. Xia Ziqiao was really afraid of falling into the water and couldn't move for a while.

Xie Chengrang looked at the water. Several of the Guo family's boats had not participated in the melee, but instead kept their eyes on Steward Li and his men, as if they would not give up until they caught them.

Manager Li and the others were also puzzled. They never got entangled with the Guo family's fleet. Shouldn't someone like Manager Li be protecting Xia Ziqiao?

“Wulang,” Xie Chengrang said at this moment, “something seems off.”

Xia Ziqiao nodded and said, "The Guo family's fleet was prepared long ago; they came here deliberately to seek revenge."

Xie Chengrang wasn't referring to these things. He wanted to speak again, but it was too late. The Zhou family had never been bullied like this before. The boatmen immediately rammed into the Guo family's boat without any regard for the consequences.

This made the situation even more chaotic, like a pot of porridge, and it quickly spiraled out of control.

"Let's go," Steward Li said, seizing the opportunity, "Let's go around them."

With Manager Li's order, the ships that had been furtively changing direction began to openly turn around and move forward.

Guo Chuan, who had been keeping a close eye on Manager Li and his men, whistled to warn the fleet not to let Manager Li escape. Xie Chengrang grabbed a boatman who had fallen, and snatched the stick from the Guo family boatman with his other hand. Just as he was about to strike the Guo family boatman, he heard Guo Chuan's whistle.

Xie Chengrang had originally planned to capture one of the Guo family boatmen and question him thoroughly, but unexpectedly, another change occurred. He looked in the direction Guo Chuan was pointing and found that Manager Li's two boats were no longer in their original positions, but were rowing westward with all their might.

Manager Li and his associates have problems.

Xie Chengrang did not hesitate any longer and immediately moved towards Xia Ziqiao.

Xia Ziqiao finally managed to get to the side of the boat and took the opportunity to stab the Guo family boatman with a dagger. Just as he was about to press his advantage, Xie Chengrang pulled him back.

"Wulang," Xie Chengrang said, "look at Steward Li and the others, where are they going?"

Reminded by Xie Chengrang, Xia Ziqiao immediately looked up and was taken aback when he saw the two boats sneaking away: "Is that old man scared and trying to avoid us?"

“No,” Xie Chengrang said, “He took advantage of the chaos to escape. Manager Li’s words just now may have been a lie. Now you immediately tell the Zhou family’s fleet to stop and bring Manager Li back for questioning.”

Xia Ziqiao frowned. He didn't think Steward Li would dare to lie to him. He was a servant of the Li family, and he could make Steward Li suffer a lot with just a word... There might be some misunderstanding here.
“Listen to me,” Xie Chengrang said, “Don’t delay any longer.”

Although Xia Ziqiao did not agree with Xie Chengrang, he subconsciously obeyed his orders. Just as he was about to order the boats to move aside, he looked up and saw a person standing on Guo Xiong's boat.

She was a woman wearing a veil.

The words Xia Ziqiao was about to say caught in his throat. He paused for a moment, then pointed and asked, "Then...is it...is it?"

Reminded by Xia Ziqiao, Xie Chengrang also looked closely, various thoughts surfacing in his mind before converging.

That was the Xie family of Daming Prefecture.

The woman who went into hiding after arriving in the capital.

He guessed correctly; the South City Wharf was built by the Xie family, and the Guo brothers were also related to the Xie family.

She finally showed up.

“She’s been hiding furtively from the very beginning,” Xia Ziqiao said, his excitement rising as if he had discovered a huge secret. “Now we’ll reveal her identity.”

Anyway, it was the Guo family's fleet that made the first move, so they weren't afraid once they got to the government office.

Xie Chengrang frowned and hesitated, but Xia Ziqiao had already shouted: "Build a bridge, board the ship, capture everyone on the Guo family's ship, and reward each person captured with five strings of silver."

Upon hearing about the reward, the Zhou family's boatmen's eyes immediately turned red. Some picked up planks, while others grabbed hooks, and they tried to forcibly board the Guo family's boat.

Seeing this, Xie Chengrang's heart sank. It was all over.

The only chance to control the situation is now gone.

Thinking of this, he looked at the woman on the boat again. It seemed as if the woman was looking at him through a veil. Xie Chengrang could not see her expression, but he could feel the contempt she was showing.

She seemed to have deliberately come out at this moment to lure them into a trap.

What she was seeing now was exactly the result she wanted.

Xie Chengrang had always wanted to meet the Xie family, but he never expected to encounter them at this time.

A gentle breeze blew through the light veil above her head, revealing her chin and slightly upturned lips. Xie Chengrang wanted to see her clearly, but at that moment, the veil covered her face again.