Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 398 They are all heretics

Xie Yuyan met Xie Chengrang again.

Unlike the fleeting glance in the carriage, this time it was a long, uninterrupted eye contact through the veil.

She hadn't originally planned to come out, but after seeing Xie Chengrang, she changed her mind.

Knowing Xie Chengrang as she did, she knew that his presence on the Bian River was no coincidence. He was suspicious of the South City Wharf and the Guo family's fleet.

Since that's the case, she stepped out and stood there, like bait, firmly hooking them and preventing them from leaving.

Seeing the Zhou family boatmen boarding the Guo family's boats like madmen, Xie Yuyan slightly curved her lips, and then she looked into the distance.

On the water, several boats were coming this way. Although they were too far apart to see clearly, Xie Yuyan knew that they should be government boats.

Xu Huaiyi is always reliable and trustworthy.

Not only will Manager Li and his Manichean followers be unable to escape, but the Zhou family's fleet and Xie Chengrang and others will also have to go to jail. If they have any connection with Manichaeism, they will have to worry about whether Xu Huaiyi will find any evidence against them.

Xie Yuyan looked at Guo Chuan, who whistled again, signaling the Guo family boatmen to retreat back to their own boats.

From now on, we need to adopt a defensive stance.

So that the honest and impartial Magistrate Xu can redress their grievances and give them justice.

……

The Zhou family's boatmen were completely enraged. Almost half of them climbed onto the Guo family's boats, and some even threw the goods that the Guo family had piled up on the boats into the water.

The contents of the wooden crates were unknown. After falling into the water, they sank immediately. Some crates sank more slowly, leaving a muddy trail around them.

But at this moment, no one cares about these things.

Xia Ziqiao kept a close eye on Xie Yuyan, fearing she might escape. When he saw her being escorted towards the cabin, a frivolous smile appeared on Xia Ziqiao's face.

"Goro, a boat is coming."

Xie Chengrang's deep voice rang out again.

Xia Ziqiao snapped back to reality. Xie Chengrang had been rather noisy today, spoiling his mood several times. Thinking this, he turned his head impatiently, only to find his gaze immediately fixed on something.

“That’s…” Xia Ziqiao said, “an official ship?”

When the ship got close enough, Xie Chengrang and Xia Ziqiao not only saw the large Liang flag hanging there, but also spotted Xu Huaiyi standing at the bow of the ship, dressed in official robes.

Xu Huaiyi's face was solemn. With a wave of his hand, he ordered several official boats to surround him from three sides.

Even after seeing the government officials, the Zhou family steward and boatmen were not afraid. It was the Guo family boatmen who had attacked first, and besides, the young master of Minister Xia's family was on their boat, which was their greatest advantage.

Compared to the Zhou family's boatmen, Manager Li and his men were unusually flustered. They chased and fought with the Guo family's boats several times, but were unable to leave.

Manager Li gritted his teeth and jumped into the water. The icy river was freezing cold, but Manager Li didn't care about that. He had no choice but to fight to survive.

Seeing this, the followers followed suit, but some were not good swimmers and soon their legs twitched from the cold, and their bodies sank down.

Manager Li struggled to swim, and just when he thought he had a chance to escape, his leg was suddenly grabbed. In shock, Manager Li tried to break free, but the man was extremely strong, and one of his hands was digging into his flesh. No matter what he did, he could not break free.

As Manager Li's struggles weakened, Guo Xiong pulled him towards himself, then wrapped one arm tightly around Manager Li's neck and swam towards the river.

……

"They jumped into the water," the head constable beside Xu Huaiyi reminded him.

Xu Huaiyi frowned. They were still some distance from the two boats and couldn't immediately jump into the water to catch up. Fortunately, he saw that the Guo family's boatmen had also gone into the water.

"Hurry up and go help." At Xu Huaiyi's command, the two official boats immediately moved closer.

"My lord, my lord," the Zhou family steward said anxiously upon seeing the official ship, "the Guo family's ships blocked our fleet and even attacked our boatmen first."

“Look, many of our boatmen have been injured because of this.”

“And another thing,” the steward pointed in the direction of Steward Li, “that they actually forced our people to jump off the boat. If we allow these vicious criminals to commit evil deeds on the Bian River, it will surely cause disaster in the long run. We beg you, sir, to do us justice.”

After saying this, the steward revealed a fawning smile: "Young Master Xia and Young Master Xie are also here; they can testify for us."

Xu Huaiyi looked at Xia Ziqiao and Xie Chengrang on the boat with a stern face.

Just as Xia Ziqiao was about to speak, Xu Huaiyi looked away, clearly not giving him the chance.

Xia Ziqiao frowned. He knew Xu Huaiyi. Although he was his father's subordinate, he was arrogant and dull. He wanted to give him some face today, but Xu Huaiyi was ungrateful.

Xu Huaiyi pointed in the direction of Steward Li: "Those two boats are yours too?"

Manager Zhou nodded: "That's the Zheng family's boat, but our four families help each other on the Bian River. Although we are not of the same surname, we are more like one family."

Xu Huaiyi then asked, "Who are the people on the boat?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Chengrang glanced at Xia Ziqiao, who immediately understood that Steward Li had dealings with the He family. If Steward Li's identity were revealed, it would inevitably bring trouble to both the Li and Xia families.

Unfortunately, it was too late for Xia Ziqiao to stop them. Steward Zhou blurted out, "Those are the stewards from Minister Xia's wife's family. They're going to Jingxi on the Zheng family's boat." He was eager to get more people on their side, hoping to increase their chances of winning.

Even if the Xia family doesn't care about them, they should at least care about their own in-laws, right?

Xu Huaiyi continued, "Are you sure?"

“I’m sure,” said the Zhou family steward. “We were just talking together a moment ago. Poor Steward Li was pulled off the boat by the Guo family. The water is so cold… and there’s still no sign of him… It’s driving us crazy with worry.”

Xu Huaiyi went to see Xia Ziqiao again: "Is everything he said true?"

Xia Ziqiao was seething with anger, so he said indifferently, "It's true."

Xie Chengrang, who was standing nearby, interrupted Xia Ziqiao at this moment: "This matter is still..."

Unexpectedly, Xu Huaiyi didn't wait for him to finish speaking before ordering the constables, "Take him away."

The constables readily agreed. As for who to arrest, since the head constable already knew, they simply had to follow orders.

The head constable pointed at the Zhou family steward and the others: "Take them all away."

Upon seeing this, the Zhou family steward's smile froze on his face. He thought he had made a mistake until the constables boarded the boat and began to tie up the Zhou family boatmen with ropes. Only then did he open his mouth in astonishment.

"What are you doing... Waaah..." The Zhou family steward's mouth was gagged, and he was thrown to the ground.

Xia Ziqiao was immediately jolted, instinctively straightening his back and looking at Xu Huaiyi with a sharp glint in his eyes: "Why are you arresting them? What are you going to do?"

Xu Huaiyi ignored Xia Ziqiao and simply ordered, "Also, take the young masters from the Xie and Xia families to the yamen for interrogation."

"Xu Huaiyi," Xia Ziqiao said sternly, "as an official appointed by the imperial court, how can you arrest people at will?"

Xu Huaiyi said, "We have captured escaped members of the demonic cult. I have evidence in hand. If Young Master Xia has any objections, we can take this to court."