Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 489 Method
Once night falls and the water is calm, they will leave by boat.

Xia Ziqiao asked, "Is there anyone else coming along?"

Ge Ying knew that Xia Ziqiao was asking about the Xia family. He sighed and shook his head: "Someone will go to meet Dalang, but the Xia family... no one can get out except you."

Xia Ziqiao's spirits immediately plummeted.

Ge Ying said, "My uncle and aunt were being watched and couldn't get away, but my second aunt... was sent to the Xie family."

Xia Ziqiao immediately looked up: "Can this news be reliable?"

Ge Ying nodded: "The information was obtained by the people who helped us leave. This was something my uncle had arranged long ago."

“If the Xie family acknowledges the marriage agreement with Second Sister, then Second Sister won’t be implicated,” Xia Ziqiao said confidently. “Second Brother will definitely help her.”

The siblings have all escaped, but what will happen to their father and mother? I wonder how the court will punish them.

Ge Ying saw through Xia Ziqiao's thoughts: "At this critical moment, we can only leave first and then have someone inquire about the situation. The person who was supposed to meet us said that if there is an opportunity later, they will definitely try to rescue Uncle and Aunt."

Xia Ziqiao finally remembered to ask, "Who were the people who were meeting us?"

Ge Ying said, "It's a merchant that my uncle knows. That merchant owns many large ships and frequently travels at sea. This must be an escape route that my uncle had planned long ago."

Thinking of his father, Xia Ziqiao couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

It seems they'll have to rely on those merchants to make a living from now on.

“Later, the merchant’s ship will come to pick us up,” Ge Ying said. “Then you can go see the merchant and ask him what we should do next.”

Xia Ziqiao nodded, then looked around: "To leave smoothly by water, we still need to get through another checkpoint, have you taken care of that too?"

Ge Ying nodded again.

Xia Ziqiao should have felt more at ease, but faced with the huge changes in his family, he really couldn't relax.

This was originally a scheme targeting Wang Yan and the Xie family, but he didn't know where things went wrong to end up like this. However, he vowed that if he could leave safely, he would find a way to return and avenge himself.

As Xia Ziqiao was thinking, he suddenly felt the boat move and turn in a different direction.

Birds chirping could be heard outside.

Xia Ziqiao knew this was a code. When he hid here, the boatman had told him that there were people guarding the area, and any movement on the water would be reported.

Xia Ziqiao, who had just been full of ambition, was now terrified and turned pale. Fortunately, the boat slowly came to a stop after traveling for a while.

The boatman checked the situation and came over, saying, "A small boat passed by. Our men have checked and found that everything is fine. You two gentlemen can rest assured."

Xia Ziqiao took a deep breath and complained, "Can't we leave now? What are we waiting for?"

The boatman patiently replied, "The imperial court has sent men to arrest the young master. There are guards at every checkpoint. We have to wait until the officials have checked us before we can set off. Otherwise, if we alert the patrol officers, we won't be able to escape."

Xia Ziqiao frowned and said, "I understand. Go and keep an eye on it!"

The boatman then bowed and left.

Ge Ying advised Xia Ziqiao: "At this critical moment, it's right to be cautious. We also need to take some families of porcelain merchants with us, so we need to be extra careful with more people."

Xia Ziqiao had no idea that there was a Fang family member. He only understood after hearing Ge Ying's explanation that they needed Fang Min to take the blame and protect Han Si. The people in the porcelain business would also secretly do things for them.

After their conversation, the two ate something and rested in the cabin, unaware that the Fang and Han families had already reached the East City Wharf. ...

Xie Yuyan, Zhou Guangyuan, and Jiang Qi also arrived in Dongcheng and settled in a courtyard of the Jiang family.

Yang Xiaoshan said, "We can confirm that they will travel by water, heading south along the Bian River. The Fang and Han families chased them to the East City Wharf and secretly sent out boats to scout the situation, but... they didn't dare to pursue them too closely."

“We also tried to figure out where they were. Their boats were too nimble on the water. Before we could get close, they rowed away. If we chased after them, it would be too obvious and would definitely alert them.”

Xie Yuyan said, "Boats can move around at any time on the water, so knowing that alone is useless."

Zhou Guangyuan thought for a moment: "There is only one checkpoint after leaving Bianshui. Can we inform the imperial court about this? That way, the court can deploy troops there in advance and arrest people as soon as they pass through."

Jiang Qi also thought this was the best approach. Since they had located those people, they could simply hand the matter over to the authorities.

“That depends on whether you want a living person or a dead person,” Xie Yuyan said. “Whether you can properly obtain the evidence that Zhao Zhongliang found.”

Zhou Guangyuan's gaze turned somber again: "Madam is right. If it were that easy, Zhao Zhongliang would only need to send out the message. Why would he need to stay by those people's side?"

Xie Yuyan said, "Their boats are scattered on the Bian River, so they can pass through the checkpoints separately. Even if they make a move, they need to find the right opportunity to capture the most important people."

Xie Yuyan was not inclined to arrest Xia Ziqiao, as Xia Ziqiao might not know much, and arresting him might not be of much use.

Zhou Guangyuan looked at Xie Yuyan: "What does Madam mean..."

Xie Yuyan said, "It would be best if we could meet with Zhao Zhongliang. Even if we can't speak to him, we should at least try to let him know that we can cooperate with him."

Zhou Guangyuan nodded subconsciously, but soon his brows furrowed: "We can't get close to those ships, so how are we going to find Zhao Zhongliang? If we can't find a good excuse, those people will still become suspicious."

Xie Yuyan lowered her eyes in thought. Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind. She looked out the window and saw that there should still be time. With that thought, she stood up.

Zhou Guangyuan, unaware of the situation, hurriedly asked, "Madam, what are you going to do...?"

Xie Yuyan said, "You all stay here and keep watch. I'm going to Ciyun Nunnery."

What was he supposed to do at the nunnery at this time? Jiang Qi's mind was a complete mess, and he couldn't sort out his thoughts at all.

Xie Yuyan didn't want to explain, and simply said, "I'll be back before dark."

In order to save time, Xie Yuyan did not take a carriage, but rode a horse with Su Man directly to the nunnery.

Just as the novice nuns of Ciyun Nunnery were about to close the temple, they saw Xie Yuyan approaching from afar and immediately went to greet her.

Because of the dyeing workshop, Madam Xie frequently visited the nunnery, and they were quite familiar with each other. So, they naturally performed the Buddhist greeting: "Good sir, have you come at this time because of an urgent matter?"

Xie Yuyan asked, "Is Abbess Jingyuan here?"

Abbot Jingyuan rarely sees outsiders, except for Madam Xie. The novice nun said, "She's in her meditation room in the temple."

The novice nun went ahead to inform the master, and when Xie Yuyan arrived at Master Jingyuan's room, Master Jingyuan was already waiting at the door.

Master Jingyuan had long anticipated that Xie Yuyan would be busy at such a time, but she never expected that Xie Yuyan would come looking for her.

The two sat down, and Abbess Jingyuan raised her eyes: "Sir Xie, you didn't come here for the dyeing workshop, did you?"

Xie Yuyan didn't hide anything: "I've come to ask the nun for help."

Abbess Jingyuan raised her eyebrows slightly. She remembered that she had just finished helping Benefactor Xie. What? Benefactor Xie had more instructions than the Empress Dowager?