Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 497 Cooperation
Sun Changchun looked up in surprise at the soldier wielding the sword.

The soldiers were also watching him, and when their eyes met, they both looked away slightly.

The soldier sheathed his sword, grabbed Sun Changchun's shoulder, and pulled him up. Before Sun Changchun could react, the soldier took a few steps back and disappeared into the crowd.

How is this going?

Just as Sun Changchun was feeling bewildered, another person stumbled out of the melee—it was Cui Shiwu.

Sun Changchun rushed forward to check on the situation and saw that Cui Shiwu's clothes were disheveled and there were bruises on his face and arms, but fortunately they were all superficial injuries.

“They…” Cui Shiwu pointed to the soldiers, “They didn’t kill us, and they didn’t arrest me…”

He didn't say anything more, but he grabbed Sun Changchun and looked at the prayer flag on his right arm with bright eyes: "This really works."

He witnessed Liu Yigui's men being captured, and some were even slashed by blades. He had just been surrounded by government troops, and if they hadn't shown mercy, he would have been seriously injured or killed.

The only difference between them and Liu Yigui's men was that they had prayer flags tied to their right arms.

They are now talking together, and no soldiers are coming forward, not because the soldiers have forgotten them, but because they have prayer flags.

In fact, the people who were supposed to meet them had already arrived—these were the soldiers—but they didn't know it.

That makes sense. If they knew in advance, they would inevitably make their behavior more obvious, and perhaps Liu Yigui's men would notice.

"What should we do?" Cui Shiwu whispered.

To be honest, he used to have to risk his life all the time, but now that someone is suddenly helping him, he's a little overwhelmed and doesn't know what to do.

Why would they go after those soldiers? They're not even being killed anymore, so why would they use sticks to beat people up?

Sun Changchun felt much more at ease, knowing that as long as his brothers' prayer flags weren't lost, everything would be alright.

However, he immediately became worried about Zhao Zhongliang, wondering what the situation was like on Zhao Zhongliang's side.
Sun Changchun pulled Cui Shiwu aside: "We need to find a different way to do the work."

Cui Shiwu asked, "How do we do it?"

Sun Changchun pursed his dry lips and lowered his voice: "Let's lead Liu Yigui's men over and hand them over to the government troops. There are quite a few people who came with us, so since they're here, let's not let them escape."

"But this must be done secretly, so they don't find out."

Cui Shiwu's eyes lit up: "I'll go find our brothers, let's do it."

Sun Changchun grabbed Cui Shiwu and said, "There are still... pick a few more people, you'll have to 'escape' in a bit."

They could choose a few guards from those sent by Liu Yigui to escape with them, ostensibly to send a message out, but actually to help Zhao Zhongliang.

Once Sun Changchun understood the situation, he was able to cooperate with the officers and soldiers to make the next steps.

……

On the Bian River, a little further away, two boats belonging to the Buddhist Registry had not yet reached the shore, but instead turned back.

The nuns stood at the bow of the boat searching for the lotus-shaped Dharma boat they had released, because when Abbess Jingyuan released the boat, she had accidentally left a string of Buddhist prayer beads on it.

The monk looked at the small boat of Abbess Jingyuan and wanted to say something several times, but he kept his mouth shut. If he had known that this would happen, he would never have agreed to come tonight.

Those prayer beads were no ordinary items; they were a gift from the Empress Dowager. Losing them would inevitably lead to blame. Although it had nothing to do with him, the abbot, it was still not good to be associated with such things.

Besides, he came here at night with a group of nuns. Even if they weren't on the same boat, people would still gossip if word got out.

Those people must have said he was after the money.

Who would help without expecting a small reward? Perhaps it was because they couldn't discern directions while sailing at night, and after traveling for a long time, they hadn't even seen a single river lantern.

"Did we go the wrong way?" the monk asked. "I don't remember it being this far!"

The monk rowing the boat said, "We... all follow the boat from Ciyun Temple."

The monk frowned, and was about to have someone call out to the boats ahead when he saw a fire on the water not far away.

"What... is that?" The monk pointed. He wasn't so old and blind that he would mistake the fire for the river lanterns they had released, but how could the river be on fire?

The boat ahead stopped, and then Abbess Jingyuan's voice came: "Abbot, there may have been an accident ahead. Let's go and take a look quickly, in case someone needs help... Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda."

As she spoke, Abbess Jingyuan chanted another Buddhist prayer: "Amitabha."

Before the abbot could speak, the boat carrying Abbess Jingyuan sped up and approached.

The monk regretted it even more; he should have refused to go with Abbess Jingyuan when she said she wanted to come back to find the prayer beads. But instead of finding the prayer beads, he encountered another problem.

"Follow them." Even if someone tries to pull him away now, he can't leave. If he sees someone in trouble and doesn't help, it will be far more terrible if word gets out that he's greedy for money.

As they drew closer to the flames, the sounds of fighting grew louder. The monk finally saw clearly that what was burning on the river were two boats.

They've encountered something really serious.

Upon catching up with Abbess Jingyuan, the monk immediately said, "Amitabha, Abbess Jingyuan... what lies ahead is likely a struggle, far beyond our ability to handle. We should leave quickly and deliver the message to the government office after we reach the shore."

Although the abbot is selected from among the monks, he is also an official of the imperial court and is subject to the court's constraints. It is inevitable that he will be influenced by worldly affairs, which is something everyone knows.

It is precisely because of this that the monks are extra careful about their behavior in front of others, for fear of being criticized by other monks. So even though they can make decisions on their own, they still have to discuss them with Abbess Jingyuan.

Master Jingyuan frowned: "It seems someone has fallen into the water."

The monk blurted out, "They're probably some bad people."

“If they are bad people, we shouldn’t just leave like this,” said Abbess Jingyuan. “There are boatmen nearby, we should go and inform them.”

The monk blinked. Why hadn't he noticed how kind-hearted Abbess Jingyuan was before? What was wrong with her tonight?
"Boatman?"

Master Jingyuan nodded and said, "The abbot doesn't come out often, so he may not know that many people rely on the Bian River for their livelihood. They even build sheds at the stern of the boats to rest in, and before dawn, they sell some groceries on the river."

“Many of these people are refugees without household registration, which is really difficult for them. We’re informing them so they can avoid us.”

The monk still felt that this matter might not necessarily affect those people.

It was clear that Abbess Jingyuan had already made up her mind.

“We’ll go there now. If the abbot has important business to attend to, he may leave first.”

The monk paused, realizing that Abbess Jingyuan's words were not a discussion, but a threat.

He wanted to say something more, but Abbess Jingyuan had already turned and walked into the cabin.

The abbot's face darkened, and he could only order, "Follow Abbess Jingyuan's boat in a little while!"

……

Inside the cabin, Abbess Jingyuan looked at Xie Yuyan: "With this arrangement, is there any chance that any of them can escape?"

Xie Yuyan had such thoughts, which is why he asked the Buddhist Registry and Abbess Jingyuan to persuade the boatmen living on the Bian River to help.

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