Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 579 Trust
Wu Qian stared blankly ahead, and saw a person staggering out from the crowd, his body stained with blood and his face full of fear. When the refugees saw this, they cried out and scattered.

Yang Kuan's other brother, Qi Yong, lunged at the man again, shouting, "You stole my money and tricked my sister away, today I will kill you..." He then swung his knife down again.

Wu Qian was pulled along, and Wang Wu urged, "Quickly hide, the patrolmen are coming."

Wu Qian stumbled and ran to a corner. In his last moments, he saw the patrolmen come forward and take Qi Yong and the other man away together.

Long afterward, Wu Qian was still in shock. He never imagined that Yang Kuan's brother would kill someone in full view of everyone in order to protect him.

Once the blood on the ground was covered up and the courtyard returned to silence, Wang Wu sat down next to Wu Qian again.

Wu Qian asked in a trembling voice, "What about Qi Yong?"

“He’s been taken to the yamen,” Wang Wu said. “You can rest assured, that man won’t survive. Only by making him shut up completely can we prevent the news of finding you from spreading.”

Wu Qian couldn't calm down: "Why...you..."

“If it weren’t for Yang Kuan,” Wang Wu said, “we would have died long ago. Since he promised to protect you, we have to keep his word. Otherwise, who in Bianjing will listen to Yang Kuan in the future?”

Wu Qian remained silent for a long time. On a day when he was desperate, he was fortunate to meet Yang Kuan and his friends. This was the greatest luck he had ever had in his life.

“Sneak out the message,” Wu Qian said, “and have Qi Yong confess that… that person was a member of the Holy… Demon Cult, and that he was lured into the cult and killed members of the Demon Cult. At least he won’t be sentenced to death.”

Wang Wu's eyes lit up, but then he frowned: "It's no use, the government will check."

“Then let them investigate,” Wu Qian grasped Wang Wu’s hand. “They really are members of the sorcerer cult, and I have evidence. Have Qi Yong say that the man took him to Suojia Village outside the North City. Sorcerers often gather in Suojia Village, so as long as the government searches Suojia Village, they will find something.”

The people of Suojia Village work for Guan Fenglin, and the imperial court can use this to deduce Guan Fenglin's identity as a member of a heretical sect. Qi Yong providing such a clue will surely save his life.

Wang Wu suddenly reached out and patted Wu Qian: "Yang Kuan didn't misjudge you. It wasn't for nothing that we risked our lives for you."

Wu Qian wanted to give Wang Wu a smile, but he couldn't at this moment: "If I can get away this time, I will definitely protect you all."

Wang Wu pulled over one of his brothers: "You stay here and keep watch, I'll go out and find out some information."

After taking a few steps outside, Wang Wu turned back and instructed Wu Qian: "Do whatever they tell you to do, hide some things, and be sure to wait for me to come back."

Wu Qian nodded, looking at the brothers Yang Kuan had left behind. He had to protect these men until Yang Kuan returned.

……

Xie Yuyan sat in the carriage, watching the patrolmen escort the people to the county government office.

"Let's go."

Xie Yuyan gave the order, and the carriage immediately set off.

Mother Yu said in a low voice, "This time there should be some movement, right?"

Xie Yuyan nodded: "However... the Privy Councilor is not so easy to deal with."

Xie Yizhi climbed to the position of Privy Councilor step by step through his political achievements and merits. After quelling the rebellion in Shaozhou, he served as the prefect of Fuzhou, dealt with pirates, and strengthened coastal defenses. Later, he was appointed as the Transport Commissioner of Fujian Circuit before finally entering the Privy Council.

Like Prime Minister Wang, Xie Yizhi had accumulated considerable connections within the court, making it virtually impossible to deal with him in the same way as Xia Mengxian. Therefore, it was necessary to expose him to attacks from both sides and force him to reveal more of his weaknesses.

The carriage hadn't gone far when cries of injustice came from outside.

"My lord, that man is a member of a cult. He deceived Qi Yong, which is why Qi Yong tried to kill him. My lord, please see the truth."

The shouts gradually faded into the distance.

Xie Yuyan said, "It seems we need to go to the government office."

Mother Yu reminded her, "There are still quite a few merchants in the porcelain shop who want to discuss the sale of the coal kiln with Madam."

Xie Yuyan nodded: "Then I'll send someone to inform them. The matter of the Demonic Cult is no small matter, and I really can't get away." Mama Yu said: "You're not planning to meet those people before opening the kiln?"

Xie Yuyan nodded.

Before that, whenever someone from the porcelain shop came to inquire, Yu's mother would just make up an excuse to brush them off.

……

In the teahouse outside the porcelain shop.

Xie Chengxin looked outside and said, "Madam Xie didn't come."

Prince Huai sighed, "It seems that making money is not so simple."

"Could it be," Xie Chengxin said, "that Madam Xie knows that some of those merchants are your people?"

The Prince of Huai laughed: "What merit or ability do I possess to warrant Xie Xinglao avoiding me like this?"

Xie Chengxin frowned. No matter how he listened, he felt that the words of the Prince of Huai were a bit too intimate. Shouldn't a prince not be so focused on the trade of porcelain?

“Your Highness,” Xie Chengxin cleared his throat, remembering his father’s instructions, “Are you…”

Before he could finish speaking, a guard from the Prince of Huai County quickly approached and whispered, "Master Xie will not be coming to the porcelain shop today."

A look of surprise appeared on the face of the Prince of Huai.

The guard continued, "Among the refugees housed by the porcelain shop, some have committed murder..."

Xie Chengxin immediately tensed up.

The Prince of Huai asked, "Another assassin has attempted to kill Xie Xinglao?"

The word "assassin" made Xie Chengxin tense again, and he couldn't help but think of his grandfather.

“They were members of the Demon Cult,” the guard said. “A refugee accidentally killed a member of the Demon Cult.”

"Are there still members of the Demon Cult in Bianjing?" Prince Huai asked. "We've already wiped them out several times, but I didn't expect there would still be lingering trouble."

After the guards left, Prince Huai looked at Xie Chengxin and asked, "Does Young Master Xie know about the heretical sect?"

Xie Chengxin was suddenly called out, and he couldn't help but shudder. It took him a while to come back to his senses: "The demonic sect that the Prince is talking about is Manichaeism?"

The Prince of Huai nodded: "Those heretics, under the guise of eliminating evil, cause chaos everywhere, killing people, selling women, and doing all sorts of things. These people are ruthless and vicious. After killing people, they frame others. Many people are bewitched by them and used by them."

Have you heard of the case of the scholar from Chaozhou who murdered his entire family?

Xie Chengxin shook his head subconsciously.

The Prince of Huai said, "That scholar was bewitched by a sorceress and killed more than twenty members of his family, claiming they were all vengeful ghosts."

"The scholar's family was quite wealthy, but because his father opposed the demonic sect, they retaliated against him in this way."

Xie Chengxin seemed intrigued by the case. He looked at the Prince of Huai and asked, "Is there anything special about the sorcerers? I mean, how can we identify them?"

Prince Huai picked up his tea: "These people claim to drive out darkness and bring light, preach their doctrines to the people, and slaughter those who are unwilling to join Manichaeism, some even killing their entire families."

"Hundreds or even thousands of innocent people were killed. The first time the imperial court dealt with Manichaeism was because they gathered a crowd to rebel. At that time, many of the Manichaeans were wiped out, but the Manichaeism was quickly revived."

"In short, these people are ruthless. They will do whatever they want to achieve their goals. But these people who kill without blinking an eye are vegetarians all year round."

(End of this chapter)