Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 582 Respect the Head
Xie Wenjing thought that after returning to the Xie family, she could become a true official's wife and completely get rid of her identity as a member of the Holy Sect.

From the time she could remember, she followed her mother around, not for sightseeing, but to hide everywhere. The imperial court had been arresting members of the Holy Sect, but then the old leader passed away and her maternal grandfather took over the affairs of the sect. Many former members were dissatisfied, and internal strife broke out.

She witnessed many people being killed when she was only five years old.

Fortunately, her mother protected her with all her might, which allowed her to escape. However, after only a few days of peace, her maternal grandfather passed away, and her mother had to take charge of the situation.

She thought that she was born different from others, and that this was her fate. Later, she heard from her mother that her biological father was a government official, and that she should have lived a life of wealth and comfort. It was all because of her grandfather that they had fallen into such a state.

Once Father has taken complete control of the family, he will definitely find a way to bring the mother and daughter back to the capital.

From that moment on, she had been looking forward to it...

Finally, the day she had been waiting for arrived. Not only did she successfully regain her status as a Xie family lady, but she also became engaged to the Prince of Huai. Once the mourning period was over, she could marry into the royal family.

She no longer interfered in the affairs of the church, leaving everything to Chunxi to arrange. But why did those people keep pressuring her, preventing her from living a peaceful life like an ordinary woman?

Xie Wenjing took a deep breath, her calm expression gradually fading: "Are you sure Wu Qian is still in the city?"

“Yes,” Chunxi said. “Our people are all guarding the city gate, watching people going in and out every day. We haven’t seen Wu Qian go out.”

It was precisely because of this that Chunxi made those speculations earlier.

"Send people out of the city to investigate," Xie Wenjing said. "If it is indeed the Wu family causing trouble, mobilize manpower to kill them."

"Even if the Wu family has sided with the government, they haven't revealed the whole truth yet, otherwise someone would have already come to the Xie family."

Chunxi nodded: "This servant will take care of it immediately."

Chunxi left the house, and Xie Wenjing picked up her needle and thread again, ready to start embroidering her mandarin ducks once more. After entering the Xie family mansion, she pretended to know nothing and was always so obedient in front of Xie Yizhi.

But that's clearly not enough.

Xie Wenjing looked out the window, wondering when her mother would send someone over.

……

Haizhou.

In a small village.

The cellar door was opened, and screams immediately came from inside.

The woman, draped in a cloak, was ushered into the house and sat down in the chair in the center. The people in the house immediately bowed in greeting.

The woman's gaze swept indifferently over the crowd, finally settling on the man in his forties who was closest to her.

The man was rather short, with a dark complexion, and looked no different from a fisherman from the coast. When the woman's gaze fell on him, his expression changed, revealing a cunning and sinister look.

After the others in the room left, the man whispered, "We've found out. Qiao Si received a favor from the Xu family's eldest branch back then... That's probably why they let Xie Shi go."

News came back from Bianjing that the real Xie Erniangzi was still alive, but Qiao Si, who was sent to kill her, had long since died of illness. Qiao Si rarely interacted with others, and Xue Er went to great lengths to find out the truth about this matter.

The woman looked at Xue Er: "Do you have any evidence?"

Xue Er nodded and called out. The door opened again, and two men dragged a woman in.

The woman's belly was swollen high, clearly indicating she was pregnant. Her hands were bloodied and mangled, a result of torture during interrogation.

The woman was thrown to the ground, and she instinctively protected her abdomen, fearing that she might hurt the baby inside.

The woman knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly on the ground: "Your Excellency, spare my life! I truly did not know that Qiao Si had betrayed the Holy Church."

"You don't know?" Xue Er said coldly, "He will entrust his affairs after his death to you?"

“He only told me that he had no relatives and that if I helped with his funeral, he would leave me his house and belongings. If I found out… he had done something to offend the head priest, I would definitely not agree to it…” The woman quickly changed her words, “No, I will immediately report this to the church.”

"Still not behaving yourself."

Xue Er kicked the woman in the shoulder, and she screamed and fell to the ground. Xue Er still felt it wasn't enough, so he stepped on the woman's abdomen and gradually increased the force.

The woman tried to dodge, but she was no match for Xue Er.

"You've already let it slip, and now you're trying to deny it. You and Qiao Si both come from Jiangling Prefecture. How could you not know what he's doing?"

The woman was in unbearable pain and kept wailing.

Xue Er, however, refused to let up and kept increasing his strength.

"Stop!" the woman finally spoke up to stop them.

Xue Er then let the woman go.

The oil lamp illuminated the room, and the woman in the main seat leaned forward, revealing her face in the light. Her eyebrows were relaxed, her eyes were slightly upturned, and her gaze was soft and clear. Although she was over thirty years old, she was still as beautiful as ever.

"Don't make things difficult for her," the woman said again.

“This,” Xue Er frowned, “Your Excellency is so benevolent, how have these people repaid you? If it weren’t for your painstaking efforts, where would they have a place to stay?”

"If the Holy Church falls, how many people will die at the hands of the government troops?" Xue Er looked at the woman with a sinister gaze. "Because Qiao Si has already lost many of his brothers."

The woman trembled with fear, looking at Xue Er in terror, and then pleaded with the woman for mercy: "Your Excellency, spare my life, Your Excellency, spare my life."

The woman nodded: "It was Qiao Si's doing, it has nothing to do with you. I just want to understand the cause and effect. Xie Shi, who was released by Qiao Si, has been openly and secretly opposing us. The arrest of our people in Daming Prefecture should also be related to her. After Xie Shi arrived in Bianjing, she also targeted Ciyun Nunnery..."

"How much of the sect's affairs did Qiao Si reveal to the Xie family? What should we do next? Should I lead everyone to escape to sea again?"

Upon hearing this, the woman shook her head frantically: "No, Qiao Si didn't say anything. He just... couldn't bear it... after all, she is the eldest daughter's daughter."

The woman crawled forward a few steps: "Your Excellency, Madam Xu is also your elder sister, and Madam Xie is your niece. You are all from the Xu family of Jiangling."

"The Xu family is gone, and only this one child is left. She is just a woman and can't cause much trouble."

The woman looked at the older woman: "Do all people from Jiangling think this way?"

The woman nodded subconsciously: "Back then, Master Xie wanted to help the imperial court eradicate the Holy Sect... That was all his fault, and had nothing to do with Madam Xu and the child in her womb."

“Your Excellency should show leniency… Otherwise, have someone bring her back to the Holy Church and tell her the truth of what happened back then. If it weren’t for Master Xie’s betrayal, we wouldn’t have ended up like this. Once she knows the truth, she will definitely not oppose the Holy Church again.”

There is one more chapter

(End of this chapter)