Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 584 Trap
After Zhang Sanlang finished speaking, his arm trembled slightly, as if he had used up all his strength.

With a pained expression, Master Zhang helped his son onto the carriage.

“Father,” Zhang Sanlang said, “Let’s go out of the city now, follow Madam Xie’s carriage, and go see those coal kilns.”

Master Zhang sighed, "Why are you doing this? Even if we get there, they won't let us in. How can your body withstand such a journey?"

Zhang Sanlang shook his head firmly: "We absolutely have to go. Even if it's just to look around from the outside, it's still building momentum for Madam Xie." As long as the Zhang family is of use, Madam Xie can use them.

The arrogance and resentment that Zhang Sanlang had previously displayed have now completely vanished.

Mr. Zhang could not dissuade his son, so he had no choice but to instruct his own coachman to proceed.

……

Xie Yuyan led the merchants and kiln owners out of the city, followed by a group of craftsmen and laborers.

Wu Qian was among them.

At this moment, he was extremely excited, his eyes constantly darting towards the city gate. Having been imprisoned in Bianjing for so long, he was finally about to leave.

As Wu Qian was thinking, Wang Wu stepped forward and blocked Wu Qian's view.

"What?" Wu Qian asked in a low voice.

Wang Wu said, "There are government spies around."

Upon hearing this, Wu Qian's earlier excitement vanished instantly, replaced by an invisible fear. He didn't want to lose everything at this crucial moment.

In Madam Xie's courtyard, Wang Wu tried to take her away several times, but at crucial moments, he would either run into patrolmen or find members of the Holy Church around.

So much so that he becomes afraid whenever he thinks about "escaping".

It's like you'll get hit if you just reach out.

Wu Qian even felt that things were good as they were. If the court would not arrest him again and no cultists would come to assassinate him, he would rather work as a laborer under Madam Xie and earn money diligently with his own hands.

Wu Qian hung her head as if she had done something wrong.

"Don't look to the left," Wang Wu said, "there's someone there."

Wu Qiancai, who was about to raise his head, lowered it again and even timidly moved closer to Wang Wu.

Wang Wu reminded him again: "Be natural, and don't let anyone notice anything amiss."

Wu Qian's back stiffened, as if he had forgotten how to take a step.

Wang Wu sighed: "How are you going to escape later? Even if Yang Kuan finds your father, you'll still have to leave here to reunite with him, escape from the Imperial Guards, and deal with the entanglements of your sect members..."

"I'm worried now that there might be people planted around your father."

Wu Qian's palms were covered in sweat.

Just then, the foreman walked over and said to everyone, "Raise your heads."

Wu Qian was suddenly patted on the shoulder by the foreman, which startled him. He thought he had given himself away, but the foreman handed him a water bag: "Look at you, why are you so nervous... It's just helping to move the porcelain. Just be quick and efficient."

At this point, the foreman smiled and said, "Look around. They are all merchants and kiln owners. I've been in Bianjing for so long, when have I ever seen such a scene?"

"You can imagine how powerful our Master Xing is. Today, as long as our coal kiln fires a few good pieces of porcelain, these kiln owners all ask our Master Xing to help repair the coal kiln."

"You've come to the right place. Let's not talk about how much suffering you've endured in the past. As long as you work hard, you'll always have a job here. With a job comes wages, and you'll be able to live a good life."

The foreman patted Wu Qian on the shoulder again, saying, "Of all the people I've brought out, you're the most nervous. Stay by my side from now on, and do exactly what I tell you to do." Wu Qian nodded haphazardly.

After finishing speaking, the foreman walked forward. Wu Qian wanted to return the water pouch, but the foreman remembered something first. He turned around and said, "Keep it with you, just leave me a sip of water."

After the foreman left, Wang Wu came over and handed Wu Qian something.

Wu Qian caught it in his hand; it was a short blade.

Upon touching this thing, the hairs on his body stood on end: "You...you..."

“Here you go,” Wang Wu said. “The foreman put you by his side. How are you going to get away?”

Wu Qian's mind was blank; his brain seemed to be getting worse and worse these days.

Wang Wu said, "When the time is right, we must get away. If the leader is still by your side then, you must kill him."

Wu Qian felt his palm burning hot, as if he had been scalded by the dagger, and he almost couldn't hold on to it.

"What did you say? You want to kill someone?"

Wang Wu said sternly, "If you don't kill him, how will you leave? If he shouts it out, you're completely finished."

Wu Qian thought of how good the boss had been to him, and felt an instinctive resistance. Escaping was already extremely difficult for him, and now he had to kill the boss as well.

Do you think you can escape after killing someone? There are so many spies around. If anyone discovers you, the patrolmen and imperial guards will surround you. Even if you escape death, you still have to worry about whether there are assassins among the people who come to meet you.

What if an assassin is mixed in with them? Wouldn't he be throwing his life away?

With the city gate right in front of him, Wu Qian felt his legs were incredibly heavy, and he didn't want to go out at all.

Where Wu Qian couldn't see, Wang Wu nodded to the passing patrolman.

……

In the embroidery workshop.

Chunxi held the embroidery pattern in her hand, but her gaze fell on Madam Xie's carriage.

A moment later, an embroiderer hurried up and whispered in Chunxi's ear, "I saw Wu Qian. He went out of the city with Lady Xie's carriage."

"What should we do now? Send someone over to deal with him, or..."

Chunxi withdrew her gaze, lowered her eyes to think, and then looked at the embroiderer: "Tell the Liu brothers not to rush into action, but to see if a large number of troops are coming from nearby."

The embroiderer nodded: "If someone is lying in ambush nearby, they are deliberately trying to lure us out."

Then, the embroiderer changed the subject, suggesting a possibility: "What if we just ignore it?"

Chunxi said, "When the old master was alive, the Wu family wanted to be recruited by the government. Now they are joining forces with the government, aren't they just trying to get some credit? Even if we ignore them now, the Wu family will find another way to attack us, so we can't just wait like this."

The embroiderer looked at Chunxi. After the new attendant arrived, he did not meet with them. Every time he came to instruct them on what to do, it was this missionary.

The embroiderer roughly knew which high-ranking official's residence Chunxi was staying in, so she was able to find out a lot of information, and the attendant trusted her very much.

"Then what should we do?" the embroiderer asked.

Chunxi remained calm and composed, saying, "I naturally have a way." There were some things that couldn't be known by too many people. She had received news that Master Wu had arrived in Bianjing and was currently gathering manpower.

Meanwhile, the people that the leader had planted in the Wu family had also arrived by Master Wu's side, intending to set a trap to capture them? Well, she'd like to see who would fall into it.

(End of this chapter)