Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 643 Estrangement
Xu Shu stood there, pale-faced, watching as the soldiers took the cultists away.

In just a short while, more than a dozen people were arrested.

"Your Excellency," Elder Zhou said in a low voice, "we should hurry up and leave. The soldiers are still searching everywhere, and they'll be here soon."

"I bet they're searching everywhere for the Supreme Leader, and they'll definitely kill him when they find him."

Elder Zhou's words were like knives, stabbing into Xu Shu's heart.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a soldier shouted, "There are still people over there! Quick, go over there!"

The cultists hiding nearby were discovered, and several soldiers immediately surrounded them.

The captain commanding the soldiers looked imposing. Although his expression was unclear, one could sense his pride and joy at that moment.

Seeing this, Elder Zhou, without waiting for Xu Shu's order, instructed the guards: "Quickly, leave quickly."

Xu Shu was protected and escaped.

When they came, they held onto a sliver of hope, wanting to prove Elder Zhou wrong, but now... the truth is right before their eyes.

The local militia didn't help them; instead, they arrested them.

Xie Yizhi really let her down.

They tricked her into coming here to deal with Xie Yuyan, but secretly tried to kill her.

Because she was the head of the Holy Church, and Xie Yizhi, as the Privy Councilor, could not have any connection with the Holy Church. For more than ten years, she had done so much for him, continuously sending him money and paving the way for his career.

He was surrounded by people in public, and his wife and children also lived a life of wealth and luxury. They stood openly in front of others, enjoying the envy and respect of others.

What about her?

She was like a rat in a stinking ditch, hiding and afraid to see the light of day. Everyone hated her, and she was always sneaky and couldn't show her true face or identity.

She gave birth to his daughter and was ridiculed by countless people behind his back, enduring so much gossip and slander, but she endured it all, just so that one day she could be reunited with him.

Is this really the outcome after all this time?
All that hard work and all that effort was rewarded with a knife from the person closest to you.

Thinking of this, Xu Shu felt a pain in her chest, followed by a rush of heat to her throat. She tried to swallow it, but couldn't help vomiting a mouthful of blood with a "whoosh".

"Your Excellency!" Elder Zhou exclaimed in surprise and immediately stepped forward to help Xu Shu up.

Xu Shu took a long time to catch her breath. She wanted to say something, but her vision blurred. Fortunately, Elder Zhou said, "Don't worry, Your Excellency. Let's try to get out of here first... and then we can discuss this further. The Holy Sect will not fall like this. No matter what, we will follow Your Excellency."

Xu Shu never expected that the person who would stand by her side and protect her at this crucial moment would be Elder Zhou, someone she considered useless.

Xu Shu gritted her teeth, nodded, and with a burst of strength, was helped onto the horse, which then galloped away into the distance.

Having temporarily calmed my mind, my thoughts became increasingly clear.

She recalled the tragic state of Xie Yisong and his wife, and Xie Yizhi's indifference towards her younger brother. At the time, she thought Xie Yizhi disregarded sibling affection for the sake of her father and her...

How could someone who can become a Privy Councilor be so simple? You must know that doing so could very well provoke the wrath of Old Master Xie, and thus be abandoned by the Xie family.

Xie Yizhi did all this for a reason. He wasn't doing it for her at all; he just had his eye on the Holy Sect and wanted to use it to do things for him.

His purpose was achieved.

Now, as long as she can extricate herself, she can become his Privy Councilor with a clean record. So this day was bound to come sooner or later; she just didn't want to believe it before.

Xu Shu then thought of her daughter in Bianjing.

If she's like this, then what about her Ah Wan now? Has she already... been murdered?

Another wave of sharp pain shot through my chest.

She ruined Awan's life. She shouldn't have sent Awan to Bianjing, and she shouldn't have thought that she could enter the inner circle and become the mistress of the Xie family. She shouldn't have had such thoughts.

After figuring these things out, the words she had previously refused to listen to came clearly to mind. Lu Shi had once told her that there was something fishy about the amnesty back then, that they might have been used by someone, and that Xie Yisong did not intend to annihilate the Holy Sect.

Xu Shu had thought this was nonsense, but now... she felt that perhaps what Lü Shi said was true.

Father, Xie Yisong, and the old master may have all been plotted against back then.

Perhaps all of this is not as it appears now.

Someone is secretly manipulating this game, just to get the result they want.

A chill ran down her spine, and Xu Shu suddenly shivered. Everything she knew seemed to crumble before her eyes; all her former trust vanished, replaced by boundless hatred.

She hated Xie Yizhi, and the hand that controlled everything behind the scenes. If Xie Yisong's offer of amnesty was true, then she was only one step away from returning to her former life.

……

Longde Prefecture, Shangdang County.

The government office doors opened, and Qiu Chong, the prefect of Longde, had just entered the office when the magistrate was already waiting anxiously there.

"What's wrong?" Knowing that something must have happened, Prefect Qiu immediately asked.

The magistrate said, "Just now, the county government sent over a document saying that a caravan was passing through the village and, seeing women, took advantage of them and abducted them. The villagers discovered this and a conflict ensued."

Upon hearing this, Prefect Qiu already suspected that this matter was not simple. Sure enough, the magistrate continued, "A conflict broke out between the two sides, and the caravan killed the villagers. To cover up their crimes, they simply massacred the entire village..."

Prefect Qiu was furious: "This is outrageous! How dare they do this? After the county government learned of this, why didn't they send anyone to arrest the caravan?"

"Yes," the judge said, "the guards led troops and captured the caravan, but they have yet to be able to escort the prisoners away..."

That's why the case was reported at this time.

Before Magistrate Qiu could ask any questions, the magistrate continued, "The guard sent a message back to the county office, saying that the caravan had more accomplices. In order to arrest everyone, the guard deliberately set a trap, waiting for those people to come and kidnap the criminals."

Prefect Qiu remained silent. He could not speak carelessly before he had a clear understanding of the whole matter. He simply asked, "Where are the caravan's accomplices now?"

The judge said, "Those people found the encampment of the guards and fought with them, killing and wounding many soldiers."

Upon hearing this, Prefect Qiu's expression changed drastically: "How dare they attack the imperial army! This is a crime of treason."

The magistrate nodded: "That's precisely why I felt this matter was of great importance and wanted to report it to the prefect immediately. Now the county government is asking us for help, requesting that we send troops."

When trouble broke out in his jurisdiction and the higher-ups found out, he was bound to be held responsible. Prefect Qiu said, "Immediately muster troops and send documents to the garrison troops stationed nearby, asking them to assist you."

The judge responded, but did not set off immediately. Instead, he said, "However... that caravan has some impressive background."

　One more chapter!
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　　(End of this chapter)