Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 645 Call the shots
Prefect Qiu dared not delay and led Jingyuan towards the valley.

While riding his horse, Prefect Qiu kept glancing at Abbess Jingyuan, worried that his horse was running too fast and she wouldn't be able to keep up. Unexpectedly, this only made Abbess Jingyuan dislike him.

"The horses used by the government office don't seem to be very fast."

Having received this reminder, Prefect Qiu dared not hold back any longer and led his men on a frantic run.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before the scouts returned to report.

“Your Excellency, we have spotted a group of people about five or six miles ahead,” the scout reported. “They have tied some people up with ropes and are driving them this way.”

Prefect Qiu immediately frowned: "Did you see clearly? It's the government troops coming?"

Upon hearing this, Prefect Qiu clearly sensed that Jingyuan beside him was particularly concerned, and he became nervous as well.

The military leader said, "No, they weren't wearing leather armor or military robes; they looked more like... civilians." He didn't dare say the word "caravan," fearing he had gotten the wrong information and would be blamed by the prefect.

Prefect Qiu frowned: "Take men and investigate immediately. Don't let them leave."

A troop of soldiers went ahead, followed by Prefect Qiu and Abbess Jingyuan. Over the next few miles, Abbess Jingyuan remained even quieter, and Prefect Qiu dared not say a word.

When Prefect Qiu saw the group of people, he wanted to turn around and speak, but he felt a "whoosh" beside him and then saw the back of Abbess Jingyuan in her monk's robes.

Prefect Qiu wanted to remind Abbess Jingyuan to be careful, and even if he wanted to assess the situation, he should wait until he was sure there was no danger before doing so, but little did he know that he had no choice.

Xie Yuyan and his entourage were stopped by the yamen's soldiers. When the magistrate arrived, he was about to step forward to ask questions when he heard the sound of horses' hooves behind him.

The next moment, Abbess Jingyuan dismounted and quickly walked up to Xie Yuyan, bowing respectfully: "Amitabha, is Benefactor Xie well?"

Xie Yuyan said, "Thank you for your concern, Master. We are all fine, but the caravan lost some goods and some people were injured. We will try to replenish the goods that were transported to the temple, and we will set off again as soon as the caravan has rested."

Master Jingyuan twirled her prayer beads: "Amitabha, those things are not important, as long as people are safe and sound."

While the two were talking, Prefect Qiu came over. His gaze first fell on Xie Yuyan, and then on Abbess Jingyuan.

Just as I was surprised by Xie Yuyan's age, I was also stunned by the smile on Master Jingyuan's face.

There was absolutely no resemblance, yet for some reason, this scene reminded him of his meeting with the Empress Dowager years ago. Perhaps it was because... Master Jingyuan rarely showed joy; he had only seen her happy twice, once in front of the Empress Dowager, and once now.

Before Prefect Qiu could speak, Abbess Jingyuan introduced him, saying, "This is the caravan owner I mentioned, Benefactor Xie."

Prefect Qiu's heart tightened again. Was Abbess Jingyuan openly protecting this Lady Xie? Was this Abbess Jingyuan's own doing, or was it the will of Cining Palace?
He thought it was the latter, otherwise Master Jingyuan wouldn't have taken out his name card.

“This is the Prefect of Longde Prefecture,” said Abbess Jingyuan. “If Benefactor Xie has any grievances, please feel free to tell the Prefect.”

Prefect Qiu straightened up, his face solemn and dignified, but his mind was preoccupied with how to handle the matter properly. So he straightened his sleeves and waited quietly for Madam Xie to plead for justice for her caravan.

Unexpectedly, Xie Yuyan did not recount his grievances, but instead said, "We have captured a person, and we request that Your Excellency take a look."

As soon as Xie Yuyan finished speaking, Sang Mo grabbed the man's clothes and threw him in front of Prefect Qiu.

Prefect Qiu glanced at the man's face but couldn't discern anything amiss. The magistrate beside him, however, scrutinized him for a while, his expression gradually turning grim. Xia Mengxian's eldest son hadn't been apprehended, and the imperial court had issued a decree ordering all prefectures to assist in the investigation and arrest. The decree included a portrait of Xia Dalang, and the man before him bore a striking resemblance to the portrait, bearing a seven or eight tenths of the mark.

Thinking of this, the judge immediately whispered a few words in Prefect Qiu's ear.

Prefect Qiu was startled and ordered his soldiers to lift Xia Dalang's face so that the magistrate could see it again. This time, the magistrate nodded firmly: "This is the man I see."

Prefect Qiu then went to see Xie Yuyan: "Where was this person captured?"

Xie Yuyan said, "This is the man who first impersonated a bandit to massacre a village, and then framed the caravan for it. He used the caravan as leverage to lure me here, simply to seek revenge."

With Xia Dalang here, is there any need to distinguish right from wrong?

As Prefect Qiu was pondering, he heard someone shout, "Your Excellency, please do justice for me! These lawless people dare to attack the imperial troops!"

"Sir, do not listen to their one-sided story."

While Prefect Qiu's men came to inspect, Liang, the prison guard, broke free from the crowd, spat out the rag from his mouth, and immediately started shouting.

Prefect Qiu frowned and asked the magistrate beside him, "Who is this person?"

The judge hurriedly said, "This is Supervisor Liang, and these soldiers... should all be his men."

Xia Dalang was still wearing leather armor. If he said he had nothing to do with Liang, the prison warden, who would believe it? Perhaps some people would be afraid of being implicated and deliberately conceal the fact that the troops under their jurisdiction were hiding a wanted criminal, but now... Prefect Qiu dared not.

To distort the truth right in front of the Cining Palace?
Even if he had a hundred heads, it wouldn't be enough to chop them off.

“It was these officials’ men who broke into the village and killed people, and threatened my father to help them frame the caravan. My father had no choice but to do as they told him in order to save his life,” the village head’s son shouted. He had witnessed his father being killed and would not speak up for Liang Jianya and the others. “When they saw that things were exposed, they fled... and because they thought my father was a burden, they killed him.”

“False accusation,” Liang, the prison guard, said. “It’s all false accusation. Your Excellency, the Prefect, will surely do justice for me…”

With a cold face, Prefect Qiu ordered the magistrate, "Take the man to the prefectural jail. I will interrogate him personally."

Liang, the prison guard, tried to exonerate himself, but was knocked to the ground by a soldier's stick. Then the ropes binding him were tightened, and a wad of cloth was stuffed into his mouth.

Liang, the prison guard, thought that he might still have a chance to turn the situation around after arriving at the prefectural government office. However, Prefect Qiu showed them no mercy and easily believed Xie Yuyan's words.

Xie Yuyan said to Prefect Qiu, "These people are mixed up with the members of the Demon Cult. We arrested some members of the Demon Cult, but the rest... escaped."

There's also a heretical sect involved...

Things are getting more complicated.

Prefect Qiu asked, "Do you know where the members of the Demonic Cult have fled to?"

Xie Yuyan nodded: "I know the general direction."

Prefect Qiu looked at the magistrate and said, "Immediately lead troops to pursue and capture them." After giving these instructions, he couldn't help but feel fortunate that he had met Abbess Jingyuan first. Otherwise, if he had hesitated even slightly, he might have lost the opportunity to capture the cultists.

(End of this chapter)