Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 649 Escape

Xie Wenjing looked at Chunxi, her unfocused and tired gaze gradually focusing. After figuring out what Chunxi meant, her hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

Xie Wenjing said, "You...aren't you just thinking wildly?"

Chunxi shook her head: "Actually, it's not just these things. I've noticed that many things have been very strange lately."

Afraid of frightening his wife, Chunxi had been pondering this in his heart but hadn't said it aloud. Now, the time had come when he had to break the ice.

Xie Wenjing was so frightened that she became much more alert and returned to her usual self.

Seeing this, Chunxi dared to tell Xie Wenjing everything she had recently discovered.

Chunxi said, "The Mani Light Buddha statue that we hid inside the Buddha statue is gone."

Xie Wenjing frowned: "Didn't you say that when the fire started, the Buddha statue fell to the ground and broke? The Mani Buddha inside might have been damaged as a result."

Chunxi nodded: "At that time, I thought this way, and I was glad that the fire was so big that it burned all the evidence. But later I still felt uneasy, so I went to search in the discarded filth. The Buddha statue was broken, and there were some broken things left, but there were no fragments of the Mani Buddha..."

"Do you remember our little Buddha statue? It had a piece of gold inlaid on its chest. True gold is not afraid of fire, so no matter what, that gold should be kept."

Xie Wenjing said in a trembling voice, "With so many people around, it's possible that someone picked it up. Besides, how could anyone tell it was mixed in with the dust?"

Chunxi said, "My lady is right. It's one thing if we can't find the gold, but isn't it strange that there isn't even a trace of it?"

Xie Wenjing had also had her doubts and wanted to leave Bianjing. Now that Chunxi had spoken to her, she wanted to refute Chunxi because she still hoped that all of this was false.

Chunxi continued, "I didn't feel anything when I was moving around before, but lately... I always feel like someone is watching me from behind."

Xie Wenjing pursed her lips, her expression turning somewhat unpleasant.

Chunxi said, "It's not that I'm scaring myself, but yesterday I was deliberately wandering around the market and I saw two figures."

Xie Wenjing's eyes were filled with fear. Since Chunxi had seen it, there was no mistake.

Xie Wenjing said, "Since someone is already watching you, they must have found out something. Why haven't they made a move yet?"

“That’s what I was thinking too,” Chunxi said. “If ordinary people knew our identities, they would definitely arrest us and take us to the yamen. That would be a good way for us to gain merit.”

Xie Wenjing nodded subconsciously.

"The person who hasn't made a move but has only sent people to keep an eye on things is clearly having some reservations."

Hearing this, Xie Wenjing understood Chunxi's meaning: "Our identities being exposed will not benefit the Xie family. If Father sent people to keep an eye on us, they naturally won't target us."

"You only started to doubt your father because you thought of all these things?"

Chunxi said, “Nothing is absolute, and I don’t want to think like this, but Master is indeed the most suspicious. You are Master’s own flesh and blood. He won’t do anything to you unless it’s absolutely necessary. So he just has people watching us. Firstly, so that he can keep track of our situation, and secondly, so that we can know our whereabouts.”

“If nothing goes wrong, I believe the master won’t take action. But what if something does happen? Would that allow him to eliminate us immediately?”

Xie Wenjing's forehead was covered in cold sweat.

“Yesterday, two more disciples went missing,” Chunxi said. “They were the people who helped us deliver messages. I went to their courtyard; their belongings were still there, but they were gone.” “I asked around and confirmed that no officials have come to our door recently, which means they weren’t arrested by the court.”

"Since it's not the imperial court that's arresting them, who would target them?"

Xie Wenjing clenched her fists tightly.

“These are all just speculations,” Chunxi took a deep breath. “What confirmed the problem for me was the medicine that Master gave to Madam.”

Chunxi took out the medicine bottle and handed it to Xie Wenjing: "I took one yesterday and I was listless all day. My eyelids were so heavy that I couldn't open them."

"When the master gave me the medicine, he only said it had a calming effect, not that it would make me sleepy."

Xie Wenjing murmured, "No wonder... I've been feeling unwell ever since I started taking these medications."

Chunxi looked at Xie Wenjing with a guilty expression: "This is all my fault. That day, when you were in a panic and wanted to leave Bianjing, I was anxious and told the master, hoping that he would persuade you. That's why the master gave me this medicine."

"Now that I think about it, the master probably did this to keep his wife calm."

Xie Wenjing said, "Does Father intend to keep me in Bianjing? Will he eliminate me silently, just like he did with the real Xie Erniang?" If it weren't for a mishap that led to Xie Yuyan surviving, this matter would have remained unknown forever.

Chunxi said, "That Lady Xie will not let this go so easily. This matter will definitely not be covered up anymore. If it goes to the imperial court, someone will have to take responsibility. Lady Xie, who do you think will ultimately bear the blame?"

“Master will not let these things come to light. If something happens to the lady, the case will become even more complicated. Master is of high rank and great power. If anything seems suspicious, no one will dare to pin the blame on him.”

Xie Wenjing said in a trembling voice, "So we must die." She finally understood.

Only if they die can the father escape punishment.

Even if someone insists on investigating, Xie Niangzi will find a way to re-verify her identity, and her father can push everything onto them and the Holy Church.

"Then what should we do?" Xie Wenjing's heart sank. After more than ten years of wandering, she finally returned to Bianjing, only to be abandoned first.

Chunxi stood up and checked the window to make sure no one was eavesdropping before walking over to Xie Wenjing and whispering, "I secretly sent a message to the believers in the capital that someone will deliver vegetables and fruits to the mansion tomorrow, and we will hide in the mule cart to leave the mansion."

"Once outside, I changed my clothes, disguised myself as a commoner, and slipped out of the city. I also had the household registration and documents prepared, so the guards at the gate wouldn't stop me."

"Once we leave Bianjing, we'll head to the sect and report the situation here to our leader. What happens next will be up to our leader."

Chunxi managed to send the message with great difficulty, under the watchful eyes of others, and only after everything was arranged did she inform Xie Wenjing. If she revealed this beforehand, and Xie Wenjing gave herself away, all her efforts would be in vain.

“As long as my wife nods, we’ll leave,” Chunxi said again, “but… once we leave, we may never come back.”

Chunxi spoke up beforehand because she was afraid that Xie Wenjing might agree now but then regret it later because she wouldn't be able to give up her identity as Xie Erniang.

If she stayed in Bianjing, she could marry the Prince of Huai, become a noblewoman, and be granted the title of Shuren, a world apart from being a follower of the Holy Church. Xie Wenjing was naturally reluctant to give it up, but to save her life, she couldn't care less about those things.

“We’ll do as you say,” Xie Wenjing decided. “We’ll leave tomorrow.”

(End of this chapter)