Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 662 Credit
After Prefect Qiu left, Jingyuan looked at Xie Yuyan and said, "The journey back to Bianjing was truly turbulent."

However, it wasn't them who were in trouble.

Xie Yuyan understood what Master Jingyuan meant, so she didn't say anything more. She simply poured herself a cup of tea and said, "There is one more thing I need to entrust to you, Master."

Jingyuan nodded and waited for Xie Yuyan to finish speaking.

Xie Yuyan said, "Before we leave, you should find Prefect Qiu and give him a few instructions. Tell him that this is a matter of life and death."

Jingyuan raised an eyebrow slightly: "Isn't this a bit too much?"

Xie Yuyan looked at Jingyuan: "Does the nun mean to let Prefect Qiu get away too easily?"

Jingyuan couldn't help but smile. At this moment, she didn't look like a nun at all. She twirled her prayer beads and said, "It's not easy to raise a prefect. Keeping him might be useful in the future. If you leave such a credit to Prefect Qiu, he will surely be grateful in the future."

Jingyuan asked, "What does Madam want me to say to the Prefect?"

“I left something for Prefect Qiu,” Xie Yuyan said, “but he wants us to leave for half a day before he goes to see it in person.”

Jingyuan nodded: "I understand."

Xie Yuyan still had some things to arrange, but she did not let Abbess Jingyuan leave.

Master Jingyuan didn't find it boring and stayed by her side.

Watching Xie Yuyan's every move, Abbess Jingyuan sometimes felt a little dazed, as if she had returned to decades ago, and the person in front of her was not Lady Xie, but the Empress Dowager of the Great Liang Dynasty.

After a moment, she came to her senses and murmured, "If Madam is interested in an official career, perhaps..."

Xie Yuyan said, "Perhaps she will become infamous." In her previous life, wasn't she the infamous empress, reviled by the people, and who knows how many people rejoiced when she died?

and so……

What kind of person she becomes is not something she can decide for herself.

Abbess Jingyuan suddenly laughed, her eyes narrowing into two crescent moons. She now understood why she liked this Lady Xie. Others couldn't see through her, but Lady Xie could. This alone made her feel that following Lady Xie would surely lead to many interesting things.

……

Although Prefect Qiu felt that the matter at hand was difficult to handle, fortunately, Abbess Jingyuan and Madam Xie were about to leave Longde.

"Make sure things are done well," Prefect Qiu instructed the sub-prefect. "The person must be someone you can trust."

The magistrate said, "Prefect's idea is good. By using the 'brave and courageous' as laborers, we can avoid the issue of the number of soldiers to be deployed. Even if we are impeached in the future, we can still defend ourselves."

These little tricks couldn't be hidden, but the laws of Daliang didn't stipulate that temporary labor service could not be assigned.

"I hope they can win," Prefect Qiu sighed. "If they lose, even if the court doesn't punish me for sending troops without authorization, I will still be secretly plotted against."

Fortunately, no matter what, the Cining Palace will not fall. If he obeys orders and does his job well, he can at least save his life.

In the end, Prefect Qiu dispatched thirty soldiers and twenty-five laborers, which was the best he could do. The remaining few dozen soldiers were to continue capturing members of the demon cult.

Despite the attempt to conceal it, the news still spread like wildfire.

Before Xie Yuyan could set off, Xue Long, the commander of the local army, arrived to stop him, and Prefect Qiu stepped forward to meet him.

"What does this mean?" Xue Long pointed at the prison cart. "Has the imperial court sent troops to escort these prisoners?"

Prefect Qiu shook his head and said, "No, but we can't delay any longer. This matter is of utmost importance. We should set off as soon as possible to report the matter of the heretical sect to the imperial court."

Xue Long frowned: "The yamen is short-handed. What if we encounter a prisoner rescue on the road?"

Prefect Qiu maintained his composure and said in a businesslike manner, "How can we hesitate when doing things? Now is the perfect time to destroy the demonic sect. Informing the court sooner will allow us to better handle the current situation."

Unable to contend with Prefect Qiu, Xue Long could only say, "Prefect, you're foolish! We finally managed to capture these people. If anything goes wrong, how can we face the soldiers who were killed or wounded?" "Commander Zhao's fate is still unknown... The Demon Sect might be waiting for the prison cart to leave the government office."

“Then let them come,” Prefect Qiu said firmly. “We are just worried about not being able to catch them. If Commander Xue thinks this is inappropriate, he can impeach me to the court.”

Prefect Qiu's words were firm and authoritative, radiating confidence that he would surely bring the culprit to justice. Looking at Xue Long, a cold smile played on his lips, as if he wished Xue Long would submit a memorial to the emperor.

Xue Long was speechless for a long while before saying, "Then I hope the journey will be smooth."

“That’s for sure,” said Prefect Qiu. “These evil spirits can never suppress righteousness.”

Xue Long stood aside, his eyelids twitching incessantly. He had originally planned to keep the person there first, then secretly gather his men and intercept and kill him during the journey.

When the prisoners are escorted by their own people, they can coordinate an attack from within and without.

Before any arrangements could be made, Prefect Qiu let these people go.

No matter what methods they tried, they ultimately failed to implement them.

Xue Long sighed inwardly, and his adjutant stepped forward and said, "Why don't we go and scare that Xie family? Maybe if she hears that something bad will happen on the road, she won't dare to go?"

Xue Long glanced at his deputy: "If she were that timid, she wouldn't have attacked those troops in the valley."

"Then what can we do?" the lieutenant asked. "Just watch them leave?"

Xue Long pursed his lips: "The envoy can't possibly get them to Bianjing smoothly. Since there's no foolproof plan, I'm afraid we'll have no choice but to take the risk."

When Prefect Qiu returned to his office, his mind was a jumbled mess, but he could only let it go; everyone was gone, and there was nothing he could do.

Just as he was about to relax and take a break for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the door was knocked open again, and then Jingyuan walked in.

Prefect Qiu was startled and quickly stood up. He hadn't expected Jingyuan to stay.

Jingyuan didn't delay and said directly, "I have something to tell you."

He then handed the documents in his hand to Prefect Qiu.

"Remember to get things done no matter what, otherwise your Qiu clan will not escape punishment."

A moment later, Jingyuan rode away. Prefect Qiu, holding the documents, stood in the government office. After an unknown amount of time, he looked at the hourglass beside him.

Half a day later, he could go to the place Jingyuan had mentioned to check what Jingyuan had left him and find out the final result. The waiting was like placing his whole body on fire, as if his internal organs were burning.

Finally, when the shadow under the pole began to slant eastward, Prefect Qiu went into the inner room to change out of his official robes. He then left through the back door with a few trusted confidants, first returning to his residence, and then circling around before heading to the courtyard arranged by Jingyuan.

Holding the documents, he entered the courtyard and pushed open the door. Prefect Qiu finally saw clearly what Jingyuan had left him.

Two middle-aged men were tied up there, and an older man was guarding them.

Prefect Qiu's hands immediately trembled. If he wasn't mistaken, these three were all members of the Demon Cult, and important prisoners at that.

It turns out that Lady Xie did not take everyone with her.

Looking at the stunned prefect, Master Wu suddenly felt a strange unease. If even the prefect could be so thoroughly manipulated by Madam Xie, then his current predicament was no injustice.

Prefect Qiu raised his hand and examined the document again. It was a document from the imperial court ordering the collection of birthday tribute.

This birthday tribute sent to the capital clearly belongs to these three people.

No wonder Madam Xie felt it was foolproof. This move was a classic case of feigning an attack while secretly making a move. She lured those people to attack in front of her, while he secretly escorted the three leading prisoners to Bianjing. As long as he was careful, he wouldn't be discovered.

For him, doing a good job is also a merit.

(End of this chapter)