Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 665 Not as good as
Before Ding Fang could finish speaking, Xu Shu already knew what he was going to say.

Xu Shu said, "You mean, the person watching Shanghai Road smuggling goods is Xie Yizhi?"

Ding Fang nodded: "Ma Yue's secret report says that not only Xie Yizhi, but also the military commander of Fuzhou are the two people Ma Yue suspects the most."

How could Xu Shu not know about the Military Commander of Fuzhou? Later, Xie Yizhi served as the Prefect of Fuzhou for many years and made many contributions. He dealt with pirates, fortified coastal defenses, and was later promoted to Transport Commissioner of Fujian Circuit before entering the Privy Council.

The Holy Church also tried to do business at sea around that time, and it can be said that it grew under Xie Yizhi's protection. It was precisely because of those years of support that she trusted Xie Yizhi so much.

No one knew better than her that Xie Yizhi wasn't just doing things for the Great Liang on the surface; otherwise, where would the Holy Sect and the maritime merchants come from?
However, she only just learned that the Holy Church was merely a pawn in his game.

Ding Fang looked at Xu Shu and said, "If Your Excellency can spare me, I will tell you everything I know, and perhaps we can all survive."

Once a person starts to fear death, that's the only thought left in their mind.

Xu Shu stared at Ding Fang: "What else do you know?"

Not receiving the promise he wanted, Ding Fang dared not resist. He looked at Xue Er beside him and asked, "Does Attendant Xue remember the cargo that was lost at sea last autumn?"

Xue Er frowned and said, "Of course I remember. Isn't this a common occurrence? Merchants from the sea often oppose us."

Ding Fang said, "The Holy Sect suffered many casualties in their efforts to deal with these people that time."

Xue Er said, "Those people didn't gain anything either, and they no longer dare to challenge us at sea."

“That’s because they came up with another way,” Ding Fang said. “They paid some money and followed the proper route by sea, which was guarded by a navy.”

Xue Er finally understood.

Ding Fang said, "In other words, those dishonest merchants and pirates need to be dealt with. The imperial court doesn't always have a good reason to send troops. That's when the Holy Sect should step in."

“The Holy Church’s killings can be attributed to private fights among pirates. Even if someone investigates, they won’t suspect high-ranking officials like Xie Shumi. Merchants fear the Holy Church, so they seek protection and willingly hand over money or follow orders.”

"I don't need to tell you how much money can be made at sea... So this way of making money cannot be lost. That's why the Holy Church can never stand openly in front of people, otherwise it would be useless."

Xu Shu felt a churning in her stomach, and a buzzing sound filled her ears. A hot substance surged to her throat, and she had to grit her teeth to swallow it. It tasted both fishy and bitter, so Xie Yizhi's words were all lies to her.

Ding Fang continued, "The Holy Sect has done so much, and the leader still has to give some of the money he has earned to Xie Shumi. Everyone is working hard, but they can't live a good life. Naturally, some people will have disloyal thoughts, and the sect will be unstable. The leader will have to spend his energy suppressing them, so he won't have time to think about these things."

Upon hearing this, Xu Shu could no longer hold back and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Xue Er hurriedly stepped forward to check on Xu Shu's condition.

Xu Shu waved her hand to indicate that she was fine, but even though she tried her best to cheer herself up, she still looked extremely disheveled. She understood why a rebellion had broken out in the sect at this time.

The seeds of disaster were sown long ago.

Xie Yuyan clearly saw this, which is why he persuaded Xu to become an inside man.

She was kept in the dark about things that were obvious to everyone else.

Bringing Wan Jie'er to the capital was clearly a tactic employed by Xie Yizhi. Xie Yizhi held Wan Jie'er's life in her hands, allowing her to blackmail her. Knowing there was no hope of escape, she would place all her hopes on Wan Jie'er. If Wan Jie'er could successfully marry the Prince of Huai, it would bring her comfort.

If one day she becomes useless, Xie Yizhi will decisively take action against her, and perhaps he can launch another siege against the demon cult, adding another merit to his career.

Killing her would render Wan'er's life meaningless, and the outcome would be predictable. Her father, she, and Wan'er had all been deceived by Xie Yizhi.

Three generations of them were completely fooled.

Xue Er gritted his teeth: "We'll send the evidence to the yamen right now and ruin Xie Yizhi's reputation."

Xu Shu closed her eyes: "If we send these things... will the imperial court believe us? In the eyes of the imperial court, we are members of a demonic sect."

It was quiet all around.

From the very beginning, Xie Yizhi tricked them into killing Xie Yisong and his wife, intentionally forcing them down this path. He had planned it all out so that the Holy Church would have no choice but to rely on him for survival.

Even if they discover something amiss, no one will stand up for them.

Xu Shu lay weakly on the wooden board. After a long while, she said, "Has Xie Yuyan thought of something?"

Xue Er was puzzled.

Xu Shu said, "Was it Xie Yuyan who secretly helped us escape?" She was almost captured by the imperial army, but suddenly several cultists rushed out and led the way for her, which allowed her to escape. She never saw those people again afterward.

Those people were probably Xu Lai's men, secretly watching her to prevent her from being captured.

Xie Yuyan was using her to uncover the truth of what happened back then.

Xue Er pondered Xu Shu's words, then felt a chill run down his spine: "Your Excellency, please don't overthink it. No one has the ability to plan ten steps ahead for every one step. Thank you, Madam..."

“My elder sister is a wise woman,” Xu Shu murmured. “Xie Yisong didn’t suddenly think of recruiting the Holy Sect for merit.”

“When I was still in the Xu family, Xie Yisong mentioned the business at sea, so he probably saw the chaos at sea long ago. He recruited the Holy Sect and used their ships and people to work for the Great Liang. Although it was probably for the benefit of the Great Liang court, it was indeed a good outcome for the Holy Sect.”

Xue Er listened quietly, waiting for Xu Shu's decision.

Xu Shu sighed: "I'm not as good as them..."

Thinking of Xie Yisong and Madam Xu's tragic deaths, Xu Shu added, "We owe them."

It refers to the Holy Church and her; they owe Xie Yisong and his wife something. These two people did not harm the Holy Church but were ultimately killed, and their remains were incomplete.

The only chance was squandered by the Holy Church itself.

After all these years, karma has come full circle, and they have finally been punished for it.

Not unjust.

Xu Shu finally made up her mind: "Send this evidence to Xie Yuyan and tell her... I can testify. I'm willing to do anything to get Xie Yizhi down."

She was the head of the Holy Church, and in the end, she should do something for the Holy Church as well.

"Your Excellency," Xue Er tried to persuade him.

Xu Shu shook her head and said, "Hiding won't save you from being found sooner or later. At this point, it's better to die than not to be found at all. After you deliver the goods, you can leave with your men..."

(End of this chapter)