Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 685 Countermeasures
Xu Shu lay there listlessly, sensing a shift in the thoughts of Xue Er and the others. This time, though it seemed like a narrow escape from death, everything was different.

"What is she planning to do?" Xu Shu asked.

Xue Er did not sense Xu Shu's resentment or anger, and simply said, "Does Your Excellency still remember that the master once sent someone over to discuss business with us?"

Xu Shu naturally remembered that she had asked Xie Yizhi about this matter. Xie Yizhi forbade the Holy Sect from having any connection with the Master. She felt that Xie Yizhi might be afraid that the Holy Sect disciples would be bribed by the Master, and that once people's hearts were in turmoil, they would be difficult to control.

Xu Shu frowned: "She wants to find out the details about the boss?"

Xue Er nodded: "The government has been investigating the owner. The incident that happened in Bianjing this year was done by the owner's people."

Xu Shu looked at Xue Er: "She promised you that if you could find out the details of the employer, she could make amends?"

Xue Er's face stiffened, and he remained silent.

Xu Shu got the result: "So there was nothing at all." She thought there was some amazing idea.

No sooner had she finished speaking than footsteps sounded outside, followed by Xie Yuyan's voice: "What does Madam Xu want to hear?"

Xue Er glanced at Xu Shu, then turned and went out to greet her. A moment later, Xie Yuyan, Elder Zhou, Xu Lai, and several missionaries from the church walked in one after another.

Elder Zhou personally moved a chair for Xie Yuyan to sit down, and his attentive manner aroused Xu Shu's resentment.

The crowd stood in a line.

Inside the cabin, Xie Yuyan seemed to be the true leader of the Holy Church.

Have they all forgotten that they ended up in this situation most likely because of Xie Yuyan?

Thinking of this, Xu Shu felt a surge of hatred: "Does Madam Xie know who the boss is? Before the Holy Sect came to the sea, the boss had dealings with merchants from Srivijaya. They are very familiar with the Japanese and Silla people, and they can get many goods that others cannot."

"It's only after the Holy Church grows stronger that it can get a share of the profits at sea, otherwise..."

“It is Xie Yizhi,” Xie Yuyan interrupted Xu Shu, “the one who can stand against them is the Privy Councilor of Daliang, not you.”

Xu Shu was interrupted, and her initial momentum immediately weakened. She gritted her teeth inwardly, knowing that Xie Yuyan was constantly reminding her that the Holy Sect was just a pawn in Xie Yizhi's hands.

Xie Yuyan didn't take Xu Shu's emotions to heart, and instead asked, "What other rumors are there about the origins of our master at sea?"

Xu Shu frowned, not wanting to reply, but with so many eyes on her, she couldn't immediately turn against Xie Yuyan: "Some say that the family was already a great merchant in the previous dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Taizong, the family suffered some misfortunes and almost collapsed, so they came to the sea. Others say that the family served as an official in the previous dynasty, but with the change of dynasties, the ancestors did not want their descendants to pursue official careers again, so they became merchants instead."

Xie Yuyan asked, "Which version of events do you find more credible, Madam Xu?"

Xu Shu remained silent; she hadn't thought about it, and there was no way to verify these words.

Xie Yuyan said, "Many people who have suffered misfortune at home and have no choice but to come to the sea to make a living and risk their lives to smuggle goods have their own reasons. This is just to bring people closer together. As for abandoning officialdom to go into business, it will make people feel that the boss is different from ordinary merchants."

"Such meticulous management shows that the owner is determined to acquire this sea route."

Upon hearing this, Xu Lai raised his eyes, a look of understanding on his face. Indeed, these rumors were all in the best interest of the employer, so... this was the result the employer had deliberately wanted.

Xu Shu immediately felt frustrated: "Does Madam Xie also have her eye on the sea route? Does she really want to use us to take over the boss?" She deliberately laid out the benefits so that everyone could see clearly Xie Yuyan's scheme.

"Can you do it?" Xie Yuyan asked in return.

Xu Shu was taken aback. Xie Yuyan smiled, a smile that seemed ordinary, yet inexplicably made Xu Shu shudder, for she couldn't understand the profound meaning it contained, and she couldn't answer the question Xie Yuyan asked.

No.

If it's not possible, how can we talk about leveraging external resources?

Xu Shu paused for a moment before squeezing out a few words through gritted teeth: "That still means we have to fight to the death."

Xie Yuyan looked up at Xu Shu: "I thought you wanted to save your lives."

The cabin fell silent for a moment, and Xu Shu's face immediately flushed red again.

After waiting a while, Xie Yuyan said, "Does Madam Xu and everyone else have other plans? If so, say it now, so that you don't have your own thoughts after the action, and your own people don't have to be wary of each other."

These words were practically directed at her; she was still having other ideas at this point.

Xu Shu's face turned ashen.

Xu Laixian bowed and said, "We will obey Lady Xie's orders."

Elder Zhou hurriedly chimed in, "As Madam Xie also said, the situation at sea is complicated. With such a big incident, it's hard to guarantee that someone won't interfere. We need Madam Xie's advice on what to do."

After Elder Zhou said this, Xue Er glanced at Xu Shu and bowed to Xie Yuyan, and the other missionaries hurriedly followed suit.

Xu Shu felt a sharp pain in her chest and a thin layer of sweat on her forehead. She had been thinking of dealing with Xie Yuyan slowly, but she didn't know when she had lost that opportunity.

It's laughable that after years of leading the Holy Sect, she was so easily snatched away by Xie Yuyan.

Xie Yuyan looked at Xue Er: "Yang Jun will let you lead your men to attack the island first."

Xue Er nodded: "Yang Jun told us to sneak onto the island under cover of darkness. Our men are much better swimmers, which is perfect for a surprise attack. His soldiers are skilled in head-on combat and will follow closely behind on a large ship."

Xie Yuyan said, "He won't be that fast, and your sneak attack won't succeed." Xie Yuyan continued, "Someone has probably already sent a message to the people on the island. If you go, you'll only fall into an ambush. Yang Jun will see that things are not going well and will flee at the first sign of trouble. The imperial troops will take at least another day or two to arrive, and by then you will be trapped and dead."

"Then what should we do?" Xu Lai asked in a deep voice. "Should we not agree to Yang Jun's request?"

“If you refuse to go, and Yang Jun is unwilling to take action himself, the people on the island will escape, the court will not be able to obtain evidence, and you will lose your merit.”

Hearing Xie Yuyan's words, Xue Er also looked troubled: "No matter what we do, it won't work..."

“All we need to do is lure Yang Jun to the island,” Xie Yuyan said, looking at Xue Er and Xu Lai. “If he’s trapped there, he’ll have to fight for his life. With more of his troops, you’ll have a better chance of winning.”

Yang Jun was unwilling to lose too many men, because for him, the most important thing was to take the money on the island and escape. But if it was too difficult, he would rather escape himself. Life was always more important than money.

Therefore, Yang Jun had to be trapped on the island with no way to escape, leaving him with no choice but to fight those people to the bitter end.

What Xie Yuyan needed to do was mobilize all available manpower to take over the small island and hold out for at least one or two days until the imperial army arrived.

　After making several revisions, it's almost perfect now.

　　There will be more tonight.

　　(End of this chapter)