Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 693 Together

Wang Yan had a lot to say, but he was held back by the many people around him. He wasn't afraid of others seeing his affection, but he was afraid that A Yan would be criticized.

Even though he knew that Ayan never cared about these things, her indifference was a different matter from his desire to protect her.

And why are there so many people today?
Even if three people are blocking the way, they will still be discovered.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Wang Yan glanced at Xie Yuyan again before reluctantly letting go of her hand.

Xie Yuyan immediately felt a chill; the warmth he had left on her fingertips dissipated with the wind.

While she was in the Xie family, there was care and love, but it came at a price. So even if something was good, it lost its meaning once it was in her hands.

But now, she doesn't need to calculate these things. She can simply accept his kindness with a clear conscience. That's why she wore Wang Yan's jade pendant in Longde and came to Fuzhou, hoping that Wang Yan could guess her plan and bring people to meet her as soon as possible.

In her eyes, Wang Yan was no longer seen as an outsider.

Why should you be wary or expect anything in return when you treat yourself well and do things for yourself?
……

Upon seeing Xie Yuyan, Xu En was surprised and quickly walked over: "What are you doing here, Madam Xie? Shouldn't you be at Longde Prefecture?"

Xie Yuyan said, "After my caravan had an accident in Longde, I planned to escort the prisoners back to Bianjing with the government. However, I was assassinated by Yang Jun on the way. In order to find out the whole story, I chased after Yang Jun to Fujian."

The words were spoken lightly, but being intercepted and assassinated was fraught with difficulties. If it were someone else, they might have suffered a great loss from the very beginning.

Xu En looked at Xue Er and the others: "These..."

“They are Manichaeans,” Xie Yuyan said. “There are other hidden reasons behind the imperial court’s offer of amnesty to Manichaeans.”

Xu En couldn't help but say, "They did it because of this..."

Before Wang Yan could ask anything, Xu En interrupted. Xu En wasn't usually a talkative person, so what was wrong with him now? Was he surprised to see A Yan?

“Prefect Xu,” Wang Yan said, “we should ask about these things when we get to the yamen. There are still people on the island who haven’t been brought to justice.”

Xu En then noticed the situation on the island.

Arresting people was naturally his job. Xu En didn't delay any longer and ordered the small boat to be lowered and the soldiers to go ashore immediately. He instructed them to search carefully and not to miss a single person.

After Xu En left, several more Fujian officials boarded the large ship.

Hearing that the Manichaeans had captured Yang Jun and stopped the private soldiers on the island, the officials, though not saying it aloud, were inwardly amazed.

Sun Yuan, in particular, thought he would need the help of merchants at sea to capture these people, but little did he know that he was already trapped like a turtle in a jar.

Xie Yuyan handed over the wax pills found on Yang Jun, along with the list of officials Yang Jun had previously given him, and his confession, to Wang Yan.

"The clerk of Longde Prefecture took notes. Yang Jun opened only one of these wax pills; the rest remained unopened."

You can tell from the appearance whether a wax pellet has been opened.

These will all become evidence when they reach the government office.

Xie Yuyan continued, "The merchants who smuggle goods have several places to stay. Xu Lai knows the general direction and can lead the way."

Upon hearing this, Xu Lai immediately stepped forward to pay his respects to Wang Yan.

Sun Yuan took a while to come to his senses: "Thank you... Madam... You're right... We should take this opportunity to arrest those smuggling merchants. Even if we can't wipe them all out, we should at least deal them a heavy blow."

Sun Yuan was filled with indignation and his cheeks flushed slightly with excitement, his eyes showing a hint of worry, as if he feared those people might escape. Wang Yan didn't want Xie Yuyan to suffer any more hardship and wished he could send her back to rest immediately, but he was also worried about her.

This is Fujian Road, and too many officials have been implicated here. Who knows who might harbor ill intentions? Thinking of this, he looked at Xie Yuyan: "Then I'll trouble you, my lady, to spend another day traveling with us at sea."

Upon hearing this, Sang Dian secretly glanced at her husband. Although he appeared to be acting in a businesslike manner, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up.

If... the lady were to refuse her husband at this moment... Sang Dian dared not imagine what would happen.

For the safety of everyone on the ship, the old lady had to agree.

As expected, Xie Yuyan nodded slightly: "That's how it should be."

Wang Yan looked at Sun Yuan: "Then this ship will lead the way. Will you stay here, or board another ship and follow behind?"

In officialdom, one must distinguish between primary and secondary tasks. Since the emperor has sent Wang Shitian, they naturally cannot overstep their bounds.

The Fujian officials looked at each other and discussed for a moment, but still felt it was more appropriate to return to that boat.

“The Manicheans will be sent to the yamen for trial after everything is over,” Wang Yan said, not forgetting one person, “except… the Manichaean leader.”

As soon as Wang Yan finished speaking, soldiers immediately took Xu Shu out of the cabin.

Xu Shu had anticipated this outcome as early as when Yang Jun confessed to the officials that she was Xie Yizhi's mistress. Even if many members of the Holy Church were exempted from the death penalty, someone still had to bear the responsibility, and she, as the leader, was naturally one of them.

It was precisely because they saw through all this that Xu Lai and the others turned their backs on her.

Xu Shu had no strength left to struggle and was pushed forward by the soldiers. She gritted her teeth, her heart filled with resentment. If it weren't for Xie Shi, she wouldn't have ended up like this. Thinking of this, she turned to look at Xie Yuyan, but her view was blocked by a figure. Then she met Wang Yan's solemn gaze.

Xu Shu's lips trembled. She hadn't lost; it was just that her family's sudden decline had ruined her future.

Her older sister wasn't any better than her; she just married Xie Yisong and became a true member of the Xie family.

Xie Yuyan is the same; he's just relying on Wang Yan's backing.

Xu Shu was tightly bound and escorted to the imperial ship, separating the leader of the demon cult from his followers, which would make it easier to control the situation.

By the time the officials had gradually left, the situation on the island was pretty much settled.

When Xie Yuyan went to see Xu Shu, in order to avoid arousing suspicion from the demon cult, he did not bring Zhao Zhongliang, Guo Xiong and others with him. After arriving at the sea off Fujian, the demon cult, following Xie Yuyan's instructions, relaxed their vigilance, and Zhao Zhongliang and Guo Xiong then led a separate boat to follow Xie Yuyan.

When the islanders tried to escape, Zhao Zhongliang and Guo Xiong led their men in several small boats to block them at sea, waiting for the imperial officials to land on the island and arrest them. Finally, Lord Wang arrived, and the group was overjoyed. They went ashore with Xu En's men and had a good fight. Liu Erlang also got to stretch his legs.

After binding the private soldiers, the group escorted them onto the ship. Liu Erlang glanced at the large ship and spotted Wang Yan's figure. He shrank back. Wang Yan had always been indifferent to him, so he decided not to go any closer to avoid being disliked.

……

On the big ship.

Wang Yan finally arranged everything and ordered the large ship to begin its journey.

As the ship sailed through the waves, he stepped into the cabin.

I had just entered the cabin and hadn't even had a chance to see what was inside when someone grabbed my hand.

The soft touch felt strangely familiar to him, and the next moment he lowered his guard, reaching out to pull her into his arms.

(End of this chapter)