Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 746 Kill again
Xu En and Wang Yan walked into the prison together. Looking at the cells full of convicted officials, he suddenly felt a chill in his heart.

With so many people arrested, what if someone still escaped... how terrible would this case be? It's fortunate that it was uncovered now, otherwise, if things continued like this, it could very well escalate to an unmanageable level.

Wang Yan said, "Let's go and see just how powerful their methods really are."

If nothing can be found out and everything is done flawlessly, Xu En will find it even more terrifying.

……

Yingtian Prefecture, Xiayi County, not far from the capital.

A man in his forties, carrying a bundle, strode into the city, heading home. As darkness fell, he quickened his pace, eager to reach his doorstep as soon as possible.

Li Da's trip to the capital was to gather information concerning an agreement he had made with Old Madam Xie. Thinking of this, Li Da pursed his lips.

He once served under Ma Yue. After Ma Yue died in battle, he was transferred to Qinfeng Road. Unfortunately, he suffered another defeat with his deputy general and was subsequently ostracized. For several years, he led a few dozen wounded soldiers, wearing the worst armor, to guard the pass, not knowing when he would die on the battlefield.

He wasn't afraid of death, but dying like this was just too suffocating.

Just then, Madam Xie sent someone to Qin Feng Road to find him and inquire about the events of the siege of the demon cult years ago. Only then did he learn that Madam Xie had been secretly investigating this matter.

Li Da knew this was an opportunity. He carefully recalled the events of that year and found some things indeed suspicious. He mentioned to the Xie family that after Xie Yisong's death, Ma Yue had written a memorial to the throne. Although he hadn't seen what the memorial actually said, Ma Yue had revealed something while drinking alone, saying that he had wronged someone and that if he didn't speak out, he would never have peace in his life. However, before the memorial could be sent to the capital, Ma Yue died. He suspected that this was related to Xie Yisong's death.

His reasoning was simple: after Xie Yisong and his wife died, Ma Yue had been preoccupied with worries, and having been by Ma Yue's side for so long, he naturally noticed.

But it's better to avoid trouble. If the Xie family hadn't come looking for him, and he hadn't needed their help, he would never have mentioned these things.

So he told the Xie family that if they wanted to find out the contents of the memorial, he could provide some information.

Besides him, there was another person by Ma Yue's side who advised him, and that person probably knew about most of Ma Yue's memorials.

But he also had a condition: the Xie family had to find a way to get him to leave Qinfeng Road.

As a result, the Xie family naturally agreed. Half a year later, he was transferred to Xingyuan Prefecture. He kept his word and told everything he knew to Old Madam Xie, and also helped Old Madam Xie find Yu Fang.

If it weren't for the Xie family, he might have died on Qin Feng Road. But he had given the Xie family the information they wanted, and things should have ended there. There was no debt between them, and he didn't want to have any further dealings with the Xie family.

Little did anyone know, his suffering was not over yet. When Xingyuan Prefecture suffered a famine, he discovered that the county magistrate was colluding with merchants to hoard grain for profit while providing disaster relief. As a result, he was framed and imprisoned. This time, it was Madam Xie who helped him get out of prison.

Several setbacks made him lose interest in pursuing an official career. When Madam Xie heard about this, she gave him some money. Grateful, he promised Madam Xie that if the case were ever sent to the yamen for trial, he would be willing to go to the yamen to testify.

Away from the strife, his life got better and better. He not only bought houses and fields, but also married a virtuous and kind woman. Busy with his own affairs, he gradually forgot about the Xie family's case until the old lady of Xie summoned him for questioning again.

That time, he learned that Madam Xie was preparing to submit a petition to the imperial court to seek justice for Xie Yisong. He wasn't stupid; he guessed who Madam Xie wanted to deal with. At that time, Xie Yizhi, while not exactly wielding immense power, was still a high-ranking official. How could Madam Xie possibly handle this son? Even if mother and son reconciled, Xie Yizhi wouldn't do anything to Madam Xie, but he certainly wouldn't let them off the hook. Li Da calmly dealt with Madam Xie, and upon returning home, he told his wife the whole story. After discussing it, the couple felt even more strongly that this was a disaster.

In order to escape this calamity, he secretly sold his house and land and fled to Guangnan with his wife and children.

After settling down, he inquired about the news again and learned that Madam Xie had actually passed away. He was truly shocked and suspected that there must be something fishy about Madam Xie's death. Fearing that Xie Yizhi would find him, he had no choice but to move again. Only after changing his appearance, obtaining a new household registration, and having a new identity did he dare to settle down in Yingtian Prefecture.

This time, upon hearing that Xie Yizhi had been arrested, and thinking that the shadow that had lingered in his heart for so many years might be dispelled as a result, he could no longer sit still and hurriedly went to Bianjing to inquire about the news.

Upon arriving in Bianjing, Li Da inquired from various sources and roughly understood the ins and outs of the whole affair. He found the matter truly astonishing. He had previously known that a woman from the Xie family accompanied Old Madam Xie, but he never expected that she was Xie Yisong's daughter. It was this woman who, after Old Madam Xie passed away, sent Xie Yizhi to prison, thus clearing the name of her parents.

Li Da also saw the official notice posted by the government, searching for people and clues related to the Xie family case. He hesitated whether to meet Madam Xie, but his secret escape years ago would likely incur her wrath. Besides, he didn't know if Madam Xie's death was related to his abrupt departure.

After much deliberation, he decided to live his life and not get involved in this matter, so he hurriedly left before Lady Xie returned to the capital.

This was the last time. Li Da secretly decided that since his elders had passed away long ago, it didn't matter whether his identity was restored or not. From now on, he would just live a peaceful life with his wife and children.

Even though Xie Yizhi was arrested, he was able to let go of his guilt of many years. After all, Old Madam Xie had only helped him a few times, not taken his life, and he had the right to refuse.

Thinking this, Li arrived at his doorstep, banishing all his worries from his mind. With a relaxed expression, he knocked on his front door.

A crisp knocking sound came from the door, but Li Da waited for a while and there was no movement in the yard.

Li Da frowned. It wasn't too late yet, and his family shouldn't be asleep. Could it be that the old servant guarding the gate was slacking off? A thought flashed through his mind: he would buy a young servant in a few days and replace the old servant.

Li Da impatiently banged on the door again, this time with more force, causing the wooden door in front of him to open a crack.

The door wasn't bolted.

Li Da was even more furious. He shoved Qian Si aside and was about to cause trouble for his family back home: "Qian Si, what kind of gatekeeper are you?"

As he spoke, he stepped into the courtyard and took a few steps forward before stopping. A chill suddenly ran through him because it was too quiet around him. The courtyard was empty, as if there was no one else there, even though the lights were on in the main house.

A layer of cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and the hairs on his neck stood on end.

A gust of wind blew by, and Li Da shivered. He seemed to smell a hint of blood.

Having fought on the battlefield, Li Da didn't hesitate for a moment before turning around and rushing out of the courtyard.

(End of this chapter)