Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 792 Meritorious Service
After meeting Xie's uncle and nephew, Madam Wu had just stepped out of the house when she ordered her men, "Get rid of them."

After saying that, she lifted her foot and walked forward.

Seeing this, the head housekeeper asked in a low voice, "What do you think is wrong, madam?"

This was Wu Niangzi's confidante, and Wu Niangzi didn't hide anything from her when things happened: "They came at the worst possible time, and besides... I never intended to keep them in the first place."

Such personnel, who can only be used once, should be disposed of as soon as possible to avoid future problems.

The matron nodded.

Madam Wu stopped and thought for a moment before saying, "Go find Wu Chong. We're leaving Bianjing tonight."

The head housekeeper didn't know why Madam Wu had suddenly made this arrangement, but it turned out that many times before, it was thanks to Madam Wu and her team that they were able to escape danger.

Madam Wu began tidying up the documents; if the Xie family uncle and nephew didn't come today, she might have to leave the estate.

The situation in the capital has changed. The officials they had arranged to go and pay homage to the emperor have been arrested. It was the palace guards who took action. Wang Bingchen could not possibly mobilize those men. Either the emperor has woken up, or the empress dowager has intervened. Madam Wu leans towards the latter.

There had been no news from Cining Palace, yet they made a move at a crucial moment, which was illogical. In addition, Xie Yuyan had some connections with Cining Palace, so she suspected that this might be a backup plan that Xie Yuyan and Wang Yan had arranged long ago.

Therefore, they should go to the mountains to hide for a few days.

However, she cannot leave Bianjing; she still has to deal with the Wang family father and son. If she leaves now, the Prince of Qin will not be able to take down the Wang family with his abilities. She must help them from the shadows.

One by one, the notes were set ablaze, and the messages they carried were all destroyed. Just as the flames were rising again, Wu Niangzi heard a shout, and her hand froze.

Another "clang" of metal colliding.

Then the sound she had heard earlier came again; it was someone screaming in agony.

Wu Niangzi immediately stood up, but she quickly came to her senses, gathered all the papers in her hand under the lamp, and immediately intensified the fire, then threw the ball of fire into the charcoal brazier.

Just then, the guard at the door rushed in, his face full of panic. He looked at Madam Wu and said, "The Imperial Guards have broken into the manor! Madam, leave quickly!"

The guards outside the manor had just searched the area and found no suspicious persons, but in the blink of an eye, the Imperial Guards broke in.

It is conceivable that these imperial guards had made preparations well in advance and carefully concealed their movements. Not just any army could do this. These people must be the elite of the palace, so the manpower on the estate was very likely not able to deal with them.

Madam Wu looked at the guards: "Take a few people with you, we'll go through the tunnel."

This choice means abandoning the rest of the people on the estate.

The entrance to the tunnel in the village was in Wu Niangzi's courtyard. Wu Niangzi went first and opened the door to the tunnel herself. The head housekeeper lit the oil lamp and followed her.

After arriving at the estate, Madam Wu led her people through this tunnel many times. It was her habit to plan ahead before doing anything, and in a place like Bianjing where situations could change in an instant, she had to be even more careful than usual.

The last guard, not hearing any sounds of pursuit, breathed a sigh of relief.

The Imperial Guards were formidable, but they were unfamiliar with Zhuangzi and certainly didn't know where the tunnels were or where they led.

The matron whispered, "Should we hide in the tunnel?" She was worried that someone might be lying in ambush nearby.

“No,” said Madam Wu, “not everyone on the estate can keep their mouths shut.”

Even if she brings only trustworthy people, some might still be cowardly and reveal the location of the tunnel. Right now, she can only rely on the advantage she has to escape. And…

"I wonder if they've gotten rid of Xie Yize," Madam Wu said calmly, having considered all of this. "If he's not dead, he'll cooperate with the Imperial Guards to draw my portrait. Then all they need to do is post it at the checkpoint, and we'll be trapped."

What Wu Niangzi was most worried about was that Xie Yi had already colluded with the Imperial Guards and brought them to the manor. In that case, the Imperial Guards might know the location of the tunnel.

But Madam Wu thought it was unlikely. If it were true, Xie Yi wouldn't have to take the risk; he could simply have the Imperial Guards surround the manor.

Could it be that Fourth Master Xie?
Wu Niangzi didn't have time to think too much; she could only do her best to fight back.

The tunnel couldn't be built too far, and since the manor was at the foot of the mountain, the tunnel could only follow the contours of the mountain. When Madam Wu and the others emerged from the tunnel, they looked back and saw that they were only five or six li away from the manor. They could faintly see firelight in the direction of the manor, indicating that the fighting on the manor was extremely fierce.

Madam Wu said, "Let's go quickly!"

They could only walk by moonlight, hoping to escape the imperial court's pursuit before dawn. However, they hadn't gone far when they saw torches flickering nearby.

“They know,” the stewardess exclaimed, “and they’re searching for us everywhere.”

The consequence of rushing to escape was that he had too few people with him and was unable to confront the Imperial Guard head-on.

Madam Wu said, "Be careful and avoid the torches."

The group hurried on, but before they had gone far, the guard leading the way suddenly heard a rustling sound of leaves. He immediately drew his long sword from his waist.

The crisp sound made Wu Niangzi's expression change. She immediately realized that she had made a mistake. The Imperial Guards had deliberately lit the torches so that they would not dare to go into the light. The Imperial Guards only needed to lie in ambush in the dark to catch her red-handed.

It's too late to understand now.

Wu Niangzi felt something coming down on her head. When she was entangled, she realized it was a large net. She struggled a few times, but was then pinned to the ground by the imperial guards who pounced on her.

"Did you catch them?"

A familiar voice rang out; she had heard this person speak in the house not long ago.

"Does this count as a meritorious deed? There really is a secret passage on this estate, isn't there? I went to great lengths to find out from Xie Yize."

Upon hearing this, Madam Wu finally understood that it was the Xie clan patriarch who had secretly sent a message to the Imperial Guards, so the story of the Xie clan patriarch's feud with Xie Yuyan was completely false.

The meritorious old master Xie Si hid behind the Imperial Guards, his eyes shining brightly. He had helped the court capture these people, and the court should forgive their past mistakes. Just as Xie Yuyan said, if they could openly and honestly exonerate themselves, why go down a dark path? If they really listened to Xie Yize, the final result might be a death sentence.

Old Master Xie believed that he had seen the pros and cons clearly on his own, and was definitely not being blackmailed by Xie Yuyan. Thinking of this, he rarely showed a smile, but his joy did not last long, when he heard the imperial guard beside him say: "Return to the city immediately."

Old Master Xie's face fell again; this torment was almost killing him.

……

Funing Hall.

The Empress Dowager slowly sipped her tea. The people in the hall looked at the documents in their hands over and over again, but the Empress Dowager showed no intention of speaking.

The King of Qin looked at the rest of the people in the room. Wang Bingchen had obviously guessed something and was sitting there steadily. The officials of the Secretariat followed Wang Bingchen's lead without question. So, it seemed that he was the only one who was anxious.

(End of this chapter)