Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 613 Come here
Zheng Wenhuan gathered his men and, following Xia Dalang's instructions, sent them to stop the caravan.

However, news soon came back.

“Those people ran for a while and then abandoned the goods.”

Xia Dalang waited anxiously, and by the time the officials finally arrived, the caravan had already gone far away.

If you decisively discard the goods, you'll naturally run faster.

"They abandoned the mule cart and left the main road."

Every choice the caravan made was unexpected; whether abandoning goods or mule carts, they were so decisive, they were completely unlike a typical caravan.

The caravan would not abandon its valuables until the very last moment.

Xia Dalang took a deep breath: "They realized they had fallen into a trap when they left the village." It was probably because they had the strength to fight back last night, but they decisively retreated, which aroused the suspicion of the caravan.

The fact that they went to such lengths to set up this trap, even using the power of the imperial court, clearly indicates that their aim wasn't the goods, but rather to use the caravan against Xie Yuyan and Wang Yan.

Once you understand this, do the goods still matter?

All I can say is that the caravan leader was incredibly clever. They seized every opportunity and devised ways to escape from their sight.

The official roads here are complex and easy to ambush; similarly, once a caravan abandons its conspicuous mule carts and heads into the mountains, it will be difficult to capture them.

Xia Dalang gritted his teeth: "We must catch them." Now that the authorities have intervened, they can leave manpower at the checkpoints. As long as they prevent them from escaping, they can send people to search the mountains every day and find them sooner or later.

“Actually,” Zheng Wenhuan said, “we’ve already made them abandon the goods, so we’ve already gained something. Even if we can’t catch the person, we can still go back and report.”

Xia Dalang sneered, "So what if they lost some valuables? We need to frame them for arson, murder, and looting to shake Xie Yuyan's power."

“As long as these people are alive, Xie Yuyan and Wang Yan can find a way to overturn the case. Only the dead cannot cry out for justice. We must find a way to make their crimes conclusive.”

"Even if we can't create an ironclad case, we have to wait for the Demon Cult to arrive and hand these cases over to them so they can fight each other. If we leave now, wouldn't that be giving up halfway?"

Zheng Wenhuan couldn't refute it, because Xia Dalang was right; they had to find a way to pin the blame on the Demon Cult. This wasn't difficult. They impersonated Xie Yizhi's men, delivered a message to the Demon Cult, and waited for them to arrive with reinforcements. That would do the trick.

So, no matter what, they had to stay and deal with these people.

Zheng Wenhuan said, "We'll do as you say."

Xia Dalang patted Zheng Wenhuan on the shoulder: "Don't worry, this time when we go back, we will definitely accomplish a great feat."

……

After Xie Yuyan disembarked, he changed to horses and led Guo Xiong and the others northwest, inquiring about the caravans as they traveled.

Sang Mo led his men and the Guo brothers to scout ahead. On the fourth day, Sang Mo first inquired about the caravan: "The innkeeper said that the caravan was different from ordinary caravans. They didn't drink alcohol, rarely came out to talk, and returned to their lodgings after eating. They left early the next morning. The flags they planted were 'Xie' and 'Yang,' so they should be Tang Xing and Chen Rong."

Xie Yuyan nodded: "When did they pass by here?"

Sang Mo said, "It will take about ten days."

The caravan was moving slowly; if they had caught up quickly, they could have met them in about seven or eight days.

Having received the news, Xie Yuyan breathed a sigh of relief; at least they were heading in the right direction. "Send out a few more people," Xie Yuyan said, "to take a look around the area."

This time, we're not just inquiring about the caravans, but also keeping an eye on the movements of the demon cult.

Sang Mo understood. He said in a low voice, "From today onwards, I will stay by Madam's side. When Madam rests at night, we will guard outside the door." The closer we get to the caravan, the more careful we must be. When we left the capital, my husband repeatedly instructed me to make sure Madam is safe and sound.

Xie Yuyan knew this was Wang Yan's order, so he nodded and said, "You make the arrangements."

This took another two days of travel.

When it was time to find lodging that night, the Guo brothers hurriedly sought out Xie Yuyan.

Guo Xiong told Xie Yuyan what he had found out: "We went to the restaurant up ahead to inquire about something, and a customer mentioned a case."

"He said that a few days ago, a caravan passed through a village and took a fancy to a young woman in the village. They sneaked into the village at night to try to take advantage of her, but the villagers discovered them. The caravan then robbed the village of its property, killed many villagers, and finally set the village on fire. Now the authorities are arresting these people everywhere."

Guo Chuan added, "The customer also said that the caravan was transporting porcelain to the border market."

Xie Yuyan might not know that the other goods being transported were likely transported by Tang Xing and his group.

Guo Xiong looked at Xie Yuyan: "Could it be..."

Xie Yuyan nodded: "They explained so clearly what goods they were transporting and where they were going, which shows they were after us."

Guo Xiong's expression changed: "So, Tang Xing and the others are really in trouble?"

“Not necessarily,” Xie Yuyan said. “Although I left the capital quietly, if I don’t appear in the porcelain shops for a few days, it will definitely arouse their suspicion. They may have already found out my whereabouts.”

"Since they guessed that I came to find the caravan, they might spread some bad news to disturb my peace of mind."

"But the most likely explanation is that something went wrong with the caravan."

Guo Chuan frowned as he thought about what the man had said about murder and arson. Tang Xing and his group would never do such a thing. Even if it had happened, someone would have framed them.

Xie Yuyan said, "It's not difficult to find out the whole story. In cases like this where someone has died, there will definitely be a notice posted at the county government office."

Guo Xiong immediately said, "I'll head to the nearest county town right now."

Xie Yuyan nodded and looked at Guo Chuan: "You'll have to work a little harder too. Take the people forward and find other restaurants and inns to ask for information." These places are frequented by people and are also gathering places for all kinds of information.

Guo Chuan was somewhat worried: "Moving around so openly like this might attract unwanted attention."

“I just wanted them to know I was here,” Xie Yuyan said. “In case Tang Xing and the others are captured, they won’t lose their lives so easily.”

Guo Chuan didn't quite understand, but Guo Xiong thought for a moment and said, "What you mean is that those people will leave survivors to blackmail you." Once he understood this, he admired his wife even more from the bottom of his heart.

The eldest daughter-in-law was willing to risk her life for those who followed her; how many people could do that?
Guo Chuan said, "This is too risky. Why don't you find another place, Madam... and wait until we figure out the situation..."

Xie Yuyan shook his head: "I came here for them. Now that we've found them, why hide?"

She came here to openly confront them.

(End of this chapter)