Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 100 Ugliness
Cheng Qi was delighted to hear this. When Seventh Master decided to give away the land for free, he had tried to dissuade him for a long time, asking what a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl could do.
They all saw how hard it was for Seventh Master to earn his money.

Starting at the age of eleven, he secretly saved money behind the Xie family's back. At first, he could only sell small trinkets from door to door. Then, after accumulating some silver, he set up a small porcelain kiln in Xingzhou. If he hadn't needed to buy land, he could have quickly built a large kiln.

Suddenly, Seventh Master changed his mind and decided to give all his wealth to Madam Xie.

Cheng Qi watched as the land deed was sent to the Yang family. He thought that Madam Xie would soon bring people to inspect the land, but there was no movement all day.

Cheng Qi couldn't sleep for several days. It wasn't until he saw Xie Chongjun's steward come to his door to buy the land that he realized that Seventh Master's judgment was correct. Even without Madam Xie's visit, Xie Chongjun was already feeling uneasy.

After that, Cheng Qi stopped worrying because Xie Chongjun's steward was very anxious. The more distressed the steward was, the more at ease Cheng Qi felt.

All day long, you don't have to do anything, just watch the price of this hundred acres of land keep rising.

Ten strings of cash, twenty strings of cash—sometimes he couldn't believe it was actually true.

After all these years of busy work, why not do a few days of help from Madam Xie?
Now that Madam Xie is asking him to sell it for sixty strings of cash, some people might think he's crazy for offering such a price.

But Cheng Qi felt that perhaps it really could be sold.

If the Xie family could really afford to spend 6,000 strings of cash to buy 100 acres of land, it would be a significant blow to their finances, since rice shops and porcelain shops are places where money is tied up.

If anything goes wrong again, the Xie family's accounts will be in trouble.

"Don't worry, my wife," Cheng Qi said, "I will definitely handle this matter well."

Xie Yuyan looked at Meng Jiu: "Take advantage of these few days to collect more coal to make lotus root charcoal, and try to stockpile as much as possible, at least until New Year's Day."

Meng Jiu nodded in agreement. The old lady wanted to sell this land, and everything harvested before the sale belonged to them. How could they not work hard?
Moreover, the fact that they are openly mining and making briquettes right under the Xie family's nose will only make the Xie family more anxious.

With everything settled, Xie Yuyan returned to the Yang family with his guards.

Cheng Qi and Meng Jiu escorted the person into the city. As the carriage drove further and further away, Cheng Qi couldn't help but say, "Tell me, how come the eldest lady is so amazing?"

If Seventh Master always has such a helper by his side, why would he be afraid of the Xie family?
Meng Jiu laughed and said, "There's something even more amazing, just wait and see!" He couldn't quite put his finger on what would make it so amazing, but he was certain that no one could beat Madam.

……

Yong'anfang, the second branch of the Yang family.

As Yang Yu brought back the news, Old Mrs. Yang's face grew even more joyful.

"You saw it? The government officials went to Sanhe Village? They've already started digging?"

Yang Yu nodded: "My grandson followed them all the way there. He saw that the constables were all carrying things, and they were complaining on the way that they had to get such a job in the winter."

The two old ladies were beaming: "When will the copper ore be mined? Why didn't you take that woman directly to the yamen?"

Yang Yu said, "No, the authorities need evidence to arrest someone. But just because she had someone fill the mine pit, she definitely can't escape the charge."

The two old ladies spat and said, "Serves you right."

But then I thought about it.

"Is she waiting for Inspector He to return to Daming Prefecture?"

Yang Yu said, "That's what I was thinking too, otherwise why would she try to stop me like this?" The two old ladies sat up straighter, meaning these next two days were especially crucial. They didn't want to wait until He Tan returned, only to have everyone's hopes dashed.

"Have you seen Master Xie?" the second old lady asked. "What did the Xie family say?"

Yang Yu said, "Master Xie is keeping an eye on Sanhe Village. The Xie family steward said that Xie Yuyan has found several merchants from outside and plans to sell lotus root charcoal together. He asked us to find a way to stop her and prevent her from making this deal. Otherwise, even if the Sanhe Village coal mine is taken away by the imperial court, Xie Yuyan can still make money by relying on those people."

The smile on the second old lady's face gradually faded. How could Xie Yuyan be like an unkillable bug? Where did she get so many ideas? When did she go to find the merchants? She had people watching the third branch of the family every day, how come she didn't know anything?
"What can we do?" The old lady frowned. The old man and her two sons were all in jail. The eldest son was completely controlled by that woman. The old lady and the young girl were left with no one to talk to.

Yang Yu pondered for a while before raising his head: "Grandmother, I think we can start with money. Whether Xie Yuyan is selling lotus root charcoal with merchants or buying land, he needs money."

“If she can’t come up with the money, the deal will naturally fall through.”

The two old ladies' eyes lit up immediately.

Yang Yu said, "Let's spread the news of the accident in Sanhe Village to our clansmen. If the mines in Sanhe Village are taken away, everyone's money will be lost."

"Does Grandmother think they might be eager to demand money back from Xie Yuyan?"

The two old ladies laughed again, looking at Yang Yu approvingly: "My grandson is so clever. If the third branch of the family can't come up with the money, then they'll have to mortgage the water shop to the clan."

Now it remains to be seen whether she can persuade her tribesmen.

The second old lady instructed Yang Yu: "Go and tell the elders in the clan that our old master is not at home and something big has happened in the clan. They have to come out and make decisions."

Yang Yu ran all the way to the clan. During this period, something happened in his family, and he could no longer go to the Lu family to study. His life suddenly plummeted. How could he not resent Xie Yuyan?

He desperately wanted Xie Yuyan to be imprisoned immediately so that his father and mother could escape, so he could only hold on tightly to his grandmother and ask her to come up with a solution. With these thoughts in mind, he kept walking until he reached the courtyard of his direct relatives.

Several elders of the clan were gathered together talking when they saw Yang Yu. The eldest, Yang Zongdao, spoke first: "Brother Yu, what brings you here? Why are you in such a hurry? Is something the matter?"

Yang Yu immediately said, "Something happened at the mine in Sanhe Village. My grandmother asked me to come and inform the elders. Please take charge of the situation."

Yang Zongdao looked somewhat surprised: "What happened? Why didn't the third branch mention it?"

"Copper ore was discovered at the mine, and in order to cover it up, Third Sister-in-law had the mine pit filled in overnight. However, Master Xie sued her at the county government, and now the officials have gone to Sanhe Village to reopen the mine pit."

Yang Zongdao frowned: "If it's confirmed that there's a copper mine, then the land in Sanhe Village will be gone?"

Yang Yu nodded.

Yang Zongdao thought for a moment and looked at Yang Yu: "What does your grandmother mean? Does she want us to go to the third branch of the family to ask for the money back?"

Yang Yu responded again, hoping that the elders would immediately bring their clansmen to his door.

“This is a conflict between the third branch of the family and the Xie family,” Yang Zongdao stroked his beard. “By doing this, we are helping the Xie family. What benefits have they given us?”

"We can't expect you second wife to take the blame and make us do the bad work, can we?"

Yang Yu was stunned. He never expected that the elders of the clan would ask them for these things.

(End of this chapter)