Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 34 Regret
The old man beside Xie Yuyan didn't react to what Xie Yuyan said, but the expressions of Old Master Yang and Old Master Du changed drastically, and they subconsciously looked at He Tan.

When he saw He Tan's solemn gaze, Old Master Yang's heart felt as if it had been gripped tightly, and his blood seemed to freeze.

"What smuggled goods?"

"Where did this talk come from?"

The old man regained his senses and continued to berate Xie Yuyan, glancing at Old Master Yang. He thought that the woman in his household had dared to frame them in front of the inspector, giving them a perfect excuse to punish her. To his surprise, he saw Old Master Yang looking as if he had seen a ghost.

If you live long enough, even the most foolish person can develop a little bit of spiritual insight.

The old man realized something was wrong; his hand holding the cane trembled, and he took a step back. He mentally reviewed what he had just said.

What did the young woman ask?

"Has this kind of thing happened in any of your elders' families?"

"Of course, every household in this area does the same."

"Inspector He, just as the elders have said, this may indeed be a major case that has shocked the capital."

How come he didn't notice that after the young woman from the Yang family finished talking about the "major case," she mentioned "smuggling goods"? That young woman dug a pit for them right in front of Inspector He, and they jumped into it one by one without realizing it.

Smuggling goods, huh?
He was just helping Master Yang deal with a woman, so how did he get accused of such a crime?
Moreover, this wasn't just a casual remark; Old Master Yang's expression clearly showed he was feeling guilty.

How is it any different from kneeling down and confessing your sins when you show that look of impending doom in front of the inspector?

The old man finally understood why Inspector He had appeared at the Yang family's house; it wasn't as Old Master Yang had said, that the inspector's office was standing up for a mere woman.

How can a high-ranking inspector come to question someone without solid evidence?
The old man's hands trembled more and more violently. If he were still agile, he would have turned and run without hesitation, or... he might have fainted on the spot.
While the old man hesitated, the clear voice rang out again. After hearing just one sentence, he knew that he had no chance to escape.

"This October," Xie Yuyan said, "did all of you send goods to the North Gate?"

"What were they transporting? Was it their own caravan, or entrusted to the Yang family? Did they have any customs clearance documents?"

"Who inspected the goods when they left the city?"

"Where did the goods ultimately go? Were they sold to people in the north or the northwest?"

"How much silver did the Yang family give you?"

"Or... how much silver will you give to the Yang family?"

The old men's minds were buzzing. Some understood Xie Yuyan's question, while others were completely confused. But they all knew one thing: they were in big trouble today.

The people Xie mentioned from the north reminded them of the Northern Qi dynasty, while the people from the northwest could only be from the Western Xia dynasty.

In just one sentence, the smuggling of goods was transformed into collusion with foreign thieves.

If they had known they would face this situation after entering the Yang family, they would have preferred to "die peacefully in their sleep" this morning instead of living until now.

Xie Yuyan looked at the steward: "These old folks are not feeling well. Steward, please inform each of them and it would be best to call their clan leader or the matriarch of the household."

In particular, Xie Yuyan pointed to Master Du, who was standing next to Master Yang.

"Especially this old man..."

Old Master Du's eyes widened, and he was about to speak when Xie Yuyan, without even glancing at him, calmly withdrew his hand: "He doesn't look well; he's probably about to faint."

Grandpa Du felt a sharp pain in his heart, and a surge of heat rushed to his throat. He shouted without thinking, "What nonsense are you talking about... No one is allowed to go! I... I want to go home!"

The clan chief and his wife were summoned like this; something bad was bound to happen. Anyone suddenly faced with such a situation would make numerous mistakes, just like him.

What's frightening is that if there's suddenly no one in charge of the household, and the government officials come knocking at the door, who will deal with it? The household will inevitably descend into chaos.

Old Master Yang also suddenly realized what was happening. He glared at the steward and said, "Take her away. Don't let her embarrass herself here."

The steward subconsciously looked up, but after only one glance at Xie Yuyan, he trembled and took a few steps back, his mind filled with Xie Yuyan's indifferent expression.

Unlike the second patriarch's furious outbursts, this calm yet cold and authoritative demeanor was even more terrifying.

"This is outrageous... Who gave you the right to speak?" Seeing that the steward didn't move, Old Master Yang was about to take action himself when his arm was suddenly grabbed. He frowned and turned his head, seeing Yang Mingjing with a gloomy face.

It was like during a game of chess when someone suddenly slipped a few more pieces into his hand. Old Master Yang was overjoyed and was about to give orders when he heard Yang Mingjing say, "Didn't you hear what Madam said?"

Since the clan chief had said so, the Yang family steward dared not delay any longer, hurriedly responded, and rushed out in a panic.

Old Master Yang stared at Yang Mingjing in disbelief: "You...you..."

Yang Mingjing was pale, and his lips moved slightly as he said, "Father, in October... our family shipped out several cartloads of goods, telling the court that it was for repairing the ancestral hall. Just now, Madam Xie checked the accounts of the miscellaneous storeroom and found that this was not the case. No items were shipped to the ancestral hall in October."

"The wife who managed the general store confessed that the goods were brought in from outside the city by her fourth brother and temporarily stored in the general store. Later, under the pretext of repairing the ancestral hall, they used customs documents to transport the goods out of Daming Prefecture through the north gate."

"The Xie family also checked the clan's business transactions in October and confirmed that there was no such transaction in the clan in October. In other words... it is certain that the fourth brother used the clan's vehicles to transport private goods."

“This was originally a matter for our clan, but… it just so happens that in October of this year, the imperial court strictly investigated the trade of smuggled goods with the border barbarians, and set up several checkpoints at the north gate.”

"In that case, we need to find out why our fourth brother went to such lengths to evade the imperial court's checkpoints and what he was transporting. This is no longer a case of theft within the clan, but rather a case of smuggling goods from foreign countries."

“If we don’t get to the bottom of this, not only our fourth brother, but our entire clan will be imprisoned.”

After saying this, Yang Mingjing had no choice but to look at Xie Yuyan: "The Xie family... did the right thing." Each word felt like it was tearing his heart out.

The Xie family has brought the Yang family to such a state, yet he, as their son, has to stand up against his own father and still say: The Xie family is right.

Now, he's going to interrogate his father too; he's truly a filial son.

Yang Mingjing's eyes were bloodshot, as if they were about to bleed. The only time he had ever disobeyed his father was at such a time.

“Father,” Yang Mingjing said in a trembling voice, “are you aware of this matter? Are you related to it?”

Old Master Yang still had a stern face, but the flesh on his face trembled uncontrollably, revealing his shock and anger.

"My second uncle still has one more thing to do."

He has already done so much, yet some people still think it's not enough.

Yang Mingjing gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and had to speak again: "Father, did you also buy a manor for my fourth brother outside the north city?"

What's on that estate?

Old Master Yang swayed, trying to straighten his back. The longest bone in his body was the last thing supporting his body, but he heard a "thump".

He subconsciously looked at his feet, which were still firmly planted on the ground; it was Grandpa Du who was kneeling down.

"Inspector He," Master Du exclaimed urgently, "It wasn't me... it was Yang Mingshan who told me that the imperial court has closed the market, but the border people need cloth. If we transport it out now, we can definitely make a fortune."

"I don't have many, just a few boxes..."

Grandpa Du held up two fingers, but soon those two fingers became three.

That's all, that's all.

Grandpa Du wailed and kowtowed on the ground: "I am guilty, it has nothing to do with the rest of the clan, it was I... who was blinded by selfishness."

The old, hunched figure trembled incessantly, looking rather pitiful.

but……

Unable to move her in the slightest, that death-dealing voice came again.

"Master Du, what did Yang Mingshan get in return for the cloth you exchanged?"

“If the income is money, your household should have this account. If it is goods… I hope they are not prohibited items by the court.”

Grandpa Du's vision went black, his body became unsteady, his buttocks sticking up, and he landed headfirst on the ground.

The servants of the Du family went to pull at Master Du, and Xie Yuyan withdrew his gaze, but inadvertently met a pair of clear eyes.

(End of this chapter)