Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 37 Seizing Power
Many members of the Yang family were taken away at once, including the second patriarch and the second patriarch.

Those Yang clan members who hadn't come to the ancestral home were preparing to go and inquire about the news when they were informed that each family should send someone to the clan headquarters, as the clan head had something to say to everyone.

The clansmen stepped into Yong'an Ward with trepidation, feeling that the people in the ward were looking at them strangely.

"what happened?"

"Don't you know? When the Second Master heard that the patrol officers had come to the door, he invited all the elders in the neighborhood over, hoping to use their influence to force the patrol officers out of the Yang family."

"That Inspector He wasn't buying it. He immediately took all the old men away and sent sergeants to each household, saying he was going to audit their accounts overnight..."

"Tell me, isn't this a bolt from the blue?"

"With things turned out like this, who wouldn't resent our Yang family? The old master really shouldn't have done this."

"I don't know if you've heard, but this is no small matter. Those in charge of carriages and horses, as well as those clansmen who are usually close to the Second Master and the Fourth Master, have all been taken away."

No sooner had the clansman finished speaking than a sound of weeping came from the ancestral home.

"What should we do? My son Sanlang always works for the clan. How did he end up being taken to the yamen?"

Hearing the shouts, the Yang clan members quickened their pace, wanting to see what was going on.

Such incidents are inevitable; whoever gets arrested will have to seek an explanation from the Yang clan.

The crowd gathered around and saw a woman sitting slumped on the ground, crying and shouting with snot and tears streaming down her face. Several other women standing nearby were also eager to join in.

As the commotion was raging, several people came out from the inner courtyard. Leading them was Mama Yu, followed by several young women and unskilled old women.

Upon seeing this, the weeping woman crawled a few steps on the ground and rushed to Mother Yu's side, crying out, "Where is Second Sister? I want to see Second Sister."

Madam Yu did not respond: "Madam asked me to pass on a message to you."

Mother Yu paused here.

Many people had vaguely heard that the woman in charge of the household was no longer the second wife, but the wife of the third son and sixth son, but they had never seen it with their own eyes, so how could they believe it?

Even those who had met Xie Yuyan earlier mostly thought that the Second Mistress was using the Third Branch to deal with Yang Mingshan.

Now that the government has arrested the man, it's time for Second Madam to return and take charge of the situation.

but……

It seems that their thoughts are somewhat different from theirs.

Madam Yu couldn't mimic Xie Yuyan's calm demeanor; she simply repeated the words: "Madam is asking you, is the gate of the patrol office closed? Or is the office refusing to accept your complaint? You've come here to seek justice?"

The young man and woman stood there, staring blankly at Mother Yu.

Yu's mother is usually very kind, so why does she suddenly seem like a different person?

The man and woman stared with reddened eyes: "These things all happened in the clan, are you just going to let the clan do nothing about it?"

“You can’t say things like that,” said Madam Yu. “You and Fourth Master transported goods out of the city without permission, and these transactions were not recorded in the clan’s accounts.”

"You have taken the tribe's carriages and horses without permission, how dare you come to the tribe to complain?"

Madam Yu's expression became more stern: "Being caught selling smuggled goods by the imperial court is a crime that deserves punishment. Are you suggesting that the entire Yang family should be imprisoned along with them?"

Upon hearing this, the woman shrank back slightly, sensing that the gazes directed at her from all around had changed.

Madam Yu said, "Madam called everyone here to explain what happened today. Those who want to hear the details can go to the flower hall in a little while. Anyone who causes trouble will be dealt with according to family rules."

After saying this, several rough-looking old women stepped forward, stood in front of the crying young woman, grabbed her with several hands, and dragged her aside.

The women picked up their sticks again; these sticks had been idle in the clan for many years, but today they were picked up several times.

Mother Yu then recalled another incident: "These days, the eldest daughter-in-law will bring several men and women to inspect the clan's accounts. Those who are dishonest will not be able to escape."

After finishing her speech, Madam Yu led several young men and women toward the flower hall, and a commotion immediately followed behind them.

The women pursed their lips, not daring to say much. They had originally only helped Xie Yuyan out of respect for the Second Madam.

But after a while, even the second master was arrested by the government.

Wasn't the whole point to prevent the two old masters and the old lady from interfering in clan affairs? How did it escalate to this point?

Thinking about it carefully, they deserve a lot of credit for this.

Those clansmen who were arrested must hate them to the core, and now they are even helping the eldest daughter-in-law spread messages, putting them in the eye of the storm.

Just then, the group returned to the flower hall.

Perhaps because the lady had sent so many people into the government office in the blink of an eye, they now felt that she was even more intimidating than before, so they all stepped forward respectfully to pay their respects.

Xie Yuyan said, "Now that all the clansmen have come to the ancestral home, they are bound to have their own thoughts. You should write down all the clansmen who went to your second aunt's courtyard, and start checking their accounts first."

The young men and women slightly opened their mouths, so this meant they were about to completely seize power from the second wife?
Xie Yuyan raised her eyes: "Do you still want to go back to your second aunt's side?" "No," the women replied subconsciously, "We will all serve Madam from now on."

Xie Yuyan said, "There are still too few people."

The men and women remained silent, but Madam Yu, who was standing nearby, said, "If it weren't for Madam, no matter what the Second Master and Fourth Master did, if things got out of hand, the entire Yang family would be implicated. As long as this matter is clarified, everyone will be grateful for Madam's kindness."

“What Aunt Yu said is true; more people will inevitably come to join us.”

Having sent the two old masters to jail, do they still think they can maintain their position in the second branch of the family? Things have come to this point, and they have no choice but to go down this dark path.

Xie Yuyan said, "The Yang family's caravan is involved in this case. Before the matter is clarified, the caravan can no longer leave Daming Prefecture. Several families in Yong'an Ward have also been implicated by the Second Master. Even if the court issues new travel documents, I'm afraid no one will be willing to do business with the Yang family in the short term."

"After all, everyone is afraid of being implicated in a case involving illicit goods."

A young woman said, "Then wouldn't our Yang family... have no way to make a living?"

Xie Yuyan said, "There are so many ways to make a living, the caravan can be put on hold for now, and we can do something else instead."

The couple looked at Xie Yuyan with expectant eyes.

Xie Yuyan said, "Ten days later, I will lead the clansmen to find another business. Those who are willing to come can come to the main hall and listen to my instructions. Those who are not willing will not be forced, but there is a rule..."

The couple bent over even deeper; the important part was coming, and they wanted to hear every word clearly.

Xie Yuyan said, "Those who didn't come back then shouldn't even think about getting involved in that business. No matter how much money they make, it's none of their business."

The couple looked at each other. That's it? Nothing more?

"Shouldn't you reveal some details about what we're going to do, how much money we need from everyone, and how the profits will be divided?"

Without mentioning these points, it would be difficult to attract more people.

“No need,” Xie Yuyan said. “They don’t need to know.”

What she wanted was a group of obedient and loyal people. They didn't know how to submit, so she would teach them.

……

The patrol and inspection office.

He Tan and Wang Hechun looked at the corpse on the ground.

Chen Ju led his men to surround the small village outside the north city of Yangjia. The man resisted desperately, but seeing that he was about to be captured, he simply committed suicide.

"It's all because of my incompetence," Chen Ju said, his face full of regret.

When the man leaped up, he thought he was going to fight him to the death. Who knew that at the last moment, the man would turn the weapon in his hand upside down and plunge it straight into his throat.

Such ruthless methods could not possibly come from a border resident or a merchant.

“He had calluses on his palms and fingers,” Chen Ju said. “It shows that he often handles guns and shoots arrows, and his martial arts skills are somewhat similar to those of the soldiers in the camp.”

Wang Hechun said, "He's a soldier."

Chen Ju nodded: "No mistake." This was what bothered him; he had finally gathered evidence, only to have it destroyed.

Wang Hechun looked at Chen Ju: "Didn't you say there were bandits outside the north city?"

"Yes."

Chen Ju sighed, but apprehending bandits was the duty of the local militia, not their patrol office.

Wang Hechun said, "At Yangjiazhuang, we encountered armed resistance. We captured one person, and others escaped in the chaos. You pursued them all the way, and unknowingly entered the deep mountains."

Wang Hechun didn't need to explain what happened next; it was inevitable that the bandits' stronghold would be destroyed.

Chen Ju was delighted: "I'll go right now."

“That’s good,” He Tan said. “It clears out the bandits and prevents anyone from using them to cause trouble.”

First, obtain a confession to prove that the people who died in the village had nothing to do with the bandits. Then those people will not be able to blame the bandits for the incident and make a ridiculous claim that Yang Mingshan colluded with the bandits to buy and sell smuggled goods.

After speaking, Wang Hechun picked up his teacup and drank it. He was really thirsty, so he simply drank it all in one gulp. When he put down the teacup, he saw He Tan's meaningful smile.

He Tan said, "It seems that while talking to Miss Xie, I didn't even get a sip of water."

A scene flashed through Wang Hechun's mind.

The tea tray and cups were right in front of her, but she showed no intention of serving tea.

This was either telling him that she wasn't used to serving others, or that he should leave early to avoid lingering.

None of these incidents were things Wang Hechun had ever experienced before.

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(End of this chapter)