Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 55 Clear
Yang Qin was curious about the tabloids Xie Yuyan mentioned and pressed him for details.

"What tabloid is your sister-in-law talking about?"

Decades later, tabloids were common in Daliang, and they should have begun to take shape in the capital, though... they hadn't spread yet.

“In the past there was the ‘Yuanmen Chao’ (a type of official document), and now there is the ‘Dibao’ (official gazette), but not everyone can read them. Moreover, what is written in them are all important matters of the court, and they are only circulated among officials and scholars. The tabloids I am talking about record strange things in the streets and markets, as well as all kinds of news that everyone cares about. However, anything written in the tabloids must be checked and confirmed to be true before it can be used.”

"This was Liu's original intention in writing the tabloid, but I think that a tabloid should not only write about case judgments and rulings, but also about other things."

Yang Qin understood: "So, sister-in-law mentioned the gentleman to lawyer Liu?"

Xie Yuyan nodded and looked out the window: "Mr. Tong has traveled extensively and has seen and heard more than the average person, so it is most appropriate to consult him. However, Lawyer Liu is probably not available these days, so you should first reveal a few things to Mr. Tong so that he can have a plan in mind."

Yang Qin thought the idea of ​​a "tabloid" was really good. Those rumors circulating on the streets and alleys were simply not to be believed. The storytellers in teahouses told better stories, but they couldn't stand scrutiny. Over time, everyone would become skeptical. If there were a tabloid like this, people could find out what was happening in and around Daming Prefecture by simply buying a copy.

Yang Qin enjoyed talking to his sister-in-law and had many questions he wanted to ask, but... he couldn't let his fellow disciples go hungry, so he sent the cakes over first.

Zhang also urged, "The hot water is ready. Hurry up and go call someone... Tell them that I will make some meat porridge and side dishes in the kitchen later. You can have something to eat for now."

Yang Qin stuffed all the pancakes in his hand into his mouth, said goodbye to his mother and sister-in-law, picked up his small bamboo basket and skipped away, looking so happy that he seemed to want to do a few somersaults on the ground.

Zhang was both amused and exasperated: "He's getting more and more mischievous." But this was exactly how he should be at his age.

Zhang brought hot water to Xie Yuyan and said, "Don't bother, rest for a while. If anything happens outside, I'll come and call you."

Xie Yuyan picked up an account book, which was handed over by the wives she had placed in the household. She had the wives look for errors in the account book so that they could grasp these affairs more quickly. As for what else they could find, that was entirely up to their own abilities.

The moment Xie Yuyan's eyes fell on the accounts, he sensed Zhang's hesitation.

Xie Yuyan asked, "Does Mother have something to say?"

Zhang seemed encouraged, pursed her lips and said, "When we were betrothed to the Xie family before, the second branch of the family mentioned that the Xie family was no ordinary person."

"Today I heard some gossip again, saying... that the Xie family may be related to the Xie clan of Kaifeng, and that they are a branch of the Xie clan of Kaifeng."

At this point, Zhang remembered that Xie Yuyan couldn't recall the past, so she quickly explained, "The Xie family of Kaifeng I'm talking about is a powerful and influential family. Their ancestors included prime ministers, and the current head of the family seems to be in charge of the Privy Council. In short... they're not to be trifled with."

Zhang was reminding her not to underestimate Xie.

Xie Yuyan smiled slightly: "Mother, don't worry, I know all this."

No one knew the Xie family of Kaifeng better than her, because she grew up there, learned from her grandmother how to manage the family affairs, and always schemed for the benefit of the clan.

Because the Xie family had produced prime ministers and privy councilors in their ancestors, their descendants hoped to hold both powers in their hands, which they called "powerful prime ministers".

Even if the Xie family doesn't make things difficult for her, she still has to find them. She hasn't settled the score with them for the defeat in her previous life.

All those events and people from that time are buried deep in her heart. The lost border, the officials and generals who retreated in the face of battle, the heads she hadn't had time to sever in her past life…

If descendants make mistakes, it is the fault of the ancestors. To truly resolve this, we must trace back to the source, find their roots, and eradicate them completely, preventing them from even being born.

So what she said to Wang Hechun was right; she was on the same path as them, at least for a long time. As for what would happen in the future, it depended on how big her ship was and whether they could get off.

After Zhang left, there was no one else in the room. Xie Yuyan felt a weight on his leg as the cat jumped up.

"Yu Chen," Xie Yuyan called out subconsciously.

The cat responded immediately, its voice exceptionally gentle.

"It seems you prefer the name Yu Chen." Her name also contains the character "Yu," which is why she named the little raccoon that.

"I seem to like you more and more," Xie Yuyan said, tickling the cat. "In that case, you can stay here and don't need to go back."

She and Wang Hechun both knew where the raccoon came from. Since they had already openly robbed it, she didn't need to be polite in the future. After all, the raccoon didn't want to go home.
……

In the dark prison, the matchmaker knelt on the ground, head bowed, only daring to stare at the pair of boots in front of her.

The jailer hadn't interrogated her for a long time, especially since many people had been imprisoned recently, including the steward of the Xie family. Those who needed to be arrested had been arrested; she just needed to wait to be taken to the county government office to await sentencing. Unexpectedly, that official came to question her again, demanding that she clearly recount the events of receiving Lady Xie's "corpse" that day.

“I really looked very carefully, there was no breath at all, and the body was cold,” the matchmaker said in a trembling voice. “I really didn’t mean to harm anyone… I wouldn’t have the guts.” A deep voice came from above: “Then what did Jiao Da say?”

The matchmaker hurriedly said, "Tell me... I didn't keep an eye on her along the way, and she fell off the carriage and hit her head. Otherwise, if she had any breath left, she wouldn't have been sold for this price."

"At the time, I also thought that the young lady was so beautiful that she could be sold anywhere for dozens of strings of cash. Jiao Da must not have done it on purpose, which is why he dared to buy the corpse. However, the inspection of the corpse in the city was all arranged by the Xie family."

Wang Yan asked, "Did you change Lady Xie's clothes?"

The matchmaker replied, "The Xie family would never do such work; I do it all."

Wang Yan then asked, "So, you were with that corpse for a long time?"

The matchmaker nodded.

"Didn't you realize the person was still alive?"

The voice carried a hint of authority, startling the matchmaker so much that she nearly collapsed to the ground.

“Really, no…” The matchmaker was almost crying. “I found it strange that someone could still be alive in this condition. I’ve seen so many people, but I’ve never encountered anything like this before. I can’t sleep at night whenever I think about it.”

The voice above her remained silent for a long time. The matchmaker cautiously raised her head to see what was happening. In the light, she saw a solemn face, which terrified her.

“It’s nothing strange,” Wang Yan said. “It’s clearly because you didn’t investigate carefully enough.”

Since the official said so, the matchmaker dared not argue and could only say, "Yes, it was all because this old woman was too greedy and almost caused a death."

She would never dare to make excuses for herself or say such things again.

As she watched the figure leave the prison and the footsteps fade into the distance, the matchmaker collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted.

Wang Yan stepped onto the stairs and walked out of the prison step by step.

It was already dark, and only the lantern carried by the servant swayed in the wind. The problem that had been lingering in his mind for many years seemed to be slowly loosening.

He originally thought that, like "Lord Wenzheng," he would need to spend a lot of time verifying what she said so that he could figure out whether that trip back then was real or a dream.

Now he feels... perhaps it's no longer necessary.

Wang Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling that scene that had been buried in his mind for many years.

"Go ahead and scout the way, I'll wait for you here."

She wore a pale yellow dress, her face tilted upwards, her clear eyes filled with sincerity.

Without a shred of doubt, he turned and walked into the mist, but when he returned, she was nowhere to be seen.

He was extremely anxious, constantly feeling that something had happened to her. After leaving the woods, he had his family search the surrounding area. Not only did they not find her, but they also did not find the wooden house and pavilion they had met.

It was as if he had a dream; there was no her, and none of those scenes.

Now Xie Yuyan has appeared.

His usually indifferent cat was willing to stay by her side.

If he did indeed "encounter a fairy" that day, would the fairy reappear? Not in her original form, but with a different identity and a different face?

He had thought about it many times, realizing that he hadn't thought things through properly when he was young and had overlooked many things. Now, more than ten years later, if he were to meet her again, he would definitely not let her go.

Now, he clings to even the slightest clue.

Xie Yuyan, as long as she doesn't run away...

Wang Yan took a deep breath, feeling exceptionally relaxed. Now she would see what she could accomplish in a few days.

(End of this chapter)