Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 809 Battle Report
Xia Jingxian looked at the house in front of her. Although the furnishings inside were a bit simple, in a border town in the northwest, having such a place to stay was already quite good.

She wouldn't care about any of that now; all she wanted to know was whether He Tan was dead or not—this was an opportunity she had risked her life for.

"Second Madam," the head maid said, hurrying over, "news has come back."

Xia Jingxian immediately looked over.

The stewardess's face was full of joy: "They said He Tan fell into the icy river and is definitely not going to make it."

Xia Jingxian's face had been beaming with a smile, but after carefully considering the steward's words, she suppressed her smile: "He Tan's body has not been found?"

The headmistress shook her head: "No, but..."

Xia Jingxian said coldly, "Useless! So many people were trying to capture one person, and he actually escaped to the river. Now we can't find him alive or dead."

When the matron received the news, she also felt it was a great pity that the body could not be found.

"The soldier who delivered the message said that He Tanfu did not come up."

“He Tan is wearing armor, which will only restrict him once he enters the water. Besides, he is injured and will definitely not be able to get ashore. He will surely die.”

Xia Jingxian's expression softened a bit. Considering how cold it was outside, she figured what he said was probably true.

“My lady,” the stewardess said, her eyes reddening, “you have done a great service. If things go smoothly, perhaps we can return to Bianjing.”

Xia Jingxian took a deep breath. She had been hoping for this outcome, and now that it was about to happen, she felt sentimental again: "Going back... can everything go back to the way it was before?"

The head housekeeper didn't know how to persuade her. She was afraid that the lady wouldn't be able to wait any longer. Many people in the Xia family had died. Even if someone were to pardon all of the Xia family's crimes now, what was lost could never be recovered.

“The master will not mistreat Second Mistress,” the head housekeeper said. “At least Second Mistress has avenged herself.”

Xia Jingxian laughed: "You're right. I want to see He Tan die, and I also want to see Wang Yan and Xie Yuyan die. If it weren't for them, the Xia family and the Xie family would be united by marriage. I could marry the son of the Privy Councilor, and with my maternal family as my backing, I would be rich and glorious for the rest of my life."

She didn't need to worry about trivial matters at all. Even in her old age, she could still manage the younger generation and clansmen in the inner quarters, ensuring they did their best for the clan.

Everything she had was taken away by Xie Yuyan, Wang Yan and the like, how could she not hate them?
Xia Jingxian looked at the steward mother and said, "Go out and find out the news. As soon as the army sets off, we will follow behind and go to Bianjing together. Once Bianjing is captured, I will go into the city and witness the fate of those people with my own eyes."

……

He Xing had been on a long march all night without rest. When his horse was too tired to run, he simply relied on his two legs to traverse the forest.

When they arrived at Zhenrong Army, it was already dawn. He Xing looked at the large flags fluttering in the military camp and immediately rubbed his already red eyes.

"What's going on?" He Ji immediately came out to greet He Xing when he saw him.

He Xing was panting and unable to speak for a moment. He Ji looked behind him but saw no one else, so he increased the pressure on his hands and silently urged He Xing on.

He Xing then said, "We've been ambushed... The commander ordered me to send a message back."

He Ji interrupted him: "How is the young master?"

He Xing's lips trembled, and he said in a hoarse voice, "My lord... he might be in their hands, or... he might be hiding. After breaking through the encirclement, I couldn't find him..."

He Ji reached out and grabbed He Xing by the collar, his eyes blazing with fury: "Who told you to abandon your husband and come back on your own? You're not dead, so how did your husband end up in someone else's hands?"

“It’s my lord. My lord sent me to deliver a message,” He Xing raised his hand, holding the bronze token in his hand. “There are rebels in Da Shun City… My lord wants us to… lead troops to rescue them… Perhaps… it’s still not too late.”

He Ji loosened his grip and snatched the token from He Xing's hand to examine it himself. He Heng also rushed over and his expression changed when he saw He Xing's flustered appearance.

He Ji looked at He Heng: "Now we muster our troops and head to Da Shun City to rescue our young master."

He Heng didn't stop him: "How many people do you bring?"

“Leave only two hundred men to guard the area,” He Ji said, “take the rest of the troops with us.”

He Ji took a few steps forward, then suddenly turned back to look at He Xing: "Where is your jade pendant, young master?"

He Xing felt uneasy under He Ji's gaze. He had been in a hurry to find the troop mobilization token because he knew he would be questioned if he returned empty-handed. Even after obtaining the token, they still wanted the jade tablet.

He Xing took out a cloth bag containing a jade pendant broken into several pieces: "My lord was hit in the chest, and the jade pendant shattered."

He Ji's gaze darkened as he took the jade pendant into his hand.

With the token in hand, the Zhenrong Army was quickly mobilized. Since He Tan was not present, his two trusted retainers could relay the order on his behalf.

Seeing that the army was beginning to prepare for its deployment, He Ji pulled He Heng aside to talk.

"What did the young master say when he left?" He Ji asked He Heng.

He Heng took a deep breath and picked up the token: "If you see a broken jade tablet or a fake token, it means... those people have made their move."

The token that He Xing brought back looked no different from the one He Tan usually used, but if you carefully touched the bottom, you could see two deliberate scratches. These were marks that the young master had left when he made the forgery, and only the young master and the others knew about them.

Since the young master had taken precautions before going out, they believed he would be safe and sound.

"Send messages to Weizhou and Longzhou."

He Heng nodded. The imperial court had quite a few troops stationed in the northwest. He wondered which ones were wholeheartedly devoted to the court and which ones had secretly switched sides.

Now it's time to reveal the truth.

……

Bianjing (Kaifeng)

As soon as it was light, Xie Yuyan got up to wash and dress. Hearing the noise, Zhang came over and said, "Why don't you sleep a little longer?"

Xie Yuyan laughed and said, "I can't lie here anymore." The poison in her body had long been cleared up, and she had taken this opportunity to recuperate carefully. She wanted to get up and do something, but Zhang Shi and Madam Lin stopped her, so... she could only close her eyes and sleep.

After sleeping for several days in a row, I felt refreshed and energetic. Lying down again would not be resting but suffering.

Seeing this, Zhang could only say, "It's not cold these days, it's good to go out for a walk."

Xie Yuyan, wearing a thick cloak, walked into the garden with Zhang.

They lived in the Wang family's East Garden, which was some distance from the main house. It used to be the house of the neighbor, Scholar Qin. Since the Wang family's residence was too shabby, Scholar Qin insisted on selling a small courtyard to the Wang family.

They lived here, both in the Wang family compound and far from the main house, so no one would disturb them all the time. When Zhang moved around, she didn't have to worry about bumping into Mr. Wang or any of the Wang family's guests. In short, they lived quite comfortably.

Xie Yuyan said, "My illness has been cured. I will talk to Madam Lin later and we will move back to the South City Wharf."

Zhang nodded: "Okay." She had wanted to go back for a long time, but Ayan was indeed well taken care of here. Besides... she was afraid that if they returned to the South City Wharf, Ayan would be busy, and she really couldn't keep her occupied by herself.

The two were talking as they headed toward the main house. Just as they stepped onto the corridor, they saw Li's mother hurrying over.

"Thank you, Madam." Mama Li bowed respectfully. Facing their future mistress, all the servants of the Wang family were exceptionally courteous.

"Is my wife going to the main house?"

Xie Yuyan said, "If it's inconvenient for Madam..."

Madam Li hurriedly shook her head: "No, no... Just then, news came from the Northwest, and after Madam read it, she also wanted to go and find the lady. And coincidentally... the lady is traveling with me."

Seeing the anxious expression on Li's mother's face, Xie Yuyan had already guessed what had happened; something must have happened to He Tan.

Xie Yuyan didn't mince words and asked directly, "What do you mean?"

Mother Li pursed her lips: "The battle report has reached the capital, saying that there was a mutiny in the Northwest, and the young master of the He family... has rebelled."

(End of this chapter)