Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 84 Not Short of Money

Xie Chonghai still had some concerns and sat to the side without speaking for a long time.

Xie Chongjun frowned upon seeing his second brother's appearance: "He Tan is not in Daming Prefecture."

“I have informants in the government office. He Tan has led troops out of the city, ostensibly to suppress bandits, but in reality, the imperial court has secretly ordered him to inspect the border camps. Take this opportunity to clean things up quickly. If the people from the capital find out that our Xie family still has these troubles, do you still think you can sell the porcelain at the market?”

“Brother’s thinking is indeed more thorough,” Xie Chonghai finally understood. He stood up and said, “I will immediately send someone to write a letter to transfer people.”

Xie Chonghai left the house, and Madam Zhao, Xie's wife, also came out from the inner room.

After pouring hot tea, Madam Zhao said in a low voice, "Why is Master so wary of that woman? It's almost New Year's Day. Actually, some things can be done later."

Upon hearing Xie Yuyan mentioned, Xie Chongjun's expression darkened further: "You haven't met that woman, so you don't know her character."

Xie Chongjun had been doing business in various places, from high-ranking officials to ordinary people. He had seen too many people, and he could guess the identity of others with just a glance.

The look in Xie's eyes involuntarily filled him with fear.

Otherwise, how could a mere woman suppress him with just a few words?
Even the women of high-ranking officials and nobles were no better than this.

Lately, he has often worried that Xie Yuyan's identity is truly extraordinary. However, he also has doubts: if she really comes from a high-ranking family, how could she be willing to marry into the Yang family, and become a widow as soon as she enters?

Which woman doesn't rely on her husband to make a living?

Even if you manage to find your own family after marrying into such a family, what good will it do? You'll never be able to go back.

At least none of the high-society women he had ever met had behaved this way.

In any case, Xie Yuyan was no kind person; the fact that she said those things to him meant she wasn't going to let the Xie family off the hook.

Xie Chongjun trusted his own judgment.

Since we've already made enemies, we must never let her turn the tables.

Xie Chongjun dismissed Zhao and continued with his business. After some time, he heard a commotion coming from the courtyard. Two stewards were whispering to Zhao outside.

Xie Chongjun initially tried to ignore it, but the sound grew louder and louder, so he immediately threw the book on the table.

The noise inside the house alerted the people outside, and Zhao hurriedly came in.

"What happened?" Xie Chongjun asked in a deep voice.

Zhao's face was somewhat unpleasant: "The steward and servants in the house beat someone up and were taken to the county government. The county government just sent someone to report the incident."

Nothing went smoothly, and Xie Chongjun suddenly stood up: "Send someone to find out exactly why this is happening."

The people he sends out won't act without reason.

Zhao said, “It’s all because of the land purchase. The piece of mountain land we had our eye on had just been bought by a family. That family had made some money by carrying goods and wanted to grow fruit trees in the mountains. When they heard that we were from the Xie family, they took their steward to see the land. The steward saw coal in the land and then negotiated a price with them.”

"Everything was going well, but who knew that family would suddenly change their minds and insist that we weren't the 'Xie family'."

The steward was thrown into prison and felt wronged, so he told everyone what had happened, hoping that his family would stand up for them. However, some things were reported back, but Zhao couldn't bring herself to say them.

Xie Chongjun's expression grew increasingly grim.

Zhao said, "They said our Xie family is untrustworthy, and if they want to sell, they should sell to that Madam Xie."

Xie Chongjun was shocked; his fears had come true.

While at the yamen, Xie Yuyan's words were suppressed, but he knew that one day the woman would bring it up again, and sure enough...

Zhao said, "They were the ones who started the trouble, but now they're turning around and accusing us."

Xie Chongjun frowned, clearly not concerned with these things: "Did the manager hurt anyone?"

This question made Zhao purse her lips: "In the chaos, I did accidentally injure someone from that family. But it wasn't serious, just a head injury and an arm injury."

Xie Chongjun has now truly confirmed that the Xie family bullies the weak. Regardless of whether it was their fault or not, they cannot afford to cause any more trouble now.

The steward was someone close to Zhao, and since Xie Chongjun was acting this way, Zhao had no choice but to endure it: "This matter is suspicious; someone must be pulling strings behind the scenes."

The incident occurred shortly after the personnel were dispatched, which clearly indicates that it was pre-planned.

Xie Chongjun knew this all too well, and that was precisely why he couldn't spend money on bribes, lest he get into even deeper trouble.

"Take good care of the steward's family. They've suffered this hardship, but they'll make it up to them when they get out of prison." At this point, you have to make choices. Once everything is arranged, what's there to fear about not having a chance for revenge?
……

In the courtyard of Grandpa Xie.

Xie Zizhang was sitting at his desk reading when a maidservant burst in, sobbing, "Master, you must save my father! He's been wronged!"

The maid's father was the steward who was sent to the yamen.

Xie Zizhang put down his book and looked at the beautiful woman with tears streaming down her face. Thinking of his wife, Madam Xu, who had returned to her parents' home, a smile immediately appeared on his face. The scholarly air he had just exuded vanished completely. He reached out and pulled the maid into his arms, saying in a playful voice, "Let me see you. Don't cry. I promise you, anyone who dares to lay a hand on the Xie family will be severely punished."

The door to Xie Zizhang's room was closed tightly, and a few soft moans could be heard from inside.

Seventh Master Xie happened to pass by the courtyard, a slight smile appearing on his lips. He was setting fires all over the house, slowly burning them, causing a constant stream of big and small events to happen in the Xie family.

Master Xie took a deep breath; it felt really good to watch the excitement.

……

Yong'anfang, Yang Family.

Just two days later, several boxes were moved into the large warehouse.

Mrs. He couldn't help but feel envious.

"How many people went today?" Madam He asked the steward beside her.

The steward said, "There are five direct relatives, and some collateral relatives..."

More than half of the collateral branches of the Yang family went to the third branch, and Xie Yuyan first won over those people.

“When I was in charge, I didn’t have this much money.” Madam He clenched her handkerchief tightly. With so much silver in her hand, she could make money no matter what she did.

"Why do they all believe her so much?"

The steward hesitated, but now it wasn't just the Yang family members who were grateful to Madam Xie; the people outside felt the same way.

“Second Madam, you don’t know what people outside say about her,” the steward said in a low voice. “They all say she’s different from the Xie family of Daming Prefecture. She’s kind-hearted and clear-headed; otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to run a water shop.”

Mrs. He was furious, her face flushed red: "Is she that famous outside?"

The manager nodded.

The Yong'anfang Township Fair became lively, and the first shop at the fair was always "Shuntong Water Shop." Seeing that water shop reminded one of Madam Xie.

Furthermore, the servants of the Xie family in Daming Prefecture were running rampant in the countryside and were reported to the yamen. Compared to this, rumors spread like wildfire.

The momentum of the third wife's side is unstoppable.

As they were talking, they saw several men heading towards the third house.

“These are the people from Sanhe Village,” the steward reported to Madam He. “Madam has bought the land in Sanhe Village and is now preparing for mining.”

"Yesterday's visitors were prospectors; today we should discuss purchasing mining materials."

He had only been lying down for a few days, how come the world had changed when she got up again?
Madam He murmured, "Mining supplies? How much money will that cost?"

The steward pursed his lips. It would cost a lot, but the third branch of the family wasn't short of money right now!
(End of this chapter)