Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 110 This works too

Xie Yuyan was about to reply to Ding Peng when she looked up and found that the Yang family's gate was blocked by members of the Yang clan and people from Yong'anfang.

Ding Peng frowned. What was he doing?
Grandma Li and the others were stared at by the general, and although they were afraid, they had no intention of leaving.

The events in Sanhe Village caused quite a stir, and they kept a close eye on the Yang family's movements.

Yesterday, seeing the Yang family bring back a lot of money, I thought the eldest daughter-in-law had won a great victory, but I didn't expect that officials would come to the door again today.

They were unaware of the reason and worried that Madam Xie had been tricked by the Xie family, so they couldn't just let the soldiers take her away like that.

The Yang clan members at the ancestral home shared the same thought. They had all witnessed how formidable the eldest daughter-in-law was after the disturbance caused by Yang Zongdao and others yesterday.

Who wouldn't want such a head of their family? Therefore, they would never stand idly by at this time.

During the delay, the clansmen brought Yang Mingjing over.

"Why are you officials taking away the women of the Yang family?"

Yang Mingjing's eyes were bloodshot and his face was dark. Yesterday, Yang Zongdao brought people to their door, and the two old ladies wanted to go with him, but he stopped them.

Perhaps his mother and uncles thought this was an opportunity to deal with Xie Yuyan, but he didn't think so. Xie Yuyan... wouldn't do a losing deal.

She should have been prepared when she took the money from the clansmen, so her mother's plans were doomed to fail.

However, he realized it too late; his mother had already given all the family's money to Yang Zongdao and asked him to get the money back for her.

Hearing that Yang Zongdao had suffered a great loss, Yang Mingjing breathed a sigh of relief. If Xie Yuyan were to be harmed as a result, this feud would be deepened, and it's unclear how it will be resolved.

Even so, Xie Yuyan will definitely punish his mother for conspiring with Yang Zongdao.

It was as if a blade was hanging over Yang Mingjing's head, ready to fall at any moment.

With his mind in turmoil and his mother and Yang Yu still arguing, he finally managed to get some rest after his mother went to sleep at dawn.

No sooner had he closed his eyes than he was awakened by his clansmen.

On his way there, Yang Mingjing pondered whether Xie Yuyan could spare his mother's life if he could help her. Whether he had no choice or had ulterior motives, he had been doing this ever since Xie Yuyan arrived, and he had grown accustomed to it.

Ding Peng said, "Someone secretly reported that copper ore has been mined in Sanhe Village. Now that the mine has been cleared, we naturally need to take Madam Xie there to confirm the situation."

As Ding Peng spoke, he handed the document in his hand to Yang Mingjing.

Yang Mingjing saw the document bearing the official seal of the government office flash past him and knew that he could no longer stop them, so he said, "I am the head of the Yang clan and the deputy magistrate of Yong'an Ward. I will go with you."

Ding Peng didn't refuse: "Then let's go together!"

Zhang was about to speak when Xie Yuyan shook his head at her, then looked at Granny Li: "Granny, take some people to the market..."

“Why go to the market?” Grandma Li said. “We’re not setting up our stall anymore. We’ll go with you to Sanhe Village.”

"Yes, together."

Everyone spoke one after another.

Xie Yuyan stopped her, saying, "Grandma, don't worry. I'll have Mama Yu come back and let everyone know if there's any news."

Mother Yu also whispered, "Let's listen to my wife!"

Only after much persuasion did the crowd part to make way for them.

Xie Yuyan led Mama Yu into the carriage.

Ding Peng turned to look at Yong'an Ward, and before mounting his horse, he said, "Madam, you have a good reputation." If Xie Yuyan hadn't been willing to leave, it would have taken quite a bit of effort.

The group left the west gate and arrived at Sanhe Village, where soldiers were now guarding the area.

Xie Yuyan did not hesitate and went straight into the village, but she did not go towards the mine pit, but went to the blacksmith's courtyard.

Ding Peng was surprised: "Does Madam know where we are going?" Xie Yuyan stopped in her tracks: "The official seal of the Salt and Iron Bureau is in your hand, not the seal of the Minting Bureau, so it is clear that you are after ironware rather than mineral deposits."

Ding Peng recalled Xie Da Niangzi's previous question. No wonder she readily agreed to come; it turned out she had already considered it.

The Directorate of Coinage was in charge of mining and coinage in various regions, while the Salt and Iron Bureau was in charge of salt, mining, waterways, and military equipment. If it was about copper ore, it would definitely be someone from the Directorate of Coinage who came.

"The lady is very knowledgeable about the duties of all the government offices." Not to mention a young woman like her, even a scholar would probably not be able to distinguish them.

Xie Yuyan said, "Since the family owns a mine, we should naturally make sure everything is clear."

This statement doesn't seem to be wrong.

Xie Yuyan looked at the two iron smelting furnaces belching thick smoke not far away.

“The blacksmiths in the government office used coal from the mine to smelt even better iron,” Xie Yuyan said, looking at Ding Peng. “Isn’t this what the general was after?”

His true intentions were revealed in a single sentence. Ding Peng asked, "Does Madam already know?"

“I know,” Xie Yuyan said. “Therefore, I had someone dig out better coal and send it to the blacksmith for forging.”

"Later, when something happened at the mine, they simply had the mine sealed off to give the craftsmen time to report to the authorities."

"I learned about making coke from coal and then smelting iron from it in books from the previous dynasty. The coal in Sanhe Village is black and shiny, which is extraordinary. That's why I persuaded the blacksmith to try it out."

Ding Peng nodded subconsciously. When the blacksmith came looking for him, he did say that he was reminded by Madam Xie.

However, he couldn't figure out whether Madam Xie discovered it by chance or had known all along. The timing, being right when the Xie family was framing her, was far too coincidental.

Before he came, he thought he should let Sang Dian inform Madam Xie in case she said something wrong.

After all, the Salt and Iron Bureau sent more than just him.

As a result, the Salt and Iron Commissioner paid special attention to this matter and urged them to come, so he had no chance to remind them. He could only ask beforehand so that if he found anything amiss, he could turn the situation around in time.

Now it seems he was overthinking it; what Madam Xie said was reasonable and beyond question.

Ding Peng fell silent. Another military officer beside him asked, "You're saying you sealed off the mine because of this?"

Xie Yuyan nodded: "Someone has their eye on the mineral deposits in Sanhe Village. I can't be sure of their intentions, so I have no choice but to fill in the mine pit first."

Ding Peng blinked. If he hadn't heard Sang Dian recount the feud between Madam Xie and the Xie family, he probably would have believed it too.

The general clearly still had many questions: "How did you know that Sanhe Village was being targeted?"

Ding Peng felt that it would be somewhat reasonable for Madam Xie to mention the Xie family at this point, given her past grievances with them.

Xie Yuyan said, "We have discovered copper ore in the mine."

“Those copper ore were deliberately placed there. I did not know their intentions, and I was afraid that something might go wrong when the authorities came to investigate, so I had the mine pit filled in. This was to protect the evidence from being destroyed.”

Ding Peng opened her mouth slightly. This actually works? She really did manage to cover it up.

Xie Yuyan said, "The next day, Xie Chongjun handed over the copper ore to the government office, claiming that I had discovered the copper mine but had concealed the truth from the facts."

"In order to capture Xie Chongjun, I specially asked the county magistrate to make Xie Chongjun sign a document at the yamen. Once the mine is dug through, we can find out clearly whether someone deliberately placed those copper ore stones."

“At that time, the copper ore and documents handed over by Xie Chongjun will become evidence to frame me, and I will be able to sue him in the county government.”

Ding Peng couldn't help but sigh. He seemed to understand why his husband had given the waist token to Lady Xie.

They were not ordinary people.

"I have something else to report to you generals," Xie Yuyan said. "The coal mine outside the north city is even better than the one in Sanhe Village. I brought back a cartload and had the blacksmith test it. You can find out by asking the generals."

Such a fine coal mine should naturally be handed over to the Salt and Iron Bureau of the Imperial Court.

Didn't we let the male lead make an appearance yesterday? Bringing him back depends on the plot, I tried my best. The two of them will meet tomorrow.
(End of this chapter)