Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 115 Panic
The Xie family of Daming Prefecture.

The main room was completely silent as Old Master Xie looked at his children and grandchildren with a stern face.

Suddenly, news came that Xie Chongjun had been arrested. Soon after, the government officials came to his door, took away all the papers in Xie Chongjun's study, and ordered the rest of the Xie clan members not to leave Daming Prefecture and to await summons at any time.

Everyone panicked immediately. Some even tried to bribe the yamen runners to settle the matter, but they were caught red-handed and were flogged on the spot.

Xie Chonghai helped out Old Master Xie, and then the Xie clan members gathered in a courtyard until the yamen runners left the Xie family.

The main room gradually quieted down.

Old Master Xie's sharp gaze fell on Zhao Shi: "What exactly happened? Tell me quickly!"

Zhao was still in shock, her lips trembling as she didn't know how to speak.

Even now, she still doesn't know where this disaster came from.

She and her daughter-in-law, Xu, had been worried about Xie Zizhang's matter these past few days. Xie Chongjun hadn't returned home all night, and the two of them hadn't slept either. In the morning, they heard good news from the steward: the mine in Sanhe Village had been opened, and Madam Xie would soon be arrested and imprisoned.

If they could suppress Madam Xie's arrogance, they could bribe the family that sold the land to recant their testimony, and Xie Zizhang could be released. Before anyone knew about the case, they could minimize the damage and let it go. As long as it didn't interfere with Xie Zizhang's imperial examination, they would accept the financial loss.

Zhao and Xu knelt before the Bodhisattva, chanting sutras and praying that their wishes would come true.

Just then, the head constables burst into the house. The two women huddled to one side in fear, watching helplessly as the constables carried away the papers and accounts from the study, and then produced a seal...

Before the case is solved, no one is allowed to enter or leave the eldest son's study.

"I'm asking you," Old Master Xie slammed his hand on the table, "what exactly happened in Zhang Ge'er's case? Didn't you say that the yamen officials only came to question Zhang Ge'er and that he would be able to go home soon?"

"The accountant also said that Chongjun withdrew seven thousand strings of cash. Is that true?"

When Xie Chongjun was alive, everyone in the clan had to obey him and help cover up the truth. When Xie Chongjun was arrested, these people rushed to report all the inside information to Old Master Xie.

Zhao's eyes reddened: "Even your daughter-in-law didn't know, but the master sent someone back with a message saying that everything was arranged and Zhang-ge'er would be home in less than two days."

Unexpectedly, not only did Xie Zizhang not return, but Xie Chongjun was also imprisoned.

Standing nearby, Madam Xu couldn't help but think of the second branch of the Yang family. It seemed that they were all implicated and ended up facing Xie Yuyan.

“It’s Xie Yuyan,” Madam Xu reminded her, “At first they were just vying to buy the coal mine, but now…”

She has no idea how far things have progressed.

After Madam Xu finished speaking, the accountant next to her also spoke up, trembling: "The master used the money to buy land outside the north city."

Old Master Xie's eyes widened: "Seven thousand strings of cash were taken away?"

“No…not quite,” the accountant said. “They initially said it would be seven thousand, but then…it was six thousand.”

"How many acres of land do you need to buy to get this much money?" asked Xie Chongjing, the third master of the Xie family.

The accountant lowered his voice: "One hundred mu."

Grandpa Xie and the others thought they hadn't heard clearly.

"How many?"

Faced with so many eyes, the accountant could only repeat, "One hundred mu."

Grandpa Xie's breath hitched, and gasps of surprise filled the room.

"Only one hundred acres."

"Sixty strings of cash per mu?"

"Where can farmland be sold for such a high price?"

"Has my brother been scammed?"

Xie Chongjun wasn't there, so there was no way to ask him. Everyone turned their attention back to the accountant.

The accountant's legs went weak and he almost knelt down. He forced himself to say, "Sir, if you need money, I dare not refuse. But I have reminded you not to be cheated."

"But the master refused to listen."

"I also suggested that we discuss this with a few people."

"But the master forbade me to reveal it, and I really had no choice." At the time, he did have doubts. He knew that the master wanted to buy a coal mine, but he did not discuss the deal with the master. When he heard that the master decided to buy it for sixty strings of cash per mu, he felt that there was something wrong with the matter.

But the old master seemed to be bewitched, completely deaf to reason. He was terrified while trying to cover for him, and unexpectedly, something really went wrong. "Even if there's a coal mine underground, how long will it take to earn it back?" Old Master Xie was furious. "No matter how rich we are, it's not enough for him to squander like this."

"It's just buying land, how did they get taken away by the government again?"

The steward next to him flinched, then mustered his courage and said, "Because..." He was still confused; they were the ones who reported it to the authorities, so how did the master become the one who made a false accusation?

The most terrifying thing is that Zhou Hu was arrested. Zhou Hu was a wanted criminal, and he appeared in his home.

"Sir, this is not a business transaction."

The Xie family clearly hasn't realized how serious the problem is.

"If things go wrong, not only the master, but our whole family might be implicated."

Old Master Xie noticed the steward's shifty eyes and immediately realized something.

When He Tan arrived in Daming Prefecture, they had already stopped communicating with the west. Otherwise, how could the salt trade have fallen into the hands of the Yang family?
How come we've been caught red-handed again?

Can we find anything suspicious among the items that were taken from Xie Chongjun's study?

Old Master Xie's breathing became more rapid. He looked at Madam Zhao and asked, "What did the constables take away? Do you know?"

Just now, Zhao was so focused on fear and worry that she didn't have time to think about anything else. Now, her head was throbbing and she couldn't make sense of anything.

"Both the main study and the small study were searched, and all the paper and paper were taken away. I... I didn't see it clearly."

The Xie family has many secrets.

Besides the affairs in the west, there were also those transactions, especially...

Old Master Xie looked at Seventh Master Xie.

Seventh Master Xie leaned against the corner, looking as if he was still drunk.

After Old Master Xie looked away, Seventh Master Xie slightly twitched the corners of his lips.

Zhao was unaware, but he knew quite a bit. Taking advantage of the chaos at home, he had sent in quite a few things.

If the imperial court is willing to investigate, it will be able to uncover the truth.

His good tenth sister is truly reliable. She lured Xie Chongjun away and prevented him from entering the house again; otherwise, he would never have had such an opportunity.

He wasn't capable of swindling seven thousand strings of cash, but he managed to find a way to shut down half of the Xie family's porcelain kilns.

He reached out and touched the robe he was wearing; underneath was a mourning garment. He would only take it off when the truth about his mother's case came to light.

Take it slow, this is just the beginning.

Master Xie had a feeling that what his tenth sister was after wasn't the seven thousand strings of cash, but rather the Xie family's porcelain kiln.

How could such a fine item fall into the Xie family's hands? It would be perfect for the tenth sister.

……

Yong'anfang.

When Xie Yuyan returned, Granny Li and the others were waiting at the entrance of the neighborhood. Granny Li smiled when she saw that Xie Yuyan was safe and sound.

"Bodhisattvas protect virtuous people."

Xie Yuyan was grateful to the villagers, but let's just forget about that! In front of Buddha, she was probably just a demon.

Back in the third room, Xie Yuyan leaned back in his chair and told his mother to buy a couch tomorrow, as a soft couch would be warmer in the winter.

With seven thousand strings of cash in hand, she no longer needed to be restrained in her actions, and she could take bigger and faster steps, and her vision was no longer limited to Daming Prefecture.

That's why she agreed to Wang Yan's request.

Baode Temple was indeed important to her.

When she went there in her previous life, Baode Temple had already been renamed Puning Temple, and the meditation room at the back was built for her, where she stayed for quite a long time.

The reason she didn't go to the temple beforehand was because she knew something about Abbot Zhiyuan.

(End of this chapter)