Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 133 Seeking Survival
After eating, Old Madam Yang lay down on the bed and fell asleep. If she didn't rest properly, how could she possibly argue with her son that night? The only solution now was to send Mingjing to the Xie family and come up with another idea to deal with that woman.

When the second old lady was half asleep, she seemed to hear people talking in the room. She tried to understand what they were saying, but her mind wouldn't cooperate. After a long while, she finally realized that it was her third brother and his wife.

On New Year's Day, the two were busy preparing the banquet.

The second old lady turned over, preparing to go back to sleep. These things had nothing to do with her; anyway, the third branch of the family was always putting on airs and liked to do these things, so she was quite at ease.

My parents are biased. They handed over the power to manage the family to the third son, saying that the eldest son only had eyes for the porcelain kiln, the second son was good at studying and shouldn't be distracted by family affairs, so the third son was the most suitable to manage the family.

It was clearly just an excuse to give the family fortune to the third son.

If the three families are not on good terms, it's because the elders are biased from the root.

The voices grew louder and louder, and the second old lady was so agitated that she couldn't sleep. Only then did she realize that the third son and his wife were looking for something.

It was a letter that the third brother was going to send out.

The third brother's friend passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi. The third brother wrote to him, hoping that he could help him.

What help?

Old Mrs. Yang scoffed. Could she possibly recommend a good business deal to them?
Their sons were dead, and they had squandered all their money. The two of them lay sickly in bed, facing debt collectors from their clansmen every day, hoping to turn their lives around with just a letter.

Thinking about this, the two old ladies suddenly felt much clearer-headed.

No, no.

How could the third branch of the family still be organizing the banquet? They've already failed. She should be the one in charge of the household now.

As for... the letter that the third brother was looking for, she knew where it was.

The two old ladies felt a pang of anxiety, and memories from the past immediately flooded their minds.

They incited their clansmen to attack the third son's family, and later they heard that the third son had written to a friend for help. If it were anyone else, it wouldn't matter, but the young master of the Lu family had already achieved fame and success.

With the family business about to be in their hands, how could they let the third branch of the family turn the tables?
So, the old man and she decided to go all the way and invited a doctor to treat the third son and his wife.

Everything that followed went as they had planned.

She intentionally had the clansmen trap Mingsheng's wife, then reappeared to take charge of things for her, and then personally held a funeral for the third son and his wife. In fact, she also wanted to find the letter that was to be sent.

Finally, she found the letter in the main house.

However, it was different from what she had expected.

The third son wrote that letter not to ask his friend to come to the Yang family to help him regain control of the clan affairs, but to inquire about the imperial decree on how the sons of merchants could take the imperial examinations...

Among the Yang family, apart from the deceased Yang Mingsheng, only the master was the best at studying. The third son was thinking about the future of the Yang family's children.

Upon seeing that letter, the two old ladies couldn't sleep for several nights in a row. They felt that as soon as they closed their eyes, two people would appear out of thin air, staring at them with both eyes.

If she hadn't revealed the secret of the third son sending the letter to the master, the third son and his wife might not have died.

But that's all in the past.

The third son's letter failed to secure them a chance to take the imperial examinations. His friend could only ask a distant relative to look after them and send the children to the Lu family school.

They don't need to remember the third brother's kindness.

Why did she bring this up again after all these years?
The two old ladies suddenly shuddered.

Yes, the third brother and his wife are both dead, so how could she still hear them talking?
The two old ladies felt their hair stand on end and broke out in a cold sweat. They struggled to shout, but for some reason, they couldn't make a sound.

She struggled incessantly, and just as she was about to lose her breath, she suddenly opened her eyes.

Before she could catch her breath, she heard an anxious voice beside her: "Grandma, Madam Xie has reported it to the authorities, and the county magistrate has come to arrest people."

The two old ladies frowned: "What kind of trouble is she causing now? Who is she going to arrest this time?"

The servant stared at the two old ladies, his voice anxious and strained: "You...you said you were here to arrest you."

The second old lady's eyes were filled with astonishment. She was stunned for a long time before she said, "What are you talking about? Who can arrest me? After the yamen interrogated me, they released me and sent me home. Those things have nothing to do with me. They've gone too far..." "Old lady, it's not that matter," the servant almost cried, wondering if the second old lady's arrest would implicate them. "It's... Second Madam told Madam Xie that you instructed the doctor to poison the third master and the third old lady."

It was as if a thunderbolt had exploded in the two old ladies' heads; their faces changed from bewilderment to fear: "She's making a false accusation! I...I didn't..."

“The second mistress also took out the prescription from back then,” the servant said, “and told the first mistress everything she knew back then.”

The two old ladies shook their heads, muttering, "No, no... this can't be... the body is rotten to the core... what's the point of investigating?"

"How can they convict me without solid evidence?"

As soon as the second old lady finished speaking, she heard someone outside say, "That's a matter for the government office, so the second old lady doesn't need to worry about it."

Yu's mother's voice came through, and then the door opened.

“Second Madam,” Mama Yu said as she entered the room, “the constables are waiting outside. They’ll give you a moment to get dressed, otherwise… they’ll come in and take you away.”

The old lady still couldn't believe it. She tilted her head and looked outside. Sure enough, she saw the yamen runners standing outside through the gap in the curtain. She panicked and lost her balance, falling off the bed.

The two elderly women, who had fallen to the ground, felt dizzy and their bodies ached, making them realize that this was not a dream.

"Mingjing, where is Mingjing? My son... come quickly... your mother... is going to die."

……

Yang Mingjing stood there dejectedly, his mind a mess. He carefully recalled the past few years. He had been busy with clan affairs and neighborhood matters. It seemed like he had done everything, yet it also seemed like he hadn't done anything at all.

He understood his parents' thoughts, and although he neither flattered them nor hindered them.

In the end, he did nothing well; he failed to win his parents' favor and was unable to be a good clan leader.

In fact, he had a premonition long ago. When his clansmen joined forces with the Xie family and lost all their money, they all came to him for help. He knew that if things continued like this, one day he would end up like them.

What should he do?
He was unaware of this before, and now he is even more confused.

Yang Mingjing subconsciously looked up at Xie Yuyan, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said, "I...I should..."

"Is my second uncle asking me for advice?"

Yang Mingjing was taken aback.

Xie Yuyan said, "Then I will teach Second Uncle."

Yang Mingjing did not refuse. Facing the woman who had ruined his family, he actually felt a bit of dependence on her and really wanted her to show him a way out.

"After serving as clan leader for so many years, you failed in your duties and things have come to this point. Have you never thought about how to make amends? The government can convict you according to the laws of Liang, but can all grudges be settled?"

"If someone from the second branch of the family is lucky enough to survive, how will they face the clansmen they have oppressed upon returning to their homeland?"

“I will not provide financial support for the children of your second branch. You have committed too many sins to appease the anger of the clan. It is only when we see your family wandering the streets that we feel at ease.”

"This is what you deserve."

Yang Mingjing shuddered. If they lost all their money, He's family wouldn't lend a hand, and they probably wouldn't even be able to get through the winter.

He didn't want things to end up like this.

Thinking of this, Yang Mingjing bent his back even more: "Please...please teach me, Madam."

Xie Yuyan said, "Tell me everything you know, arrest those who deserve punishment, and truly stand up for your clan. Do you dare?"

There are some things that only the clan leader knows.

Only the second wife herself knows the sins she committed.

Xie Yuyan was referring to things that couldn't be found on the surface, and if Yang Mingjing could reveal them, he could atone for his sins.

If the clan members are satisfied, perhaps the surviving members of the second branch can still find a way to survive within the clan.

(End of this chapter)