Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 154 The Big Picture
Liu Si Niang's face froze for a moment, and Liu Er Lang realized that he had been acting too anxiously, so he quickly calmed himself down.

"Let's go inside and talk."

The brother and sister went straight into the courtyard and headed straight for Liu Erlang's study in the inner courtyard.

“Madam Xie accepted those paintings,” said Liu Si Niang, “and even asked me to take a return gift with me.”

She hadn't even looked at what the Yang family had sent.

As they were talking, the steward had someone carry the boxes into the house.

The brother and sister immediately went over.

As soon as the box was opened, the contents came into view, and Liu Si Niang couldn't help but exclaim, "Oh my, what is this...?" Before she could see clearly, Liu Er Lang closed the lid of the box.

"Second brother, what are you doing?" Liu Si Niang frowned as she looked at her brother.

Liu Erlang explained, "This is a return gift for everyone. Shang Ying has been waiting in my house for most of the day, so we can't delay any longer."

At this point, Liu Erlang comforted his sister, "After we've explained everything to them, I'll bring you mine."

“That’s how it should be. If I hadn’t made the trip, where would I have gotten all this?” Liu Si Niang smiled. “But I don’t want Second Brother’s. Thank you, Madam Xie, for preparing another gift for me.”

Although it wasn't a clay stove, it was a lifelike flower sent to Baode Temple.

Seeing that he had calmed his sister down, Liu Erlang immediately ordered, "Move the box to my room."

After her brother left, Liu Si Niang looked at the stewardess and asked, "Second brother, why were you in such a hurry? Did we miss something?"

The stewardess shook her head: "You've done everything that Erlangjun instructed."

Liu Si Niang really couldn't understand it.

……

Inside Liu Erlang's room, Zuo Shangying was reading a book, but compared to usual, he was clearly somewhat absent-minded.

Finally hearing footsteps, Zuo Shangying raised his eyes and saw Liu Erlang instructing his servants to bring in a box, and then dismissing them.

"This is……"

Liu Erlang said, "What do you think is the return gift from Madam Xie?"

Zuo Shangying shook his head, and Liu Erlang didn't keep him in suspense any longer, opening the box directly to reveal the clay stove inside.

"Clay stove?"

This clay stove was slightly smaller than the ones they usually used, and it was made with exceptional care.

Liu Erlang took one out and placed it on the table. The clay stove not only had a lid, but also various patterns were carved on the body of the stove.

They racked their brains yesterday trying to help the Yang family improve their clay stove, only to find that the other party had already done it.

"The Yang family had already planned a countermeasure."

"No wonder they let the Xie family run the kiln."

However, this is not what they most want to understand.

Zuo Shangying asked, "What did Madam Xie say?"

Liu Erlang then realized that after seeing these clay stoves, he rushed to see Zuo Shangying and forgot to ask his sister for clarification.

"I'll go ask, wait for me a moment."

Liu Erlang left quickly, and Zuo Shangying squatted down in front of the box again to examine it carefully.

There are six clay stoves in total.

He was afraid he had made a mistake, so he counted again, and there were indeed six.

Did he think too much?

No, there can't be such a coincidence.

It seems that Liu Erlang didn't need to ask; he already knew the answer.

Zuo Shangying stood up and subconsciously rubbed the chilblains on the back of his hands. Despite his thin clothes, he felt a warmth spreading through his body at that moment.

After a long while, he sat back down in his chair, his eyes fixed on the clay furnace in front of him. He might have made the right bet.

This is similar to the imperial examination system; those who only study by rote will not pass. It's important to understand the current situation. He and Liu Erlang discovered that the words "Daming Prefecture Gazette" were written by Wang Yan.

Then I realized that Wang Yan might be in Daming Prefecture and involved in this matter.

If they also board this ship, they might gain fame ahead of time, which would greatly benefit his imperial examination. Ultimately, the imperial examination system is about finding capable people.

If you can't even see this point, even if you pass the exam by chance, you won't be given an important position.

The door was opened again.

The cold wind swept in, but it did nothing to extinguish the burning passion in Zuo Shangying's heart.

"My sister said that Madam Xie accepted all those paintings, saying that they would be useful, but she didn't say when she would use them."

Zuo Shangying looked up as she listened to Liu Erlang's words: "Erlang, do you remember how many paintings we sent?"

Liu Erlang said, "Seven paintings. There are six of us, but you insist on sending one more painting."

Zuo Shangying pointed to the box: "There are six clay stoves inside."

There were six clay stoves, one for each person. Madam Xie knew that two of the paintings were by the same person.

Zuo Shangying intentionally painted two paintings, one of which deliberately imitated the brushwork of others and did not look like it was painted by one person. However, Madam Xie gave her six clay stoves, knowing that there were six of them.

Who said this?

“You brought this up,” Liu Erlang said, “and my little sister also said that Madam Xie particularly liked the orchid you painted.”

Zuo Shangying's gaze sharpened; the orchid was exactly what he had imitated from someone else.

If done deliberately, the brushstrokes will inevitably appear stiff, but those who do not understand calligraphy and painting will definitely not be able to tell.

Not only did Madam Xie see through it, but she also pointed it out.

Zuo Shangying's cheeks felt hot. He had underestimated Madam Xie, and now he had been slapped in the face.

Madam Xie must have seen through their intentions very clearly.

However, this probing has clarified at least two things.

First, Madam Xie knew their every move. Second, Madam Xie was even smarter than they thought.

Thinking about it this way, Wang Yan's inscription must have been intentional, otherwise who would care what they were doing?
They had previously wondered why Wang Yan would help a merchant's wife, but now that they saw how insightful Madam Xie was, they couldn't help but wonder as well.

Liu Erlang's expression grew increasingly agitated: "Shang Ying, did you guess right? We've stepped right into..."

He reached out and drew a circle.

"Within the overall situation."

Given Wang Yan's reputation, if he were to speak openly, many people would come, but it would also expose the Wang family to the public. Wang Yan is not showing up because the time is not yet right.

His inscriptions for the tabloids were also a way of gathering together scholars who understood the situation. No one could underestimate Wang Yan's standing among scholars.

Some things cannot be said outright; if they are, the Wang family's status will prevent them from acting freely.

“It’s a good thing we didn’t ask Tong Zixu,” Liu Erlang said. “If we couldn’t even figure this out, Wang Yan wouldn’t have asked us to do anything.”

Zuo Shangying picked up the tabloid on the table again. The imperial examination was coming soon, and he should concentrate on his studies. However, as a poor man like him, without an elder to guide him, he was bound to be unaware of many things in the court.

This current matter is more important than studying; it helps him see the situation more clearly.

"Now we need to figure out how to make the tabloid better."

"We don't have enough manpower, we need to gather more people."

I used to think that just a few of them were enough, but now I realize that the bigger the commotion, the better.

……

Inside the patrol and inspection office.

Wang Yan's desk had been cleaned up. After returning from Sanhe Village, he had been handling official business without saying a word. He only looked up when the last document on the desk was sent away.

As soon as Wang Yan put down his pen, he heard a noise at the window. He turned his head and saw tree branches being blown by the wind, tapping against the window from time to time.

Wang Yan looked at Sang Dian: "Has Tong Zixu sent any news?"

Sang Dian muttered to himself, "Why pretend to be so pedantic about Tong Zixu? Why not just ask Madam Xie directly?"