Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 183 Capture Her
Liu Erniang felt as if she were about to die, as if the flames were about to burn her face and set her hair ablaze. In a panic, she rushed towards anyone she saw, letting the servants beat her.

Finally, a bucket of water was poured over her to completely extinguish the sparks.

Liu Erniang stood there, soaking wet and shivering. All she could see were the clansmen who had gathered around her, and pairs of eyes staring at her.

Don't be fooled by their current concern; they might actually be secretly laughing at her.

Just then, she saw her father, brother, and other members of her clan rushing over.

The brothers in the clan seemed to have noticed something and turned their faces away.

Liu Erniang immediately realized her current predicament: her clothes clung to her body, and her dress was a mess from being torn...

A surge of shame and anger welled up inside her, and she immediately covered her face and screamed.

She had never been so humiliated, losing face in front of her people.

What she valued most was shattered at that moment.

Madam Liu rushed forward to check on Liu Erniang's condition, but Liu Erniang was already preoccupied with venting her anger.

“Father, elder brother, it was that woman from the Yang family who harmed me. She tried to burn me… You should arrest her and put her in jail.”

Liu Erniang gritted her teeth. If it weren't for the Yang family's salt-making scheme, she wouldn't be in this state. Yes, it's all that woman's fault.

Upon hearing this, Prefect Liu's face darkened, and he turned to look at his eldest son, Liu Shizhang.

Liu Shizhang was unaware of the details: "My son immediately inquired and found out that it was indeed the Yang family woman who was causing trouble. I went to the county government in person because I couldn't let my sister suffer such injustice."

Prefect Liu nodded.

Liu Erniang wouldn't listen to anything he said, and just shouted, "Brother, go now!"

"Going right now."

Madam Liu's face was full of heartache as she comforted Liu Erniang, "Alright, alright, your elder brother will go right away."

"Let's go inside first and let the doctor check your injuries. Don't worry, leave these things outside to them."

Liu Erniang threw herself into Madam Liu's arms, and it took her a while to calm down before she followed Madam Liu into the inner courtyard, sobbing.

Prefect Liu said nothing more, leaving Liu Shizhang to handle the aftermath, while he led the rest of his clansmen away from the flower hall.

The women looked at each other, all knowing that the woman from the Yang family was in for trouble.

Liu Shizhang looked at the mess on the ground. In the chaos, the servants had already put out the mud stove with water, but a closer look revealed something strange.

One of the clay furnaces cracked, which is why sparks flew out.

Liu Shizhang frowned.

The head housekeeper was already pale with fright and stood to the side, trembling uncontrollably. She was the one who helped the second daughter-in-law prepare the salt grains, and she was also the one who heated the clay stove. She would definitely not escape punishment; it was just a matter of how the Liu family would deal with her.

Thinking of this, the head maid knelt down: "It's all my fault, I didn't take good care of the second young lady."

"This servant shouldn't have let Second Mistress do it herself."

The stewardess kept talking and kowtowing to the ground, begging for mercy. Liu Shizhang was annoyed by her, glanced at her, and ordered, "In a little while, you will come with me and explain the whole matter clearly."

The matron, trembling, got up and stood to the side.

The banquet at home was to continue, so Liu Shizhang instructed his servants to clean the house immediately, prepare the main hall of the inner courtyard, invite the female members of the clan to sit there, and then serve the food again.

In any case, these things must be arranged properly. If the house is in chaos, wouldn't people laugh at us?
After saying that, he apologized to the elders in the house, saying, "It's nothing, don't worry, I will handle it properly."

Upon hearing Liu Shizhang's words, the women all breathed a sigh of relief.

Liu Shizhang walked all the way to the study. After entering the room, his face darkened: "What exactly happened?" The stewardess knelt on the ground and told him about seeing the Yang family making salt on the way to Baode Temple that day.

Liu Shizhang's brows furrowed more and more as he listened, then he looked up and asked, "Whose four clay stoves are those?"

The stewardess said, "It's... the Xie family's clay stove."

"The Xie family's clay stove?" Liu Shizhang asked. "Are you sure?"

The stewardess moved her lips, wanting to frame the Yang family, but the difference between the two families' clay kilns was so great that it was obvious at a glance.

She stammered, "We also bought a clay stove from the Yang family, but... it's useless. Second Madam said that since we have a stove sent by the Xie family, why should we use someone else's?"

The stewardess carefully observed Liu Shizhang's expression.

Just now, Second Sister said that it was all that woman from the Yang family who harmed her, and she just stood there stunned. This clay stove belongs to the Xie family, so how can you blame it on that eldest sister-in-law of the Yang family?

But with everyone watching, the Second Madam had already spoken, and now Liu Dalang was in this state...

If we can't arrest Madam Xie, where will Madam Er's face be?

“I also bought the Yang family's clay stove,” said the stewardess. “Why don’t I go and burn it now, and then we can arrest people.”

Liu Shizhang remained noncommittal, while the head maid tentatively rose to her feet: "This servant will go and light the clay stove right away."

The stewardess left the house and ran off to find the Yang family's clay stove.

Liu Shizhang, however, sat in his study, deep in thought.

It was indeed a bit hasty for the younger sister to pin the blame on that woman from the Yang family. How could she get the authorities to arrest someone without any evidence? Especially since the clay stove didn't even belong to the Yang family.

But since I've said it, I need to find a reason.

Liu Shizhang sat in the room for a long time, but the stewardess never came to reply. Finally, she became impatient and called the servant outside to check on the situation.

A moment later, the housekeeper came into the room.

The head housekeeper of the Liu family usually managed many servants and was practically a mistress, but she was also very respectable in front of others. However, she looked extremely disheveled now, with her hands and face blackened by smoke and sweat streaming down her forehead.

The stewardess was on the verge of tears. She had thought that if she burned the clay stove, the Liu family would at least give her a lenient punishment, but... no matter how she burned the clay stove at the Yang family's house, it showed no signs of breaking.

In her anxiety, she deliberately poured water on the fire when it was blazing, but it was no use; the clay stove remained intact.

At this moment, she finally realized how different the clay kilns produced by the Yang family's porcelain kiln were from those of the Xie family's.

The Yang family's visit to smash the clay stove was not intentional.

The headmistress shook her head: "It won't burn...it won't burn...the Yang family's stuff won't burn."

Liu Shizhang's worries came true. He looked over and asked, "Has the Yang family been in contact with our family recently?" Since this approach was not feasible, he had to find another way.

Without hesitation, the head maid replied, "No, last time Second Madam asked me to go to the Yang family, I didn't even get through the door." Even if Second Madam sought trouble with Madam Xie, it was through the Xie family of Daming Prefecture. Let alone any contact, she didn't even get to see her from afar.

Liu Shizhang's expression grew even colder. So, how should he report this to the authorities?
Should we sue the Yang family for engaging in salt production? The Yang family used their own clay kiln to make these things, and they didn't force anyone else to do so. It's not impossible to deliberately cause trouble, but there are risks involved.

Liu Shizhang thought of He Tan.

The Yang family and that woman were nothing special; the Liu family could easily scheme against them without much effort, but they couldn't bypass He Tan.

He Tan will definitely get involved.

The words "Daming Prefecture Gazette" flashed through Liu Shizhang's mind again. If He Tan knew, the Wang family could intervene. Given the current situation, it wasn't advisable to escalate to that level, otherwise, a conflict between the two sides would cause serious trouble.

So... what should we do?