Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 19 Fear
Yang Mingjing hurried home with the servants, the sound of his boots hitting the ground growing louder and louder, and Master Yang's breathing becoming more and more rapid.

"Master, hurry, hurry!"

The servants' urging continued incessantly.

Yang Mingjing felt utterly humiliated; the dignity he had cultivated in front of others for years had vanished in an instant.

In order to succeed the position of Warden, he worked in the ward for many years.

If he wanted the local people to know him, he had to travel around on his own two legs.

The common people are difficult to deal with. When collecting taxes and corvée labor, one cannot always use forceful methods. Besides, the current head of Yong'an Ward likes this kind of thing. He always talks about the benevolence of the court and the emperor. If you don't flatter the head of the ward, you won't get a recommendation. So... no matter how you look at it, he can't ride a tall horse and "swagger through the city".

In Yang Mingjing's mind, this was all quite ordinary, and he enjoyed the praise and smiles from the people in the neighborhood. However, while getting close to the people brought him fame, it also made him truly experience the suffering of the people.

Sweat poured down Yang Mingjing's forehead, and his feet were practically burning from the friction.

This is all because of Xie Shi. Xie Shi is like a stick; even the calmest water will be stirred up into waves by her.

As Yang Mingjing got closer to the Yang family's house, he noticed that there were more and more people on the street, and they were all heading towards the Yang family's door, just like him.

Then Yang Mingjing heard Xie's voice.

"If there is a skilled and courageous lawyer who can write a lawsuit for our Yang family and take it to court, our Yang family will definitely repay him handsomely. We also ask our neighbors to help spread the word."

Yang Mingjing felt as if several strings of his heart had snapped, and a sharp pain and unease surged from the depths of his heart, mixed with a nameless anger that spread throughout his body in that instant.

How dare the Xie family say such a thing?

A generous reward and widespread announcement?
If this news were to spread, soon all the bookstores in Daming Prefecture would be concerned about this case, and countless lawyers would flock to it.

"Second Uncle is here."

Before Yang Mingjing could come up with a solution, a voice rang out, followed by countless gazes directed at him.

"This is the head of the Yang clan, and also my second uncle. Does everyone know him?" Xie Yuyan said. "My second uncle is fair and honest. He has done a lot for Yong'an Ward over the years. If the elders and villagers support him, he will become the deputy ward's envoy in the future."

Yang Mingjing stiffened, immediately concealing the angry and fierce expression on his face. He couldn't show his ferocity in front of the people of Yong'anfang, otherwise everything would be in vain.

Yang Mingjing pursed his lips and even smiled at the people around him.

As if receiving a command, the crowd parted to both sides at that moment, making way for Xie Yuyan, who stood at the end of the path.

Yang Mingjing could almost hear himself gritting his teeth, but he could only pretend to be nonchalant and walk step by step to Xie Yuyan's side.

Xie Yuyan's eyes seemed to brighten even more, clearly because he had someone to rely on.

"Don't worry, Madam Yang, we will definitely spread the news."

Someone in the crowd shouted.

“We all saw it yesterday, those looters… they are truly despicable.”

The people dared not offend the Xie family, but they could freely mention the kidnappers.

"Yes, let the authorities arrest those people, then we'll all feel at ease."

Xie Yuyan nodded: "Actually, I also had my doubts at first, after all, this matter involved my fourth uncle and fourth aunt, but... my second uncle told me to rest assured that if my fourth uncle and fourth aunt were at fault, it was only right for the government to punish them. As the clan head, he should uphold justice. If he can't even do that, how can he bring peace to the neighborhood in the future?"

"The reason I am showing my face today is twofold: firstly, to thank the neighbors for their condolences for my husband; and secondly, because there was a dispute at my doorstep yesterday afternoon, and I was afraid that people would think there was discord within the Yang family, which would damage the reputation of the Yang family and my second uncle. So I have come here to clarify the situation."

Xie Yuyan, who had been speaking fluently, paused slightly here, turned to look at Yang Mingjing, as if listening to Yang Mingjing's instructions.

Yang Mingjing's ears were ringing and his head was throbbing.

This moment felt exceptionally long, the surroundings shifting from quiet to noisy and back to quiet again, as if it would never end unless he spoke.

“I…” Yang Mingjing’s face twitched, and his stiff expression was about to collapse. “I will definitely find a good lawyer to help you submit the petition and seek justice for you.”

Yang Mingjing was completely deflated. He had managed to get through it for now, but endless trouble lay ahead. Yesterday, he had only given Xie Yuyan a few perfunctory words, never expecting it to cause such a stir.

Xie Yuyan looked at Yang Mingjing: "If Second Uncle can indeed do these things, he will surely be able to supervise evil and seek benefits for the people in the neighborhood when he takes charge of the gate key in the future."

Their eyes met, and Yang Mingjing subconsciously gasped. At that moment, he seemed to see a kind of dignified composure in Xie Yuyan's eyes that belonged only to those in positions of power.

And her words...

It was more like a reminder or hint from above.

Xie Yuyan looked away, and Yang Mingjing came back to his senses, as if what he had just seen was all an illusion.

"Chief Yang is a good person!"

"We will be blessed if such a person succeeds Fang Fangzheng in the future."

Hearing these words, Yang Mingjing felt as if he were being roasted over a fire. He had coveted the position of Fangzheng for a long time, and now he was finally one step closer to it, but he couldn't be happy at all.

He wants to rise to power by stepping on the flesh and blood of others, rather than being dragged along by them.

But given the current situation, he cannot give up.

"Second Uncle," Xie Yuyan said, "let's go see the lawyer now!"

After saying this, Xie Yuyan bowed to the neighbors who had gathered around.

As Yang Mingjing stepped into the courtyard, the noise gradually subsided as the crowd dispersed. He wanted to reprimand Xie Yuyan, but then he heard Xie Yuyan say, "Yesterday, my second uncle said he was going to inquire about some news. Did he find out anything? Tell the lawyer all about it in a bit."

Zhang waited at the door, and without saying much, welcomed Yang Mingjing and Xie Yuyan into the house.

It would be somewhat inconvenient for the two women to receive guests, but now that Yang Mingjing is in charge, everything is much more natural.

The two lawyers, who had been somewhat apprehensive, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.

The two lawyers were waiting for Yang Mingjing to speak when suddenly everything went dark. It turned out that Xie Yuyan had gotten up and walked over. She stood by the window, blocking the sunlight streaming in, giving the illusion that she controlled the brightness and darkness of the room.

“You two are young lawyers,” Xie Yuyan said, “and you are also scholars with excellent writing skills.”

The two were delighted to hear the praise.

"However, with so many bookstores in Daming Prefecture, gaining some fame is no easier than passing the imperial examinations."

Xie Yuyan paused deliberately at this point: "Now your chance has come."

Upon hearing this, the two lawyers disregarded the proper etiquette between men and women and both looked up at Xie Yuyan.

Xie Yuyan said, "Have you ever heard of a strange case of someone coming back to life after dying?"

The two lawyers instinctively shook their heads.

Xie Yuyan continued, "If it weren't for a tremendous injustice, Heaven wouldn't have given me a chance to live. Such a huge miscarriage of justice and a bizarre case involves powerful figures in Daming Prefecture. I wonder what the outcome will be?"

"Both of you have participated in the imperial examinations. I wonder how this case compares to the final judgment question in the Mingjing examination?"

Yang Mingjing's hand holding the teacup trembled involuntarily. Did Xie actually know that there were case-solving questions in Mingjing's imperial examination? He felt once again that Xie's background might really be extraordinary.

The two lawyers were also stunned.

Xie Yuyan said, "There are still some details that I need to discuss with you two."

Yang Mingjing was immediately startled. He had a feeling that he had to leave immediately, otherwise... he would definitely regret it in the future.

Unfortunately, it was clearly too late, and Xie Yuyan's voice rang in Yang Mingjing's ears again.

"Do you two know anything about the Xie family in Chang Le Fang? Has anyone ever sought your help to draft a complaint against the Xie family?"

(End of this chapter)