Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 244 Serious
As the two sat down, Wang Yan noticed that He Tan had lost a lot of weight since leaving Daming Prefecture. His lips were cracked, two large blisters had appeared at the corners of his mouth, and his brows were furrowed even more tightly, which showed how anxious he had been these past few days.

The two had agreed on a strategy, but someone suddenly changed the plan.

How could He Tan not be alarmed? He had just left Daming Prefecture when its troops began searching for Wang Yan, forcing Wang Yan to mobilize the Wang family's guards. After a moment's thought, He Tan understood: the reason they had transferred him away was to prevent him from being implicated because of the He family.

Wang Yan had a brilliant plan, but he never considered what would happen if something happened to him.
He also couldn't explain it to the Wang family.

Wang Yan asked, "Have you caught the person?"

With Prefect Liu's affair exposed, some generals would inevitably flee with their men. Among them were people who had previously been close to the Western Xia and Northern Qi, or were simply their spies.

“We caught them,” He Tan said. “Not only in Daming Prefecture, but also in Mingzhou, there were military officers who fled north. We caught them red-handed. We haven’t checked the list yet, but we can guarantee that no officers above the rank of commander have been released.”

Wang Yan nodded: "Brother has made a great contribution. Because of this, even if the He family is implicated, it won't affect you."

He Tan looked at Wang Yan. Was this what he was asking?

“You’re incredibly audacious,” He Tan said. “You sent me away, thinking you could use your few men to deal with Prefect Liu, and you even brought along the entire Chenyao Village… You…”

He Tan didn't know what to say. Hearing some of the news, he broke out in a cold sweat. He still couldn't understand how Wang Yan and the others had escaped.
The document states that this was because the demonic sect wanted to take advantage of the situation, and Wang Yan took advantage of the chaos to kill the observer Zheng Ming.

He Tan said, "You already knew about the demonic sect's intentions?"

Wang Yan shook his head: "I don't know, it's just a coincidence."

"The members of that demonic sect had been entrenched in Guan County for a long time. This time, the inspector Zheng Ming caused a disturbance and lured them into the mountains. The members of the demonic sect had a kind of fire oil that caught fire easily and was difficult to extinguish. They also impersonated the imperial guards, claiming to have come to quell the rebellion."

“Zheng Ming and his men rarely trained, so when they heard the shouts, they thought the Dragon Guards had really arrived, which threw their morale into disarray. If it weren’t for the Demon Cult, I really wouldn’t have had a chance to kill Zheng Ming.”

"With Zheng Ming dead, his troops naturally scattered, which allowed us to escape. After coming down from the mountains, I took up residence in Guan County, because I was powerless to fight against the troops stationed in Daming Prefecture."

This explanation sounded perfect, but He Tan knew things weren't that simple. He looked at Wang Yan: "You killed all the members of the Demon Cult? Why didn't you leave any survivors?"

Wang Yan said calmly, "Those people have committed numerous evils and are all ruthless killers. I don't have many people around me. I have to deal with the rebels and take down the Demon Sect. I can't make arrangements more properly. If the people of the Demon Sect escape in the chaos, the consequences will be even more unimaginable. It's better to kill them all."

If He Tan didn't know Wang Yan very well, he would have believed him. But Wang Yan spoke with such certainty that he couldn't continue asking questions. If Wang Yan was even hiding things from him, then he wouldn't be able to tell the truth to anyone else.

This is why the prime minister in the capital was worried about his eldest son.

Once Wang Yan makes a decision, no amount of obstruction will change anything.

He Tan said, "This matter will inevitably be criticized. The Demon Sect arrived at the right time. Some people will inevitably say that you have ties with the Demon Sect, which is why they appeared at that time to save you."

Wang Yan said calmly, "They can investigate."

He Tan said, "What if they find some clues to frame you?"

Wang Yan clearly didn't care: "If you want to frame someone, anything can be an excuse. That demonic sect has long been destroyed, and the remaining remnants are nothing. Just kill them when you see them."

He Tan said, "But it has always been a thorn in the side of the Emperor. The Emperor said that anyone encountered by the Demonic Cult should be escorted to the capital for trial. You killed them all without authorization..."

Wang Yan said calmly, "Without those demonic sects, I would have died in the mountains." Hearing this, He Tan stopped asking questions and took a deep breath, saying, "I understand." What Wang Yan said was the truth, and it would be the same no matter who asked; he would not investigate further.

After finishing this, He Tan subconsciously looked towards the door: "Were you talking to Miss Xie just now?"

“Miss Xie,” Wang Yan repeated, “from now on, brother, please call her Miss Xie!”

Previously, because Xie Yuyan was young and intelligent, and because they had some interactions, He Tan's way of addressing him was slightly different, but Wang Yan didn't say anything at the time.

just now……

He Tan suddenly realized something, and his gaze shifted several times: "Are you serious?"

Wang Yan didn't speak, but just looked at He Tan.

He Tan looked at his younger brother, the candlelight flickering and reflecting in his eyes, clearly showing his persistence, stubbornness... and joy.

He Tan didn't care about the first two emotions, but when he saw that joy, he didn't want to ask anything or offer any advice.

He simply said with concern, "You need to think of a good way."

Xie Yuyan, a woman who was kidnapped and forced into a ghost marriage, knew nothing about her own origins or family background. If He Tan insisted on his own way, there might be a one or two chance that the He family would agree to the marriage.

Replaced by Wang Yan...

The Wang family would prefer to see Wang Yan devote himself to Taoist cultivation and remain unmarried for life.

“How about we change her identity while no one knows about it yet,” He Tan said. “She doesn’t need to be from a prestigious family, but she must be from an official’s family.”

This is not impossible; He Tan can bypass the He and Wang families and set up this scheme for Wang Yan.

“Leave this to me,” He Tan said. “No matter who it is, I’ll be there to stop them. If you’re worried that Madam Xie won’t be willing to give up what she has in Daming Prefecture, I’ll talk to her. As long as we get through this crisis, I can just give her the rest as part of her dowry.”

Although they were talking about a very troublesome matter, He Tan noticed that Wang Yan's smile had deepened.

“She doesn’t care about these things,” Wang Yan said. “Not to mention her business in Daming Prefecture, even if her business spread throughout Daliang in time, she could abandon it without hesitation.”

He Tan was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when Wang Yan suddenly changed the subject: "These material possessions are important to her, and they are not important to her. If she thinks they are worth it, then it doesn't matter."

“But what my brother said... just to marry me... to submit to the Wang family, that's not worth it.”

"Right now, I'm not even worth it on my own."

He Tan opened his mouth in surprise. Did Wang Yan mean that Xie Yuyan didn't want to marry him? Did she not like him? He didn't seem to have thought of this before.

Even as Wang Yan spoke these words, the tenderness and smile in his eyes did not disappear.

It has nothing to do with anything else, I just feel happy when I mention her.

That's it. He Tan felt there was nothing he could do about it, and he couldn't control it anymore.