Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 249 Doubts
Wang Yan and others discussed matters until late at night. When the yamen runners brought food, there were still thick stacks of case files piled up on the tables.

The magistrates and assistant magistrates of Daming and Guan counties who delivered the documents looked relaxed. If they hadn't been so desperate to protect them, these documents would have been destroyed by Prefect Liu and his gang long ago. With these documents, at least they wouldn't be punished.

In particular, Cao Rui, the magistrate of Daming Prefecture, had previously submitted a memorial impeaching the Daming Prefecture's arsenal workshop for its chaotic accounts, which had led to his suppression. Now, this had ironically become a stepping stone for his promotion. He also left behind a full cell of prisoners and extracted numerous confessions, all of which were considered his achievements.

Xu En rubbed his temples. The affairs were too complicated, and even though he brought many officials to help, he still couldn't sort them out in just a few days.

“There are just too many,” Xu En said. “The Han Tong case alone involves dozens of lives.”

Not to mention how many officials were involved in this affair. If you were to ask carefully, almost none of the military officers in Daming Prefecture could remain uninvolved.

"Eat something!"

Xu En, feeling very hungry, got up first: "There's too much to do; we have to do it little by little."

The officials breathed a sigh of relief; they figured they could disperse after eating. They had been working intently for several hours straight, and they were already exhausted. But Wang Yan refused to speak, and no one dared to say anything. The Wang family, father and son, were known for their strict rules and meticulousness in everything they did. Anyone who had served as an official in the capital knew that the busiest place at night was outside the Wang family mansion. Servants would always be waiting for their masters to come out of the mansion. Sometimes, several officials wouldn't even be able to return home, and would go to court together the next day.

Now it seems that this young man is the same.

Thanks to Xu Duzhi, otherwise everyone would have been exhausted on the first day.

Xu En addressed the group before sealing the documents and going to rest.

As they came out of the government office, Xu En called out to Xu Huaiyi, "Come with me and let's talk."

Xu Huaiyi and Xu En are cousins. When Xu En came to Daming Prefecture this time, he specially used his connections to bring Xu Huaiyi along, hoping that he could take the opportunity to make a contribution.

The relationship between the two was like that of Wang Yan and He Tan. They were close in daily life, but Xu Huaiyi was too stubborn and offended many people in the court. Xu En did not want to associate with him too closely in public, for fear that he would be implicated by him one day.

If the Xu and Xu families are both finished, there will be no one to help them.

The two arrived at their lodgings, entered the house, and dismissed the servants. Xu Encai then said, "From now on, focus all your attention on the accounts of the arms workshop and find out where those weapons went."

Xu Huaiyi was much darker-skinned than the average person, and he usually had a stern face and rarely smiled. Hearing this, he frowned: "Big brother, aren't you going to investigate anything else?"

Seeing that he didn't understand, Xu En said, "Since Wang Yan has already given us the benefits, we should just do as he says. Then everyone will be happy. He has his credit, and I have mine. Let him explain what he got involved in. Why should we investigate again?"

At this point, Xu En's face darkened: "You offended Xie Shumi before, so you mustn't provoke the Wang family again, or you'll really have nowhere to go."

A few months ago, the old master of the Xie family suddenly passed away. Xu Huaiyi went to investigate the case and returned, insisting that there was something fishy about it. Therefore, he submitted a memorial to the court, requesting the coroner to re-examine the old master's body and interrogate the people of the Xie family, which caused a lot of discussion in the court.

Privy Councilor Xie repeatedly confirmed that the old minister's death was an accident. A coroner had examined the body that day and inquired about the entire incident. This process had already delayed the Xie family's funeral arrangements for the old minister. The old minister had worked tirelessly his entire life, and his sudden passing had already caught the Xie family off guard. If his body were to be examined repeatedly, preventing him from finding peace even in death, how could the Xie family bear such a thing?
Xu En privately approached Xu Huaiyi and earnestly advised him not to bring up the matter again. However, Xu Huaiyi remained adamant and even found evidence to suggest that his late husband's fall that day was not an accident but rather a result of malicious intent. The Xie family was certain that no outsiders had entered or left the house, and no traces of outsiders were found in the garden.

Isn't this just pointing the finger at the Xie family?
Xie Shumi could not bear such questioning and had no choice but to agree to send the coroner again. As a result... naturally, no problems were found.

The Xie family was humiliated, and the old Prime Minister Xie was disturbed; naturally, the blame fell on Xu Huaiyi.

Xu Huaiyi, once a promising young official of the Court of Judicial Review, was suddenly demoted to the Ministry of Justice. This was only possible because the Xu and Xu families had pulled strings and made connections.

Xu En brought Xu Huaiyi to Daming Prefecture this time because he saw that a major case had finally come up. If Xu Huaiyi could seize the opportunity to make a contribution, even if he could not return to the Dali Temple, at least the emperor would be willing to use him again.

Xu Huaiyi seemed not to hear Xu En's words and continued, "It makes sense that Wang Yan killed members of the Demon Cult in the mountains, but he also sent Sang Dian and others to track down the Demon Cult members' hideout and wiped out all the remaining members. There must be some reason for this."

Xu En glared at Xu Huaiyi, unsure what to say: "What do you mean by that? Are you suggesting that Wang Yan deliberately killed someone to cover it up? What is his connection with the demonic sect?"

“That’s not necessarily true,” Xu Huaiyi said, “but upon closer examination, it doesn’t seem right.”

Xu En's expression turned even uglier: "I think you've lost your mind; you see something fishy in everything."

Xu Huaiyi ignored Xu En and continued, "Besides that, I also found out that Wang Yan once carried a woman into the Guan County government office. That woman is a merchant from Daming Prefecture, and I wonder what kind of relationship she has with Wang Yan in private."

This piqued Xu En's interest, considering that Wang Yan had always maintained a virtuous character and repeatedly refused marriage proposals. Even the Emperor had said that his encounter with an immortal at a young age was not a blessing, as it might lead him to become obsessed with Taoist cultivation.

How did he suddenly get involved with a woman?
But now is not the time to pry into these matters...

The less trouble, the better.

Xu En said, "Even if there is a problem, it is Wang Yan's private matter. Don't let it get involved in this case. And don't talk about it to outsiders."

Xu Huaiyi seemed stunned by Xu En's words: "I'm not talking about private matters... What I mean is that these things should be investigated carefully, and we might find out some inside information."

Xu En really didn't understand Xu Huaiyi. Whenever he had time, he would lock himself in his room to look at case files. His mind was probably filled with those bizarre cases. He was no longer like an ordinary person.

“Let me tell you,” Xu En said angrily, “Don’t make trouble out of nothing. What did you promise me when you came here? If this continues, I will send you back to the capital.”

At this moment, Xu Huaiyi seemed to finally take Xu En's words seriously. He bowed and said, "Brother, don't worry, I will definitely not do anything reckless." Even so, his mind was still full of questions.

However, he could put those aside for the time being. He needed to ensure that he could stay in Daming Prefecture, because he had other purposes for coming here.