Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 261 Good Official
Xie Yuyan's business grew bigger and bigger, which made Yang Qin happy, but he was also afraid that the Yang family would not be able to keep his sister-in-law.

After all, the sister-in-law had never found her relatives. In the past, she had to spend her energy dealing with the Yang and Xie families and managing her business. Now that those people have been arrested, the sister-in-law will be able to free up her time.

Moreover, just as Mr. Tong said, the sister-in-law's reputation will grow, and even if she doesn't look for her family, it's hard to guarantee they won't come looking for her.

Yang Qin deeply understands this. Before his sister-in-law came, it seemed that few people in the clan knew him. He and his mother lived a hard life, and they would always hide in a corner to avoid people when something important happened. Later, he discovered that even if they didn't hide, no one would "see" them.

However, after his sister-in-law took over the affairs of the clan, many people in the clan would say a few words to him when they saw him, as if he had suddenly gained many more relatives.

The sister-in-law took several thousand strings of cash from the Xie family. Those clansmen who were cheated by the Xie family even went to great lengths to block the entrance of Yong'anfang, begging him to help them get their money back.

They also said that their sister-in-law was an outsider, while they were the ones connected by blood.

If he is like this, how could someone as clever and quick-witted as his sister-in-law not have any relatives? Wherever his sister-in-law goes, she should have relatives and friends.

As Yang Qin thought of this, he felt a pat on the shoulder and looked up to meet Xie Yuyan's gaze.

“No matter what, you will always be my brother,” Xie Yuyan said. “Your mother is also my mother. If I am away from Daming Prefecture for too long, I will still pick you up and our mother.”

Upon hearing this, Yang Qin's eyes immediately reddened: "My mother and I are willing to go with my sister-in-law." He would never forget that his sister-in-law was the only one by his side during their most difficult time.

This brings me to a somewhat sad point.

Xie Yuyan rarely cared about others, but there were always some who were different.

"What's there to be sad about?" Xie Yuyan said. "Many wealthy merchants own farms and houses in various places. If our business does well in the future, we will naturally buy houses in various places as well, and then we can live wherever we want."

Upon hearing Xie Yuyan's words, Yang Qin's eyes lit up.

However... he then thought of something else.

“Sister-in-law,” Yang Qin said, “the teacher said that I will be able to take the imperial examination in the future. If I pass the exam and become an official, will you go with me to my post?”

Only children look forward to promises.

I wish I could see life clearly from beginning to end, and that the people I care about would always be by my side.

Xie Yuyan smiled but did not respond, and Yang Qin immediately felt a little disappointed.

"Time is running out, and nobody knows what the future holds," Xie Yuyan said, then changed the subject, "Will I be punished if I go to the teacher to recite my lessons tomorrow?"

Yang Qin, who was initially a little sad, was taken aback and stammered, "I'm sure I can memorize it..."

Zhang, who followed Xie Yuyan into the room, was also thinking about these things. Hearing Xie Yuyan's words, she couldn't help but laugh out loud: "You don't even know this, yet you want to arrange everything for decades to come in one go."

Yang Qin was so embarrassed by what he was said that he forgot what he had said and after a long while said, "I'll go do my homework now."

Zhang placed the osmanthus cake in her hand on the small table: "Eat something first to fill your stomach before you can eat your meal."

Yang Qin couldn't wait any longer. He grabbed a piece of osmanthus cake and hurriedly ran into his room.

Watching her son's retreating figure, Zhang couldn't help but smile again. She also wanted Ayan to stay by her side, but Ayan was only sixteen or seventeen years old. It would be too selfish to leave her in the Yang family forever.

If a good candidate is found in the future, Zhang wants to have the Yang family change their genealogy so that Ayan is not labeled as having been married before, and she will treat Ayan as her own daughter.

"Eat something. I'll have the old doctor come over. We've walked quite a distance today, so we need to change the dressing again."

Xie Yuyan agreed, and under Zhang's arrangement, the old doctor changed her dressing. By the time the old doctor left, Xie Yuyan had already fallen asleep. Zhang quickly brought a blanket to cover her up.

After so many days of travel, Zhang felt heartbroken just thinking about having to arrange things at the Yang family home. She couldn't do much else, but she could find ways to help A-Yan recover.

With that thought in mind, she tiptoed out, closed the door, and returned to the kitchen to continue brewing her medicinal cuisine.

The medicinal diet recipe was given to her by the old woman doctor, who also prepared the medicinal herbs, saying that it was personally instructed by Lord Wang.

“This Lord Wang is a good official,” Zhang said, looking at Mama Yu who had just entered. “He comes from a prestigious family, but he doesn’t have the temperament of a typical nobleman. Knowing that our Ayan has been a great help, he even found a female doctor to take care of him.”

Madam Yu was at a loss for words. Lord Wang hadn't just sought out the female doctor; he'd followed her all the way to Baode Temple. On the surface, he appeared unfamiliar with the eldest daughter-in-law, but in reality, thanks to the disguise of Master Zhiyuan's monk's robes, he had...

Ugh.

She had already suspected something when Lord Wang sent someone to inquire about Madam's injuries, and this time she paid closer attention... almost scaring her into revealing her true form.

Fortunately, she was still carrying those lotus flowers, which allowed her to lower her head and manipulate the lotus leaves for cover.

Zhang Niangzi still thought that Lord Wang was a good official, which was why he acted this way, and that he might steal Madam away one day.

The eldest daughter-in-law hadn't told her to say anything, so Madam Yu dared not reveal a word in private and could only agree with Zhang: "You're right."

Zhang said, "We'll send some things back another day. I wonder what Lord Wang likes."

Well… Mother Yu really did know, but she couldn't say anything. Besides, who wouldn't like someone he likes?
……

Upon returning from Baode Temple, Xu En noticed that Wang Yan was reading through the files even faster, leaving the two clerks beside him struggling to keep up.

We're all the same kind of people, so why do we seem to have different heads?

Xu En was astonished. It was fortunate that he had listened to the Emperor and brought more men. The Emperor must have some experience dealing with Prime Minister Wang.

"How much military equipment did Daming Prefecture transport in the past two years? Have you calculated it yet?"

The other clerks looked grim and could only report: "Not yet, because there are too many accounts, the accounts for July of the sixth year of the Zhiping era have not yet been settled."

Actually, no relevant records were found.

Wang Yan pondered for a moment and said calmly, "In the sixth year of the Zhiping era, Daming Prefecture suffered a drought. Go and check the documents of this prefecture regarding the purchase of rice."

The clerks, who had been looking worried, exchanged bewildered glances upon hearing this.

Yes, that year Daming Prefecture suffered a drought, and the government offices would definitely need to transport rice and grain. With this as a pretext, why would they need to call upon manpower from the arsenal to transport goods?
"We've found it, we've found it. We'll compare the amounts now to see if there are any discrepancies."

Xu En took a deep breath and felt a sense of relief. With someone like him around, he didn't need to worry about his job at all.

Wang Yan returned to the yamen and sat down for half an hour before getting everyone busy.

“Prefect Xu will wait here until they sort out the accounts,” Wang Yan stood up. “I still need to go to the county government office to check the case files.”

After Wang Yan finished speaking, he turned and walked outside.

Xu En readily agreed, as Wang Yan had already taken care of all the important matters; he only needed to supervise these people's work.

As Wang Yan walked out of the government office, Sang Dian immediately stepped forward: "Jiao Da, who had previously kidnapped and sold Madam Xie, is dead, and the trail went cold. Now, by taking advantage of the investigation of the Daming Army, we went in and looked through the family register, and confirmed Jiao Da's identity."