Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 268 Doubts
He Tan frowned. What did he mean by "he has seen many women"?
It was just that his mother had called him home to greet the ladies at a few banquets held at home.

Although he knew there were several women in the pavilion, he didn't look in that direction. Men in the He family tended to marry late, so he didn't pay much attention to it.

“Aren’t you the same?” He Tan said. “You were targeted when you were six or seven years old. Prime Minister Wang almost agreed to the marriage, but your grandfather intervened and it was only then that the matter was dropped.”

Although the Wang family was implicated because of Wang Yan's grandfather's demotion, Wang Yan's reputation as a child prodigy still attracted many people who wanted to marry into the Wang family. Later, when Prime Minister Wang entered the court and had a smooth career, even more people had this idea.

It's just that Wang Yan has always refused.

Although the Wang family strictly controls Wang Yan, there are some things they dare not do against his nature, which is why Wang Yan is still unmarried.

What is he thinking about?
He Tan immediately stopped thinking and pondered the character "菁" that Wang Yan had mentioned. After asking Wang Yan which character it was, he frowned and thought about it, as if he had a sense of familiarity with it.

“Jing…”

He Tan muttered to himself.

In a hazy state, a thought flashed through my mind.

“Ah-Qing.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately felt Wang Yan's gaze suddenly become deep and unfathomable.

Why did you suddenly turn on me?
He Tan frowned, about to say something, when a thought suddenly came to mind.

"Wen...Wen Jing".

"Xie Wenjing".

Wang Yan stared intently at He Tan, his expression gradually becoming solemn.

After a moment, he asked in a cold voice, "Who is she?"

“The second daughter of the Xie family in Kaifeng,” He Tan said, “is the woman that the Prince of Huai has been looking for, the Xie family’s second daughter who is frail and sickly and raised in the countryside.”

“I’ve heard the Prince of Huai mention her a few times, so I know her name.”

At this point, He Tan looked at Wang Yan: "Last Mid-Autumn Festival, when the three of us were drinking together, the Prince of Huai said this, and you were there too."

The Prince of Huai had been assassinated by a vassal. He fled into the forest and was rescued by a woman who bandaged his wounds, helped him find his attendants, and then left.

Prince Huai searched desperately for the woman's whereabouts, and those close to him all knew more or less about her.

Later, it was said that the Prince of Huai had found the woman, who turned out to be the granddaughter of the late Prime Minister Xie. The Prince of Huai found out Xie Erniang's identity and name, and in his joy, he got drunk. It was at that time that he mentioned it to them.

Wang Yan has an excellent memory; he can remember things clearly unless they are things he doesn't care about at all. This is obviously the case.

Wang Yan frowned, unable to recall anything from his memory. After a moment's thought, he asked, "Is the Prince of Huai certain that woman is the one who saved him? Have the two of them met before?"

He Tan said, "The Prince of Huai found the clues and confirmed the woman's identity during the Mid-Autumn Festival last year."

"The two met again last winter. It was probably after the Prime Minister passed away that the woman returned to observe mourning."

“Before I came to Daming Prefecture, I also went to the Xie family to pay my respects. When I came back, I heard my mother talking to Madam Xie. When they mentioned Xie Erniang, they said ‘A-Qing’. ‘Qingjing Zhe E’ is a good name.”

That's why he just kept mentioning "Ah-Ching".

When Prime Minister Xie passed away, Wang Yan was impeached and "recuperating" at home, so he naturally could not go around and did not go to Xie's house.

"This Second Lady Xie used to be frail and sickly, but she gradually recovered. Princess Qin went to see her and was very satisfied. Because Prime Minister Xie had just passed away, the imperial decree to bestow the marriage has not yet been issued."

Wang Yan said, "In other words, Xie Erniang has only been in the public eye for a few months since she moved back to Kaifeng from the countryside."

He Tan didn't know why Wang Yan was concerned about this. He thought for a moment and asked, "Do you think this case involves the Xie family of Kaifeng?"

“Xie Shumi holds a high position and wields great power. Now he has also formed a marriage alliance with the Prince of Qin’s family. Unless we have solid evidence, it will be difficult to impeach him.” He Tan probably couldn’t persuade Wang Yan: “If you really want to mention Xie Shumi in your memorial… you should at least tell the old master first so that he can be prepared.”

These people privately referred to Prime Minister Wang as "Old Master," which was a sign of their respect for him.

Wang Yan said calmly, "I can't write notes now."

Because... it's useless.

Wang Yan wouldn't do anything useless.

He Tan grasped the key point: "Not now, but will you still target the Xie family in the future?"

"It's hard to say," Wang Yan said calmly.

The Xie family of Daming Prefecture colluded with Prefect Liu and others to smuggle goods, while Xie Chongjun and others were eager to curry favor with Privy Councilor Xie and made several trips to the capital to establish connections.

No one would believe that Xie Shumi knew nothing about the affairs of Daming Prefecture.

But it's impossible to use this to take down Xie Shumi.

The Privy Council was in charge of military affairs, and if a military officer got into trouble, the Privy Council would be implicated. Similarly, if a civil official made a mistake, the Grand Secretariat would also find it difficult to exonerate itself. Therefore, everyone in the court tacitly understood that no one would impeach the two Grand Secretaries for these matters, otherwise no one could stay in their positions for long.

Therefore, it's not time to deal with Xie Shumi yet.

There was no movement in the room for a while. Wang Yan looked up at He Tan again. He Tan stood to the side, staring intently at Wang Yan.

"How can you be so sure the Xie family has a problem? Prince Huai values ​​Xie Wenjing highly..."

Xie Wenjing. Upon hearing this name, Wang Yan seemed to recall something, and then asked, "Brother, do you know if the Xie family has any rules regarding the generational names of women, especially the younger generation?"

He Tan's eyes widened; he couldn't understand how Wang Yan could have such a question.
“Perhaps your aunt knows,” Wang Yan said. “In order to find you a good marriage, your aunt knows a bit about the women of the prominent families in Daliang.”

"Brother, if you have the chance, you can ask me a few questions."

He Tan frowned: "What's the use?"

Without hesitation, Wang Yan said, "Investigate the case."

He Tan sneered in anger: "Could it be that a female member of the Xie family is involved? Do you need to use this to confirm her identity? Even if you're lying, you should have a good excuse."

Wang Yan stopped talking and continued reading the dossier in his hands. He Tan also had many things to do, so he naturally wouldn't stay there indefinitely. However, before leaving, he ate the tea and snacks that Sang Dian had prepared for Wang Yan.

Silence returned to the room.

Wang Yan raised his head, as if only now remembering to answer He Tan: "Perhaps."

He had long suspected that Xie Yuyan was very likely her original name.

Xie Yuyan and Xie Wenjing both have the surname Xie. Could it be such a coincidence? When Xie Yuyan saw the character "Jing", she seemed to immediately think about it. Either that person was very famous, or she was someone she knew well.

If this was just a sudden thought that popped into his head, he almost immediately noticed something suspicious when He Tan mentioned Xie Wenjing.

Xie Erniang appeared in Kaifeng Prefecture after Xie Laoxianggong passed away. Jiao Da also arrived in Daming Prefecture with the women he had abducted, shortly after that.

Wang Yan stood up. He was going to the prison to interrogate the military officer, asking where Jiao Da had taken those women from and whether they had stayed in Kaifeng Prefecture.

When did they arrive at Daming Prefecture?

If the general does not know, then he should ask where the women were sold to, try every means to find them, and inquire about the details of the abduction and sale. Perhaps he can get some clues.

This is not something that can be investigated in a short time, but Wang Yan is very patient.