Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 28 Retribution
The stewards in the second old lady's courtyard didn't care when they heard Xie Yuyan's words, and one of them was about to retort.

How dare a woman of unknown origin act so arrogantly in the Yang family? What is she? She only managed to fool the second daughter-in-law. The old lady was truly enraged. Where in the Yang family could she find a place to stand?

Thinking of this, she turned to look at Xie Yuyan, but unexpectedly saw several military patrolmen through the gap in the curtain. The steward's mind went blank for a moment, as if she understood why Xie Yuyan said he would "sue the law".

People from the government office actually came.

"Has something happened at home?" the patrolmen asked. They had been brought by the steward, so there was no need for them to be coy. They stood in the courtyard and asked the question.

The curtain was lifted, and a person walked out.

The patrolman looked over with a stern face, but when he saw the figure clearly, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes. It was actually that young lady.

Xie Yuyan said, “The clan caught a young woman who stole public property and was about to send her to the yamen when two wicked servants came and tried to help her. They are accomplices. According to the clan rules, I sentenced them to twenty strokes of the cane, but they refused to obey.”

The patrolmen looked up into the house. They had visited the Yang family when the fire broke out, and General Chen had specifically instructed them to take extra care of the third branch of the Yang family if anything happened to them. So when the Yang family came to the patrol station looking for them, they followed without hesitation.

Comparing the experiences of the third branch of the Yang family, is the Yang clan once again bullying the pitiful orphans and widows?

The patrolman said, "If the wicked servant disobeys, Madam, you can hand him over to us directly."

Xie Yuyan turned to look at Mother Yu.

Madam Yu immediately snapped out of her daze and forced a smile, replying, "This servant understands."

After saying this, Madam Yu ordered her servants, "Arrest these two and punish them with caning."

"How dare you..." the steward in the old lady's courtyard shouted.

Madam Yu had no choice but to grit her teeth and step forward, whispering, "This is the mistress's order. If you disobey, you are a servant who is abusing her master."

Their resistance in front of the patrolmen became evidence, and they couldn't escape being flogged.

The two stewardesses immediately panicked. They had only come to deliver a message, never expecting to be detained and punished here. Twenty strokes of the rod would surely leave them with torn flesh.

“It’s the two old ladies…” one of them said.

Mother Yu stepped forward and covered her mouth, her face full of intimidation. She lowered her voice and said, "Do you think Second Madam can interfere with household affairs so easily? Who do you think the eldest daughter-in-law is talking to when she says 'aiding and abetting a tyrant'?"

The matron finally shut up, her face filled with terror and her forehead covered in cold sweat.

No matter what the two old ladies instructed, they could not shout it out in front of the soldiers, otherwise they would not have a good ending when they came to the two old ladies.

In that moment of hesitation, they were forced by the servants to stand in the snow outside the door, and then the sticks fell, followed by screams and cries.

“I still have some evidence in my hands,” Xie Yuyan said to the patrolman. “I have made a copy for my own use. I will have to trouble you, sir, to help me take these originals out of the Yang family.”

The patrolman frowned even more deeply; the Yang family's affairs were probably not simple. He wondered what trouble this young woman was facing, and why she dared not speak openly in front of these people.

The patrolman glanced around and then said, "There's nothing else to do on patrol today, so we'll just wait in the courtyard for a while."

After he finished speaking, the men he brought indeed stood at the gate of the courtyard. Those who wanted to sneak out of the courtyard to report the news, feeling guilty, did not dare to go forward for a moment and could only carefully hide in a corner.

"What's going on? Is it really that hard for the third wife to move her legs? The second old lady is waiting to report back."

The two old ladies, unable to wait for a reply, instructed their head maid to come and check on the situation.

The maidservant walked over imperiously: "If we delay the mission, how will we explain it to the old lady..." As she spoke, she walked to the courtyard gate and saw two soldiers. Surprised, she swallowed the rest of her words.

The boards in the yard haven't stopped being laid yet.

The maidservant listened for a while before realizing that the strange noises she had heard from afar were actually screams and groans.

Mother Yu couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "This is... yet another one."

Another scream rang out in the courtyard, and the men and women inside the house looked grim.

Xie Yuyan sat back down in the main seat, stroking the steward's waist badge in his hand, and said calmly, "It's almost time."

Hearing this, the couple snapped out of their daze and hurried to finish what they hadn't done.

The men and women who were close to Madam He exchanged glances and a smile that was almost imperceptible to others.

A while ago, the Second Madam asked the Fourth Madam to help manage the household affairs, citing the Second Madam's serious illness. At that time, some people suggested changing the person in charge and that a clan meeting should be held. However, the Second Madam said, "It's just helping out for a few days. Why make such a fuss? They are all our own daughters-in-law, and there is a sensible daughter-in-law keeping an eye on things. What mistakes could possibly happen?"

The second old lady has shot herself in the foot. She previously overstepped her bounds by interfering in clan affairs and breaking the rules; now she's finally reaping the consequences.

In He's room.

Mrs. He was so angry that her lips trembled. She stared at the group of women and said, "Say it again."

A young woman said, "Fourth Sister instructed the people in the storeroom to use the clan's carriages and horses."

Madam He took a deep breath: "Are you sure these are the carts and horses going to the ancestral hall to pick up timber?"

The young woman hesitated for a moment, then her gaze hardened: "Yes." She hadn't dared to say it before because the Second Madam had suddenly put Fourth Madam in charge of the household, and they were afraid that Second Madam would lose power... Who would dare to offend the woman who would be in charge of the household affairs in the future?

He said, "Didn't anyone report this from the ancestral hall either?"

The women looked at each other. Even if someone from the ancestral hall reported it, they wouldn't tell them. Although the second daughter-in-law's words sounded like she was asking them, she was actually asking herself.

He closed her eyes. She finally understood why Xie had sent these people to her room to report back. Something serious had happened.

You should know that she was in charge of repairing the ancestral hall. If those carts and horses didn't go to the ancestral hall to pick up the timber, where did the timber go? Was the rotten timber replaced?
The ancestral hall remained silent, indicating it was out of her control. How much shady business was going on? If anything happened to the ancestral hall, she would be held responsible.

Before the couple could say anything more, a servant announced, "The second master has returned."

The man and woman understood and quickly bowed their heads and withdrew.

"Do you know how big of a mess you've made?" Yang Mingjing's face was gloomy, his anger so intense that his breathing became heavy. "That Xie family used your waist token to invite the neighborhood head and the patrolling soldiers into the house. Let's see how you're going to clean this up."

Madam He raised her head, her eyes showing no surprise or fear, but rather a look of utter desperation: "Well done, it seems I didn't make a mistake in taking this step."

Yang Mingjing was surprised that Madam He was still unrepentant: "Are you crazy? You actually let outsiders interfere in your own family affairs. Even if you are dissatisfied with your fourth brother and sister-in-law, you can talk behind closed doors..."

He's hands were trembling violently, her face contorted with overwhelming hatred: "They want me dead."

Yang Mingjing stared blankly at He Shi's ferocious roar.

Madam He stared at Yang Mingjing with a sinister look: "Master, are you also going to help cover this up?"

At this point, she suddenly stood up and lunged at Yang Mingjing: "Master, why don't you just strangle me right here and save us the trouble?"

He bumped headfirst into Yang Mingjing's chest, and Yang Mingjing, caught off guard, fell to the side. The couple ended up rolling around on the ground.

Ignoring the pain from her fall, He felt as if her whole body was about to explode. She continued to vent her anger, tearing at Yang Mingjing's body with both hands: "What have I done to wrong the Yang family all these years? What have I done to wrong you that you would do this to me?"

“Kill me now, and I will come back as a ghost to take your lives.”

Yang Mingjing was caught off guard and He grabbed his neck. This finally enraged him to the extreme. He used his strength to control He's arms, but felt a pain in his arm as He bit him hard.

Yang Mingjing cried out in pain, "What are you trying to do, you madwoman?"

Hearing the commotion inside, Yang Shen rushed in. Upon seeing the situation, he didn't care about anything else and reached out to hug Madam He tightly: "Mother, Mother, what happened? We can talk about it slowly."

When He saw her son, her anger turned to sorrow, and she regained a sliver of reason. She grasped Yang Shen's hand and said, "They tampered with the ancestral hall, just waiting for something to happen there so they can punish me. Then I won't be able to defend myself, and for the sake of my reputation, I'll have no choice but to die. My son, you will be without your own mother."

The father and son finally understood.

With the ancestral hall in disgrace, the He family has lost all face and is doomed. If Yang Mingjing tries to protect his wife, he will also lose his position as clan leader.

Yang Mingjing asked anxiously, "Who said that? Is there any evidence?"

Madam He pointed outside: "Master, go and ask those young men and women yourself, and have someone go to the ancestral hall to check whether all the wood used for the repairs has been replaced with new wood."

He's eyes were bloodshot, filled with murderous intent: "Since they want me dead, then none of us should live."

After saying that, she staggered to her feet, found a small box under the bed, took out a prescription from inside, and handed it to Yang Shen: "Take this to the Second Madam. This is the prescription the doctor wrote for the Third Master and Madam years ago. If the Second Madam still protects Yang Mingshan and his wife, then I will..."

Before He could finish speaking, Yang Mingjing snatched the prescription from her hand. Yang Mingjing tucked the prescription back into his pocket, as if pressing his heart back down.

Before He could speak again, Yang Mingjing's expression turned solemn and intimidating: "You actually kept this thing? Do you really want to die with us?"

Once the prescription is given out, their second wife's family will be truly finished.

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(End of this chapter)