Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 286 I can’t believe it
Zhou Dalang stared at Zuo Shangying.

"You mean, I should go to Madam Xie like this?"

Zuo Shangying poured hot tea and handed it to Zhou Dalang. The clay stove, teapot, and teacups he used were all gifts from Madam Xie. The ink-painting-like designs on them were also his own creation.

Zuo Shangying nodded.

Zhou Dalang held the cup, somewhat stunned: "But... I've never heard of doing it this way. Don't people usually go to Madam Xie with money to buy the recipes for charcoal and clay stoves?"

“Madam isn’t just doing this one business,” Zuo Shangying said. “As long as everyone can make money, it’s a good business, and I believe Madam would be willing to do it.”

Zhou Dalang was still somewhat worried, fearing that if he failed to reach an agreement during his visit, this avenue would be completely cut off.

"How about my cousin comes with me?"

Zhou Dalang knew that it was inappropriate to say this. Zuo Shangying wanted to pursue an official career, so how could he associate closely with merchants?

So he immediately waved his hand and said, "No, no, cousin, just pretend I didn't say anything."

"What's wrong with that?" Zuo Shangying looked at Zhou Dalang. "I write a tabloid for Madam Zhou, so we're already familiar with each other. It's only natural for me to bring my cousin along."

Zhou Dalang said, "I'm afraid it will ruin your reputation if people find out."

Zuo Shangying suddenly smiled and pointed to her robes: "If I didn't know Madam Xie, I wouldn't have such brand-new robes to wear."

"To try to distance ourselves now would be like burying our heads in the sand."

“Many things are clear to everyone, it’s just a matter of whether to do them openly or secretly. I have done nothing wrong and I’m not afraid of what others say. Moreover,” Zuo Shangying turned around and took out a wooden box, “I have also prepared these things to send to Madam Xie. Madam Xie will listen to my cousin’s words because of these things.”

Zhou Dalang looked into the box and his eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't expected Zuo Shangying to help him like this.

Zuo Shangying thought for a moment and then said, "If this matter is accomplished, I will probably need my cousin to provide financial assistance when I enter officialdom in the future. However, I will only receive the money I earned from my own efforts."

“I’ll make things clear to my cousin openly to avoid any future misunderstandings.”

You only get paid after you do the work; this must be crystal clear. Actually, Zuo Shangying learned all this from Madam Xie.

He carefully considered what Madam Xie had done in Daming Prefecture and felt that these things were more precious than Buddhist charcoal and the secret recipe for clay stoves. He believed that if he could understand some of them, they would be of great benefit to him in the future.

Of course, he wouldn't just learn from others for nothing; he would also try to help.

He felt that Madam Xie's help in rebuilding the Xie family's porcelain kiln had another meaning. If you want something to spread, you need more people to use it.

If everyone uses coal kilns, then coal kilns will become a category in the market.

Zhou Dalang had nothing more to say. After a long while, he bowed to Zuo Shangying and said, "Then I'll have to rely on you, cousin."

……

Yang family.

Liu Zhi held a thick stack of documents. After returning from Baode Temple, Madam Xie had already sent five documents. Once the merchants had chosen a location, Madam Xie would order craftsmen to repair the coal kiln, and experienced craftsmen would also help with firing the clay stove.

These wages were all paid by the merchants, and once the pottery kiln began firing clay furnaces, they would collect one hundred strings of silver coins and a ten percent profit every year.

That's a really big deal.

With clay stoves selling so well, how much money would a 10% profit be?

The deposit of 500 coins after signing the documents alone was already quite a lot.

Ten households would amount to five thousand coins, and that's before anything has even been done.

Moreover, there were more than ten merchants gathered in the Yang family courtyard; many more came to inquire about the situation. The Yang family's porcelain shop had also made a considerable amount of money from the porcelain and Buddhist artifacts sold; Madam Xie was indeed a shrewd businesswoman.

"Liu the lawyer, another document has been brought over."

Yang Xiaoshan brought two documents and placed them in front of Liu Zhi, adding considerately, "Otherwise, I'll have a servant go home and inform him that you might have to stay here tonight."

Liu Zhi asked in surprise, "There are many more people?"

Yang Xiaoshan laughed and said, "No carriages can even get into Yong'an Ward yet. This is only the first day. But Madam said that there won't be this many people forever. It will be about three days."

The clay stoves are quite famous, but their reputation is limited to the nearby northern prefectures and counties. It will take time for them to spread to more distant places.

That's busy enough.

If a new kiln is to be built, then the craftsmen and laborers recruited before will have work to do. Liu Zhi had previously worried that there would be nowhere for Madam Xie to accommodate so many people, but now it seems that he was worrying about it for nothing.

Yang Xiaoshan looked at Liu Zhi: "Liu the lawyer, I think... you should find a few more people to help." Now, in addition to the complaint, there are also these documents to deal with, and Liu Zhi alone can't handle it all.

Liu Zhi nodded: "I thought that by temporarily not taking on other lawsuits and focusing on working for Madam Xie's village association, I could manage. But now I realize that I was too naive."

Fortunately, he had already picked out a few people, and he would bring them with him tomorrow.

A few months ago, he was often idle in his shop, but after meeting Madam Xie, he started to get busy, and now he doesn't have enough staff in his shop.

Liu Zhi couldn't help but sigh at the twists and turns of life, thankful that he had come to the Yang family that day.

……

While the Yang family ancestral home was bustling with activity, two people entered Yong'an Lane.

The younger one, in his twenties, was Yang Cheng, who had returned to Daming Prefecture from the Jiangnan Academy; the other was Yang Shen, who was fifteen years old.

Upon receiving the letter that his father and mother had been imprisoned, Yang Cheng hurriedly rushed home, but the journey was too long, and he only returned to Daming Prefecture today.

After entering the city, Yang Cheng did not return to his ancestral home, but went straight to the county jail. Coincidentally, he ran into his younger brother Yang Shen. Yang Shen told his older brother everything that had happened recently, and then hugged his older brother and cried bitterly.

On the way back, Yang Cheng was full of doubts and was determined to find a way to rescue his parents and settle accounts with the people who had harmed them. However, after listening to Yang Shen's words, he realized that his parents might be the least guilty members of the Yang family.

When his father was imprisoned, he did not make baseless accusations against He Tan under the coercion of Prefect Liu and others. Instead, he clearly explained the affairs of the He family and did not falsely accuse Xie Yuyan...

In short, by readily confessing their crimes, they could very well pay a fine, suffer some physical pain, and be sent home.

The same goes for mothers; there will always be a chance for them to see the light of day again.

My grandparents and fourth uncle's family not only colluded with officials to smuggle goods to the Northwest, but also engaged in the illegal salt trade, and even murdered Yang Yi. Besides these, they must have taken other lives. Such crimes deserve only death.

Yang Cheng's face was grim. He had never met Xie Yuyan before, nor did he understand how such a woman of unknown origin could have completely taken control of the Yang family in just a few months.

The Yang family just let her do these things?
All my questions were answered when I stepped into Yong'anfang.

The Yang family had never been so prosperous. So many merchants came to do business with the Yang family, and even the entire Yong'an Ward was helping them.

Yang Cheng barely recognized the Yang family mansion before him.

While he was still in a daze, Yang Cheng seemed to see a familiar figure.

That looks like Zuo Shangying.

A particularly famous scholar had seen him before he went to the academy, but he didn't dare to go up and speak to him.

Now, Zuo Shangying has actually come to their Yang family.