Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 321 Scared

Xie Yuyan rode in a carriage all the way back to the small courtyard that Yang Xiaoshan had bought.

Exhausted from a long day's work, Yang Qin was drowsy in the car, but he perked up when he arrived at his residence. This was their courtyard in Bianjing. Although it was much smaller than the Yang family's ancestral home, it belonged to the third branch of the family.

Yang Qin found everything fascinating, even peeking into the water vat in the yard, behaving like a child at that moment.

Yang Xiaoshan was uneasy, worried that the lady of the house would not like it, so he said from the side, "If the lady of the house thinks it is too small, I will go to the brokerage again tomorrow."

Xie Yuyan said, "We have just arrived in Bianjing, and this size of courtyard is just right."

Yang Xiaoshan's face lit up with joy; making the lady of the house happy was the best thing ever.

Xie Yuyan then asked, "What's the official story?"

Once the yard is sold, the neighbors will definitely come to inquire about who moved in.

Yang Xiaoshan said, "They say our young master is good at studying, so he came to Bianjing to study under a tutor for a few years, so he can take the entrance exam for the academy in Bianjing."

Xie Yuyan nodded.

Yang Qin blushed. It seemed he had to get up early to read in the courtyard to avoid arousing suspicion.

Zhang and Yang Qin went to the backyard to rest, while Xie Yuyan, Tang Xing, and Yang Xiaoshan went to the main room.

There was an old woman from the Yang clan in the courtyard. She had boiled water, and Yu Mama brought it over to make tea for everyone.

Xie Yuyan looked at Tang Xing: "Did you see clearly in the entertainment district? Who were the people selling spices?"

Yang Xiaoshan didn't know who the old lady was talking about, so he listened more carefully.

Tang Xing nodded: "Lady asked us where the new boat captain on the Bian River usually went, so we went out to find out. We learned that they frequented the entertainment district in the south of the city, so we went there."

Tang Xing intended to explain to Yang Xiaoshan that he had discovered Yang Xiaoshan was a capable manager under the eldest daughter-in-law, and that he not only did not need to hide this from Yang Xiaoshan, but also had to give him some pointers on many occasions.

Xie Yuyan said, "Many of the items sold in the entertainment district are transported by water."

These goods were transported under the guise of grain transport boats, allowing them to secretly avoid some taxes along the way. The imperial court turned a blind eye to this in order to maintain the grain transport boats, allowing them to sell these goods privately to subsidize their expenses.

However, the things they sell are just inconspicuous groceries.

Spices and silks are absolutely forbidden to be touched, because these things are controlled by the big merchants in the capital. How could the big merchants allow them to steal their food?

The new captain clearly went too far.

Either he was insatiably greedy, or someone deliberately set a trap for him. If he transported too many goods, he would be targeted, and once he exceeded the limits of the government's tolerance, the government would naturally take action against him.

Xie Yuyan looked at Tang Xing: "Tomorrow, call that boat captain over and have him help us transport some blue bricks from the water. We need them to build houses."

Tang Xing was somewhat surprised: "Didn't Madam say that the boat captain would get into trouble? How come you still dare to use them?"

Xie Yuyan said, "They might be arrested by the court for transporting goods they shouldn't be transporting, but what does that have to do with us? We're just paying them to do the work."

“After doing a few deals with them, you’ll know what kind of people they are. If they’re useful, give them a few pointers and keep them. If they’re not useful… you’ll have to find suitable replacements.”

Xie Yuyan raised an eyebrow slightly: "Buying a boat is a small matter, but it still takes effort. Finding boatmen is even more difficult and troublesome."

Tang Xing finally understood: "Madam...you want to...build a fleet of ships for water transport?"

"Not really," Xie Yuyan said.

Tang Xing breathed a sigh of relief; he had thought that Madam Xie was really going to take the boat captain away. "There are only a few boats; they're far from being a fleet."

Tang Xing was startled and almost choked on his water. This lady really had a big heart. She had only been in Bianjing for a day, and after seeing several boats fighting on the Bian River, she actually wanted to recruit them to her service.

Shouldn't an ordinary person's thought be to stay as far away as possible to avoid inviting trouble?

After instructing Tang Xing, Xie Yuyan looked at Yang Xiaoshan: "Go and buy those two shops first thing tomorrow morning, and also ask about the price of the residential land over there."

Yang Xiaoshan nodded.

Xie Yuyan calculated that she had enough money to buy a considerable amount of land, but since Wang Yan had left her money, she naturally wanted to buy as much land as possible so that she could earn more money in the future.

So she instructed Tang Xing: "How much silver did your husband leave behind? Have the bank provide me with an account of it tomorrow."

Tang Xing was taken aback; he hadn't expected this lady to want to use the money so soon. He had thought his husband had left it behind to be used at a crucial moment.

Tang Xing remained silent for a long while, and Xie Yuyan raised his eyes.

Sweeping across him with that gaze, Tang Xing immediately snapped back to reality: "But...but the young master didn't instruct how to retrieve it." He hadn't had a chance to ask his wife about it either.

Xie Yuyan glanced at Yang Xiaoshan, who understood and left the room.

Once everyone was alone, Xie Yuyan untied the purse from her waist, took out a jade pendant, and handed it to Tang Xing: "Use this."

When Tang Xing saw the jade pendant clearly, he couldn't help but take a deep breath.

If he wasn't mistaken, it was the jade pendant that the young master always wore. He just gave it to Madam Xie like that? Tang Xing was momentarily stunned, his mind a complete mess.

Perhaps the relationship between the young master and Madam Xie is not as he imagines.

Before Tang Xing could figure it out, he heard Madam Xie's voice again: "You once served in the army?"

In his dazed state, Tang Xing subconsciously told the truth: "Yes."

"Troops stationed in the Northwest?"

"Yes."

"Was it because they lost the war against Western Xia that Wang Yan arranged for them to be here?"

Tang Xing looked at Xie Yuyan, unsure how to answer or whether he should tell the truth... Logically, he shouldn't, but his husband had even given the jade pendant to Madam Xie.

Although he didn't say anything, his gaze revealed the truth.

Xie Yuyan continued, "Wang Yan went to the battlefield? In what capacity did he go? Does he still have any men left in the Northwest?"

Tang Xing dared not utter a single word about these things. Even Prime Minister Wang was unaware of them, so how could he casually tell others? But in his heart, he had never been on guard from the beginning, and it was really too difficult to hide his emotions.

“I understand,” Xie Yuyan said. “Do as I say tomorrow.” She had sent Yang Xiaoshan away because she wanted to ask Tang Xing these questions.

When she first met Old Man Tang and Tang Xing, she sensed that they were no ordinary people. Since Wang Yan had assigned these people to her, he was not afraid that she would discover his secrets.

Tang Xing felt as if he had been granted a pardon, immediately bowed in agreement, and then respectfully withdrew.

After stepping out of the house, Tang Xing was hit by a gust of wind and found himself covered in a cold sweat.

In just a short while, after being asked a few questions by Madam Xie, he felt a different way. Although she had not intended to intimidate him, she made him feel more frightened than anything else.