Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 329 Case
Wang Yan instructed the Tang family father and son to lead men to protect Xie Yuyan, and gave them prior orders that they should not come looking for him unless Xie Yuyan gave the order.

Wang Yan did this not only to guard against outsiders, but also against his own family, namely his father.

He didn't want his father to know about his relationship with Xie Yuyan too early. His father had political considerations and the Wang family on his mind, so you can imagine how he would treat Xie Yuyan.

This is not what he wanted.

He had a rough idea of ​​Xie Yuyan's background and what she was planning to do, but why bother explaining it to others? On the contrary, he didn't want her secrets to be discovered by others, lest she be used by them.

Even his father wouldn't do it.

As a son, he would do everything he could.

But just because he likes someone, she shouldn't be subject to the constraints and exploitation of the Wang family.

He didn't summon the Tang family father and son for questioning, but he could use the Wang family's informants to gather information about others and thus deduce what she was doing.

Wang Yan returned home, went straight to his study, and listened carefully to Sang Dian's report.

Sang Dian said, "The one who stopped Lord Xu is Guo Xiong."

Sang Dian gave a general account of Guo Xiong's situation.

"Guo Xiong is somewhat famous on the Bian River now, but he only recently bought a boat and hasn't really made a name for himself yet."

Wang Yan listened attentively.

It's easy to use someone who hasn't reached a certain level of prominence.

Those who have been in Bianjing for several years and have some skills but have not yet achieved anything must be lacking something, either money or opportunity.

Xie Yuyan was new to Bianjing and needed manpower; she could provide both money and opportunities.

As long as both parties can benefit, they can work together.

Sang Dian continued, "Guo Xiong must have been murdered, which is why he sought to report to the authorities through Lord Xu." This is all the information the informants can gather at this point.

Wang Yan asked, "Has Xu Huaiyi accepted it?"

Sang Dian nodded: "He took Guo Xiong back to the Xu family."

“Xu Huaiyi is now a reviewing official in the Ministry of Justice,” Wang Yan said. “There’s nothing wrong with Guo Xiongxun either.”

Sang Dian hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Wang Yan nodded when he saw his expression.

Sang Dian immediately showed a surprised expression: "Is it really Madam Xie? How did you know, sir? It's only been a day, and there's already news?" If it's true, then it's too fast, but thinking about it, it's Madam Xie's usual way of doing things.

Wang Yan did not respond to Sang Dian, but instead said, "Go and find out whose business is on the Bian River?" The matter on the Bian River involves someone who can be used, and the person they are looking for is Xu Huaiyi. Where do all these coincidences come from?
Sang Dian responded.

Xie Yuyan sent someone to find Xu Huaiyi, clearly distrusting the government office. Business on the Bian River had always been controlled by high-ranking officials in the capital, and Xu Huaiyi was the only one who dared to oppose them.

Given Xu Huaiyi's current position in the Ministry of Justice, it wouldn't be easy for him to get things done. It would be better to arrange for some people to help him.

Wang Yan made up his mind, wrote a note, and called Sang Zhi over: "Go and find Cai Zheng and give him this letter."

Cai Zheng was a few years older than Wang Yan. He contracted typhoid fever on his way to the imperial examination and was helped by Wang Yan with money. The two corresponded frequently afterward. Cai Zheng agreed with Wang Yan's political views, but on the surface, he had no relationship with the Wang family and had never paid a visit to Wang Yan. This was due to Wang Yan's own connections.

Cai Zheng works at the Dali Temple and has had dealings with Xu Huaiyi before. Now, he can gain Xu Huaiyi's trust.

Sangzhi took the letter to find Cai Zheng, and didn't forget to take a good look at her own husband.

The young man was in a better mood than last night. Before he even went out, he took some dried meat, opened the window, and called the cat back.

The cat was crouching in the yard, watching a bird. Hearing the noise, it quickly ran into the house. Wang Yan handed it the dried meat.

There was only one person and one cat in the room at this moment. Wang Yan said in a low voice, "She's fine, there's no need to worry anymore."

As if it understood, the cat tilted its head and focused on the jerky, crunching it loudly.

Wang Yan smiled as he looked at the cat.

Just then, Madam Lin was on her way to deliver almond cookies to her son. As she walked to the door, she saw through the window that Wang Yan's eyebrows were relaxed and his lips were full of smiles.

Madam Lin was overjoyed. Looking at her son's expression, it seemed as if he was thinking about some girl. But after taking a few more steps, she saw the fat cat that looked like a ball. Madam Lin couldn't help but sigh. She had been thinking too much. She shouldn't have had any expectations.

……

At Xu Huaiyi's home.

Guo Xiong looked up at the furnishings in the room. There was only a table and a chair. There was no antique display shelf, and even the calligraphy and paintings were placed in a porcelain jar. The porcelain jar was ordinary in workmanship, just the most common kind sold in the market.

There was only one old servant in the courtyard, boiling water for them.

Guo Xiong sighed inwardly, thinking that Master Xu's house could already be described as...shabby.

Guo Xiong asked, "Lord Xu hasn't married yet?" It's said that people look for a son-in-law after the list of successful candidates is released. Someone like Xu Huaiyi should have been targeted by someone long ago. Why is his house empty?
Xu Huaiyi shook his head.

Guo Xiong said, "So the rumors outside are true. Lord Xu was willing to offend powerful figures in order to investigate the case, which is why he went from the Dali Temple to the Ministry of Justice... and therefore no one was willing to..."

Guo Xiong did not continue speaking.

Xu Huaiyi said, "No one is willing to marry me?"

Guo Xiong had no choice but to nod.

“Rumors are not to be believed,” Xu Huaiyi said. “Tell me in detail what grievances you have been wronged about.”

Guo Xiong then recounted how he came to Bianshui and how he met the Feng family.

“The Bian River was originally the domain of the Sun, Zhou, Wu, and Zheng families. They controlled four waterways, and all the goods transported into the capital passed through their hands. Moreover, they had dealings with merchants in the city, so they never had to worry about buying and selling their goods, and naturally, their businesses on the water grew bigger and bigger. These people, relying on their wealth and power, would often bully the boatmen, and they had crippled more than one or two people.”

“I really couldn’t stand their oppression of the boatmen, so I took them in and bought them a few boats, and we made a living on the water together.”

"That's why I offended these families, and they've been targeting me everywhere. If I'm not careful, their boats will ram me."

“They were the ones who did it, but they made me repair the ship. I went to report them to the authorities, but they bribed the people on my ship, and in the end… I had to pay a large sum of money.”

“Having learned my lesson once, I was prepared. I had people prepare sticks on the boats, with one end tied with straw and cloth. If their boats came close, I would poke them with the sticks. This way, I wouldn’t hurt anyone and could stop them from charging around. For a while, they couldn’t do anything to me. That’s how I was able to establish myself on the Bian River.”

“I thought that would be fine, since we weren’t involved in their big business anyway. Things were peaceful for a few months, but not long ago we found my second brother’s fiancée, Feng Erniang.”

“Feng Erniang and her brother came to Bianjing to file a complaint with the authorities, but for some reason they were sold into prostitution. My second brother went to inquire and learned that it would cost two hundred strings of cash. Where would we get that much money? My second brother was extremely anxious, so he inquired everywhere, hoping to do more business. It was at this time that Zhao Kun, who sold spices, came along.”

Xu Huaiyi spoke up upon hearing this: "So Zhao Kun asked you to help transport the spices?"

“Exactly,” Guo Xiong said. “They came to us because they wanted to avoid the imperial tax levied on them, but I know this deal is absolutely not going to happen.”

“According to the laws of this dynasty, smuggling spices is a serious crime. Besides, how could such a good business fall into our laps? They should be looking for those four families.”

“Zhao Kun was afraid that my second brother would go back on his word, so he gave him five taels of silver as a deposit. When my second brother saw the money, he was blinded by greed and insisted on doing this deal so that he could save Feng Erniang.”

“My second brother may not see through it, but I know in my heart that this matter is suspicious and no different from the methods used by those families to frame people.”

Guo Xiong was pondering what to say next when Xu Huaiyi said, "The Feng family you mentioned, is it the one that ran a cloth shop, lost all their wealth, and the couple committed suicide?"