Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 334 Family Letter
The guards at the yamen were about to drive Yang Xiaoshan away when they heard a calm voice ask, "What happened?"

The guard immediately stiffened and was about to explain when Yang Xiaoshan beside him seemed to be frightened and stumbled, about to fall to the ground. Fortunately, Sang Dian noticed in time and stepped forward to support him.

“Sir,” the guard hurriedly said, “this man was looking for the county government office, but he ended up here.”

Wang Yan said, "Then just tell him. Why threaten him?"

The guard hurriedly said, "This area is close to the imperial city; no unauthorized personnel are allowed here..."

Wang Yan frowned. The guard dared not say anything more. Luckily, he hadn't actually made a move, otherwise he would have been reprimanded by this Lord Wang.

Wang Yan didn't press the matter further, but simply looked at Sang Dian and said, "Show him the way to the government office."

The guards breathed a sigh of relief as they watched Wang Yan ride away on horseback.

Wang Yan returned to the Wang family home as if nothing had happened, but he moved faster than usual. He changed his clothes and instructed his servant, "Tell my mother that I have official business to attend to and will not be able to have dinner with her."

My lord is preoccupied with official duties, and no one in the courtyard is allowed to disturb him at will.

The servant responded and went to report.

Wang Yan sat down, and after a moment he realized that he had not washed his hands, so he ordered another servant to fetch water.

After washing up, Sang Dian had already returned.

Sangzhi, who was guarding the door, hurriedly did some things after seeing her husband return, and then sat down in a chair, wondering what had happened.

Sang Dian went out with his husband, but he hadn't returned for a long time. He was worried that something had happened and was about to send someone to the door to greet him when he heard footsteps.

Sang Zhi frowned. The young master had just said that he had official business to attend to and that no one was allowed to disturb him, but Sang Dian had already made such a commotion. He immediately turned his head and gave him a look, but Sang Dian saw it and not only did not stop, but ran even faster.

This……

Sang Zhi glared at Sang Dian, but to his surprise, Sang Dian glared back, a smug look on his face.

Sang Zhi decided not to remind him anymore, waiting for the guy to be scolded by his master. But just as he crossed his arms to watch the show, the door in front of him slammed shut, and then Sang Dian's excited voice came from inside the room: "Master, look what this is!"

Sangzhi, who was locked out of the door, froze, staring at the door in front of him. After a long while, he did not hear his husband's scolding. Then he numbly lowered his arm.

Sangji, who was standing nearby, also noticed the situation in the yard and quietly walked over. The two of them peered into the house together.

The four people with the character "Sang" all followed their master since childhood. The master didn't have a favorite among them, but he always had a bad face towards Sang Dian because Sang Dian often spoke recklessly in front of the master.

To avoid attracting attention, the young master had no choice but to bring Sang Dian along on this trip to Daming Prefecture.

They thought that after this incident, without their help, Sang Dian would be constantly scolded by the young master and would behave better after returning. However, they did not expect that he seemed to have become even more arrogant, and the young master also particularly liked to keep Sang Dian by his side.

Has Sang Dian become more clever? No, but why has the young master changed his attitude towards Sang Dian? The two often talk together, and every time the young master gives a look, it seems that Sang Dian knows something.

Sang Zhi hadn't paid much attention to it before, but today's events... made him realize that it was no small matter.

There may be something very important that they are unaware of.

Inside the room, Wang Yan looked at the letter in his hand, his eyes first drawn to a few words: "May my beloved be well."

If Wang Yan hadn't been in a hurry to read what was written in the letter, his gaze would have lingered on these few words for quite a while: "After our parting, may everything go smoothly for you, and may you be in good health. There's no need to worry."

Wang Yan's lips gradually curved into a smile as he looked at the neat, small characters. This was no ordinary letter; it was a family letter, a message of reassurance.

Looking at her husband's appearance, Sang Dian also chuckled sheepishly.

Since returning to Bianjing, the young master has never been so happy.

The letter then described the Guo brothers and the information Yang Xiaoshan had gathered.

Although Yang Xiaoshan's men had followed a matchmaker, there were still some things they needed to find out. However, based on this information alone, Xie Yuyan had already made some guesses.

Wang Yan instructed Cai Zheng to find Xu Huaiyi, and the two of them would then carefully examine the cases on the Bian River from the files of the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice.

Some cases may seem closed, but if hidden details are discovered, they can be reopened and re-investigated.

Clearly, this "hidden story" is very likely to emerge from the Guo brothers and the Feng family, and Xie Yuyan also took this into consideration.

Although he and Xie Yuyan could not see each other now, they could work separately on this case. Just thinking about this warmed Wang Yan's heart.

No coal mines have been found around Bianjing, but once the coal is introduced, coal will inevitably be transported into the city.

Water transport was the main route, so regulating the Bian River was inevitable.

This waterway is controlled by high-ranking officials and nobles, and the price of coal will only continue to rise in the future.

Wang Yan stood up, took out a map of Bianjing, and looked along the Bian River. He could roughly guess where Xie Yuyan was at this moment.

There are several boat stops when entering the city by boat, some for passengers and some for cargo. Xie Yuyan would not choose those places that are already bustling, because those places are too crowded to be suitable for loading and unloading coal.

Therefore, sparsely populated areas are the best choice at present.

Wang Yan's gaze was fixed on those places.

Land is cheap right now, so we can buy more. When coal starts to be transported in the future, many ships will dock, and boatmen and merchants will stop here. With people coming and going, there will naturally be business.

However, Wang Yan was more curious about what she would do there. Would it be an ordinary restaurant or inn, or something else entirely? Those who didn't know the inside story might not realize that she had come here to see what the future held.

“Not far, actually.”

He can get there quickly on horseback, but not yet.

Wang Yan turned around after a while, picked up the letter again, and read through everything she had asked for. His smile deepened. Actually, Yang Xiaoshan could have bought all of these things, but she had given them to him instead.

This was a sign of her trust in him, and knowing her personality, he knew how difficult that was.

Wang Yan looked closely at every item Xie Yuyan had listed, including clothes, spices, utensils, and a carriage. He subconsciously glanced at Sang Dian, but couldn't bring himself to hand over the note in his hand.

After a long pause, he still frowned and asked, "Where should women buy their clothes and accessories? Not from ready-made shops, but... carefully sewn by embroiderers."

This... stumped Sang Dian. How did he know? There were no women in the young master's courtyard, only men coming and going; who would notice such things?
Sang Dian paused for a moment before saying, "I don't know... How about I go and find out where Madam is buying these things?"

It's all Sang Zhi's fault. He's not young anymore and doesn't even have a wife. Otherwise, we could have just called him over and asked him.
Wang Yan nodded, but then added, "We can't use the same embroiderer as Mother."