Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 363 Actions
The waterways south of Bianjing were well-connected, but those to the northwest were less developed in recent years due to the war with the Western Xia, especially the Yellow River to Bianshui, which had been silted up for years and had become more complex, resulting in even fewer ships traveling there.

However, if it is to transport coal, it must take the Yellow River waterway, which requires the imperial court to spend a lot of effort to dredge it.

Because Xie Yuyan knew these things in advance, he arranged his boats on this waterway ahead of time.

“The nearest place is Heyin County,” Guo Xiong said. “Many years ago, Heyin was a bustling place for transshipment of goods. However, due to the war with the west, many ships had to take detours, and the area declined as a result.”

"Now that the war with the west has stopped, if we want to transport coal from the northwest... we really have to go through Heyin and the Three Gorges."

Guo Xiong looked at the map. He was familiar with the waterways and understood immediately after Xie Yuyan pointed it out.

Guo Xiong raised his head: "But if... coal is being transported from the south or the east, it's impossible to use this waterway."

Xie Yuyan said, "Most of the coal mines discovered so far are located on the east and west banks of the river. If we are to mine coal, these should be our priority."

Not to mention now, for decades to come, most of the coal in Bianjing will come from Hedong Road.

Madam Xie first used coal to make Buddhist charcoal, and then opened a coal kiln. She naturally knew a lot about coal.

“Now I understand,” Guo Xiong said, raising his eyebrows. “I will take the boat there and do everything I can to open up the waterway.”

Xie Yuyan said, "Neither of you can leave Bianjing. Tell the government office first thing tomorrow morning so that they can find you if needed."

“You’ve gotten into trouble and now that you’ve been released, you’ll definitely be watched. Don’t come back here for a while. Leave a few boats to help me transport bricks and soil, and take the rest of you with you.”

"There's no need to do many things personally. Focus on recovering from your injury and just give instructions."

Guo Xiong and Guo Chuan didn't think things through as thoroughly as Xie Yuyan, so they just listened from the side.

The three of them took a long time to finish their discussion.

Guo Xiong and Guo Chuan didn't waste any time. After leaving Xie Yuyan's courtyard, they called over their capable men and asked them to recruit boatmen everywhere.

Of course, all new boatmen must be people you know well.

Previously, many boatmen wanted to join the cause, but they didn't have enough boats to support so many people. Now it's different; they have boats and money, so they can work more freely.

“Brother,” Guo Chuan said, “that Madam Xie is really something.”

Guo Xiong cautiously gestured for Guo Chuan to be quiet, then pushed open the window and looked around: "Before Madam makes a real appearance in Bianjing, we'll all call her 'Master' outside, so as not to let anyone find out our whereabouts."

Guo Chuan responded.

Guo Xiong instructed Guo Chuan: "Tomorrow we'll split up and do our own things. The sooner we leave here, the safer our employer will be." Afterwards, they would be busy on that waterway, and even if spies came to gather information, they wouldn't be allowed to follow the trail.

"We told the outside world that after this incident, we couldn't afford to offend those four families, so we planned to choose a quieter waterway to earn a living."

Guo Xiong would not lead his fleet to ostentatiously on the water. After the waterway was opened, they would wait for news from the imperial court about transporting coal before setting out their fleet.

In business, it's all about seizing the opportunity. You can't let others see through your thoughts and take precautions in advance. But if they seize the waterway, all the owner's efforts will have been in vain.

That day, Guo Xiong and Guo Chuan did a lot of things. After enduring so much for so long, they were finally about to see the light at the end of the tunnel. All the emotions that had been bottled up in their hearts for years were released as energy. If they weren't still injured, they would have been able to work much faster. However, given their youth and good physical condition, they didn't plan to stay and recuperate for a while, since they had other people to do the work for them anyway.

With Feng Erniang no longer in danger, Guo Chuan was also relieved and began to make amends for his mistakes. The two brothers completed everything in just three days and headed to Heyin with several boats.

Xia Ziqiao and Xie Chengrang learned that the Guo brothers had avoided the limelight and gone to a quieter riverbed, clearly intending to make a living there.

The Guo brothers were quite sensible. Besides, the He family was still in jail and there was no resolution yet, so no one dared to take action at this time. They could only let them go for now and maintain a semblance of peace.

If anyone thinks there's something wrong with this, it's Xie Chengrang. For the past few years, the Guo brothers have been vying for business on the Cai River in the south. Why did they suddenly decide to head northwest to the Yellow River?

Something I couldn't figure out for so many years has been resolved in the last two days?

Xie Chengrang felt there was a problem here.

“We should send someone to follow the Guo brothers,” Xie Chengrang said, “to see what they are really doing.”

Xia Ziqiao was anxious about the He family's case. These days, things were even more chaotic in the inner quarters. The He family came to ask his mother for help and begged his father to save He Fan.

But before the father could even make a move, members of the He family were imprisoned one after another.

The He family was guilty of murder and human trafficking, serious crimes. Master He wanted to pin the blame on his servants, but with women like Feng Erniang providing testimony, he couldn't escape punishment. It was uncertain how many of the four members of the He family—father and sons—would survive.

“I’m afraid we can’t spare too many people,” Xia Ziqiao said. “Besides, I still have to deal with the He family’s affairs, so I don’t have that much energy. I just hate that Xu Huaiyi is so stubborn and acts too quickly, otherwise there would still be room for maneuver.”

At this point, Xia Ziqiao seemed to have thought of something: "Why don't you help me? I'll give you some people to do things on your orders."

Xie Chengrang frowned: "I'm afraid that's not a good idea. No matter what, I can't interfere in the Xia family's affairs."

"Why not?" Xia Ziqiao said. "We'll be family sooner or later. Besides, if it weren't for your idea, Zheng Xu wouldn't have been able to take all the blame."

“You reminded me to arrange these things, and my father was very pleased to know, saying that the Xie family has done a good job of raising children.”

Xia Ziqiao also took the opportunity to speak up for Xie Chengrang, saying that his father and mother should not look down on him because of his status as an illegitimate son.

It's worth noting that Xie Chengxin didn't even bother to inquire about the He family's misfortune, clearly demonstrating the difference in the closeness between the two young masters of the Xie family and the Xia family.

Thinking of Xie Chengxin, Xia Ziqiao said, "I heard that your older brother has been busy looking for a woman lately, is that true?"

Xie Chengrang frowned slightly, but quickly covered it up: "I haven't seen my elder brother for a long time and haven't heard about these things."

Xia Ziqiao's face showed a knowing expression: "It's no use you keeping it from him. My father and mother already know, and they are quite unhappy about it."

"The headmaster of the academy also said that your brother's talent is not even a fraction as good as yours."

Since the topic has come to this, Xia Ziqiao lowered his voice: "Have you considered the possibility of a marriage alliance between the Xie and Xia families...?"

Xia Ziqiao noticed Xie Chengrang blush, and then he immediately straightened his face: "Brother Ziqiao, don't say anything more, or it will ruin Second Madam's reputation if someone hears it."

Xia Ziqiao's eyes lit up. He suddenly understood Xie Chengrang's thoughts. He grabbed Xie Chengrang and said, "Why didn't you say so sooner? It's one thing for others, but why wouldn't I help you?"