Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 371 is very close
Xia Ziqiao, wrapped in a towel, squinted his eyes as the waiter beside him diligently scrubbed his back. Ladles of warm water slid down his shoulders; he had never enjoyed such a comfortable bath before.

Even though there's always hot water at home, it's still not as warm as here, and the servants' scrubbing isn't as thorough as this guy's.

Moreover, the fragrant soup also had a medicinal aroma, similar to the herbal tea he drank, giving him a familiar and pleasant feeling.

He felt comfortable, and naturally the others felt the same way. In the past, they would gather together to drink wine and tea, and now they had another good place to go.

"The owner is also building a large perfume shop right next door... These days, a lot of stones have been transported in, but it will take at least two more months to get busy."

When the young men asked questions, the waiter didn't hide anything he knew. He could tell that these young men were no ordinary people, and if he served them well, he would naturally receive a reward.

“There are two places in the city that have already started renovations,” the shopkeeper said, “but our boss still thinks it’s not enough, and recently he’s set his sights on that piece of land outside Yunqi Temple.”

Xia Ziqiao knew that Yunqi Temple was located inside the eastern wall of the inner city, not far from the bustling market.

This employer has a good eye for choosing locations.

"You esteemed guests can go and take a look at that perfume shop outside Yunqi Temple after it opens," the shop assistant said. "It should be the owner's largest perfume shop in Bianjing."

Xia Ziqiao listened to the waiter's confident assertion: "How do you know? Did your boss say so?"

The waiter laughed and said, "Even if the boss had said that, he wouldn't have told us."

"I heard it from the steward when I was combing his hair. Our master had someone calculate that the place is our family's wealth position. In addition to building the perfume shop, our house should also be built there so that the master's business in Bianjing will prosper."

"Therefore, no matter how many perfume shops the landlord owns, he will always prioritize the one located on the east wall."

“What we don’t have here, that perfume shop has it all.”

Xia Ziqiao asked, "Aren't all the pools of different sizes here? Are there any others?"

The waiter said, "I've heard of several other kinds, such as steam baths and hot stone baths. I don't know what they are like. Our boss is still making soap balls. The reason we haven't taken them out yet is that they're intended for use over there."

The man, in one go, muttered a lot.

The young men discussed it for a while, and one of them said, "This is probably all a gimmick. It's already amazing that the bathing is done like this. Can they really come up with something else? If they really do have these things, then we'll definitely have to go there often."

Upon hearing this, the waiter quickly bowed to everyone and said, "Then we await the arrival of all of you gentlemen."

Xia Ziqiao took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and smiled. He seemed to have come up with a way to smoothly gain a foothold in the perfume business.

……

Inside the eastern wall of the inner city.

Xie Yuyan sat in the teahouse drinking tea. Tang Xing, who was sitting in front of him, had changed into a long robe and shaved his beard. He looked less imposing and more gentle, and really did look like a merchant who had traveled all over the country.

Tang Xing reported to Xie Yuyan: "That piece of land belongs to Yunqi Temple. A few years ago, the temple was destroyed by fire and rebuilt. The land was re-surveyed, and the temple was moved two or three miles to the north. This place has been abandoned ever since."

Tang Xing pretended to be a merchant and went to a brokerage to buy land, and this was the result.

"Madam, why do you insist on this piece of land? If Yunqi Temple doesn't agree, we definitely won't get it..."

Xie Yuyan picked up her tea and took a sip. Her arrangement was naturally intended to leverage the situation, but how much she could leverage depended on how many big fish would take the bait.

“It’s better if we can’t get it,” Xie Yuyan said. “There should always be things we can’t do.” This way, it gives others a chance to get their hands on it.

Tang Xing didn't understand. Did the lady want to wait for her husband to step in and help? In this way, the two of them would be able to meet again, just like before... when they met in the carriage.

He pursed his lips, unsure whether he should offer to deliver the message to his lover.

To be on the safe side, Tang Xing still asked, "So, what should we do next?"

Xie Yuyan said, "Go to the temple and ask once a day."

Tang Xing responded and continued listening, but unexpectedly, the old lady didn't say anything more. "Just...just asking?" Tang Xing said, "We're not doing anything else?"

Xie Yuyan thought for a moment: "Donate some incense money to the temple, but... don't bring any money with you. Just go to discuss it. If we can buy the land, give 100 strings of cash as a thank you."

She didn't have enough gold to agree to gild the Buddha statue like that eunuch.

"Would this make the abbot of the temple change his mind?"

Xie Yuyan replied decisively, "No, but... perhaps someone can help us persuade the abbot."

Tang Xing was even more confused.

Xie Yuyan asked, "Is there any news from Lord Wang?"

Earlier, she had asked Granny Jiang about the kidnapping of people in the carriage, but Granny Jiang had mentioned very little. She hoped that Xu Huaiyi could uncover some other inside information.

Tang Xingdao: "Not yet."

In the past few days, the Ministry of Rites has been holding the preliminary examinations. Wang Yan has been frequently summoned to the palace by the Emperor, leading to rumors that the Emperor will adopt Wang Yan's suggestions for the palace examination questions.

Whether it's true or not, the Wang family has kept their doors tightly shut these days, and Wang Yan has even stopped going home, going straight to his office to sleep after leaving the palace.

But Xie Yuyan knew that Wang Yan was staying at the government office because he was compiling evidence against He Shi.

Tang Xing tentatively suggested, "How about I go and ask Sang Dian?"

“No need,” Xie Yuyan said. “Now that you are a merchant, you cannot move around the capital at will, lest you give yourself away.”

Xie Yuyan put down his teacup, got up and walked outside. He had finished today's business and wasn't in a hurry to finish the rest. He had to wait for people to come to him, after all.
Sitting in the carriage, Mother Yu instructed the driver to proceed slowly.

Xie Yuyan lifted the curtain and looked at both sides of the street.

"Get out of the way, get out of the way."

Suddenly shouts came from outside, and the soldiers patrolling the street separated the crowd. A moment later, a group of people arrived on horseback.

Xie Yuyan's gaze swept across the faces of those people, and her eyes narrowed slightly as she spotted a familiar face. This was another acquaintance she had encountered since Wang Yan, Wang Huai, and Yang Qin.

He was much younger than she remembered, and his expression already showed some composure and dignity.

That was her grandfather, Xie Chengrang.

The middle-aged man in his forties next to Xie Chengrang had a face that resembled Xie Chengrang's; he must be her great-grandfather, the current Privy Councilor of Daliang.

I never expected to run into the Xie family so early.

This also shows that she is already very close to the Xie family, separated only by a curtain.

Xie Yuyan lowered the carriage curtain; it seemed she would soon be "going home." Hopefully, the Xie family wouldn't panic too much, as a major drama was still unfolding between them.

Without the Xie family's help, things would be difficult to do later. Of course, before that, she had to prepare a grand gift for her return home.

As Xie Shumi rode his horse through East Street, his gaze frequently sweeping over his surroundings—a habit of his, always keeping a close eye on everything around him.

For some reason, his eyes twitched, and he instinctively reined in his horse, causing the chestnut horse beneath him to immediately slow its pace.

"Father, what's wrong?" Xie Chengrang asked, reining in his horse.

"It's nothing." Xie Shumi looked around again and saw a carriage moving slowly forward, with nothing amiss.

A figure just flashed through his mind... but that's impossible, it must be an illusion.