Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 38 Betrayal
Wang Hechun thought of these things based on He Tan's words, not because he felt that Xie Niangzi had been impolite. On the contrary, he never felt anything was strange, as if it was just how it should be.

Just now at the Yang family, everything was under her control. The reason why we can't see how much ability she has yet is because the Yang family is too small for her to demonstrate her skills.

He was certain that she came from a prestigious family, but the prestigious families of Daliang had long since declined and lost their former integrity. They were now engaged in endless struggles for their own interests, both openly and secretly. Even if they did something based on their reputation, it was all just superficial. It was difficult for any man to stand out, let alone any family with a woman who possessed such formidable skills.

Wang Hechun banished those thoughts from his mind, which was also why he disliked the capital. He pondered for a moment, then got up and walked to the weapon rack. He reached out and touched an iron spear on it. All other thoughts in his mind were blocked out, leaving only images of corpses and bloodshed, and the brutal battle.

"Young Master, you mustn't do that."

The startled shouts brought Wang Hechun back to his senses. He turned around and saw his servant kneeling on the ground, his face filled with fear.

Steward Zhou traveled day and night to deliver a message to Daming Prefecture, but he never expected to see his eldest son holding that iron spear at a glance, and he was immediately terrified.

He thought that after that incident, the young master had completely given up the idea of ​​joining the army. Could it be...?

He Tan said from the side, "He Chun was just looking around, why are you so surprised?"

Steward Zhou took a deep breath: "It was this old servant who broke the rules. I beg for forgiveness from the young master." Not many people knew about that incident. Even the Wang family almost faced annihilation. He had developed a mental block about it and was afraid whenever he saw the young master wielding weapons.

Wang Hechun sat back down in his chair and instructed Steward Zhou to stand up: "Is something wrong at home? Why did you suddenly come to Daming Prefecture?"

Steward Zhou said, "With the New Year approaching, the Madam is thinking of the young master and asked us to bring him something while we are delivering New Year's gifts around the country."

Hearing Steward Zhou mention his mother, Wang Hechun's gaze softened: "How is Mother's health?"

Steward Zhou nodded: "When the young master left the capital, the madam caught a cold, but she recovered quickly. However, the master has been busy with official duties and has become even thinner."

Wang Hechun knew that his father had a heavy workload of official duties, and he used to help him at home. Now that his father was no longer able to help, he was inevitably overworked.

Wang Hechun said, "I'll write a letter home for you to take back to your mother."

Manager Zhou responded.

He Tan smiled and said, "With me by He Chun's side, Aunt can rest assured. Once things are stable here in Daming Prefecture, I will send He Chun back to the capital."

Manager Zhou nodded repeatedly, standing aside waiting for Wang Hechun to finish writing the letter before taking it and preparing to leave.

Wang Hechun stopped him: "Have you heard of any high-ranking officials or nobles in the capital whose daughters have had an accident? She was about sixteen or seventeen years old and still unmarried."

The young master rarely mentioned women, so Steward Zhou perked up: "When the master said something happened... he meant..."

Wang Hechun said, "They either suddenly fell ill or passed away. They used to help manage the household, but suddenly they disappeared without a trace."

Even if a woman from a prominent family goes missing, she will try to cover it up to avoid damaging the family's reputation, which is why he asked that question. He also sent people to inquire about the situation, but it has been too short to get a response yet.

Manager Zhou thought about it carefully and then shook his head: "I haven't heard of it."

"After the young master left the capital, the most important thing was that the Prince of Huai County got engaged to the granddaughter of Prime Minister Xie. The current emperor specially bestowed two boxes of gifts upon the Xie family as a congratulatory gift, and high-ranking officials and nobles also came to offer their congratulations."

The Xie family is a prominent clan in Daliang. Prime Minister Xie was once highly regarded by the emperor, and many of the Xie family's descendants hold positions in the court. Now, with their kinship ties to the imperial family, they are naturally enjoying immense prestige.

There is also a Xie family in Daming Prefecture now; it is unknown whether the two "Xie" families are related.

"The Prince of Huai even came in person to invite the young master to a banquet, but the master brushed him off."

After saying this, Steward Zhou looked up at his young master, hesitating to speak. His young master always possessed an imposing presence that inspired fear, no less than his master.

Wang Hechun said calmly, "Is there anything else?"

Steward Zhou pursed his lips: "The Cui family sent word that the matriarch is seriously ill, and it will probably be within the next year or two. They said that if the young master has time, he should go to the Cui family."

Since his grandmother divorced his grandfather and returned to the Cui family, Wang Hechun had never seen her again. In the past few years, his grandmother had sent him several messages asking him to come and see her, but he had not agreed to them.

Wang Hechun nodded: "I understand."

As Steward Zhou guessed, the young master's response meant that the Cui family, wanting to ease tensions between the two families, would likely find it difficult to get past him.

Given the young master's temperament, let alone the Cui family, even the master himself would be helpless against him.

After Steward Zhou left, only Wang Hechun and He Tan remained in the room.

He Tan hesitated for a moment, but did not mention the Cui family. He Chun had his own ideas about the Wang family's affairs, and there was no need for him to persuade him.

“If the Xie family of Daming Prefecture is related to the Xie family of Kaifeng, I’m afraid it won’t be so easy to deal with,” He Tan said. “Should we have someone inform Miss Xie?”

Madam Xie would naturally not touch him, but Lady Xie was different. Even though she controlled the household affairs of the Yang family, Madam Yang was still just a small merchant, and she might be plotted against if she wasn't careful.

“No need,” Wang Hechun thought, recalling Xie Yuyan’s clear, calm eyes. “She has her own plans.”

He Tan asked, "I wonder what Miss Xie plans to do next?"

He Tan was curious about what tricks the young lady would use to help them break the deadlock so quickly.

Wang Hechun knew where she should start, but he had no idea how to do it. However, he had a feeling that Xie Yuyan would do a better job than he had predicted.

He Tan stood up: "Let's go to the prison!"

By this time, the Yang family should be quite frightened.

...Yong'anfang, Yang family.

Madam He leaned against the soft couch with a grim expression. It was here that she temporarily handed over the power of housekeeping to Madam Xie, but she never expected that in just half a day, Madam Xie would turn the Yang family into this state.

So many people in the clan have been implicated, and Xie Shi is going to thoroughly investigate the accounts from the beginning. This has caused widespread fear among the clan members, and just now, many people crowded into her room, hoping that she could stand up for them.

But now she doesn't even know if she can regain control of the central administration.
Madam He had long regretted it; she shouldn't have believed Madam Xie so easily. Now Yang Mingshan was definitely going to fall, but she was afraid that they wouldn't have a good outcome either.

“My lady,” the head housekeeper stepped forward and said, “Mother Yu is back.”

He was invigorated. She had sent Mama Yu to Xie's side to keep abreast of Xie's movements. Although Mama Yu had not sent any messages back, she was probably tied up and unable to leave.

Despite the years of bond between mistress and servant, Madam He still held onto a sliver of hope for her mother.

"Second Madam," Mama Yu greeted as she entered.

Previously, Madam Yu had always addressed her directly as "Madam," so "Second Madam" sounded somewhat distant. Madam He, however, disregarded this and hurriedly asked, "How is Madam Xie doing? What is she thinking? What exactly is she planning to do?"

Yu's mother did not speak.

Madam He frowned: "Did she instruct you to do things with those young men and women?"

This time, Yu's mother nodded.

Madam He was about to press for details when Mama Yu said, "But this servant cannot tell Second Mistress."

Madam He's face stiffened, and she stood there stunned. Seeing this, Mama Xu interjected, "Second Madam has treated us well all these years, so don't make a mistake."

Madam Yu raised her eyes, her face showing a hint of fear, but her gaze was very firm: "Over the years, I have served Second Mistress wholeheartedly and have never neglected her duties in the slightest."

"Second Mistress sent me to the First Mistress's side, and I was thinking of doing my job well and coming back to report, but I never expected things to turn out like this... Now... I can't come back."

This is a betrayal of one's benefactor.

It's only been a few hours!
Anger flared in He's heart: "Even if I kept a dog, I wouldn't do this." As she spoke, she threw the hand warmer in her hand away.

The heater hit Yu's mother, and the still-hot charcoal spilled out, igniting the hem of her skirt. Yu's mother did not rush to put out the fire, letting wisps of smoke rise from her body.

After a moment, Madam Yu spoke again: "The Second Master has been imprisoned, and I will inevitably bear some responsibility. Second Mistress, considering filial piety, will not employ me again, and may even punish me. Moreover, I did not send back any news in time, and Second Mistress will only become more suspicious in the future. No matter how you look at it, it is a dead end for me to come back."

He was furious: "This is all Xie's doing."

Madam Yu nodded: "Yes, since we can't fight them, we can only follow them. We servants can't choose our birth, but following a powerful master can make our lives easier."

He felt a sharp pain in her chest and was about to start scolding again.

Madam Yu continued, "Before long, Second Mistress will also have to obey Madam Xie's orders. If I encourage Second Mistress to make things difficult for Madam Xie, I will die even more miserably. Second Mistress, please spare my life for the sake of how long I have followed you."

After speaking, Mother Yu bowed and kowtowed.

He wouldn't listen to anything anyone said. She just wanted to beat this heartless person in front of her to death. With that thought in mind, she picked up a porcelain plate from the table and was about to smash it on Yu's head.

Just then, a servant came to report from the doorway.

“The third wife… Madam Xie from over there sent someone to find Madam Yu,” the servant said, “to have Madam Yu go and serve her immediately.”

He's hand froze in mid-air. She pursed her lips and tried several times to drop the porcelain plate, but an invisible force seemed to hold her arm firmly.

Mama Yu got up from the ground and shook off the embers from her body: "This servant takes her leave."

Stepping out of the room, Madam Yu heard the sound of shattering porcelain behind her. She took a deep breath; it seemed she hadn't made the wrong choice. From now on, she didn't need to have any other thoughts; she could simply follow Madam Yu closely…

Because there is no consequence more terrible than betraying the mistress.

……

Chenyao Village is located outside Daming Prefecture.

Chen Ping leaned against the side and fell asleep. He felt especially warm tonight, all because of the lotus root charcoal that Yang Qin had given him. His mother, Zheng, however, did not sleep.

Zheng stared at the firelight emanating from the lotus root charcoal, her gaze unfocused, lost in thought.

A short while later, there was a knock on the Chen family's door. Zheng got up to open the door and saw two women from the same village.

"Did you hear that?"

The three people entered the room, and one of the women couldn't wait to say, "Something's happened in Yong'an Ward. The patrol office has arrested a lot of people. I heard... it's because they're smuggling foreign goods..."

Another person, clearly also excited by the news, said, "Should we try going to the patrol office...we..."

Zheng lowered her head and stretched her left arm out of her sleeve. Her left hand, attached to one end of her arm, hung limply, like a withered flower that would shatter at the slightest touch.

Zheng looked somewhat blank as she slowly said, "Have you all forgotten how I lost my hand?"

(End of this chapter)