Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 384 Suspicion
Xie Yuyan rested her hand on Wang Yan's shoulder, looking down at him for the first time.

He was clearly the one who started it all, yet he used it to appear weak.

The eyes no longer held their usual depth, but were filled with expectation, and their every glance was particularly striking.

Her sideburns were as black as ink, and her raised eyebrows gave her an air of purity and sincerity.

"I have something to say to my wife," Wang Yan said, tilting his head back.

She nodded.

He immediately broke into a smile.

He was in the prime of his life.

“Whether you are Xie Yuyan or Xie Wenjing, or perhaps you will change your name and identity in the future,” Wang Yan said, “I don’t care. Just remember to take me with you wherever you go.”

Xie Yuyan felt a warmth in her heart.

"For the sake of my life, I have only ever loved you, my wife," Wang Yan said, "my wife, please don't change your mind."

"Okay?"

He kept his eyes locked with hers, and the light in his eyes for her never faded.

After a moment, Xie Yuyan nodded: "Okay."

His smile then blossomed.

Just as Xie Yuyan was about to tell him to put her down, he picked her up and started spinning her around the room.

No matter how old you are, you suddenly become a child again when you're with someone you like.

When Wang Yan stopped, he was still looking at her: "Make your promise now!"

Xie Yuyan slowly bent down, brought her face close to his forehead, and gently pressed her soft lips against it.

……

Yu's mother, standing outside the door, had never been so anxious.

No, it should be said that after coming to the lady's side, everything went smoothly for her. The lady didn't need her to worry too much. She could handle everything, big and small, and the lady often gave her pointers.

But today...

Madam Yu sighed. Little did she know that Lord Wang was even more formidable than his fox, preventing the eldest daughter-in-law from escaping.

Finally, the door opened.

Mother Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief; she could already hear the voice of a nun coming from not far away.

“Young master, don’t go forward,” Madam Yu warned, “Someone is coming.”

After she finished speaking, Madam Yu raised her head, and when she saw that Lord Wang's ears had turned red, she hurriedly lowered her head. Without needing to say a word, she knew that Lord Wang must have gotten something good in the room.

In the contest between Lord Wang and the cat, Lord Wang was slightly favored.

Wang Yan nodded.

In the blink of an eye, his figure disappeared from his mother's sight.

Mother Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The timing was perfect; just as the people left, the nun came into the meditation room with a food box to serve the food.

Looking at the vegetarian dishes on the table, Xie Yuyan showed no intention of touching them. She had been out for most of the day, but she didn't feel hungry at all. Perhaps her heart was full, and she didn't care about anything else.

The master and servant stayed in the temple for another hour, listening to the nun preach, before setting off to go home.

One by one, horse-drawn carriages departed from outside the temple.

As Xie Yuyan passed by East Street, she lifted the curtain and saw several nuns standing among the crowd repairing houses. The one in the lead was staring intently at the hired workers, instructing them to re-fill the dug ground.

This action, seemingly a preemptive detection and timely cover-up, unknowingly pointed them in the right direction.

Everything was ready except for the final touch. Xie Yuyan smiled slightly and lowered the curtain.

……

Xie Wenjing returned to the Xie residence, changed her clothes, and immediately went to pay her respects to Madam Zhou.

Madam Zhou inquired about her well-being and asked about her experiences at the temple. When she learned that the nuns in the temple were angry about the shop, she added, "Indeed, it was inappropriate."

"What are you saying?"

When Xie Yizhi returned from his official duties, he heard the noise and brought Xie Chengrang inside.

Xie Wenjing had no choice but to repeat herself.

Xie Yizhi frowned: "If that's the case, next time you get a chance to enter the palace, you should mention it to the Empress Dowager."

As soon as Xie Yizhi finished speaking, Xie Chengrang said, "Father... there are some things going on with that shop."

"What do you mean?" Xie Yizhi, unaware of the reason, looked at Xie Chengrang.

Xie Chengrang looked outside, and the Xie family servants understood and left. Once there was no one else in the room, he said, "Actually, it was the Xia family who had their eyes on that shop."

Madam Zhou looked surprised, and Xie Wenjing also looked up.

Xie Yizhi remained calm: "Is it because of that perfume?"

Xie Chengrang nodded: "Xia Wulang wants to thoroughly understand that perfume shop so that he can do business in Bianjing City in the future."

If the Xia family gets involved, then it's not appropriate to stop them. Xie Yizhi pondered for a moment and said, "Xia Ziqiao told you that it's not appropriate for our family to help with this."

Xie Wenjing pursed her lips: "So... that's it?"

Xie Chengrang said, "Why don't we ask the government officials to go and give them a warning, so that those people won't do anything against the nun's wishes? The shops will soon fall into the Xia family's hands. If the nun still wants those shops to move out, I will persuade Xia Wulang to find another place."

Once you have the shop, you'll be able to learn all the ins and outs of the perfume business, so it won't matter where you open your business.

Xie Wenjing hesitated, and Xie Yizhi pondered for a long time before saying, "Second Madam doesn't know when she can enter the palace. Let's do it the way we suggested for now."

After saying this, Xie Yizhi added, "Our secret help to Yunqi Temple is just to build a good relationship. When the Empress Dowager goes to the temple to worship Buddha in the future, the nuns there should reciprocate by saying a few good words for Second Sister."

Madam Zhou nodded: "Even if the Empress Dowager doesn't go, the Princess Consort and the female relatives of the high-ranking officials and nobles in the city will go and befriend those nuns, which will be beneficial to Second Sister."

Xie Wenjing nodded in agreement.

After speaking, Xie Chengrang and Xie Wenjing came out of the main house and walked out of the courtyard. Xie Chengrang asked, "Second sister, did you encounter anything unusual when you went to the temple?"

The image of that figure wearing a veil flashed through Xie Wenjing's mind.

Xie Wenjing couldn't pinpoint anything wrong with the man, so she shook her head and said, "No."

Xie Chengrang said, "If you encounter anything outside and it's not easy to tell your father and mother, then come find me."

Xie Wenjing bowed to Xie Chengrang and said, "Thank you, Second Brother."

Xie Chengrang said, "We're all family, there's no need for that."

After Xie Wenjing left, Xie Chengrang returned to his courtyard, his mind replaying Xie Wenjing's words. The fact that the Xia family could get Yunqi Temple to rent out its land showed that the nuns were willing; why the sudden conflict?

What did those people do that angered the nun?
Xie Chengrang summoned his trusted confidant, intending to instruct him to investigate the situation outside Yunqi Temple, when the confidant brought news: "A letter has arrived from Huaizhou."

The confidant handed the sealed tube to Xie Chengrang.

Xia Ziqiao sent people to Huaizhou to inquire about the Duan family, but the news they brought back was only fleeting and superficial. Xie Chengrang spent some money and mobilized a lot of manpower before he finally found this thick stack of papers.

Instead of rushing to instruct his trusted confidants, Xie Chengrang simply sat down and carefully examined the note.

As he flipped through the pages, Xie Chengrang's eyebrows furrowed immediately when he reached the last two pages, which contained information about Duan Dalang.

Duan Dalang clearly didn't do anything significant in Huaizhou, so why would the Duan family entrust the business in Bianjing to him?

No, Xie Chengrang keenly sensed that something was wrong.