Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 417 Make your own arrangements
Madam Li was still in a state of shock and did not come to her senses for a long time.

How did it come to this?
“Master,” Madam Li said, “let’s think of another way, or I can find an uncle or nephew from my family to take the blame.”

“Many members of the collateral branches of the clan are willing to do this kind of thing; at worst, we can give them more money.”

“That Steward Li has a wife and children at my parents’ home. The master sent someone to deliver a message to him, saying that as long as he doesn’t talk nonsense, his wife and children can have a sum of money.”

Conversely, his wife and children will not have a good ending.

Xia Mengxian closed his eyes. These were all excellent solutions, but unfortunately...

“The Emperor is already aware of this,” Xia Mengxian said. “I will write a memorial tomorrow to resign from my post.”

If the authorities are willing to give him some face, then everything will end here.

If the Shen family continues to push him too far, he will inevitably have to go to jail.

Madam Li finally understood where the problem lay: "How could the Emperor have found out?"

Xia Mengxian still doesn't understand whether someone was plotting against him or he just stumbled upon Shen Si Niang's case by accident.

It was like a disaster struck from the sky, catching him completely off guard.

Xia Mengxian pictured Wang Yan standing beside the Emperor, even more of an eyesore than Wang Bingchen.

I'm not afraid of his high position and power, I'm afraid of him having a successor.

The Wang family father and son are becoming increasingly difficult to deal with.

Xia Mengxian clenched his fist.

When Xia Mengxian went to the study, Madam Li stopped her daughter, saying, "What should we do?"

Xia Erniang comforted her mother, "Mother, don't worry. As long as Father comes back safely, there will be other opportunities in the future."

"There are officials who have been stripped of their official positions but later reinstated. The Emperor is only angry for a short time. In a few years, when this matter is completely over, he will ask someone to help him mention Father again in front of the Emperor. At that time, Father will be able to get his position back."

Madam Li calmed down a bit and looked at her daughter: "If you can marry into the Xie family, with Xie Shumi's abilities, he will definitely be able to help. Your two brothers' in-laws are both outside the capital, so this matter may depend on you."

Xia Erniang looked at Madam Li and said, "I understand."

With her father gone through such a ordeal, even if she manages to escape this predicament in the future, it will take several years. By then, she will be well past the age for marriage. The best option for her is to cherish the marriage arranged when her father was still the Minister of Justice.

……

Xie family.

It was after dark that Xie Shumi returned home.

The Xie family received the news of Xie Chengrang's accident early on, so Zhou Shi and Xie Chengxin did not rest and waited for Xie Shumi to return.

"Father," Xie Chengxin spoke first, "how is my second brother? When will he be able to come home?"

Xie Shumi did not respond. Instead, he went inside, changed out of his official robes, washed his hands, and then said, "The Ministry of Justice has not yet investigated the matter."

“My second brother must have been implicated by someone,” Xie Chengxin said. “Did Father send someone to inquire about it?”

Xie Shumi said calmly, "No."

Xie Chengxin was about to speak again when Xie Shumi said, "Don't ask any questions. Just stay home obediently. Do you know how many people are involved in this case?"

“Everyone involved in this matter is living in fear. If your second brother is indeed related to this case, I will petition the court to deal with him severely.”

Xie Chengxin's expression immediately changed: "How could Father do this?"

Xie Shumi said in a deep voice, "The Emperor personally intervened in this matter and sent the document directly to the Secretariat. The ministers of the Secretariat are still gathered at Wang Bingchen's house to discuss matters."

"Xia Mengxian will have to resign from his post early tomorrow morning. Even if it were you who were implicated, I wouldn't lend a hand at this time, let alone your second brother."

Now it was Zhou's turn to gasp in shock: "How could this have alarmed the officials?"

“You’ll all know in a few days,” Xie Shumi said, not wanting to say more. “Not only the Emperor, but the Cining Palace is also watching. No one dares to plead for him at this time.” After a moment of silence, Xie Shumi’s tone softened a bit: “I’ve received some information that the young master was indeed innocently dragged into this, but we’ll have to wait for the Ministry of Justice to investigate before we know the truth.”

“If he hasn’t done anything wrong, he’ll be released soon.”

Xie Chengxin's face immediately lit up with joy, and he felt a little relieved.

Xie Shumi waved his hand: "Go back and rest!"

After sending his son away, Xie Shumi took out two jade pendants from his sleeve and placed them on the table.

"This is..." Zhou was somewhat puzzled.

A pair of carved lotus leaves and mandarin ducks jade pendants are usually exchanged between the two families when they are engaged.

Xie Shumi said with a stern face, "The Xia family sent it here."

The intention behind this is self-evident.

Xia Mengxian lost his official position, but he wanted to bind the Xie family.

"They wouldn't have agreed to this marriage before, but now that something's happened, they've suddenly remembered our family," Madam Zhou frowned. "Master, you can't agree to this. How can my eldest son marry the daughter of a disgraced official?"

Xie Shumi remained silent.

Madam Zhou immediately became uneasy: "Could it be that Master really intends to agree to this marriage?"

Xie Shumi said, "I am naturally unwilling, but I am afraid that I have no choice but to comply."

He would naturally refuse, but if that person spoke up for the Xia family, how could he go against their wishes? If only his second wife could have married into the Prince's mansion sooner, then they would have had an extra layer of relationship, and he wouldn't have to be so careful.

But that's not the only troublesome thing.

Earlier today, Xie Chengrang found him and mentioned the Xie family of Daming Prefecture. He was in a hurry to go to the yamen and originally planned to call Chengrang over for a detailed questioning after he left the yamen, but unexpectedly Chengrang ended up in jail.

Xie Shumi instructed Zhou: "Be extra careful lately. If the Prince sends someone to inquire, just tell him that the boy has nothing to do with this case."

Zhou nodded.

Xie Shumi added, "If there's a chance, let the Prince speak with Second Madam."

The Zhou family naturally agreed.

Xie Shumi turned around and went to his study to handle official business. However, when he entered the room, he did not immediately look at the documents. Instead, he walked to the window and looked outside.

It drizzled tonight, and a flash of lightning illuminated Xie Shumi's increasingly serious face.

He always felt that something was about to happen.

……

It rained all night, and Xie Yuyan slept soundly, listening to the pattering rain outside.

When I woke up early in the morning, I heard Yu's mother and Zhang talking.

"People from Yunqi Temple have come; they want to take back our land."

Zhang asked, "Is it because they dug up that corpse?"

Mother Yu replied, "The temple said that since we built the pavilion, repaired the courtyard and the private road, they will compensate us with some money, but... how much compensation we will receive depends on the owner's negotiation with the temple."

Xie Yuyan got up and tugged at the bell. Mama Yu hurriedly brought in clothes to serve her.

Xie Yuyan said, "I'll have Xiaoshan bring the accounts later, and then I'll go to Yunqi Temple."

Mother Yu was somewhat surprised: "My lady, you're going in person?"

“Yes,” Xie Yuyan said, “Master Zhiyuan is coming to the capital soon, and I need to find him a place to stay.”

(End of this chapter)