Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 469 Promise
Liu Erlang stared at Huang Zongwu, who had previously been a learned and cultured scholar, now looked so ferocious.

Liu Erlang suddenly felt his cognition collapse in an instant.

"Didn't you guys persuade me to publish a tabloid?"

"What is her relationship with Madam Xie?"

Hearing Liu Erlang's words, Huang Zongwu felt no remorse whatsoever: "You still don't understand that those people are targeting the Xie family, not us."

“We were innocently implicated. As long as you do as he says, we will all be fine.”

Liu Erlang remained silent.

Huang Zongwu said coldly, "I don't know what you're hesitating about? Is a merchant's wife more important than the lives of your entire Liu family? How many more people do you want to implicate?"

"Could it be that you and that woman..."

Before Huang Zongwu could finish speaking, Liu Erlang suddenly stepped forward and threw a punch at Huang Zongwu's face. Caught off guard, Huang Zongwu stumbled and fell to the ground.

Having lost face, Huang Zongwu immediately stood up and fought back. Seeing the two wrestling, Hu Ying hurriedly stepped forward to stop them: "Brother Zongwu, Erlang, please don't do this."

"Speak well if you have something to say."

Liu Erlang was pulled away, and Hu Ying comforted him, saying, "Zongwu is just worried about everyone. We've finally made it this far, and then this happens... Not only will he ruin himself, but his family will also be implicated. It's truly..."

Hu Ying was unable to continue speaking for a moment.

Liu Erlang looked at the other people in the room. Although they hadn't said much from beginning to end, their faces were already pale and filled with fear. The timid ones even had red eyes.

These people were all chosen by Liu Erlang to write the tabloid together, but now he has harmed them.

He didn't want to falsely accuse Madam Xie, nor did he want to implicate his classmates, especially the two scholars from poor families who were their only hope... Seeing their utterly despondent expressions, he felt even more distressed.

After thinking for a long time, Liu Erlang finally made a decision: "Call Master Liang over. I have something to ask him."

Hu Ying looked at Huang Zongwu, who strode into the inner room. A short while later, Master Liang came out with a big smile on his face.

Master Liang asked, "Have you gentlemen figured it out?"

Liu Erlang took a deep breath: "Even if I tell the yamen that it was all Madam Xie's doing, wouldn't I be an accomplice? How can I exonerate myself?"

Master Liang smiled with satisfaction: "Young master was not instructed by Xie; he was deceived."

He had said this before, and it was unclear whether Liu Erlang hadn't understood in his anxiety, which was why he asked this question.

"The matter hasn't blown up yet. Young masters, go directly to the yamen and sue Xie, saying that she arbitrarily changed your manuscripts. With me there to testify, it will be Xie who arranged everything, and you young masters will be able to get away with it."

Liu Erlang frowned: "Do you think the yamen will believe our testimonies alone? Don't you know how many clansmen and merchants Xie Shi single-handedly sent to prison when she was in Daming Prefecture? She may not be an expert on the laws of Daliang, but she certainly won't be manipulated by anyone." "If we can't bring Xie Shi down, I'll end up playing the villain, and my whole family will be implicated."

“The young masters’ manuscripts will be sent to the Xie family’s residence. The yamen can obtain the evidence by sending people to search the place,” Master Liang thought for a moment. “Besides, this is Bianjing, not Daming Prefecture. Once the Xie family is in jail, someone will naturally take over the case. With all this fuss about arranging everything, how could we possibly let her get away?”

Liu Erlang then asked, "Where did you get the news about the Xie family?"

After a moment of silence, Master Liang continued, "There are people in the Imperial Secretariat who sell official documents, papers, and memorials. Isn't that how Erlang got the official documents? Since Erlang can buy them, the Xie family can also buy them. There will be clerks from the Imperial Secretariat to confirm this. So the clerk is the one who sold the documents to the Xie family."

Liu Erlang fell silent again. It turned out that this trap had been set long ago, and the whole thing had been meticulously planned from beginning to end. However, Madam Xie was wise enough not to fall into it, so he was the one who had to complete the final step.

“You’ve falsely accused Madam Xie of leaking important information. How can the information Madam Xie leaked get out? Just based on what we say, some foreigners will buy tabloids. If we can’t find any evidence of Madam Xie’s dealings with the Western Barbarians,” Liu Erlang pursed his dry lips, “this… is still not credible.”

Master Liang sensed that Liu Erlang was talking too much. He sized up Liu Erlang, afraid that he was up to something.

Liu Erlang raised his head, his forehead covered in sweat: "You just casually said a few words and you expect us to fight to the death? What kind of logic is that? You're just a merchant. Even if the court investigates, you'll at most lose your bookstore. But we're talking about our official titles and the lives of our entire families. If you don't explain yourself clearly, I will never do as you say."

After Liu Erlang finished speaking, he shut his mouth.

Previously, everyone was watching him closely because his refusal to agree to Master Liang's request was tantamount to leading everyone to their doom. Now, things are different. Liu Erlang is willing to agree, provided that Master Liang explains everything clearly.

At this moment, even Huang Zongwu stood on Liu Erlang's side.

“What Erlang said is right,” Huang Zongwu said. “We can’t become someone else’s tool for no reason. If we help you deal with the Xie family, we will not only gain nothing, but we may also get into trouble. We can’t do such a thing.”

"Unless everything is made clear and our reputations are not affected in any way, we cannot go to the yamen to file a complaint."

"In the end, this is your struggle, and we shouldn't be dragged into it. Whether the Xie family is human or ghost is none of our business. We risked our lives to help, and there must be a reason for it."

As Huang Zongwu spoke, his eyes flashed, clearly realizing that the people who dealt with the Xie family must have some ability. Not only could they send things to the Xie family's courtyard, but they could also command the people in the government offices and merchants. So, they must have gained some benefits from doing all this.

Liu Erlang couldn't help but frown.

Master Liang laughed: "You have captured the traitor for the Great Liang, which is a great achievement. This will surely make you famous before the palace examination."

Before Huang Zongwu could speak, Liu Erlang interjected, "Whether it's a blessing or a curse is still unknown. Who can say they can convict someone of this crime?"

Master Liang was getting a little impatient with Liu Erlang's nagging: "Let me tell you, someone will be leaving early from the Banjing Inn where the Western Barbarian envoys are staying, under the pretext of transporting the rewards from the Great Liang. That person not only deposited a sum of money with the bank for Madam Xie, but also hid the bank draft at Madam Xie's residence."

"And..." Master Liang said with a smile, "Among the lands that Madam Xie bought in the southern part of the city, the seller of one of the plots has disappeared, and letters from the Western Regions were found in his house..."

Master Liang did not continue speaking, feeling that this was enough to intimidate Liu Erlang and the others.

There are still some tonight