Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 503 Persuasion
The woman's face was exceptionally clear in the torchlight.

The sixteen- or seventeen-year-old women did not have a childish expression on their faces; instead, they possessed a calm demeanor that allowed them to maintain control of the situation and a skillful command of everything.

During his visit to Bianjing, the Third Manager frequently heard people mention a name: Lady Xie.

This merchant from Daming Prefecture managed to get involved in the trading at the border market.

Having been in Bianjing for just over a month, she has already stirred up a lot of trouble. It is precisely because of this that Xia Mengxian plotted to target her and then try to drag the Wang family father and son down with her.

Unexpectedly, before the matter was even finished, it was discovered in advance, and Xia Mengxian ended up in prison.

This was the third manager's initial understanding of the whole matter.

But when the Third Manager saw Lady Xie, he knew things weren't that simple.

They all underestimated the Xie family.

It seems that Xia Mengxian fell into someone else's trap from the very beginning.

From Daming Prefecture to Bianjing, besides Wang Yan, the person who controlled everything behind the scenes was also this Xie family.

Xie openly instigated Xia Mengxian to take action, while Wang Yan seized the opportunity to arrest him. The two worked seamlessly together, one in the open and one in the shadows, in both the court and among the people.

And...this Xie family...

The third manager stared at Xie Yuyan for a long time before suddenly revealing a strange smile. Xie's appearance was too outstanding, and after looking at her, he couldn't help but recall some past events.

"You are Lady Xie."

Xie Yuyan did not reply.

The third shopkeeper affirmed once again, "You are Madam Xie."

The third manager said the same sentence twice, but his expression changed subtly, as if he was conveying a message that only Xie Yuyan could understand.

Xie Yuyan remained unmoved.

The third manager had no choice but to continue, "You've come to arrest me, do you know who I am?"

Xie Yuyan said calmly, "That's something the government office should ask."

The third manager frowned, her expression calm, her clear eyes showing no ripples, clearly indicating that she was truly uninterested in all of this.

"Let me go," the third manager struggled to his feet, "I want to make a deal with you."

He wasn't afraid of being overheard by the people around him. Since Lady Xie had a way of gathering them together, she was capable of keeping them from gossiping.

Xie Yuyan said, "Integrity is the foundation of business. We won't do business with someone like you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding merchants chuckled.

The third manager's expression changed repeatedly. Xie knew perfectly well what he was saying, yet she responded in this way. He felt as if he had punched a pillow.

The Xie family was far more difficult to deal with than he had imagined.

He regretted it. If he had gone to see Lady Xie after arriving in Bianjing, things wouldn't have turned out this way.

The third manager continued, "You have no idea what happened, yet you arrested me like this. You will definitely regret it."

Xie Yuyan ignored them and looked at Zhou Guangyuan and Jiang Qi: "Tie them up and hand them over to the soldiers in a moment."

Just as Xie Yuyan was about to leave, the third manager asked again, "Madam Xie, have you ever been to Qujiang in Shaozhou?"

This time, her expression held a more scrutinizing quality, and the third shopkeeper's heart pounded. Just when he thought things were about to improve, Xie Yuyan instructed Jiang Qi: "Gag him, lest he resort to any more tricks to bewitch people."

This time, a hint of doubt appeared in the third shopkeeper's eyes. He began to wonder if his speculation was wrong, and whether the Xie family in front of him had no relation to the Xie family he had thought of.

Just as he was about to say something, something was stuffed into his mouth.

The third manager's guard struggled and resisted, and Zhou Guangyuan and the others almost couldn't hold him down. Fortunately, there were enough merchants who came, and five or six people stepped forward and worked together to tie him up tightly.

Knowing they couldn't escape, the two boatmen simply surrendered, though they couldn't help but beg for mercy.

“They gave us money and told us to take it with us. We don’t know who they are.” Another boatman said, “We just wanted a few strings of copper coins.”

Xie Yuyan looked at the two men. She had inquired with the boatmen around and learned that these two men had been making a living on the Bian River. If they insisted that they had only taken money to do things, they might be able to escape a serious crime.

Xie Yuyan nodded: "If you give the same answer in court, you might be released, but..."

She paused slightly: "I will spread the word that you secretly revealed the Third Manager's whereabouts."

The two boatmen looked terrified.

If the master believes they betrayed the third manager, how can they possibly survive? Not only will they die, but their families left at sea will also be dealt with.

The boatman gritted his teeth and said, "You vicious woman."

Xie Yuyan ignored their insults, but Jiang Qi stepped forward and slapped them several times before gagging them.

After doing all this, the merchants felt very pleased. They had finally been of help tonight and their trip had not been in vain.

"Madam, what should we do next?"

"Are we going to go and arrest people in the river?"

As everyone was talking, they heard the sound of a brass whistle.

Someone took a torch and went to the riverbank to look around. They saw several boats coming this way.

"It's Zhao Zhongliang."

Upon hearing Xie Yuyan's words, Zhou Guangyuan also walked to the riverbank and waved the torch in his hand.

A moment later, Zhao Zhongliang and several brothers waded to the shore.

"Madam." Zhao Zhongliang bowed respectfully upon seeing Xie Yuyan, then looked at Zhou Guangyuan, Jiang Qi, and the others.

Zhao Zhongliang was all too familiar with these faces.

Seeing an old friend at this time, I couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

They came here because of him.

When his family suffered misfortune years ago, he resented these merchants for not stepping forward to help, but now... he feels at peace.

They also have families to support and protect their loved ones.

With corrupt officials in power, the case became an ironclad one with conclusive evidence. Anyone who witnessed it would avoid it, fearing they would suffer the same fate as the Zhao family.

Even after all these years, they haven't forgotten and are still willing to risk coming here.

When there is no hope, everyone will give up.

They are willing to fight for any glimmer of hope.

Their bond with their father has never changed.

Zhao Zhongliang bent down and solemnly bowed to everyone to express his gratitude: "On behalf of the Zhao family of eighteen, I thank Madam and all my uncles and brothers. I will always remember your kindness."

“Don’t say that,” Zhou Guangyuan said. “We are ashamed of what happened back then.”

Zhao Zhongliang shook his head: "I knew that everyone was at a loss for how to overturn the case for us."

Without time for pleasantries, Xie Yuyan said, "Let's see if this person is the Third Manager."

Zhao Zhongliang had already seen several people tied up there, but since they couldn't escape, he wasn't in a hurry to check. Now that Madam Xie had said this, he quickly stepped forward and shone the torch on the Third Manager's hand.

The hand is very similar; it must be the one he saw on the ship.

Looking at the third shopkeeper's expression, Zhao Zhongliang saw a sinister look in his deep eyes. He reached out and took the rag out of the third shopkeeper's mouth, then suddenly elbowed him in the stomach.

The third manager let out a gasp.

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