Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 527 Instigation
After saying this, Xie Yizhi did not forget to instruct Xie Wenjing: "Don't let others know what we've said, especially in front of your two brothers and Zhou Shi. You must act as before."

Xie Wenjing nodded: "Daughter understands."

Xie Yizhi added, "If you find that they have any suspicions, you must tell me."

“Not yet,” Xie Wenjing said. “When I spoke with my older brother earlier, he asked me about my childhood, which shows that he still sees me as the Xie Wenjing I used to be.”

As the father and daughter were talking, they heard Chunxi cough.

Xie Yizhi subtly withdrew her hand, and Xie Wenjing sat up straight. Although the two were still sitting there, they were less intimate and more distant than before.

A moment later, Madam Zhou appeared in the garden.

Xie Wenjing quickly stood up to greet Madam Zhou: "Mother."

Seeing Xie Wenjing's slightly red eyes, Madam Zhou couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"

Xie Wenjing quickly lowered her head and said, "It was just that the wind blew into my eyes."

Xie Yizhi waved her hand and instructed Xie Wenjing, "You may leave."

Xie Wenjing bowed to Xie Yizhi and Zhou Shi, then left with Chunxi.

Xie Yizhi looked at the snacks on the table: "Take these away and pour me a cup of hot tea."

"Why is the master so angry?" Madam Zhou asked in a low voice, guessing what had happened in the pavilion earlier.

"She's been brought back from the countryside for so long, and she can't do anything right," Xie Yizhi said. "Since no one from the Prince of Qin's mansion has come to summon her, can't she find an excuse to go and take a look?"

"She still thinks the Princess of Qin will treat her well in the future. How can she achieve anything with such a narrow vision?"

Madam Zhou sighed, "It's all my fault for not teaching her properly."

“What does this have to do with you?” Xie Yizhi said. “It’s already difficult enough that you manage the entire inner quarters, and you also have to raise Han’er.”

When Han Ge'er was mentioned, Xie Yizhi's voice softened, and Madam Zhou could clearly sense Xie Yizhi's affection for Han Ge'er. As a mother, she shouldn't be biased, but seeing her youngest son so much cared for by the master, she subconsciously thought more about Han Ge'er.

Xie Yizhi took a few sips of tea, and her brows gradually relaxed. Madam Zhou then said, "I heard that Han Si just went to jail, and the porcelain business has already chosen a new head."

"Does the master know who the new master is?"

Xie Yizhi said calmly, "The news just came back; it's about that Xie family."

"How could a woman from the Xie family be so capable?" Madam Zhou's eyes flickered. "I've never heard of a woman being able to become a merchant. It's truly the merchants who lack manners. In a wealthy family, how could such a joke have been made? Isn't anyone going to do anything about it? This is Bianjing; what will happen if she causes trouble?"

"From now on, who will dare to buy porcelain from the shop?"

Xie Yizhi said, "The new and old members of the porcelain industry are elected according to the rules, and the clerks of the market administration are invited to witness it. In the end, it is a matter for the porcelain industry itself. Who can forcibly stop it?"

"Han Si and others have just been arrested. I wonder how many officials are worried about being implicated in this case. Who would dare to get involved at this time? The Xie family chose the perfect time. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy."

Madam Zhou said, "We're really lucky."

However, could a woman like Xie really manage the entire Bianjing porcelain trade? Madam Zhou harbored resentment because when Han Si was alive, he would send some benefits to the mansion every year, and they would also make some money from the porcelain trade through the Xie family of Daming Prefecture. Now, this line of business had been completely destroyed by the Xie family.

Moreover... the Xia family also fell. The marriage between the Xie family and the Xia family, which should have been a mutually beneficial thing, has now become a problem.

Madam Zhou desperately wanted to find a few people to punish Xie Shi immediately. However, thinking of the Xia family's fate, she had to abandon that idea. She couldn't be too hasty in dealing with Xie Shi.

“I have someone prepare a house in the family for Xia Erniang to move into,” Madam Zhou said. “Although the marriage is settled, she hasn’t entered the family yet, and living in the family might cause gossip.”

Xie Yizhi nodded: "Let's arrange it like this. Tell the young master to take good care of her, after all, she is his wife."

After saying this, Xie Yizhi wondered, "Where is Xin Ge'er?"

Madam Zhou's expression changed, and she was quite angry at her son's lack of ambition: "He went out and said he wanted to visit a former classmate."

Xie Yizhi didn't believe him: "Have someone bring him back. Make him stay at home obediently these days and not go out to cause trouble."

Madam Zhou said, "Master, please don't be angry. I'll send someone to look for it right away."

Xie Yizhi got up and left the garden. Madam Zhou sighed deeply: "Where can we look for him? He didn't even take his servant with him when he went out. I don't know what this child is thinking lately. It's making me more and more anxious."

Xie Yizhi returned to his study and summoned his advisor, Cui Deng.

Xie Yizhi asked, "How is it? Have you found out the relationship between the Xie family and Wang Yan?"

The news coming back from Daming Prefecture was all compiled by Cui Deng. These were fragmented pieces of information that needed to be corroborated to uncover the truth.

Cui Dengdao said, "When they were in Daming Prefecture, Xie and Wang Yan had a close relationship. When Wang Yan was besieged in the mountains, Xie was by his side. After they escaped, someone saw Wang Yan carrying Xie into the county government office."

Xie Yizhi raised her head: "According to you, Xie is Wang Yan's mistress?"

Cui Deng hurriedly replied, "There is no such evidence. Xie is a widow and in charge of the Yang clan. Even if she is of bad character, it would be difficult for others to find out."

"From Daming Prefecture all the way to Bianjing?" Xie Yizhi recalled her past from her youth. Love between a man and a woman is the same for everyone, even Wang Yan. "Didn't anyone see it? Couldn't anyone find any evidence?"

Cui Deng said, "I haven't had time to ask in detail yet, but since there haven't been any rumors after all this time, it's probably impossible to find out."

After pondering for a long time, Xie Yizhi finally said, "Write a letter and give it to Minister Wang, asking him to keep a close eye on Wang Yan. A court official has kept a merchant as a mistress and even promoted that merchant to the position of head of the porcelain business. The Wang family's methods are far superior to Xia Mengxian's."

He didn't believe the Wang family could withstand such questioning.

"Don't rush things," Xie Yizhi said, "lest people think it's Xia Mengxian's faction retaliating against Wang Yan and deliberately framing him."

We need to find another opportunity.

Once Xie Yuyan has amassed a fortune, and the high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital have not benefited from it, it will be much easier to target Xie Yuyan.

Cui Deng asked, "Then... the letter I was preparing to send to Minister Wang..."

“We’ll write it down without hesitation,” Xie Yizhi said. “There’s probably some rift between the Wang family father and son, so we’ll try to make it bigger.”

He was familiar with this matter; it was in the same way that he and his father had a lifelong, irreconcilable feud.

……

South City Wharf.

Xie Chengxin, dressed in an inconspicuous long robe, sat in the teahouse drinking wine. All he could hear were words about Madam Xie. He listened carefully, wanting to learn more about this Madam Xie.