Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 53 Confrontation
Xie Yuyan's gaze sharpened, meeting Wang Hechun's eyes.
As his eyes darted around, a sudden burst of light appeared, like merciless ice and snow erasing all life. Yet, at that moment, a smile rippled out, seemingly a return to spring after the snow had fallen. But the upturned corners of his eyes and his slightly lowered gaze revealed a murderous intent.

His gaze collided with the deep, dark look in his eyes, instantly sparking a burst of light.

The little cat in Xie Yuyan's arms stirred, its soft fur brushing against her palm. Several horses trotted restlessly, and then the wind swept everything away.

It was as if nothing had happened.

A clear, melodious voice rang out: "Registration Officer Wang."

Mother Yu hurriedly got out of the car, first bowed to Wang Hechun and his entourage, and then lifted the curtain to help Xie Yuyan.

Snowflakes began to fall, forming a thin layer on the ground, and her footprints were clearly visible on it.

"Is the registrar going to Sanhe Village?"

The steward bowed on her behalf, and she stood still. For a clerk, a slight bow from the mistress of the house was sufficient. Even though she knew his identity was extraordinary from their earlier exchange, she didn't need to pay attention to it until it was revealed.

Wang Hechun pointed to the cat she was holding: "Is this the cat that your family keeps?"

As if it could understand what the two were saying, the cat's two big eyes swept back and forth before landing on Wang Hechun. It let out a soft cry, responding on Xie Yuyan's behalf.

Unfortunately, no one can understand the language of the raccoon.

Wang Hechun was about to reach out when the cat's ears twitched, and it shrunk back into Xie Yuyan's arms, licking its fur with its tongue. After a moment, it licked the fingers that were stroking it a few times in a flattering manner.

That obsequious manner made it easy to tell whether someone was close to you or not at a glance.

Wang Hechun remained calm, waiting for Xie Yuyan's response.

To everyone's surprise, Xie Yuyan replied, "I don't remember."

Her eyes, like pools of autumn water, were bright and clear.

When they first met, she said she had forgotten everything, and she's responding the same way now. If the person opposite her were Wang Hechun from ten years in the future, Xie Yuyan might have come up with a better excuse, but now…

Although the young future prime minister already possessed a maturity far beyond his peers, his innate arrogance had not been fully concealed, and that arrogance made her feel uncomfortable.

She doesn't have enough leverage yet and needs to rely on He Tan and Wang Hechun. Therefore, within their sphere of influence, she will align herself with them, but she won't tolerate suppression all the time.

The cat closed its eyes and began to snore loudly.

“It is very close to me,” Xie Yuyan said. “Perhaps it came to Daming Prefecture with me.”

Before Wang Hechun could respond, she continued, "Has Registrar Wang's cat gone? Something that looks like it?"

She clearly saw through his intentions, but deliberately said that, as if she felt his probing earlier was too obvious.

Wang Hechun said directly, "It's this one. When my wife came to the yamen, it left with her and hasn't returned home since."

She showed no surprise and appeared quite relaxed, yet she remained firm: "Then... Clerk Wang, call it by name, so as not to make a mistake."

Wang Hechun's gaze fell on the cat.

Xie Yuyan was ready. She loosened her grip slightly. As long as Wang Hechun called the cat away, she wouldn't linger any longer. Just teasing the prime minister would be enough.

What a waste of such a good cat.

Sang Dian, who was standing beside him, hesitated, wondering what kind of name this cat had. The young master and the cat always faced each other in silence, as if they were hiding a secret together.

Occasionally, the young man would call out "Ah Li" absentmindedly, as if he were calling out "that person".

Sure enough, as soon as Wang Hechun uttered the name "Ali," the lizard's purring grew louder, and its pointed ears stopped twitching, as if afraid of startling the falling snowflakes.

This is somewhat unexpected.

Xie Yuyan tightened his grip, barely stopping his movement as he was about to throw the cat back.

However, a mere prick of Wang Hechun was enough to draw blood. The heavy cat, seemingly unaffected by its master's lack of food and water, was being treated with such cruelty.
"It seems I was mistaken," Wang Hechun said. "If my wife were to name the cat at home, what would she call it?"

If neither of them could persuade her, at least they could compromise. But Xie Yuyan felt it wasn't that simple; Wang Hechun's every word was a test, perhaps trying to deduce whether she had lost her past memories.

He was going to be disappointed, because no matter how she responded, there would be no trace of her; this body was never hers to begin with.

Xie Yuyan stroked the back of the raccoon. Her first raccoon was named "Yu Chen," but she would not easily reveal even the name of a raccoon.

Let's just change it.

Xie Yuyan said softly, "Han Ying."

Yu Chen and Han Ying are both snow-white, so what if the little fox isn't entirely white? She just likes calling her that.

The raccoon stopped snoring, opened its eyes, and then meowed happily.

The cat's response truly surprised Xie Yuyan, and she thus missed the look of astonishment on Sang Dian's face, as if she had seen a ghost.

The wind swept past Wang Hechun's robes, as if taking him back to the forest more than ten years ago.

The exquisitely beautiful little girl, holding her raccoon dog, earnestly told him, "My raccoon dog is named Hanying, which comes from a poem by Wenzheng Gong."

"Last night, the heavens suddenly returned to normal, and a thick canopy of shade spread out, carrying the chill of autumn."

He had been studying since childhood, so he was naturally familiar with the poem, but the poem was written by Councilor Fan, not by Wenzheng Gong as she claimed.

After being separated from her, he returned home and told his father about what he had seen in the forest. A few days later, they received news that Fan, the councilor, had passed away. Six months later, the imperial family posthumously granted Fan the title of Minister of War and the posthumous name "Wenzheng".

Only then did I realize that he had not gotten lost, but had encountered a celestial being.

Wang Yan encountered a fairy when he was ten years old, and he still clearly remembers the appearance of the fairy. The fairy was six or seven years old, with delicate eyebrows and eyes, and a small cinnabar mole on the corner of his eyebrow.

Her face was somewhat similar to that of Lady Xie before him, but as the mist dissipated, her eyebrows were exceptionally smooth.

The carriage continued on its way.

Xie Yuyan listened to the sound of the wheels pressing on the ground, and Wang Hechun's voice still echoed in his ears: "The cat is naughty, so I'll entrust it to my wife for now. If she doesn't want to keep it anymore in the future, she can send someone to the yamen to find me."

It shouldn't be like this.

Whether he takes the cat away or abandons it, Wang Hechun will make a decision immediately. Why is he suddenly being so hesitant? Isn't he afraid of causing too much trouble later?
"It seems he cares a lot about this cat."

Xie Yuyan grasped the cat's soft paws. This was the only reasonable explanation, but the perceptive Empress Dowager Xie felt that she had overlooked something.

……

Wang Yan watched the carriage gradually disappear into the distance, his gaze deep as he pondered something.

"Lang Jun."

After waiting for a long time, Sang Dian finally said, "There really is someone who wants to name the raccoon cat that..."

When the young man returned from the forest, he brought back a cat named Hanying.

They all thought the young master had been deceived. How could a creature with such fur be called Han Ying? And no matter how the young master called it, the cat wouldn't respond.

The young man gradually stopped calling it, and it lost its name from then on.

I never expected that after so many years, someone would actually respond.

"Then, Madam Xie, would you...?"

"Go to Sanhe Village," Wang Yan ordered, then turned and spurred his horse forward.

He might not be able to get the truth from Sanhe Village, but some things wouldn't escape his eyes. The yamen had also arrested someone, and he would personally interrogate him. In short, from now on, he wanted to know everything she did clearly.

(End of this chapter)