Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 530 Blood Relatives

Xie Chengxin has honed some skills during this period, enabling him to maintain composure and respond when questioned.

Faced with this situation, Xie Chengxin pursed his lips and looked around warily: "There are too many people. If they find out we're here, it will inevitably cause some trouble."

“After all, my family is related to the Xia family by marriage… These days, my father has not allowed us to go out. If someone finds me here, it might cause trouble.”

This excuse was quite reasonable, and the Prince of Huai's suspicions indeed faded. He nodded and was about to speak when he heard a shout: "Where is my tenth sister?"

Xie Qi led his men over quickly. Upon seeing Yang Xiaoshan, he immediately stepped forward and asked, "I heard that Tenth Sister has become the head of the porcelain business. Is that true?"

Yang Xiaoshan nodded.

Xie Qi's smile deepened: "Back in Daming Prefecture, I knew Han Si wasn't a good person. Letting him be a high-ranking official, who knows how many people he'd harm..."

Xie Qi walked into the courtyard as he spoke.

The onlookers couldn't hear clearly what Xie Qi and Yang Xiaoshan were saying, only vaguely hearing the words "Old Xing." However, coupled with the loud "Tenth Sister," the Prince of Huai made a guess and couldn't help but ask, "The Tenth Sister that person mentioned, is it referring to Madam Xie? Rumor has it that Madam Xie was kidnapped and sold to Daming Prefecture, so where did she get a brother?"

“You wouldn’t know this,” a boatman said with a laugh. “When we were rowing the boat, we heard people from Daming Prefecture say that Madam Xie was originally a kidnapped woman sold to the Xie family… and then she was arranged to be married to the Yang family as a daughter of the Xie family in a ghost marriage.”

"After the matter was exposed, the Xie family wanted to get away with it, so they simply denied the matter. This forced Madam Xie to open her own family genealogy, saying that she was still surnamed Xie, but with one less surname than the Xie in Daming Prefecture."

Do you know what's missing?

"What's missing is a little bit of filth."

"It is evident that the Xie family has done many bad things in Daming Prefecture. Later, it was Madam Xie who helped the government uncover many of the Xie family's sordid deeds and sent the entire Xie family to prison."

"However, the Seventh Master Xie who just went in is not with the Xie family. His mother was also killed by the Xie family. After the Xie family fell, the Seventh Master Xie took over the Xie family's porcelain kiln and treated Madam Xie like his own sister. Now he is Madam Xie's family."

The tabloids of Daming Prefecture had written about the Xie family, but details and inside stories such as "the Xie family was missing a little bit" were not mentioned in the tabloids. Not only did others find it fascinating, but even Prince Huai and Xie Chengxin were completely captivated by it.

"Tell me, aren't Madam Xie and Master Xie kind people?" the boatman sighed. "In this world, when people are in trouble, even blood relatives may not be able to help, let alone strangers."

Xie Chengxin felt as if the boatman's words were a needle pricking him painfully. Xie Qi was an unrelated person, but he was the blood relative... He knew all the inside stories, but dared not speak them out, much less acknowledge them.

"Chengxin?"

The voice of the Prince of Huai brought Xie Chengxin back to his senses.

"Didn't you say you were leaving?" asked the Prince of Huai.

Xie Chengxin nodded and followed Prince Huai out. Where the two could not see, the gossiping "boatman" also withdrew his enthusiastic expression, stopped talking to the people around him, and looked at Yang Xiaoshan at the door.

Yang Xiaoshan nodded, and the boatman squeezed out of the crowd when no one was paying attention.

Since the incident involving Zhang Wei a few days ago, Yang Xiaoshan has increased his manpower at the South City Wharf. Not to mention that everyone coming and going is under Yang Xiaoshan's watchful eye, those with ulterior motives can be targeted as soon as they show the slightest clue.

Not to mention the Xie family.

When Yang Xiaoshan was traveling around Bianjing, he remembered the appearances of many people, especially the Xie and Xia families, because whenever the eldest daughter-in-law needed anything, they would definitely go there to inquire about information first, recognizing people was the first step.

As soon as Xie Chengxin sat down in the teahouse, Yang Xiaoshan had someone keep an eye on him and then relayed the message to Madam. As for why Madam had arranged this scene, Yang Xiaoshan had a vague guess, but without Madam's permission, he wouldn't mention it to anyone else, much less try to confirm it.

……

After leaving the dock, Prince Huai and Xie Chengxin rode their horses into the city.

"Eldest son," said the Prince of Huai, "Why do you look so troubled? Are you still worried about Second Brother?"

Xie Chengxin naturally wouldn't tell the truth, but simply said, "The Xia family's case hasn't been decided yet, I wonder what the outcome will be for Xia Mengxian?"

The Prince of Huai hesitated for a moment before saying, "There is no news yet, but His Majesty has already ordered the Secretariat to draft an edict, authorizing Wang Yan to conduct a full review and investigation."

“Unlike Prime Minister Wang, Wang Yan will not petition the court for leniency.”

"Does Your Highness mean," Xie Chengxin said, "that you might be sentenced to death?"

The Prince of Huai nodded.

Xie Chengxin gasped.

“Times have changed,” said the Prince of Huai. “The winds of change in the court have shifted, and the Emperor’s appointment of Wang Yan is a sign of this.”

“Wang Yan is decisive and ruthless. With such a person in the court, not only will everyone feel insecure, but people will also have to be more careful in their actions in the future.”

Seeing Xie Chengxin's gaze grow even more somber, the Prince of Huai said, "But don't worry, if I hear any news, I will definitely let you know."

Xie Chengxin immediately said, "Thank you, Your Highness."

The Prince of Huai said, "Wen Jing saved my life... Even before I knew her identity, I was determined to find her and protect her."

"Now that my wish has been fulfilled, I will naturally treat her and her family well."

Xie Chengxin felt even more guilty and replied perfunctorily, "If it were anyone else, they wouldn't stand by and watch someone die."

Prince Huai chuckled, "Eldest brother, you are mistaken. An ordinary woman would have turned and run away. Second sister's character is exceptionally different. I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but it is precisely because of this that other women cannot catch my eye."

Xie Chengxin thought about the difference between Xie Wenjing and Xie Yuyan at home. He could understand it before because he didn't know Xie Yuyan's personality, but now that he saw it more clearly, he became more and more flustered.

Even if Xie Wenjing tried to learn, she could never become like Xie Yuyan. If she married the Prince of Huai and her true identity was exposed... Xie Chengxin dared not think further. He tentatively said, "In the past, my second sister took care of our grandmother in the countryside and always shouldered the burden of difficulties. Naturally, she developed that kind of temperament. After returning to Bianjing, Mother always had my second sister do needlework and learn etiquette at home. She is very different from when she was in the countryside."

The Prince of Huai relaxed his brows, as if he had thought of something, and after a long while he said, "Wen Jing is still at home doing needlework? Why make things difficult for her? She doesn't seem like the kind of person who knows how to do these things."

"Besides, how can a person's nature change? I can't visit your residence often right now, so you might as well tell her that I don't care about these things. I can just hire a few more embroiderers in the future."

“How can that be?” Xie Chengxin couldn’t help but tighten his grip on the reins. “Mother said that my second sister must know the rules and how to behave after marrying into the Prince’s Mansion. She must not bring shame to the royal family.”

Prince Huai gazed into the distance, recalling the nine rules newly established by the porcelain industry: "What are rules? What are etiquette? Why listen to others? Only what you set yourself counts."

I wish you all a happy May Day!

No updates tonight, updates will be posted during the day tomorrow.