Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 531 Tracking
Xie Chengxin felt a mix of emotions as he listened to the words of the Prince of Huai.

When his second sister was engaged to the Prince of Huai, he overheard the women chatting with his mother, saying that the Prince of Huai was deeply in love with his second sister. However, when he spent time with the Prince of Huai in private, he did not feel any of this and only felt that those people were exaggerating.

Prince Huai may seem gentle, but the longer you get to know him, the more you'll realize that your understanding of him will always remain at the level of your first meeting, and it's very difficult to fathom what he's thinking.

Perhaps this is the difference between royalty and ordinary people.

But after what Prince Huai said, Xie Chengxin began to believe that the prince admired his second sister. If he didn't care, he would never have gone to so much trouble to find out what his second sister was thinking.

Those unaware of the inside story would surely be envious, but Xie Chengxin felt as if he had been placed on a hot seat, his heart filled with anxiety and restlessness.

Father thought that Prince Huai could deceive the truth by not seeing his second sister's true face. Would he regret it if he found out the truth?
The Prince of Huai said, "I have spoken with my mother and asked her to invite Second Madam to our residence. If Second Madam visits our residence more often, there will be fewer people gossiping about the Xie family."

This is using the name of the King of Qin to suppress those below him.

The Prince of Huai's thoughtfulness was almost too much for Xie Chengxin to bear, so he quickly put on a grateful expression and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."

The two parted ways at the intersection. Xie Chengxin headed home, his mind filled with nothing but Lady Xie and Prince Huai. As he stepped through the gate, the steward greeted him, saying, "Young Master, you're finally back! Madam has been searching everywhere for you!"

Xie Chengxin nodded, changed his clothes, and went to pay his respects to Madam Zhou.

Upon seeing Xie Chengxin, Madam Zhou immediately asked, "Where have you been?"

Xie Chengxin tentatively suggested, "Let's go take a look at the South City Wharf."

Madam Zhou pondered for a moment: "South City Wharf...isn't that Xie family's place?"

"Yes," Xie Chengxin replied. "Does Mother still remember the Xie family?"

Madam Zhou said, "How could I not know? I met her once at Baode Temple. Many recent events are related to that Xie woman; she is truly a troublemaker."

Xie Chengxin looked at his mother carefully, but he couldn't see any emotional fluctuation on her face.

Madam Zhou changed the subject and earnestly advised, "Don't go to those places anymore. Your father has a lot of business at the government office. Even if you, as the eldest son, don't share the burden of the family, don't cause any more trouble."

Xie Chengxin responded.

Thinking of Xie Yizhi's expression, Madam Zhou instructed again: "Do whatever your father tells you to do. The future of the Xie family rests on your shoulders as the eldest son."

Xie Chengxin usually found it annoying when people urged him to improve, but today he found it unconsciously audible.

He may truly bear the weight of the Xie family's rise and fall. His father thought he could escape danger by staying at home, but little did he know... the marriage he thought would bring wealth and glory to the Xie family might become a disaster that wipes out the entire clan.

He couldn't imagine what the Prince would think after he found out that his second sister was a fake.

Do you feel like you've been played by the Xie family?
What would happen if we continued investigating from here?

Xie Chengxin looked dazed. Madam Zhou, seeing this, didn't suspect anything, simply assuming that her eldest son, as usual, disliked her nagging. The child had grown up and was no longer obedient, unlike his younger self.

Madam Zhou waved her hand: "Don't say I didn't warn you. If you offend your father, you'll be punished."

Xie Chengxin wanted to say something, but seeing his mother's impatient expression, he completely abandoned the idea. No matter what he said to his mother, she would only immediately tell his father. Besides… this matter involved the identity of the fake stepmother; his mother had no idea what his father had done.

Returning to his room in a daze, Xie Chengxin lay on the bed, thinking about the situation at the South City Wharf. When he met Xie Niangzi at Baode Temple, he thought that no matter what, his father would handle things well and that Xie Niangzi could not threaten the Xie family.

After witnessing Xia Mengxian and others being arrested, and Xie Niangzi taking over the porcelain business, he began to feel afraid.

Will the Xie family one day end up like the Xia family?
If the second sister remembers what happened before, she can seek help from the Prince of Huai...

Xie Chengxin immediately sat up in bed. He was told to go tell his father that he couldn't bring himself to harm Xie Niangzi again. This matter involved too many secrets, and with the truth he knew now, he couldn't possibly resolve the current predicament.

He still doesn't understand why his father resents his grandfather and even orders the murder of his own flesh and blood. Could it be... that his second sister, now known as Lady Xie, isn't actually his father and mother's biological daughter?

It was because of this speculation that he mentioned Lady Xie to his mother.

What mother wouldn't recognize her own daughter?
Is it because Mother hasn't seen her second sister all these years that she made a mistake?
But this reason was problematic from the start. Even he would ask about his second sister's situation from time to time. Why did his mother ignore her own flesh and blood?
Xie Chengxin felt that he couldn't act rashly before figuring things out. The key question was, how could he secretly find out all of this?

Since my grandparents have passed away, some things are difficult to investigate. It's better to start with those around us.

Xie Chengxin opened the window and looked at the courtyard where Xie Wenjing lived.

……

Three days after Madam Xie took over the porcelain shop, six boats loaded with porcelain left the South City Wharf.

The merchants on the ship all had smiles on their faces.

He didn't expect things to be resolved so easily. After verifying that there was no problem with the contract in his hand, the porcelain shop immediately allocated porcelain to him. Although the number of porcelain pieces differed slightly from the original contract, Madam Xie wrote a new contract with him, reducing the price of the next porcelain purchase by half a percent.

This half-price is compensation for his losses.

This contract has been verified by the official in charge of market transactions, so it remains valid even if the broker changes.

Upon seeing this, Shang Wenchao immediately agreed. He knew very well that the reason for giving him such a big benefit was to make him take the lead, so that the merchants wouldn't all crowd around the porcelain shop and refuse to leave.

So he made a quick decision, packed the porcelain early in the morning, and left Bianjing in full view of everyone.

"Brother Shang." Several more boats left the dock and caught up with the merchant's ship. Two boats docked together, and Min Duhai jumped aboard.

"Let's say a few words."

Min Duhai pulled Shang Wenchao to sit down in the cabin. Both of them came from Liangzhe Road. Although they both traveled this trade route, given the prosperity of Bianjing, even if there were more merchants, let alone two, they could still eat their fill. Therefore, they usually helped each other out and would exchange information in advance if anything happened.

When Han Si ran into trouble, there was a shortage of porcelain, and they couldn't deliver the goods as previously agreed. Some merchants privately encouraged everyone to cause trouble. It was clearly written in black and white that since the Bianjing porcelain merchants were in the wrong first, they simply didn't want the porcelain anymore and forced the porcelain merchants to compensate them ten times the price.

If the Bianjing porcelain shops cannot make the compensation, they will lose their credibility.

With so many merchants joining forces, they're bound to cause a huge commotion in Bianjing, and then Madam Xie won't be able to continue being a seasoned merchant.

It must be said that this plan was really good. Unfortunately, Madam Xie persuaded some merchants to back down, and the matter was suppressed. Shang Wenchao was one of them. Min Duhai rushed over, wanting to find out why Shang Wenchao stood on Madam Xie's side.
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