Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 572 Seeds of Doubt
Xie Chengxin was always conflicted.

As someone who knew the truth, he felt guilty for not speaking out, but these were things beyond his control. At the same time, he feared that his second sister would expose the lie, which would bring annihilation to the entire Xie family. Torn between his second sister and his parents and brother, he had no choice but to pretend he knew nothing and live a life of ignorance in front of others.

Unexpectedly, while secretly observing Lady Xie, he encountered Prince Huai. Since then, Prince Huai had repeatedly approached him, mentioning the porcelain shop and Lady Xie. He wasn't stupid; how could he not sense Prince Huai's probing intent?
That's why he never dared to refuse whenever the Prince of Huai summoned him, fearing the prince might suspect something. Tonight, he deliberately ran into his father and "accidentally" revealed these things in front of him, as a way of reminding his father.

I hope my father can resolve everything so that no one gets hurt.

He can't do it, but maybe his father can.

Clearly, the father had no intention of resolving the issue; instead, he wanted to use him to find out information about the Prince of Huai.

Will Father go further astray down this path?
Xie Chengxin dared not openly offer advice, and could only lower his head and silently accept the arrangement.

“I understand,” Xie Chengxin said. “When I see the Prince of Huai, I will remind him that his marriage to his second sister has not yet been arranged, so as not to cause any further trouble.”

Xie Yizhi nodded in satisfaction: "Tell him that Wenjing has been away from home for many years to take care of her grandmother. She finally recovered and was able to return to Bianjing. Her whole family loves her dearly. If she is wronged, neither her parents nor her brothers will stand idly by."

Xie Chengxin responded. His father was intimidating Prince Huai; if he wanted the Xie family's support, he had to fulfill the marriage agreement properly.

Xie Yizhi said, "These words are for the Prince of Huai, and also for you. Your second sister has been by your grandmother's side for many years and has suffered a lot. You should make it up to her in the future."

Xie Chengxin saw a loving look flash in his father's eyes, a look that didn't seem fake. This had happened several times already, giving him the illusion that his father was telling the truth.

But clearly the current second sister is a fake.

So what is the truth? Is the second younger sister now the father's daughter?
"Does Mother know?" Xie Chengxin asked instinctively.

Xie Yizhi was taken aback, and after a moment he said, "What did you say?"

Xie Chengxin came to his senses: "I...I said, should we let Mother know about the Prince of Huai's actions?"

Xie Yizhi immediately said, "Your mother is not well, so don't let her worry. Don't mention what we've discussed today to your mother."

Xie Chengxin nodded: "If Mother asks me why I am so close to the Prince, I will say... Father asked me to take good care of my second sister, and I am doing this... to keep an eye on the Prince of Huai."

Xie Yizhi's expression remained unchanged, but Xie Chengxin noticed his father's slightly furrowed brow: "There's no need to say so much to your mother, lest she overthink it."

Xie Chengxin's heart sank.

The previous suspicions have now been confirmed.

Xie Yizhi waved her sleeve: "Go down. If the Prince of Huai makes any further moves, you must tell me immediately."

Xie Chengxin responded.

Xie Yizhi walked out of the house. Xie Chengxin watched his father's back as a bead of sweat trickled down his neck, and he felt a chill run down his spine.

His mother's health was really bad, especially after her miscarriage two years ago. He would never have thought much of it before, but ever since his grandfather passed away, he felt that everything in this family was problematic.

What's frightening is that some of these suspicions have been confirmed.

So, could it be...?

Xie Chengxin dared not think any further.

He strode out of the study and bumped into someone, startling Xie Chengxin into screaming.

"Brother," Xie Chengrang said, raising the lantern in his hand, "what are you doing here?"

Xie Chengxin's heart was pounding, and he finally calmed down: "Second brother, you... haven't rested yet?" "I've been reading in the study," Xie Chengrang said. "I was just about to go back when I passed by this courtyard and saw that the study was still lit. I thought Father had returned, but I didn't expect it to be my eldest brother."

Xie Chengxin breathed a sigh of relief: "Father has gone back to the main house. It's getting late, you should get some rest too!"

Too much had happened tonight, and Xie Chengxin had no intention of keeping Xie Chengrang company, lest Xie Chengrang notice something amiss. He just wanted to get back to his room as soon as possible and sort out his thoughts.

Xie Chengrang said, "Brother didn't bring a lantern, so I'll escort you to the courtyard."

Xie Chengxin nodded haphazardly, and the two brothers walked side by side.

When they arrived at Xie Chengrang's residence, Xie Chengxin called out to him, "Go back, I just remembered I need to go see my mother."

Xie Chengrang stopped in his tracks. Although he had retained his official position after the Xia family was arrested, few people at the Dali Temple talked to him anymore. Xie Chengrang wasn't in a hurry; he figured the matter would be forgotten once Xia Mengxian's case was over. What worried him was the attitude of the Prince of Huai towards him.

In the past, whenever something happened, the Prince of Huai would come to him, but now, for some reason, he has set his sights on his elder brother. The things he had painstakingly planned before are gradually going astray.

Xie Chengxin had no time to think about Xie Chengrang. He remembered something: his mother seemed to need to take medicine every night. A thought drove him to walk quickly toward the small kitchen.

Sure enough, he smelled a strong medicinal odor. A moment later, the head maid next to his mother came out of the small kitchen carrying the medicine.

"Dalangjun."

The headmistress stepped forward and bowed.

"Is this Mother's medicine?" Xie Chengxin asked.

The head housekeeper nodded: "It's for the madam."

"What's wrong with Mother lately? Why is she taking medicine every day?" Xie Chengxin asked. "She's probably been taking it for over a month now, hasn't she?"

The head housekeeper said, "It's nothing serious, young master, don't worry."

Normally, Xie Chengxin would have let it go, but today he was determined to get to the bottom of it.

“Since it’s nothing serious, don’t let Mother drink it,” Xie Chengxin said. “I heard from the imperial physician at the Prince of Huai’s place that too much medicine can actually harm the body.”

"When my mother asked, I said it was me who stopped her."

Xie Chengxin said that he was about to go get the medicine.

The head housekeeper hurriedly dodged, saying, "Young master, this is unacceptable."

Seeing that she couldn't persuade Xie Chengxin, the head housekeeper had no choice but to tell the truth: "Young master, this... is not a bad medicine... Madam just... wants to give you a younger brother."

"Master likes the eldest son and the third son, and Madam also wants the mansion to be more lively."

Xie Chengxin stood there, frozen in place.

The head maid thought the young master was embarrassed, so she bowed to him and said, "Madam is still waiting, I have to hurry and deliver the medicine before it gets cold."

A gust of wind blew by, and the fog in Xie Chengxin's mind seemed to dissipate. Then, a wicked thought suddenly came to him.

Does the father really want the mother to have another child for him? Or does he want the mother to lose her life during childbirth?

(End of this chapter)