Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 594 He's really back

Zhou Zhaochang opened the window, glanced outside, and then carefully closed it again.

In fact, Zhou Zhaochang was being a bit too cautious. Inside the house, the uncle and nephew spoke in hushed tones, so that even if someone stood outside the window, they wouldn't hear a thing.

However, the Xie family now gave Zhou Zhaochang a terrifying feeling, and he did this only to relieve his tension.

Sitting back down on the edge of the bed, Zhou Zhaochang stared at Xie Chengxin: "Do you have any evidence?"

Xie Chengxin shook his head: "No, but I once secretly went to the manor and saw my second sister after she grew up."

Zhou Zhaochang tensed up: "So... you figured it out a long time ago?"

Xie Chengxin took a deep breath: "I have seen my second sister before, but we were too far apart that time to see her clearly. Besides, the two second sisters look very similar, so I can't be sure for the moment."

"Later, when my second sister came to the mansion, I deliberately spoke to her and could feel that she was unusually nervous. Several times, her tone of voice was obviously like that of someone from the south, which made me even more suspicious."

“I didn’t want to talk about this with anyone, but my father has acknowledged her, and the Empress Dowager has arranged a marriage between my second sister and the Prince of Huai. This is a huge matter, and if it gets out, it will definitely cause a great disaster.”

"But... I have to say it now."

Xie Chengxin looked at Zhou Zhaochang earnestly: "I'm afraid those people not only want to impersonate my second sister, but also want to harm my mother."

"I don't trust anyone, so after thinking it over, I can only tell my uncle."

Zhou Zhaochang nodded subconsciously.

“Uncle,” Xie Chengxin said, “what do you know? Tell me, and maybe if we put our heads together, we can figure out some of the truth. Does Mother know that my second sister wasn’t born to her?”

Zhou Zhaochang pondered for a long time before saying, "Your mother naturally knows."

"After your mother married into the Xie family, she gave birth to their eldest son. She hoped to have a son as her second child so that she would have more confidence. However, she gave birth to a daughter. Your mother was unhappy and fell ill during her postpartum period. Before she was fully recovered, she became pregnant again, so the pregnancy was unstable. Then, the Xie family had a misfortune, and the child could not be saved."

“I saw the midwife take the child out to bury him.”

The Xie family had been in trouble repeatedly, and the house was in chaos. He was still young at the time, and no one was watching him, so he discovered all of this.

He originally wanted to advise his elder sister, but when the steward reported the good news that the mother and daughter were safe, he became cautious and did not ask any questions.

Later, when he heard that the child had gone to the estate with the old lady, he knew there was something fishy about it.

Zhou Zhaochang said, "Knowing this secret, I couldn't let it go, so I found an opportunity to go to the manor to check."

Xie Chengxin asked in surprise, "Uncle, are you referring to the estate my grandmother went to?"

Zhou Zhaochang responded.

Xie Chengxin said, "Then, later..."

Zhou Zhaochang took a deep breath: "I sneaked in and overheard your grandmother talking to your second uncle's attendant. I learned that the girl was your second uncle's child."

"In order to save the child, your second aunt cut open her abdomen and let her attendants escape with the baby. When your second uncle saw your second aunt in such a terrible state, he refused to live either and led his soldiers to fight those cultists to the death."

"Of the three family members, only one baby survived. That's why your grandmother took her to the countryside to raise her herself."

Xie Chengxin didn't understand: "Why hide in the countryside? You could have done it in the mansion..." He then remembered that his grandmother resented his father for refusing to rescue his second uncle. The demonic sect had besieged his second uncle and aunt in the mountains. If his father withdrew his troops, they would have left with their men, but his father refused. In retaliation, the demonic sect killed his second uncle and aunt, so their deaths were inextricably linked to his father.

“Grandmother doesn’t believe my father.” Zhou Zhaochang nodded: “Your grandmother indeed doesn’t believe your father. She knew I was eavesdropping that time.”

Xie Chengxin asked in surprise, "And then what happened?"

Zhou Zhaochang said, "Your grandmother had someone take me into the house and said some things to me, telling me to keep this a secret, and that perhaps it would bring good results in the future."

Xie Chengxin was even more bewildered; he wasn't that smart and couldn't figure these things out.

Zhou Zhaochang said, "Your grandmother said that your father would even harm his own brothers for the sake of his official career, and there's no guarantee that he won't turn his attention to the Zhou family in the future. She told me to keep this secret so that if your father really does such a thing in the future, the Zhou family can use it to protect themselves."

Xie Chengxin sensed something was amiss: "Doesn't my mother know all this? How can this be considered a secret?"

Zhou Zhaochang hesitated for a long time before saying, "Your second uncle's close aides said that your second uncle was determined to recruit those sorcerers because there were many innocent people among them who had been deceived. But for some reason, the garrison he brought suddenly attacked the sorcerers."

"When your second uncle's attendant was fleeing with the child, he saw Ma Yue, the military commander of the other side, with your father. Besides him, there was also a military officer from Fuzhou who was talking to your father."

“At the time, I didn’t quite understand what he meant. It wasn’t until I grew up and entered officialdom that I realized that your father’s association with those people meant that he controlled all the troops in Fuzhou. He should have been able to save your second uncle.”

Besides, Xie Yisong didn't order Ma Yue to take action, so who was Ma Yue following orders to?

Xie Chengxin asked, "How are those two doing now?"

Zhou Zhaochang said, "Ma Yue died in battle at sea two years later. As for the military commander, he is currently the military commander of Fujian Road."

In just over a decade, Xie Yizhi rose through the ranks to become a Privy Councilor, a minor military officer who now controlled the troops in Fujian Province. Both of them enjoyed remarkably smooth careers.

Silence fell in the room once again.

After a long pause, Xie Chengxin asked again, "Uncle, do you think what Grandmother said is true?"

Why would a mother distrust her son so much? Is it because she has discovered something, or is it because she favors her second son?

Zhou Zhaochang shook his head: "I don't know either."

“Then let me mention something else,” Xie Chengxin pursed his lips, “My father is very cold to my second sister in public, but he cares about her a lot in private.”

The growing suspicions were suffocating the uncle and nephew.

Zhou Zhaochang said, "It's difficult for us to understand all of this; we can only take it one step at a time."

Xie Chengxin nodded: "The best course of action now is to find the heretical cultists in our family. Both my second uncle and my father have fought against the heretical cults. These heretical cultists have infiltrated the Xie family, and they must be harboring evil intentions."

Zhou Zhaochang also thought this made sense: "Have you thought about what to do after the investigation finds out? What if your father is involved with the demonic cult...?"

“I still think it’s unlikely. Even if there is some connection…” Xie Chengxin looked at Zhou Zhaochang, “we should try every means to stop him. We can’t just watch him get deeper and deeper into trouble.”

"This matter cannot be hidden. If we don't take care of it, someone else will."

Zhou Zhaochang looked at Xie Chengxin.

Xie Chengxin said slowly, "The real second sister has returned."

(End of this chapter)