Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 596 Rely on yourself

Master Jingyuan paused slightly as she twirled the prayer beads.

I want to go home.

These words sound quite ordinary.

Even a daughter who has married far away can say such a thing one day: even if the journey is long, at least she knows where she is going.

Xie Yuyan... was unaware of this.

Whether in her past life or this one, she never had a home. The Xie family in her past life was like a cage; once she was of use, they would hand her over to someone else. She was nothing more than an object to be sold. Because she saw through this early on, she began to deal with the Xie family. Schemes, plots, and lies were as essential to her as eating and resting. This was the understanding she had gained from those around her since childhood.

You have to rely on yourself to survive.

She doesn't trust anyone easily. For her, "trust" is just a means to an end; whoever trusts her becomes prey, at her mercy.

When she meets a stranger, she doesn't try to understand him, but rather tries to exploit him to achieve her own goals.

She had long seen through the hypocrisy hidden beneath that facade.

Even in the end, when the country was destroyed and her family perished, her use of the Xie family to fight the enemy was a last resort. Having exhausted all her resources, she had no choice but to exchange interests with the Xie family.

She is the Empress Dowager; if they win this battle, it will bring wealth and glory to the Xie family.

Therefore, when Xie Chengrang betrayed the Great Liang, he would completely sever ties with her. Only by doing so could he cut off the Xie family's escape route and gain the trust of the Northern Qi.

This is her relationship with the Xie family. Even when faced with a life-or-death situation, the Xie family's words cannot be trusted.

In this life, she is a lost soul without a master.

Home felt even more distant to her.

She would target Prefect Liu, the Xie family, and the Xia family only because old debts had not been settled.

But to her surprise, after changing her identity and nearly falling into dire straits, she unexpectedly received genuine concern from others. Zhang Shi, Yang Qin, and... Wang Yan.

They didn't scheme when they should have, and they placed their trust in others when they shouldn't have.

Completely different from the Xie family, and even more different from the opponents encountered in the palace.

Zhang was one thing, she had no particular interest, but Wang Yan was the same way...

Their lack of scheming and their sincerity led her unknowingly down a different path, and she felt a different kind of emotion.

She had to thank Xie Wenjing; without her, she wouldn't have this life.

She used to want to use Xie Wenjing's identity to punish the Xie family, but now she wants to do something for Xie Wenjing and help her get justice.

"You remembered?" asked Abbess Jingyuan.

Even without Xie Yuyan giving her an answer, Jingyuan knew that it was unlikely. The fact that Xie Yuyan had found her meant that the matter was not so simple.

Xie Yuyan shook his head: "But I guessed it."

"Jiao Da, who abducted and sold women, brought them from Bianjing and secretly took them to Daming Prefecture."

Master Jingyuan said, "So you guess that you come from Bianjing?"

Xie Yuyan did not respond to Abbess Jingyuan, but continued, "Jiao Da brought the women from Bianjing, but when he arrived in Daming Prefecture, he found that there were two extra people. The two people had a conflict with Jiao Da. One of them was seriously injured and fell into a state of suspended animation. Jiao Da simply sold her to the Xie family as a corpse. The other was tortured and interrogated by Jiao Da."

At this point, she took out a bead from her bosom and handed it to Abbess Jingyuan: "When we found the woman who had been tortured by Jiao Da, she could no longer speak, but the expression on her face clearly showed that she recognized me."

Xie Yuyan recounted the woman's tragic condition in detail, and handed the jade bead in her hand to Abbess Jingyuan: "This is the thing she has been hiding all along. I think it must be related to my background."

Master Jingyuan held the jade bead up to the light and slowly rotated it, then saw the character "菁" (Jing).

Master Jingyuan said, “You once regarded me as a pearl in your palm. This should be a jade pendant engraved with your name.” The character “菁”.

Abbess Jingyuan suddenly took the jade bead in her hand: "The second daughter of Privy Councilor Xie, named Wenjing."

Master Jingyuan thought of something: when Xie Yuyan offered the reliquary to Baode Temple, he gave away Buddhist porcelain to everyone. The one given to Xie Shumi fell to the ground and broke.

Master Jingyuan said, "When you met Privy Councilor Xie at Baode Temple, did you already have a guess?"

Xie Yuyan nodded: "That day, when Xie Shumi's eldest son saw me, his expression was strange. I handed the Buddhist porcelain to him as a way to test him further."

That makes perfect sense.

“However, based solely on this jade bead, it’s hard to believe that you are Xie Er Niangzi,” Master Jingyuan said, looking at Xie Yuyan. “Even you yourself haven’t remembered those past events, so your guesses are even less reliable.”

Xie Yuyan was unaware of Xie Wenjing's past. Most of what she heard in the Xie family in her previous life was from a fabricated story about Xie Wenjing. Therefore, she couldn't pretend to have remembered the past; that would be too easy to make a mistake.

Xie Yuyan showed no anxiety whatsoever. She smiled slightly and said, "As long as the time is right, even my enemies will testify for me."

Master Jingyuan perked up: "That's good, you don't need to try to find evidence."

"Then, this jade bead..."

Master Jingyuan handed it to Xie Yuyan, but Xie Yuyan did not take it: "It's best if you keep it for me, Master. It's most appropriate to put it here."

Xie Yuyan didn't mean for her to keep the bead; quite the opposite, he wanted her to take the jade bead to show to others.

With more people taking notice of the matter, it became difficult for Xie Shumi to tamper with it.

Master Jingyuan put the jade beads away: "What are you planning to do?"

Xie Yuyan said, "In a few days, the Second Madam Xie of the Xie family will probably try to leave Bianjing. I will try to keep her here."

When Master Jingyuan heard this, she suddenly found it very interesting. There are many secrets in the families of high-ranking officials and nobles, but this is the first time she has seen someone replace their daughter.

There must be many secrets hidden here.

Master Jingyuan loved watching these.

If Benefactor Xie were to return to the Xie family, Abbess Jingyuan's heart stirred, and that thought flashed through her mind again... bringing them one step closer.

Therefore, she had to help take the jade bead to the Cining Palace so that the Empress Dowager could take a look.

……

Xie Yuyan left Ciyun Nunnery.

Madam Yu whispered, "Madam has arranged everything and is ready to act at any time." She then confirmed that her guesses were correct; Madam was indeed a member of the Xie family.

“We still have to wait,” Xie Yuyan said. “I have some guesses about many things, but there is one thing that has not yet been confirmed.”

Yu's mother did not ask any questions on her own.

Xie Yuyan said, "More than ten years have passed. Since she suspects Xie Yizhi, hasn't she ever thought about finding out the truth?"

The fact that Old Madam Xie decisively took her granddaughter away from Bianjing City reveals a glimpse into her character. Xie Yuyan felt that Old Madam Xie wouldn't remain inactive.

Along with the jade bead was a Manichaean jade plaque.

Where did this jade pendant come from?

Who gave it to Xie Yuyan? These secrets will eventually be answered.

(End of this chapter)