Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 7 Help
Yang Qin was about to stand up and sneak out to check the situation when Xie Yuyan grabbed him.

Yang Qin remained silent, knowing that whatever they said would be heard by those outside.

After Yang Qin sat down again, Xie Yuyan poured the water from his cup onto the table and wrote some words for Yang Qin to see as he spoke.

"Actually, it's not that I can't remember anything."

"I vaguely remember being on a bumpy ride in a car on the road. It must have taken a long time... We stopped a few times, and I even heard people talking."

Xie Yuyan paused here, then added, "It seems the carriage was stopped, and only after someone gave them money could it move forward again."

"I didn't mention it earlier... because my mind was a mess, but now that the doctor has given me acupuncture, things are becoming clearer."

Yang Qin stared at the writing on the table for a long time, and at Xie Yuyan's prompting, he repeated it word by word: "I think Inspector He is a good official. In a little while... Madam, talk to the Inspector? Let the official go find those people."

Xie Yuyan remained silent for a long time before sighing again: "But I didn't see those people, whether they were kidnappers or those who were helping him."

After saying this, she seemed to remember something: "But I remember his voice. If he were standing in front of me and speaking, I would definitely recognize him... Maybe if I rest for a while, I can remember more."

The soldiers outside the window heard these words, especially "I remember his voice," and their expressions changed immediately. They wanted to continue listening, but then they remembered something and hurriedly left.

Yang Qin watched the shadow disappear and whispered, "It's gone."

Xie Yuyan nodded.

Zhang didn't quite understand why Xie Yuyan said those things, and she still hadn't figured out how much of what he said was true.

"You...you really remember?" Madam Zhang still hoped that Xie Yuyan could recall some of the past.

Xie Yuyan said, "It's fake."

After saying that, Xie Yuyan looked at Yang Qin and said, "Go find General Chen and tell him that someone is eavesdropping at the window. If General Chen finds out about this, he should not take my words seriously. They are all lies. If someone is deliberately trying to find out information, please ask him to investigate."

Yang Qin couldn't fully understand what Xie Yuyan was doing; he only knew that she was dealing with those bad people, so he responded and ran out.

Zhang couldn't help but ask, "Why did you lie to that person? This is a government office; everyone who can come in is a government official. He..."

Xie Yuyan rolled up her sleeve, revealing the dark purple bandages on her wrists, densely packed, with new marks overlapping old ones. There were also bruises on her arms, some new and some old.

“Those people carried me a long way, how did I get through all the checkpoints along the way? Even if I was transporting a corpse into the city, I couldn’t avoid being inspected.”

Zhang finally understood. She looked outside nervously: "You mean, those kidnappers are colluding with the officials?"

Xie Yuyan said, "Whether it is true or not, the patrol office will have to investigate."

She couldn't tell Zhang that the biggest upheaval of the Zhiping era was about to begin, which was also the purpose of He Tan's trip to Daming Prefecture: to arrest those military officers and officials who colluded with merchants.

Even without her tipping off, He Tan could have found out the truth. It's just that the timing is too good. If she gives it a push, she might be able to find out about the original owner of this body's experiences sooner.

……

The second hall of the government office.

He Tan handed the results of the midwife's examination to Wang Hechun.

The woman's ordeal was all recorded on this document; she had been bound for many days and tossed about in many places.

He Tan said, "Without someone to meet them, they can't get the person into the city. This isn't just finding a kidnapper; it's finding a smooth road to wealth. It's just a pity that the woman knows too little, so she probably won't be able to make much of a fuss."

Wang Hechun raised his eyes: "Brother, it's not difficult to find out their background. Tell that woman that we can use her name to spread some information and make them panic. Order people to keep an eye on the city gate guards, the garrison troops, and the government offices. We'll have results soon."

He Tan's face was solemn: "I originally thought those people were just using merchants to transport and sell rice, cloth and silk, but I didn't expect them to even dare to get involved in something like kidnapping and selling people."

Wang Hechun remained silent, his mind preoccupied with how to use this case to create an opening in Daming Prefecture.

"Inspector, Wang..., sirs," Chen Ju rushed in, his face showing a mixture of surprise and delight. "The Yang family's child just came looking for me. They discovered that someone was eavesdropping on their conversation."

He Tan looked at Chen Ju: "Have you caught the person?"

“Not yet,” Chen Ju said. “We’ve already sent people to follow… but… that’s not the most important thing.”

"They tricked the soldier who was eavesdropping."

Chen Ju repeated what Yang Qin had told him: "I had someone investigate. A soldier on duty had just left the yamen not long ago. It seems he went out to report a message. I sent people out to find him. We're sure we can catch them red-handed." He Tan looked at Wang Hechun with delight: "The thing you were just planning has been accomplished by someone. It seems we're both really lucky."

Wang Hechun seemed lost in thought.

He Tan continued, "However, if Jiao Da can't find anything, without the source, it will be quite difficult to find out the woman's identity. She is not a member of the Xie family, and we don't know her background. We don't know how to deal with her in the future."

Wang Hechun interjected, "Brother, why don't you ask her what her plans are?"

He Tan poured a cup of tea and handed it to Wang Hechun: "Do you have an idea?"

The aroma of tea was delightful, perfectly balancing the sweetness of the chestnuts.

Wang Hechun didn't drink the tea, but instead peeled another chestnut and put it in his mouth. The sweet and sticky taste made him squint his eyes comfortably: "I think she has an idea."

A person who can save himself in such a situation, come up with ideas to trick others, and try to find out the truth about his own case can naturally also assess the situation and choose a good place for himself in the future.

……

As dusk approached, Yang Qin brought back the message.

“Those who were looking for Jiao Da have returned,” Yang Qin said. “I heard they found him.”

Xie Yuyan said, "You saw it?"

Yang Qin shook his head: "No, it just feels strange. Once the person is found, shouldn't they be taken to jail for interrogation? Like... that matchmaker."

Before Yang Qin could guess any further, Chen Ju's voice rang out from outside.

Zhang hurriedly went to open the door.

Chen Ju treated this family even more kindly than he had with the Yang family. In his heart, this family was truly his lucky star. Since he arrived in Daming Prefecture and took charge of the affairs of the area, on the surface, those people were very respectful to him, but in reality, they were all watching coldly, hoping that these soldiers from the battlefield would lose face here.

If he gives orders, he'll avoid doing them if possible. If he goes looking for trouble, everyone will find a pretext to politely wait for him to lose his temper.

If he takes action, the inspector will be impeached very soon.

For the sake of the greater good, he had no choice but to endure, dreaming of finding an opportunity to properly deal with those murderers.

Then this case came into being.

He could sense that everyone in the government office had become cautious and terrified. This family had given him another reason to arrest someone.

I felt incredibly happy.

Now he couldn't wait to solve the case and give that young woman justice.

Unfortunately it backfired.

Chen Ju sighed inwardly and whispered to Zhang Shi, "Jiao Da has been found, but he is already dead. His body was found in his house. Although he has been dead for several days, because it is winter, the body has not yet decomposed and the face can still be identified."

Using this case, we can arrest and imprison a few people, but it will be difficult to figure out the young lady's identity in a short time.

Chen Ju said, "We also need to comfort that young lady. We will continue to investigate and put her mind at ease."

Zhang clenched her handkerchief, pursed her lips, and said, "Shi Niang... it was that child who said she wanted to stay in my house. Now that she has married Sixth Brother, she is Sixth Brother's wife."

"But I'm afraid the Yang family won't agree, and I don't know what to do."

Chen Ju was surprised by the young lady's righteousness. When he heard that the Yang family did not agree, Chen Ju's eyes widened immediately: "They still dare to do this? No problem, I will talk to the two officials and ask them to act as guarantors for you and make your marriage possible."

"If anyone dares to say that this young lady is not a daughter-in-law of the Yang family, come to me and I will speak to them."

Thank you to Yanzhihu1, Feiyuedianfeng, and cherry27 for their generous donations.

Thank you all for your comments and for reading.

Thank you everyone!

Please continue reading, leave comments, and vote for this book!
(End of this chapter)