Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 713 Pressing forward step by step

How could the clerk dare to contradict Wang Yan? After this envoy Wang arrived, the officials in the yamen, even if they weren't imprisoned, would suffer greatly. Countless people wrote self-incriminating petitions at night and diligently carried out the tasks assigned by envoy Wang during the day, hoping to alleviate their punishment through these tasks.

Apart from the ringleaders who have been imprisoned, the rest of the Fujian officials are now more honest and diligent than ever before.

Even though everyone knew that Wang Yan wasn't arresting people because he needed them to do things, and that they would all be punished when the court sent replacement officials, no one was willing to give up as long as there was a glimmer of hope.

“Yes, I can do it,” said the clerk. “I will arrange it immediately.”

As the clerk was about to leave, Wang Yan continued, "This is a good thing. It can not only increase the court's revenue but also restore maritime transport. I don't want anything to go wrong along the way."

“No,” the clerk immediately replied, “I would never allow anyone to spread rumors before the notice is posted.”

Wang Yan stopped speaking, and Kong Mu Guan carefully withdrew.

After walking quite a distance, Kong Muguan finally dared to breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed that the sea was about to change!
……

maritime.

A boat drifted in the darkness for a long time. The man who had been watching the bow finally saw a glimmer of light on the sea. He immediately ordered his men, "Quick, get closer, hurry!"

The people on the ship pulled the sails with all their might, bringing the ship closer to the light.

Finally, the two boats met.

The larger ship that emitted light had its own crew, each performing their duties and carefully observing their surroundings. If anything seemed amiss, they would immediately leave.

Once the small boat approached and the people in the cabin appeared, the manager of the large ship instructed the boatmen to bring the two boats together.

"Why are you in such a hurry to meet?" someone on the large ship asked. "If we're being watched, won't all our previous preparations be for nothing?"

As the wind and waves crashed over him, the man on the small boat staggered a few steps and almost fell. Fortunately, someone helped him up and he was able to regain his footing.

"Second Manager," the person on the small boat said in a low voice, "I had no choice... If we don't send a message back soon, all our previous plans will be in vain, and everything we've worked so hard for will benefit others."

The second manager asked seriously, "What happened?"

"The people we had our eye on before have been recruited by the Xie family. The Xie family is also going to buy the Demon Sect's big ship. She plans to stay in Fujian and become a maritime merchant."

The second manager's face immediately darkened: "It's that Xie family again."

"What should we do now?" the man asked. "Should we just stand by and do nothing?"

The second manager frowned, his voice full of blame: "We kept you in Quanzhou for so long to win people's hearts. We've put in a lot of effort for this. How come the Xie family has changed their minds so quickly after they arrived?"

The man didn't know what to say, and after a long while he finally said, "The Xie family is quite resourceful; they can even persuade the Demon Sect to risk their lives for them, let alone a group of villagers, and with Wang Yan helping them out..."

"Furthermore, the Xie family are merchants, so it's only natural for them to do these things. I, on the other hand, am constrained by my status and can only plan carefully." In fact, before he could even free up his hands, the Xie family had already seized the initiative.

As the man spoke, he felt his injured leg hurt even more, almost making him unable to stand.

“I will speak to the master,” the second manager said coldly, “that woman dared to come at us, this time we will settle all our old and new scores with her.”

The man was overjoyed, thinking that as long as the employer was willing to send more people to help, there would definitely be a chance for things to turn around.

“How much money could a small merchant possibly have? He’s just taking advantage of the fact that no one else is competing with him to buy the boats at a very low price,” the second manager said. “I’ll arrange for a few merchants to submit a petition, offering a price higher than that of the Xie family. That way, those merchants can stay without seeming out of place…”

The second manager then looked at the man and said, "You must secretly assist him and guide the villagers to do business with him. There must be no more mistakes."

The man responded.

The second manager waved his hand: "Hurry up and leave, lest you attract attention."

After the small boat left, the second manager stared at the sea with a furrowed brow. This upheaval was a huge problem. The court's elimination of Xie Yizhi and his associates also presented them with an opportunity.

With changes occurring at sea, they seized the opportunity to take control of the situation.

It was because of this consideration that they did not rush to retaliate when their third brother and Xia Mengxian were arrested, but instead went into hiding temporarily.

Unexpectedly, the Xie family, oblivious to their own mortality, not only reaped many benefits but also set their sights on the maritime merchants.

In fact, they didn't care about the ships of the Demon Sect. They already had a large number of ships, but if the Xie family got them, the Xie family could compete with them at sea.

He had a feeling that the Xie family was targeting them.

In that case, shouldn't he also persuade his master to move that pawn? If he just lets things go, it's very likely that their great plan will fail, and they will end up like Xie Yizhi, captured by Wang Yan.

"Let's go," the second manager ordered, "back." He wasn't worried about any ships following them; they were very familiar with the area, and on the open sea, those spies were useless.

As the second manager pondered, a man in his sixties emerged from the cabin. He was dressed in a long robe and had a beard, resembling a retired gentleman returning home.

The second manager immediately bowed and said, "Sir, you heard it too. We can't keep hiding like this. If there's still no news from the capital and the situation doesn't stabilize, are we going to have to give way to the Xie family at sea?"

“If we don’t make any money, I think we’ll become someone else’s pawns. Once we fall into a disadvantageous position, we’ll be controlled at every turn. It’s better to eliminate the Xie family before they succeed.”

Seeing that the man remained silent, the second shopkeeper tried to persuade him, but the man interrupted him.

“The Xie family is indeed quite capable,” the man said. “I’ve heard that she has some connections with the Cining Palace. If that’s true, it would be a big problem for us.”

Seeing that the master had relented, the second manager immediately said, "You know the court very well, and you also know a thing or two about the Cining Palace. If you think this way, you must be right. When you see the master later, please persuade him."

“The boss is much better than me in these matters,” the second manager said. “If the founding emperor had kept his promise back then, the boss’s ancestors would have been ennobled and appointed as prime ministers long ago. Take Xie Yizhi, for example. Back then, he colluded with the demon cult and controlled the seas with one hand. If it were me, I might have planned to get rid of these people long ago. But the boss kept them because one day, the imperial court would come to suppress the demon cult. By using the imperial court to get rid of these people, we can be reborn and bring our secret business into the open.”

“The officials we support will then be able to wield power, and from then on, we will be able to become legitimate merchants. In a few decades, you will all be able to walk openly in public, and those officials will treat you as honored guests.”

"A man like the landlord, if he were to serve as an official in the court, would at least be a prime minister."

The second manager wore a smug expression: "No tyrannical ruler is any good, and the master will never serve them. This has been the case in both the previous and current dynasties, and the master saw through it long ago."

The man nodded: "My master once said, 'Don't be a fool who abandons his people to die for the cause. Learn from the ancient tree with its intertwined roots, for the boat may capsize, but the water will always flow.' This is what I admire most about my master and ancestors. They were able to abandon their long-standing reputation and lead their people to the sea, instead of sinking with the old dynasty."

Instead of being tied to a dynasty, it's better to find ways to strengthen yourself. If war breaks out in the future, you can leave at any time and return when a new dynasty is established.

Seeing that the man had steered the conversation away from the topic, the second manager said, "When we get back, sir, you must persuade the master."

“I know,” the man said. “The master has long intended to deal with the Wang family. He can’t just stand by and watch the Wang family do this. Don’t worry, the master will definitely have a good plan.”

The second manager smiled as he listened.

……

A few days later.

The capital city, the southern wharf.

After returning from the academy, Yang Qin sat in the courtyard with Yan Sui to read, but these days, he would always glance at the doorway.

The weather turned from hot to cool, and a month passed, but my sister-in-law still hadn't returned.

"Are you missing Madam?" Yan Sui asked.

Yang Qin nodded: "Although my sister-in-law sent the letter home, I'm still worried."

The members of the demon cult have been arrested, and the caravan has set off again. Why does Sister-in-law still want to stay in Fujian?

Seeing Yang Qin's appearance, Yan Sui hesitated to speak. While doing odd jobs in the teahouse, he overheard people talking about how Lord Wang admired a widow. He was angry and went back to the temple to mention it to his master, but his master looked at him with a deep and mysterious expression.

Master is a person who would never lie. Seeing his master like this, Yan Sui suddenly had a bold idea: what if what the teahouse said was true?

Should he tell Yang Qin?
Yan Sui was unsure what to do. He felt that Yang Qin might fight with him and accuse him of ruining the lady's reputation.

Of course, he didn't want to speak ill of his wife behind her back.

This is the difference between him and Yang Qin. In his heart, isn't it a wonderful thing for Lady Xie to marry Lord Wang? With his two benefactors together, it will be much easier to repay them in the future.

As the two were pondering their own thoughts, they heard footsteps outside, followed by a knock on the courtyard gate.

Yang Qin jumped up immediately like an arrow shot from a bow to open the door. As soon as the door opened, two familiar faces came into view.

"Su Man, Liu Erlang." Yang Qin smiled and looked behind them, only to find that there was no one else there.

“It’s just the two of us,” Liu Erlang said. “Madam had other matters to attend to and couldn’t come back.”

If he could, Liu Erlang wouldn't want to make this trip either. He actually wanted to go back to the Northwest with Zhao Zhongliang, but Lady Xie suddenly changed her mind and asked him to bring a letter to the South City Wharf... to sell land.

This is not a good thing. What if Zhang Niangzi or someone else refuses to agree? Wouldn't he become the bad guy?

First he almost swindled Madam Xie, and now he's selling off his belongings. This is what people will think of when they see him in the future. It's like how nobody wants to worship the god of bad luck or poverty.

Liu Erlang always felt that Wang Yan had helped him get this job.

(End of this chapter)