Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 762 Saying Too Much

Seeing the troubled expression on Old Master Xie's face, Xie Yuyan roughly guessed the outcome.

Xie Yuyan said, "The old lady told you all this because she didn't want you to tell anyone about this."

Old Master Xie was somewhat surprised, not expecting Xie Yuyan to guess so quickly, especially since even he had initially thought...

"I thought she wanted my help, but it turns out she just wanted me to pretend I didn't know."

Xie Yuyan remained silent. After Xie Yisong died, the Xie clan had stood by and watched coldly for so many years. How could Old Madam Xie possibly trust these people?
If she could have used the power of the Xie clan, Old Madam Xie would not have investigated these matters secretly on her own, or even gone to find Lü Shi of the Demon Cult.

Thinking of this, a thought flashed through Xie Yuyan's mind. She seemed to have overlooked something before, but there was no time to think about it carefully now.

Old Master Xie said, "If I don't get involved, then no matter what happens, it won't come back to me."

Xie Yuyan said, "But you told others about these things." If the Fourth Master had kept his mouth shut, he wouldn't be so guilty.

Old Master Xie glanced at Xie Yuyan cautiously, his eyes revealing a hint of unease, but since he was already there, he was prepared to tell her everything.

“Yes,” said Master Xie, “I didn’t expect…that something would happen later.”

"Who did you tell?" Xie Yuyan stared at Xie Si, the old master. Given his temperament, it was unlikely that he would inform Xie Yizhi. Such a person would not do anything that involved even the slightest risk.

Just as Master Xie was hesitating about what to say, he heard Xie Yuyan say, "You told Prime Minister Xie."

Upon hearing this, Old Master Xie's back hunched even more. Finally, he nodded and said, "Yes, I have told your grandfather about this. I think he is the smartest in the entire Xie family and he must know what to do."

“He made a point, and we just followed his advice,” Old Master Xie’s voice trembled slightly. “But I never expected it would harm him. Your grandfather must have questioned Xie Yizhi or secretly verified the truth of the matter. In any case, Xie Yizhi found out and, seeing that things were not going well, he turned on your grandfather and grandmother.”

"As for why your grandmother was killed first, the evidence was all in her hands, and besides, your grandfather was the prime minister, so taking action against him would cause too much of a commotion. After your grandmother passed away, your grandfather also retired to recuperate... It was precisely because he was far away from the court that he gave that beast an opportunity to take advantage of him."

Master Xie said, "Although these are all my deductions, the case has reached this point, and it should be pretty much as it is."

Xie Yuyan looked at Old Master Xie Si: "Since Xie Yizhi was willing to kill his father and mother, why did you get away with it?"

Old Master Xie froze, glancing nervously outside: "Perhaps it's because I don't know much."

Perhaps Xie Yuyan didn't believe it, so the Fourth Old Master Xie continued, "When your grandmother passed away and we were preparing for the funeral, someone broke into my house and ransacked the study. I always felt like I was being watched in secret... Even my son's house was broken into. This is definitely not a coincidence."

“I really didn’t know the inside story. They didn’t find anything, which is why they spared my whole family’s life.”

Old Master Xie's face turned extremely pale. He was so frightened that he fell seriously ill and lived in constant fear for those days. Fortunately, nothing happened afterward.

Xie Yuyan said, "Since you've kept it a secret for so long, why are you telling me now?"

Old Master Xie choked up: "Because...I..."

At this point, he couldn't continue for a moment, pausing for a long time before finally making up his mind: "Xie Yizhi is dead, so I have nothing to fear anymore. If I can tell you about the past and help you and the yamen investigate this case, it will be of some use. Besides... the clan's affairs are more or less related to Xie Yizhi. Although we didn't ask him for any benefits, he did help my son with his duties."

Old Master Xie raised his head, his expression suddenly becoming solemn and firm: "My son is a good official. He has never done anything corrupt or illegal. If he has done anything wrong, it is my fault. He knows nothing. It is my fault for not being a good head of the Xie family. I am willing to step down and let the family choose someone else."

Xie Yuyan looked at the tense, worried, and slightly flustered Fourth Master Xie: "Is that all?" Fourth Master Xie almost burst into tears and knelt down to beg, but Xie Yuyan obviously didn't care about these things.

"That's all I really know."

Xie Yuyan stood up: "Minister Xu suspects there are other reasons for Prime Minister Xie's death and must have gone to the clan. What did you say to Minister Xu at that time?"

"You helped Xie Yizhi cover up the cause of Prime Minister Xie's death. Do you think it's over just because you stepped down as clan leader?"

Old Master Xie's hand trembled slightly.

Xie Yuyan said, "That's why you came to see me. With Prime Minister Xie's case about to be solved, I will definitely investigate the Xie family for obstructing the autopsy back then. As the clan head, you cannot escape the blame. Now you deliberately mention Old Madam Xie to me, just to exchange it for me to let you go."

Old Master Xie, realizing his thoughts had been exposed, hurriedly said, "I can go to the yamen to testify, so that the investigation into your grandmother's case can continue. You also want your grandmother's innocence to be redressed, right? If I hadn't stopped her back then, I would have been the next one to die. I had no choice but to protect myself. Even if I hadn't stopped her, Xie Yizhi would have found a coroner to cover it up."

Xie Yuyan shook his head: "No, what you did was to curry favor with Xie Yizhi. You're not just trying to protect yourself, but to get on Xie Yizhi's side."

"With Prime Minister Xie gone, the Xie family will now depend on Xie Yizhi. You naturally don't want to antagonize Xie Yizhi, so you'll definitely have to do something to make Xie Yizhi trust you and treat you as one of his own."

"Just like when you came to see me today."

Old Master Xie stood there, completely frozen.

Xie Yuyan said, "When Prime Minister Xie was alive, you would inform him of the information you obtained from Old Madam Xie. After Prime Minister Xie passed away, you followed Xie Yizhi's wishes and obstructed Xu Huaiyi's investigation. Now that Xie Yizhi has fallen, you come to curry favor with me. You haven't changed at all."

"It seems I must report today's events to the authorities to prevent anyone from escaping punishment."

"No, I didn't do anything for Xie Yizhi. I did have that intention... but too many things happened in Bianjing later, and I didn't have time..." Old Master Xie suddenly called out, "Second girl, your grandmother often called you that, saying you were a kind-hearted child. Your father was also filial and sensible, and would come to play chess with me in his spare time..."

He stared at Xie Yuyan and realized that these words were useless, as if nothing in the Xie family could move her.

Old Master Xie gritted his teeth: "It's not that I don't want to talk, it's that I'm afraid of dying. Xie Yizhi has many helpers in the clan, and it will be difficult for the yamen to arrest them all. If there are still people among them, they will definitely turn on me."

"I'm so old, all I want is to reunite with my son."

Old Master Xie caught up with Xie Yuyan and stood in front of her, his face full of pleading: "Just tell me what you can do, and I will do my best."

Xie Yuyan looked up at Old Master Xie again: "You mean there are still people like Xie Yizhi in the Xie family?"

Grandpa Xie nodded: "Yes, definitely. It's not just those who were imprisoned. Even though Xie Yizhi is in prison, there will be people behind him cleaning up his mess."

At this point, Old Master Xie immediately shut his mouth; in his haste, he had clearly said too much.

Feelings of regret and worry welled up inside me, but it was too late for remorse.

Sure enough, he heard Xie Yuyan say, "It's not difficult for you to leave Bianjing alive. Find these people, and I believe the court will be able to make amends."

(End of this chapter)