Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 771 Autopsy
Wang Yan was slightly surprised. It wasn't his turn to be on duty today, so why was he summoned to the palace?
"Am I the only one?" Wang Yan asked the clerk.

The clerk replied, "I heard there are also people from the Secretariat and the Hanlin Academy."

Wang Yan paused slightly while adjusting his official robes, but quickly said calmly, "Bring my document box with you."

The clerk immediately went to fetch it.

Wang Yan was led directly into the side hall of the duty room. He glanced around and saw six or seven people busy inside.

Before he could speak, a palace attendant entered carrying documents.

"My lords," the eunuch whispered, "they are still discussing matters in the palace. These are the draft documents. Please organize them quickly, as they will be sent in shortly."

Documents entering the palace all go through the Secretariat and only require the Emperor's personal review. Only in case of urgent matters requiring a decision will a temporary team be assembled.

Wang Yan pondered for a moment, then sat down to examine the document carefully.

"It seems to be related to the Northwest, as these are all reports from the Northwest in recent years."

Wang Yan was looking at the document in his hand when people around him started talking.

"Could it be... that war is about to break out in the Northwest?"

The voice was low, but it reached Wang Yan's ears perfectly. He Tan had just received his assignment to go to the Northwest. If there really was political business in the Northwest, it would be a good thing for Wang Yan. At least he could use it to deduce the court's plans and secretly give He Tan some pointers.

but……

Since when has everything become so easy? Even if we don't hide his relationship with He Tan, and keep both father and son on duty in the palace, aren't we afraid they will seize control and abuse their power?

Wang Yan's hands didn't stop, and soon another document from the Imperial Secretariat was delivered.

"Your Excellency, I'm entrusting the documents from the Imperial Secretariat to you."

Wang Yan was in charge of the Imperial Secretariat, so this arrangement made more sense. Only by being familiar with these government affairs could he answer the Emperor's questions when he met with him later.

Wang Yan's gaze darkened slightly, but he did not question it. Instead, he quickened his pace to review the documents.

Soon, only the sound of turning pages filled the hall.

……

The eunuch came out of the side hall of the duty room and, taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, came to a secluded small door, where someone was already waiting.

"How is it?" the person waiting asked first.

The eunuch whispered, "The documents have all been sent in, and the Imperial Attendant is reviewing them."

The man asked again, "You didn't suspect anything, did you?"

The eunuch shook his head: "No...it's just..."

"It's just that the Imperial Attendant is quicker than anyone else, so I'm afraid he won't be able to handle all the government affairs for long, and I'm worried that..."

People tend to think more when they have free time, especially intelligent people. To limit them, you need to keep them from thinking about other things.

The man said, "You don't need to worry about that. There will naturally be a constant stream of trivial matters being sent over. You need to know who is in control of the situation right now."

The eunuch breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving permission: "I will go back and keep an eye on things. I will come and report if there is any movement."

The eunuch was about to take his leave after speaking, but the man called out to him again: "If we can hold out for three more days, we'll have a result soon, and you'll naturally benefit from it."

The eunuch bowed and left quickly. The person who had spoken to him hurried a few steps and happened to see the palace servants in the medicine preparation room rushing towards the Funing Palace with a bowl of medicine. The head eunuch, Jiang, frowned when he saw him.

"What are you doing here? The Funing Palace is extremely busy. Prince Qin just sent over writing materials. Hurry up and go serve him."

The man responded and followed the others towards the Funing Palace. Jiang, the eunuch, lagged behind, deliberately turning his head to look around. Clearly, no one had noticed them. Jiang straightened his sleeves before continuing on his way.

……

Outside Bianjing city, at Xie Family Manor.

Mother Yu lifted the carriage curtain and helped Xie Yuyan down.

The commotion at Xiejiazhuang was quite significant, attracting onlookers from the surrounding area.

"That's Xie Erniangzi, who grew up on the estate. I saw her when I went to work on the estate."

The woman's words immediately drew questions from those around her.

"You've seen it? Why didn't you say so when the officials came to ask before?"

The woman looked embarrassed, but still insisted, "I didn't remember at first, but then I thought she looked familiar. Is Second Madam Xie taking over the estate this time? Will we be able to work for Second Madam Xie from now on?"

The crowd chuckled; so that was the woman's purpose.

As Xu Huaiyi listened to these words, the results of the investigation in the government office came to mind. The accounts of the people around the village were inconsistent, and everyone could have been influenced to provide false testimony.

This is why one cannot rely on only one side of the story in a case; one must focus on empirical evidence.

Xu Huaiyi then looked at Xie Yuyan: "Madam Xie, do you feel any familiarity with this estate?"

Xie Wenjing was raised here by this old lady, and was also taken away from here by the demon cult, ultimately losing her life. It can be said that all of Xie Wenjing's important experiences in her life took place here, but that was Xie Wenjing, and had nothing to do with her. Therefore, in Xie Yuyan's eyes, this was just an ordinary manor.

In his previous life, this estate was likely handed over to the Xie clan, and the money from the land was used to support the Xie clan's ancestral worship. It is evident that Xie Si, the clan head in his previous life, benefited from this.

Old Master Xie suddenly felt uneasy, even though he hadn't done anything wrong. He nervously looked at Xie Yuyan's face.

Xie Yuyan was talking to Xu Huaiyi: "No."

Xu Huaiyi didn't press the matter further. Xie Yuyan met the gaze of the Fourth Master Xie: "Are the mourning clothes ready?"

Old Master Xie gripped his cane tightly: "It's all ready. Today, all the members of the clan will wear mourning clothes for your grandmother."

“And you,” Xie Yuyan said, “not one of you can be missing.”

Old Master Xie shuddered, his face turning extremely pale. After a long while, he finally caught his breath and asked Xu Huaiyi, "Xu, when are we going? I'll have my family... I'll lead the way for you, Master."

The Xie family's cemetery was repeatedly dug up, causing the Xie clan to lose all face.

The fourth patriarch even had to wear heavy mourning clothes for his eldest sister-in-law, as if admitting that he had made a mistake. The oppressive feeling in his heart made him even more breathless after walking only a few steps.

Taking the opportunity of helping him up, Xie Yi whispered, "The monks and Taoists who perform the rites must be those I arrange, to prevent Xie Yuyan from spreading rumors through those monks and Taoists he knows."

Master Xie asked in alarm, "What if she refuses?"

"Don't worry," Xie Yize said. "That monk has been invited by high-ranking officials and nobles to perform rituals. He is very famous in the capital. She has no reason to refuse."

Feeling that the Fourth Master was trembling even more violently, Xie Yi comforted him, "Bear with it for now. I will make Xie Yuyan pay for your suffering a thousandfold."

Walking behind Xie Yuyan, Su Man cautiously surveyed the surroundings. Although he couldn't see anything unusual, he still felt uneasy.

After Madam Yu helped Xie Yuyan put on mourning clothes, and everyone paid their respects to Madam Xie, the yamen runners began to set up a tent and exhume Madam Xie's body.

The Xie clan members knelt to the side, waiting for news. As darkness fell, Xu Huaiyi was the first to obtain the body sample. The old coroner said, "The bones are completely dark, a sign of poisoning."

(End of this chapter)