Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 89 See you again

Seeing that the person had entered the courtyard, Meng Jiu didn't have time to move the stones, so he hid them in the coal pile.

Xie Yuyan led Zhang and the others to greet them.

The leader was an official in his thirties, dressed in the robes of an eighth-rank official, accompanied by several soldiers and clerks.

"Are you the mine owner here?"

The matter in Sanhe Village caused quite a stir, and the land documents were also recorded in the county government. The county magistrate knew that the mine owner in this area was Madam Xie from the Yang family. Seeing Xie Yuyan's age, he felt that it was almost certain, so he asked questions.

Xie Yuyan said, "That's right."

The county magistrate frowned slightly. For some reason, he felt uneasy with this Lady Xie standing in front of him. Even though he was the one intimidating everyone, he felt a sense of unease.

"I am the county magistrate of this county. I heard that you have started mining, so I came to take a look."

Xie Yuyan said, "It hasn't been officially mined yet; we're just teaching the workers how to dig wells."

The county magistrate looked into the house and asked, "May I have a look?"

He was talking, but he had already walked forward. In the end, it was just a matter of verbal etiquette. As the county magistrate, he had come with his workshop staff and had the right to inquire about these matters.

After letting the county magistrate into the house, Xie Yuyan saw two more people hurrying over. She glanced at them casually, but her gaze immediately fixed on a familiar face.

"The Erqiao flower in my greenhouse has bloomed, would you like to see it, Ayan?"

At that time, she was confined at home, learning needlework from a female embroiderer, and was not allowed to go out.

However, he came again the next day and secretly cut off the "Er Qiao" branch and brought it to her.

He was beaten after returning home and it took him half a month to get up.

“Ayan, I will go back and tell my father to ask the Xie family for your hand in marriage, so that you will not have to enter the palace.”

I still remember his eyes were filled with anxiety and sadness, which were then replaced by certainty.

She felt no emotion whatsoever; her mind was preoccupied with the pros and cons, and she paid no heed to his words. Only when she recalled the events of that day did she realize that their importance and status in each other's hearts were vastly different.

She could never do what he did, and she wouldn't even consider it.

later……

He surrendered to the Northern Qi, but she made him a puppet emperor and then took his life.

In a daze, Xie Yuyan saw the image of Wang Huai facing death. When she came to her senses, the two men were already standing in front of her.

She also got a clear look at the person coming from afar.

That's not Wang Huai, just someone who looks like him.

"Wang...Zhiyuan," the county magistrate's voice came, "Why are you here?"

The man, known as Wang Zhiyuan, looked to be only fourteen or fifteen years old. Dressed in white, he appeared exceptionally scholarly. Upon seeing Xie Yuyan, he bowed and wanted to take a closer look at her, but seemed to feel it was improper and averted his gaze.

After Xie Yuyan saw the man's face clearly, she knew his identity. He was Wang Zheng, Wang Yan's cousin, and also Wang Huai's father.

Upon seeing an old friend again, Xie Yuyan couldn't help but recall the past.

In her past life, she often visited the Wang family. Wang Zheng and his wife treated her very well. Although Wang Zheng liked to beat Wang Huai with a stick, he always had a smile on his face when he saw her.

When she entered the palace to compete for the empress's position, Wang Zheng secretly helped her by using the connections of the Wang family. She only learned of this after she had the imperial seal and certificate. So she found an opportunity to send someone to thank Wang Zheng, but Wang Zheng refused to accept the money and did not make any demands on her. He only left her with one sentence: "If you are entrusted with something, you should be loyal to it."

Wang Zheng was seriously ill and bedridden. He handed her a list of several people who were available, one of whom was Master Wei. After she was deposed and lived in a Taoist temple, she was taken in as a disciple by Master Wei, and thus gained a group of fellow disciples.

Even after Wang Zheng's death, his followers continued to serve her until the day the capital was captured by the Northern Qi again. Yang Qin was one of them.

However, she still couldn't figure out who the person was who got Wang Zheng to help her. She asked Wang Huai, but Wang Huai also knew nothing.

In her past life, she didn't have the chance to ask Wang Zheng. Now that she has finally met her old friend, everything has changed, and she won't get an answer even if she asks him.

Wang Zheng entered the room, followed by Xie Yuyan and Zhang Shi. The county magistrate stood at the edge of the mine pit, looking down. The workers from the yamen's workshop had already descended into the shaft via ropes to inspect the pit timber they had constructed.

The county magistrate was speaking with Wang Zheng: "New Year's Day is almost here, young master, what brings you here? Could it be that an elder of the Wang family is coming to Beijing?"

Wang Zheng shook his head and said, "I'm just here to meet some friends."

"Whom does the young master come to see?" The county magistrate was clearly intrigued and asked a few more questions.

“Tong Chen, Tong Zixu.” Wang Zheng said, glancing around. Seeing that there were quite a few people in the room, a hint of wariness appeared in his eyes. He then took two steps toward Xie Yuyan.

Xie Yuyan wondered if it was just her imagination, but it seemed as if Wang Zheng was intentionally blocking her way.

After quite a while, the workers from the workshop were finally hoisted up.

"Sir, we have found a coal mine at the bottom of the shaft, and the pit timber is sturdy and solid, with nothing wrong with it."

The county magistrate nodded and looked at Xie Yuyan: "Mining is no small matter. You must pay close attention and report any abnormalities to the government office."

Xie Yuyan responded.

The county magistrate went to look at the coal that had been dug up, picked up a piece of it, broke off a corner and crushed it with his hand, then turned to Xie Yuyan and asked, "How big do you plan to make this mine?"

Xie Yuyan didn't hide anything: "After entering the village, it was everywhere the adults had stepped on."

The county magistrate was taken aback: "That's really... quite a lot."

Xie Yuyan nodded: "If someone who knows mining comes here, it will be difficult for them to get out. If you are willing, sir, you can come and go often, and you will be able to find your way around easily in the future."

The county magistrate nodded subconsciously, but then found it strange that he needed to come so many times.

As the two were talking, Wang Zheng moved to the side, kicked his foot, and then walked away as if nothing had happened.

It felt rather secretive.

Xie Yuyan couldn't help but wonder, what exactly was Wang Zheng here for?

The county magistrate suddenly pointed to a place at the end of the village where thick smoke was billowing: "Where is that?"

Xie Yuyan said, "We have built a stove and are testing the burning of coal."

"We'll only know if the coal we've mined is good or bad after it's been burned. Would you like to go and take a look, sir?"

The county magistrate was about to refuse when he suddenly heard the rhythmic sound of hammering. His expression turned serious: "Why is someone hammering iron?"

Xie Yuyan said, "We need to make some tools, so we simply invited the blacksmiths over. Don't worry, sir, these blacksmiths are all on the yamen's register. In addition to making tools for us, the blacksmiths will also do work for the yamen. Anyway, we have plenty of coal here, so we won't be short of a little furnace fire."

Since someone is forging iron, we should go and take a look.

The county magistrate walked forward, and as he got closer, he smelled a thick smoke. Then a huge furnace appeared in front of him.

"Why is this stove so big?"

While the county magistrate and others were inspecting the stove, Xie Yuyan walked towards Wang Zheng.

"My lord," Xie Yuyan suddenly spoke, "what did you see in the room just now?"

Wang Zheng hurriedly waved his hands: "No, nothing at all, I'm just... I'm actually..."

"Here to help?"

A few words drifted into Wang Zheng's ears. Wang Zheng looked at Xie Yuyan in surprise. Few people knew that he had come here, and he had taken it upon himself to follow her to Sanhe Village. How could Madam Xie have guessed it so easily?
Just as Xie Yuyan was about to ask a couple more questions, he faintly heard the clear sound of bells.

That was a warning.

Someone sneaked into the village.

(End of this chapter)