Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 9 Clearing the Name
The news that the fire at the Yang family's house had attracted the attention of the patrol had already spread throughout the streets and alleys.

The strangest thing is that the bride who was buried with Yang Liuge is still alive.

Although Zhang, Xie Yuyan, and others were taken to the yamen, countless curious eyes were still fixed on the Yang family.

When the patrol officers arrived at Yong'an Ward in a carriage, people immediately came out to watch, afraid of missing out on the excitement.

Seeing the carriage stop, the two old ladies felt a lump in their throats and hurried a few steps, eager to see Yang Mingshan immediately.

When the carriage curtain was lifted, the two old ladies almost called out "Fourth Brother," but when they saw that it was Yang Qin who had emerged, their voices caught in their throats.

Not the fourth son.

She patiently continued reading, and the person who got off the carriage next was actually Zhang Shi, followed by "Xie Shiniang" in a bright red wedding dress.

The fire in the old lady's heart burned even more fiercely, almost melting her internal organs.

How could it be someone from the third branch of the family? What is that woman doing at the Yang family's house? Where did Yang Mingshan and Madam Zou go?
The old lady had too many questions, which made her restless and anxious. She wished she could immediately call Zhang over and bombard her with questions.

"That's Inspector He."

The steward whispered a reminder to the two old ladies.

The two old ladies had no choice but to suppress their thoughts for the time being and stepped forward to bow: "If we had known that Inspector He would come to visit, the rest of the family would have come to greet us as well."

“No need for that,” Inspector He said. “I came to the Yang family only because of my duties.”

He then looked at the clerk beside him.

The clerk took out the documents and handed them to the two old ladies.

The two old ladies were not very literate and were about to hand it to the steward beside them.

Chen Ju stepped forward and briefly recounted what was written on the document: "Yang Mingshan and Zou Shi have both confessed that although they were not the masterminds behind this case, they attempted to conceal the truth and almost caused a major disaster. They need to wait for the court to hear their case and determine their guilt."

The two old ladies suddenly felt dizzy and immediately clutched their chests.

"Injustice!" The old lady knew she shouldn't argue at this time, but the safety of her son had made her lose her composure. "There must be some misunderstanding. My daughter-in-law... is usually a bit careless in her work and may have handled things improperly. My son Mingshan is busy outside, how could he know about things at home? I beg the inspector to investigate thoroughly."

After he finished speaking, He Tan remained silent. The two old ladies thought there was still room for negotiation, so they took a few more steps forward.

The inspector's sudden arrival at the Yang family's residence was surely just an opportunity for them to curry favor.
The two old ladies were very familiar with this kind of thing. She bowed to Inspector He again and said, "Inspector, it's very cold outside. You must be tired from your journey. Please come in and warm yourself by the fire."

"What?" He Tan's face was icy. "Trying to avoid people and bribe this official?"

The flame of hope that the two old ladies had just ignited was extinguished in an instant, taking away even the last trace of warmth.

Under Inspector He's intimidating presence, the two old ladies hurriedly said, "No, no, how could this old woman dare..."

Chen Ju sneered, "The imperial documents are in your hands, yet you say your son is innocent. Could it be... that the laws of the Great Liang Dynasty are useless to your Yang family?"

Now the two old ladies dared not have any more wicked ideas. They could only bow and apologize, saying, "It was my fault for speaking out of turn. How could I dare to question you, sir? I... I was confused."

“You’re not confused,” Chen Ju said. “Just now you were trying to shift all the blame onto your wife at home. You can clearly distinguish between what’s more important and what’s less important.”

The two old ladies' faces turned pale and then red, but they dared not do anything else, lest they further anger Inspector He... their fourth son was still in his hands.

"Now that there are no more doubts..."

Chen Ju had just finished speaking when a voice rang out, interrupting him.

"I have another request."

Chen Ju turned his head and saw Xie Yuyan standing next to Zhang.

Xie Yuyan was also saying this to He Tan.

He Tan looked at Xie Yuyan: "If it concerns my duties, I will naturally not shirk them."

Wang Hechun stood not far away, his eyes now brighter than when he was lounging around the government office, quietly watching the scene unfold.

Xie Yuyan said, "This matter arose because of me. If it cannot be explained clearly, it may spread rumors, damage Yang Liulang's reputation for loyalty and righteousness, and also implicate Third Sister and Young Master Yang."

At this point, she turned to look at the crowd of onlookers.

“My neighbors and fellow villagers happen to be here too, so let them all be my witnesses.”

No one in the crowd responded, but countless eyes were fixed on Xie Yuyan, and the surroundings suddenly became quiet.

Xie Yuyan said, "You all must have heard what General Chen said earlier."

“I was kidnapped and brought to Daming Prefecture by kidnappers, and then I was harmed and sold to the Xie family as a ‘corpse’. Fortunately, Yang San Niangzi found that I was still breathing and saved me. Otherwise, I would have been buried alive.”

After speaking, she looked at Old Madam Yang: "As the victim, I also have questions in my mind. Did the Yang family know all along that the Xie family bought a corpse to impersonate Xie Shiniang?"

Old Mrs. Yang said, "Of course I don't know." Xie Yuyan said, "Then how do you know that the Xie family had a Tenth Sister who just died of illness?"

“Yes…” said Old Mrs. Yang, “It was someone from the Xie family who told us.”

"To whom did you say it?"

"Grandpa..."

Grandma Yang was eager to explain that the Yang family and the Xie family had not premeditated the marriage, so she immediately told the truth. As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted it. They had originally planned to push the marriage alliance with the Xie family onto Zhang after the storm had passed, since it would damage their reputation if this matter were to be revealed.

Once everyone has forgotten about it, they will only think that Zhang was greedy for money and almost caused a death. After so much time has passed, who will really investigate the truth?

Just like back then, it was the clan members who pleaded with the third branch to take a sea voyage, rather than the third branch insisting on their own way and almost ruining the entire clan.

But now that she's said it in public, and so many people have heard it, it will be hard to change her mind later. The two old ladies glared at Xie Yuyan resentfully, about to look away.

"Does the old lady think I shouldn't be here, given how she looks at me?"

"I didn't want to either, you were the ones who carried me into the Yang family."

Xie Yuyan exposed the two old ladies' secret in public, which immediately drew ridicule from those around them.

The two old ladies realized they had been tricked and were determined not to lose their composure in front of others: "How could I have thought such a thing?"

Xie Yuyan said, "Then I should be here?"

“You’re clearly making things difficult for her on purpose,” the steward beside the second old lady couldn’t help but say. “No matter how you respond, it’s wrong…”

“I almost lost my life at the Yang family’s place,” Xie Yuyan said. “Does asking a few more questions mean I’ll be accused of making things difficult?”

The manager had no way to refute it, his face immediately turned red, and he dared not say another word.

Xie Yuyan said, "After I was rescued by Third Sister, I thought the Yang family was a virtuous and kind family. It turns out I was wrong?"

The old master had always wanted a virtuous and kind family, and he couldn't afford to lose it.

The two old ladies glared at the steward: "It's because I've neglected to discipline the servants. I'll definitely punish them when we get back."

Xie Yuyan clearly didn't believe it, and she looked at He Tan with concern.

He Tan had been wondering what this young lady wanted him to do. Now, seeing this, he had a rough idea.

"My lord," Xie Yuyan said, "when my house caught fire, Third Sister risked her life to save me. Wouldn't that be considered a righteous act?"

He Tan nodded: "Of course it counts."

Xie Yuyan took a deep breath: "Since it's a righteous act, shouldn't it be blameless?"

He Tan frowned and asked, following Xie Yuyan's words, "Who would blame us?"

Xie Yuyan made no attempt to conceal his gaze as he looked at the two old ladies of the Yang family.

The two old ladies felt as if they had been suddenly dragged out and displayed to the public. At this moment, they regretted it immensely; they shouldn't have rushed to greet the guests at the door.

Xie Yuyan said, "It's hard to guarantee that some people will think that if it weren't for Third Sister's meddling, the Yang family wouldn't have suffered this turmoil. When the coffin lid is closed, who will know that a living person was buried?"

He Tan's gaze darkened.

The two old ladies couldn't help but feel their legs go weak. When Inspector He stared at them, it seemed as if they had already done that kind of thing and were being interrogated.

She sincerely hoped that Inspector He wouldn't be led astray by that woman and actually add another crime to the Yang family's list.

He Tan's authoritative voice rang out again: "The patrol and inspection office is already strictly investigating human trafficking..."

At this point, He Tan's eyes lit up. He had just taken office and was looking for an opportunity to establish his authority. This young lady had unexpectedly come to his liking.

He Tan continued, "We had already learned of some news about the trafficking of people inside and outside the city. So even if the Yang family deliberately concealed it, once we caught the traffickers and interrogated them thoroughly, we would find out about this case. Whether it was the sale of corpses or the murder of people to fill corpses, the truth would come to light once the coffin was opened and examined."

"At that time, the Yang family's crime will not be trying to conceal the truth, but taking lives."

He Tan looked at the two old ladies again: "Don't try to deceive me, disregard the law, or try to bribe the officials of the court with money. If you don't listen to my advice, you might as well try it in front of me and see if the officials of Daliang can do as you wish."

He Tan's gaze was deep and unfathomable; he was speaking to those people.

Xie Yuyan said, "So, it was Third Sister who saved the Yang family, rather than harming them?"

He Tan said, "Of course."

Taking a deep breath, Xie Yuyan looked around: "Did you all hear Lord He's words clearly? May I ask you, neighbors, Brother Yang sacrificed himself for the country, and Third Sister saved lives. Are these mother and son loyal and righteous? I urge you, neighbors, to set the record straight."

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(End of this chapter)