Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 107 He's impotent!
Just as Lu Jia was about to send Changfu to inquire about the follow-up to the memorial, He Qu said, "I just went to inquire and found out that Madam Lu was hurriedly summoned to the Yan family. The merchants in the surrounding area said that Madam Lu's carriage had not been to the Yan family for a while, so I guess this trip was for this matter."

Lu Jia asked, "Is there any news from my father's side?"

The letter was intercepted by someone from the cabinet, and the Yan family has now approached the Jiang family again. Lu Jie must have found out.

"No, Lord Lu went to the yamen early this morning. He hasn't gone back home yet after Madam Lu returned from the Yan family."

Lu Jia frowned.

Jiang's clandestine actions have reached the imperial court, and this is no longer just her personal matter. The case of Zhou Sheng's destruction of farmland and flooding of dikes in Shawan, Tanzhou, is still pending, and the evidence points directly to the Yan faction. The Yan family must be racking their brains over this. Jiang's reckless pressure on Shawan County will undoubtedly lead to reprimands from the Yan family.

But she was more concerned about Lu Jie's attitude at the moment.

She said, "Go and find out how the marriage between the Yan and Lu families is progressing."

Shen Qingzhou watched He Qu leave, then asked, "What is the relationship between the Jiang family and the Yan family?"

Lu Jia stretched: "The Jiang family was originally supported by Yan Song before he entered the cabinet. Jiang's father died early, and her mother took her to the Yan family and recognized Yan Song as her godfather. I heard that she lived in the Yan family for a few years when she was young, and later returned to the Jiang family, but the relationship was not broken."

"Even after they grew up, the relationship between Jiang and the Yan family became closer. Whenever Yan Song's wife fell ill, Jiang would personally serve her medicine."

“She’s not a daughter, but she has fulfilled all the filial duties of a daughter.”

If it weren't for this connection, Jiang, a daughter who had lost her father and whose family was not of high social standing, would never have been able to enter the Lu family's gate.

Lu Jie came from an official family, passed the imperial examination, and became the Vice Minister of Rites at a young age. Even if he had been married once, there were many women he could choose as his second wife who came from a better family than Jiang.

Of course, there's no point in talking about fate. Whether someone is a good match or not is up to God.

In any case, after Jiang received the benefits of marrying into a higher social class, she devoted herself even more to the Yan family.

Shen Qingzhou didn't say anything after listening. Just then, Qinghe called Changfu over and asked him to inquire about the female guards. Shen Qingzhou then returned to his room.

Changfu has been keeping an eye on the Cheng family for the past two days, but perhaps it's still early, and there's no news yet.

Lu Jia gave him a few instructions about finding someone, and told him to look for a good shop along the way.

The Xie family's business cannot stop. After Qiu Niang and the others arrive in the capital, they can still reopen their shops and do some business to make a profit.

He Qu returned from gathering information at night. He went in first and found Shen Qingzhou: "Mr. Song asked when the young master will return? Someone from the Ministry of Revenue came today to inquire about the young master's condition. They probably want to know when the young master will be able to take up his post."

Since settling down here, even though her home is right next door, Shen Qingzhou has only been home a handful of times.

Judging from the way he seemed to want to establish his own family here, He Qu really doubted whether his young master would be able to leave after Lu Jia returned to the Lu family.

"How's the matter she asked you to inquire about going?"

Shen Qingzhou closed the ledger.

"Oh, there's still no news. Rumors of a marriage alliance between the two families have been circulating for a long time, and it's said that both sides have found matchmakers, but they haven't reached the point of proposing marriage yet."

Shen Qingzhou glanced at him, then stood up after a moment: "Go and rest."

After saying this, he stepped out of the courtyard gate and said to Fuxiao, who was passing by under the eaves, "Please come into the courtyard, young lady."

He sat down under the tree, and Lu Jia came out briskly.

"Are you looking for me?"

"He Qu is back."

After Shen Qingzhou finished recounting He Qu's reply, he asked, "Since the Jiang family and the Yan family have such a close relationship, why are they unwilling to let Lu Ying marry into their family?"
"Wouldn't it be beneficial for each of them to make their own daughter the young mistress of the Yan family?"

Even if Yan Qu is violent by nature, with Lu Jie and Jiang Shi standing behind Lu Ying, he certainly wouldn't go too far. Unlike Lu Jia, who is unloved by her father and mother, that beast has no scruples whatsoever.

Upon hearing this, Lu Jia suddenly glanced at him.

Shen Qingzhou asked, "What's wrong?"

Lu Jia smiled and said, "Because of the three unfilial acts, the greatest is to have no offspring."

Shen Qingzhou raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean?"

"If Lu Ying wants to gain a foothold in the Yan family as the young mistress, she must first fulfill the duties of the young mistress. Yan Shu has three or four concubines and eight or nine children born out of wedlock. Yan Qu's mother, Madam He, only gave birth to two sons. One is Yan Liang, the eldest son of the Yan family, and the other is Yan Qu."

"If the two legitimate sons do not have many offspring, wouldn't the Yan family's vast fortune be divided up by the illegitimate children?"
"Mrs. He has been married into the family for many years. She knows at least 80 or 90 percent of the shady dealings that the Yan family father and son have done, if not all of them."

"With so much silver embezzled by the Yan family father and son, would Madam He be willing to let her illegitimate children divide it up?"

"She definitely won't. So if Lu Ying can't have children, do you think she can win her mother-in-law's favor?"
"Can her position in the Yan family be secure?"

Shen Qingzhou still didn't understand: "Why can't she have children? Could it be that she has some kind of deficiency?"

That's unreasonable. If an unmarried girl isn't chronically ill, who can say for sure she can't have children?

“It’s not that she can’t have children.” Lu Jia lay on the recliner, looking at the stars above her head: “It’s Yan Qu.”

"Yan Qu?"

“That’s right.” Lu Jia stopped swaying and suddenly grinned: “He’s impotent!”

Shen Qingzhou: ……

What did he hear?!

"Because that beast Yan Qu is impotent!"

Lu Jia giggled.

"He started frequenting brothels when he was fifteen, which resulted in him falling ill. This beast studied with his father for a few years and was originally a normal person, but after recovering from that illness, he became incapacitated and his temperament changed."

"Although he was shameless to begin with, he was also concerned about his reputation, so he didn't tell anyone after discovering this."

Shen Qingzhou looked at her, who was laughing so hard she was doubled over, and forgot to say anything.

"Nobody knows! Except me. Of course, it seems like Madam Jiang knows too, which is why she absolutely doesn't want Lu Ying to jump into this fire pit!"

"Even a clever housewife can't cook without rice. How could Lu Ying possibly have a child? If she can't have a child, even if her fate is better than mine, how much better?"

Lu Jia's eyes burned with fury.

That beast wasn't just violent, it was a monster.

On their wedding night, he didn't stay in the same room, but instead found an excuse to make Lu Jia kneel as punishment, blaming her for kneeling too slowly, and whipping her.

Later, Lu Jia learned the truth from other women who had been harmed by Yan Qu.

Fearing her secret would get out, that beast never showed her any affection. He said he hated her and looked down on her, but it was just an excuse for his own uselessness.

But even if he didn't bully her in bed, she suffered a lot in other ways.

In any case, being beaten and kicked was commonplace for the first six months. It was only later that she turned to her mother-in-law, Madam Yan, and tried every means to please her that things gradually improved.