Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 109 The little girl was holding a knife
Finding out the exact amount of provisions and pay was a piece of cake for Shen Qingzhou.

In both his lives, he had no direct dealings with the Yan family. Yan Song recommended Hu Yucheng to lead the fight against the Japanese pirates in the southeast, which was something that also happened in his previous life.

Later events proved that Hu Yucheng was indeed skilled in military tactics, a point even Shen Bo agreed with.

At this time in her previous life, Shen Qingzhou had not yet recovered and was often ill, relying entirely on her subordinates to relay messages.

He didn't get involved in the fight against the Japanese pirates in the southeast.

The Yan family has committed too many crimes.

Even if they embezzled military funds, it was just one example.

However, Lu Jia's mention at this moment that the Yan family was eyeing the military pay served as a reminder to him.

As I mentioned to Song En before, the Yan family took advantage of the anti-Japanese pirate campaign in the southeast to add a tax to the Ministry of Revenue, pouring in a large sum of money, which ultimately ensured that the case in Tanzhou was shelved.

It's always painful to give back money, but if the Yan family can get it back, why wouldn't they?

In just half a day, Shen Qingzhou took the account from Song En and brought it to Yanzi Hutong.

Lu Jia flipped through the documents: "With military pay amounting to over a million taels, taking out two or three hundred thousand won't stand out." Then she looked up: "Is this shipment of supplies going by land or water?"

These were things a steward from a wandering swordsman shouldn't know. Shen Qingzhou originally thought he should conceal them, but the situation was urgent, so he spoke directly: "We'll take the waterway, it'll be faster that way. The estimate is that we can board the ship tonight."

Lu Jia quickly collected the accounts. "The provisions and pay were collected from the capital, not from the south. There must be something fishy going on at the docks. Let's go to the docks after dark and take a look."

Shen Qingzhou: "You're going too?"

“Of course I have to go.” Lu Jia glanced at him. “Do you know the Yan family better than I do?”

This is true.

……

The canal wharf was in Tongzhou. Changfu had arranged for a horse-drawn carriage in advance, and as the sun was setting, he set off with Lu Jia, Shen Qingzhou, and He Qu. When they arrived in Tongzhou, the wharf was bustling with activity.

Meanwhile, the grain and provisions transported by the government were lined up in several rows and parked in a specially cleared open space. More grain carts were also continuously heading to the dock. It seemed to be the right time. After all the grain carts arrived, they would need to be counted. The fact that the grain carts had not yet stopped meant that there would be no omissions.

"You wait in the carriage, He Qu and I will go down and take a look. If you're interested, you can take a stroll around."

Shen Qingzhou instructed Lu Jia.

Besides He Qu, there were also hidden guards in the shadows, more than enough to protect her.

But Lu Jia wasn't interested: "I'll wait here. Remember what I said, come back as soon as you notice anything amiss. Don't cause trouble."

Shen Qingzhou, dressed as a merchant, tucked in his belt, nodded, and got out of the car.

Once they were out of her sight, the two found a secluded spot, removed their outer robes and stuffed them into the cracks between the bricks, took the masks and weapons from the shadow guards, and disappeared into the night.

Once the provisions and pay were loaded onto the ships at the dock, the Ministry of Revenue's escort duties were finished, and the Ministry of War's work would begin next.

Hu Yucheng had not yet set off. The grain escorts were all dispatched by the Ministry of War, and the Minister of War was Grand Commandant Shen, who was the very person the Yan family was currently keeping a close watch on.

On the contrary, the Ministry of Revenue was already in cahoots with the Yan family, so if the Yan family wanted to embezzle or engage in any underhanded dealings, they could only do so before the Ministry of Revenue was handed over to the Ministry of War.

Shen Qingzhou and Lu Jia shared the same idea, but Lu Jia only wanted to verify whether there were any discrepancies between the handed-over grain and the Ministry of Revenue's accounts, and how many, in order to determine her own conjecture.

Shen Qingzhou wanted much more than she did. Given the emperor's tough stance against foreign enemies, he would not tolerate the crime of embezzling military funds.

The irrefutable evidence against the Yan family would undoubtedly serve as ironclad proof in the indictment of Yan Song. Upon reaching the vicinity of the official ship, Shen Qingzhou signaled to He Qu, "Set up sentries." Then, he led a group of men hidden in the shadows, using the grain carts as cover, and silently approached.

A waning crescent moon hung in the sky. The river rippled, and cargo ships on its surface resembled mountain peaks. Beneath these peaks lay dark shadows.

Lu Jia gazed at the water, and in a daze, she was back in Shawan.

Having lived in Shawan for ten years, she had developed an affection for the place. Apart from people like Zhang Qi, the vast majority of people held the Xie family in goodwill.

When they joined forces to sue Zhou Sheng, the merchants and residents in the same industry stood together against him, all hoping that Shawan would become a better place.

But Lu Jia can only return to Sha Wan after successfully taking revenge, and who knows when that will be.

Lu Jia wouldn't be so presumptuous as to meddle in the court. She knew the Yan family was a cancer, but she didn't have the ability to gather evidence to expose them. She could only start from within herself.

The most pressing need right now is to get rid of the hidden dangers brought about by the marriage between the Lu and Yan families.

As long as Lu Ying and Yan Qu do not get engaged or marry, her threats will continue.

The reason the Yan family insisted on the marriage alliance was simply to bind the Lu family to them.

Lu Jie did not rise to power through the Yan family; he himself had already gained the emperor's favor. The honor and disgrace of all officials depended solely on the emperor.

As Yan Song grows older, he will eventually have to retire, and Lu Jie, who entered the cabinet in his previous life, is a very promising candidate to succeed him.

It was unwise for the Yan family to place their bets on Lu Jie in order to maintain their influence in the court or to secure their future after the abdication.

Therefore, this marriage is inevitable.

Jiang has allowed her daughter to enjoy so much happiness all by herself for so many years. Isn't it only natural for her to arrange this marriage for the Lu family? How could Lu Jia go?
Even if they don't get married so soon, they still have to get engaged.

"Girl, soldiers are approaching from the front."

Lost in thought, Changfu pointed to the commotion ahead and said.

Lu Jia glanced around and pointed to an open space near the theater: "Drive the car there."

When we stopped at the theater, the peace and quiet was no longer there. The sounds of gongs and drums, as well as the clanging of swords and spears, were incessant.

Lu Jia closed her eyes, but felt the sound getting closer and closer, so close that it seemed like screams were ringing in her ears!
She opened her eyes, and outside the carriage curtain, a burst of light appeared. She saw a group of people holding torches, chasing after a small, thin figure!
"Young lady, be careful! This girl is holding a knife!"

Changfu was perceptive; seeing that something was wrong, he immediately turned the car around.

Lu Jia glanced inside the car, then picked up the small kang table.

In the blink of an eye, the carriage had only turned halfway when the little girl holding the knife suddenly fell to the ground!

Lu Jia was stunned.

The firelight drew near, illuminating the people underground and the bloodstains on their bodies.

Lu Jia looked up at the people holding torches. They were all tall, strong, and imposing, clearly skilled in martial arts!
She immediately looked at Changfu and said, "Hurry up! Get out of the car!"

She can't afford to offend someone like this, and she shouldn't mess with them!

Since the carriage couldn't move, she ran away!

She had just lifted her foot when she couldn't even walk anymore; the little girl lying on the ground was tightly gripping her leg...