Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 115 I Promised Her

When Song En heard that Shen Qingzhou had returned, he went to greet him at the main gate of the courtyard. When Shen Qingzhou's voice came from the study, he naturally heard it as well.

When Shen Qingzhou came out, Song En didn't dare to speak. He returned to Bibo Pavilion, but seeing that Shen Qingzhou's expression was still unpleasant, he swallowed back the words he was about to say.

The attendants at the door couldn't help but hold their breath.

Shen Qingzhou took off his clothes and placed them aside. Song En stepped forward, picked up the clothes, looked at them, and was about to hand them to the servant. Then he closed the door and said, "He Qu has already come and mentioned the discovery you made with Miss Lu at the Tongzhou Wharf tonight. I was just about to ask He Qu to invite you back, but I didn't expect you to return so soon."

Shen Qingzhou leaned back on the couch, took a few sips of water from the pot, and turned his face back: "What's going on?"

Song En handed over several invitations: "Xu Yang, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, has come several times. He came to visit you on the orders of the Left Vice Minister. Since you made an appearance at Xia'er Tower last time, the invitations have been coming in more and more frequently."

“Clearly, they will be uneasy whether you are in the Ministry of Revenue or not. If you do not return to the Ministry of Revenue soon, the number of invitations to return will only increase.”

Shen Qingzhou remained silent.

Seeing this, Song En added, "However, His Highness the Crown Prince also sent a letter the other day, saying that if you, young master, are still unable to withstand the fatigue, then it is not too late to talk about it again later."

Shen Qingzhou poured water into a porcelain cup and asked, "Has Mr. Chong sent any news?"

“Not recently.” Song En said, pondering for a moment, “Since the Grand Commandant returned to his residence, Mr. Chong’s letters have become less frequent.”

Shen Qingzhou looked at the tea in the thin-walled porcelain cup: "I'll need a while longer."

"Are we waiting for Miss Lu to return to the Lu family?"

Shen Qingzhou remained silent.

He promised her, how could he go back on his word?

Even if I can't accompany her back to the Lu family, I should at least stay with her until she does.

Song En also fell silent. After a while, he said quietly, "Lu Jie recently received a commendation from the Emperor for writing a poem for him. Ever since he rose through the ranks with this poem, the Yan family's desire to win him over has been almost blatant."

"The key point is that Lu Jie didn't show any sign of refusing. Hearing that the Yan family was interested in forming a marriage alliance with the Lu family, Lu Jie was even happy to see it happen."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Although I don't know what your original intention was in helping Miss Lu, you went to Tanzhou for her sake and then returned to the capital. If you continue to be entangled with her, it may be difficult to end things in the future."

"Once Miss Lu becomes the eldest daughter of the Lu family, we will inevitably meet on many occasions. I wonder if you have already thought about how to deal with it?"

A long silence filled the room.

Shen Qingzhou picked up the cup, brought it to her lips as if to drink, but then put the cup down again.

"I promised her."

Song En raised her head. At this moment, Shen Qingzhou continued, "I don't care what the future holds, I only know that I promised her, and I will do my best to keep my promise."

……

As dawn broke on the horizon, Lu Jia leaned against the windowsill, admiring the waning crescent moon, which resembled an eyebrow.

Only when Shen Qingzhou's figure returned to the courtyard along the same path did she squint her eyes and close the window.

Good heavens, they came back right after He Qu!

When he brought He Qu and Tang Yu to the Xie family, he said they were sworn brothers who had adventured with him through thick and thin. Hmph, these two sworn brothers really do listen to him.

The Sun Also Rises.

With an injured person in the house, the air is filled with the smell of traditional Chinese medicine.

Last night, after examining Yinliu's injury, the doctor immediately stopped the bleeding, bandaged her wound, and prescribed medicine.

Lu Jia sent Fu Xiao to take care of her, and checked on her several times along the way, only feeling relieved after confirming that she was indeed alright.

Around noon, Qinghe, shrouded in a light mist, pushed open Lu Jia's door, placed down the tray she had brought, and then went to the desk:
"I've heard that this girl knows martial arts. I wonder what your plans are after she recovers?"

Lu Jia was looking at the shop information that Changfu had gathered from the brokerage firms over the past few days. Hearing this, she didn't even look up: "She has nowhere to go. I'll ask her what she thinks later. If she's willing to stay, it will solve my immediate problem. If she says she doesn't want to stay, I'll give her some money or find her a place to stay, so she won't have to wander anymore."

Upon hearing this, Qinghe smiled and said, "This morning, I heard from Guard He that this girl not only knows martial arts but also has quite a bit of courage. Since she has such a heart for you, why don't you take the initiative to persuade her to stay?"

“Actually, I had the same idea.” Lu Jia looked up, “but I still have to ask her.”

When Lu Jia learned last night that Yin Liu had nowhere to go, she had an idea in mind.

However, she was injured while trying to repay a debt of gratitude. If we were to keep her without asking her wishes, it would be a bit arbitrary.

“That’s what you’re thinking, Miss. I’ll go ask her about it later.” Qinghe said, bringing over the tray. “After you left yesterday, Miss, the Cheng family sent over a few boxes of pastries and a few bolts of silk. The messenger said it was on Madam Cheng’s orders to send them to you.”

"This servant does not know what to do with it, so I will leave it as is."

Lu Jia's expression shifted upon hearing this: "Who is it?"

"He is the eldest son of the Cheng family."

When Qinghe accompanied the Lu family to the Cheng residence that day, she had already recognized everyone.

It turned out to be Cheng Yi, her eldest cousin! The eldest son of the Cheng family! Not a servant or old woman! Then this matter should be getting closer to a conclusion.

Lu Jia stretched: "Prepare a gift for me, something presentable, and personally return the gift to Madam Cheng."

"Yes."

Qinghe withdrew, and just as she reached the door, she said again, "Changfu is back."

As soon as he finished speaking, Changfu walked in: "Replying to the young lady, I have asked many people in the surrounding neighborhood, but none of them have seen the owner of this house."

“How could we not have seen them all over the street?” Lu Jia said. “People who used to come and go from this house must have seen them before, right?”

"It is said that this house has always been rented out, with one tenant after another, all of whom are merchants from the East City. I asked one of the merchants, and he also said that he had never seen the owner of the house. The rent is paid annually, and the people who come to collect the rent are all people from the mistress's side."

Lu Jia's mind was filled with doubts.

Is it possible that He Qu was just lucky to rent this house, or is there something fishy going on?
There's really nothing really going on between him and Qin Zhou behind the scenes.
She pondered for a moment, then glanced at the osmanthus tree in the courtyard, its blossoms all fallen, and asked, "Where is He Qu?"

"I'm right here!"

He Qu stepped inside in response, “I just received a letter from Tang Yu when he arrived at Dongting Lake. He should be able to reach Tongzhou in two or three days. Miss will soon be able to reunite with Madam!”

"Understood." Lu Jia stood up: "Go and keep an eye on the Yan family, see what they do after the incident at the dock last night?"