Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 135 Give up, you're not as smart as me.

Lu Jie looked at Cheng Yi: "So, Jia'er is really in your residence?"

Cheng Yi paused.

Lu Jie suddenly looked into the courtyard, gritted his teeth, and strode in.

"Oh, Your Excellency!..."

Cheng Yi hurriedly followed him inside. Despite being a grown man, he couldn't keep up with Lu Jie's pace and was allowed to cross the threshold in the blink of an eye.

"What's the noise about?"

Halfway there, Cheng Wenhui's voice came out. He and Madam Cheng stepped out together, just blocking Lu Jie's way.

"What are you doing in my house?" Cheng Wenhui glared at Lu Jie and demanded. "Who let you in? Get out!"

Cheng Yi stepped forward: "Father, the Minister insists on barging in to see my cousin. After my cousin disappeared, the Lu family clearly claimed to the public that she was dead. For so many years, they never mentioned that the Lu family had a daughter. Now that we have found her, he has come to our door looking for his daughter. How can this be reasonable?"

Cheng Wenhui glanced at him and then looked at Lu Jie: "Listen to this, even a junior like Yi Ge'er understands this principle, but you don't!"
"Back then, when you couldn't find her, you claimed she was dead. How could you be a father to her? What have you done for your daughter in the past ten years?"
"We've only just heard the news, and you're already acting all high and mighty, coming to the Cheng family to demand our people. We've found them, what's it to you!"
"Men! Throw him out of here!"

After all that commotion, many of Cheng family servants had already gathered around. At Cheng Wenhui's command, his men immediately came forward, as if to drive the servants away.

Lu Jie looked at them with his hands behind his back: "Everyone knows that your Cheng family only has one cousin, and that is my daughter."

"I know your career has been going badly lately, and suddenly you claim to have found Miss Biao. This is clearly aimed at my Lu family."

"I have already sent someone to Shuntian Prefecture to call for help."

“If the so-called Miss Cousin they find isn’t my daughter, then your Cheng family is just swindling people!”
"You are an official of the Three Judicial Offices, yet you knowingly violated the law and attempted to defraud me by using my daughter who has been missing for many years. You should know what your crime is."

Cheng Wenhui was furious: "You surnamed Lu, how dare you trespass on my Cheng family's property and come here to threaten me?"
"Don't give your face shame!"

Lu Jie glanced at him, then walked into the nearest passageway and sat down on a chair: "If Jia'er is really in your Cheng family, hand her over immediately, and I can let bygones be bygones."

"If it's fake, and you're just trying to create a mystery, then you'll be facing legal trouble!"

Cheng Wenhui rushed up, rolled up her sleeves, and pointed at his nose: "You heartless, ungrateful, and shameless bastard!"

"You've left your own daughter wandering around all these years without a care, and now that I, her uncle, have finally found her, you actually come here to act tough?"

Lu Jie glanced calmly at the finger pointing at his nose, then looked at his face: "So, are you going to hand over the person or not?"

Cheng Wenhui was furious: "Stop wishful thinking here. Even if you want to take her back, don't you think about whether she's willing to go back with you?"
"Over the years, you've had a smooth career, getting promoted and receiving many titles, and you've been living a very prestigious life! You also have a daughter to dote on, but do you still remember her mother who died young?"

"Do you remember that she was your eldest daughter?"

"During the years she wandered outside, eating only coarse food and hardship, did you ever think about her?"

"It's not that I wanted to compete with you, nor that I insisted on keeping her here. It's just that she chose my Cheng family, not the Lu family!"
"A perfectly healthy person, you couldn't find your own father, but you found your uncle. Don't you feel ashamed?" Lu Jie had never shown any weakness since he appeared on the way here, but he was suddenly stunned by these words.

Yang Bonong stepped forward: "Lord Cheng, from what you're saying, our young lady is currently at the Cheng family's residence, is that confirmed?"

Cheng Wenhui snorted coldly: "I won't hide it from you anymore!"
“She is here, but she is not only a daughter of the Lu family, but also has half of my sister’s bloodline!”

"She has been abandoned by your Lu family. If you insist on taking her away, don't blame me for being impolite!"
"I'm going to risk everything to let everyone in the capital know what kind of person you, Lu Jie, are! And how you act as a father!"
"Once you marry a second wife, you forget your first wife! Once you have a second daughter, you forget your eldest daughter!"

"How dare you be the Minister of Rites if you let your daughter wander outside and disregard her life and death!"
"You are an unkind father, I will report you to the emperor!"

Yang Bonong looked at Cheng Wenhui, who was angrily cursing him incessantly, swallowed hard, and felt deeply troubled.

Lu Jie holds a high position and wields great power. Lu Jia is his biological daughter. Back then, he couldn't find her and assumed she had died unexpectedly. Now, the Cheng family has confirmed that she is still alive, which has become grounds for criticism regarding his dereliction of duty as a father.

Now that she is truly alive, her biological father must take remedial action and bring her back to the Lu family to take good care of her, no matter where she is, to make up for the years of neglect he has caused.

Otherwise, Lu Jie would be disregarding human ethics and would be impeached by the censors!

Putting aside the fact that father and daughter have been separated for ten years, and whether Lu Jie still has this daughter in his heart, just considering his own interests, how will the world view a first-rank official like Lu Jie who ignores his own flesh and blood?

With such a lack of compassion and kindness, how can Lu Jie, who holds such an important position and is expected to join the cabinet in the future, possibly win the respect of the people?
The Cheng family's grand gesture today has made the news known to everyone. People at all levels will soon know that the young lady they have found is the eldest daughter whom the Lu family considers dead for many years. This is a fact that cannot be concealed!

He leaned close to Lu Jie's ear: "My lord, since the young lady is indeed here, there is absolutely no reason to let her stay outside the manor any longer..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Jie raised his hand to stop him, looking at the furious Cheng Wenhui in front of him: "What are your conditions?"

Cheng Wenhui said, "Bullshit! You think I'm threatening you?"

"You've never been as smart as me since you were a child, so stop beating around the bush! Besides becoming an official in the Ministry of Personnel, what else do you want? Tell me!"

Lu Jie's face was sullen, and he didn't seem impatient.

Cheng Yi looked at his father, who also glanced back at him.

After a brief pause, Cheng Yi gave a signal to have tea served.

On the other side, Cheng Wenhui asked, "Why can't I enter the Ministry of Personnel?"

Lu Jie glanced at him: "Because you don't have the ability."

"You fucking look down on people, don't you?" Cheng Wenhui slammed her hand on the table, making it bounce up.

Lu Jie held the teacup in his hand: "I heard that Yan-ge'er is quite learned? Better than you? There are still spots available at the Imperial Academy. Whether you let him go or not is up to you."

Cheng Wenhui's anger, which had been fueled by his words, was momentarily suppressed.

Lu Jie put down his tea: "I'll say it again, if the person you brought back to the manor with such fanfare today is indeed my Jia'er, then I can let Cheng Yan go to school tomorrow. Should you agree or not?"