Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 145 Stop tearing it up, you should apologize.

This is a statement that needs to be made.

Lu Jie knew that with that girl's sharp tongue, he would eventually be forced to take sides.

He said, "Since she broke the rules, she should be punished according to the rules. Have someone drag her out and give her a few slaps."

"master!"

When Lu Jia mentioned that he wanted to find fault with Granny Du, Madam Jiang listened silently the whole time, wanting to see how Lu Jie would react.

Unexpectedly, he listened to the girl's wishes without hesitation and decided to punish Granny Du!

She bit her lower lip until it bled, before finally managing to say, "I am, after all, the mistress of the house. Shouldn't I be in charge of deciding how to deal with the servants?"

“Mother is right,” Lu Jia sniffed. “Mother is in charge in this household, and Father cannot overstep his bounds. Please, Mother, give the order yourself to punish Granny Du according to the same rules.”

Jiang originally intended to protect Granny Du, but unexpectedly, she was outmaneuvered so quickly.

He couldn't help but frown and say, "What's the big deal? She was just bluffing, she didn't actually hit anyone. If you're going to be so unforgiving, you don't even have the magnanimity to tolerate others. Won't that make the people serving you feel disheartened?"

“My daughter may not have seen much of the world, but she knows that it is most disheartening when you can’t even protect the people closest to you. Just like now, if my father cannot act fairly, it will naturally chill my heart as well.”

Lu Jia bowed, neither yielding nor backing down, and simply stared straight at Lu Jie.

She could let it go in other matters, but she didn't believe that Lu Jie, who had climbed step by step to the position of Minister of Rites, would really be incapable of suppressing the Jiang family in such a trivial matter.

She couldn't be bothered to waste her breath arguing with the Jiang family; as long as Lu Jie kept his word, that was enough.

She didn't care about the servant's life; she just wanted to experience a few slaps.

Lu Jie beckoned the old woman under the gate to come in: "Granny Du was indeed wrong. She was the one who suggested that the rule should be broken and that she should be beaten. It is not unjust for her to be punished for this rule."

"—Slap her hard across the face!"

This was the first time in many years that Lu Jie had personally handled matters concerning the inner quarters. The old woman dared not utter a word and immediately slapped Granny Du's face several times, leaving her old face bright red.

Jiang's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

Lu Jie stood up and winked at Lu Jia: "Aren't you feeling unwell? Go back to your room first. I'll have Su Zhixiao invite a doctor over to take a look at you later. Your complexion isn't very good."

Seeing that she had done her job, Lu Jia glanced at the tearful Du Mama and then curtsied to Madam Jiang, saying, "Thank you, Mother, for upholding justice."

After standing up, she suddenly said, "Oh right, to avoid any misunderstandings later, I might as well tell my mother. My father has also given me permission to move around freely. I know my mother is busy, so I won't bother her to report when I go out in the future."

After saying that, she didn't look at anyone and walked straight out.

Jiang had already restrained her anger, but after hearing this, she was so angry that her teeth itched. As soon as she left the house, she turned back and said, "Even if Granny Du is wrong, she has been with me for many years. How can you listen to her and slap her mouth?!"
"I am the mistress of the house, yet you don't even have this much leniency to plead for her. You brought her back without consulting me, and you made all the decisions about how to settle her. You even let her move around freely!"
What do you take me for?

"What kind of young lady can just go out whenever she wants without reporting to her family? Does the Lu family still have rules?"

Lu Jie waved for the old woman to pull Du Mama out, and then said, "The meaning of 'discussing' is that it's possible you won't agree."

"But she was already in this family before you married into the family, and I personally disciplined her since she was a child. Now that she's back, she should naturally be treated the same as before."

"You are the mistress, that's true, but you are also a mother."

"Didn't you say before that as long as she's okay, no amount of making it up to her will make her back? Those words are still ringing in my ears, how could you change your mind?"

Jiang gritted her teeth and glared at him: "You remember that clearly!" It was just a few polite words before, but he took it seriously.

This brat isn't her child, why should she really make amends?

"With so many people listening, I naturally have to take it seriously." Lu Jie took a sip of tea. "The child has just returned. After suffering so much, it's understandable that he feels a little awkward seeing the family doing well."

“You shouldn’t have let Granny Du provoke her at this time. Listen to what she just said; she made perfect sense, and even I couldn’t argue with her.”

"If I don't deal with this, won't she hate me later?"
"If I go to the Cheng family to complain again, you know what kind of person Old Cheng is, I can't afford to mess with him!"

Jiang sneered: "You, the Minister of Rites, can't afford to offend a mere censor?"

"His official rank may not be high, but he is an upright official with no blemishes, unlike me. Right now, there are plenty of people waiting to find fault with me."

"Didn't you see it before? They were clearly trying to support Jia'er."

"You probably wouldn't want my career to be ruined over something so trivial, would you?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Jiang gave him a deep, thoughtful look.

As Lu Jie heard her footsteps fade into the distance, he turned around and slowly put his hands behind his back, facing the doorway.

……

As soon as Granny Du returned to her room with Madam Jiang, she burst into tears.

"Madam, please do me justice!"

Jiang stared at the ground for a long time before saying, "This time you've met your match."

Granny Du sobbed, "This servant never expected the young lady to be so cunning."

Jiang sneered, "She's been like this since she was a child. It's all because her father spoiled her. I just didn't expect that after so many years away from home, her personality would only get worse."

"Now it seems that Guo Lu's repeated failures are probably not accidental."

Granny Du stopped sobbing and looked up: "This shouldn't be. Young Master clearly said that she had been living in Shawan since leaving the capital. How could she be so capable?"

Madam Jiang rose and paced back and forth: "These things are no longer important. What's important is that she is indeed more difficult to deal with than I imagined. Just the way she took the step of returning to the manor was truly meticulous."

"You should send someone to contact Guo Lu as soon as possible and tell him to come back quickly."

Granny Du got up from the ground: "This servant will go right away."

He added, "That wretched maid, Fuxiao, I'll definitely find a way to tear her to pieces!"

“You’re wrong,” Madam Jiang said coldly. “What you should do is find some time to go to Yixia Courtyard and apologize to them.”

"Mrs……"

"Not only do you have to apologize, but you have to apologize sincerely!" Jiang glared at her warningly. "You've already made a mistake once, so stop with your usual act."

Startled, Granny Du fell silent, then quickly lowered her head: "I will obey Madam's orders!"

……