Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 152 Is My Treacherous Father Really That Good?

Those who were mute just now became even more mute.

Lu Jie looked at Madam Jiang: "I'm doing this for your own good." He glanced at Lu Jia on the other side and lowered his voice, "Granny Du is really foolish. Didn't you listen to Jia'er's words and get me all confused?"
“She said that if I don’t stand up for you, I will not give you any dignity. And she was right. How can a servant set rules for his master before the mistress has even spoken?”

"Now that she has the leverage, if I don't establish my authority, you won't look good either."

“But Granny Du has been with me for decades!” Madam Jiang gritted her teeth. “Even if I want to beat or drive her away, I can’t let a mere young girl like her do as she pleases!”

"How can it be her decision? It was clearly me." Lu Jie said firmly, "I have something else to tell you."

"Zhou Shenghe's Guo Yi, who was sent to Tanzhou as an imperial censor, is almost in the capital. Today, during the palace meeting, even Grand Secretary Yan expressed his full support for Hu Yucheng's resistance against the Japanese pirates to the emperor."

"The wedding of the Yan and Lu families is imminent. As you know, our two families are practically tied together. I don't think you would want to cause any trouble for a servant at this time and get yourself into more trouble, would you?"

Jiang's taut body suddenly slumped.

The scene of being harshly reprimanded by Madam Yan was still vivid in my mind.

Whenever the Yan family or any of these things are mentioned, she feels like she has a fishbone stuck in her throat.

"After all, Granny Du is just a servant woman with limited vision. If she had any sense, she should know that she can't cause trouble for Madam at this time. Madam is a sensible person. She wouldn't risk everything for a stupid servant and leave herself with potential problems, would she?"

Lu Jie's gaze was deep, and although his voice was not loud, every word was heavy.

Jiang swallowed hard and sat down.

Lu Jie turned his head: "Drag her away. She must be kicked out of the mansion by tomorrow!"

After saying that, he glanced down at the crowd with a nonchalant expression, then picked up his chopsticks and placed a piece of fish belly on Jiang's plate: "Eat."

……

It's estimated that no one in the room, except for Lu Jia, could really tell what the meal tasted like.

Everyone thought that Lu Jia had grown up in a small town and had never seen the world, so she couldn't cause any trouble when she came back.

Who knew that after only one night back at the manor, she had managed to get rid of one of Jiang's most trusted henchmen? That's quite an achievement.

Lu Ying, who is usually very sociable, remained silent all evening, appearing to everyone as a well-bred lady with impeccable manners.

After having a cup of tea, the banquet finally came to an end.

Lu Jia left faster than anyone else. Lu Jie had just finished talking to his two younger brothers when he turned around and she was gone.

Yin Liu was still waiting for Lu Jia at Yixia Courtyard, so Lu Jia naturally had to hurry.

After Lu Jie slammed his hand on the table, two fingers immediately curled up from his palm—these two fingers made Lu Jia swallow back the compliments she was about to give to her father.

In the past, when Lu Jia was young, Lu Jie often took her to meet guests. However, she couldn't sit still. In front of the guests, Lu Jie wanted to let her go out to play but didn't want to say it directly. So he would raise his ring finger and pinky finger to give her a hint.

Before returning to her residence, Lu Jia made a three-point agreement with him, requiring him to promise fairness, in order to prevent Lu Jie from taking sides.

The father and daughter have lived two lives. Although the father is not always the most ethical, he is a man of his word and has never gone back on his promises.

Therefore, she had enough confidence to punish the wicked servant, Granny Du.

As expected! This Minister father wasn't so muddle-headed after all, and in the end, he punished Granny Du.

But the result was beyond Lu Jia's expectations.

This time, she was actually just taking the opportunity to beat up Granny Du, break both of her legs, and turn her into a useless person. She would proceed step by step, and when the time was right, she would deal with her completely. This way, she wouldn't be too hasty and the situation wouldn't get out of control.

Unexpectedly, she achieved such a good result. She didn't even have to use any force; Lu Jie cleaned it up for her!
How could my treacherous father be so kind?
Lu Jia didn't quite trust him and was afraid he might do something underhanded, so she sent Yin Liu to keep an eye on him secretly.

Upon entering, Yinliu said, "After being dragged out, Granny Du was immediately given ten strokes of the cane, and then dragged back to her room. She's waiting for her family to come and pick her up tomorrow. I've already taken care of the people outside. But from what I see, Master doesn't seem to be faking it." "Really not faking it?"

This is outrageous.

In her previous life, Lu Jie abandoned her to Madam Jiang the day after she returned to the manor. Why would she really offend Madam Jiang for her sake now?
……

When Lu Jie arrived at the study, he leaned back in his chair and began rubbing his temples.

There was only one lamp lit in the room. As soon as he opened his eyes, that tiny flame illuminated them.

Yang Bonong walked in: "Sir, the banquet ended late today."

Lu Jie chuckled lazily: "You have no idea how sharp Jia'er's tongue was tonight."

"Oh?" Yang Bonong hadn't seen him so delighted in years, and he smiled as well, "How is Miss doing today?"

Lu Jie recounted the events at the banquet in vivid detail, and Yang Bonong was also surprised: "This little girl actually has such courage?"

“Who says otherwise?” Lu Jie’s eyes flickered. “I was worried that she would become timid and hesitant, but I didn’t expect her to be so adept these past two days.”

“She even understood my hint instantly earlier—this girl has a really good memory, which means she must still remember what happened back then very clearly.”

Yang Bonong nodded silently: "The people in this mansion... In short, the lord acted accordingly tonight and dealt with those who deserved it, which can be considered a gain."

"After Du Mama left the mansion, she was immediately arrested."

"Master." Just as Lu Jie finished speaking, the curtain was lifted by the person guarding the door. "Madam went to Granny Du's room."

Yang Bonong looked at Lu Jie, who leaned back in his chair and waved his hand.

Yang Bonong then waved his hand towards the outside.

……

The person who did it still had to consider Jiang's feelings. Du Mama was beaten ten times, but she wasn't seriously injured.

When Jiang entered her room, she was still able to wipe away her tears and kneel down before her.

"Take care, Madam. I won't be able to serve you anymore from now on..."

Afterwards, he burst into loud sobs, prostrating himself at Jiang's feet, his heart breaking.

Madam Jiang gestured for the maids to help her up and offered her a seat. Then she said, "Why are you crying? It hasn't gotten to that point yet."

Granny Du immediately stopped crying, her eyes gleaming with a sly light: "Madam, could it be that you've persuaded Master to change his mind?"

“Impossible,” Madam Jiang said bluntly. “Lu Jia has come on strong, catching me off guard every time. And you have made a series of mistakes. If I were to force you to stay, it would indeed cause endless trouble. Because I have no idea what she will do next, so what you said is right, I cannot let you bring me risks.”

"Mrs!"

Granny Du cried again, this time even more heartbroken.

She's already been beaten, why bother coming all the way here to stab her in the back?

"Stop right there!" Madam Jiang took a deep breath and snapped at her, "I can't force you to stay, but I don't want you to leave either!"

Granny Du looked up: "Madam..."

What does she mean by that?
Looking at Chiang Kai-shek from behind, his eyes were as dark as an abyss.

She said slowly, "You've been with me for so many years, and we've been through thick and thin together. How can you still not understand now?"
"Right now, between you and that girl, only the innocent one can stay."

Granny Du stared into her eyes for a long time, then suddenly shivered violently in the cold wind that squeezed in through the window.