Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 193 Sooner or later she'll be someone else's wife
After the carriage entered the Taoist temple in the south of the city, Guo Yi, wearing a thick cloak and a straw hat, awkwardly got off the carriage like a dumpling.

Then, following the path paved with gravel, we passed through a grove of trees covered in ice and snow, and arrived at the very back of the hut.

Inside the small but not too big room, Chen Ji, the owner of the Taoist temple, was brewing tea under the window, while Shen Qingzhou sat to the side with his hands in his sleeves, as lazy as ever.

Guo Yi removed his armor piece by piece, his voice tinged with resentment: "I said it would have been fine if we had just met at the teahouse where we met last time. Why did I have to travel halfway through the freezing cold to come all the way here?"

Shen Qingzhou freed one hand to pick up the teapot and brew tea, while Chen Ji, who was stuffing charcoal into the small stove, grinned and said, "Uncle Guo looks more robust than the young master, but I didn't expect him to be even more afraid of the cold. It's true that married men suffer more after marriage!"

Upon hearing this, Guo Yi laughed and scolded, "You monk, your mouth is full of filthy talk!"

The Taoist priest Chen chuckled and left.

Guo Yi glanced back at Shen Qingzhou, then handed over the large bundle hidden under his cloak: "Everything is here."

"It's a bit messy, you'll have to tidy it up again when you get back."

Shen Qingzhou opened the bundle, glanced at it, and then put it down again: "Where's Zhou Sheng?"

"He has already been taken to the Dali Temple. It's fortunate that you informed His Highness the Crown Prince in advance, so someone took over his care as soon as he arrived in prison."

Shen Qingzhou pushed a cup of tea that had been brewed towards him: "The jailers at the Dali Temple are rotated every three months, so he can only be guaranteed three months' worth of life so far. And during these three months, the Liu family might try to silence him. We must find a way to save his dog's life."

“I heard there was another incident at Tongzhou Wharf recently. Shouldn’t we strike while the iron is hot and file a complaint against them?” Guo Yi put down the hot tea he was about to drink. “The Emperor may not care if the Yan family plunders the people, but they dare to extend their reach to the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War. The Emperor cannot ignore this.”

Shen Qingzhou said, "The Yan family promoted Hu Yucheng back then and has shown him great favor. Now they are recommending him again. Even if we had sufficient evidence, let alone that we don't have enough, the Emperor would not take action against the Yan family at this juncture."

“If we touch the Yan family, Hu Yucheng will definitely try every means to protect them. If he tries to use the war in the southeast to blackmail us, then we will be throwing a punch at cotton and wasting all this evidence.”

Guo Yi nodded: "The Japanese pirates have repeatedly invaded the sea, and we have not been able to completely eradicate them for many years. Who would have thought that Hu Yucheng's visit would actually be effective?"
"Otherwise, when the Yan family recommended him, they would have stopped them at all."

“No.” Shen Qingzhou looked at him. “Knowing that his presence would be effective, we must not stop him.”

"The safety of the nation is always more important than partisan strife."

Guo Yi blushed and said, "Yes, yes, I got narrow-minded without even realizing it."

Shen Qingzhou poked at the embers in the stove with copper chopsticks. "You've done a good job coming back this time, and you should be eligible for a promotion. But I'm afraid the Yan family is already keeping an eye on you."

"I suspect they'll promote you and get you a job in the Ministry of Revenue or the Ministry of Works. Find an excuse to avoid it, hide your talents, and take on a cushy job for now."

Guo Yi clapped his hands: "You guessed right. This morning when I went to the cabinet to report, Grand Secretary Liu was trying to get my opinion. He said he wanted me to be appointed as a senior official in the Ministry of Works and put me in charge of the country's river transport affairs. I declined, saying that I had injured my back while on duty and needed to recuperate for a while."

Shen Qingzhou said slowly, "Better safe than sorry. During my time at the Ministry of Revenue, I've been watched by many people inside and outside the ministry. If I ask even one question, someone will become suspicious."

"Two days ago, the Emperor bestowed a feast upon us. Someone from the Eastern Palace secretly told me that our family received an extra portion of the allowance this year compared to the Yan family, and the Yan family seemed to mind quite a bit."

"After tolerating the Shen family for a year, they've probably reached their limit."

Guo Yi held the cup in both hands, lost in thought, and sighed after a moment. At that moment, there was a knock on the wooden door, and He Qu walked in. After glancing at Guo Yi, he said, "Young Master, we've made progress with the Jiang family. We've found a hidden location for the Wei family..."

Sitting opposite them, Guo Yi watched them whispering to each other. After He Qu was sent away again, he said, "By the way, I just remembered, that girl surnamed Xie in Shawan, is she actually the Lu family's eldest daughter who has been missing for many years?"

Shen Qingzhou replied casually, "He Qu told you?"

"How could he tell? I guessed it myself! Now the whole capital knows that the eldest daughter of the Lu family has returned home. When I heard that she came from Shawan, I inquired about the family that adopted her, and that's how I found out!"

Shen Qingzhou said, "You are very smart."

Guo Yi rolled her eyes, then glanced at him and said, "So you just broke up with him like that? You went your separate ways? Aren't you sad?"

"Why should you be sad?"

"You and Miss Lu wasted half a year together, and in the end she still becomes someone else's wife."

The steam rising from the kettle enveloped Shen Qingzhou's face: "Who told you she was going to become someone else's wife?"

Guo Yi muttered, "That's just a matter of time..."

Shen Qingzhou ignored him.

He reached the threshold, picked up his cloak, and said, "I'm leaving now. The old place isn't safe anymore. Let's meet here from now on."

……

Lu Jia guessed that Shen Qingzhou, due to her old ailment, would definitely not go out on such a snowy day.

That day, upon hearing that Liu Xiyu had arrived at the Xie family's place, she braved the snow to go out. Just as she landed in front of the Xie family's gate, she happened to run into Liang Mi, who was on her way to the Lu family to deliver the good news to her!
The Liang siblings have moved to the Xie family's residence. Liang Mi's trip was because Liang Jun had been pardoned and released from prison, returning home!

Lu Jia was trying her best to rescue Liang Jun through Lu Jie's side, but she didn't expect him to come out so quickly!
She mentioned it to Lu Jie that day, and she didn't expect him to actually do it! — This had to be done by him, no one else could do it! Shouldn't she cook him a few dishes to reward him later?
Unable to contain her joy, Lu Jia and Qiu Niang went to Liang Jun's room to visit him again.

That night, I had a long talk with Liu Xiyu. The head of the household expressed her concerns about the current state of the court and her determination to open up a new rice market in the capital. She truly lived up to her reputation as an iron lady.

Lu Jia returned to the mansion and pondered the matter of opening a shop for them. At that moment, Changfu arrived again:

"...Guard He came to deliver a message, saying that he has found an important clue about the Jiang family. Young Master Shen asked if Miss could come to meet him at Swallow Alley tomorrow night?"

Lu Jia has been waiting for this news for the past few days!

He nodded immediately after hearing this: "He can go out! Tell him to see him tomorrow night!"

Must go!

Even if we can't go, we have to find a way to go!
Whether or not the Chiang family can be developed into allies to overthrow the Chiang family depends on this opportunity!

I received a 30000-word reward from a reader named "Old Times in the Mountain Village" today, and I'm very grateful. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, I can only update once today. I will make up for the missing update tomorrow if all goes well, and I will definitely make it up the day after tomorrow if things don't go smoothly. Please forgive me.