Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 203 She's hiding something!
Guo Lu quickly weighed the options in his mind and said, "They did such a thing? I didn't know. Where did you hear this from?"

Lu Jia was too lazy to waste words with him: "Let's get started."

He Qu didn't like to dawdle either, and with one swift movement, he dislocated Guo Lu's elbow. Then, with practiced ease, he covered Guo Lu's mouth.

So when the latter wanted to scream like a pig being slaughtered, it didn't even have a chance to make a sound.

As He Qu moved his hand to his shoulder, he spoke first: "I don't know when it started! I only know that when I came to the Jiang family, I saw Grand Secretary Yan's handwriting in my aunt's room!"

Lu Jia sneered: "How old were you when you came to the Jiang family?"

Since Guo Lu had already noticed something amiss, he must not be the only one who knew about it.

"I'm eight years old!" Guo Lu cried out, drenched in sweat. "I came to the Jiang family when I was eight!"

"How old are you?"

"I turned twenty-two last month!"

It doesn't matter. These are not big deals. The Yan family has almost the final say in the world. Even if this gets out, what can the world do to the Yan family?

This person must be an enemy of the Yan family. A wise man doesn't fight a losing battle. In any case, once he gets through this hurdle, he will definitely find out who this person is and make him suffer a thousand cuts!

The glowing embers illuminated Lu Jia, who wore a silver mask, making her appear as if she came from hell.

Guo Lu is twenty-two years old this year. He came to the Jiang family when he was eight, which means that Wei and Yan the old scoundrel have been having an affair for at least fourteen years.

Fourteen years ago, it was the time when Jiang married Lu Jie.

And their adultery could have started even earlier than that.

Therefore, it is inevitable that Yan Laozei, with so many students and their children, would only stand up for the widow of one of his students, the Jiang family, and would only adopt Jiang as his goddaughter. This is related to their illicit affair.

The fact that Yan the old scoundrel could maintain an affair with Wei for such a long time can no longer be called simple adultery; isn't this practically raising a mistress?
The old scoundrel Yan gave the Wei family those antiques, paintings, and people that were openly displayed and of considerable value. So how much did he give them in private?

In her previous life, she spent five years in the Yan family and never heard a word about this matter, which shows that the Yan family members were most likely unaware of it.

Of course, given the immense wealth the Yan family had amassed through plundering the world, even if they knew about this mistress, they wouldn't care about the paltry sum they gave to Madam Wei.

The question is, given the affair between her birth mother and adoptive father, how much benefit did Jiang, as a woman from another family, actually gain?

Not only did she use this to marry Lu Jie, a scion of a prominent family, despite being born into a minor official family, thus elevating her status dramatically, but she can now also express her dissatisfaction with the Yan family regarding Lu Ying's marriage.

She not only benefited from the Yan family by selling herself through her birth mother, but she also put on airs and refused to be manipulated by the Yan family. Would the Yan family agree to that?

Lu Jia stared at the man without moving: "The Wei family's status is no longer what it used to be. Why does she still stay in the Jiang family instead of moving out and starting her own household?"

Judging from Li's attitude when Lu Jia met her last time, the Jiang family still doesn't respect Wei.

Since Wei is going to maintain an affair with Yan Song, isn't she afraid that the Jiang family will catch her while she's coming and going?

Someone like her could easily buy another house to ensure her safety and peace of mind.

“My great-aunt might not want to move, but my aunt won’t let her move, so what can she do?” Guo Lu gritted his teeth in pain.

Why can't she move?

"There's always gossip around a widow's house," Guo Lu replied automatically as He Qu approached again. "If she stays at the Jiang family's old house, no one will dare to gossip about her. Her reputation will also benefit my aunt's reputation!"

That's true, but compared to the risk of being caught having an affair by the Chiang family if he stayed, this reason ultimately seems somewhat weak. Why was the Chiang family so concerned about their reputation?

She's already Mrs. Lu, who would dare to gossip about her mother behind her back? Even if there were such people, why should she care? Can't she handle it?
Lu Jia stood up, dragging his long robe around the brazier, and walked up to Guo Lu: "Before your great-uncle died, did your great-aunt see that old scoundrel Yan?"

How could I possibly know that?

Without saying a word, He Qu dislocated his other arm and covered his mouth as well.

Guo Lu almost fainted! After catching his breath, he hurriedly said, "I wasn't even born when my great-uncle died! How would I know anything about these things? At most, I only know that when my great-aunt brought my aunt to the Yan family for help, my aunt was only five or six years old!"

Five or six years old!
As far as Lu Jia knows, after the Wei mother and daughter found the Yan family, they stayed there for at least a year!
During that time, Jiang humbled herself before Old Madam Yan in every way, and finally gained Old Madam Yan's approval to be adopted as their goddaughter!

Everything sounded perfectly logical and flawless.

But they had met back then and even took them in. Doesn't that mean that at the same time, Wei and Yan had the opportunity to start their affair?

Or perhaps, even earlier?
When Chiang Kai-shek's father was alive?
Or perhaps before Chiang Kai-shek was born?

Lu Jia's eyes narrowed without her realizing it.

The affair between Yan the old scoundrel and Wei has lasted far too long, hasn't it?

That old scoundrel Yan is taking far too good care of that mother and daughter!
Conversely, how can it be explained that he adopted Jiang as his goddaughter and remained devoted to Wei for decades without any special reasons?
"Someone's chasing us!"

The guards who were standing outside the door came in.

Lu Jia glanced at the doorway, then looked sharply at Guo Lu, before decisively signaling He Qu to put his dislocated arm back in place and gag him again.

She pulled two pieces of paper from her bosom, shoved a pen into his hand, and slit the knife against his neck: "Sign your name. Write it neatly!"

Guo Lu wanted to shout but could not, so he had no choice but to do as he was told.

Lu Jia watched him finish writing, then pressed his finger on top of it.

Then he waved for the guards to take him away.

After watching them leave, He Qu returned and asked, "Would it be appropriate to put him back?"

“It would be inappropriate to leave him behind.” Lu Jia stuffed the ink-stained paper into his pocket. “If he disappears, the Jiang family will definitely search high and low for him. Then all our work tonight will have been for nothing.”

Jiang had already made a mistake once, losing Granny Du; she wouldn't lose Guo Lu again.

Even if Guo Lu is dead, she has to find his body and bring it back.

Therefore, keeping Guo Lu in hand is tantamount to being entangled with Chiang Kai-shek.

The government officials chasing after them were either people Guo Lu had just recruited, or most likely people Jiang had sent to keep an eye on them.

He Qu nodded.

Lu Jia strode towards the back door: "Let's go and move on to the next step!"

He Qu followed up: "Where to next?"

"There's still one definite answer we haven't received, isn't there?"