Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 219 Watching the Show Without Me
The Yan family still had to deal with the aftermath, while the Lu family father and daughter left first.

The carriages were parked outside the alley. As they walked out, He Qu was imitating the chirping of a night bird on a wall to one side. Lu Jia raised his hand and made a gesture of approval to Shen Qingzhou next to him.

The moment Lu Jia decided to take action against the Jiang family, she knew that after the matter was accomplished, Lu Ying would ultimately focus on her marriage to Yan Qu. Of course, in that case, she would not be let off by the Yan family either, since they also had a plan to plant spies in the Shen family!

Since Lu Ying has to be tied to Yan Qu, then wouldn't Lu Jia be the only one going to the Shen family?
Anyway, the Yan family won't let me off the hook after I beat Jiang to death, so why doesn't Lu Jia take the initiative to appear and let them focus on making this marriage happen?
Even if this move makes Grand Commandant Shen her biggest threat in the future, what path doesn't seem arduous now?

At least now that they're married, she and Shen Qingzhou can stand together legitimately, facing each other back-to-back, which is much more convenient.

Shen Qingzhou, who was behind the wall, withdrew his gaze, exchanged a glance with He Qu, and a group of guards hidden in the shadows landed with him, silently leaving the alley and returning to the main street to board the carriage. Shen Qingzhou lifted the carriage curtain, looked at the faint dawn breaking on the horizon, and casually rolled up his dew-dampened sleeves.

"After dawn, go and expose the major events that happened in the Yan family last night."

He Qu, standing at the front of the carriage, turned his head slightly and said "Yes," ordering the guards to speed up the carriage.

They all saw Miss Lu's gesture just now!

The Grand Commandant's mansion is about to have a young mistress!
The Shen family is finally no longer a bachelor's temple!

Great.

Previously, the eldest son had always lagged behind his wife in every step.

This time, he absolutely cannot fall behind again!
They will absolutely not let him fall behind!
……

When the father and daughter returned to the Lu residence, it was already slightly dawn.

On the way home, the father and daughter rode in separate cars, naturally having no chance to speak. After entering the house, Lu Jia got out of bed and saw Lu Jie's somber face. After thinking for a moment, she said, "If Yan Qu is really that despicable, my sister will be like sinking into a quagmire if she marries him. Doesn't your conscience bother you, Father?"

Lu Ying is also his daughter, and the daughter he raised by his side for many years. In his previous life, he didn't stop him from marrying into the Yan family, so why would he do the same for Lu Ying?
But Lu Jie didn't even look at her. He simply turned and instructed Lu Rong to summon Su Zhixiao and the other stewards to the study to await orders.

Lu Jia then tilted her head and asked again, "Father..."

"Go to sleep. Tomorrow you'll be in charge of the household affairs. There aren't many people in the family, but there's a lot to do, so you'll be busy. But don't worry, your father is well-off, so he's not afraid of you squandering your wealth."

Lu Jie dismissed the person and then pushed her towards the gate: "As for conscience, don't even think about it. Your father doesn't have that kind of thing at all!"

After saying that, he turned and walked straight to his study without stopping.

Lu Jia was left behind, leaving him speechless.

……

The two things that spread the fastest in the world are plague and scandal.

Rumors often spread far and wide. Let alone what happened in Anqing Hutong last night, with several groups of people making a great commotion, it was impossible for it to go unnoticed. Before dawn, by midnight, every household in the surrounding area was already brightly lit and discussing it behind closed doors.

In the morning, the quickest teahouses and taverns would open their doors early to welcome guests, setting out melon seeds and peanuts.

The Yan family had been entrenched in the court for decades, with connections to the highest levels and absolute authority. Their influence in the court was like that of gods, something that ordinary people might not understand and dare not discuss.

They could convert rice paddies to mulberry fields, interfere in river transport, and hoard land—all matters concerning the vital interests of the people. In which of these matters did they not get involved, leaving behind countless corpses?
The famine in the north and south this year can easily be traced back to the Yan family by simply following the clues.

The people of the land have long harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Yan family. Unexpectedly, this scandal has suddenly emerged, involving not only Yan Song, but also the Yan family's illegitimate daughter and the wife of Lu Jie, the Minister of Rites! This is fodder for gossip!

When Yang Bonong finished his work early and came to the study, Lu Jie was already standing by the window with his hands behind his back, looking at the osmanthus tree in the courtyard.

It was past Chen Shi (7-9 AM), but he was still wearing yesterday's clothes, his hair was not very neat, and his hat and belt were lying to one side, which clearly showed that he had not slept all night.

Before Yang Bonong could speak, Lu Jie had already turned around: "What's the situation outside now?"

"Aside from the private details about Yan Qu that the young lady revealed after entering the venue, everything else from last night has been widely circulated in the streets and alleys."

"To put it simply, before breakfast, everyone in and around the capital already knew about Yan Song's affair with Wei Shi, and even the lady's background was known."

"Before I came in, most of the public opinion was focused on you, sir. However, there were two opinions. One was that you were really wronged, sir. Your marriage to your wife was arranged by the Yan family, and these people thought that the Yan family was deliberately trying to disgust you."

"Some people think that the official deserved it, that he colluded with treacherous officials and was betrayed as a result, which is very gratifying."

As Yang Bonong finished speaking, he even raised an eyebrow. The mockery in his eyes was quite obvious.

Lu Jie gave him a disgruntled look: "You've finally got to see this good show."

Yang Bonong smiled and clasped his hands together: "Sir, you should have sent someone to let me know last night so that I could go and take a look."

Although he had listened to gossip all morning, with all sorts of different opinions, nothing could compare to the thrill of seeing it with his own eyes.

"Don't even mention you, even I, although I could tell that the girl in the scarlet cloak outside the side gate wasn't Jia'er, I never expected this to happen later."

Lu Jie frowned and sat down: "It wasn't until I got to Anqing Hutong and saw the Yan family that I realized that this girl had really investigated the Wei family and even set up such a trap."

Yang Bonong nodded: "The young lady is indeed quick. It's only been about ten days since she came to argue with the master after the incident with Granny Du."

Last time, when Lu Jia questioned him, Lu Jie only reminded her that Granny Du was not enough and that she should find a more valuable bargaining chip. Unexpectedly, the young Lu Jia actually listened to him.

“This child is really remarkable.” Lu Jie said, his eyes shining. “Think about the past ten years, she went from being the high and mighty eldest daughter of the Lu family to the adopted daughter of a merchant family, yet she was still able to make a good living. That is enough to show that she is outstanding.”

“I even think that if she really has to marry into the Shen family, she still has the ability to live a good life.”

Yang Bonong stepped forward: "Does Your Excellency intend to agree to the Yan family's idea of ​​bestowing a marriage upon you?"

“At least the Shen family doesn’t have any major stains.” Lu Jie took a few steps. “Shen Bo is not very decent in matters of love and sex, but he is loyal to the emperor and loves the people, so he is a real man. The Shen family is worthy of my daughter.”

Yang Bonong wanted to roll his eyes: "But it would be easy for the Shen family to manipulate a weak woman."

“Jia’er is no pushover!” Lu Jie glanced back at him. “Besides, I still need to prepare a dowry for her, don’t I?”

"What dowry?"

Lu Jie's face darkened: "In this whole incident involving the Yan family, they are not innocent, the Wei family is not innocent, and Jiang Mingyi is not innocent. It's just that I, who was tricked into marriage, was indeed implicated, wasn't I?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Bonong nodded in understanding: "I understand now."