Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 220 You've Put Me in a Dilemma

The scandal involving the Yan family that night spread like wildfire throughout the city, which was exactly what the Yan family had expected.

Since it couldn't be covered up anyway, I simply gave up on trying to cover it up.

After all, over the years, there have been more than one or two waves of attacks on the Yan family.

To put it bluntly, they've seen far too much in their lives, from top to bottom.

what is this?
It's just a loss of face; it won't hurt them at all. As long as their power, status, wealth, and status remain unaffected, let them spew whatever they want.

After listening for several days, Madam Yan gradually became restless.

After dinner, the couple sat on the tatami mat drinking tea. She asked, "Have you heard the rumors circulating on the streets these past few days?"

Yan Shu hadn't left his house these past few days to avoid trouble, and had been having his servants deliver official documents. Hearing this, he said, "What?"

Madam Yan put down her cup: "For some reason, these past two days, besides those still harping on our Yan family, half the people on the street are sympathizing with the suffering eldest daughter of the Lu family, while the other half are discussing Lu Lanchu, who was innocently implicated."

After returning to the manor that day, she seized Yan Qu and carefully verified everything Jiang had said. As it turned out, what she feared most came true: Jiang had not made up any lies!

Yan Qu acquired two houses outside the city and kept mistresses for several years!
Moreover, both of those sluts confessed in unison that he really wasn't good at that!
Of course, Madam Yan couldn't believe just one side of the story, so she had her husband personally lead a team to verify it. Only after the reply confirmed that it was indeed the case did she finally give up hope.

She gave birth to two sons! But one of them couldn't have children. What's the difference between that and only having one son?!

But reality didn't allow her to be too heartbroken. The rumors outside were too intense. Yan Qu had no choice but to cover up the news tightly, even keeping it from the rest of the family, and not letting any more whispers out. Then she quickly focused her attention on dealing with the overall situation.

Yan Shu was still flipping through the files in his hands when he heard this and looked up: "What are you talking about?"

Madam Yan propped her elbow on the table: "Public opinion in the capital is on the Lu family's side!"
"They say Lu Lanchu was tricked by us. Not only did we force her to marry an illegitimate daughter, but she was also dragged down and lost face like this!"

"They also said how pitiful Jiajie was, how weak she was, and how she lived under her stepmother's control."

"That's fine, but in this matter, the girl did suffer some losses."

"The important thing is Lan Chu."

"That night, although he readily agreed to marry Yingjie to him, he did not agree to let Jiajie go to the Shen family."

"What I'm worried about is whether Lu Lanchu's mind will waver even more after hearing these things."

Yan Shu paused for a moment, then looked up thoughtfully: "That's quite possible. That night, he was indeed too lenient with us, hardly uttering a single question."

At this point, he closed the file and said, "I will go to the Lu family tomorrow."

The following afternoon, Yan Shu rode out in a sedan chair.

He first had someone carry him around to crowded parts of the city, listening to some gossip, before heading to the Lu residence.

When he got out of the sedan chair, Yang Bonong came out to greet him.

"Lord Yan, your presence is an honor. I apologize for not being able to greet you properly!"

Yan Shu returned the greeting with a friendly bow: "It's been a long time since I've seen you, Bo Nong. You've lost weight."

Yang Bonong sighed, "My master hasn't been out much lately, but as you know, there's a lot of work to be done at the end of the year. And right now, his duties are of utmost importance, so I have to take on this errand. That's why I went to the storeroom to fetch some things while my master was taking a short rest. I'm sorry to have been late in welcoming you!" Yan Shu's eyes flickered slightly as he followed him into the warm pavilion, where incense was burning. "So, Lan Chu isn't available to receive guests right now?"

Yang Bonong remained calm and composed: "It is inconvenient to see other people, but who are you? Please come inside for tea, sir. I will go and inform my master to come out."

After saying this, she warmly welcomed him into the house, then asked someone to serve tea, and then quickly went to her study.

Lu Jie was reviewing the accounts that Lu Jia had approved since taking charge of the central administration over the past few days.

Even though she's been away from home for many years, the girl still writes very well.

He nodded as he looked around, responding to Yang Boya's questions: "What kind of sedan chair are you riding in? What kind of clothes are you wearing? What are you carrying?"

Yang Bonong replied one by one: "It was an ordinary blue sedan chair, dressed in everyday clothes, and carrying the wine from Zuixianlou, which adults love."

As he spoke, he glanced outside and said, "If you keep asking questions, we'll finish a whole cup of tea."

Lu Jie then slowly put down the bill and went to the warm pavilion.

"Baekhyun!" He stepped through the door, cupped his hands in greeting from afar, and quickened his pace instantly: "I just took a nap, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting!"

Yan Shu stood up with a smile: "It was wrong of me to disturb your peaceful sleep."

After some polite exchanges, both parties sat down.

Yan Shu placed the wine on the table: "It looks like it will snow tonight, so I brought wine with me and came here to freeload a meal."

Lu Jie laughed and said, "You're becoming more and more distant. What do you mean by 'mooching a meal'? You weren't like this before."

Things are different now. Even the gossip outside is almost drowning the Yan family.

"The Grand Secretary's disciples are all over the world, and he has already established a deep-rooted influence in the court. Minor troubles are nothing to worry about."

Lu Jie took a sip of tea.

“You’re right,” Yan Shu nodded. “Over the years, Father has helped and mentored countless younger generations. He has devoted himself to the Emperor and the country. Even if he has not made any great contributions to the people, he has certainly made great sacrifices. But just now, when I went outside, I saw a flood of people cursing the Yan family.”

"If this continues, this trend will inevitably be exploited by some people lurking underwater."

Yan Shu's gaze deepened as he spoke: "What have you thought about the matter I came to discuss with you before?"

Lu Jie stared at the wine jars on the table, his expression slowly hardening. He then poured out one jar and pushed it over, saying, "Ying-jie and Qu-ge'er will be getting married after the New Year. Your wedding preparations should be complete by now, right? Fine wine is good, but too much is never good. In my opinion, one jar is enough."

Yan Shu's gaze settled on his face, then moved down to the wine jar, and then to his neatly arranged clothes.

He chuckled and pushed the jar of wine back over: "Your sister-in-law and I met Jiajia that day, and we were delighted."

“When she gets married in the future, we will certainly do our best to show respect to our elders and protect her well.”

"She should be getting married soon. I wonder what's missing from her dowry? Why don't you tell me?"

"Two jars of wine aren't much. We can discuss it while we drink. Once we have a decision, I will make sure to prepare everything for her later."

Lu Jie glanced at the two jars of wine placed side by side and said slowly, "What she lacks most is someone to protect her life. I wonder if Baekhyun has any good ideas?"