Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 226 The two of them are so lovey-dovey.

"A mere three million taels of silver, Brother Lan Chu, you wouldn't want to make things difficult for me, would you?"

Liu Zheng leaned closer to him, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

Lu Jie looked at him for a moment, then smiled and slammed the list face down on the table: "Lord Liu is treating me like a treasury. Three million taels of silver, no one can just take it like that."

"As far as I know, the silver for river channel improvement was distributed last autumn. How come another three million taels have suddenly appeared here?"

"The old debt has indeed been settled, but the rains in the south are too heavy. In two or three months, all areas south of the Yangtze River will enter the flood season. This three million taels is a precautionary measure, and it also ensures that the Ministry of Works has grain in hand so that it is not worried."

"You see, Hu Yucheng is fighting a war in the southeast and needs military supplies at any time. According to the Emperor's wishes, Hu Yucheng will definitely be given priority."

"But the importance of river transport across the land is no less than that of border defense. If it is not repaired in time, it will directly affect the harvest of the people across the land."

"But I can't decide on three million taels; I have to ask the Emperor for permission."

"Brother Lan Chu is a trusted minister of the Emperor, and now he has taken charge of the Ministry of Revenue. My mentor has high hopes for you, Lord Lu. These small matters will certainly not be a problem for you."

Three million taels of silver is a small matter?
Lu Jie poured him a cup of tea: "Put the bill aside for now, and I'll have someone pass on the message to you after it's settled."

Liu Zheng accepted the tea: "I've been waiting for your good news!"

After Liu Zheng left, Lu Jie, accompanied by two vice ministers, toured various places again. As it was getting close to noon, he got into his sedan chair and returned to his residence.

Yang Bonong happened to be there, and after looking at the account, he said, "They really dare to do that!"

Lu Jie said, "Three million taels of silver may not be urgent for them, but it will give me a warning if it's placed on my head."

Yang Bonong asked, "Will you do it, sir?"

“Of course we have to do it,” Lu Jie said, “but there are different ways to do it.”

……

Shen Qingzhou watched as Liu Zheng hurriedly entered Lu Jie's room and then hurriedly left, his gaze and expression turning cold.

He had a very leisurely day, and when it got dark, he arrived at Yanzi Hutong. Lu Jia was already there, and she had personally stewed a large pot of mutton, sprinkling it with plenty of pepper.

As soon as Shen Qingzhou smelled this aroma, he remembered how Lu Jia often used these few bites of food to coax him into becoming her henchman last year in Shawan.

He couldn't help but mention that Liu Zheng had approached his father, and then said, "When Yi Ge'er and the others first came to the capital, didn't they say that a new grain store with a rather prestigious background had opened in Shawan?"

“That’s right,” Lu Jia slurped up the mutton soup. “I was even certain that the grain depot was set up by Yan the old scoundrel and his faction to take over from the Su family.”

The other party's intentions were so obvious that there was no need to bother looking for any evidence. Even if it wasn't Yan the old scoundrel who started it, it was definitely done by someone under Yan's family, like Liu Zheng.

However, she hadn't finished taking care of her own affairs yet, so she didn't have time to deal with it for the time being.

“I suspect that the man surnamed Liu is starting to covet Tanzhou Prefecture again,” Shen Qingzhou said.

After a bite of mutton, my whole body felt warm.

"Hu Yucheng's campaign in the southeast is stable, and there have even been repeated victories. The Emperor is overjoyed and has already issued two commendations."

"Thanks to this, the Yan family is temporarily safe, but Zhou Sheng is still in prison. If the Yan family is implicated in the breaching of the dike and flooding of the fields, they will inevitably be unable to escape punishment. Therefore, we must find a way to clean up the mess in Shawan during this time."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"Before I left, I sent Tang Yu with a few people south to Shawan to check out the shops."

Lu Jia agreed: "The Yan family is so corrupt that it's rumored that their treasury is fuller than the national treasury, and they can't even get their grain from the fields and rivers."

Shen Qingzhou finished the whole bowl of soup and then remembered, "You called me on such a cold day, is there something you need?"

Lu Jia nodded: "It's time to use your skills again. Find a way to help me find out what the Yan family was doing on the Mid-Autumn Festival eleven years ago, the night I was abandoned by the Jiang family? What were Yan Shu and his wife doing?"

"You suspect that the Yan family is also involved in this matter?"

Lu Jia's gaze was icy: "That night, when my father ordered Jiang to return to the mansion, she left behind a sentence. She told the Yan family that they were not innocent either.

"When Jiang married into the Lu family, nothing major happened. She mentioned the events of that year, so I think it must be related to the fact that she abandoned me."

She paused for a moment, then looked at Shen Qingzhou and sighed, "After all, it's been eleven years. Even if I knew, I might not be able to find any clues, especially since the Yan family is so meticulous in their work. It would be even more difficult to find any evidence."

"It's alright." After a moment of contemplation, Shen Qingzhou lowered his hand from under his chin. "I'll think of a solution."

Lu Jia nodded: "Jiang is still alive, and she remains a thorn in my side. She has tried to kill me repeatedly, and I cannot let her go like this."

"But my father is full of schemes, and I don't know what he's up to. In short, I can't count on him. He refuses to divorce his wife, and he won't even respond when I bring up the old grievances from back then. So I'll just do it myself."

"How can you say you came by yourself?" Shen Qingzhou looked over. "I came too."

Lu Jia paused for a moment, then chuckled, "You're right! In a few months, we'll be husband and wife! We'll support each other through thick and thin!"

Looking at her flushed cheeks, Shen Qingzhou felt a surge of warmth in his heart and couldn't help but gently pinch them.

……

Shen Qingzhou said he wanted to handle the wedding arrangements himself, but how could Shen Bo possibly allow that? Putting aside everything else, the traditional betrothal ceremony requires the parents to be present. Did he really intend to carry out the betrothal ceremony himself ahead of time?
In the afternoon, after finding a matchmaker, they sent someone to invite Shen Qingzhou over to discuss the matter. However, no one was at Bibo Pavilion, and when they went to the yamen, no one was there either.

He doesn't usually make many friends, so where could he go at a time like this?

Shen Zhui walked in carrying a stack of homework. He immediately saw Shen Bo sitting there with a worried look on his face and couldn't help but go up to him: "Father has been looking worried lately. Are you still worried about your elder brother's marriage?"

Mentioning this made Shen Bo's mind a mess. "Knowing full well that Lu Jie, that old fox, is not someone to be trifled with, he's still rushing to arrange a marriage this time. What is he thinking?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Zhui immediately shut his mouth tightly.

Shen Bo sighed and put the list of matchmakers back in his pocket: "If I had known that his peaceful life would be so short, I should have arranged a marriage for him earlier."

Shen Zhui scratched the back of his head, glanced at him, and hesitated before speaking.

Shen Bo turned his head: "What are you scratching your head for? You're so unserious."

Shen Zhui, his face flushed red, kept his mouth tightly shut, but finally couldn't hold back: "Don't worry, those two are practically inseparable!"