Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 253 Fox
Song En quickly exchanged a glance with Shen Qingzhou, then asked He Qu, "So, it was the Grand Commandant who went to the palace to lodge a complaint?"

Prior to this, Shen Bo had always tried his best to avoid clashing with the Yan family. It was common knowledge, both in and out of court, that Grand Commandant Shen was determined to have no dealings or involvement with the Yan family.

Shen Qingzhou was also quite surprised. That day, when he went to find Shen Bo, he dragged the matter of Jiang's plot to harm Lu Jia into the Shen family. It was just a way to make fun of him. He never really expected him to do anything.
Unexpectedly, he actually went, and even persuaded the emperor to punish Yan Song.
"I don't know!" He Qu shrugged. "Anyway, that old scoundrel Yan went back to his residence obediently just now. I heard that although Lord Lu wasn't scolded as severely as that old scoundrel Yan, he was still ordered to deal seriously with matters concerning the inner quarters."

"He also said that if the Lu family were to be involved in any more scandals, the Emperor would punish him!"

"Many people outside are talking about this matter, speculating whether our Shen family is going to take advantage of the ongoing turmoil between the Yan and Lu families to make a move. I think that would be a good thing, so I came to report to you, young master."

Song En pondered for a moment, then walked back to his desk: "Since the Grand Commandant has already taken this action, why not go even further?"

Shen Qingzhou closed the betrothal gift list: "Because the decision-maker is the Emperor."

Song En paused.

Shen Qingzhou handed him the form: "Take this to the housekeeper."

……

Shen Bo sat down in the study, and Yi Cheng hurriedly came over.

"Did the Grand Commandant just go to the palace to file a complaint?"

Shen Bo put down the riding whip, then opened the lid of the incense burner in front of him, lit an incense stick, and inserted it into the burner.

"I presented the memorial to the Emperor requesting commendations for Hu Yucheng and other soldiers from the southeastern coastal region. The Emperor saw that there were no names of generals who had pacified the northwest. He felt that I, as an important minister of the court, was still afraid of the Yan family and thought that I was cowardly and lacked magnanimity."

"In order not to disappoint the Emperor, I had no choice but to mention this matter casually. I didn't expect the Emperor to actually listen to it. Not only did he summon Yan Song and Lu Jie to the palace, but he also punished them. His imperial grace is truly boundless."

Upon hearing this, Yi Cheng's eyes lit up with understanding. After a pause, he smiled meaningfully and said, "I see. The emperor's orders are hard to disobey, so we can't blame the Grand Commandant."

Shen Bo pushed the incense burner forward, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Yi Cheng took a few steps forward: "What is His Majesty really thinking? Does he hope that the Shen family will step in and curb the Yan family's arrogance?"

"You're overthinking it," Shen Bo said, glancing at him. "The Yan family remains favored because the war in the southeast is stable, and the Emperor has recently given them many praises."

"Yan Song has served the Emperor for so many years. The Emperor may be tired of him, but he can't do without him."

"Unless someone emerges who can replace the Yan family, how could they possibly be determined to take action against them?"

"If that's the case, why did His Majesty force Grand Commandant to file a complaint against the Yan family?"

Shen Bo stared intently: "Perhaps it's because I've been truly impeccable since I returned to the capital." He looked up and said, "What the Emperor wants are people who can work for him, not perfect people."

"So, His Majesty intends to let the Shen and Yan families clash. What are Grand Commandant's plans for the future?"

Shen Bo gazed at the wisps of smoke rising before him: "Why bother planning? Didn't Yu'er already have his own ideas?"
"He's about to marry that girl from the Lu family. I've already sent someone to Tanzhou to inquire. Before she returned to the capital, that girl had already turned the Shawan Wharf upside down."

"So she's no pushover either, and there's bound to be trouble when they get together in the future."

"Let's just let things take their course and let Yu'er deal with it."

Yi Cheng suddenly realized and nodded, saying, "Young Master is still a junior. Even if he faces the Grand Commandant, there is still room for maneuver."

Shen Bo picked up the riding whip again: "Call Shen An and the others, and come with me to the training ground to practice formations."

……

Yan Song had served the emperor for many years and had been impeached by numerous officials, but punishments like being confined to his quarters for reflection were nothing to him. However, this time, the person who filed the complaint was Shen Bo, which caused quite a stir among the court officials.

"Time will tell," Yan Song sighed in his study. "I told you long ago that Shen Bo was two-faced, and now you've all seen it."

Yan Shu and his wife looked at each other in bewilderment.

Yan Liang, who was standing to the side, clasped his hands together.

Yan Song asked, "What does Liang'er think?"

Yan Liang bowed: "The Shen family was originally unwilling to agree to such a marriage, and now that they have this opportunity, they will naturally take advantage of our misfortune. If we remain silent at this time, even the Emperor will find it strange."

"In my humble opinion, the root of this matter lies with my aunt. For a family like ours and the Lu family, the little bit of trouble in the underworld is not surprising. Who knew that my aunt could not even control Guo Lu, allowing the Shen family to seize the opportunity."

Yan Song nodded subtly and looked at Yan Shu: "In that case, neither of you is very efficient."

Madam Yan, still burdened with the charge of assassinating Madam Jiang, lowered her head deeply and said, "Father's words are correct."

"Reporting to Your Excellency, news has arrived regarding the Shen family!"

At this moment, a servant came to the gate and reported: "Half an hour ago, when Grand Commandant Shen went to the training ground to inspect the troops and was sparring with you on formations, he was hit by a horse and fell off!"

The four people in the room looked up at the same time.

"Did he fall and get hurt?" Yan Song asked.

"It is said that he injured his right leg. Imperial Physician Sheng has been summoned to treat him."

Yan Shu and his wife looked at Yan Song.

Yan Song, gripping the handrail, snorted coldly, "That fox!"

……

When Yan Shu and his two sons came out of the study and returned to the main courtyard, Madam Yan let out a long sigh and looked at Yan Liang: "Shen Bo's fall was most likely fake, but he avoided our house!"

At this point, she looked at Yan Liang and said, "In retrospect, it was only you, the eldest grandson, who was able to point out Jiang's crimes to the old master."

Yan Liangchao and Yan Shu bowed: "There are too many things to come from the Wei family affair. If we want to control the situation now, we can only clean up the mess little by little."

“The Jiang family must be eliminated, but this requires my grandfather’s permission. I have taken the liberty of coming up with this plan on the spur of the moment without consulting my father and mother. I hope my father will forgive me.”

Yan Shu's eyes were filled with admiration: "My son is so thoughtful and resourceful, what could be more admirable?"

Madam Yan looked at the father and son, then back at Yan Liang, and smiled: "Since Liang'er has such insight, do you have any good ideas now?"

Because Shen Bo suddenly filed this complaint, Yan Shu hadn't had time to go to the Lu family to "explain" things. Of course, the main reason was that he didn't know how to explain things in a way that wouldn't result in such an embarrassing defeat.

We can't just go there, make a fool of ourselves, apologize in disgrace, and then have Jiang Shi keep her safe and sound, only to end up losing both our wife and our army.

Yan Liang looked at them and said with a smile, "Why didn't Mother ask for my opinion sooner?"
“The Lu family had a ready-made candidate, and my father and mother never thought of it at all.”

Madam Yan looked up in surprise: "Who?"

Yan Liang raised an eyebrow: "Lu Ying."

Madam Yan: "..."