Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 277 Ecstasy Array

"master!"

Lu Rong gritted his teeth, his hands hanging at his sides clenched into fists.

Yang Bonong came out of the inner room, his face still ashen: "Did they really leave?"

Lu Jie shook his head slightly: "It's not that easy. It's just a feint. Yan Shu must have left people to guard them."

He turned to Yang Bonong and said, "Don't go out. If you do, you'll definitely fall into their hands!"

Yang Bonong nodded, but then immediately asked, "What about what we have in our hands?"

This was what he was most afraid of when he was hiding in the house.

Over the years, the Yan family father and son have committed countless evils. However, because the emperor appreciates Lu Jie's talent and Lu Jie does not rely entirely on the Yan family's power to rise in rank, he is treated with courtesy by them.

But this doesn't mean that the Yan family really couldn't suppress Lu Jie. When he started smashing cups and attacking Lu Rong, Yang Bonong was ready to turn against him completely!
The Yan family is arrogant and all-powerful; how could they allow betrayal from those around them? Especially Lu Jie, whom they consider one of their own. If they believe that Lu Jie has ulterior motives and has deceived them, the consequences would be unimaginable!

This is precisely why, over the years, Lu Jie and his team have never dared to make the slightest mistake!
Given the Yan family's domineering nature, if they had discovered there were still people in the inner room earlier, they would have definitely barged in on the spot!
If he gets in, he might catch the files in his hands red-handed!

If we can't get out now, and Yan Shu finds out some other weakness, he might launch a surprise attack and search us thoroughly. We won't be able to escape then either!

"We must evacuate immediately!" Lu Jie walked to the window, quickly scanned the courtyard, then turned to look at the two of them. "Yan Shu's suspicions haven't been dispelled at all; he was merely leaving room for maneuver just now. It's getting dark; we need to act quickly!"

Yang Bonong asked, "Then who would be the most suitable person to give it to?"

Lu Jie looked at him and said, "Send it to the Cheng family. Give it to Lord Cheng."

Yang Bonong paused.

Lu Rong stepped forward: "I'll go right away as soon as it gets dark!"

“You’re no good!” Lu Jie said decisively. “They’re waiting to find something on you. If you show your face, we’re all finished!”

Lu Rong swallowed hard: "Then I'll arrange for my men to go! Liu Fu and Li Ping are usually very capable and skilled!"

Lu Jie pursed his lips.

"master!"

Just then, there was a knock on the door. A servant entered, then turned and closed the door again: "Master, of the ten guards the Yan family brought earlier, only eight left!"

The three people in the room immediately looked at each other.

“Sir was right,” Yang Bonong said. “They really did leave spies! It seems that if we take even one of them out, we’ll be watched!”

Lu Jie clenched his fist and sat down. Then he stood up again: "Go and prepare my sedan chair, and arrange a few more carriages."

……

With Changfu leading the way, Tang Yu quickly infiltrated the Lu residence.

But no sooner had they entered than Yan Shu walked in!
Not only did he come, but he also brought a large group of guards with him!

Tang Yu was forced to retreat halfway and had no choice but to hide behind the passageway. What happened in the study was not very clear, but the noises coming from it were enough to make people realize that something was wrong!

After watching Yan Shu leave with eight guards, Tang Yu also quietly left the Lu residence and returned to the Shen family.

As the sun set and dusk fell, Shen Qingzhou was about to send someone to contact Cheng Wenhui so they could go to the Lu residence together after nightfall. However, after Tang Yu returned and explained the whole story, he immediately stopped what he was doing.

"Ten guards came, and eight left. Does that mean Yan Shu left someone to keep watch on him?"

"Indeed. I originally planned to go see Lord Lu as soon as they left, but then I remembered that the two men left behind were still missing, so I returned immediately!"

"What about my father?" Lu Jia blurted out. "Has he made any moves?"

Hearing this, it was no longer a question that Lu Jie had taken the missing files from the Ministry of Works. Yan Shu's aggressive arrival and the fact that he left people to keep watch over him proved that Lu Jie had no intention of handing over the files.

Not only that, he was even willing to sacrifice Lu Rong, or be suspected by Yan Shu!

This behavior hardly belies the "treacherous official" he remembered. A treacherous official who colludes with the corrupt Yan family would have absolutely no reason to risk being targeted and going against the Yan family!
Originally, Lu Jia had many reservations about whether her father was loyal or treacherous, good or bad, but now the scales in her heart had tipped!
Shen Qingzhou is right, there's something hidden about Lu Jie!
But wouldn't that put him in great danger?

"Just before I came out, I overheard the steward next to Lord Lu instructing people to prepare a sedan chair, saying that Lord Lu was going out on business."

"But at the same time, he also arranged three or four other carriages: one to fetch melons and vegetables from the estate, one to take the accountant to collect rent, and one to order dishes from the Zuixianlou restaurant in the city. And the last one was to take Lu Rong to the clinic for treatment!"

Lu Jia paused upon hearing this, then said, "A bewitching array?!"

Yan Shu stared at Lu Jie, trying to find his weakness. Lu Jie did the opposite. Instead of restraining himself at this time, he not only went out but also brought a group of people with him. What else could this be but a bewitching trap?
Yan Shu left only two people behind. They split into four or five groups and went out, so someone was bound to lose track of them!
“Lord Lu is usually very composed, so why is he in such a hurry to leave today?” He Qu interjected. “There are two people in the manor keeping an eye on things, and he should know that! Once those two discover something is wrong, they may do something bad to Lord Lu.”

Lu Jia glanced at him, her fingernails digging into his flesh.

Shen Qingzhou suddenly looked up: "He risked going out, so he must be guarding against an even greater threat. He must be trying to move the case files he has!"

“That’s exactly what he would do!” Lu Jia’s voice deepened. “That traitor Yan Shu has already bullied Lu Rong to such an extent. If we suddenly let him go, there’s no guarantee he won’t turn around and shoot us again!”
“If he finds that file in the Lu family, he will definitely make my father suffer!”
"By then, I'll be in danger too. — We'll all be in danger!"

The Yan family believed that Lu Jie had rebelled, so they would kill him without hesitation. What did a mere Minister of Revenue mean to them if they wanted to protect themselves?
Yang Tingfang, who was once the Grand Secretary, never posed a threat to the Yan family, yet he was killed by Yan Song out of jealousy!

There are countless precedents like this. Not long ago, they rescued Liang Jun, who had been tortured to the point of looking like a skeleton!

With Lu Jie being targeted, Lu Jia certainly couldn't be allowed to live. They were already wary of the Shen family, and this situation would inevitably force them to reconsider. At that point, they would all become targets!
"It's getting dark!" Shen Qingzhou looked at the gloomy sky, quickly turned around and went into the house: "Put on your night clothes and wait for me at the door in a quarter of an hour!"