Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 280 Father-in-law Above
The noisy footsteps echoed through the courtyard and gradually faded into the distance.

Lu Jie looked around and stood up from behind the desk: "Bo Nong, go and take a look with Liu Fu."

“No need.” Shen Qingzhou stepped out from behind the screen. “Right now, the entire office is surrounded by my guards, so the safety here is no longer a concern. Mr. Yang, I have some things to discuss with the magistrate in private, so please excuse me for the time being.”

Yang Bonong glanced at Lu Jie.

Lu Jie nodded slightly.

After the door closed, he turned around and bowed to Shen Qingzhou, saying, "Thank you for saving me, brave warrior."

Shen Qingzhou removed his mask and bowed, saying, "How dare I accept such courtesy from my father-in-law?"

"father in law?!"

Lu Jie was greatly alarmed.

The next moment, when he saw Shen Qingzhou's face clearly, he was so shocked that he took two steps back!
"why you?!"

Although there was no chance to speak along the way, Lu Jie's mind never stopped. Since Lu Jia knew him, he probably knew him too.

Of all the people he knew, who met these criteria?

Not only was he tall and obviously very young, but he was also highly skilled. From rescuing him to taking him back to the Ministry of Revenue, he handled everything with ease!

The Lu family are a family of civil officials; there's no way they could know someone like that!
"I thought, I thought you were a bodyguard she hired from somewhere!"

Lu Jie could no longer contain his shock; this was actually his son-in-law!

But their marriage was clearly arranged by their parents—no, it wasn't even arranged by their parents!

Because Shen Bo never agreed to this marriage from beginning to end; it was the emperor who forced it upon the Shen family!
Lu Jie himself had only met this son-in-law a handful of times, so logically Lu Jia had even less reason to have met him. So how did they meet? And how was that jade given away?

“You’re not wrong, I am indeed Jiajia’s bodyguard.” Shen Qingzhou took out the jade. “But that was back in Tanzhou. In order to help her strike at the Zhang family, she gave me this jade to impersonate a member of the Lu family so that it would be easier for her to carry out her plans.”

Lu Jie's face twitched: "Tanzhou? You've been to Tanzhou."

“That’s right. Strictly speaking, I’m the one who took down Zhou Sheng.”

Lu Jie gasped: "So you and Guo Yi—"

“It’s just as you think.” Shen Qingzhou nodded. “In Tanzhou, Jiajia and I did a lot of things together. It was also during the half year or so there that I learned a lot about the truth of Tanzhou’s water transport and the local famine.”

"Later, I became her housekeeper. I held this position until our marriage was arranged."

Lu Jie slowly took a deep breath and sat back in the chair.

"So, your marriage was also the result of your two secretly pushing things together? Then the Yan family has been completely ensnared by you two?"

“That’s true.” Shen Qingzhou lowered his eyes. “It’s precisely because the Yan family is so troublesome that Jiajia felt she had to take the initiative after marrying into the family.”

"She attacked the Liu family this time to buy herself time. We really didn't expect our father-in-law to make a move."

Lu Jie held the jade in his hand, these words repeating in his mind. After a moment, he looked up at his son-in-law with his muscular build and asked in surprise, "Your illness—"

Shen Qingzhou said shyly, "I'm fine now."

"Wasn't it said that he was born with a disease?"

"The illness I was born with has long been cured. The illness I developed later was a slow poisoning that the Yan family planted in the Shen family years ago."

When did that happen?

“It was before my father returned. I removed it afterward.” Lu Jie was stunned.

Before Shen Bo returned, the Shen family was also very discreet, but at that time there was still a war, and it was still unknown whether Shen Bo could win supreme glory, so not many people paid attention to him.

At the time, the Yan family didn't pay much attention to news about the Shen family's internal affairs.

Indeed, it wasn't until Shen Bo returned that the Yan family began to feel anxious.

Therefore, it seems that at least half of this anxiety is due to the removal of the spies planted in the Shen family.

Lu Jie looked at his body, which was tightly wrapped in his night clothes, again. He was still not exactly strong, but he was definitely not thin either. Moreover, based on the skills he had just displayed, there was no need to worry that he was "sickly and weak" and would leave Lu Jia a widow in the future.

Since they already knew each other, and he possessed such a robust physique, wouldn't all of Lu Jia's past plans have been—

He suddenly gripped the jade tightly: "Why did you come to the Ministry of Revenue?!"

Shen Qingzhou placed the mask on the table: "My purpose is probably the same as yours, Father-in-law—you have kept your abilities hidden for so many years, you must have been waiting for an opportunity, right?"

The young man's eyes gleamed, sparkling with fiery passion.

Lu Jie pursed his lips, and after a moment nodded towards the front.

"Yes.

"I desperately need the right opportunity. Unfortunately, I've waited for over ten years and it still hasn't come."

He looked up and asked, "Is this also your father's wish?"

Shen Qingzhou shook his head: "To be honest, my father never intended to get involved. This was all my own decision."

“Like Jiajia’s mother, my mother also died at the hands of the Yan family. Personally, I must avenge this. Publicly, the Yan family preyed on the people, deceived their superiors, and embezzled countless sums of money. I should also eliminate them for the sake of those loyal ministers and generals who died unjustly.”

Lu Jie frowned slightly: "Back then, the Yan family embezzled a large sum of military funds during the Northwest war. There must be evidence of this in the army. This is the biggest reason why the Yan family now regards your Shen family as a thorn in their side."

"Although the Emperor relies on the Yan family because they are obedient, the Emperor also cares about his reputation and wants to be a wise ruler who will be remembered for generations."

"Tolerating such blatant competition for profits with the country and its people would damage his imperial authority."

"This is the only place where we can defeat the Yan family. But there are very few people in the court who are capable and can withstand the Yan family."

At this point, he got up and walked behind the screen, taking out the account book and files from a hidden compartment in the pillar behind the curtain.

"Take this."

Upon seeing the ledger, Shen Qingzhou immediately looked up: "The original?"

Lu Jie raised an eyebrow: "So you have a copy?"

Shen Qingzhou remained silent.

Lu Jie laughed: "Like father, like son. It's not easy to produce a copy right under my nose."

At this point, he looked Shen Qingzhou over again.

Shen Qingzhou bowed and said, "I have misunderstood you in the past, please forgive me."

Lu Jie waved his hand: "Since I chose this path, I hope that others won't be able to see it."

"I originally planned to give these things to Jiajia's uncle, but since you two are already on the same side, I'll leave them to you. You can discuss and decide what to do."

"Be quick!"
"The Yan family will be much more difficult to deal with than you imagine. In any case, remember to take down the Liu family first!"
"Find Zhou Sheng's case thoroughly! The Yan family is now on guard against your father's actions, but we still have a chance to get information about the Yan family from Zhou Sheng and the Liu family."