Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 286 So You Were the Ghost All Along
Yan Shu left the palace and peeked out from his carriage. He saw Cheng Wenhui leading a group of imperial censors, walking out with their heads held high.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Go and tell Li Xu of the Dali Temple to keep an eye on things!"

The carriage returned to the Yan residence, where Yan Song had already returned and was conversing with a group of guests in the study. Upon seeing Yan Shu's return, everyone stopped talking and inquired about the journey.

Yan Shu recounted everything in detail, and everyone present was immediately taken aback, exchanging bewildered glances, none daring to utter a sound. Finally, the most senior and senior scholar at the front of the line spoke up: "Judging from His Majesty's expression, he may not be without plans in mind."

The person next to him glanced at him and nodded in agreement: "I don't know where Cheng Wenhui got the evidence from, it's so complete. Even if the Emperor doesn't believe it all, he'll definitely believe most of it."

"Under such circumstances, the Emperor did not issue an order to investigate the truth of the case first, but repeatedly mentioned the allocation of military funds. This seems... it seems as if he hopes that the Yan family will step in to solve this problem."

Upon hearing this, Yan Shu and Yan Song exchanged a glance. Neither father nor son expressed their opinion, but their expressions both became tacitly solemn.

Over the years, the Yan family had accumulated considerable wealth, which the emperor must have heard of. Before anyone had any evidence against the Yan family to report, the emperor naturally wouldn't use them as a pretext, but he must have harbored some suspicions.

At this critical juncture, the emperor summoned Yan Shu to the palace and repeatedly mentioned that Hu Yucheng needed money. If this wasn't a warning to the Yan family to resolve the issue of military funds, what other meaning could it have?

"Problems that can be solved with money are fine," Yan Song said slowly, gazing out the window at the sky with his hands behind his back.

"But Father, a batch of military pay is worth at least several hundred thousand taels of silver, which is no small sum!"

“It is indeed not a small sum, but we can handle this matter.” Yan Song withdrew his gaze. “Our Yan family has been deeply indebted to the Emperor for many years. Isn’t it our duty to share the Emperor’s burdens?”

"Father……"

“Alright,” Yan Song returned to his desk and sat down. “Since the Emperor has already decreed that we are not allowed to deal with the Liu family, there is no need to waste our energy on this matter.”

"You should hurry up and discuss the matter with Lan Chu. You must complete this task before the deadline given by the Emperor."

Yan Shu paused for a moment, then finally lowered his head deeply: "Yes."

Stepping out of the main house, Yan Shu stood for a moment under the eaves. He saw servants carrying flowerpots back and forth in the courtyard, changing the seasonal flowers and trees. No matter how tense the front line was, it did not hinder this thriving scene.

His father told him to find Lu Jie to handle the emperor's decree, but just yesterday he had humiliated Lu Jie at the Lu residence and trampled his face underfoot!
He took a deep breath, then remembered: "Where is the eldest young master? Why isn't he here?"

The servant reported, "The eldest young master received some information from Minister Wei, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works. After the master left, the eldest young master went to the Ministry of Works..."

Yan Shu stayed in the palace for a quarter of an hour, which, including the round trip, took about an hour.

During this hour, Yan Liang had already sat in Wei Ting's office, completing the initial greetings and the subsequent subtle probing.

With constant commotion in the palace, how could Wei Ting not have heard about it? Yan Liang's sudden visit had already made him extremely anxious.

After several rounds of roundabout questioning, Wei Ting, who had just picked up his tea, suddenly heard a light, dismissive voice from across the room: "Just before I came in, a stray cat tripped me. That beast has sharp claws; it scratched my ankle twice. Such a wicked creature really shouldn't be kept in the government office. I'll send people to search for it; I hope you won't mind, sir?"

Wei Ting was stunned for a moment, not yet figuring out the multiple meanings of his words, when he saw the opposite side flick his sleeve, and a group of guards filed in, splitting to the left and right to inspect his office!
The Left Vice Minister's office was far smaller than Lu Jie's. The group worked together, and soon, amidst the commotion, one person ran out quickly: "Young Master, we found this under the couch in the back!"

Yan Liang took the letter, which was signed. He quickly unfolded it and glanced at it, his previously dismissive gaze suddenly turning cold: "I didn't realize that Lord Wei and Imperial Censor Cheng had such a relationship!"

Upon hearing the title "Imperial Censor Cheng," Wei Ting's expression changed drastically: "What do you mean by that, young master?!"

Yan Liang slammed the letter on the table: "Having known Lord Wei for so long, this is the first time I've heard about your relationship with the Cheng family. It seems Lord Wei has had a hard time hiding it in the past!"

The letter's signature was right in front of Wei Ting, and when he saw Fang Wenhui's name clearly, his face turned pale!
"This...how did this come about? I have no idea!"

"Right under your bed, yet Lord Wei can't explain it clearly?" Yan Liang stood up with a light sneer. "Isn't this treating my Yan family like fools?"

"Young Master Yan, please listen to my explanation! I truly have no idea where this letter came from! Please let me investigate!"

"No need!" Yan Liang turned his face, his gaze falling on his face, and then suddenly smiled: "Now the Emperor has many people he relies on, and my grandfather is getting old. There are not many places where he can protect officials like Lord Wei. If you want to find a better position, how could I not understand? Even if you have private connections with censors and officials, it's not a big deal. Why are you so flustered?"

"There's definitely a misunderstanding! Young Master Yan, please hear me out—"

"Son!"

The guards inside rushed over again: "We found a pass to the Ministry of Works' warehouse yesterday in the back drawer!"

The pass, marked with the exact date, was handed to Yan Liang again.

The two met only a stone's throw apart, and before Yan Liang could even hand it over, Wei Ting's expression had already crumbled!
"You went to the Ministry of Works' treasury yesterday?" Yan Liang squinted. "What did you do in the treasury? What did you take? You went to the treasury yesterday, and this morning, the missing file from the Ministry of Works was delivered to the Emperor in the palace by Cheng Wenhui. It seems that Lord Wei not only has a private relationship with the Censor, but also appears to be a staunch ally!"

"Young Master Yan!"

Wei Ting, a high-ranking official of the third rank, actually knelt down in front of Yan Liang with a thud!
Over the years, although he has never been directly under the command of the Yan family, he has benefited greatly from the position of Vice Minister of Works because the Minister of Works turned a blind eye and the Ministry of Revenue often provided him with financial assistance. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to say that he was protected by the Yan family.

At this moment, Yan Liang suddenly brought people to check him, and to everyone's surprise, they found two things in his residence that he had never seen before. He was in a situation where he couldn't clear his name no matter what he did!

If the missing files from the Ministry of Works were pinned on him, he would surely face the Yan family's revenge!

"Young master! Young master, please listen to me!..." He was sweating profusely and crawled forward on his knees to beg for mercy.

Yan Liang snorted coldly, ripped off his robe, glared at him fiercely again, turned around and stepped out the door: "Take your things and go back to the manor!"