Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 298 Fighting
The son of the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial has always been fond of womanizing. Even if Lu Ying didn't know before, she already knew from the discussions along the way.

Given Lu Jiasheng's beauty, it's not surprising that someone like Xie would have his eye on her. But to start making advances right away, isn't that a bit too audacious?

The young mistress of the Shen family was dressed in a rather inadequate manner, and it was obvious at a glance that she was not a woman from an ordinary family. How dare that man surnamed Xie do such a thing?

As soon as Lu Ying thought about it, she couldn't help but stand a little further forward.

At this point, the man surnamed Xie had already explained the whole story:

"I was admiring the lotus flowers nearby when I overheard people talking about a beautiful young woman living alone in this house. She was a woman whose husband had been sent away to work elsewhere. So I came over secretly. When I saw her, I realized—no, when I saw the young mistress, she was indeed—young mistress, please forgive me! I really didn't know you were the eldest young mistress of the Shen family. If I had known, I wouldn't have dared to do it even if I had ten times the courage!"

"People are talking about it?" Lu Jia sneered. "Who are they talking about it? You'd better tell me!"

She arrived here early in the morning, confident that she hadn't let a word out and that no one would know that she was the one in the house.

Furthermore, ever since their marriage, Shen Qingzhou has been giving her jewelry every few days, and she can't go out without wearing it. Right now, although she is only wearing a necklace, two jade bracelets, and two gold hairpins, the quality and craftsmanship are all top-notch. How could she look like a woman living alone whose husband has been forced to work away from home?
This guy came in and immediately started attacking without any regard for anything else, which means he must have already been convinced of this fabricated identity before he came.

So if someone hadn't deliberately spread rumors behind his back to entice him, why would he have believed it so readily?

"Yes, it was two old women, I don't know whose family they were from. They were talking so vividly under that willow tree that I couldn't help but ask them, and they even gave me directions! When I got there, I saw that the young mistress and the young lady they were talking about were about the same age and appearance, and I got dizzy and believed them!..."

Lu Jia looked at the Taoist priest in charge: "What does the Taoist priest have to say?"

The Taoist priest's face darkened: "This is clearly someone deliberately seducing you! —Young Master Xie, what does that old woman look like?"

Upon seeing this, Jin, who was in the crowd, clenched her fists tightly.

She looked around and took two steps back.

"Has the matter been taken care of?"

The old woman approached and said, "They've already gone." She then peeked in and added, "They're coming!"

In the distance, along the tree-lined path, a maid and a Taoist priest were walking briskly one after the other.

Jin lowered his breath.

Lu Ying's current predicament is all because Lu Jia brought down the Jiang family. Strictly speaking, they were enemies.

So as long as the focus is shifted to Lu Ying, what reason does Lu Jia have not to believe that Lu Ying was the one who did all this?
Lu Ying's expression was tense. She had prayed all over the Taoist temple, but no one had mentioned that anyone from the Shen family had come. There was no one guarding the area outside the house earlier. How did the gossiping old woman know where Lu Jia was?

Even if they were capable of knowing, why would they fabricate an identity completely different from Lu Jia's?
If they knew Lu Jia, they would naturally know she was the young mistress of the Shen family. If they didn't know her, why would they fabricate a story for Xie San? And why would they give her directions?!

Therefore, it seems that the Taoist priest was absolutely right. Xie San was lured here by someone. This lecherous man was being used to cause trouble!
Who would dare to cause trouble for the women of the Shen family?
Nobody dares!

Even if the Yan family is as powerful and influential as they are, there is no need for this!
But when Xie San heard this instigation, Lu Jia wasn't the only one in the room; Lu Ying was there too. What if Lu Jia had left first, and Lu Ying had stayed behind?
Her face was extremely pale! "Where is the eldest young mistress?" she asked Yingzi. "Where are they? Where are the people with her?!"

Yingzi was taken aback by her sudden question. But she quickly recovered: "I only know that the eldest young mistress has been copying scriptures in the shop, but I haven't paid attention to the people around her. However, she brought four old women with her today! It wouldn't be difficult for her to send two of them to target Xie San!"

Lu Ying's expression turned pale. Last time, Jin Shi secretly instigated Yan Qu to return to the Lu family mansion and attend the homecoming banquet with her. Afterwards, Lu Ying did not tolerate her and made her suffer a setback.

She thought the Jin family would restrain themselves after that, but she didn't expect them to start again!

This time, a deity saved her from disaster, but what about next time?

"...This house is usually uninhabited, only occasionally used as a resting place for worshippers. Who would have known that there was a woman inside at this moment? Could it be that someone saw the young mistress here earlier?"

Suddenly, someone in the front row of the crowd interrupted loudly.

The Taoist priest inside looked over, pondered for a moment, then turned to Lu Jia and asked, "May I ask, young mistress, did anyone pass by here earlier?"

“I know!” Before Lu Jia could speak, someone else chimed in from the crowd. It was a young Taoist priest: “The third young mistress of the Yan family was here before!”

As Lu Jia watched the two of them singing in unison, a smile crept onto her lips. It seemed that the Jin family knew they had made a mess and wanted to muddy the waters by throwing mud at Lu Ying!

Fortunately, she knew that Lu Ying was not a stupid person and would not do such a thing. Otherwise, given her grudge with the Jiang family, she would have immediately fallen into Lu Ying's trap and turned her attention to Lu Ying.
Thinking of this, she glanced at Lu Ying at the other end of the crowd and swallowed back what she was about to say.

She had previously proposed a collaboration, which Lu Ying had refused. Now that Lu Ying had already shielded her from trouble, and the Jin family was starting to smear her again, it was time for Lu Ying to take the fall herself!

Lu Ying almost bit her lower lip until it bled after hearing what the young Taoist priest in front of her said.

Lu Jia has so many guards and attendants around her, yet Xie San, a mere nobody, has already barged into the house. Lu Ying, on the other hand, doesn't have such a grand entrance.

She only had Yingzi by her side. If it had been her who had stayed in the room earlier, Xie San could have easily done something that would have made her unable to clear her name no matter what she did!

Last time, I only said something unpleasant, and that bastard Yan Qu became suspicious. If this gets out, what will happen to me?
She narrowly escaped this trap by chance, but the Jin family still wouldn't let her go and tried to frame her again!

—That wicked woman!

She gritted her teeth: "Have someone pass on a message saying that the two old women Xie San saw look exactly like the people around the eldest young mistress of the Yan family!"

If he couldn't deal with the eldest daughter-in-law of the Yan family, surely he couldn't do the same to Lu Jia, who had such a convenient handle on her?

Yingzi hesitated: "But will the young mistress acknowledge it?"

Lu Ying said in a sinister voice, "She has instigated lecherous men to tarnish the reputation of the young mistress of the Shen family, and she cannot deny it!"

Jin was merely the wife of a fifth-rank official, yet she had to perform a grand ceremony when she met Madam Shen!
This time she offended the Shen family. If she is allowed to escape from this Taoist temple, it will be considered that Lu Jia, who is known as the young mistress of the Shen family, is incompetent!