Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 306 Stupid and bad
The eldest branch and the main branch were separated by only one courtyard. When Madam Jin entered the courtyard, she saw that all the old women and maids were on high alert. Her heart sank. When she entered and saw Madam Yan's face was ashen and Lu Ying was by her side, her jaw tightened and her steps became unsteady.

"Daughter-in-law greets Mother..."

"Your Majesty!"

Madam Yan gave a stern rebuke, and Madam Jin knelt down in response, raising her head in a panic: "I am wrong, but the matter in the temple was the idea of ​​the servants themselves, and I was unaware of it. I beg Mother for forgiveness!"

"Shut up!"

Madam Yan raised her head: "Summon all the servants who accompanied the eldest young mistress to the temple today to the courtyard and interrogate them separately! If they can't even answer one question correctly, beat them with a board until they do!"

Who dares to question Madam Yan's position in the Yan family?
Who in the manor would dare disobey her orders?

Even though the Jin family has a group of loyal people, if Madam Yan really gets serious, who can withstand her power?

Madam Jin panicked and crawled forward on her knees, pleading, "Mother, please forgive me!"

Madam Yan glared at her: "If you didn't instigate it, then what crime are you to forgive?"

Jin bit her lower lip and knelt with her head down.

Madam Yan snorted coldly, stood up abruptly, walked up to her, and slapped her hard across the face: "Ignorant fool, look what you've done! Now the Shen family has come knocking on our door, right outside, and they've got leverage over you. Are you betraying your own people and doing this on purpose?"

Jin covered her face and cried, "Lu Jia said herself that Xie San never even touched her. She deliberately made things out of control. It was clearly her who instigated the Shen family to do evil behind the scenes. Your daughter-in-law is at fault, but the aftermath has nothing to do with her. Please, Mother, investigate thoroughly!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Ying's gaze hardened: "Even now, sister-in-law is still trying to shift the blame?"

"My elder sister was fortunate enough to marry into the Grand Commandant's family thanks to the efforts of my father and mother. She is grateful to the Yan family, so why would she turn around and incite the Shen family?"

"Even if she really had this idea, did she have the ability? What kind of person is Grand Commandant Shen, and what kind of person is Young Master Shen? Would they listen to her orders?"

Madam Yan suddenly turned her gaze to Madam Jin.

Everyone knows what Lu Jia's situation is, and Madam Yan is certainly aware of her capabilities.
Lu Ying continued, “Given this trouble, my sister-in-law should immediately admit her mistake and explain the whole story in detail so that Mother can make a decision and settle things peacefully. It’s useless to shirk responsibility and hold onto my sister here.”

“If my father finds out, all the efforts that my father and elder brother have made will be in vain. When he comes to question us, my sister-in-law will not be able to withstand it.”

The more Jin listened, the more her eyes blazed with anger.

Madam Yan's face grew increasingly cold as she listened. "Ying'er is much younger than you, and she understands these principles, yet you don't? Or are you taking advantage of my ignorance and deliberately trying to fool me?"
"Even if Lu Jia was behind all of this, you can't deny that you were the one who brought Xie San there! If you hadn't come up with this idea, how would Lu Jia have had the opportunity to incite this? You caused this trouble, and you should indeed be the one to resolve it!"

"Mother--"

"you shut up!"

"Mother!" Madam Jin's voice cracked. "Your daughter-in-law understands these principles, so she never intended to target Lu Jia. Today was truly a twist of fate—"

She bit her tongue to stop herself.

"What twist of fate?" Madam Yan roared in fury. Jin couldn't continue. The person in question was right before her eyes, and was eyeing her menacingly. If she spoke, wouldn't that be offering herself up for Lu Ying to slap?
“If it’s not targeting my sister, then who is it targeting?” Lu Ying said. “That’s a room with doors and windows, and Xie San just barged in and did something indecent. If it’s not targeting my sister, you can’t possibly say that you instigated Xie San to do that, can you?”

Anyone with a discerning eye could hear the sarcasm in her words. Yet, not a single person disagreed with her.

"It was clearly premeditated, yet my sister-in-law is still trying her best to deny it. Do you think Father and Mother can't do anything to you?"

Jin glared at her with bloodshot eyes: "Don't you dare add fuel to the fire! I think you're the one who's watching the world descend into chaos!"

"Why would I want the world to be in chaos?" Lu Ying said in a deep voice. "Firstly, my sister-in-law is plotting against my own sister, so it is only natural for me to speak up for her. Secondly, I am a member of the Yan family. My sister-in-law has caused a great disaster without regard for the consequences, implicating the entire family. It is only natural for me to have some dissatisfaction."

"With these two accusations, I wouldn't have bothered to beg my mother to divorce you, but why have you become a thorn in my sister-in-law's side? Does my sister-in-law dislike me that much?"

The moment the word "rest" was uttered, both Madam Yan and Madam Jin were taken aback.

"Don't talk nonsense!" Madam Yan glared at Lu Ying.

Lu Ying nodded: "I was just making a hypothetical scenario so that my sister-in-law would know that I wasn't targeting her. Please forgive me if my words were inappropriate. But my sister-in-law refuses to admit that she was deliberately targeting someone, and she's been hesitant to say who she's targeting. It's puzzling what she's trying to do."

She brought up this topic several times, and Madam Yan couldn't help but look at Madam Jin.

Jin kept her lips tightly pursed.

Whether she was intentionally targeting anyone or not, the end result was that she had angered the Shen family, and this was not something that could be appeased by simply saying she had made a mistake.

Since that's the case, she certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to fall for Lu Ying's trick and reveal the truth, thus adding another layer of scheming against her sister-in-law and the crime of ruining the marriage between the Lu and Yan families!
Admitting that the attack was against Lu Jia could at least be considered as being on the same side as the Yan family, at worst being criticized for being brainless. But if she admitted to targeting her own family, especially someone the Yan family wanted to win over, that would be disastrous! The Yan family would definitely not tolerate her!
"Mrs!"

Just as the two sides were at a standoff, someone else came in from outside the door: "Second Young Master Shen, Second Young Master Shen refuses to listen to the eldest young master's apology. He says that the eldest young mistress has bullied their young mistress, trampling not only on the young mistress, but also on the face of the entire Grand Commandant's Mansion, and on the dignity of the emperor who bestowed the marriage upon the Shen family. He insists that the master and mistress personally go to apologize to their young mistress!"

Upon hearing this, Madam Yan gritted her teeth and glared at Jin Shi on the ground: "Useless thing, now you've dragged us into cleaning up your mess!"

The Yan family sees the Shen family as a thorn in their side and wishes they could trample them underfoot. But now the Shen family is asking Yan Shu and his wife to come and apologize in person. Wouldn't that make Yan Shu so angry that he vomits blood?

If the Yan family can only quell the storm in this way, they will definitely turn their anger back on her!

Jin grabbed Madam Yan's hem in a panic: "Mother, spare me!"

Madam Yan shoved her aside: "Drag her back to her room and lock her up! She is not to step out the door without my permission!"

"Mother! Mother!..."

The old women rushed forward and dragged Jin out the door.

Madam Yan took a deep breath and stepped outside again: "To the flower hall!"

Lu Ying followed her to the door, turned her head to look in the direction Jin Shi had left, bit her lower lip, and followed Madam Yan toward the flower hall.

Even at this point, Jin Shi has not been handed over by Madam Yan to quell the Shen family's anger. What makes her think she can do this?