Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 338 The eldest young mistress has been found!
Upon hearing this, Madam Yan turned to Lu Ying and instructed, "Keep an eye on them as they search for Madam Jin. They must find her!"

After saying that, he took a deep breath and went inside: "Lan Chu, we were innocent victims, how could we have known it would turn out like this? Our families have already formed a marriage alliance, so we should help each other through this difficult time. Now that the Emperor relies on you, what good ideas do you have? Tell us quickly!"

Lu Jie, looking annoyed, glanced at Yan Shu, who was pacing back and forth: "At this critical moment, we should quickly sever ties with the Jin family. The Emperor's trust in the Grand Secretary over the past decades is not so easily shaken. As long as the Yan family makes a statement, even if they are somewhat involved, the Emperor will surely turn a blind eye."

Yan Shu stopped and exchanged a glance with Madam Yan.

Madam Yan said, "We made this plan from the very beginning. But things didn't go as planned. Just now, Madam Jin was kidnapped."

"What?" Lu Jie looked at the two of them alternately. "So, does the Grand Secretary know about these things now?"

Lu Ying saw this through the window, then turned and left.

Beneath her elegant and reserved hands clasped together in front of her chest, her heart pounded uncontrollably.

She certainly played a part in pushing things to this point, but she never expected that Lu Jia would turn this wave into a monstrous storm!
She had been moving around the Yan family mansion since she could remember. In this huge mansion, she had stirred up countless storms, but each time they disappeared silently under the contemptuous gaze of the Yan family.

Only this time—no, not at all this time, but every seemingly insignificant event before this, such as the exposure of Wei Shi and Yan Song's affair, the break between Jiang Shi and the Yan family, the downfall of Liu Zheng, the gradual descent of Jin Shi, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Yan family, and now the predicament of the Jin family...

When did the Yan couple, who had always been arrogant and never paid any attention to any so-called crisis, begin to show their worry? When did their anger start to become more and more frequent?
When did the "Young Grand Secretary," who was always capable of handling things independently, reach a point where he needed to be asked, "What does Grand Secretary Yan think?"
"Is the Yan family unable to hold on any longer?"
Once this thought arises, it can never be erased from your mind!
"Brothers and sisters..."

A dazed sound entered her ears, and she looked up to see Yan Liang standing in front of her with a slightly hurried expression.

"Where are you from?" she asked.

"I've returned from the palace gates." Yan Liang's voice was hoarse, revealing obvious exhaustion. He hadn't slept all night, and more importantly, the situation was still escalating and showing signs of getting increasingly out of control.

He rubbed his temples, and seeing her frowning, he lowered his hand again: "Don't be afraid, nothing will happen."

Lu Ying bit her lower lip: "I deliberately dropped that jade pendant yesterday."

Yan Liang stopped abruptly, gritting his teeth in barely suppressed anger: "Why?!"

She looked up: "Because it hurts when I get hit."

His facial muscles twitched slightly, and his gaze fell on the two obvious fingernail marks beside his ear.

"I don't know how this happened," she said, tears streaming down her face. "I'm so scared. All alone in this deep mansion, I don't know who to rely on."

Yan Liang reached out and touched her wound, but as soon as he touched her face, he withdrew his hand as if burned.

He lowered his head, his voice barely audible: "Don't be afraid."

Lu Ying covered her face with her hands and burst into tears.

Yan Liang swallowed hard and turned his back: "I dragged you into this mess. Don't worry, as long as I'm here, I'll never leave you alone."

After saying that, he clenched his fist and strode forward.

Lu Ying slowly lowered her hand and held onto the railing.

"Granny Li, go to the kitchen yourself and prepare the tea and water for the master and mistress. Tell me everything you hear."

……

When Yan Liang arrived at the study, Yan Shu had just sent someone to see Yan Song. The room was filled with a solemn atmosphere.

"What did the palace say?" Yan Shu skipped all the preamble and asked abruptly.

Yan Liang said, "Eunuch Gao said that He Ping entered the palace at dawn. It turns out that last night they dug up several ancestral graves of the Jin family in the western suburbs cemetery. Finally, through the coroner's work, they successfully found Jin Huai's remains."

"These ruthless bastards!" Yan Shu slammed his fist on the table. "They do such heinous things, aren't they afraid of divine retribution!"

Lu Jie said, "Since Jin Huai's remains are so crucial, does that mean he really died by poisoning?"

He stroked his beard: "Since the 300,000 taels of military pay have fallen into the hands of the Jin family, why would he take poison?"

Yan Shu was speechless upon hearing this.

Even if winning over Lu Jie was truly for mutual benefit, the serious crime of scheming to steal military funds was not something that could be openly discussed. If someone as shrewd as Lu Jie knew that the Yan family acted without any bottom line, how could he possibly be restrained?

Furthermore, admitting it to his face would be extremely unsafe.

It seemed that inviting him over would be of no use, so he picked up the official hat beside him and said, "I'll go see my father and then visit your residence later."

Lu Jie could only rise and take his leave: "Grand Secretary Yan has been very kind to me in the past, and his kindness is immeasurable. Moreover, our two families share weal and woe, and the affairs of the Yan family are my inescapable responsibility!"
"If there's anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask!"

Yan Shu could only offer perfunctory thanks upon hearing this, unable to take advantage of the situation, which was truly unbearable.

After Lu Jie left, a servant came to report that the Grand Secretary had returned to his residence. Yan Shu then invited Yan Liang to go and greet Yan Song.

No sooner had the man arrived at the door than another person rushed in like an arrow: "Master, the eldest young mistress has been found—"

"Where?!"

"She went to the palace gate to strike the drum to appeal her case!"

The family of three remained frozen in place.

"What did you say?" Madam Yan strode forward. "Where did she go?"

"She went to the palace gates!" the servant gasped. "The young mistress struck the petition drum, and in front of everyone, she said, said—"

"What did he say?"

Yan Shu and his wife spoke in unison, their voices, usually nourished by ginseng and bird's nest, now rough as old hemp cloth.

The servant knelt down with a thud: "Outside the palace gate, she was beating the drum and shouting that the military pay that the Jin family was escorting to the Northwest eight years ago was lost halfway and was intercepted by the Yan family!"

"They even said the Yan family poisoned the Jin family patriarch because of this, and now they want to kill her too!..."

When the servant finished speaking, the hall was completely silent. No one could utter a word. Only the violently contorted faces of Yan Shu and his wife proved that the air was not still at this moment.

"She's really asking for it!" Madam Yan muttered. "Does she think that by doing this, her Jin family can escape justice? What an utterly foolish thing!"

"master……"

Someone else came in from outside the door, and opened their mouth hesitantly.

Yan Shu roared in fury: "What is it now?!"

The visitor was so frightened that he knelt down with a thud, his outstretched arm trembling as he pointed outside: "The old master is back! He told the master and mistress—'Get to the study'..."