Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 344 We're All Involved
After news of Yan Shu's arrest spread, the Yan family quieted down, because this couldn't be worse than they thought! Their only action was to send someone to contact Yan Song.

Once the order to send Yan Song to his residence after he left the palace arrived, everyone dared not make any moves. It wasn't until the imperial edict pardoning Yan Song was issued before dark that the entire household breathed a sigh of relief.

When Yan Song's carriage entered the mansion gate, his entire family, who had already heard the news, waited at the gate.

"Let's talk after we get in!"

Without saying a word, Yan Song walked into the study.

Upon entering, Lu Ying brought him tea and handed it to him personally.

Yan Song finished his tea and waved to her and Madam Yan, saying, "You two can go out now."

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law then went outside.

Yan Song looked at Yan Liang and said, "Go and raise 500,000 taels of silver immediately! In two batches, give me the first batch of 300,000 taels of silver, and the second batch of 200,000 taels in ten days."

"Has the Emperor agreed to release them?"

"Who in this family wouldn't know what those words meant?" Yan Qu blurted out.

Yan Song nodded: "I contacted Gao Hong."

After Yan Qu heard what had happened, he and Yan Liang exchanged a glance and asked in bewilderment, "But since the Emperor agreed to Gao Hong's plea and allowed us to pay off our sins with silver, what does it mean that he imprisoned Father in the Imperial Prison?"

“Because the Emperor doesn’t want to make a losing deal.” Yan Liang glanced at him. “Since everyone knows that war costs money, and we’re willing to contribute, naturally the more we contribute, the better. Only if the Emperor is satisfied with the amount of money we offer will he release the prisoners!”

"But if the Emperor finds out that the Yan family can come up with money, will he simply take this opportunity to investigate and punish our family?" Yan Qu was still puzzled.

"Of course not." Yan Liang frowned as he finished speaking, but then looked at Yan Song: "However, can the Emperor satisfy 500,000 taels? Knowing that the Yan family has agreed to raise the money, will he make excuses again?"
“Naturally, it’s hard to satisfy him.” Yan Song frowned. “But we’re already in a bind. If we can get 600,000 or 700,000, the Emperor will want 800,000, 900,000, or even 1 million!”

"If we grant every request, it would be an admission that we have laid bare our entire fortune to the Emperor!"

"At that time—" He paused, then said slowly, "The country is poor, but our Yan family holds such a large fortune, right in front of him. There's no reason for him not to take it! That will prove Qu'er's worries true."

Yan Liang nodded silently.

Yan Song leaned on the table: "You must always remember that the lives of everyone in the world are in the Emperor's hands. So are ours. The reason we are not being investigated is not because the Emperor is truly soft-hearted, but because I still have some value."

"Once even the Emperor decides to go all out against the Yan family, then the Yan family's true doomsday will arrive."

"The current emperor lives deep within the palace, devoted to cultivating Taoism, yet he has the entire world at his fingertips. You must understand that whether it's the officials in the court, or me or the Shen family, we are all part of his scheme. The hand that holds yours will always be his!"

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

With the emperor's backing, the Yan family had been entrenched in the court for decades. Every year, there were memorials impeaching the Yan family for corruption, and every year the emperor summoned Yan Song to the palace to explain. How could the emperor not know how wealthy the Yan family was?
At most, I don't know the exact amount, nor do I want to check it, which is why I believed the Yan family's explanation every year.

With the emperor's repeated indulgences, the Yan family gradually became complacent and thought that the day of reckoning would never come. However, they forgot that the emperor's scales of justice could one day be tipped.

"Go!" Yan Song waved to them. "Make sure things are done carefully and don't make any more mistakes. Right now, we're playing a game with the Shen family, and it depends on the Emperor's determination. There's no room for error."

The two brothers bowed and agreed. Reaching the door, Yan Liang glanced back at Yan Song, who was pinching his brow, then turned back.

"Grandfather directly gave Gao Hong his leverage over Li Quan. If I remember correctly, that was something Grandfather planned to use to secure the Yan family's future after his retirement. And with that—"

"It was a desperate act; I didn't have time to think things through." Yan Song frowned. "Who could have imagined this case would be exposed? In the end, I underestimated the Shen family!"

Yan Liang pondered: "At a time when we need people, should we bring Lu Jie here to discuss this? Recommending him for the cabinet should be very tempting for him."

"Lu Jie?"

Yan Song pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "No need."

"Why? He and my Yan family are related by marriage, so we share both honor and disgrace."

“If he really wants to advance his career, then he should be even more wary now.” Yan Song stared intently at him. “Don’t forget, today it was the Shen family that was suppressing my Yan family, and the Shen family even won this round!”
"And Shen Bo is also his in-law!"

"People have an instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm. Bringing him in now will undoubtedly expose all our resources to him."

"This is extremely dangerous."

"If you put yourself in his shoes, why wouldn't he just switch sides once he knows all our leverage?"

Yan Liang was stunned: "Grandfather, could it be that you have noticed that he is already showing signs of something?"

“No.” Yan Song slowly shook his head: “I’m just assuming I am him.”

"The reason we recruited him in the first place was because of the Lu family's strength, and also because he was indeed no ordinary person."

"Even without me, he is qualified to enter the cabinet in due time. But if he can defeat me in one fell swoop, then he will be the best candidate for Prime Minister!"
Even if I'm being cynical and judging others by my own standards, at this moment, tell me, could I take this risk?

Yan Liang frowned: "I see."

"Instead of using Lu Jie at this time, you should speed things up and send a letter to Hu Yucheng in the southeast immediately!"

Yan Song suddenly spoke in a deep voice, then walked behind his desk and picked up his pen. "In a critical moment, Hu Yucheng will be more useful than him!"

Yan Liang stepped forward: "Hu Yucheng is indeed a powerful force, but is it necessary to use him right now?"

“Your father still hasn’t figured out the Shen family’s true strength, and we don’t know if they have any other tricks up their sleeves. We need to prepare for the worst! If we wait until we need them, it will be too late!” Yan Song handed him the letter he had quickly written. “Your father’s downfall was due to his arrogance. Now we need to quickly take remedial action!”

Yan Liang hurriedly read the letter and nodded in agreement.

……

Lu Ying sat with Madam Yan in the outer hall of the main room, not daring to go far. The two of them kept peeking into the courtyard, their hearts filled with unease.

Outside the door, the fine rain pattered against the banana leaves, as dense as Madam Yan's deep breathing. Lu Ying was not much better off; apart from peeking out to look around, she could only stare absently at the rain curtain.