Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 359 The Shy Commandant Shen
The people from the Grand Commandant's office returned to their posts one after another.

As soon as Lu Jia entered the inner courtyard, she heard Shen Zhui's voice and quickened her pace to enter the courtyard: "What is the current situation with the Yan family?"

Shen Zhui opened her mouth to call out "sister," but when she caught sight of Shen Qingzhou's gaze behind her, she immediately changed her address to "sister-in-law," and then said, "The Yan family is quite lively now! Old thief Yan fainted on the way home, but woke up when he got back. Then his old lady fainted again. It's quite a hassle just taking care of the two old folks."

"Yan Gou's wife, that vicious and arrogant woman, was wailing and crying over Yan Gou's corpse. Two of Yan Gou's most favored concubines, along with their illegitimate sons, also jumped out and started wailing and crying beside the corpse!"
"And their lackeys, their filial sons and grandsons, all of them have been mobilized!"

"They're definitely jumping out to fight for the family fortune!" Lu Jia might not know much about what was happening outside the Yan family, but how could she not know the intricacies within the inner quarters? After saying that, she asked, "What about my sister?"

Lu Jie's predicament will naturally affect Lu Ying.

"She must be helping to manage affairs. We can't go inside, so we can only listen to the servants coming and going from outside the wall to hear some news. I heard that after the Yan family's wife collapsed, Miss Lu took over the household chores."

Lu Jia felt relieved upon hearing this. Lu Ying was still in charge of affairs at the Yan family, so they probably didn't have time to think about her yet. As long as the Yan family calmed down, she could stay put.

As long as the Yan family doesn't openly break with Lu Jie, they naturally won't do anything to her, unlike in her previous life when she was a universally acknowledged disfavored eldest daughter whom even her father ignored. At most, the Yan family will make Lu Ying relinquish her management authority and keep an eye on her.

But she still asked, "Are there still people keeping watch over there?"

“Of course there is!” Shen Zhui glanced at Shen Qingzhou. “He said that we are not allowed to leave until the very last moment. I had my father’s men call us back, otherwise I would have had to stay there too.”

"It's good that someone's here."

Lu Jia nodded.

At this critical juncture, protecting one more person naturally brings more benefits.

"You're all here?"

At this moment, Grand Commandant Shen had already stepped through the gate and entered the courtyard.

Shen Zhui shouted as he rushed forward, "Congratulations, Father, on your great victory!"

Lu Jia also went to greet him: "Father, you've worked hard. This time, we've finally dealt a heavy blow to the Yan family and avenged some justice for the more than 20,000 innocent soldiers who died in the Northwest!"

As Grand Commandant Shen entered the room, he said, “Although our goal has been achieved today, the Yan family still has considerable power. The Emperor was furious and ordered Yan Shu to be beaten to death immediately, but he still asked Yan Song to stay away and did not implicate or punish him.”

Shen Zhui followed closely behind him, and blurted out angrily, "It's clearly Yan Song's indulgence that caused this, yet the Emperor doesn't punish him. It's obvious he's still reluctant to kill him!"

Lu Jia and Shen Qingzhou exchanged a silent glance.

In his previous life, Shen Qingzhou and his group also drove the Yan family to the brink of ruin, but in the end, Yan Song's death brought wealth and peace to his descendants.

Whether the emperor was muddle-headed or shrewd is another matter, but at least he did have some affection for Yan Song, the old minister who had been with him for decades.

"Why didn't Father also sue that old scoundrel Yan? Yan Shu committed so many crimes, how could that old scoundrel Yan get away with it? He's the one who deserves to die!" Shen Zhui was still furious.

“That was what I originally thought too,” Shen Bo said slowly, “but then Minister Lu gave me a hint halfway through, and when I thought about it, it made sense.”

"What's the reasoning?" "The reason we were able to get the Emperor to kill Yan Shu immediately today is because it wasn't Yan Song we accused, but him. The Emperor might kill any member of the Yan family without batting an eye, but when that person is Yan Song, the consequences are hard to predict."

"Yesterday, the Emperor tacitly allowed the Yan family to pay for their crimes, which must have been a clear assessment of the gains and losses. If I were to turn my attention to Yan Song, we might not even be able to kill Yan Shu in the end."

"So Minister Lu was right to stop it. At this time, it would have been better to concentrate our firepower and kill Yan Shu."

This is something he only realized later when he saw the emperor order Yan Song to leave the palace and avoid the danger. Didn't the emperor know whose responsibility it was?
If he could spare Yan Song in his rage, then it's not impossible that if the medicine was too strong and provoked his resentment, he might also let Yan Shu go. It's always better to be safe than sorry!
"Serving a ruler is truly like serving a tiger!" Shen Zhui muttered. "Being an official requires so many intricate dealings with the emperor; it's exhausting!"

Shen Qingzhou glanced at him upon hearing this.

Shen Zhui touched his face: "What are you looking at..."

Shen Qingzhou looked away again.

Lu Jia knew the meaning behind that glance. Unaware of the truth, Shen Zhui carried a deep-seated blood feud. She wondered what this foolish boy would do once he learned the truth.

Thinking of this, she said, "In that case, we should strike while the iron is hot and continue to expose the Yan family's crimes one by one. Otherwise, it will be even more difficult for us to take action once the Emperor's anger subsides."

"That's exactly what I wanted to tell you," Shen Bo said. "With Yan Shu dead, the Yan family will definitely retaliate fiercely. We must take the offensive as our defense, strike first, and launch another attack before they can make a move."

"Only by keeping the enemy constantly on their toes can we guarantee our maximum safety!"

Shen Qingzhou pondered, "Then we'll have to invite my father-in-law over."

“Yes,” Lu Jia said, “Many hands make light work, let’s work together to come up with a solution.”

Shen Bo glanced at the two of them, but didn't say anything.

Shen Zhui asked, "What's wrong? You don't agree?"

"How could I possibly disagree?" Shen Bo said, blushing. "I was just wondering if it would be disrespectful to go and invite him so openly and bluntly."

After all, since they became in-laws, he has never invited Lu Jie to visit him once. In his eyes, this in-law was a complete traitor. Even if he didn't say it, who could not see it?

How could I possibly feel comfortable suddenly sticking it on?
Upon hearing this, Lu Jia smiled at Shen Qingzhou and said, "If Father agrees, then let the two of us handle this matter. I guarantee you two will be able to meet in an hour."

Shen Bo paused for a moment, then turned around and said, "No need. I'll personally come and invite you."

Just then, Mr. Yi walked in from outside: "Has the Grand Commandant returned?"

Shen Bo waved to him: "You've come at the right time. Go and prepare the generous gifts according to the list. Now come with me to the Lu residence."

As he spoke, he glanced at the twilight outside the window: "It's dark now, a good time to talk."

Lu Jia leaned closer to take a look at the densely packed list and exclaimed in surprise, "So Father had prepared this all along?"

Shen Bo blushed again, grabbed his riding whip, and went out.