Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 389 It’s you!

The commander knelt down with a thud: "Reporting to the young master, I have questioned the brothers on guard duty on all four sides three times, and they have repeatedly assured me that there has been no abnormality!"

Yan Liang glanced at Yun Dou.

Yun Dou blurted out, "Someone must have come! That person was incredibly fast, like a ghost! You might not have seen them!"

The commander's gaze was resolute: "Even the fastest agility couldn't truly be that of a ghost. If you don't believe me, young master, I can lead you to examine every inch of the mansion wall!"
"If any thieves were to enter, they would surely leave a mark at the ambush we have set up!"
"But I checked just now, and there is definitely no trace of it being moved!"
"If you still insist that someone broke in, then unless, unless this person knows the defenses of the mansion like the back of their hand and is intimately familiar with the layout of the mansion!"

The Yan family's defenses have been in place for many years and the personnel have not been easily replaced.

Even if there is a change in personnel, the defenses will be adjusted accordingly. It has been less than a year since the last change in defense measures, so naturally there would be no petty person so familiar with the Yan family's internal affairs.

Yan Liang stared silently at Yun Dou, who was speechless for a moment, then suddenly looked at the commander: "Did the Third Young Mistress go anywhere else tonight?"

"For example, the back garden."

The commander looked up, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I am not very clear about what is happening inside the inner quarters, but since we also have people guarding this place, I do know a little about the whereabouts of the Third Young Mistress tonight."

"But these young masters should all know about it."

"The young mistress went to the main room in the evening, and not long after she returned to her room, I saw the eldest young master also arrive at the third room."

"After that, the lights in the third room went out. The lights came back on when the madam arrived."

"The servants are not allowed to enter, but they have heard the lady's voice from afar."

"As for the back garden, following the eldest young master's orders, guards at all the gates have been strengthened for the past two days. I swear on my life, the third young mistress has absolutely not gone out. She hasn't even come close to the garden gate!"

Yan Liang stared at the ground for a long time before raising his eyes and waving him away.

Only kidney beans remained in the room.

Yan Liang said, "Did you hear that clearly?"

Yun Dou screamed at the top of her lungs, "Young Master, please investigate! I really didn't lay a hand on her, I'm truly innocent!!"

"But wasn't it you who fabricated stories about me and the Third Young Mistress in front of Madam?"

Yun Dou was stunned, and two beads of sweat fell from her forehead.

"If you hadn't orchestrated this, how could Madam have suddenly barged into the third wife's quarters? If Madam hadn't gone, how could she have caused such misfortune? Since she went, isn't it perfectly normal for her to bring you, who went to inform on her, along with her?"

Yun Dou was sweating profusely and collapsed to the ground.

"I've seen you several times in the eldest branch of the family, back when the eldest young mistress was still alive." Yan Liang glanced at her. "The eldest young mistress assisted the madam with household affairs; she must have given you quite a bit of benefits, right?"

As Yan Liang finished speaking, a servant walked in, carrying a small bundle.

When the bundle was opened, some gold and silver hairpins were revealed.

Yun Dou seemed to have left her body; her mouth was twitching and wide open, but she couldn't utter a word no matter what she did.

"Looks like you recognized it; this is what we found in your house."

Yan Liang picked up a gold hairpin from the pile, examined it, and then put it back. "You've received favors from the eldest young mistress, and since she dislikes the third young mistress, she's naturally bossed you around quite a bit."

"Originally, you didn't want to do anything after the eldest young mistress was expelled. But the third young mistress is not favored by the madam either. At this time, there are some clues that can help you curry favor with the madam. What reason do you have not to kick her when she's down?"
"Since you had this idea, then when you saw Madam and the Third Young Mistress arguing, it would have been perfectly logical to follow Madam's lead and attack the Third Young Mistress. However, you were too ruthless. You went in with the intention of killing, but ended up killing Madam instead."

"Young Master!..."

The kidney bean could not speak clearly.

Yan Liang flicked his robes and stood up: "Take her away and lock her in the water dungeon first. Don't let her die too easily."

"...Young Master! Young Master!"

Yun Dou rushed forward desperately to beg for mercy, but Yan Liang had already bypassed her and walked away.

……

As dawn broke, news of Madam Yan's sudden death spread. In such cases, her family members are usually the first to arrive, then they review the events and draw their own conclusions.

But at this time, the Du family was embroiled in a lawsuit, and the men of the family had all been summoned by Yan Song to handle the case, so no one could afford to pay attention to these matters.

Naturally, this meant Yan Song had to appease the Du family again. In any case, he could only focus on dealing with the sudden changes in the cabinet and his family, and he could no longer interfere with Lu Jie's affairs.

Lu Jia stayed up all night.

Last night, when she arrived at the Lu family home, she no longer allowed Lu Jie to avoid her and managed to get a guarantee from him that he would do his best to ensure Lu Ying's safe return home.

If it were merely to save Lu Ying's life, Lu Jia and the Shen family could do it, but she knew that Lu Ying wanted more than that.

She wanted to return to the Lu family and live a proper life as a young lady of the Lu family; she wanted to go back legitimately.

Having been pampered since childhood and developing an unwillingness to compromise, Lu Ying would never be able to live an ordinary life under an assumed name!

All of this was contingent on Lu Jie's approval, which is why Lu Ying was reluctant to agree to leave the Yan family privately, and also why Lu Jia was unable to make a promise to her.

Regardless of how Madam Yan's death benefited Lu Jie, if he refused, Lu Jia would force him to agree.

Having achieved this, Lu Jia could finally put Lu Ying's mind at ease.

After getting up early in the morning, she first sent He Qu to increase the number of people outside the Yan residence to act according to the situation, and then she took Tang Yu out for a trip.

While Lu Jia was working tirelessly, Lu Ying also spent the night with her eyes open in Qingpingzhai.

After a flurry of activity throughout the night, the third branch of the family was finally cleaned up by dawn. Madam Yan was carried back to the main room and promptly prepared for burial; she was placed in the coffin the following morning.

The mourning hall was already set up, which saved us a lot of trouble. However, Granny Li and Yingzi had not yet been released.

After the intruder broke into her room last night, she had no chance to be alone with anyone. And with Li Mama and the other woman being held captive, they were not to be released easily.

Before the Yan family makes a final judgment, they will definitely question the two women. Although Shen Qingzhou tried some methods last night to get their statements, he is an outsider after all. It is still unknown whether he can move freely in the inner courtyard of the Yan family and get things done properly.

Granny Li is reliable and there shouldn't be any problems, but Yingzi is young, and if she accidentally lets something slip, all our efforts will be in vain.

Under such circumstances, it would be better to stay away from the crowd and remain at Qingpingzhai.

When Yan Liang came in, she explained, "I dare not go back to live here. I can't close my eyes when I think of my mother's face."

After saying that, he added, "Could you tell Granny Li and Yingzi to come back quickly, and let me find another place to stay?"