Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 406 brings you out yourself.
Lu Ying stared at the few lines of text on the paper, her whole body trembling so badly she was convulsing!

"You did it! You really did it!"

She looked up, tears streaming down her face. "I knew you would save me, but I didn't expect you to be so—so thoughtful!"

Ever since she learned that the Yan family would not be her final destination, she had wanted to leave this place every moment, and leaving here with dignity was exactly what she had been dreaming of.

But she also knew how difficult it would be to achieve this. First, would Lu Jie agree? Second, even if he agreed, the Yan family would never agree!

She firmly believed that even if the Yan family preferred to kill her, they wouldn't worry about her leaving alive!

"No wonder that beast said he wanted to kill me. I thought he just wanted to avenge his mother, but it turns out he had this other intention!"

Tears welled up in her eyes again. She wiped them away several times with both hands, and carefully tucked the divorce papers into her bosom, her tears still wet with them.

Lu Jia took out a handkerchief and gave it to her: "If you're going to fight, fight to the death. If you're going to win, win comfortably!"

"There are ways to save my life, but I'm not willing to settle for less. Fortunately, everything is done, so your long wait wasn't in vain."

After saying that, she urged, "Go quickly, your brother-in-law and the others are still waiting outside. Yan Liang is not someone to be trifled with; if we linger, things might get complicated. We can't afford to get entangled with him!"

Lu Ying nodded emphatically and called over Granny Li: "Take out the bundle I put in the trunk, bring our people along, and just take the jewelry and headdresses from the dressing box. We don't need anything else!"

With Shen Qingzhou protecting them in the inner courtyard and Shen Zhui guarding the entrance, there would be no more trouble, and their journey out of the mansion would be smooth and unimpeded.

No one from the Yan family showed up, and naturally even the steward and servants kept their distance, but what did it matter?
With no one in the way, the road ahead is actually wider!
After the carriage left the alley, the enormous Yan Mansion was left far behind.

Lu Jia lifted the carriage curtain, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and finally relaxed.

Lu Jie had just returned to the manor not long ago. Lu Jia and Shen Qingzhou brought Lu Ying in, and he was waiting under the hanging flower gate.

Lu Ying knelt down and kowtowed.

Lu Jie asked Lu Jia to help her up: "Go back and rest first. You can stay in your original place. Settle yourself in. If you need anything, ask your sister. You can also ask the head housekeeper, or your second and third aunts."

They weren't as warm as before, but Lu Ying didn't seem to mind at all.

After the two sisters entered the inner quarters, Zhou and Wu, who had received advance notice, came to help with the arrangements.

Everyone tacitly agreed not to say anything more, brought water for Lu Ying to wash up, said goodbye to Lu Jia, and went back first.

The people employed by the Lu family were still the same ones from when Lu Jia was in charge. She instructed the head housekeeper to bring back all the people who had served Lu Ying in the past, and they continued to serve her.

Lu Ying looked at her, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping herself.

Lu Jia knew what she was going to say: "When we were outside the private residence earlier, your brother-in-law had already had Yingzi brought out. It's not too late for you to see her again tomorrow."

Lu Ying nodded. Then she took out the bundle that she had asked Granny Li to take with her before leaving: "These are some things I took from Yan Liang's room last night. I don't know if they will be of any use to you."

Lu Jia opened it and was deeply moved: "It's part of the Yan family's account books!"

Strictly speaking, these things are not extremely serious, and they cannot bring the Yan family to death, but they can be useful for future confiscation of property.

Lu Ying nodded: "I couldn't get the more confidential stuff either. But anything that was in his room must be of some use, so I took it out."

"I originally planned to keep it for myself to use against Yan Liang later, but I didn't expect my sister to do me such a great favor, allowing me to break away from the Yan family in this way. This can be considered as making it play a greater role."

Yan Liang's strange words before leaving made her uneasy.

Lu Ying was never one to sit idly by and wait for her fate.

Since we've made the worst-case scenario plan, we naturally need to gain some leverage.

Qiyu Pavilion was separated from Yan Liang's residence by only a wall. In the middle of the night, while waiting for Yingzi to return, she went inside. The eldest branch of the family had already tacitly accepted that she had some connection with Yan Liang. She said she was going in to change his bedding, and no one stopped her.

"very good!"

Lu Jia hugged her: "You've always been very capable."

……

It was almost dawn when Lu Jia came out. Her second and third uncles and the Shen brothers were all gathered in Lu Jie's room talking.

Upon seeing her arrive, Lu Jie said, "You all go back first. I also need to prepare for what I have to do and negotiate the dowry with the Yan family. Your second uncle and the others will handle it."

"Now we just have to wait for the Grand Commandant's progress. Hopefully, there won't be any mishaps there!"

Lu Jia naturally knew that now was not the time for casual conversation. Lu Jie made simple arrangements for Lu Ying because there was important business to attend to and he could not spare too much energy.

The young couple returned to the Grand Commandant's residence. As they parted ways, Lu Jia turned back to Shen Zhui and said, "I owe you a favor today. From now on, don't call me sister-in-law. Just call me sister."

Shen Zhui opened his mouth and glanced at Shen Qingzhou.

Shen Qingzhou said, "Whatever my sister says goes."

Shen Zhui jumped up happily: "If my older brother kicks me out again, I'll go live with my sister at the Lu family mansion!"

Before Shen Qingzhou could change his expression, he had already run far away.

"This brat!"

Shen Qingzhou cursed under his breath, pulled Lu Jia back to her room, then made her sit down and squatted down to take off her shoes.

Lu Jia gently stroked his hair: "You know what? When I left the Yan family earlier, I felt unusually at ease."

"I know."

"you know?"

Shen Qingzhou put her feet up on the footstool and sat down beside her: "Because what you brought out wasn't Lu Ying, it was yourself."

Lu Jia trembled slightly.

Shen Qingzhou pulled her into his arms. "I will always, always remember the way you fought for your life."

Lu Jia remained speechless for a long time.

In her past life, she tried her best to escape the Yan family, but ultimately died surrounded by them. In her previous life, she was forever trapped in that mansion.

She wanted to save Lu Ying, partly because Lu Ying still had some redeeming qualities, and partly because she was acting rationally for the greater good. But deep in her heart, she harbored a selfish desire: she wanted to try again to bring out the version of herself she had left there in her past life, intact.

That's why, no matter how much effort she put into it, she didn't need Lu Ying's gratitude.

Only after she brought Lu Ying out of the Yan family with dignity did she truly gain freedom, and also freed herself from the shackles of her past life.

“We should have a child.” She raised her chin. “Two, or three.”

"I want to teach them to love one another."

Shen Qingzhou rested his chin on her head, gazing at the sky outside the window, which was already brightening: "Now?"

"I think it's not too late."