Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 67 Good Fortune!

Shen Qingzhou left the palace without waiting for Lu Jie's reply.

He didn't know how Lu Jia returned to the capital in her previous life, or how she married into the Yan family.
There was no reason for the Yan family to abandon Lu Ying, who had been raised by Madam Jiang since childhood, and instead marry Lu Jia, who had lost her mother and had been living away from home since childhood.

So why was Yan Qu discussing marriage with Lu Ying in this life, but became Lu Jia in the previous life?
Jiang is indeed despicable, but did Lu Jie, as a father, truly fulfill his responsibilities?
And how did Lu Jia disappear from the capital? Does her father know?

Shen Qingzhou did not understand Lu Jie.

But he just wanted to remind him that Lu Jie also had a daughter from his first marriage.

When Lu Jie returned home, he sat in the sedan chair for a while before slowly getting down.

The people at the front gate immediately informed the inner quarters.

Jiang tucked the paper in her hand into her sleeve, took the tea that the maid had just brought in, and carried it into the study.

After putting down the tea and rolling up the curtain, someone outside announced that the master had arrived.

Madam Jiang greeted him at the door: "Master."

Lu Jie stood at the door: "Oh my, why has Madam come in person?"

Madam Jiang said, "I had nothing to do today, and I heard that my master had gained face in front of the Emperor again, so I waited here for a while."

Lu Jie responded with an "Oh," and reached out to help her up, saying, "Please, Madam."

Jiang entered the house first, followed by Lu Jie, and the couple sat at opposite ends of the coffee table.

Lu Jie picked up his tea and said, "By the way, has the matchmaker from the Yan family arrived yet? The Yan family wants to get married before the end of the year, and I think it's still not too late. Anyway, Madam has made plans over the years, and the dowry and everything else are ready."

Madam Jiang glanced at him: "Master, are you really planning to arrange such a marriage?"

"Of course!" Lu Jie straightened his back. "Grand Secretary Yan is your godfather, and you watched Qu Ge'er grow up. Now, who in the world doesn't covet the Yan family?"
"Besides, that Qu-ge'er is also a handsome man, and like his father, he is full of knowledge. Where else can we find such a good in-laws besides the Yan family?"

"If Ying'er marries into this family, it will be a double blessing, and she will be incredibly wealthy in the future!"

The tenderness that had been on Jiang's face vanished completely, and she put down the tea.

Lu Jie continued rambling, sighing as he looked at the osmanthus tree in the courtyard: "When Yingjie gets married, let's dig up the Daughter's Red wine under the tree too."

Madam Jiang frowned: "This was buried for Jia'er, are you really willing to let Ying'er use it?"

“She doesn’t have that kind of luck.” Lu Jie said calmly, “She is the eldest daughter. If she were alive, wouldn’t this marriage, this great fortune of becoming the young mistress of the Yan family, be hers? Madam certainly wouldn’t be biased.”

"But that was her fate. She loved to run around since she was a child, and in the end, she disappeared without a trace, even causing the lady to miscarry. That was her sin."

"Forget it, let's not talk about her anymore." Lu Jie waved his hand. "I've already decided who we should ask to be the matchmaker. I'll have Lu An send an invitation over later."

Jiang said, "Why the rush? Let's wait until the Yan family sends a matchmaker."

Lu Jie said earnestly, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so you mustn't be negligent, Madam!"

Jiang looked at him for a long time, sat in silence for a while, then got up and left.

Back in her room, she sat down on the couch, raised her hand to support her forehead, and closed her eyes tightly.

After a while, she lowered her hand and opened her eyes: "Bring Guo Lu in."

A short while later, there was a noise at the door; Guo Lu had arrived.

Before she could even speak, Madam Jiang turned her head, the hairpins adorning her temples scattering light and shadow across the floor: "Let's confirm if it's really her first. We can't afford to mistake her again this time!"

Guo Lu nodded and asked again, "Please instruct me, Madam. If it is so, what should I do? If it is not so, what should I do?"

Jiang lowered her eyes, gazing at the emerald green tea in her hand. After a long while, she finally raised her head. Then, handing over a handkerchief, she began pacing around the room in circles.

"If not, then there's nothing to say. If so, then do as I said before."

Guo Lu looked up and met her gaze. He immediately fell silent and left. Madam Jiang gazed out the window.

There is also an osmanthus tree in the main courtyard of the Lu residence.

She took a slow breath and squinted her eyes.

……

The Empress Dowager's reward came three days later; it was a handwritten scripture for Shen Qingzhou's mother.

In the ancestral hall, Shen Qingzhou burned the scriptures for Madam Shen, then sat on a prayer mat and unfolded the prince's reply, which was tucked inside the scriptures.

Song En knelt beside him burning paper for half a day. Seeing that his gaze had not left the letter, he asked, "Is this letter of any use to you, young master?"

Shen Qingzhou threw the letter into the brazier.

"As expected, the Su family is indeed connected with Liu Zheng. So, the fact that there is no trace of any contact between the Su family and Zhou Sheng does not mean that they have no contact at all, but that all traces have been erased."

Song En stopped what he was doing: "Something's definitely fishy. What are they plotting?"

"Liu Zheng has served in the Ministry of Works for many years, and the waterways are all under their control. The Ministry of Revenue is also completely at the beck and call of the Yan family. It is conceivable that the Yan family's benefits in the waterways must have been long-standing."

“From the beginning of the year until now, the wind direction has been unfavorable to the Yan family. Their big move on the river channel this time is probably not just for profit.”

"General."

Just then, the guard's voice rang out at the door. Shen Qingzhou and Song En exchanged a glance, and while throwing the remaining letter into the fire, Shen Qingzhou instructed, "Go and prepare. Also, go and inform Imperial Physician Sheng that I will be leaving the capital at midnight."

When Song En stood up, Shen Bo had already brought Shen Zhui in.

The father and son both stopped when they saw Shen Qingzhou.

Shen Zhui held a large bundle of scriptures, his eyes showing surprise, but unusually, he didn't make a sound.

Shen Qingzhou stood up and bowed to Shen Bo: "Father."

Shen Bo looked at his pale face: "Why are you up so early?"

“The Empress Dowager sent someone with the scriptures, so I came to pay my respects to my mother.”

Shen Bo nodded, walked to the offering table, gently stroked Madam Shen's memorial tablet, then took three incense sticks and placed them on it.

"Has the Dowager Consort still been thinking about your mother all these years?"

After Shen Bo lit the incense, he stared intently at Madam Shen's memorial tablet.

But he did not receive a reply from Shen Qingzhou.

Turning around, he saw that the doorway was empty; the boy who had just called him "father" had left without a care in the world.

"Ahhh, he's so cool!"

Shen Zhui was furious.

If it weren't for the fact that he was holding the scriptures and dared not make the slightest mistake, he would have wanted to chase after them and pick up the face he had dropped on the ground a few days earlier!
"Kneel down."

Shen Bo gave him instructions in a calm voice.

Shen Zhui put down the scriptures and obediently knelt down.

He kowtowed several times before remembering, "Father, how should I address Madam?"

Shen Bo gazed at Madam Shen's name on the memorial tablet and said, "Of course, she should be called Mother."

……

(End of this chapter)