After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 1083: Evidence of the Minister's Mansion
According to Lu Shen himself, he discovered these evidences by accident.

That year, his mother-in-law came to his house with some things and proposed this and that. Seeing that he was unmoved, she said some harsh words and left. He thought that his mother-in-law would definitely take some action later, whether it was the Yue family or the Lu family's direct branch, she would not let him off easily. Who knew that after that, there was no follow-up on this matter. The Yue family ran into trouble, his father-in-law lost his job, his mother-in-law died of a serious illness, and then the whole family returned to their hometown to live. No one cared about him as a cheap son-in-law, and no one came to take away the things left by his mother-in-law.

However, after his mother-in-law passed away, the Yue family hurriedly held the funeral, and Lu Shen still followed the etiquette and went to the door to pay his respects as a son-in-law. When he recalled the situation at that time, he just felt that it was very strange. The Yue family did not seem to be sad because of the death of his mother-in-law. The maids and women cried the most, but the servants who served his mother-in-law were nowhere to be seen. Moreover, the conversation between his father-in-law and his cousins ​​was also strange, as if there was some grudge between them.

It seemed that there had just been a fire in the main courtyard of his father-in-law's house, and the extent of the damage was unknown. When his father-in-law's cousins ​​came to pay their respects, they kept saying something like "the sky is high and the air is dry, be careful with fire", and when his father-in-law heard this, his expression became ferocious.

At that time, Lu Shen only knew that his father-in-law had been dismissed from office for a crime, and his cousins ​​had not offered any help, so they thought that this was the reason for their grudge. No one from Yue's family talked to him, and he did not want to make things awkward, so he left after paying his respects without giving it much thought.

But when he returned home, his concubine told him that his son Ping'an was playing with the cat at home. When the cat ran around, it knocked over several boxes sent by his mother-in-law and seemed to break something. He was worried that someone from his mother-in-law's family would come to take back the boxes, so he went to check them himself. However, he found a hidden layer in one of the treasure boxes made of precious wood, which contained several account books and documents, as well as several letters.

Lu Shen personally looked through these account books, documents and letters and found that they were all related to the Minister's Mansion. Once they were exposed, the Minister's Mansion would be in big trouble! He didn't know how these things appeared in the treasure box sent by his mother-in-law. He only guessed that his mother-in-law should know this very well - she had clearly told him to consider her proposal carefully, and she would come back to ask his decision later. If he still insisted, she would take everything away and teach him a profound lesson!

It was obvious that his mother-in-law didn't really want to give him these boxes of things. She was thinking about taking them back. These account books, documents and letters were probably kept with him temporarily to prevent them from being known to outsiders, right?

But why would she do this?

Hai Jiao told his younger sister Hai Tang: "According to Lu Shen, his wife's family was in trouble at that time, and he wanted to ask his cousin and his patron Sun Ge Lao for help, but was rejected by both parties. In the end, he had to resign and return home with hatred. Since his mother-in-law had evidence of his cousin's crime in the Shilang Mansion, it was a handle that could kill him. I believe that if the Shilang Mansion knew about the existence of these things, it would not be possible for them to sit idly by and watch their cousin lose his job. But when I think about the fact that his mother-in-law suddenly fell ill and died a few days later, and even the maids and servants who served her disappeared, this matter has something to say..."

Haitang understood what he meant: "Brother suspected that Lu Shen's mother-in-law actually used something to threaten the Minister's Mansion, but the Minister's Mansion was more cunning and killed her first. In addition, there was a fire in the main courtyard of Lu Shen's parents' home. Maybe the Minister's Mansion thought that the fire had burned all the evidence of their crimes, but they didn't know that Lu Shen's mother-in-law had already moved the things to the cheap son-in-law's house in advance..."

This speculation sounds very reasonable. Lu Shen himself also thinks so.

After he found the evidence, he knew the cause of his mother-in-law's death. But so what? He had a cold relationship with the Yue family, and he didn't have any deep family ties with his own Lu family. Who could he, a sickly man who had lived in a deep mansion for a long time, hand over the things to? The evidence also involved several officials who were on good terms with the direct branch. I'm afraid that if he leaked a little bit of information, the direct branch would send someone to shut him up. Why should he bother himself? Moreover, although his mother-in-law died unjustly, his father-in-law obviously knew the reason, but he had no intention of resisting at all. Even if he was resentful in his heart, he went back to his hometown obediently. It was clear that he had reached a consensus with his cousins ​​and would not pursue it any further. Perhaps he still had the intention of letting his cousins ​​take care of him. In the future, his descendants would have to rely on the help of the Minister's Mansion to make a comeback. This legitimate victim had no intention of coming forward. Lu Shen was just a cheap son-in-law, so why bother?

He put the evidence away and ordered his trusted servant Ah Si to repair the broken treasure box. He then put all the things his mother-in-law had sent into the warehouse, ready for someone from the Yue family to take away at any time. However, he did not intend to return the evidence. Anyway, according to the words of the Yue family, it seemed that no one knew where his mother-in-law had hidden the things, and they just thought that they had all been destroyed in the fire.

Haijiao sighed, "Several years have passed, and Lu Shen has always kept this matter a secret, and no one in the family knows about it. He really lives up to his name. With his scheming and caution, if he hadn't been hampered by his frail body and hadn't been born into an unappreciated side branch, he should have been the pillar of the new generation of the Lu family." Of the several young and strong men of the Lu family that he had met in the imperial prison, none could compare to Lu Shen in terms of scheming and wisdom, yet they were the candidates for succession that the Lu family valued. It was really ironic.

Haitang seemed to be thinking deeply: "The Lu family has been raided, and the family members who were not imprisoned have been forced to move into the side yard. Most of the courtyards in the family have been sealed by the government, and no one is allowed to enter. Logically speaking, if these evidences were still in the courtyard where Lu Shen lived, they should have been discovered by the soldiers long ago. Since no one heard any rumors before, could it be that he hid the things?"

Haijiao nodded: "He told me this specifically because he wanted me to take the things away. I can hand the things over in my own name, or I can give out his name. He no longer cares about how the Lu family will view him. He just wants to earn a living for his wife and children with this little contribution. He rejected Grandpa Lu's arrangement and did not intend to let his son change his name. He said that he would rather his son be an ordinary person who is upright but cannot pass the imperial examination to become an official, and he did not want his son to leave a fatal handle, which would be discovered and controlled by the Lu family in the future. He could only unwillingly do bad things for the Lu family."

It is a pity that Lu Ping'an cannot pass the imperial examination, but Lu Shen hopes that his son can live an upright life in the world. Even if he is just an ordinary peddler all his life, it is better than deceiving the world and worrying day and night that his identity will be exposed.

Lu Bainian only sighed and did not insist on his plan. Even if Lu Ping'an could not pass the imperial examination, he could still be a teacher in his school and live a stable life. He would not really become a peddler.

Haitang sighed, and felt that it was a pity that Lu Shen, who was so scheming, had good character and vision, would soon die. She said to her brother, "Then brother, hurry up and get the evidence of the crime of the Minister's Mansion. It would be best if Lu Shen could see the execution of the Minister's Mansion before he died, so that he could rest in peace." Half of Lu Shen's misfortune in his life was due to the so-called Yue family, and his Yue family and the Minister's Mansion were one family. If the Minister's Mansion was in trouble, Lu Shen could also vent his anger.

Hai Jiao said: "He didn't hide the things in his own home, but in a hot spring village left to him by his father. He told me the address and even how to open the secret room on the mezzanine. When Xiao Jin goes to the hot spring village to avoid the cold, I will send him off and take the things back on the way."

At this point, Haijiao remembered something: "Didn't Xiao Jin say that he would come to our house before leaving the city? Why hasn't he come yet?"