Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 105 Rage
On her way to the main room, Lu Ying met Yang Bonong.

She stopped and smiled, "Uncle Yang, you're in such a hurry this early in the morning, are you rushing off to take care of something urgent?"

Yang Bonong responded with a smile: "It's almost the end of the year, and you must be quite busy. Good morning, Miss."

Lu Ying said, "Yesterday morning, I heard that something seemed to have gone wrong with the person working in Father's study. Is that alright?"

"It's nothing," Yang Bonong said. "The weather is getting colder these days, and it's inevitable that people will doze off at night. Although it's not right, the adults haven't been too harsh on us."

Lu Ying nodded, but Yang Bonong had already walked away.

Jiang was mixing incense in the room.

Granny Du sat to the side, helping out as she spoke, “The second young lady is only fourteen, while the third young master of the Yan family is already seventeen. It’s understandable that they’re urging him. However, although the third young master is quite handsome and talented, his temperament is too violent. The master and mistress only have the second young lady as their daughter, so it’s not good to send her over there to suffer.”

Jiang didn't speak, but continued grinding the spices.

Granny Du tossed the chopped spices into the grinding mortar and said, "If the eldest young lady were still here..."

"Shut up."

Jiang suddenly stopped.

As soon as Granny Du looked up, she saw Lu Ying standing at the door.

She stood up, called out "Second Miss," packed her things, and went outside.

Lu Ying walked to Madam Jiang's side: "Mother, what did Granny Du mean by 'eldest daughter' just now?"

Jiang continued working on her tasks, saying slowly, "She's too talkative."

Lu Ying paused, then said, "Granny Du is the person Mother trusts most, and also the most loyal person by Mother's side. How could she be so talkative?"

Jiang raised her head: "Didn't you have an appointment with Miss Chen today?"

"Miss Chen has an unexpected guest today and can't come. I made some pastries myself and am about to go to the Yan residence to give them to my aunt to try."

As Lu Ying spoke, she called the maid in and took two plates of pastries from her, placing them on the table.

It was a plate of rose cake and a plate of osmanthus shortbread. Just by looking at their color, you could tell how authentic the craftsmanship was.

Jiang said, "You should go to the Yan family less often these days."

Lu Ying asked, "Is it because of your marriage to the Third Young Master?"

Madam Jiang frowned: "This marriage is not suitable."

“I don’t think it’s a big deal,” Lu Ying said calmly. “Although the Third Young Master has a bad temper, he is still a legitimate son of the Yan family.”

"Even if the Yan family's immense favor doesn't fall entirely on him in the future, it won't be too bad."

"Mother often says that although there are many important officials in the court, only by relying on the Yan family can one's wealth and status be considered secure."

"My father is gradually gaining the Emperor's favor, and it's only a matter of time before he becomes the Grand Secretary."

“I am already a daughter of the Minister’s family, and my mother and father have no other children. My marriage into the Yan family is beneficial to my father. If my father is promoted in the future, it will also benefit me and the Yan family.”

"At that time, I will naturally be of great importance in the Yan family. I might even surpass the position of the eldest grandson's wife in the Yan family. What's wrong with that?"

Jiang put down the millstone: "Whether the officials in the court prosper or fall into poverty depends on the emperor. You also know that your father is gradually gaining favor. As long as you are a daughter of the Lu family, you can still enjoy wealth and honor if you marry into another family."

“Mother!” “Madam, someone from the Yan family has come to invite you to come over for a chat.”

Longxiang lifted the curtain and announced from the doorway.

The mother and daughter looked at each other in the room, and Lu Ying said, "It's probably about the marriage."

Jiang glared at her and stood up.

The Yan and Lu families lived two streets apart. Fifteen minutes later, Madam Jiang stepped into the south gate of the Yan residence, which was used by family members.

The vermilion gate and towering courtyard walls, like a cage, swallowed up the Chiang family.

Yan Song celebrated his 70th birthday in February. The old lady is also quite old. Now, the wife of Yan Song's only son, Yan Shu, is in charge of the inner quarters.

When Madam Jiang arrived at the east wing, Madam Yan's room, which was usually filled with servants, was deserted today. Apart from the maids who followed her closely, only Madam Yan was there.

As they approached the door, Madam Jiang's face was already beaming with a smile: "It's rare for you to have some free time today, sister-in-law. The autumn air is so crisp and clear, why didn't you go out for a stroll?"

Madam Yan sat on the couch, stirring a bowl of soup with a silver spoon. She smiled and said, "How could I be as fortunate as you? You have no parents-in-law to serve, no children to worry about, and no concubines or maids to appease. If I could enjoy such a life of leisure, I might even meddle in all sorts of affairs."

Upon hearing this, Jiang stopped in her tracks, her hand poised to take the tea.

"My sister-in-law summoned me here today. What brings you here?"

Madam Yan put down the soup, picked up a folded book from beside her, and threw it at her with a thud.

Jiang hurriedly stood up, but still managed to catch the food in a flurry of activity.

“You have quite the nerve,” Madam Yan’s gentle words turned to frost. “As a woman, it is your duty to be a good wife and mother, yet you dare to meddle in government affairs, and even in Tanzhou Prefecture, which is thousands of miles away!”
"Don't you know how big a mess Zhou Sheng made in Tanzhou? We spent a huge sum of money to clean up the mess ourselves, and you still dare to cause trouble in Tanzhou at this time?"

"Could it be that you think your Lu family has risen to power and can now leave us behind?!"

"sister in law!"

Chiang Kai-shek was shocked to hear these words.

She quickly opened the folded document in her hand, and there it was—a letter from Guo Lu, sent on her orders, to the Shawan County government office in Tanzhou Prefecture, ordering an investigation into Lu Jia!
This letter should be en route south, so how did it end up here?

She quickly glanced at the memorial again, and it turned out to be a memorial from a censor!

In other words, this letter, which was originally intended to be secretly sent to Shawan, not only failed to be delivered, but also fell into the hands of the censors!

She was utterly bewildered: "What... what's going on?"

"You're asking me?" Madam Yan sneered. "Then let me ask you first: why did you, in the name of the Lu family, order the Shawan County government to re-handle this case?"

"What does this case have to do with you? Why are you going to such lengths to issue orders from so far away?"

Jiang remained silent, pursing her lips.

Madam Yan walked up to her: "If you don't want to talk, I won't force you. You are now the wife of a high-ranking official, and in terms of official rank, you are already superior to me. How dare I order you around?"
"The case involving Zhou Sheng's involvement in the Tanzhou River transport is still ongoing. Do you know how many people would seize the opportunity to use this as leverage if this matter had not been intercepted and instead reported to the Censorate, the Shen family, or the Qingliu faction?"

"For your Lu family, at most you'll be reprimanded for not managing your household properly, which is no big deal."

"For our Yan family, this case, which we finally managed to shelve after spending 200,000 taels of silver, is very likely to be reopened!"

"You are the wife of a high-ranking official, surely you understand?"