Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 409 The Last Hope
"I am ashamed!" Lu Jie straightened up. "The Grand Secretary works tirelessly day and night for the court and the Emperor. His Majesty was worried that you might overwork yourself because he saw that you were busy with government affairs. That's why he sent me to help you out."

"This humble official has very little experience. How dare I claim to be superior in front of the Grand Secretary?"

"If there are any matters that the cabinet cannot handle in the future, the Grand Secretary can simply give the order."

"I have come here by imperial decree. Although I am not talented, I would never dare to neglect my duties in the slightest."

After he finished speaking, the imperial edict was handed over.

Yan Song looked at the imperial edict extended in front of him, opened it with both hands, and saw a line of words written on it: "All matters of the cabinet shall be decided jointly by you and the Grand Secretary."

What a fine "joint ruling"!
"This... Back when Grand Secretary Pang was appointed, His Majesty never made such a decree in his own hand! ...Grand Secretary Lu's standing in His Majesty's heart is certainly not low!"

In the crowd, it was a member of the Ministry of Rites who loudly proclaimed this, and the others immediately echoed him.

Then came a series of gasps of astonishment.

Yan Song suddenly felt a choking sensation in his throat, and a burning pain spread across his cheeks.

The emperor added this sentence to the imperial edict, which was both an elevation of Lu Jie and a rebuke of Yan Song.

……

Because Yan Shu died an dishonorable death, he only stayed at home until the 27th day after his death.

But perhaps surviving the 27th day after death is the limit. According to the old customs, in such a way, family members often do not even dare to collect the body.

Because he was a member of the Yan family, his son was executed, but his father was still the Grand Secretary. Even though some people disapproved, there were still many who had to consider the emperor's reputation, so no other troubles arose from beginning to end.

As for whether the censors actually used this as grounds to impeach him, Yan Liang didn't know, nor did he intend to find out.

The Yan family has committed far more serious crimes than this; too many lice won't itch. Whether it's something that's been used against them or not, any one of those crimes would be far better than this.

The wind blew in from outside the door, stirring up the ashes in the brazier.

Yan Liang watched as the ashes of the paper money danced in the air like moths until they stopped, then he threw the pieces of paper money in his hand back into the brazier.

In two days, it will be the day of Yan Shu's funeral. From the once prosperous family of the Grand Secretary to the successive deaths of his parents, the loss of his wife, and the separation of his brothers, from the prosperity of the whole family to its complete ruin, what would be half a lifetime's worth of misfortune for others, has only happened to Yan Liang in a short period of ten days.

The wind fuels the fire.

Flames flickered and climbed onto his face. Beneath his sharp brows, his eyes were deeply hidden in shadow.

“Young Master,” the steward said as he entered, “the prayer flags, incense, candles, and other items needed for the funeral procession have all been procured. The thousands of kilograms of lamp oil needed for the eternal lamps in the tomb chamber have also been piled up in the Nian'en Tower behind the ancestral hall.”

Yan Liang hummed in agreement, but his hands and feet did not stop.

"Young master," the butler said before leaving immediately after receiving a response, "the old master has returned."

Yan Liang remained silent.

The butler glanced at him silently and walked away.

A servant from the main house came in and stopped by the brazier: "Young Master, the Old Master is in the study and would like to see you."

"No need."

An aged voice came from the doorway. The servant turned and saw Yan Song carrying Zhai Guan up the steps. He quickly stepped forward to help him, and the nearby servants also gathered around.

Yan Song waved his hand, signaling them all to leave.

Then he walked into the mourning hall, held Yan Shu's coffin with his hand, took a deep breath, and slowly sank down: "You and I, father and son, were ultimately not destined to be together."

Yan Liang stared at the flames until he heard this, then slowly raised his head and called out, "Grandfather."

Yan Song sat on a chair beneath the coffin, his crown placed beside him, and long white lanterns hanging overhead. Under the white light, his gray hair seemed to have grown even more than usual.

Yan Song raised his eyes: "Lu Jie has joined the cabinet, you know that?"

Yan Liang nodded: "Your grandson is incompetent and unable to turn the tide."

“The situation is what it is, and there is nothing we can do about it.” Yan Song looked at the ancestral tablets on the altar. “I remember many years ago, when your father first accepted money from others, I advised him against it.”

"He wouldn't listen, always thinking he couldn't do anything wrong. And that's exactly what happened. No matter how the censors impeached him, the emperor's favor towards the Yan family remained undiminished."

"He's getting bolder and bolder, and I'm finding it harder and harder to control him."

At this point, he turned his head and said, "Actually, there are many things I can't control. For example, the Yan family's rise to prominence in the past, and the Yan family's current predicament."

"Many times, I just happened to seize an opportunity and went with the flow."

Yan Liang silently looked at him and walked over: "If it weren't for Grandfather, how could the Yan family be what it is today? No one can erase your cultivation of your descendants, nor can anyone erase your contributions to the country and the nation."

“But talent is inexhaustible.” Yan Song supported the coffin. “The Emperor has no shortage of talent. They are like seedlings in the ground, sprouting one after another. They need to sprout, and the court also needs these new seedlings.”

"No matter how unwilling we are, the fact remains that the Yan family is beyond saving. The court now belongs to Lu Jie and other young officials. I am old and no longer needed by the Emperor. The Yan family's defeat is a foregone conclusion."

"Grandfather, there's no need to belittle yourself when it comes to the difference between talented people..."

"I'm just sober." Yan Song gently patted one corner of the coffin. "We've lost too much power. It takes strength to turn the tide."

"So we're just going to wait to be slaughtered?" Yan Liang stared at the candlelight, the flame piercing his eyes. "I'm not willing to accept this."

"We're unwilling, but there's nothing we can do." Yan Song lowered his hand. "At this point, we've lost the conditions for launching an attack, so we can only proceed conservatively."

"You should try to contact Hu Yucheng immediately. It's been more than ten days, and the people you sent to the southeast should be back by now."

"We only have Hu Yucheng left as our force, and thankfully we still have this one force left. Although it's not enough for us to completely reverse the situation, at least we have something to rely on."

"With Hu Yucheng around, the Yan family can survive as long as the fighting along the southeast coast goes on."

"As long as we can protect the Yan family, that would be the best outcome. We can no longer force things like status and position!"
"Back then, I studied hard for years and tried my best to enter officialdom. At first, I only wanted to bring glory to my ancestors and have more descendants."

"Even if we lose all our wealth and glory, even if all our hard work comes to nothing, as long as we are alive and our Yan family is still here, we will only be ridiculed as 'defeated generals' and suffer some humiliation!"

Yan Liang withdrew his gaze, pursed his lips, and stared at the doorway.

After a moment, he turned back: "What if we lose even Hu Yucheng's strength? Then, who will Grandfather turn to for help?"

Yan Song suddenly stopped.