Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 430
He knelt on the ground, staring at the towering flames, his mouth agape as if he wanted to cry out, but no tears came out!
"The Third Young Master?!"

A sound came from beside my ear.

He turned his head and saw Yu Xiang, the maid who had served Lu Ying in the past but had secretly accepted the advances of Lu Ying!

He jumped to his feet: "Where are you going? Are you running for your life too?"

Yu Xiang took a step back: "Lord He said that Grand Secretary Lu and Grand Commandant Shen asked the Emperor to show mercy and allow us maids and servants to be spared from execution. Even the stewards and their wives, if their crimes are confirmed to be minor, can be pardoned afterward!"

Yan Qu grabbed her wrist: "Then take me away. You can disguise me as a servant, and once we're out, I'll take you as my concubine! I'll make sure you live a life of luxury..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was slapped across the face.

"Pah!" Yu Xiang spat. "What a shameless person you are! You're about to die, who would want to be your concubine? Go ask the King of Hell for your hand in marriage!"

She spat again, clutched the bundle in her arms, and ran away.

Lu Jia drove the carriage into the alley, which was already completely surrounded by General Qin's men.

Further in, the Imperial Guards surrounded the second layer.

The third layer is the Embroidered Uniform Guard led by He Ping.

Qin Qian was guarding the door. He came over to greet her, and Lu Jia handed him a roster and several ledgers.

"The roster is a list of all the legitimate and illegitimate children of the Yan family, including their three-month-old illegitimate son. It's like their family tree; you can't go wrong by looking at this list to get the person."

Qin Qian said, "This is just in time!"

Lu Jia then handed him the basic ledger as well: "It was originally meant for my father and the Grand Commandant, but I haven't seen them yet, and even Qingzhou is too busy to be seen. I was afraid of delaying things, so I sent it over first."

"These ledgers are not on the Yan family's official accounts; they were all prepared in the name of the steward. They involve fertile fields in several counties in the north and south, and cannot be overlooked."

"General Qin, please be sure to be careful and not let a single one escape."

Qin Qian nodded and called over his younger brother, who was standing nearby: "Send these account books to the cabinet immediately! There must be no mistakes!"

Then, holding the roster, he strode into the Yan family's gate.

Lu Jia lifted the carriage curtain, gazing at the white banners still fluttering in the distance, and seeing flames leaping several feet high behind the mourning hall. Listening to the mournful cries constantly emanating from within the mansion walls, and recalling her past life—which seemed so long ago yet was actually vivid in her mind—she gradually pursed her lips.

The roster and ledger were the last things Lu Ying brought out. Lu Jia could have asked the guards to send them over, but she had been looking forward to this day for two lifetimes, how could she bear not to come and take a look?
The Yan family has harmed people for decades; this day should have come long ago.

Suddenly she heard a child crying ahead, so she lifted the curtain and peeked out.

The guard reported, "These are the servants and two children from the Yan family who escaped, whom we captured just now in the alleyway behind the back garden!"

At such a moment, the only ones who could be taken away to escape are Yan Liang's two children.

Lu Jia said, "Let me take a look."

She knew everyone in the Yan family, and Yan Liang was cunning; it was hard to say what other tricks he might have up his sleeve.

When the people were brought out of the carriage, it was indeed true that they were six-year-old Rong Ge'er and four-year-old Shan Jie'er, along with an old servant and two wet nurses.

The two children shouted and cursed, calling everyone who surrounded the Yan family bad people. They accused them of being unable to distinguish between loyalty and treachery, and said that their grandfather was a loyal and virtuous man.

Despite his young age and the family background he came from, he still spoke eloquently in the face of hardship, revealing the refinement expected of a scholarly young man.

But these words, coming from the mouths of members of the Yan family, always sounded somewhat ridiculous.

Lu Jia lifted the curtain slightly and looked at them. Rong Ge'er remained silent, seething with resentment, while Shan Jie'er simply wept. Her height was probably similar to Lu Jia's when she was abandoned.

Shen Qingzhou was only eight years old when she knelt in the snow in front of the Yan family's gate for her seriously ill mother, dragging her frail body.

When Shen Zhui was on the verge of death, he was still in the womb of the second wife of the Yang family. Whose suffering is it that they are born to endure?
She turned her gaze to the sea of ​​fire behind the mourning hall, then lowered the curtain.

"Go and hand it over to Lord He."

The men below agreed and took everyone away.

Lu Jia also had the car turn around and leave the alley.

Outside the carriage curtain, which was lifted by the wind, there were floating black ash particles, which must have come from the place where the fire was.

……

The fire on the corner tower continued to burn until nightfall.

Hundreds of garrison troops surrounded the area, making it impenetrable, and only dispersed after the fire had completely died down.

At the very end of Hai hour (9-11 PM), all registered members of the Yan family were apprehended and brought to the scene, regardless of whether they were dead or alive.

Lu Jia only asked Yan Qu one question at the end.

Upon learning that the garrison had pulled him out of a dry well with a broken leg, Lu Jia simply said, "What a coward."

The Yan family members are indeed selfish at heart.

In his previous life, Yan Shu pushed Yan Song to the emperor's presence and killed him, thus saving the entire household's peace by sacrificing his own father's life.

In this life, Yan Liang once again pushed Yan Song to the imperial court, sending his grandfather, who had raised him, to the front lines to realize their dream of lasting wealth and power.

But Yan Qu was both selfish and cowardly. When his elder brother died and his grandmother took poison, he hid in a well, hoping to escape the consequences.

……

Ten days after the garrison withdrew, the entire Yan family was identified and taken to the execution ground.

Yan Qu was beheaded.

Yan Song was torn apart by five horses, but only his forearms were severed, which did not affect the execution.

Blood flowed like a river, a truly horrific scene. Yet, the onlookers were all victims who had rushed from all directions upon hearing the news. The area was packed with people, filled only with curses and scorn, devoid of any sympathy.

As the carriage started moving, Guo Yi offered Shen Qingzhou, the executioner, a cup of wine: "Auntie can rest in peace now."

Shen Qingzhou remained silent.

He simply poured another glass of wine and sprinkled it towards the direction of Madam Shen's tomb outside the city.

Those who were unaware of the situation thought that Young Master Shen was kind-hearted, while Yan, a villain, was utterly wicked and always wanted to crush the Shen family. Yet he was still offering wine to Yan, which was far too benevolent.

Ten days later, the Yan family's disciples, led by Pang Zhi, who had participated in the rebellion, also began to be tortured. Males of legal age were beheaded, while female relatives and young children were exiled.

Then came the officials at various levels who, over the years, had been corrupt and provided various conveniences to the Yan family, and although they did not participate in the rebellion, their crimes were not minor.

We worked intensively for two whole months.

The number of people traveling to Beijing has increased significantly in the past two months.

They were all coming for the Yan family. The injustices that had been suppressed in the past finally had a chance to be spoken out, and the wronged people flocked to the Three Judicial Offices to sue the lower-level officials who acted as henchmen for the Yan family.

Many familiar faces, whether innocent or not, including the Liang family, the Jin family, the Liu family, and the Su family... The three judicial departments had to urgently transfer manpower, and long tents were erected outside the yamen.

A reckoning spanning decades has only just begun here.