Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 51 Where did this "Lu" girl come from?!

"It's actually the Lu family?!"

Merchants from all over the country say that Lu Jie, the Minister of Rites, is a favorite of the emperor because of his outstanding literary talent!

Apart from the Yan and Shen families, who were equally powerful, the Lu family held the most power and influence in the court!

The people who wanted to do business with them were actually from the Lu family!

God!

What kind of auspicious smoke was rising from the Zhang family's ancestral graves that attracted such a distinguished person to visit them?
From now on, won't the Zhang family be living a life of luxury and wealth?!

Mrs. He became excited: "No wonder Liu Xiyu rushed over. Who wouldn't want such a powerful backer? Luckily, I persuaded you to stay, and we managed to get you out of there!"
"After we get in touch with the Ministry of Rites, our Zhang family can do whatever we want in Shawan, no, even Tanzhou!"

"Even if such a benefactor were to casually slip through his fingers, it would be enough for us to live on for a lifetime!"
"In the future, let alone arranging a marriage between us and the He family, even if we were to arrange a marriage with the county magistrate, the Su family, or the officials of the Tanzhou government, wouldn't that be just a matter of saying a few words?!"

Mrs. He chattered excitedly, indulging in her pipe dream, while Zhang Qi, recalling the whole story of his encounter with Shen Qingzhou, broke out in a cold sweat.

It's hard to tell whether it's a blessing or a curse that such noble people would take care of a small merchant like him.

The couple was overjoyed and uneasy, respectively. Just then, a servant came in from outside: "Reporting to Madam, the people we invited have returned with news!"

This is exactly what Mrs. He was waiting for!
He dashed to the door in one stride: "How did it go? Did you succeed?"

"It's done, it's done! The person is already in a sack! The messenger said that the others have already taken the person to the dock as instructed by the old lady."

"it is good!"

A sly glint appeared in Madam He's eyes. She slammed her hand on the table and said, "Let them take a boat to Tanzhou Prefecture! I already spoke with the officials at the city gate yesterday. Just give them my name, and they'll open the gate!"

"Also, prepare a car for me immediately. I need to get into the city before them!"

Zhang Qi said, "Just let them handle it. Why do you have to go yourself?"

"That bitch is very cunning. She escaped last time, but this time I must personally hand her over to the madam!"

Madam He gritted her teeth, flicked her sleeve, and stepped out the door.

Originally, she only planned to hand the person over to the madam and settle the payment. Now that the Zhang family has gotten close to a powerful figure from the capital, she has even fewer concerns!

Just as He Shi left with her men, Xie Yi, who had been watching outside, immediately escorted the messenger to the dock and informed Lu Jia.

Lu Jia ordered: "Board the ship and head to Tanzhou!"

She originally planned to lure He out, then abduct her halfway there.

The distance from Shawan Wharf to Tonghuomen Wharf is only a few dozen miles. It is upstream and downstream, and it is early summer. With the south wind blowing, the boat has a smooth journey and has reached its destination in less than two hours.

The He family had gone ahead of them, already entering the city and reaching the vicinity of the Wanhua Tower.

The madam came out soon, accompanied by several pimps.

The two met in a quiet alley, and Mrs. He asked first, "Are the people ready?"

"Don't worry, Madam! The two of them are very reliable!"

The madam patted her chest confidently.

He took a sip of tea and sent someone out to inquire where the person was.

The moment he stepped outside, a voice rang out: "They've arrived!"

Madam He was overjoyed and quickly called the madam to come out. But when they arrived outside, it was pitch black everywhere; there was no one there.
Suddenly, he heard the madam scream behind him. He turned around abruptly, but saw no one coming!
Where did that whole bunch of pimps go?
"Wang Gui! Liu Fu!"

She looked around and realized that the people she had brought with her were nowhere to be found!

She started to panic and turned to walk back into the house, but she could only take two steps before she couldn't go any further. Suddenly, a person appeared in front of her!

He appeared silently, wearing a mask, just like a ghost!
He Shi stepped back in fear, her mouth trembling as she asked, "Who...who are you?"

Before he could finish speaking, two more tall and imposing masked men appeared beside him, grabbed her arms, and lifted her up!

He screamed, but in this red-light district, wasn't it normal for a woman to scream?

No matter how hard she shouted, no one came in.

Amid screams, two masked men dragged him out of the alley and into the backyard of a courtyard. She looked up and saw singing and dancing on the upper floor; it was the backyard of the Wan Hua Lou!
Mrs. He was so frightened that her face turned pale!
But the two men didn't stop at all; they simply grabbed her and jumped up to the second floor.

The room at the end of the corridor was brightly lit. The madam and the group of pimps from before were all kneeling on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs and their mouths gagged.

In addition, there were two obese men standing to the side, their legs trembling.

He was thrown into the room, and then the handkerchief in the madam's mouth was ripped off. The masked woman asked, "Tell me, what do you plan to do after Miss Xie arrives?"

“If you dare to conceal even a single word, I will cut off a finger. If ten are not enough, I will cut off a toe. If that is still not enough, I will cut off a hand or a foot.”

He raised his hand and stroked a teacup on the table, and somehow, the perfectly good cup shattered as he spoke.

The madam was terrified and blurted out, "She...she...she told me to prepare two ruthless gentlemen tonight to take that girl in! I...I don't know who she is. I heard she's very beautiful and has no parents, so I agreed to take her in!"

The madam kept kowtowing on the ground.

Mrs. He was drenched in sweat. She couldn't understand why anyone would stand up for Lu Jia.

Before she could think any further, the masked man looked at the two clients and said, "Miss Xie can't come. This Madam Zhang will be yours."

The clients were terrified. They hurriedly kowtowed. Even if they dared not do anything further, how could they possibly bring themselves to do it?
He cried out in terror, "I have connections in the capital! If you dare touch me, I'll make sure you end up dead in the street!"

The masked man grabbed her hair: "Who do you have in the capital?"

He was in so much pain that he was paralyzed and unable to speak.

"Make them sign!"

When the masked man spoke, one of the masked men took out several sheets of paper covered with writing, grabbed a suitable piece, stuck ink on both hands, and slapped it all over the sheets of paper.

After Shen Qingzhou finished his inspection, he pulled out the knife from his boot and was about to strike He Shi's neck when He Qu, who was wearing a mask, walked in from outside the door.

"Young master, Miss Lu has arrived."

Madam He was already terrified, and upon hearing the name "Miss Lu," she was stunned again. Miss Lu? Where did this Miss Lu come from?!
The masked man glanced at the door and quickly tucked the document into his robes: "Leave those three to Miss Lu. Bring the rest out, tie them all up, and send them to Tanzhou Prefecture."

Three masked men brought out the madam and her pimps, and from inside came He Shi's furious screams as she pounded on the door.

Standing on the railing, you can already see a group of people walking downstairs.

Shen Qingzhou took off the mask and handed it to He Qu, quickly put away the knife, went down the stairs, and bumped into Lu Jia who was rushing up at the corner.

Lu Jia opened her mouth wide: "Qin Zhou?"

(End of this chapter)