Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 89 It's no use her being dead.
When Lu Jia and her group arrived in the city, it happened to be the Double Ninth Festival. Chrysanthemums were in full bloom all over the city, which, set against the backdrop of fiery red maple leaves and ginkgo trees peeking out from the street corners, created a truly beautiful autumn scene.

On their first day, they stayed at an inn, and dinner was delivered to their room.

At the dinner table, Lu Jia said, "Tomorrow I need to find a house to rent. There are five or six of us, and staying in an inn would be too conspicuous and inconvenient."

Shen Qingzhou glanced out the window at the corner tower standing tall in the back garden of the Grand Commandant's mansion, then looked away and said, "You don't need to trouble yourself with this. I'll take care of it for you."

"You're unfamiliar with this place, so you probably won't be able to find it easily. Let me go instead."

Shen Qingzhou felt that someone who had left the capital at the age of five couldn't really be considered familiar with this place. "Then let He Qu go. If he can't find it, let him wander around a few more times. They are on duty as guards, so they need to get familiar with the place as soon as possible."

This is true.

Lu Jia had no reason to object.

After finishing her meal, she asked someone to clear the table. Peeking over to see that everyone had gone to the next room to eat, she turned around, took out two pieces of clothing from her bundle, and handed them to Shen Qingzhou.

"We've come to no ordinary place; we're right under the emperor's nose. We can't dress too shabbily, or people will laugh at us. I made you two sets of clothes before you left, but I don't know if they'll fit."

Shen Qingzhou stared at the clothes for a moment, then looked up and asked, "Was this made for me?"

“Yes!” Lu Jia nodded emphatically. “I think the size should be about right. Try it on later. If it fits, wear it. If it doesn’t, take the money and buy a few more on the street tomorrow.”

When he was in Shawan, he came to our door with just a bundle on his shoulder, and he didn't have many clothes. Moreover, they were ready-made clothes bought locally in Shawan. After all, he was a pillar of the nation who would be relied upon in the future, so Lu Jia decided to make him some clothes.

But I was too embarrassed to ask him to take my measurements, so I just made do with what I could see.

Shen Qingzhou took the clothes in her hands, looked at the fine, dense stitches, and then said, "Thank you."

This was something he really hadn't expected.

Aside from this "thank you," he couldn't say anything else.

“No need to thank me,” Lu Jia sat back down. “You’ve helped me so much, and I don’t think you’re that interested in money. This is all I can do to express my gratitude. Besides, you’ll be going out with me quite often from now on, so you should dress presentably.”

Shen Qingzhou asked, "Where are we going?"

"Find a powerful backer."

"backing?"

“Yes.” Lu Jia put down the water she had just taken a sip of. “I am all alone now. Although I have you all, I am still weak. The Jiang family has the Yan family father and son backing them up. How can I fight them alone?”

Outside the window, the lights are dim; this is the bustling night under the emperor's feet.

A faint light flickered in Lu Jia's eyes.

"Then who do you want to find?" Shen Qingzhou asked.

"My father."

Shen Qingzhou remained silent.

"Didn't you expect that?" Lu Jia smiled silently. "He's one of them. And the most important one."

Shen Qingzhou really didn't know what to say.

The eldest daughter of the Minister's family was stranded in Shawan, thousands of miles away. He knew that the culprit was the Jiang family, but if this father was reliable, how could Lu Jia have been stranded for ten years?

How could the people of the capital only know that Miss Lu is Lu Ying, born to Madam Jiang, and that few people remember that the Lu family also has an eldest daughter?

“I know he’s unreliable, but I have to win him over.” Lu Jia said calmly, “In the Lu family, he is the only one who can rival the Jiang family.”

She couldn't stay away from home forever. Even if she was willing to become a Xie family daughter and give up everything from the Lu family, Guo Lu's appearance showed that Madam Jiang would never allow her to hide and live a life of ignominy. Her identity had been exposed, and she could no longer stay in Shawan.

Returning to the Lu family, although she was completely exposed to the Jiang family, she also retained her identity as the eldest daughter of the Lu family.

Of course, she would no longer be like she was in her previous life, foolishly staying in the inner quarters, even though she could have gained more by using her status as Miss Lu, she never took advantage of it.

She also longed for time to accumulate strength so that she could face her enemies with composure, but the enemy did not give her the opportunity to do so. So, if she wanted to survive, what other options did she have besides facing difficulties head-on, finding a backer, building up her power, confronting the enemy directly, and fighting as she went?

Reality has forced her into this situation.

Even if Lu Jie was a treacherous official, he was still her biological father. Just because Lu Jie secretly gave Qiu Niang and the others a silver shop in her previous life, and secretly arranged for Qiu Niang to reconnect with her, Lu Jia was willing to take the gamble.

Qin Zhou was obviously unaware of those things from his past life, so his disapproval was understandable.

But she had to gamble that her biological father hadn't completely lost his conscience towards her.

As long as he is still willing to acknowledge her as his daughter, then Lu Jia's return will not be considered a futile effort.

“I can help you too.” Shen Qingzhou had no confidence in her plan at all. “If all else fails, I’ll risk everything and kill her for you.”

He didn't want to see her grovel and submit to Lu the bandit.

To put it another way, perhaps he didn't want her to go back to the Lu family at all, because once she went back, he would be completely unable to get involved.

Lu Jia laughed and said, "But my goal is not just to kill her."

Her smile seemed somewhat unreal through the lamplight.

"I also want to eliminate all the forces she has planted in the Lu family. The Lu family has produced many virtuous ministers in the past, and this family should not become an accomplice of treacherous villains who bring disaster to the country and the people."

"I not only want to defeat the Jiang family, but also eliminate their influence and bring the Lu family back to its original path."

"I want to be the eldest daughter of the Lu family, and I want to stand tall and be a dignified and honorable eldest daughter of the Lu family."

Lu Jia's tragedy in her previous life was not only because she had a wicked stepmother.

Instead, after her stepmother's invasion, the Lu family, which had once made her life very happy, gradually degenerated, ultimately leaving her with only the title of Miss Lu, but without any real protection from the family.

Lu Jie had already gradually gained the emperor's favor, and when he sided with the Yan family, it was not only a loss to the family's reputation, but also exacerbated the harm that the treacherous party was causing to the people.

“I want revenge, but I also want to split my father and the Yan family. Killing the Jiang family won’t really solve my problem.”

In her past life, she perished together with the Jiang family, yet the Lu and Yan families still couldn't separate.

Since God has brought her back to life, if she still only sees killing the Jiang family as her goal, she would be wasting this life.

Shen Qingzhou's initial indifference gradually vanished amidst his burning passion.

He seems to have underestimated her.

He really underestimated her.

They always thought of her as a weak woman, but they overlooked the fact that she was never lacking in perseverance and courage.

After sitting in silence for a moment, he said, "Then how will you go to find him?"

Lu Jia finished the remaining half glass of water and said with bright eyes, "I know where he likes to go on weekdays. Tomorrow, after he finishes his duties at the yamen, you will come with me to a place."

(End of this chapter)