Chapter 114 It seems the Emperor still doesn't want her to enter the court!

The Duke of Chu's expression did not lighten much after hearing this. He said, "I will have your maternal uncle from the Tang family participate in the evaluation."

He then looked at Cheng Jinchuan and said, "Jinchuan, you should stay out of this matter to avoid being implicated."

"I'm not afraid, just give the order if you need anything." Cheng Jinchuan quickly stated his position, but the Duke of Chu waved his hand, "You should avoid this matter, lest someone use it against you."

Cheng Jinchuan nodded, "Yes."

“All sorts of demons and monsters have come out,” the Duke of Chu said again. “Then let’s see who comes out on top in the end.”

Jiang Yu smiled, "Grandfather is mighty."

“Lord Duke,” came Li Zhong’s voice from outside. The Duke of Chu was letting him in.

After Li Zhong entered, he reported: "Just now, on his way home, the Minister of Personnel's personal attendant was trampled to death by a masked man with a horse."

The room was quiet. After a while, Jiang Yu asked, "Where is the Minister of Personnel?"

Li Zhong: "The Minister of Personnel is alright and has arrived home safely."

Jiang Yu waved him out, then looked at the Duke of Chu and said, "So, Ruan Heng isn't the person behind this, then who is?"

At that moment, Cheng Jinchuan's voice rang out, "Yan Ruihua."

Jiang Yu and the Duke of Chu both looked at him. Cheng Jinchuan continued, "Yan Ruihua and I are both Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Personnel. If Minister of Personnel Ruan Heng is unable to oversee the assessment, the task will fall to either me or Yan Ruihua. Since I should recuse myself, the task will inevitably fall to Yan Ruihua."

"Who is this Yan Ruihua?" Jiang Yu asked.

Cheng Jinchuan: "He was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) and rose from a county magistrate in Jingzhou Prefecture to the Prefect of Jingzhou. Later, I heard that he entered the Ministry of Personnel by following Ruan Heng's path."

"If he is Ruan Heng's man, why would he go to the trouble of intimidating Ruan Heng?" Jiang Yu asked.

Cheng Jinchuan: "This shows that Yan Ruihua is not actually one of Ruan Heng's men; he has someone else behind him."

Silence fell over the room again as the three pondered who was behind Yan Ruihua. The Xie family had sent threatening letters, but that didn't guarantee they'd be intimidated. Although Consort Su was under house arrest, the Earl of Qingshan could still intervene. Or perhaps there was someone else.

"Keep an eye on Yan Ruihua," said Chu Guogong after a while.

“Yes, just keep an eye on him and you can solve the mystery,” Jiang Yu said.

However, the key issue now is not finding out who is behind Yan Ruihua, but rather the Ministry of Personnel's assessment. Judging from the current situation, the Ministry of Personnel's assessment will certainly not be easy.

Jiang Yu: "We don't need to make a big fuss now; a secret investigation will suffice. I believe the Emperor is already aware that the Minister of Personnel was being threatened."

Both the Duke of Chu and Cheng Jinchuan nodded. What would the Emperor think and do after learning about this? The person behind it all hadn't played a very clever move. But perhaps they thought that sacrificing Yan Ruihua was a worthwhile trade, as long as Jiang Yu was prevented from entering the court.

......

Royal Palace

The emperor was indeed aware of the threats against the Minister of Personnel, and had also received Ruan Heng's leave request. Holding Ruan Heng's document, he gave a heavy snort.

"My Minister of Personnel, the head of the Six Ministries, has been so frightened that he's bedridden? If foreign troops were to attack the city one day, wouldn't he be scared out of his wits?"

With a "thud," he threw the memorial onto the table and said, "Go tell Ruan Heng that I know he's become timid, so he should stay home and rest for a while."

Even if you want to replace the Minister of Personnel, you can't do it now.

Chief eunuch Zhao Fuquan hurriedly went to instruct a junior eunuch to deliver the imperial decree. When he returned, he found the emperor still looking gloomy. He poured the emperor a cup of tea and gently placed it beside him, saying, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Your health is important."

The emperor snorted heavily again, "They've been in a state of peace for too long, which has caused them to lose their fighting spirit and all they know is how to scheme against each other."

Zhao Fuquan lowered his head and remained silent. The emperor picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "Summon Prince An."

Zhao Fuquan quickly arranged for someone to deliver the imperial decree. The Jinyiwei's office wasn't far, and Prince An arrived shortly afterward. He wore a long black robe, his face resolute and cold. It was unclear what he had been doing just now, but he still exuded a murderous aura.

In the past, the Emperor would have been displeased to see him like this, but now he found him quite pleasing to the eye. He waved for him to sit down and asked, "Have you heard about the Minister of Personnel's matter?"

Prince An nodded, "Your subject has heard about it."

"Hmm, investigate who did it. Investigate Yan Ruihua." After giving the order, the emperor thought for a moment and then added, "Don't alarm Yan Ruihua. He still needs to preside over the assessment of Jiang Yu."

Prince An lowered his eyes slightly. It seemed that although his father was unhappy that someone was scheming behind the scenes, and unhappy that the Minister of Personnel was feigning illness to avoid offending anyone, he also probably did not want Jiang to enter the court.

With these thoughts in mind, he respectfully replied, "Yes."

The emperor grunted and waved for him to leave. An Wang bowed to him and then withdrew. The emperor watched his tall and imposing figure and sighed.

Meanwhile, Prince An returned to the Embroidered Uniform Guard and instructed his close associates, "Send a message to the Duke of Chu's residence..."

......

The Duke of Chu and Jiang Yu exchanged a glance as they looked at the man dressed in black. Neither of them had expected that Prince An would once again extend a friendly gesture towards them.

"The prince instructed his subordinates to inform the Duke and the eldest daughter that the Emperor has ordered him to investigate the matter of the Minister of Personnel being threatened. The Emperor also instructed the prince not to disturb Yan Ruihua, as he said he still needs to preside over the assessment of the eldest daughter of the Jiang family."

Jiang Yu and the Duke of Chu exchanged another glance. They had guessed that the Emperor would investigate the matter, but they did not expect that even though the Emperor knew that someone was making trouble behind the scenes, he would still go along with it.

It seems the Emperor still doesn't want her to enter the court!

Jiang Yu stood up and thanked Prince An, then had Li Zhong escort the Imperial Guard out the back door. He then said to the Duke of Chu, "His Majesty still doesn't want me to enter the court!"

The Duke of Chu, his old eyelids drooping, pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps the Emperor wants to stir up trouble in the capital. We've been enjoying peace for too long."

Jiang Yu clenched her fist. No matter what the emperor thought, she was determined to pass the test and enter the court.

........

Ruan Mansion

"Lord Ruan, this is the Emperor's decree."

As soon as the imperial eunuch's voice rang out, Minister of Personnel Ruan Heng immediately knelt down. The eunuch then said, "His Majesty says that he knows Ruan Heng is timid, so he should rest at home for a while."

The room was deathly silent, and Ruan Heng's hands were trembling slightly. Seeing that he didn't move, the eunuch delivering the imperial decree called out, "Lord Ruan."

Ruan Heng snapped out of his daze and said, "Your subject knows his crime."

The eunuch delivering the imperial decree glanced at him, said nothing, and turned to leave. Ruan Heng's eldest son hurriedly went out to see him off, and even handed the eunuch a bulging sachet. The eunuch smiled and said, "Tell Lord Ruan that His Majesty is very angry this time."

"Yes," Young Master Ruan replied hastily.