Chapter 137 He's the One You Can't Avoid

"Keep it down, cough cough cough...don't disturb Yu'er," the Duke of Chu said between coughs.

Li Zhong wiped away his tears. "This old servant understands."

The Duke of Chu leaned back on the couch, panting heavily, and said, "Don't tell anyone about my condition."

Li Zhong was almost in tears, "This old servant knows everything."

He poured a cup of tea and fed it to the Duke of Chu. The Duke of Chu took a sip and felt much better. He smiled and said, "I am lucky that Yu'er was able to come back and enter the court before I die. If I can see her gain a foothold in the court, I will die without regrets."

At this moment, Doctor Lü arrived. He skillfully performed various examinations on the Duke of Chu, and then said coldly, "I told you to rest and recuperate, but is constantly thinking about resting your mind all day considered resting? You don't care about your own life. Even if I were a great immortal, I couldn't save you."

The Duke of Chu smiled ingratiatingly, "Thank you for your hard work."

Doctor Lü snorted, then began writing a prescription, handing it to Li Zhong after he finished. At this moment, the Duke of Chu looked at him and asked, "How much time do I have?"

Dr. Lü snorted again, "If you keep doing this, you'll only last three months at most."

"Three months!" said the Duke of Chu. "That should be enough time, haha..."

Seeing that he was still smiling, Doctor Lü glared at him fiercely, picked up his medicine box, and turned to leave. Once outside the study, he let out a heavy sigh.

......

If you don't want anyone to know about what happened at the Duke of Chu's residence, you can't let a single word out, and Jiang Yu didn't know either. She first went to Jiang Jiamu's place, chatted with him for a while, and then returned to her own Yunfeng Courtyard. Afterwards, she went into her study and asked someone to call the steward, Li Zhong, over.

Li Zhong, who was serving the Duke of Chu, looked at the Duke of Chu with difficulty when he heard Jiang Yu calling him. The Duke of Chu waved his hand, "Go, the matter that Yu'er asked you to do is of great importance."

Li Zhong naturally knew this, but he was somewhat worried about the Duke of Chu.

"Dr. Lü said I have at least three months to live." The Duke of Chu said, "Yu'er, the sooner you find out the truth and establish yourself in the court, the clearer my mind will be. Go, and don't tell her about my condition."

Li Zhong nodded heavily, wiped away his tears, and turned to leave. When he arrived at Jiang Yu's study, he saw her drawing something on a piece of paper. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and she looked noticeably thinner than before.

Li Zhong sighed inwardly again. The eldest young lady had it the hardest. A woman had to shoulder the heavy responsibility of developing the entire family and had to engage in scheming and intrigue with the cunning old foxes and shrewd people in the court.

"You're here." Jiang Yu's voice pulled him back to reality. Li Zhong respectfully replied, "Yes, Miss, you wanted to see me."

"Investigate Xiang Yonghe, the weapons supervisor," Jiang Yu said. "Sending a portion of the weapons and military supplies to HSBC Ironworks for forging inevitably involves him, the ironworks supervisor. Investigate all his connections, including his concubines, stewards, and servants."

"Yes," Li Zhong replied earnestly and respectfully.

“Be careful,” Jiang Yu added. “Tell everyone involved that they will each receive a reward of fifty taels of silver after the deed is done, and yours will be even more.”

Li Zhong was taken aback. He hadn't expected Jiang Yu to give a reward, let alone such a large one. It wasn't that the Duke of Chu was stingy; these stewards and guards already received more monthly pay than the other servants in the mansion.

Moreover, they had all sold themselves to the Duke of Chu's mansion; if the Duke of Chu was good to them, they were good to him; if the Duke of Chu's mansion fell, their lives might be lost. Therefore, even without extra rewards, they would still work diligently.

Of course, if each person were rewarded with fifty taels of silver, they would work even harder. After all, everyone works to make a living.

He smiled and bowed to Jiang Yu, "This old servant thanks Miss on their behalf."

Jiang Yu waved her hand, "Just do your job properly."

Li Zhong nodded heavily, then smiled and left. Jiang Yu continued to ponder the problem. The reason for the reward was that she foresaw the investigation into the embezzlement case involving military supplies would be fraught with danger. Those involved in the investigation might face mortal risks, so a reward was appropriate.

Those who do high-risk things should be rewarded more.

The weather wasn't very good today; it grew even more gloomy after dusk, and then it started snowing heavily in the evening. Jiang Yu didn't leave his study until after midnight, pulling his cloak over himself as he walked towards his bedroom.

Xia He walked ahead carrying a lantern. When they arrived at the dormitory door, she lifted the curtain to let Jiang Yu in, saying, "It's getting colder and colder. Miss, you should study in the dormitory from now on to avoid running back and forth."

Jiang Yu looked at her spacious bedroom, then walked to the door and glanced around at the small flower hall outside. She said, "Let's turn the small flower hall into a study. We can work there from now on. Let's also tidy up the study. If we have guests, we can entertain them there."

Xia He immediately nodded, "Today, the young master's wife also said that since it's almost the New Year, she wanted to make you a few sets of clothes. Since you've left the manor, she said she'll come back tomorrow so you can choose the styles."

Jiang Yu changed her clothes and said, "You can decide this. Tell Mother that I've been busy lately and haven't been able to take care of many things. You can decide."

Xia He nodded again. She had long been accustomed to Jiang Yu's lifestyle, which was different from that of ordinary young ladies from wealthy families, not to mention that Jiang Yu had now entered the court as an official.

As the mistress and servant chatted, Jiang Yu changed her clothes. Chunxue came over and said the bath was ready. Jiang Yu went into the bathroom. When she came out of the bathroom, the rustling sounds outside were even louder. She stepped to the door and saw that it was completely white outside.

The pure white snow always puts people in a good mood. Looking at the snowflakes fluttering outside, she said, "A timely snow promises a good harvest. I think next year will be a good year."

Xia He and Chun Xue were also pleased to see her smile, and both stood behind Jiang Yu with smiles on their faces, watching the snow. The three of them watched the snow for a while before going back to rest. Jiang Yu had to go to work the next day.

The snow fell late into the night, and by the next day it was so thick it reached above ankle level. However, Lu Yifang had instructed people to shovel the snow early the night before, especially along the road from Jiang Yu's courtyard to the mansion gate.

So when Jiang Yu finished breakfast and went out, the roads had already been swept. Even the road to the Ministry of Revenue had been swept.

Jiang Yu inwardly admired the hardships faced by the matriarch of a large family, having to consider every aspect carefully. Little did she know that not long after she left, Lu Yifang arrived at her courtyard. Seeing that she had already left, Lu Yifang said with concern, "You have to get up before dawn every day to go to work. It's too hard."

Jiang Yu arrived at the Ministry of Revenue at 3:45 AM as usual. Just as she sat down at the storehouse, a personal attendant of the Minister of Revenue, Tang Boyang, came over, bowed to her, and said, "Lady Jiang, the Minister invites you."

Jiang Yu smiled as she stood up, but inwardly she wondered if Tang Boyang was suspicious. She still felt that Tang Boyang knew about the embezzlement of military supplies. Having risen to the position of Minister of Revenue, he was undoubtedly a shrewd and calculating person.