Chapter 166 Jiang Yu, tell me, can a wooden bird fly?

News of Prince Kang's plot to rebel by raising a private army and the subsequent imprisonment of Tang Boyang quickly spread throughout the capital. The commotion caused by Marquis Chengen's "bandit suppression" at Niujiao Mountain and Prince An's siege of Prince Kang's residence was so great that it was impossible to conceal the matter.

The powerful and influential people in the capital were not satisfied with just this information. They wanted to know the whole story, so they used their connections to investigate. The results shocked them – it was Jiang Yu who discovered that even the纨绔子弟 (spoiled brat) son of the Marquis of Jinyang was involved.

Suddenly, all the spoiled brats from various families were dragged over to be reprimanded. The difference this time was that the other family's child was Li Zhengze, an old acquaintance of these spoiled brats.

At the same time, no one dared to underestimate Jiang Yu anymore. She set questions that were even more difficult than those for the imperial examinations, so people could use the excuse that she was just a bookworm and might not be able to get along in officialdom.

But now, after only six months in officialdom, she has solved a sensational case and even won over the Marquis of Jinyang's family. Let alone a woman, let alone someone only in their twenties, could even a seasoned cunning official, after only six months in the Imperial Archives, solve such a major case?

No one dares to say for sure that they can.

Jiang Yu rested at home for two days before returning to his duties at the Ministry of Revenue. Since no evidence had been found that Tang Boyang was involved in embezzling military supplies, the case of Prince Kang could not be closed. However, Jiang Yu had entrusted the investigation of Tang Boyang to the Marquis of Jinyang and his son, and no longer worried about it; he would simply wait for the results.

Upon arriving at the Ministry of Revenue, she noticed that the officials there treated her much better than before, but she didn't pay much attention to it. That's just how people are; when you're unknown and obscure, those around you will ignore or even bully you, but once you achieve some success, more people will fawn over you.

When she arrived at her study, she found that Li Zhengze was already there. Upon seeing her, Li Zhengze stood up and said with a smile, "Jiang Yu, you're here! Come and try this pastry, see if it's delicious."

Li Zhengze pointed to the exquisite pastries on the table and said, "These were made for you by my grandmother to thank you for taking care of me."

He said the last sentence with a hint of embarrassment, scratching his head and chuckling.

Jiang Yu walked over, picked up a piece of pastry, took a bite, and said, "It's delicious. Please thank your grandmother for me."

Li Zhengze chuckled again. Jiang Yu, eating pastries, sat down in her seat and asked Li Zhengze, "How's Tang Boyang's investigation going?"

At the mention of this, Li Zhengze's eyes lit up. He leaned close to Jiang Yu and whispered, "That Tang Boyang is really cunning. He swept away many traces completely. My father said he was prepared for the Prince of Kang to be exposed long ago. However, we still found out some things."

"What's the matter?" Jiang Yu asked.

Li Zhengze: "I casually mentioned in the Imperial Study that the explosion at the Ironware Bureau years ago was related to him, and I didn't expect it to be true after investigation. Although Tang Boyang has dealt with the relevant personnel, we still found some who slipped through the net..."

Li Zhengze spoke eloquently, getting his blood pumping as he spoke. After he finished, he exclaimed, "I never imagined that doing serious business could be so exciting and interesting."

Jiang Yu: "......"

“My dad said that once we break through, things will go much smoother. We should be able to get all the evidence in five days at most,” Li Zhengze said excitedly.

Jiang Yu nodded. "Once this matter is over, we can start the next case."

Li Zhengze's eyes lit up again. "There's another case?"

Jiang Yu: "Of course."

Li Zheng jumped up excitedly and looked at Jiang Yu ingratiatingly, saying, "Take me with you. I'll go wherever you point. I'll be absolutely obedient."

Since Jiang Yu had mentioned the next case to him, she intended to investigate it with him. However, she said to Li Zhengze, "Investigating cases isn't as simple as you think; it involves hard work. Are you capable?"

"Yes, I definitely can," Li Zhengze quickly replied. "Don't worry, I can definitely handle whatever you ask me to do. Besides, even if I can't, I still have my father, right?"

Jiang Yu: "..."

Well, having a good father is also part of his strength.

“Okay, I’ll take you with me then,” Jiang Yu said.

Li Zhengze was so excited he didn't know what to do. He spun around on the spot and then said, "I'll treat you to dinner. We can go to any restaurant in the capital. You can choose any one you like."

Jiang Yu shook her head, "Let's forget it, I..."

“Lord Jiang,” a eunuch’s voice interrupted Jiang Yu, “His Majesty requests your presence.”

Jiang Yu was taken aback, then immediately stood up, straightened his official robes, and followed the eunuch out. When they arrived at the Imperial Study, they saw the handsome Prince Rui, who seemed to be talking to the Emperor.

Jiang Yu bowed to the two men, and the emperor asked her to sit down before continuing to speak with Prince Rui, "I know that some of the things you've researched are very useful, but some are simply impossible to achieve. Like that wooden bird, how could it possibly fly? Unless there's some kind of magic."

Prince Rui remained silent, but his expression revealed stubbornness; he clearly disagreed with the emperor's viewpoint but didn't want to argue. The emperor, somewhat annoyed, picked up the wooden bird from the table and looked at Jiang Yu, asking:

"Jiang Yu, tell me, can a wooden bird fly?"

Jiang Yu understood that the emperor wanted her to be on his side, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything against her will, so she stood up and respectfully said, "I believe that as long as the right method is used, even a wooden bird can fly."

emperor:"......"

Prince Rui's eyes shone as he looked at Jiang Yu, and his striking good looks momentarily dazzled her. However, she was good at pretending, and her expression remained impassive.

"You think so too?" Prince Rui's clear voice was filled with excitement. No one around him believed that a wooden bird could fly; Jiang Yu was the first.

Despite the emperor's shocked and displeased gaze, Jiang Yu answered Prince Rui's question, "Kongming lanterns and fireworks can all fly into the air. I believe that if a wooden bird were full of power, it should also be able to fly."

“Yes,” Prince Rui said excitedly, standing up. “That’s what I thought too, but we haven’t found a way to make the wooden bird powerful yet.”

Jiang Yu pretended to think for a moment and then said, "Birds can fly, and humans can move, because birds and humans have power within them. But why do humans and birds have power within them?"

Prince Rui frowned in thought, and Jiang Yu continued, "I think it's because we, birds, and other living animals all have an organ in our bodies, which is the beating heart. The beating of the heart gives us strength."

Prince Rui suddenly realized, "Yes, yes, yes, as long as the heart is beating, people and animals are alive. If the heart stops beating, people and animals will not live."

Jiang Yu nodded. Prince Rui wanted to continue the discussion with Jiang Yu, but when he caught a glimpse of the emperor sitting there with a sullen face out of the corner of his eye, he suppressed his thoughts and hastily bowed to the emperor, saying, "Your subject will return to the residence first. Your Majesty, please take care of your health."