Chapter 218 It's a good deal if we sell it to him now.

"This Duke of Chu is really putting on airs. You are her elder no matter what."

Upon hearing this, Lady Changping's expression darkened further. She turned to the old woman and said, "Shut up! How dare you say such things?"

The old woman looked terrified and quickly knelt down, saying, "It was I who overstepped my bounds. I beg you to punish me, Madam."

Lady Changping glanced at her and said with a hint of helplessness in her voice, "Get up."

How could she be happy to bow and scrape before Jiang Yu, a junior, and have to listen to her talk about her family's shameful affairs? But what could she do if she wasn't happy?

The situation was what it was; she was asking for help, so how could she not lower her stance? She knew Jiang Yu had done the right thing, but she was genuinely uncomfortable.

........

Lu Yifang returned to her courtyard, where Jiang Yu was still there. After sitting down, she sighed and said, "Although she said she has a hard life, that's her family's business, and it's none of our concern. Don't take it to heart."

She felt sorry for Jiang Yu being too busy.

Jiang Yu stood up with a smile. "I know. I waited for you to come back so I could tell you that we can't help with the Changping Marquis's affairs. Please avoid her in the future."

Lu Yifang nodded, "I know, don't worry."

“Okay, I’ll go see Grandfather.” Jiang Yu walked out, and Lu Yifang followed her out, saying, “I think your grandfather’s health has been getting worse these past few days.”

She finished speaking and let out a long sigh.

Jiang Yu nodded and walked out. When she arrived at the old Duke of Chu's study, she saw him dozing by the brazier. She walked over quietly, and as soon as she stopped, the old Duke of Chu opened his eyes and asked, "Is court over?"

Jiang Yu hummed in agreement and sat down. Then she handed the imperial edict promoting her to the old Duke of Chu to him: "Left Vice Minister of the Secretariat."

The old Duke of Chu laughed heartily upon hearing this, opened the imperial edict and read it carefully, then looked at Jiang Yu with satisfaction and said, "You are so outstanding, I am relieved. What else did the Emperor say at court this morning?"

Jiang Yu poured him a cup of tea. "The Emperor also talked about establishing a crown prince. After court, the Emperor asked me and the Prime Minister to go to the Imperial Study."

The old Duke of Chu took a sip of tea and asked, "What is it?"

Jiang Yu: "First, they talked about Xie's Jufeng Money Shop and Trading Company, and then asked for our opinions."

"What did Pei Chengkun say?" the old Duke of Chu asked.

Jiang Yu recounted Pei Chengkun's statement and then shared her own thoughts, saying, "The Emperor has asked me to draft a plan, and Xie Ning'an needs to assist with this. After all, he understands the inner workings of Jufeng Money Shop and the trading company."

The old Duke of Chu nodded. "Xie Ning'an is different from his grandfather. We helped him before, so I don't think he will refuse. Moreover, this matter is related to the future of the Xie family."

Jiang Yu thought so too, and she added, "The Emperor asked me about the choice of Crown Prince, but I did not answer. However, the Prime Minister suggested that the Third Prince be made Crown Prince."

"Oh?" The old Duke of Chu frowned. "What does he mean by that?"

“I’ve been thinking about this too,” Jiang Yu said. “Later, the Emperor said he wanted to make the Eighth Prince the Crown Prince. I saw that the Prime Minister was a little nervous. In the end, he still insisted on making the Third Prince the Crown Prince.”

The Duke of Chu relaxed and leaned back in his chair. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "I heard that the Consort has regained favor. It seems that His Majesty has long planned to make the Eighth Prince the Crown Prince."

Jiang Yu: "Tell me, what does His Majesty mean by this? Does he want the Eighth Prince to be a scapegoat? Or does he really want the Eighth Prince to inherit the throne?"

The old Duke of Chu pondered for a while, “The current emperor is not a foolish person. He should know that neither the Eighth Prince’s character and abilities nor the behavior of the Qingshan Marquis’s family are suitable for making the Eighth Prince the Crown Prince.”

"Does His Majesty intend to use the Eighth Prince as a target?" Jiang Yu asked.

The old Duke of Chu nodded. "I think that's what His Majesty means."

Jiang Yu thought for a while and then asked, "Who do you think the Emperor prefers to be the Crown Prince?"

The old Duke of Chu shook his head, "I can't tell either."

Jiang Yu remained silent for a while before saying, "His Majesty is currently in good health, so it won't affect us no matter who he appoints as Crown Prince."

"Yes, just don't get involved in the matter of choosing a crown prince." The old Duke of Chu said leisurely, "We're not the only ones who can understand this. I guess the princes' maternal families are the ones who are anxious this time. Everyone else will just stand by and watch."

"Judging from the Prime Minister's attitude of not wanting the Emperor to make the Eighth Prince the Crown Prince, he must be colluding with the Marquis of Qingshan's family," Jiang Yu said.

The old Duke of Chu frowned and thought for a while, "The Imperial Concubine and the Prince of Lingnan had a past relationship. What if the Prince of Lingnan is interested in the Eighth Prince?"

Jiang Yu: "The Prime Minister is in cahoots with the King of Lingnan."

"Yes," said the old Duke of Chu. "With the current military and financial resources of the Prince of Lingnan, he is not capable of rebelling. However, he has rebellious intentions, so we should support the Eighth Prince to become emperor, then he can control the government and then seize the throne. This is easier and safer than him directly rebelling."

Jiang Yu nodded. As for whether the Eighth Prince was truly the Prince of Lingnan's child, it didn't matter. As long as they believed it was, and used this as a pretext to exploit each other, the truth didn't matter.

"Then how did the Prime Minister collude with the Prince of Lingnan?" Jiang Yu asked doubtfully. "Whether it's the Eighth Prince's mediocrity or the Qingshan Marquis's rampant actions, the Prime Minister, with his cunning, shouldn't have supported the Eighth Prince, let alone taken sides so early."

“That’s what I’m also wondering about,” said the old Duke of Chu. “It’s possible that the Xie family colluded with the King of Lingnan first, since the Prime Minister and the Xie family are related by marriage.”

Jiang Yu pondered for a moment, "That's possible, but would someone like the Prime Minister put himself on the edge of a precipice for the sake of a marriage alliance?"

The Duke of Chu shook his head. "Given his style, he wouldn't."

The room fell silent. After a while, Jiang Yu said, "Let's take it one step at a time. At least the Prime Minister and the Prince of Lingnan don't want to make a move right now."

"It's hard to say," said the old Duke of Chu. "If the Emperor appoints the Eighth Prince as Crown Prince, will the Prime Minister and the Prince of Lingnan turn the tables on him?"

Jiang Yu frowned. "Would they try to kill the Emperor sooner?"

"Is that possible?" asked the old Duke of Chu.

"Your Majesty should be able to figure this out, right?" Jiang Yu asked.

“As long as the Emperor isn’t truly bewitched by Consort Su, he should be able to figure it out,” said the old Duke of Chu. “Perhaps the Emperor’s decision to make the Eighth Prince the Crown Prince is a test of Consort Su and her faction.”

“What if it isn’t?” Jiang Yu said, “Should we remind the Emperor?”

After thinking for a while, the old Duke of Chu said, "Remind Prince An that if it is really as we suspect, the Consort and the others want the Emperor to die early so that Prince An can gain this merit."

Jiang Yu's eyes deepened. "You mean Prince An might be?"

"It seems that among the princes, Prince An is the most capable. As for the future... it's hard to say." The old Duke of Chu said, "Selling him to us now would be a good deal."