Chapter 280 I am powerless to help.

Jiang Yu knew that after the incident, Ke Taining would definitely try to resolve the crisis, but she didn't expect that he wouldn't go to the emperor, but instead came to her. Jiang Yu thought this approach was very unwise.

First, the incident occurred in the capital, right under the emperor's nose. Even if she didn't write a memorial to inform the emperor, he would inevitably have had other ways of finding out. And once the emperor knew, what use would it have been for him to seek help from others?

Secondly, Ke Taining impeached him before the emperor just two days ago. Why would he think I would help him? Because he has a lot of influence?

However, when the man arrived with the gift and a beaming smile, as the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face. So Jiang Yu didn't give him a hard time. Instead, she pushed the sandalwood box that Ke Taining had brought back and said with a smile, "Lord Ke, I can't help you."

Ke Taining's smile froze. "Is the Duke of Chu still angry that I impeached you?"

Jiang Yu raised the corners of her lips but didn't speak. She thought this Ke Taining was really not smart. You've already offended me, so what face do you have to come to me for help? What do I do that makes you think I'm a saint?

“Duke of Chu,” Ke Taining said with a bitter expression, “I had no choice at the time. Everyone was impeaching you, and if I didn’t take action, it would seem like I was… like I was out of step with the crowd, right?”

Jiang Yu nodded, but asked, "So, your impeachment of me was orchestrated by someone? May I ask, Lord Ke, who was that person?"

Ko Taining: "..."

How did I end up here? I'm just making excuses for myself.

"It seems Lord Ke isn't sincere?" Jiang Yu glanced at him, picked up her cup, and took a sip of tea, looking completely relaxed. Her demeanor infuriated Ke Taining, but he still had to keep a smile on his face.

He opened the sandalwood box and said with a smile, "Duke of Chu, won't you take a look at what's inside?"

Jiang Yu held her teacup and drank, not even glancing at the box. Ke Taining gritted his teeth, took out a stack of papers, picked out one from the top and placed it in front of Jiang Yu, saying, "This is the land deed for a thousand-acre estate in Nanluo, on the outskirts of the city. The Duke of Chu should know how fertile the land in Nanluo is."

Jiang Yu remained silent. Ke Taining then took out another piece of paper and placed it in front of Jiang Yu. "This is a four-courtyard house in Wuliu Lane in the East City. It was just renovated last year, and the environment is quite nice."

“This is a piece of land in Longling Mountain, Wanshan County, which is more than two hectares in size.” Ke Taining looked at Jiang Yu and said, “As long as the Duke of Chu speaks up for me in front of the Emperor, all of this will belong to the Duke of Chu.”

Jiang Yu put down her teacup, pushed the land deeds back, and looked at Ke Taining, saying, "Lord Ke, so much time has passed since this happened. Haven't you ever considered that you might have been set up?"

Ke Taining frowned, and then heard Jiang Yu say again: "Just like you said, your impeachment of me was organized by someone. In fact, your Ke family is so big and powerful, do you really lack the tribute from the Bao family?"

Ke Taining remained silent, his face thoughtful.

Jiang Yu continued, "Who instructed Bao Tianheng to do what he did today? Now that Bao Tianheng is dead, there's no way to verify the facts, and it seems like all the blame is being placed on you. Lord Ke, if someone is plotting against me like this, I will certainly not let them get away with it. At worst... we'll both perish."

Ke Taining remained silent with a stern face, and Jiang Yu also kept quiet, creating a deathly silence in the room. After a while, Ke Taining chuckled and said, "Duke of Chu, although I am not very clever, I can still tell from your obvious provocation."

Jiang Yu shrugged. "I'm just stating the facts. As for how to do it, Lord Ke, it's up to you."

"Does the Duke of Chu really refuse to help me?" Ke Taining stared at Jiang Yu and asked, word by word.

Jiang Yu met his gaze and said, "I am powerless to help."

"Hmph!" Ke Taining put the land deeds into the box, said goodbye, and strode away.

Jiang Yu narrowed her eyes as she watched his retreating figure, wondering if Ke Taining had the courage to "avenge" her. If he did, it would save her a lot of trouble. If not, the Ke family would be doomed to decline.

........

Ke Taining strode out, carrying the box, his attendant cautiously following beside him. Seeing the box in his hands, the attendant knew the mission had failed, and his heart pounded. After all, it was his idea to approach the Duke of Chu.

Unexpectedly, the Duke of Chu refused to help the Ke family. The contents of that box were more valuable than gold and silver. Judging from the Duke of Chu's actions, he wasn't a noble person; he remained unmoved by so much wealth.

Let alone him, a servant, even his master would be forgiven for receiving so many gifts, regardless of any past grudges. Who could turn down money? Besides, for the Duke of Chu, this was nothing more than a trivial matter.

Thinking this to himself, he didn't notice that Ke Taining had stopped, and he almost bumped into him. Barely managing to steady himself, the servant immediately apologized, "This lowly one deserves to die."

“You deserve to die.” Ke Taining looked at him fiercely.

If it weren't for his terrible idea, he wouldn't have made this wasted trip and become a laughingstock. But now is not the time to punish him. Ke Taining gritted his teeth and said, "To the palace."

"yes."

The attendant trotted to the carriage and knelt down, waiting for Ke Taining to step onto his back to get in. Usually, he would bring a stool for Ke Taining to use as a stepping stone. But this time, Ke Taining was in a fit of rage, so he knelt down and let Ke Taining step onto his back to get in, hoping to ease some of his master's anger.

At this moment, all Ke Taining could think about were Jiang Yu's words. He had been schemed against, ever since he impeached Jiang Yu. If he hadn't impeached Jiang Yu, he could have exonerated himself from Bao Tianheng's actions today, but now he was almost speechless.

Stepping onto the carriage from the back of his attendant, Ke Taining clenched his fists tightly, his teeth grinding together, but his mind was exceptionally clear. He was pondering whether to expose the person who had instigated him to impeach the Duke of Chu, or to stubbornly bear the consequences.

The carriage rumbled along, and Ke Taining wanted it to slow down, yet he also longed to get to the palace and see the emperor as soon as possible, hoping to die sooner and be reborn sooner.

"Master, we've arrived."

The voice of his attendant came from outside. Ke Taining took a deep breath, straightened his official robes, got out of the carriage, walked to the palace gate, handed over his official token, and entered the palace. When he reached the outside of the Imperial Study, he knelt down and shouted, "Your Majesty, I am guilty."

Inside the imperial study, the emperor was reading Jiang Yu's memorial when he heard the noise outside. He asked Zhao Fuquan, "Who's outside?"

Zhao Fuquan walked to the door of the imperial study, glanced outside, and returned to report to the emperor: "It's Lord Ke."

"Hmph!" The emperor snorted and said nothing more, lowering his head to continue reading the memorials.