Chapter 304 If I hadn't believed her

The appropriate distance in the relationship between employees and their superiors has always been difficult to manage.

Being too close to your boss means you'll know too many of their secrets, and eventually, once the boss has used you up, they'll get rid of you because you know too much. Conversely, being too distant from your boss means you won't be noticed, making promotion difficult.

Jiang Yu and Prince An are not currently in a superior-subordinate relationship, but the future is uncertain. This prince is a potential heir to the throne, and Jiang Yu believes that his chances are very high.

Once this prince inherits the throne, their relationship will be one of superior and subordinate. Therefore, Jiang Yu already treats him as a leader. Of course, while Prince An is not yet emperor, Jiang Yu still needs to carefully consider what tasks Prince An assigns him. After all, he has not yet ascended the throne.

So, after respectfully bowing to Prince An, and seeing that he had poured her tea, Jiang Yu didn't stand on ceremony. She simply thanked him and picked up the cup to drink. After putting down the teacup, she casually picked up some pastries to eat; she was genuinely quite hungry.

Seeing her enjoying her food, Prince An couldn't help but pick up a piece of pastry and take a bite. It was slightly sweet. He frowned slightly; he usually didn't eat sweets. However, seeing Jiang Yu pick up a second piece and eat it, he suddenly thought the sweet taste wasn't so bad after all.

After eating two pieces of pastry and feeling less hungry, Jiang Yu wiped her hands with a handkerchief and said, "Your Highness invited me here because of the letter I delivered to you last night?"

Prince An picked up his teacup, took a sip to dilute the sweetness in his mouth, and said, "Yes, I do have some questions. How did the Prime Minister and the Crown Prince end up together? Is it related to Lingnan?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yu was slightly taken aback, not expecting the Prince of An to be so perceptive. After pondering for a moment, she said, "This humble official once received a piece of information, and I hope Your Highness will not inquire about its source."

Prince An stared at her face for a moment, but Jiang Yu met his gaze without flinching. Prince An raised the corners of his lips and looked away. He knew very well that he didn't have much of an advantage over Jiang Yu right now. In fact, he even needed her help. Therefore, she could make demands of him, and he could only accept them.

He didn't feel uncomfortable about this. Firstly, that's just how reality is; one must bow one's head when necessary. Secondly, he admired Jiang Yu's tact and discretion. He was respectful to this prince when necessary, but he wouldn't yield an inch when it wasn't appropriate.

However, deep down, he hoped that Jiang Yu could trust him more. Even if she didn't see him as a future investment, she could still treat him as a friend.

Despite the slight bitterness in his heart, Prince An showed no sign on his face and said, "Speak."

This meant he had agreed. Jiang Yu still trusted his character, so she said, "I heard that the Prince of Lingnan and Consort Su knew each other when they were young."

These words left Prince An stunned for a long time, unsure how to react. Jiang Yu glanced at him, then picked up her cup and drank her tea. Prince An's reaction was quite normal; no one would suspect that Consort Su and the Prince of Lingnan, two people who seemed to have no connection whatsoever, had any dealings with each other.

He was shocked when he first heard the news.

"What about the Crown Prince?" Prince An asked after a while.

Jiang Yu looked at him and replied, "I don't know, but does it matter?"

Prince An was taken aback, then smiled and said, "Indeed, it's not important."

Then he let out a long sigh of relief, "This also explains why the King of Lingnan has only been making small-scale attacks all these years. He has a better way to seize the throne."

Jiang Yu remained silent, offering no response. She had said all she needed to say; now it was up to Prince An to decide how to handle the situation. Even if the Duke of Chu's mansion had sufficient manpower in the palace, she wouldn't concern herself with palace affairs unless the emperor's life was in grave danger.

Otherwise, one day when the emperor's crisis is resolved, her crisis will begin.

Prince An didn't expect her to respond. He lowered his eyes and pondered for a while before saying, "In that case, the Emperor will be in danger."

What to do next is a true test of one's character. Prince An could either lure the enemy out of their hole or turn the tables on them after they have made their move.

Prince An fell silent again, presumably struggling with his inner turmoil. Jiang Yu also remained silent; the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and the atmosphere grew increasingly eerie.

After a while, Jiang Yu's voice rang out, "This humble official has heard that Your Highness and Prince Rui grew up together since childhood, so their relationship is naturally different."

After saying this, she stood up and bowed to Prince An, saying, "I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now."

Without waiting for Prince An's response, Jiang Yu strode out. She regretted telling Prince An that the Prince of Lingnan and Consort Su had a past relationship.

"Jiang Yu!" Prince An's voice rang out from behind. Jiang Yu turned around, saw Prince An's slightly flustered face, and heard him say, "I was just..."

“Your Highness,” Jiang Yu interrupted Prince An, “I have not said anything to you today.”

She bowed again, then turned and left. Once outside the teahouse and into her sedan chair, her expression was grave. Just moments ago, she had made her decision: if she had to choose between the Prince of An and the Emperor, she would choose the Emperor.

Although the current emperor has flaws, he has shown Jiang Yu a great deal of kindness in recognizing her talent. When she wanted to enter court service, despite her grandfather's many efforts, she would never have been able to enter the court if the emperor had firmly opposed it.

How could anything she did later be done without the emperor's support? It can be said that the emperor gave her the utmost trust that a subject could have.

"I was careless," Jiang Yu said to herself.

The emperor raised Prince Rui and still dotes on him to this day.

The emperor placed his trust in her.

The emperor was a diligent and frugal wise ruler...

However, the emperor was not a good father to Prince An.

Jiang Yu leaned against the sedan chair wall, lost in thought, wondering how to redeem herself from the mistake she had made.

...

Prince An stood by the window, watching Jiang Yu's sedan chair drive away and gradually disappear, his heart filled with endless regret. He shouldn't have had that inappropriate thought, and he certainly shouldn't have remained silent in front of Jiang Yu.

Jiang Yu was such a clever person; she hadn't said anything, just remained silent for a while, yet she had already guessed his wavering. So, she used her relationship with Uncle Wang to subtly hint at his doubts.

The emperor raised Wang Shu, and the emperor was genuinely good to Wang Shu, as was Wang Shu. If he were to do something treasonous, Wang Shu would be furious, not to mention anyone else.

Prince An gave a wry smile. "How am I supposed to explain this?"

For a smart person, some things don't need explanation; she'll understand them on her own. But there are other things that, even if explained, she might not believe.

But why doesn't Jiang Yu think about why he was able to remain silent in front of her at that time?

If I didn't trust her, why would I have done that subconsciously?