Chapter 355 Without any aggression

Jiang Yu could no longer maintain her composure. She never expected that after the Crown Prince arrived, he would take Ren Guanfei's life without saying a word.

This seemingly reckless move was actually the breakthrough for the Prime Minister and his group in their current predicament. With Ren Guanfei dead, he naturally took the blame for Lu Peichen's death. The Crown Prince then went to the Emperor to plead guilty, saying that he had failed to properly discipline his son and that he had killed Ren Guanfei in a fit of rage after learning that Ren Guanfei had killed a high-ranking official.

The Crown Prince could even tell the Emperor that everything Ren Guanfei did was instigated by Jiang Chengye. That would lead to another round of disputes. More importantly, the Emperor might become suspicious of her because of this.

Even if the emperor uses the crown prince as a target, he is still his own son. He can use the crown prince as a target, but he will not allow anyone to humiliate him.

"Duke of Chu, are you satisfied now?"

The Crown Prince's somewhat delirious voice rang out again. Jiang Yu snapped out of her thoughts, looked at his blood-stained face, and said, "Your Majesty, I do not understand what you mean by this. Although Lu Peichen died in a dispute with Ren Guanfei, that does not mean that Ren Guanfei killed Lu Peichen. There must be more to this case than meets the eye, and everything is still under investigation. What is Your Majesty's intention in killing Ren Guanfei now?"

Hehehe...

The crown prince laughed, threw the sword in his hand to the ground, took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from his face, and said, "Your father asked Ren Guanfei to stand up for him and argue with Lu Peichen, wasn't that just to make Ren Guanfei a scapegoat? Now that I've killed him, isn't that exactly what the Duke of Chu wanted?"

"To be a scapegoat?" Jiang Yu asked, then said, "Does Your Highness know that the person who argued with Lu Peichen today will die? Or does Your Highness know that my father will argue with Lu Peichen today, that Lu Peichen will die in the argument, and that my father will be accused of killing a court official?"

The Crown Prince hadn't expected Jiang Yu to be so perceptive; he'd only uttered a single sentence, yet Jiang Yu had deduced so much. He steadied himself, stepped outside, and said:

"I don't know what the Duke of Chu is talking about. I will go to the palace to apologize to the Emperor. I will take responsibility for my mistakes."

Jiang Yu squinted as she watched his figure disappear. She hadn't expected the Crown Prince to escape her scheme. But that was to be expected; the Crown Prince must have been sent by the Prime Minister. Given the Prime Minister's cunning and shrewdness, he wouldn't be so easily brought down by her.

She turned to look at Tong Taichuan, who gave a somewhat awkward smile. He wasn't sure if he should be happy now; after the Crown Prince's outburst, the case might no longer need to be investigated. But it was also possible that the Emperor wanted to get to the bottom of things.

"Lord Tong, can my father go home now?"

When Jiang Yu's voice rang out, Tong Taichuan immediately snapped back to reality and said, "Okay, okay."

Jiang Yu hummed in agreement, then turned to look at Jiang Chengye and said, "You should go back to your residence first."

After saying that, she started to walk out. Jiang Chengye immediately followed and asked her in a low voice, "What are you going to do now?"

Jiang Yu: "Enter the palace to meet the emperor."

"Will...will there be any danger?" Jiang Chengye asked worriedly.

Jiang Yu stopped and looked at him seriously, saying, "Father did a great job this time. Leave the rest to me."

She continued striding forward, and when she reached the carriage, without using a stool, she grabbed the carriage door and leaped in, then sat down...

Jiang Chengye was filled with mixed feelings. Even if he was stupid, he knew that it was dangerous for Jiang Yu to go to see the Emperor at this moment. No matter how much the Emperor disliked the Crown Prince, he was still his own son, and he still had to maintain appearances.

When the old Duke of Chu was alive, Jiang Chengye never thought of taking charge on his own or sharing any burden with the old Duke of Chu, because in the old Duke of Chu's eyes, whatever he did was wrong.

After Jiang Yu returned to the Duke of Chu's mansion, he gradually rose to his current position. Sometimes he admired his daughter, and sometimes he hated her. He hated that she didn't respect him and that she had surpassed him to inherit the title.

But today, Jiang Yu personally came to the Lu family to take him back to his residence, and just now she earnestly told him that he had done very well this time. This might be an ordinary sentence to others, but since he came of age, he had never heard anyone say such a thing to him.

Therefore, his feelings towards his daughter were extremely complex. And now, his daughter had to go to the palace to negotiate with the Crown Prince before the Emperor, but he couldn't help her at all...

...

Jiang Yu was unaware of Jiang Chengye's inner thoughts. She sat in the carriage, pondering her next move.

The emperor used the crown prince as a target, but he would never tolerate any disrespect or insult from others, because it concerned the face and dignity of the royal family. Therefore, when she met the emperor, she had to appear weak and show no aggression whatsoever.

This would make things much easier for the prime minister, but it would also prevent the emperor from suspecting her. She still had many things to do, and bringing down the prime minister was not something that could be done overnight. She had to protect herself first before she could have a future.

With the tone set, she relaxed and began to consider the details...

The carriage rumbled along and soon arrived at the palace. Upon alighting, Ning Yunchuan was seen standing at the palace gate; it seemed he was on duty there today.

She walked over, and Ning Yunchuan also walked towards her, then whispered, "The Prime Minister entered the palace two quarters of an hour ago. Just now, the Crown Prince also went in."

"I understand, thank you!" Jiang Yu took out her waist token and handed it to the guard at the gate. The guard glanced at it, then respectfully returned it with both hands. Jiang Yu took the token and walked inside, with Ning Yunchuan beside her. He then said:

"Prince Rui entered the palace this morning. It is said that the Empress Dowager sent him to the palace, but he may be in the Imperial Study at the moment."

Jiang Yu nodded, "I know what I'm doing, cousin, don't worry."

Ning Yunchuan nodded; that was all he could do. However, he wasn't too worried. As long as Jiang Yu didn't go too far, things would be fine. And he trusted Jiang Yu to know when to advance and when to retreat.

It took Jiang Yu a little over half an hour to walk from the palace gate to the imperial study. When she arrived, she saw Zhao Fuquan waiting at the door. Upon seeing her, he immediately said, "Duke of Chu, His Majesty is waiting for you."

"Are the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister also in the Imperial Study?" Jiang Yu asked.

Zhao Fuquan was willing to do her a favor, so he said, "Yes, and His Highness Prince Rui is also here."

Jiang Yu bowed to him, "Thank you, sir."

"You're too kind." Zhao Fuquan gestured for Jiang Yu to enter the Imperial Study. There, he saw the Prime Minister and the Crown Prince kneeling on the ground, while Prince Rui sat to one side, seemingly lost in thought.