Chapter 409 Better to kill a thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go free

The Emperor inquired about the grudge between Ma Mingqian and the Duke of Chu. Prince An did not know, but he guessed that Prince Rui should. After all, he was the first to arrive at the assassination scene yesterday, and it was very likely that Jiang Yu had already spoken with him.

But he couldn't show it; he didn't even glance at Prince Rui, and said, "Your subject doesn't know."

The emperor frowned; he was very dissatisfied with Prince An's answer, but said nothing. He was increasingly realizing that among his sons, this one he had once considered giving up on was actually quite outstanding.

Just then, a young eunuch came to report, "Your Majesty, the Duke of Chu requests an audience."

The emperor, who was looking forward to seeing her, immediately said upon hearing this, "Let her in."

Then Jiang Yu stepped in and respectfully bowed to the emperor, who told her to dispense with the formalities. Seeing the bandage wrapped around her head, he asked, "Minister Jiang, are you alright?"

Jiang Yu immediately cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I am fine, just a superficial wound."

The emperor waved for her to sit down, saying, "I'll have the imperial physician examine you in a bit, and then I'll take some of the best scar-removing cream back with me."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Jiang Yu bowed again, but the emperor waved his hand casually and looked at her, asking, "Does Minister Jiang have a grudge against Ma Mingqian?"

“No.” Jiang Yu took out a memorial from his sleeve and presented it with both hands. “Ma Mingqian is the Prime Minister’s son.”

The emperor was shocked and stared blankly for a moment before looking down at the memorial presented by Jiang Yu. It clearly stated how she found out that Ma Mingqian was the prime minister's son and the evidence she obtained of Ma Mingqian's assassination attempt on her.

"Bang!" The emperor slammed the memorial on the table after reading it, his face contorted with anger. "Was Ma Mingqian killed in prison last night by him too?"

This "he" naturally refers to the prime minister.

Jiang Yu remained silent; she naturally wouldn't speak of something without evidence. But even if she didn't speak, hadn't the emperor already begun to suspect the prime minister?

"Is there any news from Lingnan?" the emperor asked Prince An, his patience wearing thin.

From this, Prince An knew that the Emperor was eager to remove the Prince of Lingnan, and in fact, he was just as impatient. After calculating the time, he said, "No, Ning Yunchuan and Shen Yanzhou should arrive in Lingnan tomorrow."

The heir of the Marquis of Chengen was named Shen Yanzhou.

After hearing this, the emperor frowned and pondered for a moment before saying, "In that case, Marquis Cheng'en can prepare to suppress the bandits."

According to their previous plan, when Marquis Chengen suppressed the bandits, he would use explosive charges and hand grenades to intimidate the Prince of Lingnan. The reason for doing so was not to conceal the firearms and wait until the Prince of Lingnan rebelled to catch him off guard.

This was because they feared the Prince of Lingnan might launch a war without restraint, which would result in the deaths of countless civilians. By demonstrating the power of firearms, the Prince of Lingnan would be more cautious and less likely to initiate a war. This would also give them more time to thoroughly clean up Shangjing City.

"Seize the time to investigate Pu Tonghe's crimes." The emperor looked at Jiang Yu and said, "We don't need to find out all of his crimes, just one will suffice."

The emperor's eyes flashed with ruthlessness. Even now, he didn't fully believe that Pu Tonghe was the King of Lingnan's man, but he no longer trusted this minister he had relied on for so many years. He even harbored the thought of "better to kill a thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go free."

"Yes," Jiang Yu said, rising to her feet and bowing.

Zhao Fuquan, who was standing to one side, saw that their conversation had come to an end, and reported to the emperor: "Your Majesty, the imperial physician who treated the Duke of Chu's injury is waiting outside."

The Emperor glanced again at the gauze on Jiang Yu's forehead, reaffirming his decision to bring her into the court. Looking across the entire court, how many could remain so calm in the face of danger?

"Let him in." The emperor withdrew his admiring gaze from Jiang Yu, thinking to himself what position would be appropriate for Jiang Yu once the current matter was over.

A rapid promotion inevitably invites criticism from court officials. Those veteran officials who have served in the court for decades will surely say that she favors newcomers and promotes them too hastily, making her a target of public criticism and making it difficult for her to move forward in the officialdom.

At this moment, the imperial physician entered, bowed to the emperor and Jiang Yu, and then went to Jiang Yu's side to examine her. "Please remove your official hat, Duke of Chu."

Jiang Yu nodded, raised her hand and took off the black gauze hat on her head. The white gauze that was originally wrapped around the wound was now soaked with large patches of dark red blood. Against the backdrop of her black hair, the red was particularly glaring.

The Emperor, Prince Rui, and Prince An all frowned upon seeing this. They had assumed the injury wasn't serious, as Jiang Yu's actions and speech were normal. However, the sight of the seeping blood caused them all to furrow their brows in alarm.

Just moments ago, Jiang Yu was discussing matters with clarity and composure, her expression perfectly normal. Who would have imagined that beneath her wounds lay such a state? They couldn't help but admire Jiang Yu's composure and resilience once again. Let alone a woman like her, even an ordinary man couldn't have done something like that.

Jiang Yu didn't think much of it; in her previous life, she often worked while ill to investigate cases. Moreover, it wasn't just her; her colleagues in the team did the same.

She sat there, letting the imperial physician remove the gauze and examine the wound. Then the physician applied medicine to her wound and said, "Although it is a superficial wound, the Duke of Chu should still pay attention to rest. If she does not rest enough, the wound will be difficult to heal. She needs to rest quietly for a few days and avoid overexerting herself."

The imperial physician then took out a small porcelain bottle from his medicine box. "This is a scar removal cream. Apply it after the wound has healed, and it won't leave a scar."

"Thank you." Jiang Yu accepted the porcelain bottle and thanked the imperial physician. The imperial physician then told the emperor about Jiang Yu's condition before leaving.

The emperor frowned as he looked at Jiang Yu. "Perhaps Minister Jiang should rest for a few days."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty." Jiang Yu bowed slightly, his tone calm and composed as usual. "My wound has been properly treated and I am fine for the time being. It will not affect my duties. We are at a critical juncture right now, and if I were to rest, I would feel uneasy. I beg Your Majesty to allow me to continue my duties as usual."

The emperor frowned and remained silent for a moment. "Alright, but don't overwork yourself."

"yes."

......

After the matter was discussed, Jiang Yu, Prince Rui, and Prince An left the Imperial Study together. The Emperor's rewards were all sent to the Duke of Chu's residence.

As noon approached, the sun grew intense. The three walked side by side towards the palace gates, the silence creating an awkward atmosphere. Upon reaching the palace gates, Jiang Yu bowed to Prince An and Prince Rui to take his leave, then boarded his sedan chair without hesitation and departed.

Everyone here is intelligent; some things are understood without being said. Jiang Yu didn't want to waste too much time agonizing over matters of the heart. Whether in her past life or this one, she believed that only a career could provide a woman with a secure livelihood, the cornerstone for gaining respect and social status.

Even the most beautiful love is merely an embellishment of life. Therefore, she wouldn't put too much thought into it or get involved in any love triangles.

As for whether Prince An and Prince Rui would have a conflict because of her, or even a physical fight? She wouldn't think about it until something happened. If it did happen, she would firmly stand by Prince Rui's side, and let him handle the rest himself.

They grew up together and have their own ways of solving problems.