Chapter 92 is a good gift

Xie Ning'an held Xie Zizhang's and Xie Zinan's two resignation memorials and looked at the few people working in the Six Ministries in the room. Their faces were as solemn as if their mothers had died.

Their current official positions are largely due to their surname, Xie. However, they have served in these positions for many years, put in considerable effort, and have become accustomed to their official roles. How will they adapt to suddenly becoming commoners?

“Ning’an!” Xie Zixian, a member of a collateral branch of the Xie family, looked at Xie Ning’an and said, “Your father and third uncle are the highest-ranking officials among us. Actually… actually, their resignation can also express the sincerity of our Xie family.”

"Yeah yeah!"

...

Several people began to echo her sentiments. Xie Ning'an lowered her eyes and glanced at the two memorials in her hands, saying, "A family should stand together through thick and thin. The Xie family is in dire straits now. Anyone who doesn't want to stand with the Xie family should sever ties with them. Whether the Xie family prospers or suffers in the future, it will have nothing to do with you."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried considerable pressure, and the room fell silent once more. He was Xie Yun's eldest grandson, and everyone present knew how much Xie Yun valued him. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he was very likely to become the next head of the Xie family. Therefore, no one doubted the weight of his words.

“Look at what Ning’an said,” someone said after a while, “we were just saying. We’re all Xie family members, so of course we should stand together through thick and thin.”

"Yes, yes, yes."

...

Others began to echo her sentiments. Xie Ning'an knew they still harbored much discontent, but she softened her tone and said, "My uncles and elders have served as officials for many years, so it's understandable that they are reluctant to part with their posts. Ning'an understands."

He looked at a man in his forties and said, "Fifth Uncle, you go first."

He gestured for him to enter, and the fifth uncle stood up with some difficulty, walked to the table, sat down, and began to write his resignation memorial. Then came the rest of the group.

In less than half an hour, all the resignation memorials were written. Just then, a servant came to report that Prince An had arrived. Xie Ning'an looked at Xie Zizhang, who took a deep breath and stepped out, followed by the others.

Upon entering the hall, Xie Zizhang saw Prince An standing in the center of the room with his hands behind his back. Hearing the noise, he turned around, and Xie Zizhang quickly lifted his robe and knelt on the ground, saying, "Your subject greets Prince An."

The others followed suit and knelt behind him. Kneeling to pay respects to Prince An was not wrong, but under normal circumstances, such a grand gesture was unnecessary. Now, with the Xie family kneeling before him, Prince An looked down at them for a moment before saying, "Rise, all of you."

However, Xie Zizhang did not get up, nor did the others.

"A wicked son has emerged from my family, committing heinous crimes. My father and I are filled with remorse." Xie Zizhang clasped his hands on the ground and said, "The Xie family has failed in its duties and has no face to serve as an official in the court. Therefore, I request to resign."

After saying this, he presented all the memorials requesting his resignation with both hands. Prince An looked down at him without saying a word. After a while, he bent down and took the memorials from his hands, saying, "I will hand them over to the Emperor."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Xie Zizhang continued, "The Xie family has committed a wicked act that has endangered the stability of the court. The Xie family deeply regrets this and is willing to donate 300,000 taels of silver to manage the river and benefit the people."

Prince An raised an eyebrow. He had thought the Xie family's resignation was already a blood sacrifice, but he hadn't expected them to donate 300,000 taels of silver. 300,000 taels was a considerable sum; for a family like the Xie family, with hundreds of years of history, 300,000 taels was manageable, but it was still a significant financial blow.

The current emperor is frugal and somewhat stingy, and he values ​​money quite a bit. The Xie family's gift of 300,000 taels of silver is a good one.

“Yes, I will also inform the Emperor,” said Prince An.

"Thank you, Your Highness." The Xie family members kowtowed again, and Prince An waved for them to stand up. This time, Xie Zizhang took the lead in standing up.

Prince An glanced at the Xie family members for a moment, said "I'm going to the palace now," and left. He hadn't expected the Xie family to be so sensible, or rather, that there were other clever people in the Xie family besides Xie Yun.

In fact, the Emperor did not really intend to target the Xie family this time. He just wanted to scare them, see if the Xie family really had any rebellious intentions, and also see who else in the court was a member of the Xie family's faction.

Unexpectedly, after Xie Yun was imprisoned, the Xie family not only remained silent but also resigned from their official posts and offered 300,000 taels of silver. While the emperor might still suspect the Xie family of rebellious intentions, his suspicions would be much less than before.

With these complicated thoughts in mind, Prince An rode his horse into the palace.

.........

Chu State Duke's Mansion

The Duke of Wei, accompanied by his son Ning Yanfeng, bowed deeply to the Duke of Chu and said, "Brother Jinglan, thank you so much this time. If you hadn't told Yanfeng that Marquis Jiangling was smuggling salt, my Duke of Wei's mansion would have been in crisis."

The Duke of Chu did not ask Ning Yanming whether he had been smuggling salt with the Marquis of Jiangling. He waved his hand and said, "Our two families have been friends for many years, and we should help each other out."

Duke Wei chuckled twice. “Brother Jinglan is right. If there’s anything you need from your Duke Chu’s mansion in the future, just let us know.”

The Duke of Chu smiled and nodded, then looked at Jiang Yu and said, "I hope you will take good care of my eldest granddaughter when she travels outside in the future."

Jiang Yu quickly stood up and bowed to the Duke of Wei. The Duke of Wei was taken aback, then smiled and said, "This child is clearly intelligent. Brother Jinglan is very fortunate."

The Duke of Chu asked Jiang Yu to sit down, his eyes filled with pride, but he spoke modestly, saying, "Young people need more experience."

Duke Wei echoed, "Young people need more experience to grow. You and I did countless foolish things when we were young."

The Duke of Chu laughed heartily, and the two exchanged pleasantries for a while. Then, the Duke of Wei lowered his voice and asked the Duke of Chu, "The Marquis of Jiangling's mansion is definitely doomed. Brother Jinglan, do you think the Emperor will take action against the Xie family?"

The Duke of Chu did not answer his question, but instead looked at Jiang Yu and said, "Yu'er, tell me your opinion."

This was meant to allow Jiang Yu to showcase herself in public. Jiang Yu had only been in the capital for a short time, and being a woman, although her name was known throughout the capital due to her affair with the Marquis of Qingshan's family, very few people knew of her intelligence.

If Jiang Yu wants to enter the imperial court and serve as an official, she needs to be able to navigate the powerful and influential circles of the capital. She needs to let people know what kind of person she is. Sometimes one must conceal their talents, but other times one must let others see their abilities.

Now, Jiang Yu needs to let the powerful and influential people in the capital know that Jiang Yu of the Duke of Chu's mansion is no ordinary woman, and that she is no less talented than the young men and women of the capital.

This was paving the way for her to enter the court as an official in the future. Even if the Duke of Wei couldn't guess it before, he now understood it completely.