Chapter 93 Qi Yuanhong's status as the top scholar was the result of a contest between the Emperor and various factions.

Jiang Yu glanced gratefully at the Duke of Chu. Since returning to the Duke of Chu's mansion, he had spared no effort in cultivating her, using all his resources and connections. Even though the Duke of Chu's aim was to train an heir for the Chu mansion to ensure its continued existence, as a beneficiary, her gratitude was inevitable.

She understood that the Duke of Chu was giving her an opportunity to express her opinion. In her previous life, she had worked within the system and knew how important it was to seize every opportunity to demonstrate her abilities.

The Duke of Wei might not be able to help her enter the court, but what she needs to do now is to establish her reputation as the granddaughter of the Duke of Chu, not just any ordinary woman. In other words, she needs to build a good public image.

This is important because after the Duke of Chu recommended her to the Emperor for an official position, both the Emperor and the Ministry of Personnel would investigate her. Although she ultimately won her divorce from Qi Yuanhong, her reputation among the powerful and influential circles in the capital was likely not very good.

After all, this is a male-dominated society, and divorce is already rare for women. She not only caused her husband to lose his official position, but also barred his family from taking the imperial examinations for three generations. The Qingshan Marquis's family, needless to say, has truly lost all face.

The powerful figures in the capital might privately describe her as ruthless and cunning. Of course, she didn't care about such opinions. But now that she was preparing to enter the court as an official, she couldn't afford to have only that kind of reputation.

Therefore, she must seize every opportunity to change her public image.

She nodded to the Duke of Chu, then looked at the Duke of Wei and Ning Yanfeng and said, "I think whether the Emperor will take action against the Xie family depends on their behavior."

"What do you mean?" asked the Duke of Wei.

Knowing that the Duke of Chu intended to groom this granddaughter, the Duke of Wei began to investigate her. Currently, the Wei and Chu families were allied, and if the Chu family had a strong heir, it would be beneficial for the Wei family as well.

Then Jiang Yu said, "The Emperor ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to search the Marquis of Jiangling's residence, but surrounded the Xie family. This shows that the Emperor has not yet made up his mind whether to take this opportunity to uproot the Xie family. After all, the Xie family is a behemoth, and it will be tough to deal with them. Moreover, how to fill the void after the Xie family is gone is not something that can be planned in a short time. It requires careful consideration."

The Duke of Wei nodded, then cast a look at the Duke of Chu that seemed to say, "Your son is quite something." The Duke of Chu's pride deepened.

Then Jiang Yu continued, "The Emperor ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to surround the Xie family, partly to investigate them. The Xie family is quite powerful, and if they were to fight to the death at this time, they could indeed pose a threat to the current court."

"What if they fight to the death?" the Duke of Wei asked.

Jiang Yu: "Die."

There was a moment of silence in the room before Jiang Yu continued, "The Emperor hasn't made up his mind yet, but if the Xie family contacts the outside world and forces the Emperor to release Xie Yun, the Emperor will probably decide to eliminate the Xie family."

"What will the Xie family do?" Ning Yanfeng asked.

Jiang Yu: "That depends on whether the Xie family has any truly intelligent people."

When faced with a life-or-death crisis, people often make decisions that are reactive and risky. It remains to be seen whether the Xie family has anyone who can remain calm in the face of danger.

Just then, Li Zhong's voice came from outside. The Duke of Chu had invited him in. After entering and bowing, Li Zhong said, "Prince An entered the Xie family residence and left a little over a quarter of an hour later, heading towards the palace."

"Has there been any conflict between Prince An and the Xie family?" Jiang Yu asked.

Li Zhong: "No, Prince An's entry into and exit from the Xie family were both very peaceful."

The people in the room exchanged glances for a moment, and then the Duke of Chu, the Duke of Wei, and Ning Yanfeng all looked at Jiang Yu, wanting to hear her analysis.

Jiang Yu didn't put on airs and said, "I think there are smart people in the Xie family who can perhaps resolve this crisis."

Prince An entered the Xie family without any conflict and went to the palace peacefully, presumably because the Xie family made concessions.

She added, "The Xie family must have made concessions, but what concessions they made is unknown."

The Duke of Chu nodded, then looked at her and asked, "If it were you, what concessions would you offer?"

Jiang Yu: "Reduce or withdraw the Xie family's influence in the imperial court."

The Duke of Chu was stunned for a moment after hearing this. The Duke of Chu's mansion had done the same thing back then. They had surrendered their military power and removed all influence from the Jiang family within the army to weather that crisis.

The Duke of Wei looked at Jiang Yu with a different gaze, inwardly marveling that the Duke of Chu's mansion might prosper for several more decades.

After chatting for a while longer, the Duke of Wei and Ning Yanfeng took their leave. Jiang Yu escorted them to the gate of the mansion before returning to the Duke of Chu's study. The Duke of Chu did not look well.

Jiang Yu knew what he was worried about; he simply felt that the Xie family had suffered such a great loss this time, and they would definitely retaliate in the future.

“Grandfather, when soldiers come, we will block them; when water comes, we will dam it,” Jiang Yu said, sitting down opposite him.

The Duke of Chu laughed, "I'm old, I've lost my fighting spirit."

Jiang Yu smiled and said, "You're being forward-thinking."

The Duke of Chu laughed heartily. Putting everything else aside, with Jiang Yu's emotional intelligence alone, she wouldn't have too much trouble in the officialdom in the future. He then asked, "If the Xie family were to reclaim their power in the court, how would the Emperor respond?"

Jiang Yu thought for a moment and said, "Kill Xie Zihui, release Xie Yun."

The Duke of Chu nodded, "Xie Zihui's smuggling of salt is a capital offense, and he will certainly be executed."

“Yes,” Jiang Yu said, “but I think the Emperor won’t go too far. If the Xie family takes back their public power in the court, the Emperor might give them a way out on the surface.”

"Oh?" The Duke of Chu looked at her and said, "Tell me in detail."

Jiang Yu: "Since the founding of the Great Han Dynasty, the kings of different surnames have been eliminated and their titles stripped. Noble families like ours have long been filled with unease. If this time the Emperor takes away all the Xie family's open power and doesn't give them any chance to continue developing, what would you think? What would noble families like the Duke of Wei and my maternal grandfather think?"

The Duke of Chu sighed and said, "I am even more apprehensive."

“Yes,” Jiang Yu stood up and poured a cup of tea for the Duke of Chu, then said, “The Emperor couldn’t possibly be unaware of the immense crisis lurking behind such a large-scale salt smuggling operation. At this time, he needs to put our minds at ease.”

"What will the Emperor do?" asked the Duke of Chu.

Jiang Yu pondered for a moment and then said, "Xie Ning'an from the Xie family participated in the imperial examination this year and passed, becoming a Jinshi?"

"Yes, the top scholar is the best." Duke of Chu said, "Actually, many people said that Xie Ning'an should be the top scholar this year, but the emperor wanted to suppress the Xie family, so he gave him the third place."

At this point, the Duke of Chu said sarcastically, "Qi Yuanhong's status as the top scholar was the result of a contest between the Emperor and various forces."