Chapter 55 The Jiang Family Embraces Prince Heng's Faction

Jiang Mansion.

Jiang Jinyan took the letter, read it quickly, and then burned it to ashes.

What exactly was stolen from the royal family that caused Prince Heng such unease?

Since he's going to get involved, he has to take the initiative.

He had just stepped out of his room and onto the corridor when he heard his father's cold voice, "Jiang Jinyan, where are you going again?"

Upon hearing his father's voice, Jiang Jinyan immediately became obedient and respectfully bowed to Jiang Huai, saying, "Father."

"It was already dawn when you got back, so you're going to leave again as soon as you get back?" Jiang Huai was clearly unhappy. "You've been restless since you were a child. You're not young anymore. Are you planning to stay out there for a few more years?"

"Father, I'm not a scoundrel. I earn money outside." The Jiang family's wealth is entirely due to his hard work outside.

"Money, money, money! You read so many books just to make money? You... you're nothing like my son, Jiang Huai." Jiang Huai blurted out.

"A son is his mother's biological child, Father, how can you say that..."

"Shut up." Jiang Huai slapped himself in the mouth.

"Father, I really had an urgent matter to attend to. I didn't get to pay my respects to you and Mother upon my return. It was my fault. I've had the gift placed in your study—a fine Duan inkstone. I guarantee you'll love it." Jiang Jinyan smiled, bowed, and left.

"Duan inkstone..." In the blink of an eye, Jiang Jinyan had already walked away.

He called out to the retreating figure, "Starting tomorrow, you will go to the Imperial Academy to lecture and prepare for the imperial examinations..."

"Understood." Jiang Huai could only hear the voice, but could not see the person.

"Don't forget to visit the Zhang family girl this time. If you don't hit it off this time, you'll be a bachelor for life." Jiang Huai yelled again, "That girl has been waiting for you, just waiting for you to give her a straight answer."

This time, we didn't get a response from him.

With the inkstone in mind, Jiang Huai went straight to the study.

-

On the other side, Xie Shang first went to the yamen to interrogate Lai San. Under torture, he admitted that he knew about the theft of the imperial tombs and that many royal treasures had been stolen.

However, he insisted that he did not rob the imperial tomb. He had only heard from people in the underworld that some rare treasures had been unearthed. He did not know where those treasures were, and he wanted to find out for himself, which is why Xie Shang had his eye on him.

Xie Shang pinched the bridge of his nose, wondering to himself: Who exactly has that thing fallen into their hands?

Just then, a soldier came in and said, "Reporting to your Excellency, there is a young master outside the door requesting an audience."

"I won't see her." He was already annoyed.

The officer added, "That young master said his name is Jiang Jinyan." The officer had taken money from Jiang Jinyan, which was why he dared to come in and deliver the message for him.

Xie Shang frowned. "Let him in!"

When Jiang Jinyan saw Xie Shang, he cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Heng."

"Young Master Jiang, please have a seat."

Jiang Jinyan didn't stand on ceremony and found a seat to sit down.

Xie Shang then asked, "Young Master Jiang, what brings you to see me so early?"

No matter what, Jiang Jinyan is still Jiang Fenghua's older brother. He is a member of the Jiang family and can now be considered a member of the imperial family. Xie Shang's attitude softened a bit.

Jiang Jinyan said, "I won't beat around the bush. I may know something about the thief Your Highness caught yesterday, and perhaps I can help Your Highness find what you lost."

Xie Shang sat up straight, a hint of inquiry flashing in his eyes. Seeing that he was calm and composed, neither humble nor arrogant, he asked, "What do you mean?"

The next moment, Jiang Jinyan took out a crystal-clear jade carving from his sleeve and placed it on the table.

Xie Shang's eyes lit up instantly. He picked it up and examined it closely. "Is this the Jade Linglong, one of the four rare treasures of the previous dynasty?"

“Indeed, without a doubt,” Jiang Jinyan said again. “I have checked it, and it is genuine.” He has been in the jade business for so many years that he would not make a mistake. Although it is small, it is priceless.

Xie Shang wondered how the Jade Linglong ended up in Jiang Jinyan's hands. The Jade Linglong originally belonged to the previous dynasty, but later fell into the hands of the Xie family of the Great Zhou Dynasty and became a burial item for the late emperor.

Jiang Jinyan said, "Does Your Highness not want to ask how this thing ended up in my hands?"

"Where did you get this?" Xie Shang asked.

“Qiang City,” Jiang Jinyan answered truthfully, “is a necessary stop on the route through the Western Regions.”

"Did people from the Western Regions enter the imperial tomb and steal the treasures inside?" Xie Shang asked in a deep voice. "What else do you know?"

"I know nothing. I'm not sure if there are any other helpers besides the Western Region people. After all, the imperial mausoleum is an important place in the Great Zhou Kingdom, and ordinary people wouldn't dare to make a move on it. But I do know Lai San. He's quite famous in the martial arts world. The prince is personally chasing after him, so he must have committed a serious crime this time."

Jiang Jinyan slowly explained, "I happen to recognize these small items from the previous dynasty, so I spent some money to buy them."

Jiang Jinyan's words were watertight.

Xie Shang thought: It's normal for the Jiang family to know about Yu Linglong's origins. Jiang Shaofu is knowledgeable and has a strong memory. The fact that Jiang Jinyan is sought after by the scions of prominent families in Shengjing shows that he is talented. This is recorded in historical records. He only noticed it when he was taking inventory of the stolen items.

"You bought it? How much did you spend?"

"Fifty taels of silver." Jiang Jinyan held out a hand.

Xie Shang was almost shocked when he heard this. "Yu Linglong was sold for fifty taels of silver?" That person must be stupid. This is a priceless treasure, and it just fell into his hands so easily.

Jiang Jinyan seemed to see Xie Shang's doubts, "Those people don't know their stuff."

Xie Shang never expected that the things he had painstakingly searched for for more than half a month would end up in the Western Regions.

He asked tentatively, "Have you bought anything else from them?"

"No, they're probably all sold out. This stuff is inconspicuous, nobody recognizes it..."

Xie Shang was at his wit's end. It wasn't the Zhou people who looted the imperial tomb, but they sold the stolen goods afterwards. The world is so vast, how could he possibly find it? He could only hope that the important items wouldn't fall into the hands of someone with ulterior motives.

He asked, "You know Lai San, how did you meet him?"

“People in the underworld know each other to some extent and have some connections,” Jiang Jinyan said.

"Jiang Shaofu's son has some connections with petty thieves and scoundrels." He had been traveling around studying for years, and it turned out he was involved in these kinds of shady dealings. He didn't say the last part.

Jiang Jinyan said, "Having more friends means having more options. Besides, I only know some people with extraordinary abilities."

Xie Shang pondered for a moment, then a faint, enigmatic smile appeared on his lips. “The Princess Consort often mentions Young Master Jiang to me. She says that her excellent chess skills were taught to her by her elder brother. I wonder if I would have the honor of inviting Young Master Jiang to play a game of chess?”

Jiang Jinyan was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized that Prince Heng had invited him to join the game, which meant that Prince Heng had taken a liking to him.

Since Jiang Fenghua married Prince Heng, the Jiang family will definitely stand on Prince Heng's side, and he wants to let Prince Heng know that the Jiang family has power.

The two players were evenly matched in chess skills, but Xie Shang ultimately won the game.

Xie Shang thought: Jiang Fenghua's chess skills were taught by her older brother, yet he kept losing to Jiang Fenghua that night.

He couldn't help but suspect that Jiang Jinyan had deliberately let him have his way.