Chapter 102 What about Jiang Yu? You can do whatever you want with her.
Xie Lei's amputation wasn't finished until dinner time. The good thing was that the amputation was successful, but the bad thing was that Xie Lei would be a disabled person with only one leg from then on.
Xie Yun and Xie Ning'an went to see Xie Lei and found him still unconscious. The two then went back to Xie Yun's study in the front yard, where they ate and talked.
After the food was served, Xie Yun asked Xie Ning'an, "What do you think the Duke of Chu's next plan will be?"
Xie Ning'an paused for a moment while holding the chopsticks and said, "If I were the Duke of Chu, I would let Jiang Yu enter the court."
Xie Yun nodded, "The Duke of Chu's mansion lacks not only an heir, but also someone to speak in the court. Moreover, as a woman, Jiang Yu can only truly inherit the Duke of Chu's mansion if she becomes an official and gains power."
Xie Ning'an nodded in agreement. "So what should we do?"
Xie Yun sneered, "Let's not even talk about whether Jiang Yu is capable of participating in the imperial examination. This year's examination is over, and they can't wait three years. Therefore, the Chu State Guild will recommend Jiang Yu for an official position."
Xie Ning'an nodded again, then pondered for a moment and said, "Shall we stop her from entering the imperial court?"
“Yes.” Xie Yun said, “Since Jiang Yu is a difficult person to deal with, then let’s prevent her from entering the court and from standing on the same level as you.”
Xie Ning'an tightened his grip on the chopsticks, and Jiang Yu's calm and sharp face suddenly flashed into his mind. He felt a sudden, inexplicable irritation, but he quickly suppressed it.
“The recommended officials must pass the Ministry of Personnel’s examination,” he said, “and then the Emperor’s examination. So what we need to do is make sure they fail the Ministry of Personnel’s examination.”
Xie Yun nodded, "The Emperor's assessment may have been nearly completed."
Xie Ning'an: "You mean Jiang Yu's performance in the Imperial Study last time?"
"Yes, and the late Duchess of Chu was a close friend of the Empress Dowager. It is said that the Empress Dowager was also present in the Imperial Study last time."
Xie Yun tapped his fingers on the table a few times, then said, "The Empress Dowager is not a traditional woman. You can tell from her indulgence of the eldest princess that the Empress Dowager may also have the ambition for a woman to hold power."
However, the current emperor is his own son and holds him in high esteem, which is why he lives a life of leisure in the inner palace. But, if she admires Jiang Yu, she might lend him a hand. The laws of the Great Qian Dynasty clearly state that women can participate in the imperial examinations and serve as officials in the court.
Xie Ning'an lowered his eyes, and a thought suddenly popped into his mind: what kind of demeanor would Jiang Yu have if he entered the court as an official or even became a powerful minister?
Thinking of this, he clenched his hands tightly. He shouldn't think like this. His Xue family and Chu Kingdom's martial arts are mortal enemies. He must block Jiang Yu's path to the court.
“However, we should hold back for now,” Xie Yun’s voice rang out again. Xie Ning’an’s expression returned to calm as she said, “Yes, after all, the Duke of Chu has not yet taken any action.”
Xie Yun: "Well, let's see what their next move is before we decide what to do."
After the grandfather and grandson reached an agreement, they began to eat in peace. However, only Xie Ning'an himself knew whether he was truly at ease.
"Father, please avenge Lei'er." The voice of Madam Xie came from outside. Xie Yun frowned again. Xie Ning'an put down her chopsticks and went out of the study.
Then they saw Madam Xie, dressed in white mourning clothes, kneeling in the center of the courtyard, crying and begging Xie Yun to avenge Xie Lei.
Xie Ning'an sighed and walked over, reaching out to help Madam Xie, but she dodged him. She then heard her say:
“Ning’an, Lei’er went out with you today. You came back unharmed, but my Lei’er has a broken leg. I don’t ask for anything else, I just ask you to say a word to your grandfather and ask him to avenge Lei’er.”
"Second Aunt," Xie Ning'an said with a helpless tone, "Today, Xie Lei and I went to Puguang Temple to light an eternal lamp for Second Uncle. In the temple, Xie Lei saw people from the Duke of Chu's mansion and wanted to cause them trouble."
Second Aunt, you should know the current situation of our Xie family. We can't afford to cause any more trouble. So I stopped Xie Lei, but little did I expect that on the way back, Xie Lei would try to trample the Duke of Chu's granddaughter-in-law to death with his horse.
"So close! So close that the Duke of Chu's granddaughter-in-law was dead. Thankfully, Jiang Yu pulled him back; otherwise, Xie Lei wouldn't just have lost a leg, he would have lost his life."
"How can you say that?" Madam Xie looked at Xie Ning'an in disbelief. "Your surname is Xie, and Xie Lei is your cousin. How can you speak up for Jiang Yu instead of your cousin?"
Xie Ning'an: "Second Aunt, I'm not speaking up for Jiang Yu. What I mean is, we will avenge Xie Lei, but not now. Because Xie Lei started this whole thing, and the Duke of Chu's mansion isn't some insignificant family that we can manipulate at will. The Duke of Chu can speak before the Emperor, and our Xie family was just punished by the Emperor. How can you expect Grandfather to avenge Xie Lei now?"
"Hahahaha..." Madam Xie laughed through her tears, "My husband took the blame for the Xie family and was beheaded, and my son was murdered and lost a leg. And now you say they deserved it?"
"Second Aunt, that's not what I meant." Xie Ning'an suddenly found herself at a loss for words, but Madam Xie the Second pressed on, "Then what do you mean? I don't care about the big picture or the small picture, I just want to avenge my son."
"Grandpa, please say something! Xie Zihui is your own son, and Xie Lei is your own grandson!" Madam Xie called out towards the study door.
Xie Yun came out and went to Madam Xie's side. He bent down to help her up, but she dodged him. Xie Yun frowned, straightened up, and looked down at her, saying, "Second wife, Xie Zihui and Xie Lei are my own sons and grandsons. How could I not feel sorry for them? But now is not the time for revenge."
But Madam Xie seemed not to hear him, and kowtowed with both hands on the ground, saying, "I beg Father to avenge Lei'er."
"Why are you so stubborn?" Xie Yun said angrily, his tone becoming stern. "How do you expect me to avenge Xie Lei? To risk the lives of my entire clan to avenge him?"
"Father, please avenge Lei'er!" Madam Xie seemed to have gone mad, repeatedly kowtowing to the ground, muttering the same phrase, "Father, please avenge Lei'er."
Xie Yun frowned and looked at her intently for a while before saying, "If you want to kowtow, then go ahead."
After saying that, he turned and went into the study. When he heard Madam Xie's voice outside the dining table, a surge of anger suddenly rose up. He raised his hand and overturned the dining table to the ground. With a loud crash, the outside quieted down.
Xie Ning'an squatted down in front of Madam Xie and whispered, "Second Aunt, we are now sworn enemies with the Duke of Chu's mansion. Are you worried about not having a chance to take revenge? I promise you, one day we will bring down the Duke of Chu's mansion, and then you can do whatever you want with Jiang Yu, how about that?"
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