Chapter 106 Better to Play Openly
The Duke of Chu was naturally proud to have his granddaughter praised, and this time he did not feign modesty, but said: "Yu'er is not only determined, but also brave, resourceful and decisive. She is worthy of great responsibility."
After listening to his words, Tang Huai-ren pondered for a moment and said, "So, you made such a risky move?"
The Duke of Chu shook his head. “At first, I really had no choice but to decide to raise Yu’er. I even lamented many times why Yu’er wasn’t a boy. But the longer it goes on, the more I feel that even if Jiang Chengye wasn’t a playboy, I should still do my best to raise Yu’er. This child is worth it.”
Tang Huai-ren didn't know much about Jiang Yu, so he naturally couldn't comment on his words. However, based on their interaction today, even his most outstanding son might not be able to compare to Jiang Yu.
“Since you’ve made up your mind, just do it. If you need anything, just let me know,” Tang Huai-ren said.
The Duke of Chu quickly expressed his gratitude and then said, "I plan to recommend Yu'er for an official position once this storm has passed."
Tang Huai-ren nodded, "We can try to influence the Empress Dowager."
"That's what I think too," the Duke of Chu sighed. "If Jingrong were still here, how wonderful that would be."
Tang Huai-ren's face also showed some sadness. "The Empress Dowager lived at home for a period of time when she was a child. If needed, I can write a letter to the Empress Dowager."
The Duke of Chu thanked him again, but said, "The Marquis of Anyuan's idea is to have his wife chat with the Empress Dowager, mention Jingrong, and then discuss recommending Yu'er for an official position."
Tang Huai-ren nodded, "This is better than me writing a letter."
The two chatted for a while, and then Jiang Yu and Young Master Tang came over carrying a pile of books. Tang Huai Ren looked at the books she had chosen and nodded, saying, "You certainly know how to choose."
Jiang Yu smiled and said, "My older cousin helped me choose it."
Young Master Tang smiled but didn't say anything. In fact, he only gave a general overview of the book. Jiang Yu was very opinionated about which book to choose and didn't listen to his opinion at all.
Jiang Yu and the Duke of Chu had lunch at the Tang family's house before returning home. When they were about to leave, Tang Yuchuan and Madam Tang came to see them off, and Madam Tang expressed her gratitude in many words.
In truth, Jiang Yu didn't feel she had helped Tang Yuchuan much. If a few words could change a person, then changing someone would be too easy. Ultimately, it was Tang Yuchuan who figured things out for himself.
Therefore, if someone emerges from adversity, the person they should thank most is themselves. They should be grateful to themselves for persevering and not giving up on themselves in the face of hardship.
For the next period of time, Jiang Yu went into seclusion. The salt smuggling scandal hadn't completely subsided, and the emperor was in a bad mood, so recommending her for an official position would have to wait for the right opportunity.
During this period, Tang Yuchuan visited Jiang Yu twice. She had divorced, and her ex-husband had also kicked his childhood sweetheart concubine out of the mansion. So many men want both.
He wanted to use his wife's family to gain a foothold in the capital, stay with his childhood sweetheart, and endure his scumbag behavior without complaint.
Pooh!
You want to have all the good things in the world; the more you want, the faster you'll die.
Two months passed in the blink of an eye, and the court was finally calm. Moreover, according to rumors, the Emperor was very pleased with the Xie family's lavish spending. He has been in a good mood these past few days.
"I'm about to write a memorial recommending you for an official position. Are you ready?" Duke of Chu asked Jiang Yu.
The Duke of Chu's tone was very serious and formal, and Jiang Yu felt like laughing. However, she suppressed her laughter and said, "I'm always ready."
These words sounded strange and somewhat amusing. The Duke of Chu raised an eyebrow and waved for Jiang Yu to sit down. "I will send the memorial to the palace today, and the Emperor should see me tomorrow or the day after. Then we will see what the Emperor thinks. If the Emperor does not agree, we will have to try to persuade the Empress Dowager."
"Thank you for your hard work, Grandfather." This time, Jiang Yu's tone was very serious.
The Duke of Chu waved his hand dismissively and then asked, "If you succeed, which of the Six Ministries would you like to join?"
Jiang Yu thought for a moment and realized that in her previous life she had worked in the procuratorate, which, in terms of function, should belong to the Ministry of Personnel. If she were in the Ministry of Personnel, she might be able to handle the job better, so she said, "The Ministry of Personnel."
Duke Chu nodded after hearing this, "The Ministry of Personnel is also an option. Your second uncle is the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, so you can have someone to help you if you get into the Ministry. In the Ministry of Personnel, you can start as a scribe or a steward. If the Emperor values you, you could also become a principal officer, all of which are seventh-rank positions."
Jiang Yu was mentally prepared. As a newcomer and a woman, it would be quite an achievement for her to even get into the Six Ministries. Who didn't climb up the ladder step by step?
“My granddaughter knows,” Jiang Yu replied.
The Duke of Chu nodded, then picked up his pen and began writing a memorial. After finishing, he carefully reviewed it himself, then showed it to Jiang Yu. Once he confirmed it was correct, he handed it over to someone to send to the palace. Now, all that was left was to wait for the result.
Jiang Yu sat there for a while and said, "Could the Xie family have pulled something in this matter?"
Others may not know, but both she and the Xie family are well aware that they are mortal enemies. She is certain that the Xie family is keeping a close eye on their Duke of Chu's mansion.
The Duke of Chu frowned in thought, then said, "Then let him take action. Perhaps we can help the Emperor capture more of the Xie family's cronies."
After saying that, he called someone in and ordered them to keep an eye on the Xie family. After thinking for a long time, Jiang Yu said, "I think it's better to play openly."
"What do you mean?" the Duke of Chu asked.
Jiang Yu: "Our goal is for me to smoothly enter officialdom. If something unexpected happens, no one knows what will happen. Therefore, we told the Xie family not to cause trouble, otherwise they will not be able to bear the consequences."
The Duke of Chu remained silent for a long while before saying, "Will Xie Yun do as we wish?"
Jiang Yu: "The Xie family has just gone through a storm. He knows we have guessed that they will interfere. It remains to be seen what he will choose to do."
“Yes,” the Duke of Chu nodded, “we will prepare for both possibilities.”
“Perhaps Consort Su will also get involved,” Jiang Yu added. “However, we are powerless to do anything about Consort Su for the time being. We can only wait for her to make her move before we can deal with her.”
After all, the things the empresses in the harem want to do are not something they can stop just because they want to.
The Duke of Chu nodded with a furrowed brow.
.........
Jiang Yu's guess was correct. After Li Zhong took the memorial to the Ministry of Justice, the Xie family received the news.
Upon hearing the report, Xie Yun gave a heavy snort, then summoned Xie Zizhang and Xie Ning'an, saying, "The Duke of Chu has submitted his memorial recommending Jiang Yu for an official position, and the Emperor will see it soon. Have someone keep an eye on the movements in the Imperial Study."
"Yes." Xie Zizhang responded and immediately went to make the arrangements, leaving Xie Ning'an and Xie Yun in the room.
“We can’t decide the Emperor’s thoughts,” Xie Yun said, looking at Xie Ning’an. “What we can do is manipulate the Ministry of Personnel’s assessment of Jiang Yu.”
Xie Ning'an pondered for a moment, "Cheng Jinchuan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, is the son-in-law of the Duke of Chu."
Xie Yun snorted, "If Cheng Jinchuan makes things convenient for Jiang Yuxing, then he's finished."
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