Chapter 116 I'm Cannon Fodder
Qi Yuanhong didn't know how he left the Qingshan Marquis's mansion. Ever since he heard the Qingshan Marquis say that Jiang Yu might enter the court as an official, and even enter one of the Six Ministries, he felt ridiculous and like a huge joke.
In order to climb the social ladder to the Qingshan Marquis's mansion, he divorced his childhood sweetheart Jiang Yu and tolerated Su Yuezhen's affair in her boudoir. As a result, his descendants for three generations were barred from taking the imperial examinations, while Jiang Yu, a woman, was able to enter the court as an official.
Where in the world can you find someone as ridiculous as him?!
"Ha ha ha ha...."
He walked out of the Qingshan Marquis's mansion with a smile. His younger brother, Qi Yuanjin, who was waiting outside, immediately came up to him and asked, "Brother, how did the discussion go? We've come all this way, we can't go back now."
Qi Yuanhong glanced at him, gave a self-deprecating laugh, and staggered forward. Qi Yuanjin quickly followed, but he was also oblivious to Qi Yuanhong's unease and continued his incessant chatter:
"If you ask me, brother, you shouldn't have divorced your sister-in-law. Isn't she also a young lady from the Duke's mansion? I've heard that the Duke is much more powerful than the Earl. Aren't you just picking up a sesame seed and losing a watermelon?"
At this moment, Qi Yuanhong stopped and stared directly at Qi Yuanjin with a sinister look. Qi Yuanjin took a step back in fright, "Big...Big Brother, I was just saying. Sister-in-law, no, Jiang Yu isn't a good person either. You two had such a long relationship, yet she caused you to lose your job. She's too ruthless..."
"Shut up, shut up!" Qi Yuanhong grabbed Qi Yuanjin's neck like a madman, muttering, "Yu Niang is not wrong, Yu Niang is very good to me, Yu Niang is the best to me in this world, Yu Niang is the best person to me in this world..."
As he spoke, tears streamed down his face, and he squatted down on the ground, sobbing loudly...
It was all wrong, everything was completely wrong...
...
Xie family
Xie Yun paced back and forth in the study. After a while, he stopped and looked at Xie Ning'an, asking, "Who could it be? Who killed Ruan Heng's close aide?"
Xie Ning'an frowned and shook her head. Although they had considered preventing Jiang Yu from entering the court as an official, a letter from Jiang Yu made them abandon that idea. It wasn't that they were truly afraid of Jiang Yu, but mainly that their Xie family was currently going through a turbulent period and it was not suitable for them to continue their deadly struggle with the Duke of Chu's mansion.
But now that someone has done what they wanted to do, they don't feel happy, but rather uneasy. If Jiang Yu and the Duke of Chu think they were responsible, will they take action against them?
Thinking of the ruthlessness Jiang Yu displayed in his two attacks, Xie Yun and Xie Ning felt a chill run down their spines.
"Could it be Consort Su?" Xie Ning'an asked.
Xie Yun frowned and said, "Consort Su has been placed under house arrest."
Xie Ning'an: "The Eighth Prince has not been confined to his quarters."
After hearing this, Xie Yun began pacing back and forth again. After a while, he stopped and said, "If we think like this, others will too. So, regardless of whether the Eighth Prince did it or not, it will probably fall on the Eighth Prince's shoulders in the end."
Xie Ning'an sat up straight in shock. "You mean, someone will frame the Eighth Prince?"
Xie Yun stroked his beard. "Who knows?"
“Or perhaps the Eighth Prince is... foolish, and was persuaded by others to actually do this,” Xie Ning’an said.
"Should we intervene?" Xie Ning'an asked.
Xie Yun snorted, "Whatever, if it really was something he did stupidly, it's actually a good thing for us."
At this moment, Xie Ning'an also realized, "If it really was the Eighth Prince who did it, then we will be cleared of suspicion."
Xie Yun and Xie Ning'an exchanged a glance, both seeing relief in each other's eyes. Yes, they were relieved to be cleared of suspicion, even if they didn't admit it; Jiang Yu's two ruthless attacks had left a considerable shadow on them.
"So, we'll just watch the show," Xie Ning'an said.
Xie Yun chuckled, "The Duke of Chu's mansion is definitely investigating now, and Prince An is investigating too. Just wait and see, the results will be out soon."
Xie Ning'an's face was somewhat solemn. "What I'm afraid of is that even with the most stringent examination, Jiang Yu will still pass."
He no longer dared to underestimate Jiang Yu.
Xie Yun sat down with a frown. "If that's really the case, we'll have no choice but to give it our all."
Xie Ning'an clenched his fists tightly; he really didn't want to be Jiang Yu's enemy.
........
At this moment, Yan Ruihua, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and the central figure in the entire incident, paced anxiously in the room. His eldest son, Yan Xinghuai, sat beside him with a frown, feeling dizzy from Yan Ruihua's pacing, but dared not speak.
Finally, unable to contain himself any longer, he got up and poured Yan Ruihua a cup of tea. "Father, have a cup of tea to calm your nerves."
"How can I possibly calm down after this shock?" Yan Ruihua said helplessly. "How did such a perfectly good pot end up falling on me? If I say I don't know anything now, who will believe me? Who will believe me?"
"Why don't you report this directly to the Emperor?" Yan Xinghuai suggested.
"No way," Yan Ruihua said immediately. "Who knows who's behind this? If I report this directly to the Emperor and ruin that person's plan, what if he makes things difficult for me later? We haven't even established ourselves in the capital yet; we can't afford to offend anyone!"
"So what do you suggest we do now?" Yan Xinghuai asked.
Yan Ruihua: "How would I know what to do?"
“Master,” came the steward’s voice from outside, “an advisor from the Eighth Prince’s residence requests an audience.”
The father and son exchanged a glance, both looking as if they had finally arrived. Yan Ruihua took a deep breath and said, "Please come in quickly."
The butler responded and quickly ran to the back door. A moment later, he came in with a man wearing a black cloak. The man's head and face were covered by the cloak's hood, so the father and son could not see his appearance.
"A letter from the Eighth Prince." The man took out a letter and handed it to Yan Ruihua.
Yan Ruihua took the letter with trembling hands, tore it open, and read it quickly, finally noticing the Eighth Prince's seal. Then the man took out a stack of papers and said, "These are the test questions for Jiang Yu. His Highness knows that Lord Yan is a smart man."
Yan Ruihua, his hands trembling, took the exam paper again, opened it, and gasped. Having also passed the imperial examinations, he naturally understood what they were like. These questions were incredibly obscure, arguably the most difficult exams in history.
"I suppose the Eighth Prince also mentioned some things in his letter," the man continued. "Lord Yan should know how he entered the capital and who he will be assisting after arriving. Of course, the Eighth Prince will not mistreat Lord Yan."
After saying this, the man bowed and took his leave. Yan Ruihua had the butler see him out. As soon as the man left, Yan Ruihua slumped into a chair.
He's climbed his way up from a county magistrate to where he is now, and he's certainly got his own cleverness. No matter how much the Eighth Prince promises him, he knows he's just cannon fodder. Right now, the Emperor, the Duke of Chu, and the Minister of Personnel, Ruan Heng, are definitely investigating him.
Whether he followed the Eighth Prince's orders or not, he would not end up well. Just then, the steward's voice rang out again, "Master, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has arrived."
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