Chapter 136 Gaining the Other Party's Trust
"Lord Jiang, don't forget, I am in charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."
These words made Jiang Yu raise her eyes to look at Prince An, a man in his early twenties with strong features and deep eyes, especially those eyes that were resolute and calm, and at this moment they also revealed sincerity.
Yes, Prince An controls the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and almost everyone in Daqian knows how powerful they are. Putting aside everything else, the fact that the Embroidered Uniform Guard has the authority to investigate cases is enough to attract her.
It's true that the Duke of Chu's mansion has secret guards, and she herself has experience in handling cases. However, just thinking about it, it's clear how vast and far-reaching this case is. Who knows what might happen if the investigation continues? With the assistance of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, things would definitely go much more smoothly.
Jiang Yu didn't think any further. She picked up her teacup and raised it, saying, "I'll be troubling Your Highness from now on."
Prince An raised the corners of his lips and picked up his teacup, "I hope Lord Jiang will give me more guidance in the future."
"Clang!" The cups clashed, the two drank their tea, and then smiled at each other.
"What does Lord Jiang intend to do next?" Prince An asked.
Since they were going to cooperate, Jiang Yu stopped hiding her intentions and said, "Investigate Hong Yong, the owner of Huifeng Ironware Shop, and Xiang Yonghe of the Ironware Bureau. I think once we understand these two people, things will be much clearer."
Prince An nodded, "Lord Jiang is investigating Xiang Yonghe, and I am here to investigate Hong Yong."
Hong Yong wasn't from the capital; he seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, making him relatively harder to investigate. Xiang Yonghe, on the other hand, was a fourth-rank official at the Ironworks Bureau and had been established in the capital for many years. Given the power of the Duke of Chu's mansion, investigating him wouldn't be difficult.
Jiang Yu also thought the allocation was reasonable, so she said, "Okay."
Prince An took out a jade pendant, and with a forceful movement, it broke in two. He handed one half to Jiang Yu, saying, "If your people are looking for me, take this. If my people are looking for you, they can take this too."
Jiang Yu reached out and took the jade pendant, looking down to see that it was carved with a wolf, but the wolf's head was missing. She put the half of the jade pendant away, saying, "Okay."
Prince An picked up his teacup again, and Jiang Yu clinked hers with his, exchanging a smile before rising to leave. Now that she and Prince An had divided the work, there was no need for her to go check on the HSBC Ironware Shop anymore. She had to give him her trust.
However, Jiang Yu still strolled around the place for a while, bought some trinkets, and then rode home with Shou'an and Chengfu.
...
Jiang Yu returned to the Duke of Chu's residence and went directly to see the Duke. The Duke was taken aback by her attire. Jiang Yu smiled and twirled in front of him, saying, "Grandfather, what do you think?"
The Duke of Chu laughed heartily, "Jun, cough cough cough..."
He started coughing again, and Jiang Yu quickly patted his back. Once the coughing stopped, the Duke of Chu waved for her to sit down, and Jiang Yu's face showed concern.
The Duke of Chu smiled. "You know my health; there's no need for that. Besides, I've lived for over seventy years; that's enough. But I want to see you establish yourself in the court."
This was one of the reasons he agreed to Jiang Yu's risky investigation into the military supplies embezzlement case; he wanted to help Jiang Yu gain a foothold before he left.
Jiang Yu felt a lump in her throat, but she smiled and said, "It's cold now, but it'll be better when it gets warmer."
The Duke of Chu smiled and said, "Yes, it will be fine once the weather gets warmer."
In fact, they all knew that the Duke of Chu's body was already at its limit, but none of them wanted to admit it.
"Today, Steward Li discovered that the spears, armor, and other supplies in the military were all made at a place called Huifeng Ironworks," Jiang Yu said. "I went there, but before I could even begin my investigation, I ran into Prince An."
The Duke of Chu frowned, and Jiang Yu continued, "I think it's possible that when Li Zhengze and I went to the Ironware Bureau yesterday, we were discovered by Prince An."
At the time, Li Zhengze said there were other people in Old Liu's blacksmith shop, which must have been Prince An. Otherwise, she wouldn't have met him in the southern city today.
"You've met?" the Duke of Chu asked.
Jiang Yu nodded. "He should have been waiting for me there. We had tea together and reached a cooperation agreement."
She recounted her conversation with Prince An, and the Duke of Chu remained silent for a long while before saying, "You did the right thing. Our cooperation now doesn't guarantee we'll side with him when he fights for the throne later. Besides..."
The Duke of Chu looked at Jiang Yu and said in a low voice, "No one can predict what will happen in the future."
Jiang Yu understood that every prince had a chance. Even when the current emperor was a prince, he wasn't the most favored or the most powerful, yet he still ascended the throne.
"Xiang Yonghe, the Director of the Ironworks." Duke Chu pondered the name for a moment, then said, "Although the Ironworks has no real power, it's a very lucrative position. I always thought he was one of Marquis Chengen's men. When Marquis Chengen was in the army, he had a lot of dealings with this man. However, Marquis Chengen has no reason to do this."
Marquis Chengen had rendered considerable military service, so his family was quite wealthy and had no reason to embezzle military supplies—a crime punishable by death and the extermination of the entire clan. Moreover, the Crown Prince, born to the Empress, had been dead for many years, and the Empress had no further children. There was no possibility that the Marquis Chengen's family would take such a risk to help the prince vie for the throne.
Moreover, the Marquis of Chengen's mansion has not declined. None of the families of the concubines in the harem have as much power as the Marquis of Chengen's mansion. Therefore, no matter which prince becomes emperor, the Marquis of Chengen's mansion has a lot of room to maneuver.
Jiang Yu was also deep in thought. After a while, she said, "We'll find out if we look it up."
The Duke of Chu hummed in agreement, then said, "Your brother's health seems to have worsened recently. I'm afraid..."
He sighed heavily, and Jiang Yu felt even worse. There were two critically ill patients in the family, but she was powerless to help them.
"I'll go see my brother in a bit," Jiang Yu said.
The Duke of Chu nodded. "His biggest worry is your sister-in-law and nephew."
Jiang Yu looked into his eyes and said earnestly, "I will treat Yun Kang as my own child, and I will always respect my sister-in-law."
The Duke of Chu clenched his aged hand, opened his mouth as if to say something but ultimately said nothing. He waved his hand and said, "You've had a long day, go back and rest."
Jiang Yu reached out and straightened the blanket on his lap before rising, bowing, and leaving. After her figure disappeared through the doorway, the Duke of Chu let out another long sigh.
He always felt guilty towards Jiang Jiamu and wanted to make it up to him. But he didn't have much time left, and Jiang Yu would be in charge of the family from now on. The matter of the baby swap had nothing to do with Jiang Yu, and she was responsible for the family's development; how could he shift the burdens that should be borne by him onto her?
In short, it was my own incompetence that led to my failure to manage the household properly.
"Cough cough cough..." He coughed violently again, and Li Zhong rushed in when he heard the noise. Seeing that he was coughing so hard that he almost collapsed, he quickly helped him up and patted his back, while shouting to the people outside, "Quickly call Doctor Lü over."
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