Chapter 140: He might have been used as a tool.
The Imperial Guard followed Li Zhong toward Jiang Yu's Yunfeng Courtyard. As an Imperial Guard, his observational skills were naturally excellent. After walking for a short while, he realized they were heading toward the inner courtyard.
Just as some doubts began to form in his mind, he realized that Miss Jiang was a woman and should naturally reside in the inner courtyard. However, it was the first time he had reported something to a woman, and he felt a slight discomfort mixed with a touch of excitement.
Soon they arrived at Yunfeng Courtyard and saw that several rooms were lit up, indicating that Miss Jiang was not asleep yet.
"Please wait a moment," Li Zhong said, then walked to the study door to report.
Jiang Yu was taken aback when he heard that the Imperial Guards had arrived, and then said, "Bring them here."
The Imperial Guard followed Li Zhong into the study and saw a beautiful woman in a light purple dress sitting calmly at the desk. He assumed this must be Miss Jiang and quickly bowed, "Greetings, Lord Jiang."
Jiang Yu nodded and said, "Please sit down."
The Imperial Guard was taken aback; he hadn't expected Jiang Yu to offer him a seat. They had never received such treatment from their lord. Seeing Li Zhong bring him a chair, the Imperial Guard bowed to Jiang Yu again before sitting down. He thought to himself, "Indeed, women are different from men; she's so kind."
"What is it?"
Jiang Yu's voice rang out, and the Imperial Guard hurriedly said, "I have discovered some things today, and my lord has asked me to inform Lord Jiang."
Jiang Yu nodded, and the Imperial Guard recounted the report to Prince An. Then, the kind-hearted Lord Jiang asked, "Did Hong Yong come to the capital alone two years ago, or did his whole family move here?"
The Imperial Guard was taken aback, then said, "He must have come to the capital alone."
Jiang Yu then asked, "Hong Yong is over thirty years old. He should be married with children, and his parents should be alive and well. Why did he come to the capital alone?"
The Imperial Guards were stunned again, and then Jiang Yu asked, "Does Hong Yong have any concubines in his household?"
Imperial Guard: "......"
Seeing that she couldn't answer, Jiang Yu frowned slightly, leaned back, and looked at him calmly. The Imperial Guard, however, felt immense pressure. He no longer thought of Lord Jiang as kind; this was someone who could rival his lord.
He sat up straight. "Because there's only one day left, the investigation into Hong Yong hasn't been completed yet."
Jiang Yu nodded again, "Shangjing City is not an ordinary place. Even if Hong Yong is after profit, he wouldn't easily come to Shangjing City to open this Huifeng Ironware Shop."
"Yes," the Imperial Guard quickly replied, "I will investigate thoroughly."
"Thank you for your hard work," Jiang Yu said, then asked Li Zhong to tell the Embroidered Uniform Guard what he had found out. After that, Li Zhong left with the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Before leaving, the Imperial Guard said to Li Zhong, "Lord Jiang is indeed extraordinary."
Li Zhong wore a proud expression. He wasn't bragging; even the most outstanding young talents in the capital couldn't compare to his young lady. Putting everything else aside, who could solve the exam questions that were even harder than the imperial examinations?
Their eldest daughter accomplished it, and was praised by so many learned scholars, even commended by the ministers of the Six Ministries. He asked, "Who else in the capital could do such a thing?"
Of course, Li Zhong only thought this to himself; he couldn't say it aloud. He had to be humble and low-key.
The Imperial Guard returned to Prince An's residence, stood before Prince An, and recounted his visit to the Duke of Chu's residence. In the end, he couldn't help but say, "Lord Jiang is indeed quick-witted."
Prince An gave him a disdainful look. "Find out the truth quickly, or you'll embarrass yourself further."
The Imperial Guard chuckled twice, "Yes, I will definitely investigate Hong Yong thoroughly."
Prince An waved for him to leave, then leaned back in his chair, wondering if the Marquis of Jinyang had been involved in the matter. After a series of deductions and analyses, he concluded that the Marquis of Jinyang was probably not involved.
Putting aside everything else, the heir of the Marquis of Jinyang held the same position as Jiang Yu, and was also assigned by the Minister of Revenue to organize official documents in the archives. The heir of the Marquis of Jinyang frequently came into contact with Jiang Yu. Even if he was a playboy, as long as he went home and told the Marquis of Jinyang about what Jiang Yu was going to do, wouldn't the Marquis of Jinyang be suspicious?
Thinking of this, Prince An wondered, "What about Tang Boyang? Does Tang Boyang really not know what Jiang Yu is doing in the storehouse every day? Does he really have no suspicions at all?"
If Tang Boyang had doubts, why didn't he stop him?
Prince An then thought of his elder brother, Prince Kang, whose father-in-law was Tang Boyang. Was Prince Kang involved? Or was Prince Kang the mastermind?
Suddenly, a thought popped into his head—could Jiang Yu have been used as a tool?
What if Jiang Yu's entry into the Ministry of Revenue is just part of a scheme?
Or perhaps after Jiang Yu entered the Ministry of Revenue, Tang Boyang deliberately had her work in the archives organizing official documents, with the aim of having her discover loopholes in the documents?
Rather than believing that Tang Boyang was unaware of the embezzlement of military supplies, Prince An was more inclined to believe that Tang Boyang deliberately allowed Jiang Yu to discover the matter. If this were true, why?
Tang Boyang is the father-in-law of Prince Kang, and with Prince Kang backing him, regardless of the extent of his influence in the capital, he certainly has the ability to investigate a corruption case. Unless, of course, he cannot, dares not, or must have someone else expose the mastermind.
King Kang!
The relationship between Tang Boyang and Prince Kang broke down.
Thinking this, Prince An paced back and forth in the room. He felt he had guessed correctly, but he was still somewhat undecided. In that instant, he felt utterly alone; apart from Prince Rui, he had no friends, no family, not even allies.
The scene of his conversation with Jiang Yu in the teahouse yesterday flashed through his mind; he could even clearly see Jiang Yu's composed expression as she lowered her eyes to pour him tea.
Did Jiang Yu think of that?
They must have thought of that.
Prince An reached out and opened the window, and a gust of cold wind blew in, hitting his stiff nose and eyes. He didn't feel cold; on the contrary, he felt inexplicably refreshed.
He looked up at the sky. It had snowed yesterday, but today was a clear day, with stars twinkling faintly. Prince An had never seen the sky so clearly before, because he had neither the time nor the inclination.
But this time he looked for a long time...
...
After the Imperial Guard left, Jiang Yu read for a while longer before returning to her dormitory to rest. Although she said she was reading, she barely absorbed a few words. Her mind was filled with a jumble of conflicting information; even while lying in the bathtub, her brain didn't stop.
Chunxue and Xiahe were very quiet when they helped her bathe, afraid of disturbing her. Jiang Yu closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind. Thinking too much about something can easily lead to a dead end, and she felt like she had just entered one.
After showering and returning to her dormitory, she lay down, had Xia He turn off the light, and closed her eyes to sleep. But as she was drifting off to sleep, the scene of Tang Boyang talking to her that day suddenly flashed before her eyes.
She sat up abruptly, clutching the quilt tightly; she might have been used as a tool.
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