Chapter 142 To be able to struggle against fate in this life is a blessing.
Jiang Yu left the Duke of Chu's mansion through a secret passage, then, accompanied by Shou'an and Chengfu, rode towards Shili Slope outside the city. It had snowed the day before yesterday, and although yesterday was sunny, the weather was cold, and the area outside the city was still a vast expanse of white.
Upon arriving at Shili Slope, they could see Prince An riding a horse in the distance, with two Imperial Guards following him in the snow.
Jiang Yu rode over and stopped a little over two meters away from Prince An. She did not dismount but bowed to Prince An, saying, "Your Highness, Prince An."
Prince An returned the greeting with clasped hands, "Lord Jiang, how about a horse race?"
Jiang Yu smiled and said, "Okay!"
"please."
Prince An gestured for him to enter, but Jiang Yu didn't hesitate and lashed the horse's rump with his whip. "Giddy up!"
With a shout, her horse charged off. Prince An, seeing this, spurred his horse and gave chase, quickly catching up with Jiang Yu and galloping past her. Jiang Yu, seeing this, tightened the reins and spurred her horse hard to give chase.
A little over fifteen minutes later, the two stopped one after the other in front of a manor. Someone was there to greet them at the entrance, and bowed to Prince An, saying, "Your Highness."
Prince An dismounted and turned to Jiang Yu, saying, "Lord Jiang, we've arrived."
Jiang Yu dismounted and tossed her riding whip to Chengfu. Prince An watched her graceful and efficient movement and smiled, "Lord Jiang, please come in."
Jiang Yu stepped inside and discovered a hidden world within. What appeared to be a simple, unadorned estate on the outside was surprisingly exquisite inside. There were plum blossoms, bamboo groves, and a now somewhat withered lotus pond.
"Spring returns to the thatched pavilion, the plum blossoms stir first; the moon is full over the empty courtyard, the snow has not yet melted." Jiang Yu looked at the surrounding scenery and said, "Your Highness, Prince An, has such refined taste."
Prince An smiled, "Lord Jiang has excellent literary talent."
Jiang Yu said modestly and followed Prince An into the house. It was very warm inside with a charcoal fire burning. Jiang Yu took off her outer cloak and handed it to the maid. She then sat down with Prince An at the tea table by the window.
Two maids brought over basins of water, and Jiang Yu and Prince An washed their hands. Then two more maids came and set out tea utensils. Just as the maids were about to brew tea for them, Prince An said, "You may leave."
The maid bowed and withdrew. Prince An picked up his teacup, lowered his eyes, and brewed tea, saying, "Lord Jiang's horsemanship is quite good."
Jiang Yu watched his movements and said, "He's no match for His Highness Prince An."
"Riding a horse is one of my means of survival." Prince An glanced at Jiang Yu, who smiled and said, "In this life, it is a blessing to be able to struggle against fate."
In this world, there are many people who want to struggle against fate but can't, or don't know how.
Therefore, relatively speaking, those who can struggle against fate and know how to struggle are lucky.
Prince An had not expected her to say that. After a moment's thought, he understood her meaning and said, "Lord Jiang is magnanimous."
He placed the teacup in front of Jiang Yu. "Is Lord Jiang also struggling with fate?"
Jiang Yu picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and said, "I am striving for my ideals."
Her tone was casual, as if she were joking. But Prince An pondered her words in his mind. He wanted to ask Jiang Yu what her ideal was, but realized that their relationship didn't seem close enough to warrant that.
"Why did Your Highness summon me here?" Jiang Yu asked directly.
Prince An looked at her, paused for a moment, and then said, "Does Lord Jiang think that Tang Boyang knew about the embezzlement of military supplies?"
Jiang Yu also looked at him, and their eyes met. Jiang Yu did not look away, but looked into the deep eyes of Prince An and said, "Your Highness Prince An is saying that perhaps I have been used as a tool by him."
Prince An looked into her eyes and asked, "So, how does Lord Jiang intend to respond?"
Jiang Yu withdrew her gaze, turned to look at the vibrant plum blossoms outside the window, and then asked, "What kind of person is Prince Kang?"
Prince An had not expected her to ask Prince Kang so directly. He lowered his eyes and thought for a moment before saying, "Gentle, wise, and respectful to scholars."
"Hehe..." Jiang Yu chuckled twice, then said, "That's what I heard too."
This implies that he wasn't telling the truth, a point Prince An didn't refute. He genuinely didn't know his elder brother, nor had he investigated him; the information he possessed was naturally hearsay.
Jiang Yu didn't get the answer she wanted from Prince An, nor was she disappointed. She answered the question Prince An had just asked her, "Tang Boyang used me as a knife, so naturally this knife will cut people. But who he cuts is not up to him."
Prince An smiled and said, "If you need anything, Lord Jiang, please don't hesitate to ask."
Jiang Yu picked up the teacup in front of him and raised it, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Prince An also picked up his teacup, saying, "Lord Jiang, you're too kind."
The two smiled at each other, and Jiang Yu said, "Tomorrow is Tang Boyang's mother's birthday. He personally sent me an invitation and said he would arrange for me to be among the male guests."
Prince An frowned. "He might have some kind of plan."
“That’s what I think too,” Jiang Yu said. “So, we should soon find out who he wants me to kill.”
Prince An's furrowed brows did not unfurrow as he said, "Be careful."
Jiang Yu thought he was just being polite and concerned, so she smiled and said, "Thank you, I will."
Prince An tightened his grip on the cup; he was genuinely worried. Although she was as clever as anyone else, she was, after all, a woman.
He added, "The Marquis of Anyuan's residence will probably send people too, right?"
Jiang Yu then realized that his concern earlier was not just politeness, so he said seriously, "I have already spoken to the Marquis of Anyuan's mansion, the Duke of Wei's mansion, and some other families that are on good terms with the Duke of Chu's mansion. I don't think Tang Boyang would be foolish enough to plot against me at the banquet."
Although the Duke of Chu's mansion is not large in number, it has a considerable network of connections, and Jiang Yu will not be alone at tomorrow's banquet.
Prince An was somewhat relieved. "Be careful."
“Okay.” Jiang Yu’s tone was sincere. Prince An looked at her and a thought suddenly popped into his mind: What kind of man could be worthy of a woman like her?
The moment those words flashed through his mind, he looked away from Jiang Yu's face, feeling like he was going crazy for suddenly thinking about this problem.
Having said what needed to be said, Jiang Yu didn't intend to stay any longer and got up to take her leave. Prince An also knew that Jiang Yu shouldn't stay there for too long, so he didn't try to stop her and saw her to the door.
Jiang Yu mounted his horse and bowed to Prince An, saying, "Your Highness, farewell."
"Farewell." Prince An returned the greeting with a cupped hand, watching Jiang Yu's figure disappear into the vast white snow. He remained standing at the door until a member of the Imperial Guard approached and said, "Your Highness, there is new information."
Prince An snapped out of his reverie, turned back, and listened to his subordinates' report. But throughout the process, his mind wandered several times...
.........
Jiang Yu didn't linger outside and rode directly back to the Duke of Chu's mansion. She went to the Duke of Chu first and told him about her meeting with Prince An before returning to her own courtyard, where she found Lu Yifang there.
Upon seeing her, Lu Yifang said, "I thought you wouldn't go out today since you're on your day off. I didn't tell you yesterday, but I asked a female physician from the palace to check your pulse."
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