Chapter 148: It seems some people have already paid the price for their arrogance.
“If Princess Consort Kang were in good health, the interests between the Tang family and Prince Kang could remain intertwined,” Jiang Yu said. “But now Princess Consort Kang is in poor health and may not last much longer. Therefore, the bond of their interests has been severed.”
The Duke of Chu hummed in agreement, "I'm afraid it's not just that."
Jiang Yu frowned and pondered for a moment after hearing this, then said, "Yesterday, before Physician Liu came to take my pulse, she went to see Princess Kang. Later, I gleaned some information from Physician Liu..."
Jiang Yu recounted her conversation with Physician Liu, and then said, "I suspect that Princess Kang's illness was caused by Prince Kang. Perhaps Prince Kang has a particular hobby."
The Duke of Chu, being so old and a man, understands some men's preferences better than Jiang Yu. He nodded after hearing this and said, "Perhaps."
“It is difficult to gain trust in a person who appears gentle and virtuous on the outside but is completely different on the inside,” Jiang Yu added.
Duke of Chu: "Princess Kang's health is failing, and Prince Kang has no intention of continuing to make the Tang family's daughter his princess, so Tang Boyang is afraid. He's afraid that Prince Kang will discard her after he's served his purpose."
Jiang Yu nodded. "The embezzlement of military supplies will be exposed sooner or later. If the mastermind behind the embezzlement is Prince Kang, then who will be the best scapegoat?"
Duke of Chu: "Tang Boyang, who is the Minister of Revenue."
The grandfather and grandson exchanged glances, and Jiang Yu continued, "So, Tang Boyang wanted to extricate himself, but he couldn't let Prince Kang know, lest Prince Kang push him out as a scapegoat in advance. So, he asked me to go to the archives to organize official documents. He wanted to use my hands to get rid of Prince Kang and remove the hidden danger on him."
The Duke of Chu leaned back on the couch, deep in thought. After a while, he said, "Our original plan was to put you in the Ministry of Personnel, but Pei Chengkun proposed that you be put in the Ministry of Revenue. Was he doing this intentionally or unintentionally? Is he involved in this matter?"
"We'll only know the answer when we get to the end," Jiang Yu said.
"What do you decide to do?" the Duke of Chu asked.
Jiang Yu already had the answer in her heart. She said, "Continue to investigate, investigate to the end. Now that the springboard has been delivered to my feet, I have no reason not to step on it. But it won't be so easy for Tang Boyang to extricate himself. This knife of mine is not so easy to use."
The Duke of Chu laughed, “Alright, but we need to hurry. I’m afraid the King of Kang might do something rash.”
Jiang Yu sneered, "I'm afraid some people have already paid the price for their arrogance."
After the grandfather and grandson finished their conversation, Jiang Yu returned to his Yunfeng Courtyard, wrote a letter, and handed it to Li Zhong, asking him to send it to the Prince An's residence.
...
The self-righteous people Jiang Yu was referring to were naturally Madam Tang and Princess Kang. Madam Tang had been severely reprimanded by Tang Boyang, losing all face. Princess Kang's situation, however, was far worse.
Back at the Kang Prince's residence, the Kang Prince grabbed the Kang Princess's wrist and dragged her into her courtyard. The Kang Princess was already on her deathbed, needing assistance to walk. Now, being dragged by the Kang Prince, she nearly fainted upon reaching her courtyard.
Prince Kang showed no intention of letting her go. He threw Princess Kang onto the bed, gripping her chin tightly with his hand. His expression was no longer gentle and refined, but rather filled with obsessive madness.
"You said you're about to die, yet you still cause me trouble. Do you think that because your father is the Minister of Revenue, I can't do anything to you?"
Princess Kang was completely exhausted. She tried her best to keep her gaze focused and said with tears streaming down her face, "I know you've never cared about me, but think about our two children. I've done all this for them."
"Hehehe..."
King Kang laughed and released his grip, watching his wife fall onto the bed. He said, "Don't say anything nice. I know all about your Tang family's schemes and your own. You can have children, but so can others. I think if Jiang Yu were to give me a child, it would be exceptionally intelligent."
At this point, a wistful look crossed his face, and he said, "A woman who can solve exam questions harder than the imperial examinations... I wonder what she tastes like in bed. It's said she and that Qi Yuanhong haven't even consummated their marriage yet, hahaha..."
He beckoned, and several palace maids entered. They carried strange-looking objects and approached the bed with smiles. When Princess Kang saw them, she trembled involuntarily.
Prince Kang, however, seemed oblivious, or rather, he reveled in Princess Kang's fear. He laughed as he undressed, and soon, the room was filled with ambiguous moans and painful screams…
...
Prince An had been keeping a close eye on the banquet at the Tang residence all day, and news of Prince Kang's attempt to shield Jiang Yu from drinking at the banquet quickly reached his ears. From then on, his face remained gloomy, and the Imperial Guards beside him dared not utter a sound.
Just then, a member of the Imperial Guard trotted over, announced the arrival, and entered the room to see Prince An's face, as black as the bottom of a pot. He quickly said, "Your Highness, a letter has arrived from the Duke of Chu's residence."
Prince An's eyes gleamed almost imperceptibly as he took the letter from the Imperial Guard and waved for him to leave. Unbeknownst to him, the corners of his lips were turned up in a wide smile.
Upon opening the letter, he saw Jiang Yu's vigorous and powerful handwriting, and the corners of his lips involuntarily turned up again.
Jiang Yu briefly recounted what happened at the Tang family's house that day, then analyzed the breakdown in the relationship between the Tang family and Prince Kang. Finally, she suspected that Prince Kang was the mastermind behind the embezzlement case and suggested that when investigating Hong Yong, he could align himself with Prince Kang.
After reading it, Prince An summoned the Imperial Guards stationed outside and instructed them to investigate whether Hong Yong had any connection with Prince Kang's residence. Two Imperial Guards immediately went to investigate, while Prince An snorted coldly, put away the letter written by Jiang Yu, and headed towards the palace.
Upon arriving at the palace, the Emperor was not in the Imperial Study; the eunuch said he had gone to the Empress's quarters. Prince An stood outside the Imperial Study to wait. More than a quarter of an hour later, the Emperor returned and, upon seeing him, said, "Come in."
Prince An acknowledged and followed the emperor into the imperial study. After the emperor sat down, he said, "There has been some progress in the case of the smuggled salt..."
He recounted the results of his investigation and concluded, "Although many leads have gone cold, I still suspect Lingnan."
The emperor narrowed his eyes and remained silent. Prince An then said, "Today is the birthday of the Minister of Revenue's mother, and the Prince of Lingnan has sent a gift."
The emperor raised his eyes to look at him, and after a moment said, "I heard that the former Prince of Lingnan and Tang Boyang's mother were cousins, but they were cousins two generations apart."
Prince An remained silent, as if his words had been merely casual remarks. As the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it was only natural for him to say such a thing, especially since they now suspected the Prince of Lingnan of harboring rebellious intentions.
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