Chapter 158 How much responsibility should the camp in the suburbs of the capital bear?
Imperial Study
The emperor paced anxiously back and forth in the imperial study. The chief eunuch, Zhao Fuquan, also looked anxious. He carefully said to the emperor, "Your Majesty, please don't worry. We have already notified Prince An, and he should be arriving soon."
"It's been so long, and he still hasn't come." The emperor stopped his anxious steps. "He'an was so good to him, and now that He'an is in trouble, he's not worried at all."
Zhao Fuquan: "......"
He felt a little sorry for Prince An. The eunuch who went to inform Prince An had only left less than a quarter of an hour ago, and probably hadn't even arrived at Prince An's residence yet.
At this moment, the Empress Dowager's personal maid arrived, and the Emperor asked her, "How is the Empress Dowager?"
"When the Empress Dowager heard the news of Prince Rui's disappearance, she almost fainted." The nanny said, glancing cautiously at the Emperor, "The Empress Dowager asked me to tell Your Majesty... if... if Prince Rui cannot be found safely, you should not go to see her."
The Emperor: "..." This is truly my dear mother.
But what could he say? He could only say, "Go back and tell the Empress Dowager that I will definitely find He'an."
The old woman bowed to the emperor and then left. She encountered Prince An at the door and immediately bowed to him, but Prince An continued into the imperial study without stopping.
"Your subject pays his respects..."
"Alright, no need for formalities." The Emperor interrupted Prince An's bow and said, "Are you aware that your uncle went to Mount Funiu to look for Zishan?"
Prince An shook his head, "Your subject has already sent all the Embroidered Uniform Guards to Mount Funiu."
The emperor's expression softened upon hearing this. "Take five hundred imperial guards and go look for him. If you can't find him, you don't need to come back."
He tossed Prince An a dragon-head jade pendant, and with this pendant and Prince An's status, he could mobilize the Imperial Guards.
Prince An accepted the jade pendant, bowed to the emperor, and hurried outside. Reaching a secluded corner, he beckoned to the Imperial Guard following behind him and whispered in his ear, "Go and inform Lord Jiang to act according to the circumstances..."
The Imperial Guard nodded and quickly left.
Jiang Yu naturally also received news of Prince Rui's disappearance. After hearing Li Zhong's report, he frowned and remained silent for a long time before saying, "Keep a close eye on the people at Prince Kang's residence. Prince Rui's disappearance is suspicious."
Li Zhong looked puzzled, and Jiang Yu explained to him, "Given the relationship between Prince Rui and Prince An, Prince An will definitely do everything he can to find him."
Li Zhong suddenly realized, "This way, Prince An will be implicated."
Jiang Yu nodded. "If I'm not mistaken, something big is about to happen."
"Miss," Xia He entered and reported, "Manager Hu has brought a member of the Imperial Guard."
Jiang Yu frowned slightly and had Steward Hu bring the person in. The Imperial Guard bowed to her and said, "My lord has instructed you to act according to the situation and has also sent me to accompany you in order to relay messages."
Jiang Yu looked at him intently, "Is your lord looking for Prince Rui?"
The Imperial Guard nodded. "His Majesty gave my lord five hundred Imperial Guards. Go find Prince Rui."
Jiang Yu lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment, then dismissed Li Zhong and led the Imperial Guard away. She leaned back in her chair, lost in thought. Although Prince Kang remained constantly by his wife's side at her mourning hall, his staff and attendants were constantly on the move. Now that Prince Rui had also disappeared, and Prince An was determined to find him, what would Prince Kang do if he had a private army?
A coup, or the transfer of private troops.
Thinking of this, she got up and walked towards the Duke of Chu's study. Upon seeing the Duke, she explained her thoughts, and he asked, "What do you intend to do?"
Jiang Yu: "I would like to see Marquis Chengen."
The Duke of Chu nodded. "Based on my understanding of the Marquis of Chengen, he wouldn't collude with the Prince of Kang. Although the Prince of Kang has always appeared very virtuous in public, he is currently in good health, and the Marquis of Chengen has no need to take any risks. Although the Crown Prince died young, and the Emperor hasn't given the Empress and the Marquis of Chengen any explanation, the Emperor's favor towards the Marquis of Chengen's household has been consistently strong over the years."
Moreover, I believe there must be some kind of deal between the Emperor and the Marquis of Chengen; otherwise, the Emperor wouldn't have entrusted the military camps outside the capital to the Marquis of Chengen so readily.
Jiang Yu nodded after hearing this, "I will go to see Marquis Chengen. You should prepare to meet the Emperor."
She is only a sixth-rank official and is not qualified to submit memorials directly to the emperor. Only the Duke of Chu can report the matter to the emperor.
"Yes, but anything can happen. Be careful when you meet Marquis Chengen," said the Duke of Chu. "However, even if Marquis Chengen is colluding with Prince Kang, he wouldn't dare detain you."
“I understand, that’s why I dared to go see him.” Jiang Yu understood perfectly. With the Duke of Chu’s mansion and the Marquis of Anyuan’s mansion behind her, even if the Marquis of Chengen had rebellious intentions, he wouldn’t dare to touch her unless he wanted to force her to abdicate immediately. But clearly, now was not a good time to force her to abdicate.
She stood up and walked out. The Duke of Chu watched her figure disappear through the door, then picked up paper, pen, and a blank memorial and began to write.
The Marquis of Chengen's residence and the Duke of Chu's residence were not far apart. Jiang Yu went out through the secret passage and rode his horse for less than a quarter of an hour to the side gate of the Marquis of Chengen's residence. He knocked on the door and then handed over the Duke of Chu's seal.
The gatekeeper of the Chengen Marquis's residence knew something was amiss as soon as he saw the seal. He immediately ran to report it, and soon the eldest son of the Chengen Marquis, the heir apparent, arrived.
Jiang Yu bowed to him, and the heir of the Marquis of Chengen immediately returned the bow and let her in. Entering through the side gate must mean something important was going on, but the heir of the Marquis of Chengen did not ask and led her directly to the Marquis of Chengen's study.
Jiang Yu bowed to Marquis Chengen and said, "I apologize for disturbing you, Uncle."
Marquis Chengen smiled and invited her to sit down. Jiang Yu sat opposite Marquis Chengen, while the Marquis's heir sat to the side, silently brewing tea.
"What is it, my dear niece?" Marquis Chengen asked bluntly.
At this moment, the heir of the Marquis of Chengen handed over a cup of tea. Jiang Yu took it and put it down, saying, "To be honest, Uncle, I have discovered some things in the Ministry of Revenue's storeroom, but the evidence is insufficient to report to the Emperor for the time being. However, I have a premonition that there will be unrest in the capital. After thinking it over, I think it would be better to inform you so that you can prepare accordingly."
Marquis Chengen held his teacup, his gaze fixed intently on Jiang Yu. Jiang Yu returned his gaze sincerely, their eyes meeting. Marquis Chengen's gaze was deep and sharp, while Jiang Yu's was calm and sincere.
The two exchanged a glance, and Marquis Chengen smiled, confirming once again that Chu's decision to elect Jiang Yu was the right one.
"What is it?" he asked.
Jiang Yu: "Embezzlement."
Marquis Cheng'en: "In what aspect?"
Jiang Yu looked at him in silence. Marquis Chengen frowned slightly, his gaze pressing down on Jiang Yu, who smiled at him, "I hope Uncle will forgive me, but I cannot speak now."
Marquis Chengen leaned back and looked at Jiang Yu, saying, "My niece's sincerity is not enough!"
Jiang Yu picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then said, "If chaos breaks out in the capital and cannot be controlled in time, how much responsibility will the suburban camp bear?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
