Chapter 165 If only we could have a marriage alliance
Jiang Yu hadn't slept all night. The Duke of Chu chatted with her for a few more minutes before urging her to go back and catch up on her sleep. Jiang Yu was indeed quite tired, so she got up and returned to her own courtyard.
When she arrived, she saw Lu Yifang and Wu Zhengyan there as well. The two of them didn't chat with her much. They watched as Granny Liao applied medicine to the wound on her wrist and then left.
Jiang Yu was really tired, so she went straight back to her room to rest without washing up.
Prince An's Mansion
Prince An listened to his subordinate's report: "After leaving the palace, Marquis Chengen and Marquis Jinyang followed Duke Chu and Lord Jiang back to Duke Chu's residence. They left about half an hour later."
“Well, we don’t need to keep an eye on Jiang Yu and the Duke of Chu’s mansion anymore,” said Prince An.
"Yes." The Imperial Guard responded and left. Prince An also returned to his quarters to rest; he hadn't slept a wink all night. But just as he lay down, someone reported that Prince Rui had arrived.
He immediately got up and went to Prince Rui's courtyard at Prince An's residence. When he arrived, Prince Rui was changing clothes. After sitting down, he said, "Uncle, you really took a huge risk this time."
Prince Rui glanced at him and said, "I know what I'm doing."
"But you should at least have informed me beforehand!" Prince An was still shaken. When he first learned that Prince Rui had gone missing, his mind went blank.
Prince Rui, however, seemed completely unconcerned. He smiled and said, "I knew you would definitely come looking for me."
Prince An sighed, "In the future, if anything happens, please let me know in advance."
Seeing his worried expression, Prince Rui patted his shoulder and said, "I guessed at the time that someone deliberately led me to Funiu Mountain, so I didn't dare to contact anyone. There must have been someone watching me. If I had contacted you, I wouldn't know why someone led me to Funiu Mountain."
At this point, he sighed and said, "I just didn't expect it to be Jing Chen, and I certainly didn't expect him to have treasonous intentions. My brother must be very sad right now."
He was somewhat worried about the emperor, but he couldn't say anything about it. Sometimes it was quite sad; he knew the emperor genuinely cared for him, and his feelings for the emperor were also heartfelt, but they couldn't confide in each other because that was the emperor.
Prince An, however, did not believe the emperor would be deeply saddened. He might feel sorrow, but it wouldn't affect his health or his ability to review memorials. He couldn't tell Prince Rui this, though, because Prince Rui was raised by the emperor himself, and Prince Rui's feelings for the emperor surpassed those for him.
“He’s too hasty,” said Prince An.
After listening to his words, Prince Rui looked at him seriously and said, "Ah Wei, I know that my brother has been unfair to you, and I have no way to judge it. I only hope that if you have great ambitions, you will not hurt him."
This "he" naturally refers to the emperor.
Prince An smiled, "Uncle, don't worry, I will get what I want fair and square."
Prince Rui patted him on the shoulder, "Tell me when you need me."
Prince An nodded without ceremony, and Prince Rui sat on the edge of the bed and asked him, "Was it Jiang Yu from the Duke of Chu's mansion who discovered Jing Chen's matter?"
Prince An nodded and recounted how Jiang Yu discovered the embezzlement of military supplies and how the two cooperated. After listening, Prince Rui said, "She is meticulous, courageous, and resourceful. Jiang Yu's future achievements are immeasurable. I imagine she will be promoted after this matter is resolved."
“Yes!” Prince An couldn’t help but smile. “Not to mention a woman, even a man couldn’t do what she did.”
Prince Rui got into bed and said, "Actually, women are often no less capable than men. Alright, you should go and rest too."
He lay down, and Prince An hummed in response before turning and leaving to go back to his room for some more sleep.
...........
Marquis Jinyang brought Li Zhengze home and looked at him without saying a word for a long time. This silence made Li Zhengze's heart pound. He whispered, "Father, you can scold me if you want, you can hit me if you want, but don't just stay silent like this."
Marquis of Jinyang: "...In the future, you should associate with Jiang Yu more and learn from him."
After saying that, he went straight into the study, and Li Zhengze quickly followed behind him. Actually, Li Zhengze was also quite uncomfortable. He was used to eating, drinking and having fun. In the past, when his father scolded him, he would always say, "Look at so-and-so who passed the imperial examination, look at so-and-so who did this and that."
At the time, he didn't feel much about it because the person his father mentioned wasn't in his circle and they didn't usually interact.
But Jiang Yu was different. Jiang Yu held the same position as him, was also assigned to the warehouse, and had even been in office longer than him. Yet, in just six months, Jiang Yu had accomplished so much and made such a significant contribution. The contrast was stark, and the difference was enormous.
After entering his study, the Marquis of Jinyang issued a series of orders to investigate Tang Boyang. Once everything was arranged, he got up and walked to the backyard, with Li Zheng following behind him with his head down.
Upon arriving at the residence of the Lady of Jinyang, she greeted them and asked, "What does the Emperor want with you at the palace?"
Before Marquis Jinyang could speak, the old lady's maidservant arrived. She looked Li Zhengze up and down, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he was alright. Then she smiled and bowed to Marquis Jinyang and his wife, saying, "The old lady was worried about the young master, so she sent this old servant to check on him."
Marquis Jinyang looked helpless. Li Zhengze was able to become a playboy because he was spoiled by his own mother.
"Seeing that the young master is alright, this old servant will go back to report to the old lady." After bowing, the old woman left. The Marquis of Jinyang entered the hall and told the Marquis of Jinyang about his trip to the palace. Then he said, "From now on, you should have more contact with the wife of the young master of the Duke of Chu."
Lady Jinyang was also surprised that Jiang Yu had done something so significant. Her face was full of admiration. "Don't worry, my lord, I will visit the Duke of Chu's mansion after this matter is over."
Marquis Jinyang nodded in agreement; he trusted his wife's abilities.
Lady Jinyang then looked at Li Zhengze and said, "Let's not talk about the past. This time, Jiang Yu has done us a favor. If things go well, even if you don't get promoted, your career will be smoother. Don't always think about playing around. Learn more from Jiang Yu, and ask him questions if you don't understand anything."
At this point, she realized that Jiang Yu was a woman, and added, "But we must also be careful not to overstep the mark, after all, she is not a man."
“Son understands,” Li Zhengze said obediently.
Lady Jinyang only had one son, so naturally she hoped everything would be well for him. She added, "This is an opportunity; you must seize it."
Although Lady Jinyang was a woman confined to the inner quarters, she knew that if she followed the right person, she could rise to prominence even without great talent.
“My son knows,” Li Zhengze added.
Marquis Jinyang waved for him to return to his courtyard. After he left, Marquis Jinyang's wife said, "The Duke of Chu's mansion doesn't have a suitable person to marry into our family. It would be great if we could arrange a marriage."
Marquis Jinyang naturally knew that marriage was the best foundation for cooperation between the two families, but without a suitable candidate, there was nothing he could do. He said, "You should spend more time with the wife of the heir of the Duke of Chu in the future."
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