Chapter 179 should be a good emperor.
People who are serious about their work naturally have an aura about them, not to mention Prince Rui's appearance, which seems to have been enhanced with a beauty filter. Jiang Yu felt that she shouldn't look at Prince Rui too much, otherwise her mind would be easily disturbed.
She picked up her teacup, lowered her eyes, and took a small sip. At that moment, Prince An said, "Uncle, we agreed that you should first study how gunpowder can exert its power on the battlefield."
These words made Jiang Yu put down her cup and look at the two of them. If they had developed firearms, and with her help, perhaps the century of humiliation in her previous life would not have happened.
Jiang Yu felt a surge of excitement.
Then Prince Rui said, "We should study gunpowder weapons first. I was just telling the Duke of Chu my thoughts."
Prince An smiled ingratiatingly at Prince Rui, but Prince Rui ignored him and instead looked at Jiang Yu and said, "Jingwei asked me to first study how to use gunpowder on the battlefield, as it's too risky to start a large-scale operation now."
Jiang Yu nodded, "Only with powerful weapons and an army can we deter villains, ensure national stability, and expand our territory."
These words stunned Prince Rui and Prince An. They knew that Jiang Yu was no ordinary woman, but they did not expect her to have such courage, ambition and vision.
"Expanding territory." Prince An pondered these words, his gaze gradually hardening.
Jiang Yu glanced at Prince An and thought that if he were emperor, he might be more decisive than the current emperor. The current emperor was not a foolish ruler, but he lacked decisiveness.
Jiang Yu had researched the territory and history of Da Gan. She discovered that it seemed to be a parallel universe to the one she lived in her previous life. The historical trajectory of the two universes was roughly the same; based on her past life's history, she calculated that the present Da Gan was equivalent to the Qing Dynasty in her previous life. However, she was unsure what stage of development the West had reached at this time.
Therefore, she strongly agreed with Prince Rui's research into weapons and the idea that having powerful weapons and an army would prevent a major conflict when the West brought artillery, unlike the Qing Dynasty in her previous life, which only resulted in paying reparations and ceding territory.
"What business does Your Highness have with me?" Jiang Yu changed the subject.
While researching weapons is important, it's not the most pressing matter. For Jiang Yu, solving the case is the most important thing right now.
Prince An regained his composure and looked at Jiang Yu, saying, "Regarding the tax embezzlement case, is there anything the Embroidered Uniform Guard needs to do?"
Seeing that the two were discussing the case, Prince Rui picked up his book and continued reading carefully. Jiang Yu glanced at him, then turned to Prince An and asked, "Does Your Highness think the Xie family is the real mastermind behind the tax embezzlement case?"
An Wan curled his lips into a smile. He knew that Jiang Yu must have also realized that the Xie family was not the real mastermind.
"The King of Lingnan," he said directly.
Seeing his directness, Jiang Yu didn't try to hide anything and asked, "I heard that Your Highness has been investigating the previous case of smuggling salt. May I ask what the results of the investigation are?"
Prince An said with a smile in his eyes, "The Duke of Chu seems quite concerned about this matter."
Jiang Yu knew he had always suspected that the Duke of Chu's mansion was involved in the salt smuggling case. However, even though they were now cooperating, she wouldn't tell Prince An about it.
She said, "It's just that I'm interested."
Prince An glanced at him again, then stopped pursuing the topic and said, "I suspect that the mastermind behind the salt smuggling is the Prince of Lingnan, but I haven't found any concrete evidence yet."
Jiang Yu: "He may also be the mastermind behind this tax smuggling case."
Prince An remained silent after hearing this. Jiang Yu continued, "Let's assume that the Prince of Lingnan has rebellious intentions. What would he need if he wanted to rebel?"
Prince An: "Soldiers, money."
“Yes,” Jiang Yu said. “The King of Lingnan has troops, but Lingnan is barren, and he doesn’t have enough silver.”
Prince An nodded in agreement, "But all of this is just our speculation. The Prince of Lingnan is a cunning old man, and it will be very difficult to find evidence against him."
Jiang Yu: "If the premise that the King of Lingnan is the mastermind holds true, then the Xie family and he are in a cooperative relationship. What if the two families turn against each other?"
Prince An frowned: "Both Xie Yun and the Prince of Lingnan are shrewd and calculating people. Even if they have conflicts, they won't expose each other."
Jiang Yu hummed in agreement. "What if it's unavoidable?"
Prince An picked up the teapot and poured her a cup of tea. "What are your thoughts?"
Jiang Yu: "Based on the known clues, it's only a matter of time before the investigation leads back to the Xie family. If the Xie family is made to bear all the blame, what will be the legal consequences for them?"
Prince An: "Exterminate nine generations of the family, but given the Xie family's power, His Majesty will not do so for the time being."
"Hmm, what if His Majesty makes a show of eliminating the Xie family even at the cost of his own life?" Jiang Yu said, looking at Prince An.
Prince An remained silent for a while before saying, "The Xie family will have another option: to cooperate with the Prince of Lingnan... and rebel."
"If that's the case, can we eliminate them?" Jiang Yu asked.
Prince An: "Yes, but there will be many sacrifices, and the common people will suffer the most."
His words made Jiang Yu look at him with new respect. If he could resolve the Xie family and the Prince of Lingnan in one fell swoop, the emperor would surely change his opinion of him. In that case, he would be one step closer to inheriting the throne.
However, his first thought was that war would result in many sacrifices and that the common people would suffer. Based on this alone, if he were to ascend the throne, he would likely be a good emperor.
"I was a bit too hasty," Jiang Yu said apologetically.
After thinking it over all night, she did have the idea of uprooting the Xie family this time. But now it seems she still has to take it slow.
Prince An glanced at her, confirming once again that the Chu State Duke's Mansion was involved in the salt smuggling case. Otherwise, why would Jiang Yu want to kill the Xie family when the Chu State Duke's Mansion and the Xie family had no enmity?
However, he believed that the Duke of Chu's mansion would not be involved in the smuggling of salt. He just didn't know how the Duke of Chu's mansion had gotten involved.
“The privately minted official silver has already been circulated. I checked the files and found that last year’s tax silver from Lingnan, Jiangzhou, and Linwu County was used for river management funds, military salaries, and disaster relief funds for the plague in Xiangyun County this year. Please investigate along these three lines to find the privately minted silver,” Jiang Yu said.
“Alright,” Prince An replied. “This case needs to be handled as soon as possible, while they are off guard during the New Year.”
Jiang Yu agreed and nodded in agreement.
The two discussed the details of the case further. Throughout the discussion, Prince Rui remained engrossed in his book, completely undisturbed. Jiang Yu thought that if Prince Rui were in modern times, he would undoubtedly be an outstanding scientist.
Having said what needed to be said, Jiang Yu got up to leave. She glanced at Prince Rui, who was engrossed in his book, and wanted to say goodbye, but not wanting to disturb him, she bowed to him and turned to leave.
As they reached the door, Prince Rui's voice came, "May I visit the Duke of Chu's residence in the future?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
