Chapter 180 I've never cared about anyone so much before
"May I visit the Duke of Chu's residence in the future?"
When Jiang Yu heard Prince Rui's words, she turned around and saw him standing up, looking at her seriously with a hint of caution.
Jiang Yu really wanted to know how this Prince Rui grew up. Not only did he not have any airs despite being in the royal family, but he could also consider things from other people's perspectives.
Let alone in the rigidly class-based society of ancient times, even in modern times, there aren't many people who can put themselves in other people's shoes and consider things from their perspective.
“Of course,” she said with a smile.
Prince Rui smiled upon hearing her words, and the entire room seemed to light up instantly.
"Thank you," he said.
"No need." Jiang Yu nodded to him again, then turned and left.
She hadn't walked far from the teahouse when she bumped into someone she knew somewhat—Xie Ning'an. Xie Ning'an also saw her, and their eyes met; both of them paused for a moment.
Because Princess Yalin was standing next to him, Jiang Yu took two steps forward and bowed to Princess Yalin, saying, "Greetings, Princess."
Although the two had never met, it was clear that Princess Yalin knew her. Princess Yalin quickly returned the greeting, saying, "Duke Chu, there's no need for such formalities."
At this moment, Xie Ning'an also bowed to Jiang Yu, "Duke of Chu, you've also come here for tea?"
"I heard the tea here is quite good, so I came to try it today since I had nothing else to do," Jiang Yu said. "I have to leave now because of some family matters, so I won't bother you any longer."
After she finished speaking, she turned and left. Xie Ning'an stared at her retreating figure, slightly lost in thought. Princess Yalin, seeing this, also looked at Jiang Yu's back and said, "Countless women in the capital envy the Duke of Chu's carefree attitude."
Xie Ning'an came to her senses and looked at Princess Yalin, saying, "Everyone has a different personality, so their styles of doing things are different. There is no good or bad in this. Princess Yalin is just fine this way."
Princess Yalin smiled shyly and turned to walk towards the tea room. As she passed a tea room, she caught a glimpse of two people inside: Prince An and Prince Rui. She frowned; Jiang Yu seemed to have just come out of this tea room.
I've never heard of the Duke of Chu's mansion having any connection with these two princes, let alone Jiang Yu.
“Princess, Prince Rui and Prince An are also having tea here,” Xie Ning’an said to Princess Yalin.
Princess Yalin was taken aback. Following his gaze, she looked through the half-open door and saw that it was indeed Prince Rui and Prince An inside. Since they were both members of the royal family, and Princess Yalin knew they were here, she naturally went to greet them.
She knocked gently on the door, "Uncle Wang, Brother Wang."
Upon hearing her voice, Prince An inside paused for a moment. Because they didn't want anyone to know they were meeting Jiang Yu, neither he nor Prince Rui had brought any servants; they hadn't expected to run into an acquaintance anyway.
He got up, walked to the door, and opened it. When he saw Xie Ning'an there, his eyes darkened.
"Brother Wang."
"Your Highness Prince An."
Ya Lin and Xie Ning'an bowed to Prince An, who nodded and invited them inside. Princess Ya Lin was about to decline, but Xie Ning'an spoke first, saying, "Then we'll have to bother you."
Prince An's expression remained unchanged as he gestured for them to enter. Xie Ning'an and Ya Lin followed him into the tea room, while Prince Rui was writing something with his head down.
Although Princess Yalin was not familiar with Prince Rui, she knew that when he was focused on something, he was unaware of the outside world. She wanted to bow to Prince Rui, but she was afraid of disturbing him.
Prince An glanced at Xie Ning'an out of the corner of his eye, then sat down and tapped the table, saying, "Uncle, Ya Lin has arrived."
Prince Rui grunted in response, without raising his head or stopping his pen, and said, "Sit down."
Ya Lin silently bowed to him, as did Xie Ning'an. Prince An asked them to sit down, picked up a teapot and poured tea for them, which they immediately accepted.
At this moment, Prince Rui put down his pen, looked up at Princess Yalin, and after a moment's thought, realized who she was. As for Xie Ning'an, he naturally knew her; she was the most outstanding talent of the Xie family's generation, even if he didn't follow foreign affairs.
He was unaware of Ya Lin's engagement to Xie Ning, but he didn't care; it was none of his business. He nodded to the two of them to acknowledge their presence, then continued reading what he had been writing.
His somewhat indifferent attitude created an awkward moment, prompting Prince An to defuse the situation by asking, "When is the wedding date?"
When Ya Lin was asked about her marriage, she blushed and lowered her head without saying a word. Xie Ning'an smiled and said, "The sixth day of the sixth lunar month."
“Auspicious day,” said Prince An. “I will definitely attend the wedding banquet.”
Xie Ning'an: "It would be my great honor."
The two exchanged a few more casual words, and Xie Ning'an suddenly said, "I just ran into the Duke of Chu; she's also here for tea."
Prince An knew he was being tested, and his expression remained unchanged. Prince Rui, who was writing something with his head down, looked up at him, then turned to Prince An and said, "Pour me a cup of tea."
"good."
Prince An picked up the teapot, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to Prince Rui. Prince Rui took it and drank it all in one gulp before continuing to write. Xie Ning'an lowered his eyes slightly. He wasn't sure if Prince Rui had only looked up when he heard Jiang Yu's name, or if he was genuinely thirsty.
He couldn't discern anything from Prince An either. After exchanging a few more words with Prince An, he rose to take his leave. Once the two had left, Prince Rui, holding a pen, asked Prince An, "Did he have any suspicions?"
Prince An nodded. "Perhaps."
"Then hurry up." Prince Rui began packing his things, then prepared to return to his residence. Prince An watched his movements thoughtfully; his uncle had never cared about anyone so much before.
He was focused on his work, but upon hearing a name, he would stop what he was doing.
However, Jiang Yu shared many of the same insights as Uncle Wang and gave him a lot of inspiration, so it's normal for Uncle Wang to care about Jiang Yu.
Suddenly he realized he was overthinking things. Jiang Yu wasn't a wicked person. What did it matter if Uncle Wang cared about her? Did he have to care who Uncle Wang associated with?
Prince An shook his head, watched as Prince Rui packed his things, and the two left together.
......
When Jiang Yu returned home, he went into his study and took out a piece of paper. On it, he wrote down the names of Kong Wenjie, the former Transport Commissioner of Jiangzhou; Shen Shunan, the current Transport Commissioner of Jiangzhou; Ma Kai, the Transport Commissioner of Lingnan; and Shi Shunan, the Transport Commissioner of Linwu County.
She looked at the four names on the paper. Kong Wenjie had been sentenced to death last year for embezzlement. If he was involved in tax embezzlement back then, why wasn't it discovered? Or was it covered up?
After Kong Wenjie, Shen Shunan became the transport commissioner of Jiangzhou. Did he participate in this?
The Shen family had produced officials for generations, but none of them held high-ranking positions. The highest-ranking official in the Shen family was Shen Shunan's father, a fourth-rank official. It is said that Shen Shunan obtained this position through many connections.
Shi Shun'an, the transport commissioner of Linwu County, married a distant relative of the Marquis of Changping after passing the imperial examination. It is said that the Marquis of Changping used his connections to secure this position for him. So, was the Marquis of Changping involved in a tax embezzlement case?
Furthermore, if the Earl of Changping had taken a liking to Shi Shun'an, why didn't he make him his son-in-law, but instead had him marry a daughter from a collateral branch? It's not like the Earl of Changping didn't have daughters of suitable age.
As for Ma Kai, the transport commissioner of Lingnan, he must be a man of the King of Lingnan.
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