Chapter 183 Killing Jiang Yu
Lan Mudan is in her thirties, while Xie Lei is sixteen or seventeen. Given the close relationship between Lan Mudan and Xie Zihui, it's not impossible that Xie Lei is Lan Mudan's son.
If this is true, does Madam Xie know about it? If Madam Xie doesn't know, she must also have her own children. Where are Madam Xie's children?
Thinking of this, Jiang Yu recalled the incident of Jiang Jiamu and Jiang Jiarong being switched, and the fact that Aunt Zhao and Lan Mudan were acquaintances. If Xie Lei really was Lan Mudan's son, then things were going to get interesting.
What they did to the Duke of Chu's mansion will one day come back to haunt them.
Jiang Yu then thought of how she was abducted when she was a child. Who did it?
"Lord Duke, Madam has arrived." Dongxue's voice rang out from outside, and Jiang Yu got up and went out.
"I heard you were back, so I came to see you," Lu Yifang said with a smile.
Jiang Yu followed her into the small flower hall and said, "I had a cup of tea with Prince An and Prince Rui, and then I came back."
Upon hearing this, Lu Yifang immediately asked, "Has something happened again?"
The Duke of Chu's mansion hadn't had much contact with Prince An and Prince Rui before, but now that Jiang Yu was having tea with them, things were clearly not simple.
Jiang Yu didn't hide anything from her and told her about the tax embezzlement case, then said, "I thought I'd take advantage of the fact that they're less vigilant during the New Year to quickly find out what happened."
“These people are really bold,” Lu Yifang said involuntarily, then added, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”
Jiang Yu nodded. She knew Lu Yifang wasn't a talkative person and was tactful in her social interactions, which was why she told her. As the matriarch of the household, there were some things she needed to know.
"I punished Aunt Gui by making her copy Buddhist scriptures for a month, and Fifth Sister was also confined to her quarters for a month," Lu Yifang said. "She usually seems so well-behaved, but I didn't expect her to be so ambitious. She even wants to compete with Yuanyuan, without considering her own status."
Everyone has their biases, and Lu Yifang was one of them, as was Jiang Yu. Although they favored Jiang Yuan a bit, Jiang Yuan's food, clothing, and daily necessities were not of a higher standard than those of the other young ladies in the mansion; they simply kept her by their side to raise her.
Some might say that keeping Jiang Yuan by her side to raise her is the greatest act of favoritism. But so what if she does show favoritism? Can't she have her own preferences?
Every child in the Duke of Chu's mansion has an equal opportunity to study. If you want to stand out, you should study hard and grow. Those who are always looking at what others have will not amount to much.
"Mother can handle the matters in the backyard." Jiang Yu didn't take the trouble caused by Aunt Gui to heart.
She added, "My brother wants to read the works of the Mohists. I mentioned it to Prince Rui today, and he told my brother to go to his residence to choose books. I have a lot of things to do here, so please tell my brother."
Hearing this, Lu Yifang felt a warmth in her heart. For a mother, seeing her children get along well brings her more joy than anything else.
“Okay, I’ll go tell your brother right away. He’ll be very happy.” Lu Yifang said, standing up. She knew Jiang Yu was busy and didn’t want to take up any more of her time.
Jiang Yu saw her to the door, and as they parted, Lu Yifang said again, "Look at my memory, I forgot something so important. I saw your mother yesterday and told her to invite the couple to spend the New Year at our house, and she agreed."
She was referring to Cheng Yunxiu and Jiang Mingchang, and Jiang Yu was very happy to hear that. "Thank you, Mother."
“I will always remember their kindness,” Lu Yifang said. “They came to this unfamiliar capital city with you, so we should take extra care of them.”
"Go back and get back to your work." Lu Yifang patted Jiang Yu's hand and left, heading towards Jiang Jiamu's courtyard. When she arrived, Jiang Jiamu was reading by the fire. Upon seeing her, he immediately stood up and said, "Mother."
Lu Yifang walked over and sat down, asking, "How are you feeling today?"
Jiang Jiamu nodded, "My son is doing well, thank you for your concern, Mother."
"You're always so polite, child." Lu Yifang sighed. The fact that her two children didn't grow up by her side was the biggest regret of her life.
Looking at the book in his hand, Lu Yifang added, "Your sister met Prince Rui today and, knowing you wanted to read Mozi's books, mentioned it to him. Prince Rui said you can go to his residence to choose books when you have time."
"Really?" Jiang Jiamu asked with delight.
Lu Yifang was happy to see him, but she said, "Your sister's meeting with Prince Rui must not be told to outsiders."
“My son knows,” Jiang Jiamu said immediately.
Just then, Wu Zhengyan returned; she had just gone out with Jiang Yunkang. Lu Yifang spoke with the couple for a while before getting up to leave. The New Year was approaching, and she had many things to do.
After she left, Jiang Jiamu told Wu Zhengyan about borrowing books from Prince Rui's Mansion. Wu Zhengyan was touched and said, "My little sister is really kind."
Jiang Jiamu nodded, relieved that he could leave this world without worry.
...
Xie Ning'an escorted Princess Yalin to the Yong Prince's residence. After returning home, she went directly to see Xie Yun and told him that she had seen Jiang Yu, as well as Prince An and Prince Rui, at the teahouse. She then said, "I wasn't sure if Jiang Yu was having tea with Prince An and Prince Rui, so I tried to find out, but I didn't find out anything."
Xie Yun pondered for a while with drooping eyelids and said, "Prince Rui does not participate in court affairs and does not go out often, but he is extremely intelligent, so it is normal that you cannot find out his true nature."
After a moment of silence, he continued, "There are no coincidences without a reason. If Jiang Yu really was having tea with Prince An and Prince Rui..."
His expression turned serious, as did Xie Ning'an's. He said, "Jiang Yu discovered the embezzlement of military supplies in the Ministry of Revenue's warehouse. Could he have discovered something else as well?"
Xie Yun clasped his hands together. "Even though the Prince of Kang's actions were very discreet, they were still discovered. His other deeds must have been as well."
"Then...about taxes?" Xie Ning'an's expression was also unusually serious.
Xie Yun remained silent for a long time before saying, "This Jiang Yu seems to have been born to counter us. If that's the case, then let's take the initiative."
Xie Ning'an's heart skipped a beat. "Why take the initiative?"
Xie Yun: "Kill Jiang Yu."
“No,” Xie Ning’an said immediately.
Xie Yun heard the urgency in his voice and looked at him with deep eyes. Xie Ning'an knew that he had almost given away his thoughts, but his expression remained unchanged as he said, "Jiang Yu solved the case of embezzlement in military supplies and made a great contribution, but the Emperor did not promote him. Why?"
Xie Yun thought for a moment, "The Emperor has ordered Jiang Yu to investigate other cases, and we'll reward him together then."
He slumped back in his chair, saying, "The Emperor knows too."
Xie Ning'an: "So killing Jiang Yu at this time is tantamount to exposing oneself."
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