Chapter 207 Ning An apologizes to you, including the Xie family.
It was the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, one day closer to the New Year, and the weather was getting colder. Listening to the howling wind outside, Jiang Yu wrapped herself tighter in her blanket; she wanted to sleep in today.
Just as she closed her eyes again, about to fall asleep again, Xia He's voice rang out, "Lord Duke, Xie Ning'an, the eldest son of the Xie family, has come to visit."
Jiang Yu opened her eyes. "Where is he?"
Xia He: "In the hall."
Jiang Yu thought for a moment and then said, "Get up."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xia He waved to the outside, and several maids came in. After Jiang Yu got out of bed, they helped her wash up. As Jiang Yu washed up, she wondered why Xie Ning'an had come to visit so early.
Putting aside the fact that it's unusual for him to visit given the relationship between their two families, especially so early in the morning.
After washing up, she came out of her bedroom. Li Zhong was waiting outside. Upon seeing her, he immediately bowed and said, "Young Master Xie said he wanted to visit you and the old Duke."
"Does Grandfather know?" Jiang Yu asked.
Li Zhong: "The old Duke woke up early and has been up for a while. He already knows about Young Master Xie's visit."
"Let's go." Jiang Yu walked towards the hall in the front courtyard. When he arrived, he saw Xie Ning'an sitting there calmly drinking tea. Upon seeing her, he immediately stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "I apologize for disturbing the Duke of Chu so early."
"No need for formalities, Young Master Xie." Jiang Yu walked to the main seat and sat down, looking at Xie Ning'an and asking, "Young Master Xie, what brings you here today?"
Xie Ning'an hesitated for a moment, "Ning'an wants to talk to the old Duke first."
Jiang Yu remained silent, her gaze fixed intently on him. Xie Ning'an met her eyes, and Jiang Yu saw a resolute determination in them.
"Alright, please." Jiang Yu got up and walked out, with Xie Ning'an walking a step behind him.
When they arrived at the Duke of Chu's courtyard, he was sitting on a couch reading a book, with a thick blanket draped over his legs. Jiang Yu walked over and said, "Grandfather, Young Master Xie has arrived."
The old Duke of Chu put down the book in his hand and looked at Xie Ning'an. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Xie Ning'an lift his robe and kneel down in front of him. "My Xie family has made an unforgivable mistake against your family. I, Ning'an, apologize to you on behalf of the Xie family."
He placed his hands on the ground, his forehead against the back of his hands, his whole body almost prostrate on the ground—this was the greatest form of kneeling worship.
The old Duke of Chu turned and exchanged a glance with Jiang Yu, both seeing the gravity in each other's eyes. Xie Ning'an's kneeling was not a good thing for them, nor for the current situation.
However, it must be said that Xie Ning'an's actions at this moment are the best way for the Xie family to break the deadlock.
The old Duke of Chu looked at him and remained silent for a moment before saying, "Both our families are long-established households in the capital. We have lived together in the capital for over two hundred years without any previous conflicts. I would like to know why your Xie family is suddenly plotting against us?"
This has always been a source of confusion for the old Duke of Chu. There's no enmity between them, and opposing the Duke of Chu's mansion wouldn't bring much benefit to the Xie family. Why would they scheme against the Duke of Chu's mansion?
Xie Ning'an straightened his back, but his knees remained on the ground. Even so, he perfectly embodied the phrase "a gentleman as fine as jade." Jiang Yu couldn't help but think to herself, "It's no wonder Princess Yalin is so infatuated with him."
“I think the old Duke of Chu and the Duke of Chu are well aware of what my Xie family has done,” Xie Ning’an said calmly, as if she were not kneeling on the ground. “Whether it was smuggling salt or privately minting official silver, it was all done in cooperation with the Prince of Lingnan. The scheme to get you to buy the ship for smuggling salt was also at the behest of the Prince of Lingnan.”
These words shocked Jiang Yu and the old Duke of Chu, as they had no grudges against the King of Lingnan!
"Why did the King of Lingnan plot against us?" Jiang Yu asked.
Xie Ning'an looked at her and shook her head, saying, "I don't know."
"Does your grandfather know?" Jiang Yu asked again.
Xie Ning'an shook her head again, "I discussed this matter with my grandfather, but he didn't know about it either."
Jiang Yu and the old Duke of Chu exchanged glances, and the old Duke of Chu said, "Get up."
However, Xie Ning'an remained kneeling and did not move. He looked at the old Duke of Chu and Jiang Yu and said, "I know that my Xie family has committed heinous crimes and should be executed along with nine generations of our family according to the law. But the ones who committed those heinous crimes were my grandfather and me. The others are innocent."
"In a moment, I will go to the palace to plead guilty to the Emperor. Before that, I hope to receive the forgiveness of the Duke of Chu's mansion. My grandfather and I are not worth dying for; I only hope that my innocent Xie family members can live on."
After saying this, he pressed his forehead against the back of his hand and knelt down.
A deathly silence fell over the room as Jiang Yu and the old Duke of Chu exchanged glances. They both understood Xie Ning'an's meaning: he wanted to confess everything to the Emperor and then use the Xie family's current leverage to negotiate with him. However, he feared that the Duke of Chu's mansion would not let the Xie family off the hook and would say things detrimental to them before the Emperor.
Therefore, before going to the palace, he first went to the Duke of Chu's mansion to try to gain their forgiveness.
Jiang Yu and the old Duke of Chu remained silent. They were both unwilling to let the Xie family go, feeling that they hadn't yet gotten rid of their pent-up anger. However, continuing to pursue the Xie family would also be detrimental to their own Duke of Chu's mansion.
The likely outcome of Xie Ning'an's negotiations with the Emperor is that the Xie family's Jufeng Money Shop will be nationalized, and the Xie family will withdraw all its influence from the court. Under such circumstances, if they were to try to wipe out the Xie family, the Emperor would probably be displeased.
After a while, the old Duke of Chu said, "Get up."
Fearing he would still remain kneeling, Jiang Yu went over, bent down, and took his arm, lifting it slightly. Xie Ning'an turned to look at her; the two were very close, so close that Xie Ning'an could almost see the fine pores on Jiang Yu's face.
His heart, which had remained calm even when kneeling before the old Duke of Chu, began to pound wildly. He immediately lowered his eyes, rose with Jiang Yu's help, and dared not look at Jiang Yu again, saying, "Thank you, Duke of Chu."
"No need." Jiang Yu released his arm, walked back to her seat and sat down. Receiving a look from the old Duke of Chu, she said, "Since Young Master Xie has already done so much, we will not be unreasonable. Let's just let bygones be bygones."
"Thank you." Xie Ning'an bowed deeply again, then took out a small box from his sleeve and placed it beside Jiang Yu. "This is a villa of my Xie family, containing some treasures. I am giving it to your family as an apology."
Jiang Yu glanced at the exquisite little box, then looked at Xie Ning'an and said, "I hope Young Master Xie has a safe trip."
She was referring to Xie Ning'an's upcoming trip to the palace. Seeing Xie Ning'an like this, her hatred for the Xie family lessened considerably. If the Xie family didn't cause any more trouble, the two families could coexist peacefully.
"Thank you, Ning'an will take her leave." Xie Ning'an bowed to the two of them again, then stepped out. Jiang Yu asked Li Zhong to see him off.
When Xie Ning'an arrived, he entered through the back door. Li Zhong escorted him to the back door and watched Xie Ning'an walk out, heading alone towards the palace. His figure was desolate and lonely, and Li Zhong sighed heavily.
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