Chapter 374 Jiang Yu, how dare you!
Although night had just fallen, the surroundings were quiet, which only added to the tense atmosphere. The people from the Duke of Chu's mansion and the people brought by the Crown Prince faced each other three steps apart, neither side showing any intention of backing down.
The gazes between Jiang Yu and the Crown Prince sparked intense tension...
"Lord Duke, Prince Rui is at the street corner. He sent Qingyan over to ask if we need him to come over," Xia He whispered in Jiang Yu's ear, in a voice only the two of them could hear.
"No need," Jiang Yu replied without hesitation.
Xia He looked at the Crown Prince with some worry. Although the Crown Prince did not bring many people, and although their Chu State Duke's Mansion could completely control the Crown Prince's people, he was still the Crown Prince. If they really did that, they would inevitably be accused of disrespecting imperial authority.
Prince Rui was also a member of the royal family and the Crown Prince's uncle. Once he arrived, they wouldn't need to say anything; while the Crown Prince's men were still in shock, they could seize the opportunity to snatch Bi'er back. She also believed that both Prince Rui and her master could provide a reason why Prince Rui had come to the Duke of Chu's mansion at this time.
But she knew her master's temperament; his words were not open to argument, especially at a time like this. She could only quickly leave and relay her message to Qingyan, who was hidden in the shadows.
The Crown Prince met Jiang Yu's confidante, whispered a few words to her, and then left. He was somewhat worried, fearing that Jiang Yu might have some other tricks up her sleeve. After all, his arrival at the Duke of Chu's residence late at night with his men wasn't exactly aboveboard.
While he was distracted, Jiang Yu took two steps forward and kicked the guard blocking Bi'er's path. The guard, caught off guard, was kicked back several steps. The other guards of the Crown Prince, some of whom didn't react in time, and others who did, dared not attack the Duke of Chu, all turned their gazes to the Crown Prince, who was still in a daze.
In fact, it only happened in an instant. When the Crown Prince came to his senses, he saw Jiang Yu take a sword handed to him by a guard and stab Bi'er in the heart. Bi'er fell to the ground without making a sound and died.
"Jiang Yu!" The Crown Prince's eyes were bloodshot. He never expected that Jiang Yu would dare to kill the person he was protecting right in front of him.
Jiang Yu raised his blood-stained hand, bowed to the Crown Prince, and said, "Your Highness, please forgive me. I disturbed Your Highness by disciplining my servant."
"Jiang Yu, how dare you!"
"Your Majesty, I am guilty. I will go to Your Majesty tomorrow to beg for forgiveness."
Crown Prince: "......."
Would he dare to expose the matter to the Emperor?
Of course, he wouldn't dare. Whether it was committing adultery with Jiang Ling and causing her to become pregnant, or bringing people to the Duke of Chu's mansion late at night, he couldn't let the Emperor know.
The Crown Prince's heart was pounding with suppressed anger, not because of Jiang Ling's death, nor because of Bi'er, but because of Jiang Yu's contempt for him. He was the Crown Prince, the next emperor—how dare Jiang Yu!
"Good, very good!" The Crown Prince said through gritted teeth, "Father is busy with official duties, so there's no need to trouble him. I forgive the Duke of Chu."
Jiang Yu smiled, "Thank you, Your Highness, but my family has just suffered a bereavement, so I will not invite Your Highness in for tea."
"Hmph!" The Crown Prince snorted heavily, his gaze fixed on Jiang Yu with venomous intent. Jiang Yu smiled and cupped his hands in farewell to him, "Respectfully seeing off Your Highness the Crown Prince."
The Crown Prince gritted his teeth, turned around, and strode away. Jiang Yu glanced at his retreating figure, then turned and returned to her residence. As soon as she entered, she saw Lu Yifang and her husband Jiang Jiamu, both looking worried, as well as Jiang Chengye.
"It's all over, the Crown Prince has left," Jiang Yu said.
When Lu Yifang saw the bloodstains on Jiang Yu's hands, her eyes immediately reddened. She took a few steps forward and took Jiang Yu's hand to look at it. Jiang Yu gently comforted her, "It's not my blood, it's Jiang Ling's maid Bi'er's."
Lu Yifang looked bewildered, and Xia He quickly recounted what had just happened. Lu Yifang listened with a pounding heart, then said, "It's my fault. I didn't manage the household well and caused you such a big trouble."
"Mother, there's no need to blame yourself. Just learn from this experience." Jiang Yu did not deny Lu Yifang's mistake. Her methods of managing the household were indeed a bit too lenient, and she always tended to think positively when things happened.
Just like before, when Jiang Ling frequently left the manor, claiming to be praying for her grandfather's well-being, Lu Yifang believed her and even gave her rewards. If she had been more attentive then and had someone investigate, perhaps things wouldn't have turned out this way.
But criticizing is useless now; the most important thing is how to correct the mistakes.
“This was also my oversight,” Jiang Yu added.
She neglected her half-sisters in the backyard, thinking that setting up a school for them and finding them suitable husbands would suffice. She overlooked the importance that women in ancient times placed on marriage, especially those born out of wedlock, for whom marriage determined the fate of most of their lives. Therefore, they began planning for their marriages from a very young age.
However, Jiang Ling had only herself to blame. The Crown Prince was the grandson of the Earl of Qingshan, and everyone in the capital knew about the feud between the Duke of Chu's family and the Earl of Qingshan's family. How could Jiang Ling not know? She knew, yet she still had an affair with the Crown Prince and became pregnant. She never considered her family; she only thought about herself.
But she was stupid to begin with, and didn't understand that if the Duke of Chu's mansion fell, she would be nothing.
"Treat Jiang Ling's death as a sudden death," Jiang Yu explained to Lu Yifang, "As for her aunt..."
Jiang Yu looked at Jiang Chengye and said, "Father, take Jiang Shan with you, tell her everything, and send someone to keep a close eye on her."
"I...I understand." Jiang Chengye didn't actually want to go in person, and he didn't even want to face this matter. But Jiang Yu had given the order, and he didn't dare to refuse.
"It's getting late, everyone should go home and rest." Jiang Yu needed some quiet time to think about what to do next.
Lu Yifang and the others could tell that this matter wouldn't end there; there were still follow-up issues that Jiang Yu would need to resolve. After reminding Jiang Yu to take a rest, they all went about their own business.
Lu Yifang also had many things to do: Jiang Ling's funeral arrangements, reprimanding and comforting the illegitimate daughters, and preventing tonight's events from spreading. As she walked towards her courtyard, she thought about what she needed to do next, with Jiang Chengye beside her, a sight that made her heart ache.
"What are you doing following me?" Lu Yifang stopped and looked at Jiang Chengye with hostility. "With such a big thing happening, are you just going to stand by and do nothing?"
Jiang Chengye lacked confidence in front of her and Jiang Yu. He didn't get angry when questioned, but explained, "I...I don't know what to do. What do you want me to do?"
Lu Yifang: "......."
Even if she was speechless, it wasn't worth getting angry with him at this moment. Lu Yifang took a deep breath and said, "Go to Jiang Shan and find out what her attitude is. Make everything clear to her. What will happen to our manor if Yu'er doesn't do this tonight?"
“Okay,” Jiang Chengye readily agreed.
"Also," Lu Yifang said, her tone softening as she saw his attitude had improved, "you are a father, and you have a responsibility to educate your children. Go and talk to them about our current situation, about how difficult it is for Yu'er to work outside, and tell them to behave themselves. If they are obedient and behave themselves, Yu'er and I will certainly not treat them unfairly."
"They" here naturally refers to Jiang Chengye's illegitimate daughters.
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