Chapter 396 Are you going to make a move against him?
Jiang Yu heard about Pu Mingyue falling into the water and being rescued by the Crown Prince at the government office. After learning about this, she was 80% certain that Pu Tonghe was working for the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister.
At the same time, she couldn't help but sigh, Pu Tonghe's ability to conceal his talents was truly remarkable. He rose from humble beginnings to become Minister of Personnel under the emperor's grace, outwardly showing utmost respect to the emperor, but secretly he had already pledged allegiance to the crown prince and the prime minister. Such forbearance and concealment had even fooled the emperor, a man as suspicious as him, for so many years.
However, their actions this time were not very clever; the commotion was too great and too deliberate. After years of keeping it well hidden, they deliberately made it known throughout the city. Wasn't this tantamount to bringing their entanglement with the Crown Prince into the open? Instead, it aroused the Emperor's suspicion, and their previous forbearance was likely to be in vain.
However, they might have other plans. Both Pu Tonghe and the Prime Minister are shrewd and calculating individuals; they should have already devised countermeasures for any crises that might arise after the incident. But she would absolutely not let them have their way.
Thinking about his next move, Jiang Yu returned to the Duke of Chu's mansion. As soon as he entered, the steward handed him a letter, "Sent by the Embroidered Uniform Guard."
Jiang Yu took the letter and glanced down at the handwriting on the envelope. The characters were strong yet somewhat unrestrained; it was clearly the handwriting of Prince An. Jiang Yu carried the letter towards his study, the steward following beside him, saying, "Second Aunt and her family have arrived."
"Please invite them to the study."
"yes."
The butler hurried away. Jiang Yu had just sat down in the study and opened the letter when Cheng Jinchuan arrived with Cheng Yilin. Jiang Yu put the letter in the drawer and smiled, inviting them to sit down. Cheng Yilin glanced at her several times, making Jiang Yu laugh. "Cousin, your eyes are constantly darting around me. Do you think I'm so handsome today that you can't take your eyes off me?"
One sentence made Cheng Yilin blush. She stammered, "My cousin is more beautiful than any woman I've ever seen, and even more handsome than any young man."
"Hahaha... Cousin loves to hear that." Jiang Yu's eyes searched the antique shelf for a while, then she walked over and took down an exquisite white jade ruyi, stuffing it into Cheng Yilin's hand. "Take this and play with it."
Cheng Yilin was taken aback, then looked at her father helplessly. Cheng Jinchuan smiled and said, "Aren't you going to thank your cousin?"
Cheng Yilin immediately bowed to Jiang Yu with the jade ruyi in her arms, saying, "Thank you, cousin."
Jiang Yu smiled and waved for her to sit down, then began to talk about Pu Mingyue falling into the water. Cheng Yilin listened and said, "Miss Pu went to the lakeside to clear her head when the banquet was almost over. Everyone was busy saying goodbye, and the lakeside was deserted. Fortunately, His Highness the Crown Prince happened to be nearby."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yu and Cheng Jinchuan exchanged a glance. Neither of them believed that Pu Mingyue's rescue by the Crown Prince from the water was an accident. Cheng Jinchuan turned to Cheng Yilin and asked, "How's the matter I assigned you going?"
Cheng Yilin placed the Ruyi in her hand on the table and recounted her conversation with Pu Mingyue in detail before saying, "At that time, Miss Pu's expression was as if her husband had been snatched away. She looked at Miss Yan with such fierce eyes that it was as if she wanted to devour her alive."
After listening, Jiang Yu nodded, praised Cheng Yilin a few times, and then told her to go out and play. After she left, Jiang Yu said to Cheng Jinchuan, "Pu Tonghe is the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister's man, it's almost a done deal."
Cheng Jinchuan exclaimed in surprise, "Pu Tongping is usually so loyal to the Emperor, and there is never any obvious interaction between him and the Prime Minister or the Crown Prince, inside or outside the court. Who would have thought that they actually have such a deep-seated connection!"
Jiang Yu nodded, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Since Pu Tonghe is your superior, Uncle, you have a lot of contact with him. In the future, you should pretend to know nothing about him."
"Yes, I understand." Cheng Jinchuan said with some worry, "I'm afraid he's wary of me."
“It’s necessary to be on guard.” Jiang Yu tapped her fingertips lightly on the table, her tone steady. “From now on, all official matters must be clearly handed over. Documents and job transfers must be properly documented. We must not give him the opportunity to push trouble onto you in the future.”
Cheng Jinchuan's expression was grave. "Are you going to attack him?"
Since he belongs to the Prime Minister's camp, although the Prime Minister and I maintain a facade of peace, we both know in our hearts that it's already a fight to the death. Pu Tonghe is a close ally of the Prime Minister; I have no reason to let him go.
Jiang Yu spoke calmly, but Cheng Jinchuan sensed a strong killing intent in her voice. He asked with a solemn expression, "Is there anything I can do?"
Jiang Yu shook her head, her tone calm: "You work in the same department as him, and he is your superior. You absolutely cannot make any moves right now. The slightest carelessness will alert him and ruin everything."
Cheng Jinchuan nodded seriously, "Okay."
The two whispered a few more words before Cheng Jinchuan rose to take his leave. Jiang Yu turned and returned to her desk, rereading the letter she hadn't finished. The letter stated that after receiving her previous letter, Prince An had begun investigating Pu Tonghe and had indeed found some subtle clues. He had also arranged to meet her at the teahouse the next day to discuss further countermeasures.
Jiang Yu picked up her pen and replied, agreeing to meet the next day, and asked Xia He to deliver the letter. Then she got up and went to Lu Yifang's courtyard in the backyard, intending to have dinner with her. Just as she reached the courtyard gate, she saw Lu Yifang in the small flower hall, carefully selecting from a pile of newly arrived fabrics.
Seeing her come in, Lu Yifang smiled and waved the fabric in her hand: "Yu'er, you've come at the right time. Take a look at these fabrics, which one is suitable for your parents? Summer is coming soon, and I was just thinking of picking out some breathable fabrics to send to them."
The parents that Lu Yifang mentioned were naturally Jiang Yu's adoptive parents.
Jiang Yu stepped forward, picked out a few bolts of cloth in colors and fabrics that Jiang Mingchang and Cheng Yunxiu preferred, and said, "I haven't visited them for a while. I have a day off the day after tomorrow, so I'll accompany you to deliver the cloths there."
"That would be wonderful." Lu Yifang smiled and pulled her to sit down next to her. "Yesterday I was chatting with Yunxiu, and she was saying that she hadn't seen you in a long time."
A hint of guilt appeared on Jiang Yu's face: "It was my negligence. I brought them to the capital, but I couldn't spend every day with them."
"Silly child, how could it be considered your negligence?" Lu Yifang sighed softly, holding her hand. "It's this family that's dragging you down. If the Duke's mansion hadn't been so incompetent, you, a young lady, wouldn't have to work so hard every day. I'll take care of your parents, so don't worry about them."
Jiang Yu wasn't one to dwell on things, and she planned to spend more time at her parents' house once she finished her current business. However, she didn't visit them often right now, not because she didn't want to be close to them, but because she feared that too much contact might attract the attention of those lurking in the shadows.
Thinking of this, she clenched her fingers tightly in her sleeve, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes—she had to deal with these deeply entrenched adversaries as soon as possible so that her loved ones could live in peace.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
