Why isn't Chapter 12 a man?
The Duke of Chu in the front courtyard was not resting either; he was reclining on his couch, listening to Li Zhong recount the details of Jiang Yu's actions.
Then Li Zhong said, "...The young lady watched as those two thieves, working together from the inside, burned down the Jiang family's house, and she remained completely calm."
The Duke of Chu tapped his index finger on the table and asked, "How can things be calm?"
Li Zhong thought for a moment and said, "I felt that the young lady was both angry and confident at the time."
The Duke of Chu lowered his eyelids and remained silent. Li Zhong continued, "When we arrived at Shili Pavilion outside the city, I thought it best to let the young lady and the others rest for a while, so I stopped the carriage. But as soon as the young lady got out of the carriage, a man in black rushed over, trying to take her hostage. But the young lady kicked that man in the groin with one kick, and the reaction was like that of someone who had practiced."
"What man in black?" asked the Duke of Chu.
Li Zhong: "It was the Sixth Prince who chased the bandits."
The Duke of Chu fell silent again, then asked, "What cases has the Embroidered Uniform Guard been investigating lately?"
Li Zhong thought for a moment and said, "It seems to be smuggling salt."
The Duke of Chu chuckled, “Since the Sixth Prince took over the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he has never investigated any minor cases. The investigation into the smuggling of salt is probably just a pretext.”
"Have you investigated all the businesses Jiang Yu has been involved in?" the Duke of Chu asked again.
Li Zhong: "I've investigated. The young lady owns grain shops, restaurants, inns, and general stores. These shops are located in various counties of Yingzhou Prefecture, and they do very well. However, when the young lady named these shops, she made them sound unrelated, so few people know that all these businesses are owned by the same person. The young lady is truly a master of hiding in plain sight!"
The Duke of Chu nodded in agreement, “She is very clever. The taller the tree, the more the wind will blow against it. She had no power or influence before, so naturally she couldn’t stand out too much.”
After saying this, the Duke of Chu sighed deeply, "Why isn't he a man?"
Li Zhong lowered his head and sighed inwardly, wondering why the young lady wasn't a man.
"What are Jiang Chengye and Jiang Jiarong doing?" the Duke of Chu asked.
Li Zhong paused for a moment before saying, "The eldest master and the young master have been behaving themselves lately. They've hired two actors outside, and haven't done anything out of line."
The Duke of Chu snorted, "All I ask now is that they don't cause me any trouble."
"From now on, you will follow Jiang Yu," the Duke of Chu said again. "She will be your master from now on, and you should carefully select the people in her courtyard."
Li Zhong knelt on the ground, "This old servant will certainly do his utmost for the young lady."
The Duke of Chu waved for him to rise, "If she were a man, with me paving the way for her, her future would be much smoother. But she is a woman, and her future path..."
The Duke of Chu sighed deeply and said, "This is Heaven testing the Jiang family!"
Looking at the Duke of Chu's withered body, Li Zhong said with heartache, "This old servant has been serving by the young lady's side these past few days, and I have witnessed everything she has done and the words she has spoken. She is no less talented than those scholars in the capital. Your Excellency, please take good care of yourself; the young lady still needs you."
“I know,” said the Duke of Chu, “I can’t just go like this, otherwise the Duke’s mansion will fall into ruin in my hands, and I will have no face to face my ancestors.”
........
Li Zhong left the Duke of Chu's courtyard. From now on, he would be following Jiang Yu and would be frequently visiting the inner courtyard, which he was still getting used to. And this young lady—she seemed easy to get along with at first, but how could someone with such ability truly be easy to get along with?
His mind was a jumble of thoughts when he arrived at Jiang Yu's Yunfeng Courtyard, where he saw Bitao, the personal maid of the eldest young mistress Zhang Xiangling, approaching. She bowed to Li Zhong, "Greetings, Steward Li."
Li Zhong hummed in agreement, and Bi Tao smiled and said, "The eldest young mistress asked me to come and ask the eldest young lady whether she plans to choose a child from among the women in her courtyard or buy one from outside. The eldest young mistress has been very concerned about the eldest young lady's affairs."
“Go and tell the eldest young mistress,” Li Zhong said, “the Duke has made arrangements for the people in the eldest young lady’s courtyard.”
Bitao was taken aback, but didn't dare say anything. She bowed to Li Zhong and turned to leave. Li Zhong glanced at her retreating figure, thinking that the young mistress might be unhappy now, but the young lady probably wouldn't care.
He entered the courtyard and saw Granny Liao standing on the veranda outside Jiang Yu's bedroom. When she saw him, Granny Liao said, "Miss has just gotten up. Please wait a moment."
Li Zhong nodded and stood in the courtyard. After a while, Jiang Yu came out and asked Li Zhong, "Where are the two people who burned down the house?"
“He’s locked up in the dungeon,” Li Zhong said.
The dungeon is usually a restricted area. Although the Duke of Chu treated her differently, Jiang Yu was unsure whether she was allowed to enter the dungeon to interrogate people.
After a moment of thought, she asked Li Zhong, "Where would be a suitable place to interrogate those two?"
Li Zhong was no longer surprised that Jiang Yu wanted to interrogate the two men personally. He said, "It would be best to do it in the dungeon, that would be more convenient."
The instruments of torture there were complete.
Jiang Yu nodded, "Take me to the dungeon."
Li Zhong stepped aside to let Jiang Yu go first. Jiang Yu stepped out of Yunfeng Courtyard, followed by Li Zhong, Granny Liao, and Xia He. The dungeon was located beneath a rockery in the front courtyard. Upon arrival, Li Zhong activated a mechanism, and a stone door opened, revealing a long staircase leading underground.
Jiang Yu calmly lifted her leg and stepped down. Xia He was a little nervous, but still followed closely behind her, followed by Granny Liao and Li Zhong.
After walking for a while and stepping down the last step, they saw a spacious room furnished with simple tables and chairs. Two men in their thirties were sitting at the table drinking and chatting. Hearing the noise, they turned around and were taken aback when they saw Jiang Yu walking ahead.
"Hurry up and pay your respects to the young lady." Li Zhong's voice rang out, and the two men quickly stood up, bowed, and greeted Jiang Yu.
Jiang Yu glanced at the food and wine on the table and said, "I want to interrogate the two prisoners who were brought in yesterday."
The two men glanced furtively at Li Zhong. Firstly, they didn't know when a young lady had appeared in the mansion, and secondly, it was the first time they had ever seen a woman interrogating a prisoner.
"What are you looking at me for? Hurry up and take the young lady to the interrogation room." Li Zhong's voice was very stern.
The dungeon had always been under his jurisdiction, but these two were drinking while on duty and were caught by the young lady, which made him lose face.
The two men quickly picked up the torches stuck in the wall and led Jiang Yu and the others toward a secret passage. They lit the oil lamps on the wall of the passage and said to Jiang Yu in a flattering tone, "Miss, watch your step, the steps here are a bit high."
Jiang Yu gave a soft "hmm," her steps steady and deliberate. The two men and Li Zhong were surprised again. They had almost fallen when they first stepped onto the stairs of this hidden passage, never expecting that this seemingly delicate young lady could walk so steadily.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
