Chapter 288 Dispute (Part 2)
Wang Han hurriedly asked, "Why would I hide this from the princess? I was just about to tell her. It seems that Ah Zhi can't go to Jingzhou for the time being. I will let Ah Kuan go there as the Chief Secretary."
"Chief Secretary?" The princess was incredulous. "How could your husband let such a person be the Chief Secretary?"
"I know Ah Kuan is still young," Wang Han said, "so I sent a special envoy from the imperial court and a group of staff to accompany him."
He handed a list to the princess and said, "These people are going to Jingzhou to help Azhi stabilize the situation. If Azhi can escape unscathed this time, he will inherit a ready-made and stable Jingzhou."
Wang Han spoke with great pride, but as the princess looked at the long list of names on the list, her anger grew stronger and stronger.
She threw the roster on the floor.
"If Ah Zhi can't escape unscathed, are you prepared to hand Jingzhou over to Wang Kuan?"
Wang Hao remained calm: "Someone has to go to Jingzhou."
"That's why I asked my husband to find a way to get Ah Zhi out, instead of having Ah Kuan go in his place!" the eldest princess said. "Everyone knows that whoever takes office in Jingzhou now represents the face of the Shangshu Mansion. Could that person be Wang Kuan? What has Wang Kuan accomplished over the years? Why does he deserve to be the Chief Secretary?"
Wang Hao shook his head and said, "Princess, you're wrong. Over the years, I've given every opportunity for achievement to Ah Zhi, while Ah Kuan hasn't had a single one. His lack of accomplishment is understandable. But his lack of accomplishment doesn't mean he's incapable. Now that Ah Zhi is stuck with something else, why not let Ah Kuan step forward and see what he's capable of?"
The eldest princess sneered, "Is it time? What time is it now? I allowed my husband to keep Dong, not to let her son take away Azhi's credit."
The eldest princess mentioned this matter again and again, and Wang Han was quite unhappy.
"If Ah Zhi had just been more motivated and stopped causing trouble for me every other day, there wouldn't be anyone else trying to steal his credit. Besides, Ah Kuan is only the Chief Clerk, and Ah Zhi is still the Governor. How can we say he's competing with him?"
"I don't care. Wang Kuan can't go anyway," the princess said flatly. "Have you ever considered that Ah Zhi was causing trouble just to speak up for you? He saw Ah Jun constantly obstructing you, so he was eager to stand up for you, and that's why he caused trouble. He's so filial, could it be that you don't see it?"
"Princess, do you think he's standing up for me now? Is he causing trouble for us, or for himself?" Wang Han said, "He's so foolish! As a mother, how could you allow him to be so foolish?"
"My son is being foolish?" The eldest princess' face turned pale with anger. "My husband, have you forgotten how Ah Zhi captured the Three Immortals in the Three Wus last year?"
"That's just a small fight, what's the point of mentioning it?"
"That's also his credit!" The princess gritted her teeth. "I'll only say this once. Jingzhou can only belong to Azhi."
After she said that, she turned away.
Jiang Yuan was standing outside the door. When he saw the eldest princess coming out, he knelt down and bowed.
When the princess saw him, she glared at him fiercely and said, "As the chief of the staff, please refrain from giving the Minister of State rash advice."
"I dare not." Jiang Yuan said quickly.
He watched the eldest princess leave in fear, with cold sweat on his forehead.
After a while, Wang Han called him and Jiang Yuan stood up and walked in.
"Did you hear everything?" Wang Han asked.
"I heard it," Jiang Yuan said, "Since the princess doesn't allow it, how about..."
"Don't pay attention to a woman's opinion," Wang Hao said. "The most urgent thing is to stabilize Jingzhou. You just suggested that Li Mo and twelve other staff members accompany A Kuan. I agree, and we will leave the day after tomorrow."
Jiang Yuan was delighted and nodded in agreement.
"But the eldest master..."
"You go find Liu Kai yourself and tell him to manage his subordinates well and keep their mouths shut. In two years, he will be the chief of the Seventh Lieutenant Division. If he fails to manage well, think of what happened to Yang Qi."
"The court sent a special envoy to accompany the Second Young Master. Why not let Liu Kai go with him? That way, the investigation won't lead back to him."
"That's not right," Wang Hem said. "Don't forget why Ah Zhi was arrested."
"I heard from the court officials that Yu Yi became suspicious because he noticed that the eldest son was going to Jingzhou."
"Exactly. Yu Yi is currently investigating the Seventh Lieutenant's forces. If we act rashly, it will only arouse his suspicion. The best strategy is to remain inactive."
——
The next day, Jiang Yuan followed Wang Han's instructions and called Liu Kai to a teahouse to meet him.
When Liu Kai saw Jiang Yuan, he asked in a panic, "Has Chief Secretary Jiang heard any gossip about the Prince of Yuzhang's mansion today?"
"What news?"
Liu Kai lowered his voice and said to Jiang Yuan, "There's a butcher named Zhang who lives behind my house. His youngest son works at the Yuzhang Palace. He said the Princess of Yuzhang secretly found a miracle doctor for the prince. After examining the prince, the doctor prescribed a medicine for him to drink, and he suddenly woke up. According to Zhang, the prince said he saw the murderer. The palace is currently looking for an artist to draw a portrait of the murderer the prince saw, so they can hand it over to the Supreme Court to arrest him."
Jiang Yuan frowned and thought for a moment, "That's not right. I heard that the general was wearing black clothes and a mask, and it was late at night. How could the prince know the general's true identity?"
Liu Kai said in frustration, "You may not know, Chief Secretary, but the eldest son ordered me to take the crown prince's head. I led the charge, riding ahead, and went straight for the crown prince's head. However, the crown prince's martial arts skills were very powerful and quite formidable. While I was fighting him, he pulled off my face scarf. Although it was only for a moment, I can't guarantee that he really saw it."
"Is this really true?" Jiang Yuan was shocked. "General Liu, why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"At first, I didn't think it was wrong," Liu Kai said, "because it was truly pitch dark, and many torches were extinguished in the struggle. I thought the prince wouldn't be able to see even if my veil was pulled off. But now that the news has come out from Prince Yuzhang's mansion, I think it's getting more and more amiss. The prince wasn't far away from me at the time, so perhaps he really did see it?"
Jiang Yuan pondered for a moment, and also felt that this matter was of great importance. He continued, "How could such a coincidence be possible? General, don't scare yourself."
Liu Kai was still worried: "But there is indeed such a movement in the palace. What does the Chief Secretary say we should do?"
Jiang Yuandao said, "I will return to report to the King Pushe and make a final decision. Until then, General, please be careful and don't let anyone trick you."
"You don't know, Chief Secretary, I've been terrified these past few days, especially since I heard the eldest son was arrested by the Imperial Court. I've felt even more uncertain." Liu Kai finished speaking, then slapped himself. "I blame myself for being so foolish. Why did I agree to this job without authorization? I should have asked Wang Pushe first."
These words sound quite flattering and begging.
Jiang Yuan did not argue with him, knowing: "The general knows he is wrong."
After saying this, he immediately relayed to Liu Kai what Wang Hao had said earlier.
After hearing this, Liu Kai jumped up.
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