Prime Minister

Chapter 35 035 [Side by Side]

Inside a private room at Taihu Tower.

Prince Jiang Chang was drinking alone in his sorrow when he saw Jiang Li return. He put down his wine cup and said, "Didn't you say you had something to do with Xue Huai? Why are you back?"

Jiang Li sat down opposite him and said frankly, "What could I possibly want with him? Royal brother, just tell me the truth, has something happened?"

Jiang Chang did not answer.

"I came here specifically today."

Jiang Li cut to the chase, then said, "Brother, Yun'an knows your temperament. If it weren't for important matters, you wouldn't even glance at Xue Huai. There's no need to bring up the chance encounter again. If I'm not mistaken, is this Ministry of Works corruption case related to the Prince of Dai's residence?"

At this moment, a hint of annoyance appeared on Jiang Chang's face, which then turned into embarrassment.

Jiang Li could tell what he was thinking at a glance, so she softened her tone and said, "Your Majesty, I came here today not to help Xue Huai out of this predicament, but to help you. The reason I took him away is because I was worried that Your Majesty would have a direct confrontation with him. Although he is just an insignificant Hanlin scholar, His Majesty and Xue Huai's father have a good relationship, and Xue Huai's mentor Shen Wang is not someone to be trifled with. Most importantly, if Your Majesty were to take action against Xue Huai today, the situation would be very unfavorable for you."

Hearing this, Jiang Chang said in a deep voice, "Him? Even if Xue Mingzhang were to come back to life, what could he do to me?"

Jiang Li frowned and said, "If my brother were to lay a hand on him, he would go directly to Xuande Gate and beat the Dengwen Drum to lodge a complaint with the emperor. Even Vice Minister Shen and Grand Secretary Ning would speak up for him. How would my brother face that situation?"

Jiang Chang remained silent.

Jiang Li sighed softly and asked sincerely, "Brother, is the Prince's Mansion really in such dire straits now? Are they trying to earn some income through the Ministry of Works?"

She knew, of course, that the answer was not that.

Jiang Chang is only eighteen years old now, and has only been a prince for a year. The Prince of Dai's mansion does not need to support many people, so what does he need so much money for?
Silence fell over the hall.

Jiang Chang poured himself another cup of wine, feeling annoyed, and slowly said, "Yun'an, you don't understand. As a prince of the Great Yan, if my pomp and circumstances and expenses are lacking, wouldn't I become a laughingstock? Besides, even if I don't ask for it, those dogs in the Ministry of Works will still embezzle it. Rather than let them benefit, why can't I take it back? No matter what, I am the emperor's son, and this Great Yan is the emperor's empire! It is the empire of our Jiang family!"

Jiang Li looked at him with concern and then asked, "Does His Majesty know that my brother has done these things?"

Jiang Chang choked and loosened his grip on the wine cup.

Jiang Li said, "Just now I wanted to find out what happened from Xue Huai, but no matter how I tried to persuade him, Xue Huai refused to speak. He even said that if I used the debt of saving his life to force him, he would rather kill himself. Your Majesty must have seen his temper today. I really can't do anything about him. It seems that he has suffered a lot of anger from Your Majesty."

"Humph."

Jiang Chang snorted coldly and said in a sinister tone, "He'll get what's coming to him sooner or later!"

"Brother Emperor..."

Jiang Li looked helpless and said earnestly, "Why do you have to pick a fight with a hot-headed scholar? Besides, your situation is already very dangerous."

Jiang Chang frowned and asked, "Is it dangerous?"

Jiang Li nodded and said, "Would I lie to my royal brother?"

"Of course you wouldn't."

Because of his childhood experiences, and because Jiang Li had treated him better than the other princes over the years, Jiang Chang naturally trusted his cousin and asked seriously, "Then tell me, just how dangerous is it?"

“Your Majesty, His Majesty is determined to expose the problems in the Ministry of Works this time. Otherwise, he would not have let Vice Minister Shen preside over the investigation. At this time, no matter who gets involved, they will hardly have a good ending. I believe Your Majesty understands His Majesty’s determination better than I do.”

Jiang Li deliberately made it sound very serious, and then asked, "Brother, please tell me first, what exactly is the connection between the Prince's Mansion and the Ministry of Works?"

Jiang Chang remained silent for a moment, then reluctantly gave a brief explanation.

After listening, Jiang Li let out a long sigh.

Seeing her expression, Jiang Chang finally became a little nervous and quickly asked, "How is it?"

"This is really troublesome," Jiang Li pondered. "It's one thing if the imperial gifts are of inferior quality; His Majesty favors my brother so much that he'll probably turn a blind eye. But the matter of encroaching on official land is a major taboo for His Majesty, and the officials in the court won't stand idly by. The most troublesome thing is that this case involving the Ministry of Works will definitely implicate many people, and they will definitely push my brother to the forefront. If my brother is innocent, then naturally the law won't punish everyone, but this will put my brother on the opposite side of His Majesty."

A look of panic appeared on Jiang Chang's face.

He didn't take Xue Huai seriously, but he never dared to oppose his father and lord to his face.

"Then what should I do? Yun'an, you are always exceptionally intelligent, you must help your brother find a way."

"Brother, don't be hasty. Let me think about it carefully."

Time passes bit by bit.

Jiang Chang couldn't help but say, "How about this, I'll deny it to the death and say that someone deliberately framed me! Father might not believe me, but as long as I give such an excuse, I'm sure Father won't investigate it too thoroughly."

Jiang Li shook her head and said, "No. Your Majesty should think about this carefully. If His Majesty gives up now, will he still investigate others? In any case, His Majesty must investigate the problems of the Ministry of Works this time. He cannot stop just because Your Majesty is involved."

Jiang Chang understood this principle and became increasingly anxious. Seeing that the time was right, Jiang Li said softly, "Brother, I suggest you confess your guilt then."

Jiang Chang's eyes widened instantly: "What?"

"Brother, please calm down and let me analyze this for you."

Jiang Li said softly, "Now I suspect that someone is secretly instigating the people around you to make you the first to jump out. Xue Huai has already noticed the problems in the Prince's Mansion, and Minister Shen will definitely find out soon. In this way, those people will use you as a shield to block His Majesty's decree. Rather than being used by them, Your Majesty should admit to this matter directly when Minister Shen makes trouble, and then sincerely apologize to His Majesty."

Jiang Chang wasn't stupid. The thought of his father made him shudder, and he hesitated, saying, "What if Father is furious?"

Jiang Li said, "His Majesty certainly won't really do anything to my brother. When he does, he can say that you were misled and deceived by your subordinates. With the Noble Consort's influence, His Majesty will only scold you a few times and at most confine you to your quarters for a few months. Your honest confession will not only make His Majesty think you have a sense of responsibility, but it will also pave the way for the court to clean up those corrupt officials. Isn't that a win-win situation?"

Jiang Chang thought for a moment and nodded in agreement, "That's right, even I have confessed my crimes, do they still think they can escape?"

Jiang Li finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The siblings from the imperial family talked privately for a long time before Jiang Chang finally left, satisfied.

……

Xue Huai returned to the temporary office of the investigation department and went straight to Shen Wang's duty room.

"Teacher, I'm back."

Xue Huai greeted him with utmost care.

"sit."

Shen Wang withdrew his gaze from the files on the table, looked gently at Xue Huai, and said, "The Prince of Dai did nothing to you, did he?"

Xue Huai shook his head and said, "No, actually I wanted to provoke him into making a move, but Princess Yun'an disrupted my plan."

He recounted his experiences of the day in detail, omitting only his conversation with Jiang Li.

After listening, Shen Wang pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "I didn't expect you and Princess Yun'an to get along so well. No wonder I've heard some rumors lately that this pampered princess treats you differently. Could it be that you two..."

"Teacher, we have no personal relationship. In fact, I don't know why Princess Yun'an would lend a helping hand."

Xue Huai feigned ignorance, seemingly knowing the answer but not quite.

"Although the imperial son-in-law of this dynasty does not need to stay away from the court, it is still somewhat of a hindrance... Never mind, let's discuss this matter later."

Shen Wang took it as just shyness from their young children and glossed over it. He then praised them, saying, "I thought you would only catch a small fish this time, but I didn't expect to have such a great harvest. The clues you brought back are enough to break through the Ministry of Works' impenetrable defenses."

Xue Huai couldn't help but get excited: "Teacher, are we going to get serious?"

"Xue Yunxiang thought that bringing up the Prince of Dai would make us back down, but little did he know that pulling up a radish would bring up the mud. Even if we can't touch the Prince of Dai, if we investigate along the line of the Tuntian Division, coupled with the dirty deeds that the Dushui Division is trying its best to cover up, it's enough to drag the entire Ministry of Works into it."

A hint of emotion appeared on Shen Wang's usually composed face as he said, "Actually, before His Majesty issued the decree, I already had some understanding of the Ministry of Works' problems. What Princess Yun'an told you was very helpful in supplementing that information. Now that the direction is clear, we certainly don't need to wait any longer."

Xue Huai said, "Teacher, I have another idea."

"But it doesn't matter."

"Although the existence of the Prince of Dai is troublesome, I think if we give him a break, others will definitely stir up trouble. Minister Xue pushed the Prince of Dai forward this time with the intention of forcing us to back down. If we don't investigate the Prince of Dai, it means that we may fail at the last minute."

A flickering flame shone in Xue Huai's eyes.

Shen Wang's gaze sharpened slightly, and he slowly said, "Are you suggesting that we use the Prince of Dai as a starting point to expose the Ministry of Works in the imperial court?"

Xue Huai said firmly, "Yes."

Shen Wang stood up and paced slowly around the room, clearly weighing the pros and cons of Xue Huai's suggestion.

He knew this move was somewhat risky, after all, the emperor and Consort Liu's favoritism towards the Prince of Dai was common knowledge in the court and among the people. However, as Xue Huai said, the Prince of Dai was an insurmountable obstacle in this case. Otherwise, Xue Minglun would not have been so calm and collected. He was certain that Shen Wang would not dare to offend the emperor.

After a long while, Shen Wang stopped and turned to look at Xue Huai's young and handsome face, then suddenly let out a hearty laugh.

"Alright, I'll do as you say."

"Life is unpredictable, so we should always live life to the fullest once or twice, so that we don't waste the time we've spent reading those classic texts."

"Summon all officials in the investigation department immediately. We will visit the Ministry of Works again tomorrow."

Xue Huai bowed respectfully and said loudly, "Yes!"

(End of this chapter)