Chapter 505: Establishing a news bulletin to overshadow the rumors!

Shen Lanxi's face darkened: "She can go crazy if she wants, but don't kill everyone and ruin my plans!"

"Yes! That child in the palace?"

Shen Lanxi: "Send the memorial to Consort Shu." Someone will warn Shen Yuantang on her behalf.

"yes!"

The teams attacking the two rebels sent carrier pigeons every seven days. Shen Lanxi would mark the information on the map upon receiving the pigeons, calculating how many days until their arrival.

A month later, the cultural exchange mission to the southwest officially set off.

When Shen Lanxi saw him off, she felt that the streets were incredibly lively, with many more vendors than before and a very high volume of transactions.

Liu Yan smiled and said, "I didn't expect the selection of the delegation to have such an effect."

Shen Lanxi: "If the Ministry of Revenue manipulates this matter, there's no need to worry about not filling the national treasury!"

Liu Yanhui: "..."

The next day, envoys sent by the two traitors arrived in the capital.

"Our Emperor has very sincerely discussed with the Regent that, apart from Shu and Gan, Zhuozhou and Dengzhou will be given to us. From now on, our Emperor and the Great Zhou will live in harmony and not interfere with each other!" The envoys sent by the two traitors were extremely arrogant.

Shen Lanxi retorted directly and domineeringly: "My Great Zhou will not only take back the two territories of Shu and Gan, but will also question the two traitors for their crimes of treason and rebellion. If the two traitors obediently hand over their territories now and commit suicide, I can guarantee that their families will not be harmed."

When the envoys from Shu and Gan saw that Shen Lanxi had no sincerity in negotiating and was leaving no room for compromise, their hearts sank.

Could it be that they were wrong? Did the rumors their people spread in the capital have no effect on the capital at all?

That shouldn't be the case. Emperor Renxiao was the real traitor and usurper. Shouldn't the people of the world condemn him?

Shen Lanxi: "In times of war, envoys are not to be killed. You two, please leave!"

The two envoys' expressions changed, and they left the court with heavy hearts.

Five days later, rumors began to circulate in the capital.

"How come I heard that the descendants of the former crown prince are still alive?"

"A descendant of the former crown prince is in Shu?"

"Rumors have spread in both Sichuan and Ganzhou that they intend to uphold the legitimate dynasty, purge the court of corrupt officials, and execute the traitors who have stolen the country!"

Rumors spread like wildfire.

In the imperial court

"The envoys sent by the two traitors had barely left when rumors began to circulate; this was clearly a treacherous scheme of theirs!"

"It is easier to stop a river than to stop the people from talking; we must stop the rumors as soon as possible."

"It's easy to spread rumors, but it's exhausting to refute them. So many people are talking about it. Are you and the soldiers guarding the city supposed to abandon our duties and go and explain things to them?"

Even if they try to explain, the people have no choice but to believe them!

"We must stop the rumors as soon as possible, find the source, and if all else fails, make an example of one to warn others!"

The imperial court was in complete chaos.

Wang Bao: "Silence!"

The officials stopped instinctively.

Shen Lanxi: "Blocking rumors is the same principle as managing a river. It's better to guide than to block. The more you try to suppress rumors, the more people will believe it to be true."

Wu Yanzhi: "How should we address this?"

Shen Lanxi: "Set up a news bulletin, published every three to five days, which will report on strange and interesting events happening in the capital and even the entire Great Zhou, so that new things can suppress old rumors!"

Liu Mingxin nodded: "That's a good idea."

Shen Lanxi: "Then let Lord Liu and the Grand Tutor, two highly respected literary giants, take charge of this matter. You will be in charge of the content, which must be positive and eye-catching."

Liu Yan stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that if this matter is accomplished, it will definitely bring additional revenue to the treasury of our Great Zhou."

Shen Lanxi nodded: "The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Rites will provide assistance from the sidelines!"

"yes!"

Wang Bao: "If you have something to say, speak up now; otherwise, the court is adjourned!"

Liu Yan replied: "I have something to report!"

Shen Lanxi: "Approved."

Liu Yan replied: "Yesterday, I was suddenly stopped on the street and someone cried out that they were wronged."

Shen Lanxi: "Tell me in detail."

Liu Yan replied: "That man is the owner of a dyeing workshop in the city. He stopped me because he felt that the court's taxes were too harsh, to the point that his dyeing workshop was about to go out of business. He also shouted that the court was not leaving a way for the people to make a living. Many people in the street saw this. I think that if this matter is not dealt with publicly, it may cause public resentment."

Shen Lanxi nodded: "That makes sense."

"Is the tax levied on his dyeing workshop by the imperial court within a reasonable range?"

Liu Yan replied, "It is indeed much taller than it was ten years ago."

Wu Yanzhi: "That's because of the years of war before."

Liu Yan returned the cupped hands and said, "I believe that the imperial treasury now has a surplus, and it is appropriate to restore the previous tax rate."

Shen Lanxi nodded.

The Vice Minister of War stood up to object.

"No, we mustn't. The southwest and Shugan regions are about to raise troops, which will cause a large outflow of silver from the court. The court is already being merciful by not increasing taxes; if we reduce them further, where will the supplies for our Great Zhou army come from?"

Liu Yan Hui said to the Vice Minister of Revenue: "According to what you're saying, in order to support the Great Zhou army, the people have to tighten their belts and go hungry, or even starve to death?"

The Vice Minister of War said, "You are making unfounded arguments. Taxes have been increased for ten years now, so why haven't the people starved to death? Lord Liu's words are simply damaging to the interests of our court."

Liu Yan replied, "Your Excellency has been in the court for so long that you are naturally unaware of the hardships of the common people. If it weren't for the Regent Prince overseeing the reclamation of wasteland these past two years, the people would probably be starving to death long ago."

The Vice Minister of War, his face flushed with anger, said, "That's just sophistry."

Liu Yanhui snorted coldly: "You are just a corrupt official who only knows how to eat the people's blood and sweat and doesn't know the people's suffering."

"How dare you!" The Vice Minister of War was red-faced and furious, jumping up and down in anger.

Wang Bao: "Silence!"

Silence fell instantly.

Shen Lanxi pretended not to understand and said, "How did we end up talking about the dyeing workshop and then about the imperial taxes?"

"You all truly have a keen understanding of the subject, and you never forget to care about the people of our Great Zhou!"

"It is truly a blessing for the people of our Great Zhou to have such a benevolent official who loves his people like his own children!"

Liu Yan replied, "Your Majesty, I was interrupted before I could finish speaking. Now, let me continue."

Shen Lanxi: "Speak!"

Liu Yan replied, "After I sought the assistance of the Ministry of Justice in the investigation, I discovered that this merchant was utterly talking nonsense and had been deliberately instigated to stir up public resentment."

Shen Lanxi: "Were they sent by two traitors?"

Liu Yan replied: "Exactly!"

Shen Lanxi slapped her thigh hard and angrily rebuked, "They are utterly despicable!"

Liu Yan replied: "The Dali Temple's investigation revealed that the merchant was not struggling to survive as he claimed. On the contrary, he had three wives and four concubines, and lived a life of luxury with fine silks, satins, and delicacies."

Shen Lanxi gritted her teeth: "Fine, they actually managed to deceive an official of our imperial court."

Liu Yanhui continued, "This merchant had one principal wife, eighteen concubines, fifty or sixty illegitimate children, and even kept four mistresses outside the family."