Xie Chang'an was a smart man. Without Ye Jingchen saying anything more, he already understood Ye Jingchen's intention.
In his previous life, when he was in a weak position, he was also most adept at manipulating public opinion and creating public sentiment to survive in the cracks.
He never underestimated the power of 'ordinary people'.
It's not hard to imagine how much of a sensation these three stories would cause in the capital.
Clearly, Ye Jingchen is better at using the power of public opinion and understands people's hearts and human nature better than him.
In the imperial city, one could hear people talking about Jizhou everywhere, but the most talked-about person was the female protagonist of the story, Miss Jiang Qi.
"That Seventh Miss is truly a master strategist, willing to risk her life for the scheme. If it weren't for the insatiable greed and betrayal of the Jiang family and the Prefect's Office, their conspiracy might have actually succeeded!" someone exclaimed.
"Impossible. She's just a woman, short-sighted. How could she possibly have such wisdom?" some people said, expressing disbelief.
"It's just a story told by a storyteller. We can't take it seriously just because it involves real people, can we?"
"Exactly, the truth of the story isn't even certain yet."
"What's so hard to be sure about? Didn't they say the Jiang family and the prefect's office would be heading south with the coffin to appeal to the emperor? We'll know as long as we keep an eye on the situation at the city gate!"
"Didn't the imperial envoy go to Jizhou to investigate the Jiang family's encroachment on fertile land and their forced enslavement of the people? I wonder how the investigation is going?"
"Perhaps the Jiang family didn't want to be investigated, which is why they came up with such a vicious scheme to drag the imperial envoy into the mess!"
"If that's really the case, then the Jiang family is incredibly audacious to dare to deceive His Majesty!"
The conversation gradually, little by little, developed in the direction Xie Chang'an hoped to see.
"Little Chang'an, are you convinced?" In a teahouse, listening to the discussions around him, Xie Shaoling asked Xie Chang'an with a smile.
Xie Chang'an picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea with a blank expression.
What kind of question is that?
He didn't say he was dissatisfied.
He had always admired Ye Jingchen's cunning and strategic thinking.
It was precisely because he recognized Ye Jingchen's abilities and had witnessed his methods that he was so wary of him.
However, his wariness did not mean he did not appreciate Ye Jingchen.
If he had such a person among his ministers before his rebirth, he would have treated that person like a treasure and would never have let him work himself to death!
"I really don't know how His Highness the Crown Prince can tolerate your dull and boring personality. Little Chang'an, you must be the least likable of his study companions, right?" Xie Shaoling complained without any politeness, his disdain clearly written on his face.
So what if I'm not likable?
Ye Jingchen still has to rely on him, as the eyes and ears of the palace.
Unlikable – is he not Ye Jingchen’s only ally?
not to mention--
Xie Chang'an thought to himself with a touch of pride that they were still the only people in the world who knew each other's secrets!
Although Xie Shaoling didn't know what Xie Chang'an was thinking, he could see the changes in his expression, especially his smug look. He was truly hopelessly stupid!
Ultimately, he still cared about the Crown Prince's opinion of him; otherwise, given his personality, he would have retorted coldly from the start.
So what if I'm not likable?
"I don't need his affection!"
Xie Shaoling could already imagine what he would say.
But this time, Xiao Chang'an didn't refute him immediately?
Although he cared about it, he was unaware of it and didn't know what he was so smug about.
Xie Shaoling sometimes couldn't help but wonder what his child had gone through to suddenly change his personality, becoming exceptionally cunning and resourceful, but no longer behaving like a six-year-old.
However, his ancestors had advised him to observe more, ask less, and interfere less.
The old ancestor was the wisest person in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, and he always trusted the old ancestor.
Within the imperial city, interpretations and speculations about these three stories are increasing, and many 'clever people' have their own opinions.
Outside the imperial city, these three stories were spreading rapidly.
The emperor's imperial guards, on the other hand, headed towards Jizhou County at an even faster pace.
With the capabilities of the Imperial Guard, it would be very easy for them to investigate something that already had clues.
Within five days, the whole story appeared on the emperor's desk via carrier pigeon.
At the same time, evidence of the Jiang family's assassination attempt on the Crown Prince and their framing of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was presented to the Emperor.
The emperor was furious after reading it.
No one has ever dared to fool him like this before!
Disrespecting imperial authority and committing insubordination is an unforgivable crime, punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family!
Ironically, the Jiang family initially adopted Jiang Qi's scheme to threaten and control Zhu Yannan, making him work for them.
However, they underestimated the feelings of a lovestruck person for their beloved. No matter how the Jiang family and the prefect tried to coerce or entice him, Zhu Yannan remained unmoved. He didn't care about his future, reputation, or even his life. He only wanted to find evidence of the Jiang family's collusion with the prefect and avenge Jiang Qi.
Killing an imperial envoy was not difficult for them; the difficulty lay in how to deceive the emperor and prevent him from pursuing the matter further!
Moreover, they had been planning this for so long and were unwilling to give up. So they wanted to use Jiang Qi's death to make a big fuss and use the opinions of the people to force the emperor to compromise with them.
What they didn't know was that Emperor Shengping cared most about his reputation. When they tried to use this to coerce the emperor, regardless of whether their plan succeeded or not, the emperor would never let them off the hook afterward.
The Jiang family and the governor of Jizhou may never understand why their seemingly flawless plan suddenly became known to the whole world.
The Jiang family in the capital was quickly brought under control by the Imperial Guards, but unfortunately, the Jiang family head and the prefect and his son, who were escorting the coffin south, received advance notice, abandoned the coffin and ceremonial procession, and fled back to Jizhou.
Afterwards, the Jiang family revealed their 10,000 private troops, and together with the 50,000 troops under the jurisdiction of the Jizhou government, they openly raised the banner of rebellion in Jizhou.
This move caused an uproar throughout the world.
The emperor was furious and immediately ordered troops to be dispatched to Jizhou to suppress the rebels.
Although the rebel army numbered only 60,000, the powerful families of Dayuan had always been closely united, and no one knew how many families were secretly supporting the Jiang family.
The imperial court must win this battle, and win it decisively; otherwise, other powerful families will surely become restless.
The emperor had troops at his disposal. Not to mention the Imperial Guards and the Imperial Household Army, there were 200,000 guards just protecting the imperial city.
However, these 200,000 guards were not considered elite troops. The soldiers had not experienced the baptism of war, and most of the generals in the army were hereditary and had little combat experience.
The emperor originally had no such concerns, but—
Recently, he has been betrayed one after another. First, the general he had carefully trained almost died of illness due to acclimatization after going to the northern frontier. Then, Zhu Shilang, on whom he had placed high hopes, slapped him hard in the face, and he lost his confidence.
Therefore, he remained hesitant about the selection of this general.
Until the Vice Minister of War recommended a foolproof candidate to him—General Xie Shaoling, the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
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