The news of the King of Qin defeating the princess of the Northern Rong spread among the common people a few days later.
In the past, the common people only knew of the Qin King's wicked reputation. When they talked about it, they were glad that the Qin King was a cripple with both legs, otherwise they didn't know how much trouble he would have caused to the people.
When this rumor first came out, many people didn't believe it. Some even suspected that the Fire Cave Immortal's immortal magic was so extraordinary that it could transform even a useless person. Some even said they would go to the foot of Chuyun Temple to pay their respects another day, even if they couldn't enter the temple to worship, it would still be good to absorb some of the immortal energy at the foot of the mountain.
At this point, someone who remembered the old story spoke up: "You may not remember, but my hometown is in Qingtian County. A few years ago, we suffered from a flood and a plague. Almost everyone in the county died. Fortunately, the Prince of Qin came to provide disaster relief. At that time, he was still the crown prince. If it weren't for the medicine and food he brought, my wife and I wouldn't have survived. Later, it seems that the wealthy families in the county even erected a statue to worship him, but when I went back to my hometown last year, the statue had already been smashed."
When he said that, some people also remembered and started talking about old stories related to the King of Qin from their memories.
The common people, who had never received any favors, became increasingly curious, their curiosity mixed with disbelief: "With the King of Qin's temperament, was he really that good when he was the crown prince?"
"To be honest, many of us have received kindness from them. I don't know how perfectly fine people ended up like this."
“I do know a little about this,” someone else spoke up. It was an old man with a white beard, quite well-informed and knowledgeable, and many residents in the neighborhood liked to ask him for information. Hearing him speak, everyone immediately focused their attention and listened intently.
The old man lowered his voice and pointed upwards. He said, "Isn't this the younger brother of the one before? The one before only had one son, the Prince of Qin. Back then, the Prince of Qin wasn't like he is now. He was a very virtuous crown prince and did indeed do many good things, benefiting the people. The reason his temperament changed so drastically was said to be because he broke his leg when he was trampled by a runaway horse while hunting. Not long after, the previous emperor and empress died, and the throne passed to the current one. After that, when people talked about the Prince of Qin, they all said he was violent and ruthless, killing people without hesitation."
"But think about it carefully, apart from those frightening rumors, who has really suffered persecution from the King of Qin?"
The old man tapped his pipe and calmly added some tobacco leaves into it.
The common people listening to his story thought about it carefully. They lived under the emperor's nose, and some of them did small businesses to make a living. They had all been bullied by the sons of the powerful and wealthy, but when it came to who had actually been persecuted by the King of Qin, they couldn't think of anyone for the time being.
After a long silence, someone tentatively asked, "So you mean... the King of Qin was murdered? And it's true that he defeated the Northern Rong princess with just one move using only his left hand?"
The old man said, "Truth and falsehood are intertwined; I'm just saying this for fun. You can figure it out yourselves."
Hearing this, the crowd shushed him, looking bored, and dispersed. That's the annoying thing about the old man; he never said anything definitively, leaving everyone to guess, which was really irritating.
The crowd dispersed like birds and beasts, each going about their own business. But thanks to the old man's words, they did indeed ponder the rumors about the King of Qin more carefully when they heard them again.
After everyone dispersed, the old man leisurely walked into the depths of the alley with his hands behind his back and his pipe in hand.
When he arrived at an inconspicuous little courtyard, he raised his hand and knocked on the door once short, once long, and then three short knocks. After a moment, the door opened, and an old woman with one eye peeked out. When she saw him, she led him inside.
The old man said, "I'll do as you say."
The one-eyed old woman, though slow and deliberate, quickly handed him a bag of silver coins.
The old man received the money and left happily.
After everyone left, the one-eyed old woman turned and went into the house, her voice surprisingly young: "We've searched for over a hundred people these past few days, and the news has been spread. We can report back to the Prince now."
The hidden guards, having received the message, quietly slipped away into the shadows to report back to the Prince of Qin's residence.
*
When the guards came to report, Xue Shen was taking a walk in the garden with Shen Youying.
Perhaps it's because the baby is getting bigger and more fussy, but Shen Youying hasn't been sleeping well at night lately, and her sleep is light and short. So every evening after dinner, Xue Shen accompanies her for a walk and soaks her feet before bed to help her sleep better.
Seeing that the guards had something to report, Xue Shen led them back to his study.
He first settled Shen Youying in his usual chair, which had been specially padded so that the pregnant woman wouldn't feel uncomfortable sitting for a long time. Then he called for a maid to bring soup, and seeing that she was sitting peacefully behind the screen drinking her soup, he went to the front to discuss business with his guards.
The guard said, "We've already found over a hundred people who spread the news, and those people have recalled some past events."
This was the first step arranged by Xue Shen.
He had been lying low for many years, deliberately ruining his reputation in order to conceal his abilities. Now, it wouldn't be easy for him to improve his reputation overnight. His defeat of Yelü Nanxian in the main hall was just the beginning. He then sent people to find many people from the common people, intentionally bringing up his past as crown prince, planting seeds of doubt in the hearts of these ordinary citizens.
In this way, if rumors about him were to circulate in the future, the people would likely be more inclined to think twice.
Furthermore, Chen Yaoniang's storybook has already been written.
To avoid attracting attention initially, the identities of the characters in the storybooks were deliberately obscured, so those unaware of the past might not connect him to Emperor Cheng'an. But now, he intentionally dredged up these old stories, and as the storybooks circulated among the common people, he could then subtly guide the narrative, and soon people would likely start to associate them with Emperor Cheng'an.
"Send the storybook to the bookstore, remember to keep your identity hidden and don't implicate Chen Yaoniang. If the storybook is well-received, send a copy to a few opera troupes as well."
After receiving his orders, the guard left quickly. Xue Shen turned around the screen and saw that Shen Youying still had more than half of her soup left.
He frowned: "Doesn't it taste good?"
Shen Youying complained, "I'm a little full, and drinking all the time is getting a bit cloying."
Xue Shen wanted to say a few more words of advice, but seeing that she looked uncomfortable with her brows furrowed, he took the soup bowl and drank most of the rest, saying, "Alright, this baby in your belly has already caused you a lot of trouble, Zhao Zhao doesn't need to suffer because of it. In the future, if there is any nourishing soup, Zhao Zhao can drink it if she wants, and give it to me if she doesn't want to drink it."
When Shen Youying saw that the soup bowl was empty, her furrowed brows relaxed, and she smiled.
She was more interested in the storybook Xue Shen had mentioned earlier, and said, "So, we should send the storybook to the bookstore?"
Xue Shen nodded: "Since we're going to build momentum, we can't drag it out too long. If we're lucky, and this storybook becomes a big hit, we can save a lot of effort. But if it becomes a big hit, I imagine the palace will notice it sooner." He looked down at Shen Youying: "Is Zhaozhao afraid?"
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