Chapter 451 Public Opinion Overwhelms Public Opinion
From the moment Yun Shu followed Princess Guangning, he had already recognized Princess Guangning as his master.
She asked, "Princess, what are your orders?"
The incident happened suddenly, and Princess Guangning had no better clue for the time being, so she subconsciously thought of Zhao Yi.
Now only her royal brother can help her.
Princess Guangning briefly told Yunshu about Prince Yu's plan, and wrote a letter and handed it to Yunshu.
"Aunt Yun, please deliver this letter to my brother," Princess Guangning said anxiously, "Get it to my brother as soon as possible. If you're late, it will be too late."
Yun Shu realized the seriousness of the situation and did not dare to delay. He immediately left the house and hurried to the plum garden.
But just as he came out of the narrow alley of the mansion, he saw two common people coming towards him, talking in low voices.
"What's going on today? The county magistrate was arrested by the Prince of Guangling for brutally killing the mob, and the city gates were unexpectedly closed early, forcing no one in or out. Is something big going to happen?"
"I heard the new lead mine collapsed and killed a lot of miners."
"The mine collapsed? Mines here rarely collapse. How could it collapse so suddenly?"
"I heard... that the Prince of Guangling couldn't find any evidence against the county magistrate, so he deliberately arranged for the lead mine to collapse, causing a loss of life so he could make a big deal out of it. After all, the county magistrate forcibly occupied our ancestral graves to mine this mine, and he also secretly extorted money from us. If he opens a crack here, wouldn't the people oppressed by the county magistrate come forward and present evidence of his crimes?"
Under normal circumstances, how could the people dare to sue the officials?
Now with the support of Prince Guangling, the people dared to speak out their grievances and seek justice for themselves.
The two of them fell silent at this point. If that was the case, then the Prince of Guangling might not be a good person. He was willing to kill people in order to overthrow the county governor.
These ordinary people are nothing but victims of the power game.
Thinking of this, the two of them looked gloomy and left with heavy hearts.
When Yun Shu heard this, his heart skipped a beat, and he intuitively felt that there was something fishy about this matter.
Prince Guangling cares about the people and enjoys a very high reputation among the people. How could he take human lives just to find evidence of the county magistrate's guilt?
After all, the county magistrate was arrested and imprisoned, and given the crimes he committed, the truth was clear once investigated.
Why did Prince Guangling go to so much trouble to send people to collapse the mine?
Thinking of this, Yun Shu realized that someone was targeting King Guangling.
She turned around and returned to the mansion to report the news she heard on the street to Princess Guangning.
"Your Highness, I suspect that it was the county governor's men who deliberately collapsed the mine to frame Prince Guangling." Yun Shu was anxious. Prince Guangling could hardly protect himself, so how could he spare the time to help Princess Guangning?
Princess Guangning's expression suddenly changed as she pondered further, "It's possible they were part of the county governor's faction. They were afraid that the emperor would investigate further and find out who they were, so they disregarded the lives of the people and collapsed the lead mine."
She said solemnly, "Your Majesty, Father sent you to Yongqing County to quell the rebellion, not to earn you meritorious service. Now that the mob has been pacified and the prefect has been apprehended, you can return to the capital to report after clearing the mess. You will not only earn the love of the people, but also the support of all officials."
"But at this critical moment, rumors have spread that the emperor, for his own selfish gain, has disregarded the lives of the people. If this matter ferments, the emperor's job will be handed over to someone else."
"If the virtuous prince returns to the capital safely, father can send him to take over my brother's duties and thoroughly investigate the lead mine collapse. Even if my brother is ultimately cleared of all charges, the credit for quelling the rebellion will go to the virtuous prince."
Yun Shu was a close confidant of the Queen, so he naturally knew that the Emperor of Northern Qi wanted to make Prince Xian the Crown Prince.
She said worriedly, "Do you think... could this be your Majesty's doing?"
Princess Guangning was stunned, thinking that the city gates were closed and no one was allowed to enter or leave the city.
The county magistrate was arrested and power was transferred to the emperor's brother. Who could order the city gate to be closed without going through the emperor's brother?
There are only my father’s people left.
Princess Guangning clenched the handkerchief in her hand, her eyebrows tightly knitted, not knowing how to break the predicament.
Suddenly, she saw the portrait of Bodhisattva hanging on the wall, and an idea suddenly came to her mind.
If it goes smoothly, not only can Prince Yu take her away, but it can also help the royal brother escape from trouble.
She asked Yun Shu, "I heard that the people of Yongqing County believe in mountain gods?"
Yun Shu replied, "When lead was first mined in Yongqing County, accidents often occurred underground. The people believed that digging had angered the mountain god, so they worshipped the god every year, hoping that the god would protect the miners."
Princess Guangning calmed down a little, motioned Yunshu to come closer and whispered a few words to her.
Yun Shu looked at Princess Guangning in astonishment.
Princess Guangning warned, "Be careful, don't let Prince Yu find out."
Yun Shu seemed to want to say something but stopped himself.
Prince Yu is not a stupid man. Once something happens, he will definitely suspect that it is the princess's doing.
It all depends on whether Prince Yu is willing to take the bait.
In the end, Yun Shu nodded, said nothing, and left with a serious expression.
-
In the Plum Garden, Zhao Yi sat upright in an armchair, looking down at the letter in his hand with a frown on his face.
Prince Yu was preparing to leave Yongqing County and did not seem to be planning to take Princess Guangning with him.
Before he could think deeply, Jiang Mu's voice came from outside the door: "Master, something terrible has happened."
As he spoke, Jiang Mu pushed open the door and entered the study. "The lead mine collapsed, killing five or six people. Rumors are circulating that you deliberately sent people to collapse the mine in order to obtain evidence against the county magistrate. I planned to go out of the city to find out more information, but the city gates were locked and no one was allowed in or out."
At this point, he was particularly angry: "This is clearly targeting you. Who else can block the city gates except the Emperor of Northern Qi?"
"The Emperor of Northern Qi disregarded the lives of the people in order to suppress you. He is clearly a tyrant!"
Jiang Mu became more and more excited as he spoke, his face flushing red. "No, we have to suppress the rumor, otherwise it will be extremely disadvantageous to you."
"Wait."
Zhao Yi, however, had a different view. Someone was trying to frame him, and the rumors outside couldn't be suppressed. To suppress public opinion, one had to create even greater public opinion.
He was about to speak when he heard footsteps outside the door. Then Jiang Chao knocked on the door and came in, reporting: "Master, there are rumors outside that the county magistrate has committed many evil deeds. He has frequently mined lead mines and has not offered sacrifices to the mountain god. This has angered the mountain god, and the lead mine has just collapsed."
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