Although the Second Prince disagreed with Lin Xuanfu on political matters, they shared the same goal: to ensure Sun Jian's demise. He still harbored a gambler's mentality and intention.
That's why the three of them—Li Kuangyou, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel; Lin Chengdu, the Principal of the Ministry of Justice; and Fang Wenyue, the Director of the Ministry of Rites—stirred up trouble outside the East Gate.
Of course, Lin Xuanfu's design is not limited to this; this is just the beginning.
Lin Xuanfu's actions were always a series of successive, multi-pronged attacks, aimed at killing Sun Jian.
Putting aside the locust plague, he plotted against Sun Jian from multiple angles.
For example, Sun Jian's medical skills, his invention of the potato, and his poetry.
Regarding the medical issue, Lin Xuanfu wanted to fabricate a charge against Sun Jian, find more people to accuse him, and even find more officials to accuse Sun Jian of causing deaths. Then, he wanted the people who were "harmed by Sun Jian" to go to the capital to make trouble, and finally stir up public anger. Ideally, he wanted the people to fight with the government and cause another batch of people to die.
In the end, all these charges were pinned on Sun Jian.
This left Sun Jian speechless, with no way to defend himself, and solidified numerous charges against him!
In addition, Sun Jian's potatoes should also be added to the plan.
The only solution Lin Xuanfu could offer for this new grain seed was to poison it!
In fact, Lin Xuanfu had already sent people to Sunjiazhuang in Hongnong County, Hongnong Prefecture.
I heard that Sunjiazhuang and the surrounding villages and towns are already planting Sun Jian's potatoes.
It is said that under the leadership of Magistrate Wang of Hongnong County, several batches of potatoes have been harvested, and they are planning to expand to other towns and villages.
At this point, Lin Xuanfu only needs to send someone to add poison to the potatoes and kill some people. Then, Lin Xuanfu can use his position as the head of the Three Dukes and the current prime minister to make a big fuss about this matter!
Just like those who treat illnesses, they spread propaganda and stir up trouble.
To incite public outrage, it would be best to find some assassins to pose as farmers and have a life-or-death struggle with the government over the potato deaths.
Finally, hundreds or thousands more people would die to pressure Sun Jian.
This led to Sun Jian being convicted and imprisoned, even though Sun Jian eventually managed to prove his innocence.
Lin Xuanfu will also cause rumors to spread throughout the entire Daqian, criticizing Sun Jian and using public opinion to crush him!
The final step is poetry.
Lin Xuanfu had to admit that he himself also loved Sun Jian's poem "Prelude to Water Melody: When Will the Moon Be Bright?" so much that he could almost put it down and read it frequently.
But one thing is one thing, and even so, it doesn't change his goal of ruining Sun Jian's reputation and causing him to die without a burial place.
He originally intended to use the pretext of the Great Zhou and Great Song dynasties to find some literati to attack Sun Jian, and then fabricate false evidence to accuse Sun Jian of plagiarism!
After obtaining forged evidence, they published it to the world, inciting the people to attack Sun Jian.
If we continue to incite public opinion and criticism, we can ruin Sun Jian's reputation!
These were all interconnected.
Whether it was medical skills, the new potato crop, or poetry, all of these came after the locust plague.
According to the estimates of Lin Xuanfu, the Second Prince, and several trusted ministers.
Even if Sun Jian possessed extraordinary abilities, he could not possibly eradicate the locust plague.
At best, they can only manage to create a situation of suppressing some areas to appease the authorities.
Because Sun Jian was forced into this position; he didn't volunteer for the task of controlling the locust plague at all, but was essentially forced into it by Emperor Ganwu.
This shows that Sun Jian himself was not actually confident at all.
He had no chance of suppressing the locust plague at all!
Moreover, no matter who looks at it, the best outcome in the end would only be suppression in some areas, and it would be impossible to suppress it completely. As for eradicating the locust plague, it is simply impossible!
In any case, whether it was Lin Xuanfu, the Second Prince, or their ministers, they all held this view and opinion.
Without Sun Jian, if any of these people were to do this task, they would have no chance at all, and it would be almost impossible for them to win!
Regarding the locust plague, this group of people wouldn't dare to guarantee that they could suppress it in even a small area, let alone in some parts.
Therefore, this was the highest level of understanding they had of Sun Jian.
Even if Sun Jian was truly an immortal descended to earth, it was impossible to eradicate the locusts completely, because locust plagues are most afraid of rainy days, but with the current severe drought, where can we expect any rain?
According to the imperial court's calculations, the rainy season in the Guanzhong region this year will not begin for at least two months.
In ancient times, people could actually calculate the rainy season. There were twelve months in a year, and they could estimate the time of the rainy season based on the weight of sand and water in the Yellow River basin. They could put the sand and water of each month and the sand and water of the same month of the previous year into a bottle and weigh them with a balance to draw the corresponding conclusion.
Moreover, the accuracy rate can reach 80% to 90%, which is something that modern people have to admire. This is a testament to the wisdom of the ancients.
Therefore, many ministers, led by Lin Xuanfu and the Second Prince, believed that a rainy season was impossible, and even if it did, it would be next month or the month after that. But the locust plague could not wait that long!
In just three days, the locust plague can spread to the surrounding areas, multiply continuously, and eventually cause a nationwide outbreak.
If it rains within three days, then Sun Jian must have the power of the Dragon King!
Do they ride the clouds and summon wind and rain?
Stop talking nonsense, okay?
Therefore, suppressing the locust plague is simply impossible!
Their original plan was that when Sun Jian failed to handle the locust plague properly, causing widespread discontent and suffering among the people, Emperor Ganwu would punish Sun Jian accordingly, even if he was protecting him, otherwise the public resentment would not be appeased!
Even if the emperor, mindful of Sun Jian's great talent, is reluctant to kill him, it doesn't matter!
They also took this into account.
At this point, they used all their previous strategies again, starting with medicine, the new crop of potatoes, and poetry, to spread rumors and public opinion everywhere, causing Sun Jian to be completely disgraced!
By then, Sun Jian will surely be dead!
Even if Emperor Ganwu didn't kill Sun Jian, he would have imprisoned him.
If Sun Jian were imprisoned, it would be like a venomous snake having its fangs removed, or a fierce tiger having its claws taken away.
For the Second Prince Lin Xuanfu and others to kill Sun Jian would be as easy as turning their hand over their hand, like taking something out of a bag.
This series of plans and schemes could be described as flawless from any angle; they had even considered the worst possible outcome for every possible scenario. But who could have imagined...?
The plan was stillborn before it could be fully implemented!
Sun Jian's actions were so unexpected that they left everyone dumbfounded.
Sun Jian simply performed a ritual of praying for rain under the scorching sun, and he actually managed to summon a torrential downpour that covered an area of hundreds of miles.
It rained heavily for days and nights!
Before the locust plague had fully spread, it was already affected by the heavy rains, and then, with the coordination of various officials in the Prime Minister's Office, the locusts were almost all caught by the people.
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