Chapter 39 The Power of Imperial Authority
The drizzle fell silently onto the umbrella.
The entire palace, and even the whole world, became increasingly damp and sticky.
In the deathly silence, a cool breeze carrying wisps of bloody stench quietly swept past the officials.
Dozens of eyes stared straight ahead, where two corpses lay limply on the wide palace road, and two heads rolled away not far away, their eyes wide open in death.
The bright red splattered, then mixed with the rainwater and slowly spread outwards, gushing towards the palace gate.
The soles of the shoes were damp and smelled fishy.
The Imperial Guards' long swords gleamed coldly, and hot, bright red blood slowly congealed at the sharp tips.
With a "drip," it landed on the smooth bluestone slab underfoot.
After being washed away by the rain, it left no trace.
After a long while, someone finally moved.
It turned out to be Jian Hongzhuo, the Minister of Works who had always been relatively unknown.
Then everyone followed forward, walking slowly toward the Fengtian Hall as if nothing had happened.
Folding robes fluttered past the two pools of blood, no one stopped, and every pair of feet seemed to walk steadily.
As they walked down the long steps of the Fengtian Hall, everyone looked up.
The long staircase extends upwards, and at the highest point, two figures dressed in crimson official robes hold umbrellas, looking down from above.
Behind them stood the towering eaves of the Fengtian Hall.
Following the open palace gates, one can see the majestic golden dragon throne and the gilded plaque above it inscribed with "The Mandate of Heaven and Earth".
Jian Hongzhuo stepped onto the stairs, and the others followed him up until they entered the main hall.
What was expected to be a tense and turbulent morning court session turned out to be surprisingly peaceful.
No one mentioned the scene at the palace gate. Even Lu Youwei and Wang Zhiyuan didn't say a word, as if the two who died had nothing to do with them.
It's impossible to say there's no connection, but at least their deaths allow the Lu and Wang families to receive their rightful share of the fine salt.
It was worth it.
Qin Xiao also used the deaths of these two scions of noble families to tell the officials and the people of the world that the emperor's decrees cannot be disobeyed.
He used swift and decisive measures to completely suppress any potential attempts by those secretly plotting for the benefit of the mandala.
Even if the Heavenly King himself were here, anyone who dares to disobey the imperial decree, or dares to consume or spread drugs, would be killed without mercy.
He killed the two men and didn't bring up the matter during the morning court session, which meant that the matter was over and he would not pursue it further against the Lu and Wang families.
This page, with its two lives, was turned over so easily.
During the morning court session, none of the first and second-rank officials standing at the front spoke; only the officials from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue at the back reported on the drought situation in the south.
Those present had already figured out what had happened two days earlier.
It was only when the Southern Frontier General Headquarters suddenly produced a large amount of grain that the drought crisis in the three fiefdoms was naturally resolved. Guizhou and Guangxi, which were under the jurisdiction of the imperial court, were also "rescued" after Qin Chaoyang led the grain convoy from Southern Zhili there.
The message that came back also mentioned that after Qin Chaoyang led his men there, he directly held up the token and, in the form of an "imperial edict," forced the prefects of the two places to open their granaries and release grain.
The granaries in these two places were already full, but the prefects of the two places deliberately transported the grain to unregistered granaries in order to deceive the people of Southern Zhili.
But Qin Chaoyang already knew about this, so he directly led his men to open the unregistered granary.
The two prefects immediately blamed the incident on their subordinates, claiming that they, as superiors, had simply been misled.
Compared to maliciously delaying disaster relief, being misled by villains and making a momentary oversight is a much smaller offense.
But Qin Chaoyang wouldn't listen to reason or threats, and directly tied the two up. It's said that he's currently leading them to the capital so they can explain things to the emperor in person.
The prefects of these two places were from the Xiao family and the Lu family, respectively.
The reason they deliberately withheld grain earlier was because they were instructed by these two families to cause Qin Xiao some trouble.
Now that the matter has been exposed, it's unclear whether the Xiao and Lu families still intend to protect these two individuals.
But that's not important. What's important is that the drought, which everyone thought would be difficult to overcome, was solved so easily.
Throughout the entire process, Qin Xiao seemed to have done nothing but send officials from the Water Conservancy Bureau to these places and transfer some grain from Southern Zhili to the southern regions.
The biggest variable in this matter turned out to be southern Xinjiang.
Everyone knows that Baili Hao and Baili Zheng, the two vassal kings, have a good relationship and their fiefdoms are close. They cooperated perfectly during this drought, forcing Baili Yue to also distribute grain.
It is likely that the open and covert struggles among these three vassal kings led to this situation.
Therefore, everyone in the capital now thinks that Qin Xiao was just lucky and that these two princes unintentionally helped him.
After reporting the good news that the drought had been resolved, the two doctors withdrew.
The officials fell silent once again.
Just when everyone thought the morning court session was about to end peacefully, Wang Pengyi, the Vice Minister of Revenue, stepped forward.
He bowed deeply before saying, "Your subject has something to report."
"explain."
Wang Pengyi looked up at Qin Xiao: "Yesterday, Eunuch Hongfu came to the Ministry of Revenue to sign an agreement, saying that he would be in charge of the fine salt trade from now on. Are His Majesty and Prince Ning aware of this?"
Everyone had heard about this, but they only knew that Hong Fu was signing the agreement on behalf of His Majesty, unaware that the other party would be keeping a close eye on this matter from then on.
Does that mean Hong Fu should always keep an eye on the Ministry of Revenue's actions?
It's no wonder the Ministry of Revenue was unhappy about being overshadowed by a eunuch.
However, Wang Pengyi's actions today are likely also intended to vent the anger of the Wang family. After all, it is quite disgraceful for the head of the family to have his eldest son beheaded in front of so many Wang family officials.
“I know,” Baili Hong said crisply. “I also intend to establish the Directorate of Ceremonial in the Inner Court, headed by Eunuch Hong, to supervise the Outer Court.”
The entire court was shocked upon hearing this.
Even the six ministers, who were usually unmoved by the winds of change, nearly lost their composure.
Currently, Qin Xiao only has Chu Jiubian in the court, and it is difficult to find vacancies in other official positions.
So he decided to go all out and create a new department. Since he had no civil officials, he simply called on Hong Fu, who had been trained by Grand Commandant Qin, to take charge. This move was truly brilliant.
But once the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs is established, Eunuch Hong will no longer be just supervising the trade of fine salt; he will become a new force and Qin Xiao's true eyes and ears.
The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs will constantly monitor the actions of the Six Ministries, and any other actions taken by others will be hampered, making it easier for Qin Xiao to seize upon their weaknesses.
Moreover, with such a department managed by Hong Fu, a member of the Qin family, it would be impossible for other powerful figures to win him over.
Qin Xiao's move really caught everyone off guard.
Even Wang Pengyi, who initially only wanted to annoy Qin Xiao, had forgotten what he wanted to say.
Naturally, Chu Jiubian was also somewhat surprised after hearing Baili Hong's words.
Yesterday, he and Qin Xiao did explain to Baili Hong why Eunuch Hong couldn't accompany him during the day, and they also tried to emphasize the importance of Hong Fu's work.
The child then solemnly declared that he understood.
This matter was complicated to implement, so Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian did not tell the child how to tell the ministers about it; they planned to do it themselves.
However, the young emperor listened attentively the whole time they were discussing it, so he must have taken their words to heart.
So right now, Baili Hong is free to do as he pleases.
Such a young child not only understood what they were saying, but also had the courage to make such a statement in the imperial court on his own. He is truly remarkable.
Chu Jiubian couldn't help but think of the description of Baili Hong in the original work—
He foresaw the political situation at a young age, and in his youth, he took charge of the government, ushering in a prosperous era. His wisdom surpassed all ages, and his political influence extended to all corners of the world. He became a model for emperors of later generations.
As expected of the male lead, he's not only as smart as a child prodigy, but his growth rate is also astonishing.
It seems that Eunuch Hong is the one who understands Baili Hong the most, knowing that with his abilities, he is already capable of understanding the Analects.
Chu Jiubian looked at Qin Xiao and saw that the other party was also looking at him.
However, after only a moment of eye contact, the two tacitly looked away.
The others were not surprised that Baili Hong could say such things, because the young emperor would occasionally say a few words in court before, but it was obvious that those words were taught by Qin Xiao.
This is the case with the young emperor and the powerful minister.
It's no wonder they all want to sit in Qin Xiao's current position; what's the difference between that and becoming the emperor?
The atmosphere in the central government gradually became somewhat delicate.
Wang Pengyi finally calmed down and his attitude became more serious than before: "Your Majesty, I believe this action is inappropriate!"
His thoughts were not entirely the same as Wang Zhiyuan's. He also disliked his deceased cousin, Wang Wenfu, and even felt some disgust towards him.
But he couldn't bear to watch the other person die in front of him without doing anything.
Of course, from Qin Xiao's perspective, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the other party's actions.
However, from Wang Pengyi's perspective and personal feelings, he felt that Qin Xiao's methods were too harsh and ruthless. There were clearly better solutions, and people could have avoided dying.
Perhaps that's why my grandfather always said he was weak.
He is indeed soft-hearted and cannot bring himself to target outsiders, let alone abandon his family and relatives.
Therefore, he was angry at the moment, which is why he wanted to use the matter of Eunuch Hong to make things difficult for Qin Xiao, but he did not expect to bring up such a big matter as the "Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs".
Therefore, he lost all interest in finding fault and became completely serious.
Qin Xiao sat calmly, his gaze sweeping over everyone, taking in the subtle changes in their expressions.
Hong Fu stood beside the dragon throne, and could see the blurry figure of the young emperor out of the corner of his eye.
The child was a little nervous as he spoke words that his uncle and teacher had never taught him in court for the first time. Now that he was in a difficult position, he subconsciously looked at the two of them.
But Chu Jiubian lowered his eyes slightly, and Qin Xiao remained unmoved. Baili Hong immediately understood that the two wanted him to do things his own way.
They are giving him a chance to grow!
Baili Hong slowly exhaled, silently reciting in his heart, "I must become strong, I must protect everyone," before speaking, "Is there something wrong?"
“The inner court and the outer court have always been separate entities. It is already inappropriate to appoint Eunuch Hongfu to supervise the trade of fine salt. How can we then establish the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs?” Wang Pengyi frowned and said, “Moreover, there has never been a precedent of eunuchs holding power since ancient times.”
Lu Qiaobo, the Vice Minister of Rites, stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, eunuchs are people who have been punished, they are essentially servants. If we allow these people to hold power, wouldn't people laugh at our dynasty for having no one to serve? What face would the court have left?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a censor surnamed Lu from the Censorate stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the duty of the Censorate is to supervise all officials. If the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs also exercises the power of supervision, wouldn't the Censorate become a mere decoration?"
The three of them, one after another, directly shattered the confidence that Baili Honggang had just built up.
He felt that what these people were saying was wrong, but he didn't know how to refute them, so he could only look to his uncle for help.
But his uncle had his back to him and couldn't see his pitiful little eyes, so he looked at Chu Jiubian instead.
Fortunately, Chu Jiubian happened to look up.
When their eyes met, the child's eyes welled up with tears, looking utterly wronged.
A smile flickered across Chu Jiubian's eyes.
Poor child, he was just trying to act like an adult when he got scared.
To avoid leaving the other party with psychological trauma so that he would never dare to speak again, Chu Jiubian gave him a reassuring smile, then stepped out of the queue and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty is wise."
Baili Hong quietly let out a breath.
With his husband and uncle around, he wasn't scared at all, just nervous.
Moreover, no matter what these officials said before, although they all addressed him as "Your Majesty," their words were all aimed at Qin Xiao.
Today is different; these officials seem to be targeting Baili Hong, which is why the child is so nervous.
Seeing Chu Jiubian stand in front of those officials, Baili Hong clenched his small fists, secretly cheering for his teacher.
At the same time, I comforted myself by saying that Miao Miao had done a good job today, and had even spoken a couple of sentences. I'm sure she'll be able to say more in the future.
"Does Lord Chu agree to establish the Directorate of Ceremonial?" Wang Pengyi turned his head to look at him.
There was really no need to ask that question. Everyone knew that Baili Hong's ability to say those things was definitely the result of a discussion between Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao.
“Of course.” Chu Jiubian looked back. “Lord Wang said that there has never been such a rule since ancient times, but rules are set by people. Could it be that the emperors of the previous dynasty could set up all kinds of rules, but His Majesty of our dynasty cannot?”
When accused of "our dynasty being inferior to the previous one," Wang Pengyi's expression changed: "That's not what I meant."
Wang Zhiyuan closed his eyes.
This grandson is still young. How can he go along with Chu Jiubian's words at a time like this? Won't he immediately lose the upper hand?
“Since that’s not what you mean, then Vice Minister Wang agrees to this matter.” Chu Jiubian cut off Wang Pengyi’s words with a single sentence.
Then he turned his gaze to Lu Qiaobo, "Minister Lu said that eunuchs are servants. If they are servants, what's wrong with them serving their masters? You also serve His Majesty. Do you think you are the master in your heart?"
“Lord Chu’s words are unreasonable,” Lu Qiaobo said, frowning. “I am of course serving His Majesty. But the eunuchs are illiterate and ignorant of the law. How can they distinguish between merit and demerit? Even in the matter of fine salt, the eunuchs cannot understand the accounts, can they?”
"Eunuch Hongfu comes from the Qin family and was personally taught and trained by Grand Commandant Qin. Before entering the palace, his talent was known throughout the capital." Chu Jiubian glanced at him indifferently. "Lord Lu, are you pretending to be ignorant? Have you even forgotten the talented man who used to overshadow you?"
Lu Qiaobo's face turned pale, and she looked somewhat embarrassed.
Hong Fu was indeed exceptionally talented and for a long time served as a role model for elders in the capital. Lu Qiaobo and his generation were indeed overshadowed by Hong Fu for several years.
Having been suppressed for so long by a servant the Qin family had taken in, he was naturally feeling aggrieved.
It wasn't until the other party entered the palace that they were finally able to stand up straight.
Chu Jiubian continued, "Eunuch Hongfu is kind-hearted. He has been teaching the palace maids and eunuchs to read and write for so many years. There are just as many talented people in the inner court as in the outer court."
"As for the Censorate," he looked at Censor Lu, his tone turning cold, "you know you exercise the power of supervision and impeachment, but what exactly are you supervising? Who has taken a few concubines, who secretly missed half a day of work—are these things worth bringing up in court?"
The Imperial Censor Lu wanted to say something, but he couldn't refute it.
The major powers in the capital hadn't completely fallen into chaos yet, and there was no mutual recrimination. These censors, who belonged to various powers, didn't really have much to say on a daily basis. At most, they would criticize their superiors for their improper private lives or talk about who wasn't doing their job properly, but they didn't talk about the real people and things involving corruption, bribery, and breaking the law.
"Let's not talk about distant places, just take the prefects of Guizhou and Guangxi as an example."
Chu Jiubian’s tone was calm, but it made people uneasy: “Everyone here knows exactly what they did. It’s one thing if others don’t say anything, but you censors who are supposed to supervise all the officials are also silent. Are you deaf and blind?”
These words were a direct insult directed at the members of the Censorate.
Qi Zhili felt that Chu Jiubian's words made no mistake, but he also understood the difficulties these censors faced.
Moreover, he disagreed with the eunuchs taking power, so he stepped forward and said gently, "Lord Chu, I have a question."
Chu Jiubian guessed that he would come out.
However, considering that the other party was Jiang Shuoye's cousin and had a good attitude, Chu Jiubian did not act as aggressively as before, but nodded and said, "Please speak."
"The eunuchs have no family ties to restrain them, like rootless duckweed. If they were to seize power, they would have no scruples. Moreover, the eunuchs are deeply trusted by His Majesty. What if they fabricate so-called dirt on the officials to suppress courtiers and frame loyal ministers?"
Chu Jiubian thought to himself that this person was quite clever.
Qi Zhili was referring to the problem of eunuchs interfering in politics, and this situation was bound to happen if the emperor was incompetent and the eunuchs were treacherous.
However, as the saying goes, specific problems should be analyzed specifically. The current situation is that Baili Hong is not a foolish ruler, and Hong Fu is not a treacherous official.
But he couldn't tell the truth either, as that would be difficult to convince the public.
However, he and Qin Xiao had already discussed this situation.
Chu Jiubian looked up at Qin Xiao.
The man's gaze met his for a moment before he looked away and looked at Qi Zhili.
"Suppressing court officials and framing loyal ministers." A smiling male voice rang out, and all the officials' attention shifted from Chu Jiubian to Qin Xiao's location.
Qin Xiao got up from his seat and slowly walked down the steps.
"Is Minister Qi implying that now that the Imperial Household Department is no longer in power, there are no more instances of suppressing officials or framing loyal ministers?"
These words were so blunt that everyone's expressions changed slightly.
Qi Zhili hesitated, as if he wanted to speak.
How could there not be? The court of Da Ning has long been rotten to the core.
The court fell silent for a moment.
Su Sheng suddenly stepped forward and said, "Since the Directorate of Ceremonial is His Majesty's will, it must be established. We dare not have any objections."
The other ministers actually shared the same idea.
Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao never fight unprepared battles. If they dare to propose it today, then they are determined to establish the Directorate of Ceremonial, and no one can object to it.
However, the extent of the Directorate of Ceremonial's power needs to be carefully discussed and agreed upon.
It was most appropriate for Su Sheng, as the Minister of Revenue, to bring this up.
These old foxes are quite in sync when it comes to this kind of thing.
Sure enough, after Su Sheng indicated that everyone agreed to establish the Directorate of Ceremonial, he added, "However, the salt transport is a matter of national importance. The Ministry of Revenue has experience in this area and many capable officials, so it will certainly be more familiar with the work than the Directorate of Ceremonial."
Since the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs is a supervisory body, it should, like the Censorate, not interfere in other matters.
In that case, they just need to be more careful in the future and not give the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs any leverage. But if the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs has so much power that it can interfere in the internal affairs of any government office, then many things will become troublesome.
Qin Xiao chuckled lightly: "Does Lord Su mean to have the Ministry of Revenue follow up on the matter of fine salt?"
“This is the duty of the Ministry of Revenue,” Su Sheng said.
"If the Ministry of Revenue were to handle this matter, how much of the silver would the national treasury still be able to collect?"
Qin Xiao was directly implying that the Ministry of Revenue was embezzling funds.
Although it is true, as long as it is not made public, they are all honest officials and loyal ministers.
The reputation of these aristocratic families, the opinions of the world, and every stroke of the pen in the history books all restricted them, preventing them from openly becoming treacherous officials.
Therefore, none of them can accept what Qin Xiao said.
But Qin Xiao insisted on laying everything bare: "How much did the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Personnel, the two most lucrative government departments, embezzle each year?"
The officials whose names were called did not look happy.
Qin Xiao continued, "How much of the Ministry of War's annual military pay actually reaches the soldiers? How many wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice has the Ministry of Justice handled with bribes? How much money has the Ministry of Rites pocketed during holidays?"
He then looked at Su Sheng and said, "These are all accounts that your Ministry of Revenue balanced."
Seeing the grim expressions on everyone's faces, Qin Xiao laughed again: "See? You had to make it so clear to me."
Everyone finally understood.
Qin Xiao is planning to confront them completely.
The two headless corpses at the palace gate served as both a deterrent and a threat.
Qin Xiao wanted to tell them that he could overlook what happened during Emperor Yingzong's reign, but from now on, these powerful figures could no longer extend their reach so far.
Chu Jiubian observed for a while, and then spoke up at the opportune moment: "You gentlemen are all doing this for the sake of the people, and His Majesty understands. The Directorate of Ceremonial is just an ordinary government office and will not interfere in the affairs of the Six Ministries. This matter of fine salt can be considered the Directorate of Ceremonial's first assignment, to see if they have the ability to share His Majesty's burdens. If not, then we can decide whether to keep them or not."
By this point, who could possibly not see through Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian's scheme?
Two aristocratic scions were killed as soon as the palace gates were opened in the morning. Ostensibly, this was to tell the people of Da Ning that no one could disobey the imperial decrees, but in reality, it was to remind the aristocratic families that Qin Xiao had troops at his disposal.
Moreover, with Baili Hong behind him, he had the emperor and the highest authority in the Great Ning.
This is a deterrent.
Even if Wang Pengyi didn't bring it up during the morning court session, Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao would definitely bring up the matter of establishing the Directorate of Ceremonial.
Then, taking this opportunity, he exposed all the dirty deeds of the six ministries, telling them that His Majesty knew about the past but would not pursue it, while also warning them to be careful and restrain themselves in the future.
After slapping him twice, Chu Jiubian gave him a piece of candy, saying that the affairs of the Six Ministries should still be managed by the Six Ministries themselves, and they would not be hindered.
The claim that the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs would decide whether to retain or not based on the salt transport situation is pure nonsense.
Once this government office is established, it cannot be abolished.
After this whole ordeal, all the officials in the court felt a profound pressure, which came from Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian.
Because they both realized that what these two wanted to do, they could definitely do.
This is the future imperial court, no, this is the future Great Ning.
It seems the world is really about to change...
The drizzle outside never stopped. After the court session, everyone left the main hall and smelled the damp, moist air outside, which made them feel a little relieved of the pressure on their chests.
Everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts, and even the high-ranking officials of the first and second ranks walked silently out of the palace.
At the palace gate, the two corpses were still there, their crimson bloodstains washed away by the rain into a pale pink.
Lu Youwei and Wang Zhiyuan deliberately lingered outside the Fengtian Hall for a while, standing two or three steps apart without saying a word.
They are waiting for someone.
By the time the officials had almost reached the palace gates, footsteps finally began to sound from inside the hall.
The two turned around and, sure enough, saw the ever-gentle and kind-faced Grand Eunuch Hong.
Hong Fu bowed to the two men and said, "Greetings, my lords."
Even though Lu Youwei and Wang Zhiyuan were unwilling, they still bowed to him and addressed him as "Lord Hong".
"You two are too kind," Hong Fu said with an unchanged smile. "I was thinking of signing the salt trade agreement with you yesterday, but I didn't have time. Why don't we sign it now?"
The two had deliberately kept this place for this very purpose, so naturally they responded without hesitation.
"Please come to the Directorate of Ceremonial, Your Excellencies. I have prepared an agreement for you."
Yesterday, he had already chosen Fanghua Garden, which was not far from the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and transformed it into the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs. He also found several eunuchs, including Xiao Xiangzi, to help him handle future matters.
It is true that there are few people now, and it is like a makeshift team, but Hong Fu has a plan in mind. He will definitely develop the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs gradually and truly share the burden for His Majesty and the Minister.
"Please lead the way, Lord Hong," Lu Youwei said.
Wang Zhiyuan replied, "Could I trouble you with a favor, sir?"
Hong Fu then said, "If it is a matter concerning the younger generation of the two families, I have already sent someone to take care of it. I believe it will not be long before the two of them are sent back to their residences."
He thoughtfully used the word "take care of" instead of "collect the body".
"Thank you, sir." Lu Youwei and Wang Zhiyuan bowed again.
Hong Fu exchanged a few polite words and then led the two to the Directorate of Ceremonial.
These two also examined the chief eunuch once again. After several years of living in the palace, he had not lost the spirit he had when he was outside the palace. However, compared to his youthful vigor, he had become more reserved and profound.
This kind of good fortune is even more difficult to deal with than before.
Qin Xiao and Baili Hong's power seemed to have been expanding ever since Chu Jiubian appeared.
Regardless of what these powerful figures thought, the gradual strengthening of imperial power was already a fact.
Outside the palace.
When Lu Xingwen's body was returned to the Lu family, his parents naturally wept bitterly.
"Master, you must do justice for Xingwen!"
"Xingwen was only seventeen years old. He was just drunk and talking nonsense. How could he be so badly mutilated that he couldn't even be given a complete body!"
Lu Jinfeng stood in the courtyard, listening to the cries of his two uncles and aunts from the collateral branch of the family, his heart heavy.
He knew Qin Xiao's methods. When An Wuji came to search the mansion the day before yesterday, he ordered everyone in the mansion to bring out the so-called datura. It was just a spice with some problems. If you don't want to eat it, then don't eat it.
Lu Xingwen naturally did not secretly stay behind.
However, he was acquainted with Wang Wenfu, the eldest son of the Wang family, and ended up drinking wine and consuming datura with him, which caused him to go mad.
Now that he has harmed himself, he is heartbroken that the child has passed away at such a young age, but there is nothing he can do.
He turned and left the main courtyard, but then instructed his servants, "Transfer two shops to them."
He truly didn't want to stay in this officialdom, in this capital city, for even a day longer.
But as the head of the Lu family, he had no choice but to stay here.
Lu Xingwen was the couple's only son, but he died a violent death before reaching adulthood, which was considered an omen of bad luck. The child was hastily buried and was not even allowed to enter the ancestral grave.
The couple watched in a daze as their son was buried, and then received two shops as a reward from the head of the household.
"Two shops..." the woman murmured, tears streaming down her face.
Two shops, her child, is worth only two shops!!
On the other hand, Wang Wenfu held a grand funeral.
Yuan Yu cried so hard he fainted several times. Wang Wenyao personally escorted his younger brother to his burial, his eyes bloodshot.
Wang Huanzhi knew that the incident happened suddenly, so he did not blame Wang Zhiyuan, but he would not let his son suffer such a great injustice.
Even if the person is already dead, he still wants to vent his anger and comfort their spirit in heaven.
So, starting in the afternoon, rumors about Qin Xiao's brutality spread like wildfire.
They were beheading two young boys who hadn't even come of age yet, showing absolutely no empathy.
Qin Xiao is a madman who kills without hesitation!
Prince Ning was bloodthirsty by nature; anyone who displeased him would be beheaded!
For a time, the people of the capital were filled with fear and unease.
The respect for the Qin family had evolved into awe long before Qin Xiao massacred the Shenwu Sect.
Now, this reverence has gradually changed, turning into mere fear and rejection.
How can ordinary people live well when such a brutal person holds absolute power?
At night, after Chu Jiubian had finished washing up and was about to lie down, Xiao Xiangzi told him about these rumors in a gossipy manner.
Chu Jiubian listened, momentarily dazed.
These statements sound so much like those in the original work.
But he knew the reality all too well. Qin Xiao was not at all associated with the word "brutal." Chu Jiubian even felt that those two idiots deserved to die several times over for what they had done.
Is this the Wang family's method of retaliation?
Controlling public opinion?
"Young master?" Xiao Xiangzi called to him from behind the screen, "Are you asleep?"
"No, what does Qin Xiao plan to do?" he asked.
Xiao Xiangzi sighed: "When Xiao Yinzi went to learn these things from the adults, they only said three words—"
"He said 'I understand'?" Chu Jiu asked.
"Young Master understands you better than I do." Xiao Xiangzi's mood inexplicably improved.
It's just that the lord doesn't care about his reputation and lets the people misunderstand him, which is like self-torture. Xiao Xiangzi and the others are angry because the lord is clearly not that kind of person!
Chu Jiubian smiled silently.
He and Qin Xiao were indeed kindred spirits.
However, reputation is still very useful. Qin Xiao may not care, but Chu Jiubian needs to help him protect it.
Perfect timing! He should also see just how capable his third follower, who wields a "public opinion group," really is.
After letting Xiao Xiangzi rest, Chu Jiubian closed his eyes and entered the Divine Realm.
“Summon Wang Qichen,” he said.
[It has been detected that follower Wang Qichen is drunk and in an unconscious state, thus eligible for summoning.]
Summoning successful.
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