"We absolutely must catch this person..."
Xie Jun probably never dreamed that the thief who broke into his house was not a notorious bandit, nor a seasoned thief, nor a Robin Hood-like gang, but a boy who was not even five years old.
Xie Jun's expression was solemn. He said to the guards behind him, "Send men to keep an eye on all the major merchants. If anyone is found using the manor's silver notes, arrest them immediately!"
Xie Jun was the Vice Minister of Revenue. Since taking office, he had processed all the banknotes in the Xie family mansion. Whether a banknote had slipped out of the Xie family mansion could be determined with a simple inspection.
"My life's work..."
Xie Jun pounded his chest, a mouthful of phlegm stuck in his throat, and his eyes rolled back as he fainted.
...
For some reason, rumors suddenly began to circulate in the capital about Yun Duoduo's romantic affairs, which involved the King of Western Chu.
Inside a teahouse on Chang'an Avenue, two middle-aged men are drinking tea and chatting.
"Have you heard? A few years ago, the princess was poisoned by the Ghost Forest's fog and almost died. In the end, it was the passing Crown Prince of Western Chu who saved her!"
The middle-aged man vividly described his defeat.
"The Crown Prince of Western Chu?"
"Yes, that is the current King of Western Chu!"
"Now, the King of Western Chu has come to propose marriage!"
"Five cities will also be used as betrothal gifts!"
"Five cities?!" The man nearly spat out the tea in his mouth.
"I heard that the Ninth Princess's fiefdom is a very wealthy place. If her husband's family sends her five more cities, she'll be lying on a gold mine!"
"Hey, it seems the King of Western Chu really wants to marry the princess. Isn't this a classic case of choosing the throne over the beauty? What a wonderful story."
"And I've also heard that our princess fell in love with the King of Western Chu the moment she saw him!"
"Sigh, in my next life, I want to be reborn as a princess too!"
...
Jin Jinzhi, who was leading his troops through the streets of the capital, frowned upon hearing this, and Cao, the military advisor beside him, immediately understood.
Military Advisor Cao walked up to the two men, drew his sword from his waist, pointed at them, and shouted, "How dare you! The princess's affairs are not for you to discuss!"
The men who had been gossiping about the princess immediately fell silent, lowering their heads to focus on drinking tea and eating melons.
"Military Advisor Cao, send someone to investigate the background of the Western Chu State Preceptor."
He knew that the reason why the King of Western Chu wanted to marry Yun Duoduo was because the Imperial Advisor said that Duoduo was a celestial maiden, and whoever obtained the celestial maiden would obtain the world.
"Also, send a team to patrol the capital. If anyone talks about Duoduo behind her back, stop them immediately."
He couldn't let these rumors ruin Duoduo's reputation.
"Yes, Your Highness."
...
Before Jin Jinzhi sent people to suppress the rumors, the gossip about Yun Duoduo and Xi Chu was rampant in the capital, and the people of the capital seemed to have accepted the prince consort from the bottom of their hearts.
Inside the Fu Shuang Palace, Yun Duoduo listened silently to the report from Xiao Liuzi, the intelligence expert.
It's truly unexpected that she, a master at creating and guiding public opinion, would fall into Xi Jing's hands.
"Princess, that's the situation. Right now, everyone in the palace is talking about the deep affection between you and Xi Jing."
Ah Xiang was so angry that she scratched her ears and cheeks: "This is outrageous!"
"Great, things are starting to get interesting! I, Yun Duoduo, have finally met my match!"
Yun Duoduo wasn't as anxious or upset as A Xiang. Although she was angry that Xi Jing had made such a careless statement about liking her, she had a way to resolve the situation.
As the saying goes, "I will not offend others unless they offend me; if they offend me, I will retaliate, and I will make them suffer an even more terrible fate!"
"Xi Jing, are you trying to play a propaganda war with this princess?"
"Hmph, making up stories? Anyone can do that!"
"Little Six, send someone out to spread the word that the King of Western Chu came to Nanyang many years ago with the intention of blowing up our mine. Fortunately, the Ninth Princess discovered his despicable act, stopped him in time, and drove him out."
“He harbored a grudge and was determined to ruin the Ninth Princess’s reputation.”
As Yun Duoduo spoke, she walked to the table, sat down, wrote a few words, and handed them to Xiao Liuzi.
Xiao Liu laughed as soon as he saw the words on the paper.
He had been running around outside all day, and he had gotten quite tanned. Now, when he smiled, revealing a set of big white teeth, it was a little unsettling to look at him.
"The princess is wise."
Ah Xiang also came over to take a look. After reading it once, she exclaimed, "Princess, I knew it! You would definitely have a solution!"
Yun Duoduo was very pleased to hear their praise: "Also, Xiao Liuzi, ask Guan Guan's bookstore to help write some big-character posters and distribute leaflets in the capital."
"We need to get the people on our side."
"Understood, this servant will go and do it right away!" Xiao Liuzi was full of energy, and he greatly admired Yun Duoduo.
No matter what happens, Yun Duoduo always finds a way to solve it, and it's always quite interesting.
The other eunuchs in the eunuch office were all very envious of him for being able to work under Princess Ninth in Fushuang Palace and be her confidant.
Watching Xiao Liuzi's departing figure, Yun Duoduo suddenly remembered that she had gone to Granny Xue's residence before and asked the Plum Blossom Pavilion's spies to investigate Xi Jing's affairs.
"Aunt Xiang, has there been any news from Granny Xue?"
He wanted to know what kind of person Xi Jing was, not where he ranked on the list of handsome men in the Central Plains or the list of talented men in Western Chu.
Ah Xiang nodded: "I was just about to tell the princess about this."
Yun Duoduo looked at her, gesturing for her to speak.
"Xi Jing was a demonic figure in Western Chu."
"He went to war with his father when he was young, and at the age of 15 he led troops to quell the internal strife in Western Chu."
It seems Xi Jing is a skilled warrior, not just a playboy who only knows how to eat, drink, be merry, and have beautiful women by his side.
“Everyone says that prisoners of war should not be killed, as killing surrendered prisoners is considered unlucky, but Xi Jing buried all the prisoners alive that very night.” Ah Xiang shuddered as she finished speaking.
All the prisoners were buried alive...
[Xi Jing is truly ruthless and cunning.]
"Later, he forced his father to abdicate, and used swift and decisive means to kill a member of the royal family who might have challenged him for the throne. He also murdered two of his uncles, imprisoned two princes, and the whereabouts of another uncle remain unknown."
Good heavens, Xijing is ruthless!
Yun Duoduo suddenly realized that she had underestimated her opponent. She needed to be alert and ready to deal with Xi Jing's next move.
...
Inside Chang'an Avenue, Xiao Liuzi, dressed in a black robe, was leading a few people through the streets and alleys, looking just like a salesman promoting his business.
It must be said that the people from Fu Shuang Gong are all masters of manipulating public opinion.
Xiao Liuzi was very capable. He quickly completed the task Yun Duoduo assigned him, working with Guan Guan to prepare the flyers and even had the children sing a set of nursery rhymes that Yun Duoduo had composed.
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