"Have you heard? There is a monster living in the palace, that is King Jingyang. I heard that he has seduced His Majesty to the point of ignoring government affairs. He has not been in court for a month. Now all political affairs depend on the Prime Minister and the six ministers. Hold on!"
"His Majesty did not go to court for more than half a year, just to have fun in the world with Gu Lan. He even ignored national affairs... This Gu Lan bewitched the king, which is really a harm to the Great Jing!"
"That's right, with this person here, Dajing will not be a country anymore!"
"..."
Rumors were spreading, but not everyone believed them. There were still many people who expressed different opinions. Most of them were from the group of people who had been helped by Gu Lan to rescue his daughter.
"No, right? I heard that Mr. Gu Lan, the imperial minister who exposed the truth about the flower-picking thief case, is not as outrageous as you said..."
"Yes, I don't know about anything else. Anyway, life is getting better and better now."
"..."
The other people said disdainfully: "You know nothing! Life is getting better now because Your Majesty distributed the magic rice. But these good days will not last long, humph, because King Jingyang has already given advice to His Majesty, Because the magic rice harvest has increased, future taxes will increase tenfold!"
"What? Ten times the increase!" Everyone in the neighborhood was stunned and exclaimed, "Isn't this going to cost us our lives?"
"If this policy is really implemented, our Dajing will be in danger!"
"I have nothing to do with that pretty boy!"
"..."
The news spread among the people and soon attracted the attention of interested people... You know, in this capital city overlooked by the Dajing court, the most informed person was not Wu Fan or Luo Chen, but a woman !
Concubine Xiao was hiding in the brothel. She was supposed to be the empress's eyes and ears, gathering information.
now.
When she received the news from her eyeliner below, she frowned slightly: "This guy is really capable... But as much praise as he has to bear, he has to bear as much slander. This is an eternal principle in the world..."
Complaints were complaints, but she still dutifully presented the collected information to Mu Yuyan.
"What?"
In the palace, Mu Yuyan's eyes were slightly cold, and she felt a little unbelievable for the first time.
It was Gu Lan who obviously invented the magic rice and the waterwheel, and proposed the agricultural reform. Such a minister who was dedicated to benefiting the country and the people, even if he had no personal relationships, could not be so unjustly accused!
And raising taxes?
My majestic empress, do I need some food from you?
After all, I still overestimated the people's ability to discern truth, and just letting it go will not work!
Concubine Xiao was shocked by the empress's attitude, but she still reported the truth: "Most of these people are hiding among the waiters in the tavern, spreading rumors wildly, and the people are ignorant, and many people believe it. The current situation is extremely unfavorable to Mr. Gu. "
"Hmph! No matter how disadvantageous it is, we can't ignore it any longer."
Mu Yuyan also knew that anger could not change the outcome of the current situation, and he had to use an iron fist to rectify it.
"Xiao Xi, you lead the Xuantian Division and do your best to hunt down those who spread rumors in the capital. Catch one by one and bring them all back for interrogation! I want to see who is behind the scenes."
You don't need to think about it to know that there must be someone behind the spread of such large-scale rumors.
"yes!"
Liu Yexi also knew the seriousness of the matter and immediately resigned.
Her face was also full of anger. She was the one who knew best about the love between His Majesty and the Young Master. How could she tolerate the malicious destruction of others?
What's more, it was obviously the young master who reformed agriculture and allowed the people to have a good harvest. Why don't these people understand the good people's hearts and bite back?
Feiyu suits filed out, the streets and alleys of the entire capital were filled with spies, and the city was full of wind and rain, roaring in the eyes of the people with surprise!
...
"General, what should we do now? Looking at Xuan Tiansi, it's obvious that he is serious about it. Some of the servants in my house have already been arrested."
Wu Fan also frowned. The two of them met in the meeting hall again, and it was still about Gu Lan's matter.
The initial effect of spreading rumors this time was pretty good. However, the response from the Empress was very fast and unexpectedly strong. She immediately sent Xuantiansi to arrest people on a large scale. In this case, the rumors quickly spread. Stopped!
It means they spent a lot of money but did useless work, and even risked being exposed!
Wu Fan is already on the run. If Luo Chen's place is also sealed off, it may be difficult for both of them to escape.
"Have you ever been caught by someone's tail? The servants in your house won't turn us out, right?" He asked with some worry.
Luo Chen also frowned and thought for a while, and then said with certainty: "No, I arranged for my subordinates to do this, and the captured servants were just randomly selected to participate in this matter, and they didn't know that I He is the one behind the scenes, so of course it is impossible for him to expose me."
Wu Fan nodded, as long as there was no risk of exposure: "You are smart, as long as you are not caught. They searched for a while, and they could only catch some soldiers and generals at most, which has little to do with us."
"But our plan still failed. Although Gu Lan's reputation has been affected to some extent, the court will make amends afterwards. Moreover, His Majesty is serious about it this time. With Xuan Tiansi going out with all his strength, we can't continue to spread the news. It’s a rumor, otherwise you’re just throwing yourself into a trap.”
A hint of ferocity flashed across Luo Chen's face. He couldn't understand why Gu Lan, a pretty boy, received so much attention from His Majesty that he even mobilized the entire Xuantian Division to refute rumors for him!
Of course, there is still a hint of vigilance... Is it really as simple as good-looking that this guy is so valued?
Wu Fan also fell into deep thought. After a long time, he said: "It is no longer possible to spread rumors. The risk of committing crimes against the wind is too high."
"We can only take a break for a while and wait until February next year, which is spring time. Now we can start secret preparations, mobilize private troops, and wait until spring time to give Gu Lan a fatal blow!"
Luo Chen also had a ruthless look in his eyes: "This is a good idea. I have wanted to do this for a long time. Just spreading rumors to darken Gu Lan is really not enough. The only way to expose me is to cut this kid into pieces." The hatred in my heart!”
Immediately, he frowned again and said: "But mobilizing private troops is not an easy task. Now that the Xuantian Division is densely populated in the capital, I am afraid that even the slightest disturbance will be difficult to avoid being discovered."
Wu Fan showed a confident smile: "Commander Luo, don't forget what this general did before. I used to recruit two private armies. Although one of them is gone, the other one can still be summoned. use."
"They are not hiding in the capital, but somewhere outside the suburbs of the capital. Based on my many years of experience in leading troops, even Xuantiansi has not been able to detect this army."
"General Wu is really powerful! With the help of this army, he will definitely be able to cut Gu Lan into pieces!" Luo Chen was surprised, but he didn't expect Wu Fan to have a hand.
At this time, he was extremely lucky that he and Wu Fan chose to cooperate. Otherwise, where would the army be able to help?
"In addition, Commander Luo is also needed to manage the people of the Ministry of Rites." Hearing Luo Chen's appreciation, Wu Fan also smiled and continued, "The Spring Festival is held in the Gongyuan of the Ministry of Rites. It is impossible for the private army to attack the area near the Ministry of Rites on a large scale. Everyone gathered around to kill him, and only by relying on the Ministry of Rites as an internal response to get the news about Gu Lan, could we strike accurately."
Luo Chen nodded: "Leave this matter to me."
