amaotonovel Chapter 451 Public Opinion Overwhelms Public Opinion
Chapter 451 Public Opinion Overwhelms Public Opinion
From the moment Yun Shu followed Princess Guangning, she recognized Princess Guangning as her master.
She asked, "Princess, what are your orders?"
The incident happened suddenly, and Princess Guangning had no better clue at the moment, so she subconsciously thought of Zhao Yi.
Now only her elder brother can lend her a helping hand.
Princess Guangning succinctly told Yun Shu about Prince Yu's plans and handed her a letter.
"Aunt Yun, please deliver this letter to my brother." Princess Guangning instructed anxiously, "Get it to my brother as soon as possible, or it will be too late."
Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Yun Shu dared not delay and immediately left the mansion, hurrying towards the plum garden.
Just as he emerged from the narrow alleyway of the mansion, he saw two commoners walking towards him, talking in hushed tones.
"What's going on today? The prefect was arrested by the Prince of Guangling for abusing the rioters, and the city gates have been closed early, with no one allowed to enter or leave. Could something big be about to happen?"
"I heard that a newly mined lead mine collapsed, killing many miners."
"The mine collapsed? Mines here rarely collapse, how could it suddenly collapse?"
"I heard that... since the Prince of Guangling couldn't find any evidence of the prefect's crimes, he deliberately arranged for someone to collapse the lead mine, causing deaths, so that he could make a big fuss. After all, this mine was forcibly opened by the prefect from our ancestors' graves, and he also extorted money from us in secret. If we tear open a hole here, wouldn't all those people oppressed by the prefect have to come forward and hand over evidence of the prefect's crimes?"
Under normal circumstances, how would ordinary people dare to sue the officials?
Now that the Prince of Guangling is backing them up, the people dare to voice their grievances and seek justice for themselves.
The two fell silent at this point. If that were the case, then the Prince of Guangling might not be a good person either. He was willing to disregard human life to bring down the prefect.
These ordinary people are nothing more than victims of the power struggle within the regime.
Thinking of this, the two looked somber and left with heavy hearts.
Upon hearing this, Yun Shu's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively felt that something was amiss.
The Prince of Guangling cared deeply for the people and enjoyed immense popularity among them. How could he possibly disregard human life just to obtain evidence of the prefect's crimes?
After all, the prefect has been arrested and imprisoned, and given the crimes he committed, an investigation would be very thorough.
Why would the King of Guangling go to such great lengths to have the mine collapsed?
Thinking of this, Yun Shu realized that someone was targeting the Prince of Guangling.
She turned around and went back to the mansion to report the news she had heard on the street to Princess Guangning.
"Your Highness, I suspect that the Prefect's men deliberately caused the mine to collapse to frame Prince Guangling." Yun Shu was anxious. Prince Guangling was in trouble himself, so how could he spare any help for Princess Guangning?
Princess Guangning's expression suddenly changed, and she thought more deeply: "It's also possible that it's the prefect's faction, who are afraid that the emperor will investigate further and find them out, so they disregarded the lives of the people and caused the lead mine to collapse."
She said solemnly, “Father sent my brother to Yongqing County to quell the riots, not to let him perform meritorious service. Now that the riots have been appeased and the prefect has been arrested, my brother can return to the capital to report after handling the aftermath. He will not only gain the love of the people, but also the support of the officials.”
"But at this critical juncture, rumors have spread that my brother, for his own selfish gain, is disregarding the lives of the people. If this matter escalates, my brother will have to hand over his duties to someone else."
“If the Prince Xian returns to the capital smoothly, Father can send him to take over the duties of my elder brother and thoroughly investigate the lead mine collapse case. Even if my elder brother is eventually exonerated, the credit for quelling the riot will still go to the Prince Xian.”
Yun Shu was a close confidant of the Empress, so she naturally knew that the Emperor of Northern Qi wanted to make the Prince Xian the Crown Prince.
She said with great concern, "Do you think... His Majesty might be behind this?"
Princess Guangning was taken aback, remembering that the city gates were closed and no one was allowed to enter or leave the city.
With the prefect arrested and power transferred to the emperor's brother, who can bypass the emperor's brother to order the city gates closed?
Only my father's people are left.
Princess Guangning clenched the handkerchief in her hand, her delicate eyebrows furrowed tightly, unsure how to break the deadlock.
Suddenly, she saw the image of a Bodhisattva hanging on the wall, and an idea immediately came to her mind.
If things go smoothly, not only will Prince Yu be able to take her away, but it will also help her brother escape his predicament.
She asked Yun Shu, "I've heard that the people of Yongqing County worship the mountain god?"
Yun Shu replied, "When Yongqing County first started mining lead, accidents frequently occurred underground. The people believed that the mining had angered the mountain god, so they worshipped the mountain god every year, hoping that the mountain god would protect the miners."
Princess Guangning calmed down a bit and gestured for Yun Shu to come closer so she could whisper a few words in her ear.
Yun Shu looked at Princess Guangning in astonishment.
Princess Guangning cautioned, "Be careful, lest Prince Yu find out."
Yun Shu hesitated, as if he wanted to speak.
Prince Yu was not a stupid person; once the incident occurred, he would definitely suspect that it was 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 solemn expression.
-
In the plum garden, Zhao Yi sat upright in a round-backed chair, looking down at the letter in his hand, his brows furrowed.
Prince Yu is preparing to leave Yongqing County, and it seems he has no intention of taking Princess Guangning with him.
Before he could think further, Jiang Mu's voice came from outside the door: "Master, something terrible has happened."
As they spoke, Jiang Mu pushed open the door to the study and said, "The lead mine collapsed, killing five or six civilians. Rumors are circulating outside that you deliberately sent people to cause the collapse in order to obtain evidence from the prefect. I planned to go out of the city to investigate, but the city gates were closed, and no one was allowed to enter or leave."
At this point, he became particularly indignant: "This is clearly targeting you. Who else but the Emperor of Northern Qi could seal off the city gates?"
"The Emperor of Northern Qi, in order to suppress you, disregarded the lives of the people; he is clearly a tyrant!"
Jiang Mu became more and more agitated as he spoke, his face turning bright red: "No, we have to suppress the rumors, otherwise it will be extremely detrimental to you."
"Wait a minute."
Zhao Yi, however, had a different view. He believed that those with ulterior motives wanted to frame him, and the rumors circulating outside could not be suppressed. To suppress public opinion, one had to create even greater public opinion.
Just as he was about to speak, footsteps sounded outside the door, and then Jiang Chao knocked and came in, reporting: "Master, it is said outside that the prefect has committed many evils, frequently mining lead mines without ever worshipping the mountain god, which angered the mountain god, and that's why the lead mine collapsed."