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Xie Zhan was in a state of panic.
Not long ago, the rumor that “Xie Zhan was the mastermind behind the plot to kill the Crown Prince” reached the ears of the Xie family. Xie Zhan immediately felt a bad premonition.
He didn’t care about anything else and immediately ordered people to suppress the rumor. He even ordered that if necessary, the Ministry of Justice should be dispatched to extinguish this rumor! They must not allow it to gain momentum.
At the same time, he also had people release several rumors in an attempt to distract people’s attention.
Xie Zhan acted quickly and responded promptly.
However, the Second Prince and the Third Prince were not pushovers, and they responded quickly as well. You want to extinguish the rumor? Then I will add fuel to the fire!
In the battle between the different factions, the rumor became more and more intense.
The people hired by Lu Desheng, who were the first to act, quietly withdrew, leaving the stage to them.
Therefore, everyone who needed to know about Xie Zhan’s rumor knew.
The families with elders who were ordered to be buried with the emperor: “…” They were furious! So that’s how it is!
The rumor said that Emperor Shizong had taken so many people with him before his death because he was looking for the mastermind behind the plot to kill the Crown Prince. The culprit was hiding too well, and Emperor Shizong couldn’t find him, so he took everyone he suspected with him.
In other words, their fathers and grandfathers were collateral damage!
“Father! Grandfather! You died so unjustly!” One after another, the filial sons and grandsons wept.
“In the end, it’s all Xie Zhan’s fault for plotting to kill the Crown Prince!”
“Wait, he plotted! Who did he plot with? The Fourth Prince?”
“It seems so. The rumor says that the Fourth Prince could become the new emperor, and he played a key role in it.”
“This rumor is a slander, it’s not true!” The Xie family shouted.
“Actually, whether the rumor is true or not depends on whether the Fourth Prince will use Xie Zhan after he ascends the throne. If he does, then the rumor is true!”
“Makes sense.”
Actually, some families were aware of the reason why their elders were given the death penalty, but it didn’t prevent them from blaming others!
If it wasn’t for Xie Zhan, perhaps Emperor Kang Cheng wouldn’t have been so angry and ordered so many people to be buried with him! Maybe their elders could have escaped. Then, if the Fourth Prince ascended the throne, their family would have the merit of supporting the new emperor.
No, they can’t just let it go. If they calculate it this way, they’ve lost so much, their hearts hurt!
It’s all Xie Zhan’s fault! He’s a villain!
People are like this, they’re usually unwilling to make things difficult for themselves but are willing to make things difficult for others. It’s always someone else’s fault!
The few rumors Xie Zhan released weren’t entirely useless. Some deep-seated secrets did distract people’s attention.
Besides this, there was another rumor circulating: that the Crown Prince’s death was orchestrated by Qin Yue of the Qin family in collusion with the Qianghu people. This rumor had actually been circulating before, but with the emergence of rumors about Xie Zhan, the original rumor about the Qin family was brought up again.
However, now, no one believed that the Crown Prince was killed by Qin Yue of the Qin family in collusion with the Qianghu people.
Did they think everyone was a fool? Who would believe such a rumor? What was the purpose of the Qin family doing this? Would they kill the Crown Prince just to send their entire family to jail?
If, as stated in the imperial edict of confiscation and exile, it was due to the General Qin’s negligence that they betrayed their trust, but to say that the Qin family colluded with the Qianghu people, they didn’t believe it!
Facing the outside world’s rumors, Xie Zhan looked serious. Quickly, find a way, there must be a way, he must quickly resolve these rumors about him.
Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.
These rumors were truly vicious, directly pitting him against the new Emperor.
Once the Fourth Prince formally ascended the throne and became the new Emperor, if he were to employ Xie Zhan, it would prove that the new Emperor had a direct connection to the Crown Prince’s death.
The new Emperor’s ascension was already fraught with difficulties and lacked legitimacy. Would he allow himself to have this stain? Would he be willing to be criticized for a mere minister?
A deep sense of crisis gripped Xie Zhan’s heart. Moreover, besides the Fourth Prince, he also had to guard against the Fourth Prince’s original team.
Xie Zhan’s concerns were indeed coming to fruition.
The members of the Fourth Prince’s original team, while a portion had been killed by Emperor Kang Cheng, many remained. These individuals had all invested in the Fourth Prince’s success and had some merits to their names, eagerly awaiting their rewards.
Upon hearing these rumors, these people subtly started to ponder.
You, Xie Zhan, boarded the ship later, stepping over the heads of Xue Huaimin to gain your position. You have cunning tactics, and the Fourth Prince values you, but we can’t do anything about you.
However, now, these rumors have given you a fatal weakness. Don’t blame us for taking action.
Whether these rumors were true or false, these people tacitly united in their efforts. Because by toppling him, more power and benefits would be available. Otherwise, as the chief contributor, he would absorb a large portion of the power and benefits.
After trying various methods, Xie Zhan, as more and more news came back, felt a sense of powerlessness. Too many people were targeting him, and he couldn’t fight against four fists with just two hands.
He had already investigated the source of the initial rumors, and it was indeed the Lu family.
Actually, before confirming the information, he had already had his suspicions. The familiar technique of manipulating public opinion, along with the ruthless determination of a well-planned attack, told him that the one targeting him was none other than Lu Songli.
Lu Songli’s move wasn’t particularly brilliant, but its brilliance lay in its timing. The effect it brought was also quite good.
Xie Zhan sighed. Lu Songli, Lu Songli, your actions are always so ruthlessly decisive. He just wanted the Lu family to produce the imperial edict, but Lu Songli wanted him to gain nothing from this game, and to face constant trouble.
Looking at the current situation, his previous plans were likely to be completely thwarted. He had to lie low, possibly for several years.
Xie Zhan was right. All of this was Lu Songli’s design.
Emperor Kang Cheng swallowed his anger and took the blame for the Fourth Prince, but Xie Zhan wanted to make a fortune in silence, which was impossible. Between him and the Fourth Prince, there stood the lives of the Crown Prince and Xue Huaimin. As long as she used this as a breakthrough point, she could tear open a crack, and the wind would continuously blow inwards. The relationship between the two would become precarious.
Moreover, Xie Zhan was also experiencing backlash. You could pick the fruits of Xue Huaimin’s labor, why couldn’t others pick yours?
If Xie Zhan’s previous act of picking Xue Huaimin’s fruits was like snatching chestnuts from the fire, then after being seen through by Lu Songli, he was being set ablaze.
Xie Zhan didn’t know that Lu Songli was delivering the final blow, sending his Xie family to their doom.
If Xie Zhan knew, then his worries and helplessness wouldn’t be the only things he felt, but also fear, a fear of the imminent collapse of the building. He wouldn’t be thinking about gaining power, but about how to protect himself.
The Dali Temple, the reception hall
The Fourth Prince, Song Mo, sat opposite Lu Songli.
His men had intercepted the Qin family’s three brothers. Currently, Lu Songli, a lone woman, was the only one in the reception hall, making Song Mo quite relaxed.
He had witnessed the fighting prowess of the Qin family’s three brothers. Qin Heng and Qin Zhao were fine, but Qin Sheng was truly formidable. He couldn’t allow someone like that to get close to him.
A wise man doesn’t stand near a collapsing wall. The example of his elder brother, the Crown Prince, was still fresh in his mind. He wouldn’t make such a mistake.
After taking their seats, neither of them spoke.
Lu Songli thought, the Fourth Prince arrived early. She had initially estimated that he would seek her out within three days. Unexpectedly, he came on the first day. It seemed he was incredibly bothered by whether his ascension to the throne was legitimate.
Song Mo scrutinized the woman opposite him. She wore the hair ornaments of a married woman, her eyes clear and fearless. The recent events and her imprisonment hadn’t made her fearful or demoralized, which was rare.
Xue Huaimin had previously suggested that he take her as his consort after ascending the throne and shower her with affection. He said she was intelligent, cunning, and capable of managing the inner palace.
In fact, Xue Huaimin’s suggestion was sincere. His mother’s family wasn’t influential, so having a capable concubine to manage the harem was necessary.
The Fourth Prince had said he would consider it.
But in reality, he didn’t like this scheming woman. He preferred those who were pure like lotus flowers, kind and gentle. Moreover, considering she couldn’t bear children, she wasn’t even worth his notice.
Although her face was indeed still attractive and her figure was good, after ascending the throne, he would have wealth and power throughout the empire. What kind of beauties wouldn’t he have? Why would he need to take a minister’s newlywed wife?
Actually, Xue Huaimin had another sentence he didn’t say, which was, Your Highness, if you don’t plan on taking her, then you must kill her. But he never had the chance to say it.
At this moment, Yao Wensong entered and personally served them tea.
After serving the tea, Yao Wensong silently stood aside.
But the Fourth Prince waved his hand, indicating for him to leave.
His idea of being a pillar had failed, and Yao Wensong silently retreated.