Chapter 349: Rumors
Chapter 349: Chapter 349: Rumors
Seeing the righteous Yao Zhengshu leave, Chen Dafu finally found a guest room to rest, thinking he could laze around until returning to the capital, but didn’t expect such a complication to arise.
Before falling asleep, he suddenly thought of Gu Kaiyuan for some reason, and then lay awake until dawn.
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Gu Kaiyuan was getting ready to head into the mountains, as it was New Year’s, he needed to prepare some meat for his family.
There are many mountains here and few hunters, so as long as one goes a bit deeper, one can still catch some good game.
This time, he wanted to go into the mountains to see if he could catch a few deer and bring them back. Nanny Pang can brew deer glue, which would be perfect for nourishing Suihe’s health.
As for the county town, he really didn’t want to get involved, nor wanted to get entangled in it. In this life, he just wanted to live as a wealthy idler.
After getting dressed and binding up his feet, with bow and arrows on his back, he just opened the door to see Chen Dafu raising his hand, about to knock.
Wasn’t this old man supposed to be in town yesterday? How come he’s here so early?
With this cold air all over him, isn’t he afraid of catching a chill with those old bones?
"So early, Mr. Chen," Gu Kaiyuan was still polite, speaking first, but he was headed out urgently, eager to enter the mountains.
Sure enough, Chen Dafu blocked his way, leaving him with no choice but to ask resignedly, "Mr. Chen, what is it this time?"
"I’m here to ask for your help."
Without thinking, Gu Kaiyuan immediately replied, "No help, and unable to assist."
"I haven’t even said what the matter is." Chen Dafu stared intently at Gu Kaiyuan, thinking this boy was not simple.
Gu Kaiyuan sighed, "Mr. Chen, looking at how I’m dressed now, you can tell I’m going to the mountains. I’ve got many mouths to feed at home, I’ve got to work hard."
Chen Dafu’s mouth twitched, "You really are hardworking. I have something..."
"Mr. Chen, your issue seems unrelated to me."
"It is related, and if handled well, maybe..."
Gu Kaiyuan swiftly dodged, using qinggong, distancing himself quickly and disappeared in front of him.
Is he kidding? What business could that old man have?
It’s all to do with Xu Xianling, more or less.
What does that have to do with him?
No grievances with Xu Xianling, but also not rushing forward to play the good guy.
Expecting benefits at this time by stepping forward? This Chen Dafu really thinks of him as a fool.
If he gets involved, he offends either the Third Prince or the Emperor. If Chen Dafu wants to be a loyal minister and uphold justice, then he can do it himself, dragging innocent people like him into it for no reason?
Seeing Gu Kaiyuan disappear, Chen Dafu muttered, "Such an indifferent fellow, doesn’t even know how to seize good opportunities when they’re right in front of him."
Now that he’s run away, Chen Dafu had no choice but to leave without entering the Gu Family’s house, since Gu Kaiyuan wouldn’t take the bait, he had to gather his family or else the plan might not go smoothly.
Although Gu Kaiyuan didn’t take the bait, he was still worried that the people he’d left in the county would get involved, so he specifically instructed someone to go over and just keep an eye on movements, ignoring everything else these days.
Don’t talk to him about righteousness, in his past life’s tragedy, the royal family wasn’t blameless either.
As for Xu Zitian, with such strong backing, don’t bother worrying about it.
On New Year’s Eve, Lin Hua and the others returned to the village with a cart full of New Year’s goods and also brought back news from the city.
The county town really wasn’t peaceful at all, strange things were happening every day.
Especially outside Xu Xianling’s yard, where several stalls had sprung up in recent days, and there were often sounds of fighting at night.
People living nearby didn’t dare to go out, and gradually, the county town became filled with unease.
No one knows exactly when, but rumors began spreading in the county town.
It’s said that the Third Prince put Xu Zitian under house arrest to get a position for his advisor.
Lord Xu, to avoid disaster, could only hide in his yard every day, yet the Third Prince and his advisor still wouldn’t let him go, sending people to guard and even trying to break in and kill him to silence him.
Fortunately, Lord Xu had experts to protect him and barely managed to keep his life.
At first, it was only whispered in small circles, but as the commotion grew, the entire county town was filled with panic.
Everyone in the whole county knew that Lord Xu was a good official who took the people’s side. Ever since he came to be the County Magistrate, the atmosphere and security improved greatly.
Life was finally getting better, yet someone was willing to murder a court official for power, which meant there was something significant at stake.
Then, another rumor came out, saying that the Third Prince wanted to expand his influence here and needed to remove the obstacle blocking his path, and Xu Xianling was precisely that stone in their way, so had to be dealt with before they could make waves here.
Some even said that the Third Prince planned to use this place as a base to accumulate resources for his bid to power.
Initially, people might have just watched the drama unfold, since changing an official would just make life a bit tougher for them.
But if they’re dragged into the royal power struggle, then everyone panicked.
Every royal conflict drags many innocent people into it, and they didn’t want to become cannon fodder.
If the Third Prince did succeed in taking over, all the men in Lingnan might become pawns for his ascent to the throne.
Once this rumor spread, it became a big deal. Originally people were just minding their own business, but then everyone took to the streets, surrounding Xu Zitian’s yard completely.
"Now, those people are taking turns sitting outside Lord Xu’s yard, saying that Lord Xu’s health suffered for the sake of the people over the years. Now, since he is ill, they have no other skills but to pray outside for him."
"To make it look more formal, some even prepared incense and candles, praying everywhere for divine protection."
Hearing Lin Hua’s vivid recount, Bai Suihe couldn’t help but praise the person who came up with the idea as a real talent.
When public opinion is on their side, what can Rong Ruiyuan, even as a prince, do? Is he going to slaughter the entire county?
"Who came up with this idea?"
"At first, Mr. Chen was hiding with his family members in the marketplace spreading rumors. It didn’t seem this far-fetched initially, but another force later intervened, making the situation uncontrollable."
Bai Suihe, "Wasn’t it said that the entire county was under the Third Prince’s control?"
Gu Kaiyuan explained to her, "As the saying goes, ’a strong dragon does not suppress a snake in its own territory’. No matter how important the Third Prince’s status is, he can’t surpass Xu Zitian, who’s been established here for years."
"Even though he’s trapped in his courtyard every day, he has a plan."
Bai Suihe, "Now Rong Ruiyuan has truly met his match. It’s unclear how he plans to wrap things up in the end."
Since things have escalated this much, if it continues, Rong Ruiyuan’s painstakingly accumulated reputation will be entirely ruined, especially with brothers in the court watching eagerly. There’s no choice but to withdraw.