When Qin Yining heard this, he couldn't help but laugh.
If this was in the past, although Pang Xiao was very popular among the people and was respected by them, he always had a sense of being high and mighty. He was not as close to the lives of the people as he was now.
The current situation was exactly what Qin Yining wanted.
To be able to change the direction of public opinion and make a person who was originally distant become deeply entrenched in the hearts of the people was sometimes very simple.
It was clear that one could achieve anything with effort.
Qin Yining was curious about the situation outside, but because he had to pretend to be a person whose entire family had died, it was not easy for him to have fun while he was in mourning. He couldn't swagger out and wander around, so he could only disguise himself and go quietly.
After listening to a few stories, Qin Yining's blood was boiling. The stories that clearly didn't happen were made reasonable by the storyteller. Even she almost believed it. The storyteller's thin lips talked about the battles on the battlefield and the struggles for power. It was much more exciting than the experiences of the people who were personally involved.
At the beginning of February, even the housewives in the capital knew about the story of Pang Xiao's Zhi Ping Nan Yan. The image of Yuchi Yan as a despicable person who repaid kindness with enmity became more and more deeply ingrained. Even the old women who gathered together to sunbathe would shake their heads and look at him with disdain.
※ ※ ※
In the garden of the Zhennan Wang Residence, Yuchi Yan stood with his hands behind his back. His white hair was tied up in a bun, and the newly made silk robe he was wearing seemed a bit too loose. When the wind blew, the robe fluttered, as if it was hanging on a bamboo pole.
Two older women knelt in front of him, trembling like sifting chaff.
"What were you talking about just now? Hm? "
"Wang, Wang Ye, this servant, this servant didn't …"
"Speak!"
Yuchi Yan roared, scaring the two maidservants into sobbing on the spot and repeatedly kowtowing.
"This servant also doesn't know. This servant, this servant went out to buy some things and heard someone telling a story next to a small tea stall in the market, so, so …"
"Impudent! How can you really believe the nonsense of those bumpkins outside? "
"This servant doesn't believe it, this servant definitely doesn't believe it!"
The maidservants kowtowed repeatedly.
Yuchi Yan clenched his fists tightly, the veins on his forehead bulging. His whole body trembled as he gritted his teeth and said, "Guards!"
"Wang Ye."
The steward of the Wang Mansion stepped forward and bowed.
Yuchi Yan pointed at the two women and said fiercely, "Slap their mouths! Fight! Give him a good beating! "
The incharge acknowledged and waved his hand at the servants behind him.
The manservant immediately came forward and pressed down on the shoulders of the two maidservants. He took out the bamboo boards and held them in his hands.
The two maidservants were so scared that their faces turned pale. They repeatedly kowtowed and begged for mercy, "Wang Ye, we won't dare to do it again!"
"Wang Ye, please spare me. This servant didn't say anything. It's the outside world. It's the outside world that's spreading the news …"
It would have been better if they didn't say this. When he heard that "the outside world is spreading the news", Yuchi Yan's eyes turned red. He roared, "Beat them!"
The servant immediately complied. He raised his arm and fiercely swung the bamboo pieces down. Only the sound of "pah" and "pah" could be heard. The two maidservants were hit so hard that they couldn't even let out a wail. In just two or three moves, their faces were swollen.
Yuchi Yan clenched his teeth and his jaw tightened. He glared at the two maidservants.
The two manservants who were in charge of the punishment hit them more than a dozen times. They saw that the two maidservants were crying and their faces were swollen like balls. There were also deep purple marks on their faces. They were afraid that if they continued to hit them, their faces would be smashed. They couldn't help but slow down their movements. They hesitated and stole a glance at the steward.
The steward was also hesitant, "Wang Ye, you …"
"Continue to hit them! Did This King ask you to stop? Could it be that you won't listen to This King's orders? "
"This servant doesn't dare!"
The two manservants were so scared that their faces turned pale. They hurriedly moved again.
The steward wanted to say something but stopped. He lowered his head and couldn't bear to watch.
Yuchi Yan stared at the two maidservants who had been beaten until they were vomiting blood. He saw that the blood they spat out was mixed with teeth. Their faces were swollen beyond recognition. The turbid anger in his heart seemed to have found an outlet to vent.
He couldn't control the nonsense of the people outside, but could he not control the people at home?
Just as Yuchi Yan stared at the two maidservants, clearly wanting to see the manservants beat them to death, Gu Shixiong rushed over with the help of two manservants.
"Stop." The old man's voice trembled and he coughed a few times.
The two manservants carrying out the punishment heard this and immediately stopped as if they had been pardoned.
Yuchi Yan was feeling good when he was suddenly interrupted. He abruptly turned to look at Gu Shixiong.
"Wang Ye, these two maidservants spoke carelessly. They deserved to be punished. They must have learned their lesson and won't do it again in the future. "Gu Shixiong cupped his hands and said," Wang Ye, please be lenient and let them live. "
Yuchi Yan pursed his lips. His previously gentle eyes were now devoid of weakness and gentleness. His gaze became cold, and his expression was full of suppressed resentment.
"They are servants of This King's Estate. They have done such a thing. If this King wants to punish them, he can!"
"Wang Ye is right." Gu Shixiong sighed and said, "But Wang Ye has always been benevolent. You …"
"Benevolent?" Yuchi Yan raised his chin and sneered at the hazy sky. "What's the use of being benevolent?"
Seeing that he was about to say something that others couldn't hear, Gu Shixiong hurriedly waved his hand at the steward.
The steward immediately understood and ordered the two maidservants who had been beaten unconscious to be carried out. The manservants also quietly retreated.
In the blink of an eye, only Yuchi Yan and Gu Shixiong were left in the garden.
"Wang Ye, this old man knows the bitterness in your heart, but you have to think about the long-term. You can't throw away your greatest strength for these things. "
"Strength? What other strength does This King have? Are you saying that he is soft-hearted and benevolent? Ha! What a joke! " Yuchi Yan raised his head and laughed, his eyes gradually turning red. Gu Shixiong's words of advice seemed to poke at the embarrassment that he hid in his heart and didn't want others to see.
"This King's soft-hearted and benevolent is the representation of weakness! Look at what those people outside are saying about This King? Despicable villain, ungrateful! This King is the ruler of a fallen country, a useless coward! They say that This King is a bastard who licks people's shoes and drags out an ignoble existence. Who knows the bitterness of This King! "
"Wang Ye! Be careful with your words! "
Gu Shixiong hurriedly stopped him, afraid that Yuchi Yan would continue to say something disgraceful.
This was the capital, right under the nose of Li Qitian. As long as Li Qitian wanted to, Li Qitian would know what kind of underwear Yuchi Yan was wearing! They had already been misunderstood by the people of Southern Yan and had lost the support of the people. They had been attacked by the Pang Xiao and had fled back to the capital. It wasn't easy for them to find shelter, so they should hide their strength and bide their time. At this time, it really wasn't good for them to cause any more trouble.
But looking at Yuchi Yan's crazy appearance, Gu Shixiong only felt powerless.
Yuchi Yan was still the same, not good at politics. Now he was almost crazy, and even his previous patience and forbearance had been forgotten.
Yuchi Yan's fists were clenched tightly as she huffed and puffed. Her teeth were clenched so tightly that creaking sounds could be heard.
Looking at Yuchi Yan like this, the thoughts that had been lingering in Gu Shixiong's letter became clear again.
He was old. In order to restore the country, he had sacrificed enough. Other than his own old life, his family, and his future, he had sacrificed everything else.
But things were still in this irreversible state.
Perhaps he should let go.
"Wang Ye, you're probably tired. Why don't you have a good rest? As for the storytellers outside talking about Pang Zhixi, someone must be behind it. It's even possible that the Pang Zhixi themselves are trying to create a positive image for themselves. You don't have to be so angry in the face of your opponent's slander. Let's just think of a way to fight back. "
"Fight back? How? "Yuchi Yan was stunned for a moment, then asked anxiously.
He didn't know how to think on his own when he encountered problems, but instead asked him first. Gu Shixiong couldn't help but smile bitterly at how dependent he was.
"I still have to think about it."
"Think about it? If you think about it, This King's reputation will be trampled underfoot! "
Did he still have a good reputation now?
Gu Shixiong sighed inwardly and shook his head. He only said that he would go back and think about it, then left the residence.
Yuchi Yan didn't get a solution to the problem. When he thought about how the two servants gossiped behind his back, he got angry. That night, he ordered people to throw the two servants out of the residence, and no one was allowed to save them.
The next day, the news that two corpses were found in front of the Zhennan Residence spread.
Bing Tang frowned and said to Qin Yining, "This is too cruel. I heard that the two servants' faces were badly swollen. All of their teeth were knocked out, and one of their cheekbones was broken. They were thrown out while they were still running a high fever. The weather is cold, but it doesn't freeze water. The two of them were thrown to the cold ground and died overnight … "
Ji Yun was filled with righteous indignation when he heard this. "They really have no regard for human lives! There's always a reason to punish servants, whether it's punishment or selling them. Although there are cases of private punishment like this, there's no such thing as brazen. Does the Zhennan Prince not care about his reputation? "
Qin Yining sighed and said, "He's probably too angry."
With Yuchi Yan's temper, it wasn't strange for him to do something like this. Qin Yining didn't know how to feel about the former kind-hearted person becoming like this. In any case, they were standing on opposite sides. Both of them wanted the treasure, so there was no turning back.
※ ※
Daxing Estate.
Huzi said with exultation, "Wang Ye, there are commoners praising you everywhere in the capital. Even a three-year-old child knows about your deeds! Hey! Wang Fei is really amazing! In such a short period of time, your reputation among the commoners has become so high! Why didn't we think of this method before? "
Pang Xiao said with a smile, "In the past, she needed to keep a low profile. Now she's high profile."
Huzi asked, "Wang Ye, can we enter the city now?"
"En." Pang Xiao stood up and stretched his stiff muscles. He said, "Pass down the order. Prepare the carriages and horses. We'll set off immediately. "
Pang Xiao led twenty or so Tiger Spirits and the two strategists, Xie and Xu, to rush to the capital. They were twice as fast as Qin Yining.
But when they arrived at the city gates, Pang Xiao ordered them to set up camp and not enter the city.
There were many commoners and carriages going in and out of the city on the road in front of the city gates. Pang Xiao's group of twenty or so people had set up a few tents not far away. It was especially eye-catching because there was a bright flag on the tents with a neatly written "Swastika" character on it.
The commoners who were literate knew that Prince Zhongshun's group had arrived outside the city.
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