Free Web NovelChapter 111: Chapter 111
Chapter 111
“Hold on, everyone. I am ‘Yu Gonggong’, a eunuch serving the Crown Prince, who has traveled from the palace in the capital. I just heard you mention that your village is experiencing problems, and there are even soldiers’ corpses floating in the river you use for drinking?” A high-pitched voice that was neither distinctly male nor female rang out.
His tone was quite different from when he was performing his usual duties. It carried a hint of amusement and excitement. It seemed that his visit here was not entirely fruitless despite not winning the auction.
When it came to soldiers, it must be the people of the Young General who openly supported the Third Prince. This also signified that the other party was an enemy of his master.
Previously, there were rumors about the Young General’s delays in his duties. However, the more widely known tale was the romantic legend of the Young General and Lady Liu, who was merely the daughter of a concubine. There was also an incident involving the Qin family, which led to the exile of the Eldest Young Miss Qin. When the Young General was assigned to a distant post, it was quite a perfect coincidence that Lady Liu also ended up there.
What everyone expected eventually happened. Although the villagers initially viewed Lady Liu favorably, believing that the love between them was grand and beautiful like a fairy tale, the upper class did not see it that way at all.
The eldest son of a general, betrothed to the eldest young miss of a prominent noble family, ended up choosing a grass flower who had no capability to support him in the future as his lover. Even though the high society started to see Liu Sun in a better light later, due to her talents that could make her the number one beauty in the capital, they still couldn’t shake off their disdain for her being the daughter of a concubine.
When they heard of the disgraceful events, the noble society eagerly spread the news with great satisfaction. Some households even cursed the children of concubines who dared to aspire to greatness within the family. Furthermore, the fact that Liu Sun’s concubine-born friends became suspects only caused the concubine-born children to be oppressed further.
This reinforced the societal awareness of the potential disasters stemming from the incompetence of concubine-born children, through the lessons learned from this incident.
As the eunuch serving the Crown Prince, he had to listen to outside news daily to plan appropriately for any arising situations. Moreover, since this incident caused harm to the enemies of his master, he had to stay informed and seize every opportunity to fan the flames of these rumors. At the very least, if the Young General’s power were diminished, he wouldn’t become a thorn in their side, constantly threatening them in the future.
However, the story that was being embellished and spread around started receiving fewer criticisms due to the Young General’s accomplishments. Within just a few days, he fought and defeated notorious bandits, achieving success and the accomplishment that people couldn’t stop talking about. Even the Liu family, who had previously punished Liu Sun harshly, had gone quiet.
Now, all the supporters of the Third Prince began to take action as well. They knew that losing the position of general to someone else in the future would bring about unmanageable damage.
With this ongoing battle and his evident achievements, those who were spreading bad rumors had to start retreating. But who would have thought that just his arrival here would encounter the satisfying scent of scandal once more?
The cunning old man saw the Young General’s men heading straight toward them. So, he introduced himself first. After all, these people were just ordinary villagers who had no idea how intense the battles between the princes could be. Moreover, they didn’t align with any prince. It would be easy to get them to say something, especially since those were the undeniable truth...
"Well then, can you tell this eunuch about the details?" Yu Gonggong flashed a smile that seemed kind-hearted. The villagers had never encountered such a cunning demeanor before, and the other party’s rank and title were far from ordinary.
"Of course, Master. This matter is very serious for us. A few days ago, many soldiers’ corpses were found floating ashore. We villagers, who rely on the river water for drinking and daily use, were all terrified."
"Additionally, some people even found feces floating in the water they collected. At first, we heard from a nearby village that many soldiers were gravely ill. At that time, there was a rush to buy herbs for treating diarrhea, so we had an idea of what was happening."
"But what we villagers didn’t expect was for these soldiers to die, and now some villagers who drank the river water are suffering from severe diarrhea as well. We think it might be the same illness that the soldiers had. Fortunately, Heaven showed mercy, and a representative of the Buddha visited our village. They warned us about the serious disease that might be in the water. Because of this, many people started boiling the water before drinking it. Otherwise, we might all have been infected by now."
"Even though we have this solution, life is still very difficult. It’s already hard enough to gather firewood, which takes up a lot of time. If we have to boil water every time before using it, we won’t be able to do anything but cut wood and collect firewood."
"So, we have one last option. We came to seek the blessed one, the person chosen by the Guanyin. That person should be able to help us, Master."
One of the villagers explained the situation in detail to Yu Gonggong once again. A satisfied smile appeared on the corners of the lips of Yu Gonggong as he listened. He didn’t care about the villagers’ well-being, but he was interested in the fact that this situation was clearly the fault of the Young General and the Third Prince.
"Oh, so the seer directed you to find the person who won the bid for the Guanyin? I’ve never believed in the supernatural, but this time I suppose I must. It really is an eye-opening experience. The person who won the auction is the Third Prince. You can ask him about this because his visit here is to inspect the work of the Young General."
"The soldiers you found were unfortunate ones who faced a severe, incurable disease and died from it. Of course, the Young General and the Third Prince’s men are the ones responsible for your plight. I’m not surprised that the Third Prince won the auction. This may have been the Buddha’s will all along." ƒreewebɳovel.com
Yu Gonggong said this before making a gesture of worship to the heavens and the earth, appearing like a devout follower or the leader of some cult. In such a situation, coupled with his seemingly credible words, the rumors about the supernatural spread even faster.
It was normal for people to love talking about things that cannot be proven. It involved pulling in their beliefs, and whenever something was seen as a belief, people would always be irrational about it.
They didn’t think about the fact that there had been a struggle to win the auction for the Guanyin. It wasn’t just the Third Prince who wanted it. Moreover, he had already declared that the Guanyin was to be offered to the Emperor. So, shouldn’t the rightful owner be the Emperor?
It was clear that Yu Gonggong’s words had taken effect. Additionally, he spread these rumors about the mercy and justice of the sacred carved jade to the capital, enhancing the reverence and worship of it twofold, showcasing its great value to the Emperor and others.
By doing so, the rumors would spread even more.
"This is the Guanyin, exceptionally just. Anyone who commits evil must atone and correct their wrongs. Take, for example, the Young General who was the Third Prince’s man. They discarded the soldiers’ corpses into the river out of laziness to bury them. Not only did they show no respect for their own soldiers, but they also caused trouble for the surrounding villagers."
"If it weren’t for the guidance of the Guanyin, the villagers wouldn’t know who to turn to for answers. They might have contracted the deadly disease and died just like those soldiers."
These words were pleasing, even to the Emperor, the ruler of the kingdom. When the time came to offer the jade carving as tribute, he felt a tinge of regret. Had it not already been informed to the Hu Kingdom, the tribute might have been changed.
"So that’s how it is. Thank you very much, Master Gonggong."
"Indeed, let’s go see the Third Prince. If the Crown Prince’s men are this compassionate, surely the Third Prince, known for his virtue and kindness, will be willing to help us."
"That’s right. These are soldiers under his care. He will surely find a solution for us."
These people were just simple villagers, straightforward and without cunning, not careful with their words. Yet, their sincere words embarrassed the princes inside.
"Hmph! This seems to become a serious matter. I can’t believe the Young General could be so negligent. He did not honor even his soldiers by properly burying them, instead, he threw those who had worked for him so long into the river to be fish food. Moreover, those soldiers had a deadly disease. If this causes the whole village to die, I dread to think of the losses we might face."
The Eighth Prince, upon hearing this, let out a dry laugh.
Having worked as a merchant for many years, he had spent a lot of time with the impoverished and the common folk. Sometimes, he even had to do business with them, which allowed him to develop some empathy for the ordinary people. He never considered himself above others, nor did he see himself as a god. Therefore, whenever he did something, he always considered the common folk.
Upon hearing about the actions of the Young General, who issued such an order, he felt extremely displeased.
"The merit of eradicating the bandits is commendable, but I wonder which loss is greater: the eradication of the bandits or the soldiers not entering in the first place? This matter, I must consult with Father," said the Eighth Prince before leaving.
He left behind the two other princes, who stood there with dark expressions. The threat from the Eighth Prince always carried weight. For him to take this matter to the Emperor was akin to sentencing them.
However, they couldn’t do anything to him. He was straightforward and seemed uninterested in power. Yet, he had many people around him.
Moreover, the Crown Prince’s men were aware of the situation. If they silenced only the Eighth Prince, it could escalate into a larger issue. At that point... the Crown Prince would likely watch them get rid of the Eighth Prince while holding a knife to their own throats.
Finding no way out of this, the Third Prince, already disappointed with the Young General numerous times, looked at him. His gaze was filled with blame, but the Young General’s face remained emotionless, as if devoid of feelings.At this moment, he was pondering what mistake he had made in his plan. Before coming here, the only thing beyond his control was Yueqian’s gaze. But now, many things had happened, all consequences of the plan he had initially devised!
