Fangzhou Xier, starting with failing the art exam

"In my opinion, this matter may not necessarily be a bad thing for us."

"We just need to observe the situation and must not panic."

Yan Wen was panting heavily, his chest heaving violently.

Although he was seething with hatred, he knew that now was not the time to act rashly. He could only suppress his panic and anger and fell into a state of chaos where he could not take care of himself.

……

Inside the Grand Tutor's Mansion.

Xun Huiming sat upright in his study, quietly listening to his student's report.

His face betrayed no emotion, but his fingers unconsciously rubbed the edge of the paperweight.

"Grand Tutor, this wind came too fast and too fiercely. I believe it is by no means a coincidence!" a young official said with great concern.

"Public resentment is soaring, and it's all directed at the Transport Commissioner's Office?"

"I suspect that someone is stirring things up behind the scenes, trying to use this to attack our reform cause."

Xun Huiming nodded slowly: "I know."

"This method doesn't seem like Mu Zheng's style. It's more like... someone is using his strength against him."

"Then how should we deal with this? I have already sent people to teahouses throughout the city to warn and suppress them, but the effect has been minimal, and it has only incited more people to rebel."

"It's better to guide than to block," Xun Huiming said in a deep voice.

"Public resentment has already been formed, and forcibly suppressing it will only backfire."

"Pass on my message: instruct the censors of the Censorate to take action, first investigate a few minor officials in the grain transport system, and give the people an explanation."

"Let's let this anger out first."

He realized he had to find an outlet for his anger as soon as possible, otherwise this overwhelming public resentment would eventually reach him.

……

At this moment, the residence of Grand Tutor Yan Guanyi was peaceful and serene.

Yan Guanyi was playing chess against himself, the black and white pieces locked in a fierce battle on the board.

After listening to the steward's report on public opinion in the city, he simply smiled, picked up a white piece, and with a snap, placed it in an unexpected position, instantly reviving a large group of isolated pieces.

"Using public opinion as a weapon, drawing it but not striking, stirring up a pool of spring water, yet remaining detached from it." He looked at the chessboard, as if talking to himself.

"This game of chess was much more interesting than before."

"It seems that the sandstorms of those five years in Great Wilderness City really did temper one's character!"

The Second Prince's methods have evolved from simply doing things to creating momentum, which he greatly admires.

……

Inside the study of the Prince of Qin's residence.

Laisi stood in front of the map of the Gyeonggi River system, her expression focused.

Yang Wei has just finished reporting the reactions from all parties.

"Your Highness, everything is as you predicted," Yang Wei said excitedly.

"The whole city is talking about the canal transport now. Grand Tutor Xun is starting to get nervous, and the Third Prince is extremely anxious."

Lacey nodded, but there was no hint of smugness on her face.

“This is just the first step, just ignition,” he said calmly.

"The people's anger is real, but it is also blind. Anger alone cannot bring down the big fish hiding in the deep water."

He turned to Yang Wei and said, "Yang Wei, continue to have your subordinates collect public opinion feedback. At the same time, prepare Li Si's account book."

A cold glint flashed in Lacey's eyes.

"The fire of public opinion has already been lit; now it's time to add some real fuel to the fire."

……

The public opinion storm in Beijing is intensifying.

The story of "Chen Laowu" has evolved into more than a dozen different versions after several days of development.

Some say his daughter couldn't afford medical treatment and has already passed away; others say he couldn't think straight and drowned himself in the canal; still others say he was secretly arrested and imprisoned for offending a powerful figure.

The more the story spread, the more tragic it became, and the more the people's anger burned.

For a time, the Shipping Commissioner's Office and the Tongda Chamber of Commerce became pariahs, hated by everyone.

Even some tax officials who usually swagger around have to hunch their shoulders when they go out these days, afraid of being recognized by some agitated citizen and getting covered in rotten vegetable leaves.

Xun Huiming felt unprecedented pressure.

He knew in his heart that if he didn't take some concrete actions to quell public discontent, the fire might burn him, the one who spearheaded the reform.

The Grand Tutor's Mansion, inside a secret room.

Xun Huiming summoned several of his trusted disciples.

"Grand Tutor, the people are now filled with resentment, all saying that the Equalization of Transport Law is flawed. If we do nothing, I'm afraid that Grand Commandant Mu and his gang of military men will seize on this and make a big fuss about it in the court!" an official said anxiously.

An official from the Ministry of Revenue chimed in, "Yes, Grand Tutor."

"While I was at the Ministry of Revenue, I heard quite a few rumors that the Transport Commissioner's Office had become a money bag for certain people to line their own pockets. If His Majesty found out about this..."

Xun Huiming raised his hand, stopping the crowd's discussion.

His expression was calm as he slowly spoke: "What's the panic? It's precisely at times like these that we need to stay calm and collected!"

"The reform touched the interests of the old party, and it was expected that someone would stir up trouble behind the scenes."

He looked around at everyone and continued, "The people need an outlet for their grievances. Since they want an explanation, then we will give them an explanation."

He looked at one of his protégés who worked in the Censorate: “Censor Wang, when you go to court tomorrow, impeach several officials in charge of the Grand Canal Transport Office, as well as tax collectors at several tax checkpoints in Tongzhou and Bazhou.”

“They are corrupt and exploitative, and they have distorted the good intentions of the reform, which has led to the current situation.”

The Imperial Censor Wang was taken aback: "Sir, but most of these people... are people we promoted ourselves."

"It's precisely because they're our people that we have to clean up this ourselves," Xun Huiming sneered.

"Don't you understand the principle of sacrificing a pawn to save the king?"

He then turned to the Ministry of Revenue official: "The Ministry of Revenue should cooperate with the Censorate to verify the accounts of these individuals."

"Remember to be quick. We must let everyone in the court see our determination to reform the bureaucracy."

The official immediately understood and bowed, saying, "Grand Tutor, rest assured, this humble official understands. I guarantee that their crimes will be irrefutable and irrefutable!"

Xun Huiming's strategy was clear: use the heads of a few low-level officials to quell the people's anger, stir up the muddy waters even more, and thus protect the legitimate interest groups hidden beneath the surface.

He believed that by sacrificing these scapegoats, he could minimize the damage and let the storm pass quickly.

……

Early morning on the second day.

Sure enough, Wang, the censor of the Censorate, was the first to step forward and impeach seven or eight officials in the canal transport system with a stern voice.

From the chief clerk to the tax collectors at the checkpoints, the listed crimes included embezzling tax revenue, setting up unauthorized checkpoints, extorting merchants, and so on, which sounded appalling.

Yan Fan, the Vice Minister of Revenue, followed closely behind and presented relevant accounting evidence, confirming the impeachment by Imperial Censor Wang.

This coordinated attack was executed flawlessly.

The officials in the court were stunned. No one expected that Grand Tutor Xun would be so ruthless towards his own subordinates.

Officials from the Third Prince Yanwen's faction watched with schadenfreude.

Ultimately, the emperor ordered that all those impeached by Imperial Censor Wang be immediately dismissed from their posts and investigated, with the case to be jointly tried by the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review.

When the news spread, the people of the capital cheered, thinking that the upright official had finally taken action.

However, things gradually took a turn for the worse.

The arrested officials quickly confessed in prison, taking all the blame upon themselves.

The Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review conducted the trial with astonishing speed; the case was concluded in just three days.

As a result, the two leading officials were sentenced to death with reprieve, while the rest were exiled three thousand miles away.

The whole process was clean and efficient, but it was also blatantly perfunctory.

Anyone with eyes can see that this was just a matter of finding a few unlucky people to take the blame.

Those corrupt officials who are truly hated by the people, and the intricate network of relationships behind them, have not been touched in the slightest.

A massive storm of public resentment was thus easily suppressed.

The people's cheers turned into disappointment, and then into deeper anger and helplessness.

They felt like they'd been played for a fool, their hopes dashed.

……

Qin Wangfu.

As Lacey listened to Yang Wei's report, a cold smile, as expected, appeared on her face.

"Your Highness, Grand Tutor Xun's move of sacrificing a pawn to save the king is quite skillful," Yang Wei said with some disdain.

"Unfortunately, he treated the people like fools."

“He doesn’t treat the people like fools; he’s confident he can control the situation.” Lacey walked to the window, looking at the bleak early winter scene in the courtyard.

"He thought that by throwing out a few pawns, he could silence the public and protect his chariot and king."

"But he forgot that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it."

Lacey knew perfectly well that the few people who were thrown out were just small fry at the very bottom of the corruption network.

They may be greedy, but they absolutely do not have the ability to build such a massive chain of profit transfer.

The real giant borer remains hidden in the deep water, unharmed.

"Your Highness, what should we do next? Should we take Li Si's account book...?" Yang Wei made a downward slamming gesture.

"No rush," Lacey shook her head.

“If we throw it out now, they will only take it as mudslinging by partisan attacks. For the sake of stability in the court, Father will most likely choose to smooth things over.”

"Xun Huiming's scapegoat strategy, though perfunctory, did temporarily relieve the pressure on the Emperor."

Lacey's gaze was deep.

What he wanted was certainly not simply to bring down a few officials.

"Yang Wei, go do two things now," Lacey instructed as she turned around.

"First, send someone to secretly contact and protect Chen Laowu, as well as the other victims we found at the dock."

"They absolutely cannot have anything happen to them."

Yang Wei nodded to indicate that he understood.

"Secondly, investigate with all our might!"

"Follow the leads of those arrested minor officials, dig deep into their territory!"

"Where did the money they embezzled ultimately go? In particular, we must obtain concrete evidence of their financial dealings with the Tongda Chamber of Commerce!"

"Understood!" Yang Wei accepted the order and turned to leave.

……

While Laixi was actively making arrangements, Yan Wen in the Wu Prince's Mansion breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing that Xun Huiming's faction had also fallen into the quagmire of public opinion and even cut off its own arm, he felt a bit of schadenfreude.

"Hmph, that old scoundrel Xun Huiming has finally met his match!" Yan Wen said to his confidant while sipping his wine.

"Let him push through his bullshit reforms again! Now look what he's done, he's brought trouble upon himself!"

He was completely unaware that Lacey's real target was not these few pawns that Xun Huiming had thrown out.

He was unaware that an even larger net was being cast toward him and his interest group.