Fangzhou Xier, starting with failing the art exam

"However... the situation is critical, and we are at a loss. We beg the Grand Tutor for guidance."

Xun Huiming picked up his teacup, gently blew on the floating tea leaves, and slowly took a sip.

He put down his teacup before slowly speaking: "Huang Shih-chung's treason is an ironclad case that cannot be overturned."

"His Majesty is in a bad mood right now. Anyone who goes against him will die."

"Therefore, we should not only refrain from defending him, but also actively distance ourselves from him, and even write a letter to denounce him, to show our determination to stand against the traitors of the country."

Everyone was stunned. Wasn't this just sacrificing a pawn to save the king, cutting off one's own arm?

Xun Huiming seemed to see through their thoughts and continued, "Losing an arm is better than having your head chopped off."

"Huang Shih-chung brought this upon himself; he has no one else to blame but himself."

"His death will open up the position of Minister of Revenue, which presents another opportunity."

Everyone's eyes lit up, but then dimmed again.

Given the current situation, with the King of Qin in power, how could they possibly possibly get that position?

“I know what you’re thinking,” Xun Huiming said calmly.

"The King of Qin was indeed a formidable opponent. After returning to the capital, he proceeded step by step. First, he won over the people's hearts with the 'work relief' program, and then he used the canal transport corruption case to bring down Huang Shizhong. His methods were shrewd and far superior to those of his two brothers."

"He currently enjoys imperial favor and popular support, and his influence is at its peak. We should indeed avoid a direct confrontation with him."

"Then... what does the Grand Tutor mean?" a newly appointed official asked hastily.

Xun Huiming narrowed his eyes: "If he wants to investigate the case, we'll let him. But if he wants to spread this fire to all of us, that's just wishful thinking!"

He looked at the crowd and said, "Where does the King of Qin's foundation lie?"

"First, His Majesty's temporary trust; second, the Yang family; and third, several officials he personally cultivated, such as Lin Yue and Zhang Cheng."

"His biggest weakness is that he wants to portray himself as a lone minister who does not form factions and only serves the people."

"The more he wants to do this, the more we need to drag him into this mess!"

Xun Huiming stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the gray sky outside.

"Whose responsibility is Huang Shih-chung's corruption? Is it the responsibility of the reform? No." He slowly shook his head.

"It's those old forces that are obstructing the reforms! They deliberately created chaos in the canal system, colluded with unscrupulous merchants, and embezzled national tax revenue in order to undermine the new policies!"

"The goal is to prevent the new law from being implemented and to make the people of the world think that the reform was a mistake!"

The people in the study were stunned.

Can you still say that?

Isn't this just turning the tables?

"Grand Tutor, is this...is this going to work?" someone stammered.

"Why not?" Xun Huiming countered.

"If the King of Qin can invoke the will of the people, why can't we? If he can tell the story of Chen Laowu, why can't we tell a story of 'a loyal and virtuous person being framed by the old party'?"

"Grand Tutor is brilliant!" An official immediately exclaimed in admiration.

"Yes! We can throw this filth of corruption in the canal transport system at the old party!"

"Anyway, they've always been against us, so this is a good opportunity to weaken their power!"

“That’s right!” another person exclaimed excitedly.

“We can spread rumors that the corruption in the canal transport system was a trap deliberately set by the old aristocratic families to obstruct the reforms and attack the new policies and the new elites!”

"The King of Qin's investigation was actually used by the old party to eliminate dissidents!"

"It could also be said that the King of Qin did this to seize the position of crown prince and frame loyal officials!" someone added.

Xun Huiming looked at the chattering crowd and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

He said in a deep voice, "However, we must be watertight and leave no room for error."

"Spread rumors discreetly, let the people guess for themselves. As for those officials who speak out, you can secretly instigate them to submit memorials impeaching the King of Qin for 'forming cliques for personal gain'."

"Remember, the focus should be on the collusion between the King of Qin and the old faction, especially the Yang family."

"Grand Tutor, Yang Guifei is, after all, His Majesty's favorite concubine. Wouldn't such attacks be..." one official hesitated.

"Fools! Who gave you permission to directly attack the Imperial Concubine?" Xun Huiming couldn't stand it any longer and glared at him.

"It is said that the King of Qin has a close relationship with the Yang family. As a family with military merit, the Yang family has always been on good terms with the old party."

"On the surface, this canal transport case is an attack on our New Party, but in reality, it's a joint effort between the Old Party and Prince Qin to eliminate dissidents!"

"Stir up the waters!" Xun Huiming emphasized.

"At that time, any evidence that the King of Qin finds will be considered a frame-up, and it won't be so easy for him to touch us again!"

"Yes, Grand Tutor, I understand!"

These words dispelled the confusion in everyone's minds.

high!

It’s really high!

"Grand Tutor is wise!" Everyone bowed in unison, their panic vanishing.

"Go and do it." Xun Huiming waved his hand, sat back down in his chair, and picked up the tea that had gone slightly cold.

As the crowd filed out, his face remained expressionless.

Yan Xi... this second prince has indeed given him too many surprises.

……

Yuelai Teahouse remains the same venue for the storyteller, but today, Mr. Wang is not there; another elderly gentleman has taken his place.

A few days ago, a play called "The Tragic Vegetable Farmer Chen Laowu" drew enthusiastic applause and ignited the anger of the people of the capital towards the Transport Commissioner's Office and the Tongda Chamber of Commerce, creating momentum for the Prince of Qin to investigate the case.

Today, the new old gentleman is going to tell a different story.

"The truth about this corruption case in the Grand Canal transport has now come to light. Huang Shizhong, the Minister of Revenue, was found guilty of treason and collusion with the enemy. This is truly gratifying!"

The old man struck the gavel, and a chorus of cheers immediately erupted from the audience.

"Your Highness, the King of Qin, is wise!"

"These corrupt officials should all be killed!"

The old man gestured with his hand and smiled mysteriously: "Ladies and gentlemen, you only know one thing, but not the other."

"Huang Shizhong certainly deserves to die, but have you ever considered why he was greedy? And why he dared to collude with the enemy?"

The audience fell silent immediately, everyone's curiosity piqued.

"Isn't this... because he was blinded by greed?" someone asked.

"No, no!" the old man shook his head.

"Think about it, Minister Huang is a great general who promotes the new laws."

"What is the new law? It's a great way to enrich the country and strengthen its military!"

"How could someone who promotes new laws do something that undermines the foundation of the nation?"

"There's more to this than meets the eye!"

He then lowered his voice, leaned closer, and said in a whispered tone:

"Let me tell you, this is something a distant cousin of mine who works in the government office secretly told me, and it's absolutely true!"

"You know those old factions, right? They were the powerful families and military clans of the past. Grand Commandant Mu was their leader."

"With the new law being implemented, many of their sources of income have been cut off. How can they be happy about that?"

"So, they devised a wicked plan!"

"They deliberately sent people to seduce Minister Huang, blinding him with mountains of gold and silver, and also deliberately created chaos in the canal transport, causing widespread resentment among the people."

"The goal is to throw this mudslinging at the new regime and at the Grand Tutor!"

"In the end, Minister Huang is a pitiful man. He was confused for a moment and fell into the trap of a villain!"

These words caused an uproar throughout the teahouse.

"What? Is that so?"

"I knew it! The Grand Tutor was implementing the new laws for our own good, how could he possibly have such a person under his command!"

"So it was those old party members who were behind this!"

"These people only know how to oppress us ordinary people!"

Among the crowd, several well-dressed scholars immediately stood up and echoed their sentiments.

"What this old gentleman says is absolutely right! We saw it coming long ago! The implementation of the new policies has touched the interests of the old forces, so naturally they will retaliate!"

"The case of Minister Huang is full of suspicious points; he is probably just a pawn they've thrown out!"

"That's right! Their intentions are malicious, and they deserve to be punished!"

Three become tigers.

Soon, another version of the truth began to circulate rapidly in teahouses and taverns.

"Have you heard? The Grand Canal case was orchestrated by the old party to sabotage the reform movement!"

"Then why does Your Highness still want to investigate?"

"Are you stupid! Don't you know who stands behind His Highness the Prince of Qin? The Yang family!"

"The Yang family is a long-established family with military merits, and they're in cahoots with the old party!"

"The King of Qin is helping the old faction to purge the newcomers promoted by the Grand Tutor!"

"My God! So, the King of Qin is investigating the case not for the sake of us ordinary people, but for his own people to fight for power and profit?"

"That's right! We ordinary people are just innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire when these gods are fighting!"

This claim is even more shocking and more in line with ordinary people's imagination of the struggle for succession among princes.

In a short time, Lacey's image changed drastically from a hero who spoke out for the people and was not afraid of the powerful to a schemer who formed cliques for personal gain.

His previous work-for-relief programs were also interpreted as a means of winning people's hearts and minds.

His investigation of Huang Shih-chung was even described as "standing up for his own relatives and attacking dissidents."

The rumors spread rapidly not only among the common people, but also into official circles and the imperial palace.

Some officials who had initially remained neutral and held a favorable view of Lacey began to adopt a wait-and-see approach.

Those officials who were already affiliated with the reformists felt as if they had found a pillar of support and began to campaign openly and covertly to protest the "framing of Minister Huang" and point the finger at the King of Qin and the old party forces behind him.

Several censors under Xun Huiming's tutelage had already prepared memorials, preparing to jointly impeach Prince Qin Yanxi at the next morning court session for "abusing his power, fabricating charges, attempting to frame important court officials, and disrupting the overall situation of the new policies."

……

The Palace of the King of Wu.

The gloom on the face of the Third Prince Yanwen vanished as he listened to his confidant's report.

"Excellent! What a brilliant move to shift the blame!" He couldn't help but slap the table in admiration.

"Old ginger is spicier!"

"How could I not have thought of 1 Ni Liu, yo Er Er Chou Yue-y?i!"

He had been overwhelmed by Lacey's series of setbacks and almost thought he was going to die.

Unexpectedly, the situation has reversed in an instant.

Yan Wen thought to himself, 'Second brother, do you really think you've already won?'

You want to be a good person, you want to be a saint, but can this murky world tolerate saints?

'The Grand Tutor's move has dragged you down from your pedestal, leaving you covered in mud!'

"Your Highness is wise!" a trusted aide chimed in.

"Now everyone outside says that the Prince of Qin is a vanguard of the old faction. His Majesty is suspicious by nature. As soon as he harbors resentment towards the Prince of Qin, the Prince of Qin's good days will be over!"

“That’s right!” Yan Wen sneered.