Fangzhou Xier, starting with failing the art exam

"What the Emperor fears most is that his sons associate with foreign officials and form cliques."

"This time, Second Brother has crossed Father's bottom line."

"Just wait, the real show is yet to come."

Yan Wen picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp. He felt that the frustration and depression he had been feeling for the past few days had dissipated considerably.

……

Wherever the sun and moon reach, it is scorching earth: Chapter 248: It is better to fill the bellies of the people than to silence them.

Prince Wei's Mansion.

The eldest prince, Yanwu, listened to the same report, but his expression was somewhat complicated.

He was happy to see Lacey get humiliated.

After his second brother returned to the capital, he became too powerful and seriously threatened the position of his eldest son. He couldn't wait for Lai Xi to fall from power.

On the other hand, he felt somewhat uncomfortable with his nominal teacher, Xun Huiming, using such methods to distort the truth.

"Isn't what the teacher is doing a bit... excessive?" he asked his aide beside him, frowning.

"The evidence against Huang Shih-chung for treason is irrefutable. If he tries to whitewash himself like this and gets exposed, wouldn't he be in an even more passive position?"

The aide bowed and said, "Your Highness, these are extraordinary times, and extraordinary measures must be taken."

"Grand Tutor's move may seem dangerous, but it is actually the only way to break the deadlock at present."

"As long as we can drag the King of Qin down with us and make him lose His Majesty's trust, then whether Lord Huang is loyal or treacherous is not so important."

"Moreover, the Grand Tutor did this for your sake!" the advisor said in a low voice.

"The more powerful the King of Qin becomes, the greater the threat he poses to you."

“Now that we’ve labeled him a member of the old faction, His Majesty will naturally rely on you and the Grand Tutor again.”

Upon hearing these words, Yanwu's initial discomfort quickly dissipated.

That's right, as long as we can defeat the second-in-command, what does it matter what methods we use?

The victor is king, the loser is villain; this has always been the case.

"Hmph, the second brother is still too green." Yan Wu's face once again showed his usual arrogance.

"He thinks he can win the Emperor's favor by doing some trivial things? How naive!"

"The court is a very complex place! His abilities are simply not up to par!"

He seemed to have forgotten that not long ago, he was furious at Lacey's relentless pressure.

Now, seeing Lacey in trouble, he has regained that sense of superiority.

……

Prince Qin's Mansion, study.

Yang Wei stood in front of Lai Xi, his face ashen, and reported in detail all the rumors and gossip he had collected during the day.

From "Huang Shih-chung was framed by the old party" to "Prince Qin was a pawn planted in the royal family by the old party" and "Prince Qin investigated the case in order to compete for the throne," he vividly recounted various versions of conspiracy theories.

"...Now the news has spread almost everywhere, and even some of the people who originally supported Your Highness are beginning to waver." Yang Wei became increasingly angry as he spoke.

"Today, I overheard someone on the street saying that our work-for-relief program is just a publicity stunt to win people's hearts and minds so that we can compete with His Highness for the throne!"

"Several officials from the Censorate have been instigated and have already conspired to impeach you at tomorrow's morning court session!"

Yang Wei slammed his fist on the table, making a dull thud.

"Your Highness, these people are utterly despicable! They can turn black into white!"

"We worked so hard to investigate the case and rid the people of harm, but in the end, it was accused of forming cliques for personal gain and harboring evil intentions!"

"Your Highness, please give the order so that I may cut out the tongues of those who spread rumors!"

"Arrest that storyteller and find out who's behind his misdeeds!"

Seeing Yang Wei's fury, Lacey gestured for him to calm down and personally poured him a glass of water.

"Sit down and talk."

Yang Weiqiang suppressed his anger and sat down, but his chest was still heaving violently.

“If we can use this method to create momentum, others can too,” Lacey said calmly.

"Catching one is easy, but can you shut down all the storytellers and teahouses in the capital?"

"This..." Yang Wei was speechless.

"They just want to provoke us, to force us to use violence to suppress public opinion," Lacey pointed out incisively.

“If we do that, it will confirm our guilty conscience.”

"At that time, we won't be able to get past Father Emperor before he even makes a move."

Yang Wei took a sip of water, calming down a bit, but he was still indignant: "So we're just going to let them throw mud at us like this?"

“This is too frustrating!”

Lacey's gaze was deep: "To strike a snake, you must strike its vital spot."

He looked at Yang Wei and instructed, "Send someone to the office of the Canal Transport Rectification Bureau and invite Vice Minister Lin and Vice Minister Zhang to come to the office for a meeting immediately."

"Yes!"

Although Yang Wei did not understand why His Highness wanted to find them at this time, he immediately accepted the order.

"Also, you personally lead a team to temporarily withdraw all our spies that we've planted in various places," Lacey called out to him.

"Tell them to lie low and not make any further moves."

Yang Wei was startled: "Your Highness, why is that? We can use them to refute those rumors!"

“No.” Lacey shook her head.

“Now that the New Party has made its move, they will definitely try to find traces of our campaigning. They are now exposed in the open, which is too dangerous.”

"The New Party can't find any real grounds to attack us, so they're likely to target them, force confessions, and then accuse us of 'deliberately creating public opinion to frame loyal and good people.'"

"We cannot give them this opportunity."

After hearing Lacey's explanation, Yang Wei suddenly realized what was going on, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.

He was only thinking about how to retaliate, but neglected to protect his own people.

His Highness's mind is far more meticulous than his.

"Understood!" Yang Wei clasped his hands in a deep fist salute, then turned and strode away.

……

Half an hour later, Lin Yue, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and Zhang Cheng, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, quietly entered the Prince of Qin's residence through a side gate in an inconspicuous carriage.

Both of them were preoccupied with their own thoughts the whole way.

They naturally heard the rumors circulating in the capital.

As "Qin King's cronies" who were promoted by Lai Xi and now hold important positions in the Canal Transport Rectification Office, they are currently in the eye of the storm.

Lin Yue, in particular, was in charge of law and discipline and personally tried many minor officials in the canal transport system.

Now all these cases are labeled "****", and the pressure he is under is unimaginable.

The two were led to the study by servants, and when they met Lacey, they both bowed deeply.

"Your humble servant pays respects to Your Highness, the Prince of Qin."

“No need for formalities, please have a seat.” Lacey personally stepped forward and helped them up.

After the two sat down, Lacey got straight to the point: "I'm bothering you two so late at night because there's something important to discuss."

"You two must have heard the rumors circulating outside, right?"

Lin Yue and Zhang Cheng exchanged a glance, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes.

Lin Yue spoke first. He was an upright man who always spoke his mind: "Your Highness, I have heard about it."

"Now the outside world is slandering His Highness for forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices, and even saying that we are His Highness's henchmen, aiding and abetting evil."

"I...I have a clear conscience, but some of my colleagues in the rectification department are already starting to feel uneasy."

Zhang Cheng echoed, "Yes, Your Highness."

"Today at the yamen, the people sent from the Ministry of Revenue have begun to pay lip service to our work and are making all sorts of excuses to shirk our responsibilities."

"They said that since the case concerning the Grand Canal is still unresolved, we should suspend our work in the Rectification Department until the court has reached a conclusion."

This is exactly what Lacey was most worried about.

The ultimate goal of external public opinion attacks is to undermine his internal team.

Once the core members like Lin Yue and Zhang Cheng waver in their beliefs, or if those below begin to slack off, then his canal transport management office will become a mere shell of its former self.

Lacey looked at the two capable ministers he had personally recruited. Although there was worry on their faces, there was no sign of backing down in their eyes, which reassured him somewhat.

He smiled and said in a relaxed tone, "I thought it was something serious, but it turns out it's just some rumors."

Lin Yue and Zhang Cheng were both taken aback.

Lacey said, "I would like to ask you both, what is the purpose of establishing the Canal Transport Management Office?"

Without hesitation, Lin Yue replied, "For the sake of the nation's welfare and the people's livelihood, and for the rectification of officialdom!"

Zhang Cheng chimed in, "For the sake of dredging the waterways, and for the benefit of the country and its people!"

"Well said!" Lacey slammed her hand on the table.

"What we are doing is a practical thing that benefits the country and the people! It's a good thing that can fill the national treasury and feed the people!"

"And what about them? They just hide in dark corners, making up lies that can't be brought to the table!"

"Right and wrong, justice resides in the hearts of the people! And even more so in His Majesty's eyes!"

Lacey stood up, walked up to the two men, and looked at them intently.

"I know that you two are under great pressure right now."

"But it is precisely at times like these that we must stand tall and do our job even better and more impeccably!"

“They said we framed them, so we made the case airtight, making all the evidence clear and irrefutable!”

“They said we were just talking nonsense, so we widened the river and built better docks, making ships come and go and goods pile up like mountains!”

"I assure you both!" Lacey's tone became extremely solemn.

"As long as you are truly dedicated to serving the country, even if the sky falls, I will hold it up for you!"

"Anyone who wants to harm you must first step over me!"

These words were powerful and resounding, full of confidence and responsibility.

Lin Yue and Zhang Cheng were thrilled to hear this.

They were pragmatic talents who were not accepted by the world, and the reason they followed Lacey was because they admired his courage to break through the old ways and accomplish great things.

Today, facing pressure, Laisi has not backed down but has become even more determined, giving them the strongest support and commitment.

This dispelled the last trace of doubt and hesitation in their hearts.

"Your Highness!" Lin Yue stood up excitedly and bowed deeply.

"With Your Highness's words, how could I not be willing to die for you!"

"Tomorrow, I will personally lead a team to dismiss those officials who are outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant, and thoroughly investigate the matter!"

"I'd like to see who dares to obstruct the Discipline Inspection Commission from handling cases!"

Zhang Cheng excitedly replied, "Your Highness, rest assured! This humble official will return immediately and work through the night to perfect the master plan for the transformation of the capital's water system! I guarantee to produce a plan that will leave everyone speechless!"

"Good!" Lacey nodded with satisfaction. "That's exactly the kind of spirit I've been looking for!"

First, stabilize morale.

The next step is to figure out how to fight back.

Looking at Lin Yue and Zhang Cheng, whose fighting spirit had been rekindled, he slowly said, "It's not enough for us to be motivated on our own. If the New Party wants to muddy the waters, then we will thoroughly clarify them."

"Let others see who is doing the work and who is causing trouble."