Chapter 233 Rumors are like tigers

Chapter 233 Rumors are like tigers

"How vicious! You even want to sow discord between you and the Emperor." Qinghe's eyes blazed with fury.

"I think this storyteller has a death wish, and that man down there too. Send men to kill them immediately."

Shen Nanzi: "They are just doing their jobs for money, following the storyteller and the leader. The others are just ordinary people, so we don't need to pay them any attention."

Qinghe went out immediately.

There was a commotion downstairs, and I could hear doors and windows closing.

Shen Nanzi turned her head and looked down.

Then some guards with knives came out, and in no time, the storyteller and the young man who had been shouting were captured.

The atmosphere in the restaurant became tense and quiet as the two people were forced to kneel on the stage with straw balls stuffed into their mouths.

The restaurant owner stood on the round red stage, his face solemn, and bowed to the diners in apology.

"Gentlemen, today's events were truly due to my negligence, which caused you all to be frightened."

"Why are you closing the door?" a diner asked.

The shopkeeper stretched out his arms in front of him and said, "Don't panic and take up too much of your time. All the food and drinks today are complimentary."

Hearing that the innkeeper was offering everything for free, the diners suppressed their anger and fell silent.

"Gentlemen, I apologize. It was all due to my lax supervision that this happened today." The shopkeeper cupped his hands in apology. "We must get to the truth about this matter. We can't let this go on like this. So let's ask these two."

As he spoke, he leaned back and pointed at the two people kneeling on the ground, "Why are they so certain, as if they saw it with their own eyes?"

At this moment, Xie Yan, dressed in a black brocade robe, appeared on the stage with extraordinary bearing.

Shen Nanzi's eyes flickered slightly.

He walked up to the storyteller and pulled the clump of grass out of his mouth.

He asked in a cold voice, "Why tell this implied story to mislead the public?"

Xie Yanlong and Fengzi were so striking that their mere presence alone exuded an aura of oppression.

His voice wasn't loud, yet it instilled a sense of fear in people, as if his words were divine will, making them dare not speak recklessly.

The storyteller was a man of wide experience, and his knees went weak at the sight of Xie Yan. The oppressive aura and murderous intent emanating from him sent chills down his spine.

If I don't tell the truth, I'm afraid I won't survive tonight.

"Young master, I am just a poor storyteller. Someone paid me money to tell this story."

"I saw this as a story of gods and immortals, but I didn't understand its deeper meaning, nor did I know that I was being used. Please forgive me."

Upon hearing this, everyone realized that this story was something someone had paid a storyteller to tell!

Some people who care about politics have already realized this.

They wanted to launch a propaganda war to incite discontent among the people towards the emperor and empress dowager.

If everyone believes these deliberately spread messages, then they become a real event.

Then, the person behind the scenes can use public opinion to start attacking those in power, such as shouting slogans like "they are not worthy of their positions" and "remove the corrupt officials from the emperor's inner circle."

This would gain the covert support of the people, a group of officials, and even generals, which would shake the regime of Yunhan.

Ultimately, this could lead to consequences such as the emperor being forced to abdicate or being deposed.

Xie Yan: "Do you know that spreading fabricated false stories in public is a capital offense and will bring disaster upon your family?"

Upon hearing that he was to be beheaded, the storyteller immediately prostrated himself on the ground, trembling with fear.

With a mournful face, he wailed, "I'm just a storyteller, I don't know anything about national affairs, and I didn't know that this story had a hidden meaning!"

"Even if I had a million times the courage, I would not dare to speak ill of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager!"

Xie Yan sneered: "You don't dare? Yet you dare to accept money? The ending will soon directly name names, so why don't you dare?"

"I really was just bribed with money." The storyteller slapped his own cheek, the sound echoing throughout the restaurant.

"Please forgive me, young master. I will never dare to do such greedy things again."

"Young master, you can ask everyone. I have been telling stories here for many years, and I have truly only been used!"

Xie Yan gestured to the guards to gag the storyteller, then walked over to the other young man.

He was about twenty years old, dressed in plain clothes, refined and handsome, with a scholarly air about him.

His clothes were faded and worn, making him look like someone who frequented restaurants.

The guard pulled the bundle of grass out of his mouth.

Xie Yan asked, "I'll give you a chance to live. Tell me the truth!"

The man, still unconvinced, said, "Does the Empress Dowager think she can get away with such a scandalous act?"

"Did you see it with your own eyes or hear it with your own ears?" Xie Yan asked coldly, his eyes sharp. "If not, then you've been used."

The young man froze, the words he wanted to say stuck in his throat.

Xie Yan: "I see calluses on your middle finger from holding a pen, so you must be a scholar."

"Your clothes are tattered, so your family must not be well-off."

"Studying hard for years is not easy. If you want to pass the imperial examinations, you also need a pair of eyes that can distinguish right from wrong."

"If you get involved in this incident, you'll probably never achieve fame or success in this lifetime. A gentleman loves money, but he acquires it in a proper way."

"Seeing how hard you work to study, I'll give you one last chance."

Xie Yan's words were firm and resolute, revealing the young man's predicament. His words were filled with compassion, as if he felt guilty for not being able to provide a better life for the people.

The young man was slightly startled, and his fingers clenched into a fist.

He took out a silver ingot from his waist, looked at it again and again, and reluctantly put it on the ground. "This is silver given to me by someone. I just need to do as they say, and this silver will be mine."

At this point, everyone realized that the accident was deliberately caused.

If they believe it, they will tell more people, thus achieving the effect of spreading the word.

Xie Yan turned around and said to the diners in the restaurant: "Slandering the relationship between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor will shake the imperial power, cause instability in Yunhan, and allow those treacherous schemes to succeed."

"Gentlemen, the safety of Yunhan is not only in the hands of the imperial power, but also in your hands."

"When the nation is in peril, the people are impoverished. Only when the world is at peace can the people live in tranquility."

"Everyone understands the principle of 'three men can make a tiger.' If this matter is spread, the government will definitely investigate the source. Don't be the kind of person who brings disaster upon themselves by speaking carelessly."

Having said that, the diners understood the situation and began to curse the storyteller and the young man.

"You money-grubbing bastards almost ruined us."

"Liars, they're all in cahoots to scam people!!"

"..."

Shen Nanzi watched the situation turn around in an instant, and then looked at Xie Yan, who was leaving the stage silently. He was tall and upright, and his steps were calm.

Everything was going well and was under his control.

...

Back in the carriage, Shen Nanzi looked at her hand, which he was holding.

Thank you.

Xie Yan looked out the window. The streets of Yunxi were bustling and clean, and the country seemed peaceful and prosperous.

He tightened his grip on her fingers, his eyes deep and unfathomable: "It's my fault for making you bear all this."

Shen Nanzi smiled and said, "I've caused you trouble too."

Xie Yan's brow twitched, his good mood vanished instantly, and only bitterness remained in his heart.

She felt she was causing him trouble, rather than taking it for granted that it was something a husband should do.