Chapter 138: Slander Melts Solid Gold

"Simple!" Wu Ning returned to the foot of the mountain with these two words.

As soon as he stepped through the door, Princess Taiping hurried up to him. "Has the Empress really settled Wang Hongyi's case!?"

"Hah." Wu Ning let out a dry laugh. "I watched him being led into the dungeon with my own eyes; how could it be false?"

"......"

Taiping fell silent for a long moment. After struggling to process it for a while, she looked at Wu Ning in disbelief. Just how on earth did you pull that off?

Hearing this, Wu Ning had no mind to explain the details to Taiping.

"Let's not talk about how I did it first," Wu Lao Jiu said with a wry smile. "We've solved one trouble, and an even bigger one has arrived."

"You mean Su Yuanli?"

"Right!"

Taiping's expression darkened. "That really is quite troublesome."

"Su Yuanli's ferocious reputation far surpasses that of Lai Junchen. Among those who have fallen into his hands, only one person has managed to survive to this day. I think you'd better not provoke him and obediently hand over the charcoal kiln."

"Hand it over?" Wu Lao Jiu glared.

Once the charcoal kiln was handed over, Wu Ning's loss wouldn't just be a matter of money; it would completely sever his connection to the outside world, truly leaving him kept in captivity by the old Empress Wu.

However, Wu Ning really hadn't expected Wu Zetian's vision to be so petty.

Damn it, she was even snatching away a charcoal kiln—she was simply worse than a beast!

"If you don't hand it over, what are you going to do?" Taiping asked, not without worry. "Su Yuanli is truly not someone to be trifled with."

"Hoo..." Wu Ning let out a long breath of foul air.

"Oh, that's right." He suddenly recalled Taiping's previous remark. "Who was it that survived under his hands?"

Taiping shrugged. "Do you even need to ask? Across the entire Great Tang, apart from Di Renjie, who else could possibly escape from the clutches of these ruthless officials?"

In fact, Di Renjie had fallen into Su Yuanli's hands more than once. Yet, Fat Di possessed that uncanny knack for somehow managing to "survive" it all. Not only did he stay alive, but he even lived quite well—look at him now, he had become chief chancellor.

"Di Renjie!?"

Wu Lao Jiu's eyes lit up. So it was him! In that case, this could be put to good use.

"What are you planning to do?" The moment Taiping saw Wu Ning's expression, she knew this brat was up to no good again. "I advise you not to pin your hopes on Di Huaiying. It's true that Su Yuanli couldn't do anything to him, but after those two encounters, Di Renjie fears him more than anyone else at court. He avoids him like the plague—he'll hardly be able to help you."

"Don't interrupt!" Wu Ning waved a hand. "Let me think."

More vicious than Lai Junchen...

A Hu person...

Unreasonable...

A mad dog...

And holding a grudge against Di Renjie...

Thinking of this, Wu Lao Jiu chuckled. It didn't matter if Fat Di wouldn't help; as long as he could be used as a scapegoat!

With that, he looked up at Princess Taiping. "Does Your Highness know what 'the accusations of the many can melt gold, and accumulated slanders can destroy bones' means?"

Taiping: "......"

Her Royal Highness the Princess was left completely speechless, and could only silently offer a prayer for Di Renjie, who had been saddled with a scapegoat before he had even arrived in Fangzhou.

——————————

Over the next few days, rumors spread like wildfire across Fangzhou.

"The Great Tang's number one ruthless and vicious official—Su Yuanli—is about to arrive in Fangzhou!"

When the commoners who knew of this man heard the news, their faces instantly turned pale with fright. Those who didn't know naturally inquired about it, but the more they heard, the more terrified they became!

Su Yuanli was a person of Hu descent. Rumor had it that his appearance was quite bizarre—red hair, green eyes, a high nose bridge, and fierce eyes, resembling an evil vajra climbing straight out of hell.

His actions were extremely savage. Having risen to prominence through false accusations, he was appointed a Youji General. The Holy Empress sent him to inspect the official administration of the Eastern Capital, but instead of showing gratitude, he became even more unbridled, tyrannical, and domineering.

Having held office for several years, the Eastern Capital was seething with grievances, and the people could barely eke out a living. Countless commoners and officials had been mutilated and murdered by his brutal tortures, and neither women, children, nor the elderly were spared.

He was truly a villain detested by both gods and men, a heinous criminal!

Now he was leaving the capital to take up a southern post, transferred to Fangzhou as an official. This was a grave calamity for the four counties of Fangzhou.

Alas, the millions of souls in Fangzhou are done for~~~!!!

My dear mother in heaven!!

When the commoners heard that Su Yuanli was such a ferocious fiend, their legs turned to jelly with fear. Why on earth would the Holy Empress send such a villain to Fangzhou to serve as an official? Would the people of Fangzhou ever see another good day?

In an instant, panic spread everywhere, and everyone feared for their own safety.

...

Two more days passed, and another rumor began to circulate: even Di Gong, who was soon arriving in Fangzhou to oversee Wang Hongyi's case, had once been framed and imprisoned by Su Yuanli, and moreover, Wang Hongyi and Su Yuanli were old acquaintances.

This was outrageous!

Daring even to frame Di Gong—this fellow's heart was rotten to the core.

Besides, what if Su Yuanli's arrival hindered Di Gong's investigation, or even resulted in Wang Hongyi being released? What then?

Fangzhou would suddenly be plagued by two ruthless officials operating side by side, leaving the commoners with even less chance of survival!

After that, the rumors grew completely wild. Every single atrocious deed Su Yuanli had ever committed and every cruel torture he had ever used were dug up and exposed by the townsfolk.

Things like iron cages clamped around the head, or the "phoenix drying its wings"—just hearing the names made one's scalp tingle and cold sweat break out all over.

Worse still, some rumors became utterly absurd.

Some claimed Su Yuanli was an evil ghost reincarnated; others said he wasn't human at all, but a wolf demon turned spirit. The only reason he used brutal tortures to take human lives was to murder people and eat their hearts. Only by eating hearts every day could he maintain human form.

And thus, Su Yuanli successfully upgraded from a ruthless official to a supernatural demon.

...

This dealt a bitter blow to Sun Hongde, the magistrate of Fangzhou. With public sentiment unstable, things were on the verge of spinning out of control. With no other choice, he hastily ordered the bailiffs and yamen runners to coordinate with the city guard, patrolling day and night to strictly prevent civil unrest.

Magistrate Sun hadn't closed his eyes for several days, and in his heart, he had greeted all eighteen generations of Wu Lao Jiu's ancestors.

What the hell was going on?!

Was this targeting Su Yuanli, or was it targeting him, Sun Hongde!?

However, curses were curses. For one thing, as a scholar, Magistrate Sun loathed Su Yuanli to the bone, and hearing the commoners curse him out loud actually brought him a sliver of guilty pleasure.

For another, he and Wu Lao Jiu were currently grasshoppers tied to the same rope, and he didn't want the charcoal kiln to be confiscated either. He could only place his hopes on Wu Ning working his miraculous stratagems once again to deal with Su Yuanli as well.

However, what Magistrate Sun hadn't anticipated was that two days later, the wave of panic in the city suddenly ground to a halt.

It turned out that clear-headed voices had emerged among the people: while Su Yuanli was indeed terrifying, there was no need to fear him like a plague. Because Di Gong was no longer what he used to be; as a high-ranking chancellor, he wasn't someone Su Yuanli could frame just because he wanted to.

Furthermore, not only was there no need to fear Su Yuanli, but on the contrary, should this villain dare commit any malfeasance, given Di Gong's upright and incorruptible nature in distinguishing right from wrong, he would undoubtedly throw Su Yuanli into prison as well.

"Hoo." Magistrate Sun could finally heave a sigh of relief.

Which savior of a deity is this, he thought, finally managing to suppress Wu Lao Jiu's wicked gale. To think they actually brought up Di Gong—well, the prestige of Di Renjie is still quite effective after all.

(Di Renjie: What the hell! Does this matter have anything to do with me?)

...

Seeing that the public anger had been suppressed, he hurriedly told the yamen runners to go home and get some proper rest; these past few days had worn the men to the bone.

However, no sooner had Magistrate Sun stripped off his official robes, washed his face, and flopped comfortably onto his couch—before his pleasant dreams could even begin—than his ill-fated son, Sun Bo'an, burst in.

"Father!!! This is terrible!"

Hearing this, Magistrate Sun nearly tumbled right off the couch.

"What, what, what is it now?"

"It's being rumored all over the streets that Su Yuanli's atrocities defy the laws of heaven, and chivalrous swordsmen are stepping up to rid the people of this scourge. The moment Su Yuanli arrives in Fangzhou, they're going to capture him and haul him off to Di Gong for punishment!"

"Now even ordinary commoners are joining in the response; a major disaster is about to break out!"

"......"

The more Magistrate Sun listened, the paler his face grew. This is bad!

He burst out cursing, "Which bastard is stirring up blind trouble out there?! Are imperial officials anyone who pleases allowed to just seize?!"

"These ignorant, stubborn rabble!! Have they no regard for their own lives?!"

...

Merely cursing wasn't going to solve anything, though. He sat on the couch and pondered briefly.

"Quick!! Send men out of the city immediately to keep watch day and night along the main road. The moment you spot Su Yuanli's carriage and entourage, intercept them right away and make sure he doesn't enter the city!!"

Magistrate Sun thought to himself: Keep stirring up trouble, go ahead and riot all you like! Sooner or later, this old life of mine is going to be buried right here in Fangzhou.

——————————

"Aren't you utterly ruthless?!"

Meng Cangsheng walked side by side with Wu Ning through Fangzhou city. Every pedestrian on the street looked anxious and uneasy due to the news of Su Yuanli's southward journey.

"The man is merely coming to confiscate your charcoal kiln. When did it ever become about him serving as an official in Fangzhou?"

If not for this rumor making it sound as though Su Yuanli was going to dig in his heels and stay in Fangzhou indefinitely, the commoners wouldn't have panicked, and none of the subsequent events would have happened.

Wu Ning shrugged. "Is there a difference? Did I wrong him?"

He looked at Meng Cangsheng. "Even if he doesn't ravage Fangzhou, he'll just go ravage somewhere else."

Meng Cangsheng nodded, deeply convinced.

"That is true."

Looking at the scenery across Fangzhou city, he couldn't help sighing, "With a villain like this, every extra day he lives means countless more wronged souls."

Well, the chivalrous knight-errant spirit within Grandmaster Meng was flaring up again.

"However, Magistrate Sun has now blocked Su Yuanli outside the city. With all your agitation, you'll only end up chasing him back to the capital."

Listening to this, Wu Ning's expression turned somewhat solemn.

After a long pause, he finally uttered, "Let us hope the Holy Empress wakes up and sees how much public grievance has been accumulated by these ruthless officials she employs."

"What a pity," Daoist Priest Meng curled his lips. "A fellow like this deserves to be hacked to death with my sword to be truly satisfying, yet we're going to have to watch him get sent back to the capital!"

"Hah." Wu Ning gave Grandmaster Meng a deep look. Your boldness far surpasses mine.

If the man actually came, I doubt you'd dare kill him anyway.

He prevaricated perfunctorily, "There will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

As the two of them were talking, they happened to arrive at the city gate.

Lifting their gaze, they caught sight of Magistrate Sun, his black gauze cap tilted askew, running breathlessly after a procession of horsemen entering the city.

"General Su!! You mustn't do this!!"

"You must not act on impulse, General Su!!"

Wu Ning was dumbfounded, staring blankly at the burly, fierce-looking man with brownish hair and bean-sized green eyes riding at the very front.

Brother, do you really not know how to spell the word "death"?

...

As it turned out, while Wu Lao Jiu was still mentally complaining, Grandmaster Meng had already strode forward to meet them.

...