Chapter 50 The Emperor Is a Foolish Ruler!

"Scholar, none of us know how to read, nor do we know what is written up there. Please, read it to us and tell us what it says!"

"That's right, exactly! Anyone can tell at a glance that you are a learned scholar. Hurry up and explain it to us."

"Our scholar here is no ordinary man! Surely he will pass the imperial examination and become the top scholar in the future!"

Being suddenly surrounded by a crowd, the scholar had initially felt a trace of annoyance. But upon hearing these words, his irritation vanished instantly, replaced by a sudden sense of floating on air.

After clearing his throat, the scholar finally began to read the newspaper aloud.

"The nobility and high officials of the Great Ming have engaged in massive corruption and treason. To eradicate such evils once and for all, His Majesty has specially reinstated the Imperial Factory and Guard to supervise all civil and military officials!"

As soon as he finished reading the headline, the scholar froze in place, and the surrounding commoners were equally stunned.

Before long, someone in the crowd muttered in a low voice:

"I don't know if you all heard, but lately everyone has been saying that the Emperor is about to heavily employ those eunuchs who ruin the country and harm the people. Could this be what the newspaper is talking about?"

"It sounds like it. The Factory and Guard are run by eunuchs, after all."

"I knew about the nobility's treasonous plot, too—so many people were executed back then! But why is this tied to the eunuchs again?"

"Scholar, keep reading!"

After a brief commotion, the scholar resumed reading.

Because the *Great Ming Daily* was written in the most vernacular and accessible language, every ordinary person present could understand it completely.

Consequently, the commoners quickly grasped the full cause and effect of the matter.

"So the reason His Majesty chose to employ eunuchs was to monitor the nobility and corrupt officials in the court to stop them from taking bribes!"

"Those nobles actually embezzled thirty million taels! They truly deserve to die!"

"I think His Majesty did the right thing. These officials spend all their days indulging in luxury and goodness knows how much money they've stolen. It's high time someone kept them in check!"

"But this seems different from what we heard before, doesn't it? Weren't people saying earlier that the Emperor favors villains and keeps virtuous ministers at a distance?"

"Are you an idiot? All those previous rumors were spread by those corrupt officials just to trick us!"

"That's right! This *Great Ming Daily* is personally supervised by the court, and it even carries His Majesty's imperial edict. Who are you going to believe—His Majesty's edict, or the rumors spread by corrupt officials?"

"Damn it! We've all been tricked!"

...

Once the article was finished, the surrounding commoners exploded with anger, furiously cursing the Donglin faction members who had previously spread the rumors.

Some used the most vicious language imaginable, cursing their ancestors back eighteen generations.

And this exact same scene was playing out all across the capital at that very moment...

Zhu Cilang stood not far away, watching the ranting and raving crowd with a faint smile.

Li Ruolian and the others by his side wore expressions of utter astonishment.

Clearly, none of them had anticipated that the *Great Ming Daily* would generate such a massive public opinion wave!

The group resumed walking down the bustling streets. In every lane and alley, discussions regarding the *Great Ming Daily* filled the air.

The anger of the commoners surged like a tidal wave; they all felt they had been made fools of and harbored a bitter hatred for those who had previously spread the rumors.

A hint of a smile lingered at the corner of Zhu Cilang's mouth, for his objective had been achieved!

In this carefully orchestrated public opinion war waged by the Donglin faction, the Donglin faction had suffered a total defeat!

His heart swelled with triumph.

At that moment, an exquisitely decorated teahouse caught his eye.

Fang Zhenghua hurriedly spoke up from the side:

"Your Highness, we've been walking for quite a while. Why don't we go inside to rest and have some tea?"

Zhu Cilang nodded.

"Very well!"

With that, he lifted his foot and stepped inside.

The others followed closely behind. Li Ruolian entered last; before crossing the threshold, he subtly signaled to the disguised agents of the Brocade Guard stationed near the entrance.

Shortly thereafter, hundreds of Brocade Guard agents in civilian attire surged into the teahouse like a tide. Moving with extreme swiftness, they headed straight for the rear kitchen.

This gave the teahouse owner a terrible scare. Before he could even open his mouth to question them, the guards flashed their official tokens directly in his face.

Upon recognizing the tokens, the owner's legs turned to jelly, and he nearly dropped to his knees. In the end, he stood trembling to the side, not daring to utter another word.

Inside the kitchen, absolute chaos erupted instantly.

The guards searched everywhere, carefully inspecting the ingredients and even tasting every single item of food themselves to ensure everything was safe before allowing the cooks to resume their work.

Some guards even disguised themselves as waiters, preparing to serve the dishes personally to guarantee Zhu Cilang's absolute safety.

There was simply no alternative—this was the Crown Prince himself!

If any harm befell the Crown Prince here, every single one of their heads would roll!

Inside the teahouse, a storyteller was vividly recounting the contents of the newspaper, his voice rising and falling with dramatic inflection, easily stirring the emotions of the listeners.

The teahouse patrons listened with righteous indignation, because just yesterday, they had been fed an entirely different version of the story.

Now that the truth had come to light, they felt deeply violated and fooled!

Finally, one customer could no longer contain himself.

He sprang to his feet, hurled his teacup directly at the storyteller, and cursed angrily:

"Fatty Lin! That's not what you were saying before! Earlier, you clearly claimed the Emperor was foolish and muddle-headed, allowing eunuchs to seize absolute power, keeping loyal ministers at arm's length, and that he was no wise ruler."

"How is it that your tune has suddenly changed today? Are you playing games with us?"

The storyteller, known as Fatty Lin, proved surprisingly agile. With a quick dodge, he evaded the flying teacup, then assumed an aggrieved expression and replied:

"You can't really blame me for that. Someone paid me money and told me to say those things back then."

"If I hadn't spoken as instructed, those people wouldn't have let me off the hook!"

"However, I can guarantee that everything I'm telling you today is the absolute truth, because today's details come straight from the *Great Ming Daily*. It's an official daily newspaper published by the court, and what's printed in it cannot possibly be wrong!"

"From now on, my storytelling will be based entirely on the *Great Ming Daily*, and I will never spout any of that other nonsense again!"

Hearing this, the anger in the crowd subsided just a fraction.

After all, even as commoners, they despised being treated like fools.

At that moment, the pot of tea for Zhu Cilang's table was served, filling the air with a rich aroma.

Uniquely, Zhu Cilang was the only one seated at the table, while the other four remained standing.

Zhu Cilang had initially invited them to sit and share a cup of tea, but they adamantly refused, so he stopped trying to persuade them.

Li Ruolian glanced at the waiter who brought the tea. Having confirmed that it was a disguised Brocade Guard, he personally poured a cup for Zhu Cilang.

Zhu Cilang picked up the cup, gently blew away the rising steam, and took a small sip.

The delicate fragrance of the tea spread across his palate, bringing him a profound sense of comfort and relaxation.

Indeed, joyful events elevate one's spirit; even the most ordinary tea tasted like tribute tea to him.

Yet the reality was that Zhu Cilang's assumption was wrong, because the tea he was drinking actually *was* tribute tea...

Neither Li Ruolian nor Fang Zhenghua dared to let Zhu Cilang consume tea from an outside establishment, so they had instructed the Brocade Guards to bring their own premium tea leaves upon departure.

Meanwhile, the storyteller continued reciting the contents of the newspaper.

Just as he reached the passage praising the Emperor's supreme wisdom, an untimely voice suddenly cut through the room.

"The Emperor is wise? I think quite the opposite! If the Emperor were truly wise, how could he allow loyal officials to suffer wrongful accusations? How could he let loyal subjects endure such misery?"

"In my view, those previous rumors weren't rumors at all—they were the absolute truth!"

"The Emperor simply wants to cozy up to eunuchs and push virtuous ministers away!"

"The Emperor is nothing more than a tyrant!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire teahouse fell dead silent.

Everyone turned their gazes in shock toward the direction of the voice, and Zhu Cilang was no exception.