My Wife Turns Out to be an Empress of the Dynasty

"Have you heard? There's a demon living in the palace now. It's Prince Jingyang. I heard he's charmed Her Majesty into neglecting court affairs. It's been a month since he attended court. Now, everything depends on the Prime Minister and the six ministers!"

"Before this, Her Majesty didn't attend court for half a year just to enjoy himself with Gu Lan. He even neglected state affairs... Gu Lan has enchanted the king, causing harm to Jing Nation!"

"That's right. With him around, Jing Nation is doomed!"

...

Rumors spread like wildfire, but not everyone believed them.

Many citizens, especially those who had been helped by Gu Lan before, expressed different opinions.

"Is that true? I heard that Master Gu was the same official who exposed the truth behind the flower thief case. It's not as bad as you say..."

"Yes, regardless of that, life is getting better now."

...

However, other citizens scorned: "You guys know nothing! The good times now are because of the magical rice Her Majesty distributed. But these good times won't last long because Prince Jingyang has advised Her Majesty to increase taxes tenfold due to the improved rice harvest!"

"What? Increase taxes tenfold!"

The people on the streets were bewildered.

"Isn't that asking for our lives?"

"If this policy is implemented, Jing Nation is in danger!"

"I won't share the sky with that pretty boy!"

...

The spread of rumors among the people quickly caught the attention of those with ulterior motives...

In the capital city, which overlooks the court of Jing Nation, the most well-informed person is not Wu Fan or Luo Chen, but a woman!

Xiao Fei'er hid in the brothel, serving as Mu Yuyan's spy, gathering information.

At this moment...

She received a message from her informant and furrowed her brows slightly.

"This guy is really something... But for every praise he receives, he'll face an equal amount of slander. This is an eternal truth..."

Despite her complaints, she faithfully reported the gathered information to Mu Yuyan.

"What?"

In the palace, Mu Yuyan's phoenix eyes turned slightly cold, finding it hard to believe.

It was clear that the reforms in agriculture, including the magical rice and waterwheel invented by Gu Lan, were benefiting the country and its people.

Even if private matters were put aside, he shouldn't be unfairly accused like this!

And increasing taxes?

Is Mu Yuyan, the queen, lacking in provisions?

In the end, she overestimated the common people's ability to discern the truth. Neglecting the situation any longer was not an option!

Xiao Fei'er was startled by Mu Yuyan's reaction, but she dutifully reported, "Most of these people hide in taverns and tea houses, spreading rumors madly. Many ignorant people believe them. The current situation is extremely unfavorable for Master Gu."

"Hmph! No matter how unfavorable it is, we cannot ignore it any longer."

Mu Yuyan knew that being angry wouldn't change the outcome.

She had to take strong measures to rectify the situation.

"Yexi, lead the Imperial Announcements Bureau and arrest those spreading rumors in the capital city. Bring them all in for questioning! I want to see who the mastermind behind this is."

Without a doubt, such widespread dissemination of rumors must have someone orchestrating it behind the scenes.

"Yes!"

Liu Yexi also understood the seriousness of the situation and immediately withdrew.

Her face was filled with anger too.

She knew best about the love that had grown between

Her Majesty and Master Gu. How could she tolerate others maliciously destroying it?

Despite her complaints, she faithfully reported the gathered information to Mu Yuyan.

"What?"

In the palace, Mu Yuyan's phoenix eyes turned slightly cold, finding it hard to believe.

It was clear that the reforms in agriculture, including the magical rice and waterwheel invented by Gu Lan, were benefiting the country and its people.

Even if private matters were put aside, he shouldn't be unfairly accused like this!
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And increasing taxes?

Is Mu Yuyan, the queen, lacking in provisions?

In the end, she overestimated the common people's ability to discern the truth. Neglecting the situation any longer was not an option!

Xiao Fei'er was startled by Mu Yuyan's reaction, but she dutifully reported, "Most of these people hide in taverns and tea houses, spreading rumors madly. Many ignorant people believe them. The current situation is extremely unfavorable for Master Gu."

"Hmph! No matter how unfavorable it is, we cannot ignore it any longer."

Mu Yuyan knew that being angry wouldn't change the outcome. She had to take strong measures to rectify the situation.

"Yexi, lead the Imperial Guards and arrest those spreading rumors in the capital city. Bring them all in for questioning! I want to see who the mastermind behind this is."

Without a doubt, such widespread dissemination of rumors must have someone orchestrating it behind the scenes.

"Yes!"

Liu Yexi also understood the seriousness of the situation and immediately withdrew.

Her face was filled with anger too. She knew best about the love that had grown between Her Majesty and Master Gu.

How could she tolerate others maliciously destroying it?

As the Feiyu attire surged out, the entire capital city was filled with spies, sweeping through the streets and alleys under the bewildered gaze of the people!

...

"General, what should we do now? It seems the Imperial Guards are serious. Some of my servants have already been arrested."

Wu Fan furrowed his brows too.

Once again, the two men met in the council chamber to discuss Gu Lan's affairs.

The rumors spread initially had some effect, but Mu Yuyan's response was unexpectedly swift and intense, immediately deploying the Imperial Announcements Bureau to arrest the spreaders.

Under such circumstances, spreading rumors would soon be stopped!

It meant they had wasted a lot of money and even risked exposure for nothing!

Wu Fan was already a fugitive.

If Luo Chen's residence was also sealed, both of them would find it difficult to escape.

"Has anyone been caught red-handed? I hope your servants won't reveal our identities," he asked with concern.

Luo Chen also furrowed his brows and pondered for a while before affirming, "No, I arranged for trusted subordinates to handle this. The servants who were caught were randomly involved; they don't know I'm behind it. They won't reveal my identity."

Wu Fan nodded in relief.

"It's good if there's no risk of exposure. They can only catch some insignificant people. They're not directly related to us."

"But our plan has failed. Although Gu Lan's reputation has been somewhat affected by the rumors, the court will definitely take remedial measures afterward. Moreover, with Her Majesty's serious response this time, with the Imperial Announcements Bureau mobilized, we can't continue spreading rumors, or we'll walk right into the trap."

Luo Chen's face showed a hint of ferocity.

He couldn't understand why Gu Lan, this pretty boy, received much attention from Her Majesty.

The fact that the entire Imperial Announcements Bureau was mobilized to defend him against rumors was beyond comprehension!

Of course, there was also a hint of vigilance...

Was this guy receiving so much attention just because he looked good?

Wu Fan was lost in thought too.

After a while, he said with confidence, "Now that spreading rumors is out of the question, the risk is too high. We need to lay low for a while. By February next year, during the Spring Exams, we can start preparing secretly. We can gather private soldiers and deliver a fatal blow to Gu Lan during the Spring Exams!"

Luo Chen's eyes also flashed with ruthlessness.

"That's a good idea. I've been wanting to do this for a long time. Just spreading rumors to smear Gu Lan isn't satisfying enough. We must tear this guy apart to vent our anger!"

Then, he frowned and said, "But gathering private soldiers isn't easy. With the Imperial Announcements Bureau spread throughout the capital city, it's difficult to avoid detection."

Wu Fan smiled confidently. "General Luo, don't forget what I used to do. I recruited two private armies before. Although one of them is gone now, the other can still be summoned and used."

"They're not hidden in the capital city but somewhere outside the capital. With my years of experience leading troops, even the Imperial Announcements Bureau won't be able to find this army."

"General Wu is indeed formidable! With this army's assistance, we will surely dismember Gu Lan!"

Luo Chen was pleasantly surprised, realizing that Wu Fan had kept a hidden card.

At this moment, he felt fortunate that he had chosen to cooperate with Wu Fan.

Otherwise, where would he find an army to help?

"In addition to that, I need General Luo to make arrangements with the Ministry of Rites," Wu Fan continued after hearing Luo Chen's praise.

"The Spring Exams will be held at the Ministry of Rites. Private soldiers can't surround the Ministry of Rites and kill him en masse. We need the Ministry of Rites as an insider to get accurate information about Gu Lan to strike accurately."

Luo Chen nodded. "Leave it to me."