"If I'm not mistaken, starting tomorrow—no, starting a little while from now—there should be a lot of rumors circulating."
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Chapter 40: Come on, let me explain to you what it means to pick up the soap!
Have you heard?
"What?"
"It's the Duke of Wu. I heard that a student from the Imperial Academy went to visit him today, and the Duke said that all these students are superficial, only good at empty talk and grandstanding, but they can't do any practical work..."
"What? What gives him the right to look down on the Imperial Academy students? You know, these Imperial Academy students have all passed the provincial examinations. If they go one step further and pass the metropolitan examination, they can directly become county magistrates."
"Hey, I heard it's related to the Duke of Wu's birth. You see, he was originally just a country bumpkin. Country bumpkins don't have much experience. Then, suddenly he got a high position and became arrogant, which is quite normal."
"Oh, no wonder he came to feudal Jiangnan. If that's the case, he was just lucky."
"Yeah, he's just a lucky country boy."
"Moreover, in my opinion, this time it's probably hopeless. Jiangnan is already very barren, and there are many problems to face when it is developed. To have such a muddle-headed ruler is really difficult."
"That's right, it's probably not going to succeed."
Soon, similar conversations spread throughout teahouses and taverns across the capital. What happened in the morning had already reached every corner of the city by lunchtime.
"Heh, country bumpkin, lucky but short-sighted, just trying to attract attention. Not a single original idea. Can't these aristocratic families come up with anything creative?" Lin Yang mocked.
But it must be said that this is exactly the kind of thing that ordinary people have always loved. And the more they try to explain, the more they feel there's something fishy going on. At the same time, they think they're very clever and have grasped the truth.
"My lord, I've tried to explain, but it hasn't been very effective. Sometimes, I even get beaten up when I expose their lies. I really don't know what to do," Hu Feng said cautiously, standing to the side.
"Young Master, we can't let them keep saying that. Otherwise, if it goes on for too long, who knows how many bad things they'll say. By then, your reputation will be completely ruined," Su Qing'er said worriedly.
"Have you found out who was behind this?" Lin Yang asked.
"We've found out. It was the young master of the Wei family in Hedong who made the move, and it was Wei Zhongdao. He has a very good relationship with Wang Yu of the Wang family. Meanwhile, the remaining major families are all taking a wait-and-see approach. They've neither fueled the flames nor taken the initiative to clarify the facts for us; they all seem to be waiting for our reaction," Hu Feng continued.
Wei Zhongdao, this man is the eldest son and young master of the Wei family of Hedong. Like everyone else, he is not a reincarnator. At least, not currently. His family is very wealthy, being one of the four major merchant families. The resources they can mobilize are simply too numerous to count.
In the original owner's memories, there was absolutely nothing about this person; he was probably dead. Historically, this man was Cai Yan's husband. For some reason, Lin Yang frowned at the thought.
The Wang family of Bingzhou was one of the top-tier families that were affiliated with the Wei family of Hedong. Therefore, it is understandable that they would seek revenge for Wang Yu and Wang Liang at this time.
However, these are merely superficial reasons. The core issue boils down to just two words: testing. Testing Lin Yang's bottom line, testing his depth, testing his strength.
There was no other way; Lin Yang was so young, didn't seem to have any powerful backers, and was a prime target. Under these circumstances, why not test the waters?
If successful, Lin Yang will be made a stud!
For example, they could send a legitimate daughter of the family, along with numerous maids, to marry Lin Yang. After they have offspring, if Lin Yang still refuses to cooperate, they could have him accidentally die from drinking too much or drowning.
At that time, Lin Yang's newborn descendants will be able to rightfully take over everything from Lin Yang, including his fiefdom, title, and magical treasures.
Moreover, even if the test fails, there's no loss, so why not?
"Sigh, I didn't want to cause trouble, so why did I have to? Besides, even if this test is over, there's no guarantee there won't be another one. These corrupt families, one day I will definitely take a big hammer and smash them all to pieces and throw them into the garbage dump." Lin Yang shook his head and said.
His words were devoid of any emotional change. However, only Su Qing'er, who knew him well, knew that Lin Yang was truly angry this time.
Seeing this, Su Qing'er quickly said, "Young Master, they're just a bunch of short-sighted rich kids. We'll just ignore them. At worst, we can just spend money to explain things to everyone."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yang immediately shook his head. Although it wasn't the same world, the people of my great Celestial Empire have always enjoyed these kinds of rumors related to high-ranking figures. Moreover, this is Beijing, full of experienced gossips who can turn black into white.
How can such a thing be explained clearly? Besides, even if you pay someone to explain, Wei Zhongdao can just keep throwing money at it and continue spreading rumors. Even if he fails, it's just a loss of some money; he doesn't care at all.
Are you suggesting Lin Yang and Wei Zhongdao compete to see who's richer? Even though they just robbed a whopping fifty million taels of silver from Lu Xiaofeng's world, who would complain about having too much money? (In the original novel, Jin Jiuling, disguised as the Embroidery Thief, committed a series of crimes in just three months, stealing goods worth ten million taels of silver. The protagonist, using his position as the Imperial Advisor, openly robbed various sects, so fifty million taels is certainly within his reach.)
“It’s simple. Wei Zhongdao spread rumors about me, so I’ll spread rumors too. After all, the best way to change the subject since ancient times is to create an even more sensational, interesting, and outrageous rumor.” Lin Yang said, his eyes shining.
"Moreover, this time we must teach them a profound lesson. So profound that they will remember this incident whenever they hear my name, Lin Yang," Lin Yang said coldly.
"Next, you go and spread rumors. As for the content, say that Wei Zhongdao is impotent, likes male homosexuals, and is young but has no children. The reason he stepped forward to slander me this time is because I hit his good buddy Wang Yu."
"What? You don't know what 'best buddy' means? And you don't know how to make up specific details?"
"It's alright. Spend some money to find a few jailers and ask them properly. Then you'll know what male homosexuality really means. Also, find a few older, experienced storytellers to turn it into a story and print it out."
"The printed product needs to be rich in both text and images. That is, it should include both written descriptions and illustrative pictures. As for the content of the pictures, they should naturally be the stories that Wei Zhongdao and Wang Yu have to tell."
"What? You want me to name this book? Let's call it 'Picking Up Soap'! Come on, let me explain what 'picking up soap' means."
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Chapter 41: Are you here to cause trouble? No, I'm here to deliver a gift!
In the afternoon, if one had to give a specific time, it would be around five o'clock. Although it was still early before dinner, Wei Zhongdao, in a good mood, had already prepared a banquet, and many young masters from prominent families had come early to show their support.
"Heh heh, Hidden Dragon Pavilion, so Wei Zhongdao compares himself to a hidden dragon? Someone like him would have been nothing in the past, just a punch away." Cao Cao said, gesturing with his fist as he spoke.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao, who was standing to the side, wanted to say something, but then he remembered that he had now become independent and was no longer the eldest son of the Yuan family. Naturally, his status had greatly declined, and he certainly couldn't speak and act as he used to. Therefore, he smiled and remained silent, quietly listening to Cao Cao's complaints.
"Haha, Mengde is joking. The Hidden Dragon Pavilion refers to the many heroes who have come here tonight. Does Mengde think that so many of us are not worthy of the name Hidden Dragon?" Wei Zhongdao said with a smile.
Having been rebuffed, Cao Cao didn't want to bother with him anymore, so he and Yuan Shao simply found a quiet, secluded spot to sit down.
Soon, many scions of prominent families arrived at this place. In addition, even many chosen ones from humble backgrounds were invited here.
Wang Yu glanced around, then said in a pretentious manner, "Hey, where's that Duke of Wu?"
"What? The Duke of Wu didn't come? Didn't I send the invitation a long time ago? Did the servants forget? Steward, steward, did you send the invitation or not?" Wei Zhongdao said angrily.