Chapter 577

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“The Unspeakable Massacre in Yangzhou, the Prince of Wei’s Atrocities Are Shameful!”

The next day, the headline on the front page of “Qingzhou Daily” roared. Scholars, merchants, and nobles who received the newspaper were all filled with righteous indignation after reading the article, cursing the Prince of Wei.

At the same time, reporters took newspapers to various prefectures and counties, spreading the news to the common people in every village.

“Alas, Prince of Wei, Prince of Wei, what can I say about you? Aren’t you just handing others a handle?”

In a civilian block in the south of Qingzhou City, there was a large courtyard with “Princess Mansion” written on the plaque above the gate. This was Princess Pingyang’s residence in Qingzhou.

At this moment, in the princess’s pavilion, Princess Pingyang was reading the Qingzhou newspaper. Since she arrived in Qingzhou, reading the newspaper had become a habit for her. Without having to go out, she could learn everything happening in Qingzhou from the newspaper.

“That’s right. Since Yangzhou City was ceded anyway, why bother with another massacre? Originally, people in the world sympathized with him, but now he’s become a tyrant.”

Ouyang Mu said.

When Xiao Wenxuan was alive, Princess Pingyang and the Prince of Wei had close ties, and he had also received many benefits from the Prince of Wei. Now, he felt a bit regretful.

“I’m afraid my Third Brother is desperate. He must also realize that Xiao Ming is surely going to destroy him. Now it’s just a matter of when Xiao Ming will make his move.”

Princess Pingyang gently put down the newspaper, revealing an arm as white as snow from her purple silk sleeve.

Ouyang Mu’s eyes gleamed at the sight. He said, “The Prince of Wei, despite his formidable strength, was defeated by Xiao Ming so easily. This humble general thinks that the future of this world might belong to King Qi.”

“The Imperial Brother’s last will already named him heir, which is very clear,” Princess Pingyang said languidly. She continued, “By the way, go and get the cloud brocade from the storehouse. This afternoon, I’ll go to the royal residence and give the cloud brocade to the Princess Consort. Now that we are living under someone else’s roof, we should be more diligent.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Ouyang Mu said.

This cloud brocade was a tribute from Shu territory and was extremely precious. Even the princess’s mansion’s storehouse only had a few rolls.

As the two were speaking, a commotion suddenly erupted outside the princess’s residence, and then a group of people dressed in luxurious clothes walked in.

“Your Royal Highness Princess, have you seen the newspaper? How could this Prince of Wei be so foolish? Now we have no way to talk to His Highness about this matter.” The leading elder sighed deeply.

“Duke of Tang, we should not get involved in this matter. Now it’s time for someone else to revitalize the imperial family. I think only this child Xiao Ming can revitalize our imperial family now.” Princess Pingyang said.

The Duke of Tang, hunched over, said, “Alas, Your Royal Highness Princess is right. Neither the Prince of Wei nor the Prince of Yong are now as good as Xiao Ming. However, Your Royal Highness Princess, we have come this time to discuss another matter with Your Royal Highness Princess.”

Princess Pingyang looked at the Duke of Rong, the Duke of Xia, and the Duke of Song behind the Duke of Tang, and she already had a pretty good idea. These four dukes were all imperial clan members, extremely close to Xiao Wenxuan’s lineage.

These four dukes could be said to share the same grandfather. After Chang’an fell, they later came to Qingzhou.

“You want to talk about the stipend, don’t you?” Princess Pingyang said lightly.

This time, accompanying the Duke of Tang were all imperial clan members, including many county marquises and county princes. These royals had no real power, but in Chang’an, they had always been supported by the imperial family, meaning they received a monthly stipend.

Now that Chang’an was gone, their stipends naturally disappeared. Although these people seemed outwardly splendid, their lives were actually quite difficult. After all, not everyone had a business in Qingzhou like she did.

“Your Royal Highness Princess is a sensible person.” The Duke of Tang said, “If this continues, we will truly starve. What face will the imperial family have then?”

“Duke of Tang, don’t worry. I haven’t said anything final yet, have I? How about this, I will go to the royal residence this afternoon. I will take this opportunity to discuss this matter with the Princess Consort and Concubine Zhen. You all know King Qi’s temper. Even I wouldn’t dare to speak too much. Only Concubine Zhen and the Princess Consort can persuade him.”

“Thank you, Your Royal Highness Princess, thank you, Your Royal Highness Princess!” The Duke of Tang was overjoyed.

The tall Duke of Rong then said, “Your Royal Highness Princess, tell the consorts and concubines that His Highness is currently in need of capable people. Although most of the imperial clan members are useless individuals who only know how to eat, drink, and have fun, there are also a few shrewd and capable ones. When it comes to using people, is there anyone more trustworthy than one’s own kin?”

Princess Pingyang nodded, “Duke Rong’s words make some sense. I will tell Her Highness. As for you all, please return for now.”

The Duke of Tang nodded, and after thanking them, led the group away.

“Your Highness, why do you take on such a thankless task?” Ouyang Mu was somewhat puzzled.

Princess Pingyang’s face was smiling. She said, “Why is it thankless? I went and spoke. Whether it succeeds or not is up to His Highness, but I have gained favor. Moreover, in my opinion, His Highness might even choose some excellent royal children to enter the army and officialdom?”

“Why?”

“Neither the Fei family nor Pang Yukun and the others are, after all, outsiders. Governing the fief is one thing, but governing the world is another. Xiao Ming doesn’t understand this yet, but he will soon realize that he needs a force that can protect his imperial throne to support him.”

Ouyang Mu seemed to understand, yet not quite. In his opinion, Princess Pingyang’s words were simply too complex. However, Xiao Ming always acted unpredictably, and no one could foresee what he would do next.

For instance, regarding the article about the Prince of Wei in the newspaper this time, who could have imagined that Xiao Ming would use this fact to implement a psychological warfare tactic?

At the same time, the Qingzhou newspaper began to spread from Qingzhou City to the surrounding villages. When reporters told the common people in each village about the Prince of Wei’s atrocities, the common people in the villages immediately became enraged. This reminded them of their past lives, where powerful families and gentry wantonly slaughtered the common people, not treating them as human beings at all.

Under the influence of this news, a large number of young people flocked to the military camps, demanding to enlist and fight the Prince of Wei. The Qingzhou military camp was besieged by a dense crowd.

News of this reached Xiao Ming, who was also somewhat surprised. He hadn’t expected that the article denouncing the Prince of Wei would actually boost the common people’s enthusiasm for enlisting.