HLnovel Chapter 138 Lin Shiming was in high spirits and spoke with righteous indignation.
Chapter 138 Lin Shiming was in high spirits and spoke with righteous indignation.
This rumor spread through two levels: one was the imperial court, where it was difficult to trace the source and could not be investigated too thoroughly, but there were few fools, and everyone knew what was going on; the other was the common people.
Or rather, the common people were actually the core of King Ping's scheme. After all, the minds of ordinary people in ancient times were certainly not comparable to those of modern people, and it was quite easy to stir up rumors that did not involve dynastic change.
Officials hold high positions and wield great power, while ordinary people have little influence. But the common people simply outnumber us!
Moreover, the people are more important than the emperor when it comes to the affairs of the country. Once the rumors spread among the people about how the Crown Prince and Crown Princess bullied and coerced Prince Ping, Emperor Longyun could not ignore the people's opinions and give the world an explanation.
But the prerequisite is that the rumor must be convincing and spread throughout the capital.
Logically speaking, Prince Ping's plan was truly perfect. On one hand, he eliminated Princess Ping with bad news, and on the other hand, someone spread rumors, all based on objective facts that Lin Shiming and the others couldn't explain. This left Lu Yuxi and Lin Shiming speechless.
Yue Linghan was deposed by Lin Shiming, and Prince Ping was impeached by the Crown Prince's faction. Even the thief who "told" Princess Ping committed suicide on the spot, making it difficult for Lin Shiming to quickly find evidence.
Moreover, humans are creatures most prone to making up stories. Although there is no conclusive evidence to prove that the thief was from the Crown Prince's lineage, the common people will speculate! Besides, once rumors spread, people will echo each other, and falsehoods can become truths.
This tactic was indeed quite perfect, the only pity being that it ran into Lin Shiming, someone who had lived in the modern internet society for over twenty years. When it comes to public opinion and crisis management, the ancient figure, Prince Ping, was simply no match for Lin Shiming.
Upon learning that rumors were being spread, Lin Shiming swiftly and decisively contained the situation. This was the first step: controlling the scope of the impact.
Next, gather the people together and publicly refute them one by one, identifying the root of the rumor and completely denying it from its inception. This is the second step: finding the source, presenting evidence, and publicly refuting the rumor.
The common people are like eggs. If you suppress them all at once, it's like trying to crack an egg with your bare hands—you can't break the shell, and the effect is minimal. But if you target a specific individual, it becomes much easier. The common people don't have any vested interests; they can be easily exposed.
It wasn't that no one understood this principle before, but there were too many people, and they weren't capable enough, nor were there enough people to solve the problem. But this difficulty was easy for Lin Shiming. He could arrest people under the guise of "undercover agents," and he had no shortage of manpower. The Imperial Guards of Emperor Longyun, the Crown Prince's personal guards of Lu Yuxi, Liang Zhang's military command, and the Tingyun Army—Lin Shiming had no shortage of manpower.
Therefore, he easily broke the deadlock. After interrogating only one person, he has already caught Wang Shan, an "undercover agent with ulterior motives."
As expected, Lin Shiming raised the corners of his mouth and continued to watch Yuan Ye judge people with great leisure.
"What, can't say it now?" Yuan Ye used his sharp tongue to lift Wang Shan's head. "Did someone bribe you beforehand? Otherwise, how could you have known in advance that Princess Ping would die?"
Wang Shan's mind went blank, his lips trembled, and he couldn't speak. Yuan Ye frowned, quite dissatisfied, and was about to ask further questions. But a clear, handsome voice came from behind him.
Lin Shiming put the lid on the teacup and gave an order, "Knock him out and keep him under guard. It's better not to dig too deep into such an important matter in public, lest we alert the enemy."
The real reason was to prevent royal scandals from becoming public. Unlike the Queen Dowager Qin, who was not of the Qin clan, Prince Ping was a true member of the royal family. The Queen Dowager Qin could use the excuse of Qin family discipline to justify her actions, but Prince Ping could not.
If it were a rebellion to seize the throne, that would be one thing, as it has been a "common practice" in every dynasty and is commonplace. But when it comes to vying for power and profit, who doesn't have the desire to climb the social ladder? The common people are used to it, so there's nothing wrong with talking about it.
However, the heinous crimes of murdering his wife and daughter and framing the crown prince were not something the common people could easily know. The royal family could not be openly associated with such monstrous acts, otherwise it would damage the royal family's image and reduce the government's credibility.
Therefore, Lin Shih-ming used this as an excuse to stop the matter at the step of clarifying the comments.
Yuan Ye obeyed, though somewhat confused, he didn't say much, and swiftly knocked the man unconscious and had him carried aside.
"Your Highness, what about this first..."
"Keep it under guard on the other side."
Yuan Ye understood, and then directed the people to turn the one that had been pulled out first overboard to the other end.
With the first two cases set as examples, the remaining hundred-plus cases became easier. After interrogating several more and identifying an "undercover agent," and with only about an hour left before curfew, Lin Shiming didn't waste any more time. He immediately called out a few quick-witted guards, and the six of them interrogated the suspects together to speed things up.
"Where did you hear that?"
"This humble citizen knows a family that delivers vegetables to Prince Ping's residence..."
"No one has entered or left the Prince Ping's residence today." The soldier swiftly knocked the man unconscious and had him carried away.
"And you? Where did you hear the rumors?"
"This humble citizen overheard this by chance from a soldier stationed near the Prince Ping's residence!"
"The Imperial Guards never whisper among themselves while on duty. Infiltrator, take him away!"
…
In just a quarter of an hour, the 120-plus people were all interrogated and then divided into fourteen "undercover agents," thirty-seven people who believed and spread the rumors, and the remaining seventy-plus people who only heard the rumors but did not spread them.
"Your Highness, all the people have been identified."
Lin Shiming, who had been dozing off for a while, opened his eyes in a daze.
"Is the trial over?"
"Yes. As Your Highness instructed, the people have been divided into three groups."
The sky had completely darkened, and countless stars twinkled. The vast market was brightly lit only by the torches carried by the guards.
Lin Shiming slowly got up, stretching his body which had become stiff from sitting in the chair. He glanced around; the surrounding people were still watching with great interest as the "upright and just magistrate" publicly tried the case, and the officials were still obediently standing behind Lin Shiming, none daring to sneak away.
"Not bad." Lin Shiming took two steps forward with great satisfaction.
"I'm sure everyone has seen what happened today. Someone is harboring malicious intentions, plotting to harm the Princess Consort, and attempting to sow discord among the princes in order to incite internal strife in our dynasty."
"These people with ulterior motives deserve to die!"
Lin Shiming was in high spirits and spoke with righteous indignation.
The surrounding people were also ignited by his powerful words, and their loyalty to the emperor and love for the country were stirred up. After shouting "Kill them!" from the crowd, they followed suit and gathered in response.
"Kill them!"
"To rid the country of this scourge!"
…
The noise of the crowd was deafening.
After everyone had been chanting slogans enthusiastically for a long time, Lin Shiming calmly raised his hand to signal everyone to quiet down.
"Rest assured, everyone. I will thoroughly interrogate this scoundrel to uncover more people behind him. After the interrogation, he will be executed!"