The Ordinary Man's Guide to Fast Travel

Without waiting for the Queen and others to take the next step, Chao Yao decisively sent people to the East Palace to take away her dowry.

The boxes of dowry that were once filled with glory and hope were quickly transported out of the East Palace, as if silently declaring a certain determination.

When the Queen learned that General Chao's daughter, Chao Yao, had sent people to the Eastern Palace to take away her dowry, her heart tightened, as if being grasped by an invisible hand.

She knew very well that Chao Yao's move meant that the General's Mansion had begun to distance itself from the Crown Prince, which was undoubtedly an extremely dangerous signal.

If the situation cannot be salvaged in time, it will become even more unfavorable to oneself, and may even affect the rise and fall, honor and disgrace of the entire family.

The queen immediately summoned her uncle to discuss countermeasures.

After receiving the Queen's edict, the King's uncle came hurriedly, looking worried, his steps filled with anxiety and uneasiness.

He came to the Queen's bedroom, bowed, and said anxiously: "Your Majesty, Chao Yao's action is probably General Chao's intention. What should we do now?"

The queen frowned, and her beautiful brows were like two slightly raised hills, carrying endless sorrow and anxiety.

She said in a deep voice: "We must contact General Chao as soon as possible to find out his attitude. If we can convince him to stand on our side, there may be a chance of turning things around."

The uncle nodded and said, "Your Majesty is right, but now the general is suspicious of us. How can we make him believe us?"

The queen thought for a moment, her beautiful eyes sparkling with wisdom, and said, "Send someone to deliver a generous gift to express our sincerity. At the same time, find someone in the court who is friendly with the general and ask them to mediate."

However, General Chao was not someone who could be easily won over. He had been a soldier all his life, loyal and courageous, and had his own firm beliefs and principles.

He was well aware of what the Queen's family had done to His Majesty's original wife, Yu, and his heart was filled with contempt and disgust for them.

How can we go along with them?

When the king's uncle saw that the queen's method did not work, he became extremely anxious.

He decided to go to General Chao's mansion in person and try to force General Chao to submit by means of coercion and inducement.

The king's uncle came to the general's mansion with a group of followers.

The heavy footsteps seemed to announce the coming of a storm.

As soon as they arrived at the gate of the mansion, the king's uncle held his head high and chest out, assuming an arrogant and proud attitude.

His gorgeous clothes sparkled dazzlingly in the sunlight, as if deliberately highlighting his noble status.

As the prince's uncle stepped into the palace, his eyes instantly locked on General Chao.

He raised his chin slightly and said in a condescending tone: "General Chao, the Queen has high hopes for you, so you must not be ungrateful. You must know that in the current situation, it is wise to stand on the Queen's side. As long as you are willing to support the Queen, you will have wealth, honor, high position and generous salary. Don't miss this great opportunity because of a moment of confusion."

After hearing what the uncle said, General Chao was furious.

His resolute face suddenly turned gloomy, his eyes widened, and there seemed to be a raging fire in them.

He said loudly: "Uncle of the Emperor, please stop talking nonsense here. I will be loyal to Your Majesty and the country all my life, and I will never be in cahoots with treacherous people like you. What you have done is intolerable. Today, even if you say it to the sky, I will not change my position."

Seeing the general's firm attitude, the king's uncle felt angry and anxious.

His expression became increasingly uglier, with a hint of anger in his eyes.

He gritted his teeth and spoke again: "General Chao, you must think it through. The power of the Queen is not something you can easily contend with. If you don't know the current situation, you will regret it."

The general was not afraid at all. He straightened his back and stood like a towering mountain.

He said firmly: "Our dynasty is upright and aboveboard, so why should we be afraid? If you dare to do anything wrong, I will report it to His Majesty and make sure you receive the punishment you deserve."

The uncle's heart sank. He did not expect the general to be so stubborn.

However, he was unwilling to fail like this.

Suddenly, he remembered that General Chao’s eldest daughter, Chao Yao, was once the Crown Princess.

A hint of calculation flashed in the eyes of the prince's uncle, and his attitude softened instantly.

"General Chao, you and I used to be relatives. Although there are some changes now, there is no need to be so decisive. Think about it, your daughter used to be the Crown Princess. If the Queen gains power, your daughter may have a chance to return to glory." The uncle tried to impress General Chao with family affection.

General Chao sneered and said, "Uncle, please don't mention this matter again. My daughter has nothing to do with the East Palace now. What you did has broken her heart. My Chao family will never have anything to do with you again."

When the king's uncle saw that his plan failed, he became even more anxious.

His expression became uncertain as he pondered over what to do next.

After a moment, he changed his attitude again, with a hint of pleading in his tone.

"General Chao, please help me. The Queen is in a difficult situation now. If you don't lend a helping hand, she may not be able to protect herself. Please help the Queen out of our past friendship." There was a hint of helplessness in the voice of the uncle.

There was no wavering in the general's eyes. He said firmly, "My Lord, there is no need for you to say more. My position will not change. I will not go along with you, and I will not betray your majesty and the country."

The uncle had no choice but to leave the General's Mansion in disgrace.

He knew very well that this action of coercion and inducement had completely failed, and the queen's situation would become even more difficult.

His heart was filled with frustration and worry, and he didn't know how to deal with this complicated situation next.

After the queen learned of the general's attitude, she became more and more uneasy. At this time, Concubine Lin came to see her again.

Concubine Lin took cautious steps, her expression full of caution, and said softly, "Your Majesty, I heard that General Chao rejected your attempt to win him over. What should we do now?"

The Queen snorted coldly, her eyes revealing a hint of dissatisfaction, and said, "Didn't you say you would share my worries? Do you have any good ideas?"

Concubine Lin's eyes rolled, and a trace of calculation flashed in her cunning eyes. She said, "Your Majesty, I heard that although Hang Fufeng is called the man of destiny, he grew up among the common people and is not familiar with the affairs of the palace. We may be able to use this to create some chaos and make him unable to take care of himself."

The queen thought for a moment, her beautiful brows slightly knitted together, and said, "What specific plans do you have?"

Concubine Lin approached the queen and whispered in a low voice, "Your Majesty, we can send people to spread rumors among the people, saying that Hang Fufeng is not the man of destiny, but a lie deliberately made up by the high priest and you, Your Majesty, in order to fight for power. This will inevitably arouse the suspicion of the people and put Hang Fufeng in trouble."

The Queen hesitated and asked, "Is this plan feasible? If His Majesty knew about it, wouldn't we be in even greater danger?"

Concubine Lin said quickly: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, we can do this secretly and won't let His Majesty know. Moreover, once we succeed, we can take the opportunity to suppress Hang Fufeng and regain control of the situation."

The Queen finally decided to adopt Concubine Lin's plan, even though it seemed full of loopholes.

But there is no other way now.

Besides, this matter will definitely not be done by herself, and the people and horses must be Lin Fei's.

After the Queen and Concubine Lin conspired, they began to act secretly.

They sent some trusted people to disguise themselves as ordinary people and sneak into teahouses, pubs and other places.

These people deliberately talked among the crowd and spread rumors about Hang Fufeng.

"I heard that Hang Fufeng was not the man of destiny at all. It was all a lie made up by the queen and the high priest to fight for power."

"Yes, I have heard that too. Hang Fufeng grew up among the common people. Maybe he has some unspeakable secrets."

"What power can the queen and the high priest fight for? What is the relationship between these two people?"

"Who knows? With all the people above us going back and forth, small fry like us can only guess."

"I heard that Hang Fufeng is not a man of destiny at all. The high priest said so because he received bribes."

"Hang Fufeng grew up among the common people, so who knows if he has any bad behavior."

"Hang Fufeng suddenly appeared, he must have some ulterior motive."

"I think Hang Fufeng is a liar who is here to deceive your majesty's trust."

"Maybe Hang Fufeng is a spy sent by the enemy country."

"Hang Fufeng doesn't have any ability at all. He must have relied on sweet talk to get to the top."

"I heard that Hang Fufeng doesn't know how to govern a country. If he were to take power, the country would be finished."

"Hang Fufeng must have colluded with some treacherous officials to seek personal gain."

"I think Hang Fufeng is just a fool. He wants to be a big shot even though he knows nothing."

"When Hang Fufeng was among the common people, he probably did a lot of shameful things."

"I heard that Hang Fufeng's background is questionable and he might not be of royal blood."

"Hang Fufeng is just lucky. He was pointed out by the high priest as the man of destiny."

"Hang Fufeng must have used unfair means to get his current position."

"I think Hang Fufeng is just a fake. He will be exposed sooner or later."

"Hang Fufeng might be colluding with the charlatan to deceive Your Majesty."

"I heard that Hang Fufeng has no ability to lead the country and will only cause trouble."

"Hang Fufeng must have been used by someone, and he doesn't even know it."

"I think Hang Fufeng is just a puppet, someone is manipulating him from behind."

"Hang Fufeng grew up among the common people and certainly didn't receive a good education. How could he take on such a big responsibility?"

"I heard that Hang Fufeng has connections with some evil forces, which is not good for the country."

"The Chao family has been getting close to Hang Fufeng recently, so they must have some bad intentions."

"The Chao family might have been deceived by Hang Fufeng and is helping him."

"The Chao family supports Hang Fufeng, and they must want to gain more power from it."

"I think the Chao family wants to rise through Hang Fufeng and then control the court."

"The Chao family must have some hidden deal with Hang Fufeng."

"I heard that the Chao family was willing to sell out national interests in order to curry favor with Hang Fufeng."

"The Chao family is now in league with Hang Fufeng, and they must have done a lot of bad things."

"Hang Fufeng, who is supported by the Chao family, is not a good person at all, and the Chao family is not a good thing either."

"I think the Chao family has been confused by Hang Fufeng and cannot see the situation clearly."

"The Chao family will be in trouble sooner or later if they follow Hang Fufeng."

These rumors spread quickly among the people like catkins in the wind.

The people began to talk about it and began to doubt Hang Fufeng's identity.

However, Hang Fufeng did not panic after learning about the rumors.

There was no trace of emotion on his calm face, as if he had expected it.

He understood that there must be someone behind this who was deliberately targeting him.

So he decided to take the initiative to show his loyalty to the emperor. At the same time, he planned to point the finger at the high priest. After all, his position in the Jin Dynasty was very important.

Hang Fufeng organized his thoughts and came to the emperor's bedroom with a serious expression.

He bowed respectfully, his tone calm and firm: "Father, I have heard rumors among the people that I am not the man of destiny, but a lie fabricated by the high priest and others to fight for power."

"I am terrified and feel wronged. Although I grew up among the common people, my sincere heart towards my father and the Kingdom of Jin is evident to all."

"I beg you to investigate this matter thoroughly, clear my name, and let the people know the truth so they won't be misled by rumors."

"I am willing to guarantee with my life that I have no bad intentions and am only concerned about the prosperity of my father and the Kingdom of Jin. I believe that my father is wise and will be able to distinguish right from wrong and will not be misled by rumors."

The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Hang Fufeng, who was standing in front of him with a serious expression.

After a moment, he slowly said, "Fufeng, since you said this is a rumor, do you have any evidence to prove your innocence?"

Hang Fufeng straightened his back, looked at the emperor firmly, and responded: "Father, although I have no direct evidence, I believe that those who are innocent will be innocent. Since I was recognized, I have only planned for you and the Kingdom of Jin, and I have never had any evil intentions. Those rumors are all fabricated. If you investigate thoroughly, you will definitely give me justice."

The emperor nodded slightly and continued, "You said that the high priest and others made up lies to fight for power. Is there any basis for this?"

Hang Fufeng said calmly, "Father, when I was still a commoner, I heard that the high priest had great power in the court. Now rumors are spreading, pointing directly at me and the high priest. I can't help but suspect that there is something fishy going on. And I think that if the high priest really cares about the country, he will never let the rumors spread without stopping them."

The emperor was silent for a moment, then asked, "Then how do you think we should thoroughly investigate this matter?"

Hang Fufeng thought for a moment and said, "Father, I think we can start with the person who spread the rumor and follow the clues to find out the mastermind behind the scene. At the same time, we can also ask the honest officials in the court to participate in the investigation to ensure fairness. Moreover, I am willing to cooperate with the investigation to prove my innocence."

The emperor smiled slightly and said, "Okay, I will give you this opportunity. I want to see what you are capable of. If you can handle this matter properly, I will look at you differently. But if you disappoint me, do you know the consequences?"

Hang Fufeng bowed solemnly and said, "I will definitely live up to your expectations. If there is any mistake, I will let you handle it."