Marry my elder sister? Fine! I'll give you the letter of annulment and marry someone else.

Only after leaving the outskirts of the city and arriving at a crowded place did Xiao Tao finally relax.

"My lady, I was scared to death just now. You didn't see the look in their eyes at the beginning. If you hadn't taken immediate action to scare them back, I'm afraid they would have pounced on me."

Song Zhi couldn't help laughing, "No wonder you were so focused in there that you didn't say a word."

"I'm afraid that if I speak, it will ruin the momentum."

Xiao Tao patted her chest and said, "Is it really reliable to give them a deposit and ask them to spread the news? Why not just let our people go directly?"

Song Zhi said, "We have to expose this. We can't let anyone know that we are behind this rumor. Besides, it's easier for people to believe what these people who hang around in the market say."

She looked ahead with deep eyes and spoke in a long tone.

Over the next two days, something big happened.

Due to the recent continuous heavy rains, the south has suffered from floods, and a large area of ​​autumn harvest grain has been destroyed, so no new grain has been transported to the capital this year.

Upon hearing this news, the price of grain in the capital rose rapidly, and everyone was in panic. The people hurriedly wanted to stock up on grain, but found that all the grain shops had already been sold out.

The people had little food stored at home and were afraid of having no food to survive the winter, so they gathered in front of the government office to ask for a solution and wanted the court to open the granaries and release food.

The government had little surplus food, and seeing that the situation was escalating, they quickly reported it to their superiors.

Despite everyone's expectations, the court did not make any statement or take any action.

As a result, there was widespread resentment in the capital, and rumors soon spread that the current emperor was cold-blooded and heartless, and did not care about the lives of the people.

When dissatisfaction was rampant, many people began to compare the wise king with the emperor.

Everyone says that the virtuous king is virtuous and kind, and is more worthy of his position than the current emperor.

In addition, the virtuous prince had argued for the interests of men some time ago, but the emperor tried to smooth things over, which won the favor of many men.

These people became the main force and strongly supported the wise king.

Under this trend, the wise king not only did not stay quiet and avoid suspicion as before, but instead, contrary to his usual behavior, he started to sell grain at a high price.

The people's favorability towards the wise king has reached a new level, and they all feel that this is truly caring about the common people.

In the palace, the emperor was so angry that his face turned green when he saw the contents of the memorials.

He flung the memorial to the ground and said gravely, "There is indeed a flood in Jiangnan, but the autumn grain is already on its way to the capital. Are you blocking the news just to disappoint the people and boost the reputation of the wise king?"

Song Zhi said, "Your Majesty, why should you be angry about a temporary setback? Tell me, will the virtuous prince take this opportunity to fan the flames and justify his subsequent actions?"

The emperor suppressed his anger, "He used to be humble before me, but I underestimated his ambition."

"All the food in the city was bought up by the same force. I checked and found that the people who bought the food this time are the same group that delivered the food outside the city."

"This is really unreasonable!"

The emperor clutched the throne in anger. "He thinks these small favors alone can shake my position. He is far too naive."

"Although this is just a small favor, what if the emperor becomes more foolish and behaves inappropriately?"

"You mean..."

"The wise king has been planning this for so many years. Your Majesty, why don't you accompany him in his performance and then capture all his men in one fell swoop."

The emperor looked thoughtful, weighing the pros and cons.

The emperor's majesty made him unconsciously exude royal power, and the eunuch beside him didn't dare to breathe.

After a long moment, he looked at Song Zhi deeply, "Are you doing all this for Old Three?"

Song Zhi did not deny it, "Yes."

"But you know, I won't let him get involved in the royal family."

"I do not mind."

If he doesn't allow me to get involved, then I won't. Mu Nanqi will do it himself anyway.

Not to mention Mu Nanqi, she would get involved in it.

However, in the current situation where there are wolves in front and tigers behind, the best option is to use the emperor's power to eliminate the hidden danger of the virtuous king first, so she deliberately provoked the emperor to make this bet.

After a moment of silence, the emperor suddenly said, "If you perform meritorious service this time, I can promise to spare the life of the third brother, but..."

The emperor changed the subject and said, "He harmed the prince. I will remove him from the Jade Butterfly and banish him from the capital."

Song Zhi resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "Your Majesty is wise."

As soon as he finished speaking, a palace servant's voice suddenly came from outside the door, "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Wise Prince requests an audience."

The emperor subconsciously looked at Song Zhi, who shrugged and said nothing.

Naturally, she entered the palace first after receiving the news from Wang Lanzhi that the virtuous prince would enter the palace today, because she was also very curious about how the virtuous prince planned to drag the emperor into the water.

The emperor gave a look, and Song Zhi understood and quickly hid behind the screen.

"Xuan."

The virtuous king came in from outside, exhausted. Without saying a word, he knelt down on the ground.

"Royal brother, I'm sure you've heard some of the rumors in the capital. Please don't take them seriously. Someone must have spread them deliberately to alienate you and me."

He spoke sincerely, "You know, I have always been in awe of you for so many years, and I would never dare to have any improper thoughts."

The emperor pointed his chin at the fallen memorial and said coldly, "You dare not have any unreasonable thoughts, but so many people have already thought about it for you."

The virtuous prince suspiciously picked up the memorial from the ground. After reading the contents, his face turned pale and he trembled all over. He said, "Your Majesty, I have no intention of rebelling."

The emperor narrowed his eyes, and just when the wise king thought that the emperor would continue to be angry and he had already thought of how to argue.

The emperor suddenly laughed out loud, "Okay, I was just teasing you, you're still so serious."

The wise king was bewildered.

The Emperor smiled and walked up to the virtuous prince, extending a hand. "Stand up, I don't know you. For so many years, your greatest hobby has been to discuss chess with me. How could you have such great ambitions? What you wrote in the memorial is pure nonsense."

The wise king was a little bit unbelieving. He held the emperor's hand doubtfully and stood up.

"Brother Emperor, you really don't doubt me?"

"Otherwise, I have seen you behave yourself, be honest and loyal for so many years. Don't worry, I am not senile and will not be provoked by those with ulterior motives to hurt the harmony between you and me."

Seeing the emperor's solemn promise, the wise king finally dispelled his doubts.

Song Zhi, who was behind the screen, couldn't help but applaud when he heard this. The emperor's acting skills were really great.

"You came to the palace today just to explain this little thing to me?"

The virtuous king quickly said, "Actually, your humble servant has something else to ask."

Having easily overcome the rumor barrier, he regained his composure and lowered his voice, saying, "Your Majesty, you haven't been seeking immortality lately. I, your humble servant, have painstakingly found the now-retired Master Wu and created a special elixir for you."

As he spoke, he took out a box from his arms.

"Brother, look at this."