(Quick Transmigration) Small Cannon Fodder Has Great Power

After the foolish and greedy father and daughter finished their matchmaking with the young general of the Duke's mansion, Gu Yunyun beat them up on a pretext. They limped back home, afraid of being punished by the head of the family, and didn't dare to tell the details of the matchmaking. They only said that the Duke's mansion had high standards and didn't like them. Then they cried and complained that they were unlucky to be extorted by some unknown hooligan and beaten up. They begged the head of the family to find that person and get revenge for them.

Therefore, the second-rank official had no idea that his family had offended the Duke's mansion and been investigated and demoted. He didn't even consider the possibility of being punished, simply assuming it was bad luck that the matter had come to light. After living in fear for a while, the father and daughter relaxed when they saw that the Duke's mansion hadn't followed up.

Li was a talkative man who loved gossiping. After feeling relieved, he also felt that this visit to the Duke's mansion had been truly frustrating.

His daughter is perfect in every way—honest and filial. The other day, the tutor they hired praised her studies, saying that she could be married to a prince without any problem. What is that fake woman from the Duke's mansion? She was just born into a good family, yet she doesn't even look down on his precious daughter.

Hmph, if it weren't for the fact that he's the young master of the Duke's mansion, he wouldn't even have a chance to be considered by Yongxing. He's vulgar in appearance and has an unpleasant personality. What can he do besides fighting and killing? He's probably not even as literate as the little servants that Yongxing bought to serve him.

Moreover, after spending so many years with those wild women in the army, he's probably no longer a virgin. He's a filthy thing who's been played with by countless women. What's with all the airs? Considering the Duke's Mansion behind him, and that Yongxing is willing to marry him, he should be grateful and repay them well, serving them well.

It's a good thing she didn't marry into their household, otherwise Yongxing would have been bullied to death by him, and he, as her father-in-law, would probably have had to put up with his temper too!

Li was getting angrier and angrier. After a while, when the bruises on her face from that day's scoundrel had almost faded, she applied some powder to cover them up and went out to find some friends she knew well to gossip about family matters with to clear her head.

It's a pity that the bastard who beat someone up that day still hasn't been caught. When he is caught, he'll definitely teach her a lesson!

"Hey, I heard that your Yongxing is on a date with the male general from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. How did it go?" Li's friend was just like him, her face showing concern but her eyes full of gossip.

"Hey, don't mention it."

Li's tone suggested there was more to the story, which piqued the group's curiosity even more. They urged her, "Tell us about it! We've never met the legendary male general before. What is he like?"

Li was just being coy; seeing everyone eagerly waiting for him to speak, she proudly launched into a long, rambling monologue.

"What else could a man be like when he joins the army? Dark-skinned and muscular, oh my god, his shoulders are so broad, he's taller than a woman when he stands up, like a bear. You can't even imagine how ugly he is; his voice is also very deep, he doesn't look like a man at all, he's practically a woman! And he's really fierce, I'm afraid he might hit Yongxing if he gets upset..."

"Huh? So you still let Yongxing go on a blind date with him?"

“Hey, that’s why I told my wife that this is absolutely unacceptable. We Yongxing are not people who covet wealth and status. We can’t marry this kind of man just for the sake of the Duke of Ba Shang’s mansion!”

"Brother has guts!" the crowd exclaimed, enjoying the gossip.

"That's right. Even if a prince from Yongxing came, he might not even be interested in him, let alone the son of a mere Duke of Zhenguo." Li was very pleased with herself and became more and more exaggerated as she spoke.

The others exchanged knowing glances, but outwardly expressed their agreement.

"Leaving aside the general's appearance, tell me, a man who has been eating and sleeping with a bunch of old women in the military camp for so many years, how could nothing have happened to him? Who knows how many times he's been a woman, and it's hard to say whether his penis is still effective. Ugh, so filthy."

"Tsk tsk, they're probably all rotten by now, haha..."

"You tell me, can a weak man really go into battle and kill the enemy, and even achieve great feats? I don't believe it, hehe..." The speaker revealed a lewd expression that was obvious to both of them.

"Could it be... something that happened while sleeping?"

"I think it's possible."

"Haha, with such high military achievements, you must have slept with all the high-ranking military officers, right?"

The more they talked, the less they kept their mouths shut, and each sentence became more and more offensive.

Everyone was extremely curious about this legendary, unconventional male general. Coupled with the harshness and oppression of men in that era, people readily and unreservedly speculated about him maliciously and slandered him without any basis.

There were already some uneasy rumors circulating in the capital about the young general of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, but no concrete evidence was available. This time, however, the rumors came from the very family that had been appraising the male general!

Everyone spread the word like wildfire, one to ten, ten to a hundred. In the capital, where gossip travels incredibly fast, all sorts of malicious slander about the male general spread like wildfire, like locusts swarming across the land.

Gu Yunyun realized something was wrong, and it was the system that told her that Zhong Simiao's reputation value had suddenly plummeted.

"How could this be?" She quickly sent people to investigate what had happened and soon got the answer.

"Damn it, I didn't beat you enough last time!" Gu Yunyun spun around in anger.

"Should we go beat them up again?"

“Those who deserve to be punished will not escape, but the most urgent task now is to clear Zhong Simiao’s name.”

It wasn't long before the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion also heard rumors about Zhong Simiao. Li didn't try to hide anything when she said these things, so it would be easy to find out.

The Zhong sisters were furious and grabbed their weapons, ready to head for Li Shizhong's residence. Even the Duke of Zhenguo could hardly stop them.

"It seems that the slight punishment last time did not teach them a lesson at all. Tomorrow I will impeach them for all those cases involving the Li family's corruption, abuse of power, oppression of the people, and illegal seizure of farmland!"

The next day, the Duke of Zhenguo presented a long list in the main hall detailing the crimes committed by the Li family, including their branches, ranging from embezzlement and illegal activities to unpaid debts. The Empress was quite surprised, while Li Shizhong, the target of the report, broke out in a cold sweat, his legs growing weaker as he listened, wondering when he had offended the Duke of Zhenguo.

After the Duke of Zhenguo finished reading his long memorial, the court fell silent.

The Emperor paused for a moment before ordering, in the silence, that people be sent to investigate and temporarily detain Li Shizhong, his family, and other members of the Li family mentioned in the memorial.

After the court session, the Duke of Zhenguo stayed behind to meet the Emperor alone. The Emperor was also curious as to why she had been so clearly targeting Minister Li that day.

The Duke of Zhenguo, with tears in his eyes, tearfully recounted to the Emperor the grievances suffered by his youngest son. Upon hearing this, the Emperor slammed his fist on the table and angrily rebuked Li Shizhong for his lax household management and corrupt family traditions, deeming it utterly hateful.

"Your Majesty, the Ninth Princess requests an audience."

The Emperor was comforting the Duke of Zhenguo when he was surprised to hear that the Ninth Princess had come to see him. You see, this Ninth Princess was someone who didn't get involved in anything. While the other princesses were vying to show off and hoping to get a job from her, the Ninth Princess wanted to stay far away, afraid that a job would fall on her head. She lived a carefree life all day long.

Aside from lacking the desire for power, the Ninth Princess seemed to have no other desires. Her backyard was empty, with no one in her quarters, and even the servants were all burly and rough. Aside from traveling and enjoying nature, she would play the zither and read books.

To be honest, this daughter has no bad habits or vices, and she's not afraid of her having any ulterior motives, so she should be very worry-free. But she's always worried that one day this daughter will see through the illusions of the world and become a nun.

For a while, it was said that the Ninth Princess was very interested in books from various religious sects. The Emperor was so shocked that he immediately ordered all the Buddhist scriptures and teachings in the Ninth Princess's study to be taken away. He also bestowed several beautiful young maids upon her. As a result, these young maids were later assigned to the kitchen to tend the fire.

Although the Ninth Princess was unambitious and had a masculine appearance that the Emperor didn't like, it had to be admitted that the Ninth Princess was the one the Emperor trusted the most among all his princesses.

The Emperor was indeed very curious as to why the Ninth Princess, who seemed so detached from worldly affairs, had come today.

The Emperor said to Zhenguo Gongdao, "My dear minister, please wait in the side room for a moment."

"Yes."

"Summon the Ninth Princess to come in."

Gu Yunyun entered the imperial study at the summons of the attendant and greeted the Empress Dowager.

"Rise. Why did Xiao Jiu suddenly come today?"

"Your Majesty, I have come to address the rumors circulating in the capital recently."

"Oh?" The Empress involuntarily glanced in the direction of the Duke of Zhenguo's cubicle. "What rumors?"

Gu Yunyun briefly and tactfully recounted the excessive slander and insults leveled against the male general in the capital. She bowed to the Emperor and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, General Zhong has served the country loyally for many years, risking his life and repeatedly achieving military merits. He is a meritorious official of the Great Yu Kingdom. Yet, just because he is a man, he has been subjected to such unwarranted slander, which is truly infuriating."

"Your Majesty, I implore you to do justice for General Zhong and quell the rumors!" With that, he threw off his robes and knelt on the ground, filled with righteous indignation and earnestness.

The Duke of Zhenguo in the cubicle heard every word Gu Yunyun said clearly and thought to himself that Si Miao had not made friends with the Ninth Princess in vain. The Ninth Princess was a person who valued loyalty and reason.

The Empress looked at her daughter, who had always been indifferent to worldly affairs and could convert to Buddhism simply by shaving her head, and saw that she had taken the initiative to inquire about the injustice suffered by the male general and even personally came to her for help. Just like the Duke of Zhenguo, she felt that her daughter was kind-hearted and compassionate. Suddenly, she had an idea.

"You usually don't care about anything, so it's strange that you've come to me for help because of this young General Zhong. Now that you mention it, I remember that the Duke of Zhenguo asked me to find a husband for young General Zhong. What... what's your impression of that young master Zhong?"

Gu Yunyun's heart skipped a beat, and a surge of joy welled up within her. She composed herself before saying, "A friend once asked me why I had no husbands in my harem. I replied that none of them were as beautiful as me..."

The Empress was amused. "My son, your demands are a bit too high."

"Therefore, I have decided that since I cannot find anyone more handsome than myself, I will find a remarkable man whom I can admire."

"Oh?" The Empress laughed heartily again. "Then, do you think this General Zhong can be considered a remarkable man?"

Gu Yunyun smiled and said, "Of course it counts."

"Hahaha...Good!"

The Empress has been troubled by the choice of a marriage partner for the young master of the Duke of Zhenguo. Although the Duke of Zhenguo said he did not require the woman to be of high status, how could she really choose someone of low status for the young general of the Duke of Zhenguo's family?

Moreover, General Zhong has the powerful and doting family of the Duke's Mansion backing him up. Wouldn't a woman of lower status be even more apprehensive about marrying him than if she married a prince?

How could someone of high status and outstanding appearance be willing to marry the older General Zhong, who lacked any gentleness, as his principal wife? Although those of high status, such as the Crown Princess and the Eldest Princess, also expressed their desire to marry him, how could the Emperor dare to trust them to form a marriage alliance with the Duke of Zhenguo's family? Wouldn't that break the balance of power in the court and make him feel that he was too secure on the throne?

Now that Gu Yunyun has delivered herself to her, she is the perfect candidate—as a princess, she is of noble status, her beauty is unparalleled in the Great Yu Kingdom, and her harem is clean; what is even more rare is that she has absolutely no interest in power.

Her marriage to the young master of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion would actually help stabilize the court, balance the Crown Princess and the eldest princess, and bind the Duke of Zhenguo to the royal family. It couldn't be more perfect!

The Empress stood up and personally helped Gu Yunyun, who was still kneeling, to her feet. She sighed repeatedly, "Good! Good! Good! This is truly a joyous occasion! Hahaha—" She turned to the inner chamber and called out, "Duke Zhenguo, what do you think?"