Dark clouds hung thick overhead, hiding the stars and moon.
The atmosphere in Yujing City suddenly turned grim and murderous. Armored soldiers hurried through the streets in squads, their faces stern, before finally surrounding the Third Prince's residence.
The residence gates were pushed open, and the soldiers filed inside. Before long, they had thoroughly investigated the situation within.
"The Third Prince's body has been found. It is intact!"
"Many people died. The maids and eunuchs have all fainted!"
"Take them all away!"
With a prince murdered and the emperor humiliated, this was nothing short of a colossal upheaval. Yujing City was destined for a sleepless night, and no one knew how long the unrest would last.
Such matters were difficult to suppress. Even Yang Pan's gag order was useless. Palace secrets spread most easily, and commoners loved hearing about what had happened inside the imperial palace.
Otherwise, little tales like "An Lushan's Claw" would never have been passed down through the ages, impossible to stamp out.
While Yujing City descended into chaos, the courtyard at the northwestern corner of the Martial Marquis Estate remained a Pure Land, where teacher and student got along harmoniously.
"Hong Yi, let me ask you again. Reason is the greatest thing in the world, but when others refuse to listen to your reasoning, what should you do?" Qin Sheng asked with a smile.
"Treat them sincerely and do my utmost to enlighten them?" Hong Yi thought for a moment and gave that answer, but immediately rejected it himself.
"No, no, no. Some people are born as stubborn stones, as pigs and dogs, incapable of understanding reason. Take Madam Zhao, for example. No matter how sincerely I tried to enlighten her, she would never repent."
Hong Yi could imagine that even if he relied on his