If he stopped them, that would mean he had a guilty conscience!
"Good!"
Feng Wei and Guo Kai readily agreed.
Xin Pi went over a few more details. After Feng Wei and Guo Kai left, he returned to the spirit hall.
He gazed at the coffin laid out in the spirit hall, grief in his eyes.
"Elder brother, I will avenge you. I will take that brat Yuan Xi's life to win you justice!"
After Feng Wei and Guo Kai returned, they each mobilized their families' resources and, following Xin Pi's instructions, secretly spread rumors that Yuan Xi had murdered his younger brother and imprisoned his father.
With their deliberate efforts, the news soon spread throughout Ye City.
In fewer than five days, almost every commoner in Ye City had heard something of the rumor.
"Killing his brother and imprisoning his father? That's the work of a beast!"
"He could even bring himself to harm his own flesh and blood. A beast indeed."
"Didn't the Grand General kill his own brother too?"
"How is that the same? The Grand General put righteousness before family! He executed a pretender emperor!"
"Wasn't the Second Young Master also eliminating traitors?"
"That's hard to say. Who knows what the truth is? The Grand General still hasn't appeared. I heard he fell ill from anger."
"Or perhaps he really has been imprisoned in his residence."
With Ye City completely sealed off, the commoners could not leave. Such gossip soon became the talk over tea and meals, stirring a storm throughout the city. People in every street and alley began discussing the matter.
The Imperial Palace, Xuan Room.
After hearing Guo Jia describe the rumors recently circulating in the city, Liu Xie could not help exclaiming:
"What a scheme, what a strategy! This puts