There are no walls in this world that don't leak.
And the juicier the scandal, the faster it spread.
Less than half a day had passed since Meng Yuanbai had led people straight into the Realm-Stabilizing Ducal Estate and Wang Shouzhe had been placed under house arrest, yet the matter was already being discussed fervently throughout Shangjing. Meanwhile, under the push of "interested parties," news of the Changning Wang Clan's suspected smuggling and collusion with the enemy spread at lightning speed, soon becoming known to nearly everyone.
For a time, all of Shangjing was in an uproar.
After all, the Changning Wang Clan had been the hottest aristocratic family in Shangjing over the past two years. First, Liyao, the Great Heavenly Prodigy, had swept through Shangjing; then they had joined hands with Prince An to create the Dara Reclamation Joint Office, drawing investment from all the great aristocratic families. The spectacle had been enormous, successfully building a wave of momentum for Prince An.
Only over the past half year or so had things quieted down a little, with no more major news emerging.
Given all the commotion the Changning Wang Clan had stirred up, rumors had long circulated in Shangjing over the past two years that the clan was brimming with ambition. This time, perhaps they intended to ride the winds of the War of the Imperial Sons and leap straight into the ranks of third-rank aristocratic families.
Who could have imagined that after barely two years in the spotlight, the Changning Wang Clan would land in such enormous trouble?
Smuggling and colluding with the enemy—either charge alone was enough to condemn a sixth-rank aristocratic family to eternal damnation, let alone both together.
For a while, rumors that the Changning Wang Clan was "harboring treacherous intentions" and that "nouveau riche