Chapter 192: The Road of the Princes (41) - The Rumors Succeed

Duke Yucheng is currently recuperating from his injuries and naturally refuses to see any visitors, while the monarch is still furious and ignores all pleas, waiting only for the final outcome.
At this time, the Black Mountain Intelligence Service is once again stirring up trouble, releasing a large amount of false information, stating who has died in prison due to the punishment; who has been tortured to the point of being unrecognizable; who has sent out messages seeking help from their parents and family.
It is difficult to distinguish between true and false information, and oftentimes the speed at which rumors spread far exceeds the speed at which debunking occurs. Even if someone comes out to refute the rumors, they may be met with deep skepticism from friends and family, meaning that even the truth may not be believed.
Using the lack of transparency in information, the intelligence agency in Montenegro successfully carried out a sabotage operation.
Successfully employed the "rumor strategy" against the city of Yan.
Concerned about the torture suffered by their sons and nephews in prison, seeing that they cannot take the path of the emperor and the crown prince, they can only take the path of Prince Yu Zheng. Prince Yu Zheng naturally cannot refuse and immediately agreed.
However, it is not a good idea to confront soldiers directly, as it will only alienate people. After thinking it over, the only option left is "petition," which is a milder approach.
The most important aspect of petitioning is sincerity, so Yu Zheng needs to bathe and change into plain clothes, purify himself, observe fasting for a day, and then abandon his carriage and walk slowly towards the palace.
At first, he was accompanied by only a few close attendants, who stood by his side to prevent any accidents. Later on, the parents of his son and husband, as well as his wife, joined the petition one by one, and gradually the movement gained momentum.
After that, with instigation and provocation, more and more people joined the ranks of petitioning, making the crowd even larger.
"Who gave you the weapons, armor, money, and goods, and who took them away?"
"It was the Second Young Master who bestowed the arms and wealth upon us, and it was the First Young Master who took them away."
"Support the Second Young Master! Let's all petition together!"
……
"Under the rule of the Second Young Master, even the poor mountains can become prosperous, and under the rule of the Second Young Master, everyone has a salary to live a good life. Do you want to live a good life or not?"
"Yes! Yes! We also want to be as prosperous as Montenegro and have access to iron agricultural and military tools!"
……
"So, who would be more suitable to become the heir?"
"Second young master, I support the second young master!"
"I also support the second young master!"
"Let's go, follow the second young master to the palace!"
……
At first, this was just a petition campaign to release innocent people affected by the incident. However, with more and more people joining, and with constant instigation and manipulation, the goal of this campaign slowly changed. In addition to "releasing people," it added a new objective, which is to establish the second young master as the rightful crown prince and determine the succession of the throne.
Many people are being swept up in this movement, originally only wanting to free their loved ones, but now having to chant slogans with the masses. It is difficult to leave at this point, as the flowing crowd can drown out any individual will.
Because of the leadership of the aristocrats, many people in the town also gathered the courage to join in and started chanting slogans. Being able to act together with the aristocrats is a matter of pride for the commoners, especially in such a major event as overthrowing the ruler, it is enough to boast to future generations.
Moreover, there are those highly provocative words that are attracting them, completely obscuring their discernment.
The whole team is growing larger, with nearly half of the city's inhabitants getting involved.
"What's going on outside? Why is it so noisy?"
As he woke up from his sickbed, a groggy Yu Cheng asked the attendant, who already knew what was happening but hesitated to speak frankly to his master.
Can only mumble and say, "Maybe there is some big ritual activity outside today."
"Ritual? What time of year is it today, how can there be a ritual activity?"
Yuan Cheng has been lying on the sickbed for a long time and cannot remember the exact time, but he is also half-believing and half-doubting the claims of the upright people. It seems that there haven't been any recent festivals or celebrations.
Just as the man was unsure of how to respond, Yu Cheng's wife rushed in, tears streaming down her face and in a state of urgency. She prostrated herself on Yu Cheng's bed and cried out:
"It's a disaster, husband. Second uncle has brought the people from the city and is forcing their way into the palace. They want to overthrow you and make second uncle the crown prince!"
"What?" Yu Cheng's heart was shocked by these words. It finally became clear that the shouts outside were indeed calling for "crown prince for second prince". Moreover, the shouts were getting closer and closer, indicating that they were already outside the palace gates.
"No, I must go and beg to see my father. He is always easily swayed, and we must not let him compromise on this matter."
Yu Cheng lifted the thin blanket and made a gesture to get up, but his wound hadn't healed yet. After all, there was no stitching method available at the moment, so this kind of injury relied solely on time for recovery. As a result, with this sudden movement, the wound instantly burst open again, and the fresh red blood gushed out, staining everything in sight.
"Ah..." A penetrating pain hit him instantly, causing him to howl in agony, and his momentum weakened slightly.
"No, I can't move for the moment. But we can't just sit and wait for death. Take our son to seek an audience with his father. He will certainly consider it carefully for the sake of his grandson, after all, he loves this grandson the most."
Yu Cheng painfully exclaimed, but he saw that his wife had no intention to do anything, and couldn't help but angrily ask, "Why are you still here? Are you waiting for us to die together?"
With a trace of timidity, Lady timidly asked, "My husband, why don't we leave Yaoning and go to my natal home? Second Uncle now has all the power, both in terms of force and military power. We really don't have much chance of winning. Sob... "
Upon hearing this, Yu Cheng was furious. This woman, who previously pushed me to fight for our son at all costs, claiming it was for his sake. Now that the situation has reversed, she immediately becomes fearful and wants to retreat to save herself. Truly, women are unpredictable and untrustworthy.
"If you give up now, whether you can take Yanyi or not is a problem. Don't forget that there is also the second brother's army stationed outside the city."
Yu Cheng reminded, and indeed saw Lady's eyes darken again.
"The only option now is to take a gamble. Take our son and go immediately to see father, tell him that Yu Zheng is no longer the same happy-go-lucky kid as before, and his ambitions will not be satisfied with just the position of a prince."
"What he wants is the position of the vassal lords of the sovereign, and he can't wait too long..."
"Tell him, we are all like grasshoppers on the same rope!"