After Gu Qingheng accepted the task of spreading information, Gu Yu did not immediately let him set off. Instead, he took Gu Qingheng and his sister, along with Xia Tian, to find Gongsun Feifei to understand the specific situation of the Wang Clan.
“A craftsman must first sharpen his tools if he wishes to do his work well.”
Since they had decided to spread information, they had to prepare in advance to avoid mistakes.
Spreading a mix of true and false information would make it more believable and prevent it from being dismissed as fake news.
The reason for seeking out Gongsun Feifei was that she grew up in the capital, her father was the Great General Gongsun Jie, and she likely interacted with many people, so she would know some information about the Wang Clan.
Gu Yu didn’t know many people in the capital, especially high-ranking officials and nobles, and therefore didn’t understand the Wang Clan well and couldn’t act rashly.
Tang Maoyuan was an exception, but Gu Yu had only just met him and didn’t want to take a risk.
Furthermore, Gongsun Feifei was Gu Qing’s wife and deeply in love with him, so there was no threat.
Simply put, they were all in the same boat; if something happened, no one could escape.
“You want to know the specific situation of the Wang Clan?”
“Yes, due to some matters, Auntie Fei, do you know about the Wang Clan?”
After Gu Yu directly stated that he wanted to understand the Wang Clan, Gongsun Feifei looked puzzled, clearly not understanding why Gu Yu and his group were suddenly interested in the Wang Clan.
The Wang Clan was not easy to deal with, and it was best not to have any contact with them.
“Hmm… I don’t know them well, but I have chatted with some of the female members of the Wang Clan! Plus, my father used to talk about the Wang Clan, so if you ask, I should be able to answer.”
Gongsun Feifei initially didn’t intend to reveal anything for the safety of Mengyao Gu and her brother, but after Mengyao Gu addressed her as “Auntie Fei,” she could no longer hold back. She nodded at Mengyao Gu and the others, indicating that she knew some information about the Wang Clan.
Hearing Gongsun Feifei’s reply, the faces of Gu Yu and his group lit up with excitement. They were thrilled that Gongsun Feifei knew about the Wang Clan, which was a great help!
They had previously thought Gongsun Feifei might not know and planned to try asking others if they hit a wall here.
If all else failed, they would have to ask Tang Maoyuan. Fortunately, that was no longer necessary.
“What do you want to know about the Wang Clan? Their reputation is not very good. It’s best not to get entangled with them. Many who opposed them in the imperial court have already been dealt with secretly.”
“Besides those who were dealt with, are there any who are not threatened?”
“Of course. After all, the Wang Clan does not truly have absolute power, they are just very influential. However, the backgrounds of some people are not to be underestimated, and the Wang Clan cannot easily touch them.”
Although Gongsun Feifei said she would answer their questions, she still did not want Mengyao Gu and her brother to be involved. As soon as she spoke, she cautioned them to be careful.
However, regarding the war between the two countries, Mengyao Gu naturally would not give up easily.
Seeing Gu Mengyao’s determined expression, Gongsun Feifei could only sigh softly and continue to answer the questions.
“Auntie Fei, do you know the distribution of the Wang Clan members?”
“Well, the patriarch of the Wang Clan, Wang Xu, is the Empress Dowager’s own brother. He is thirty-four years old this year and currently holds an official position in the capital as a Hanlin Scholar, assisting the Emperor. As for a member of the clan, Wang Shu, he serves in the capital as… Besides these officials who remain in the capital, most have been assigned to positions in the south because the Wang Clan’s ancestral home is in Jiangnan, and that region is now almost completely controlled by the Wang Clan.”
“In this situation, doesn’t the Emperor do anything?”
“It’s not that he doesn’t do anything, but that he can’t. The Wang Clan has close ties with the Empress Dowager. If the Emperor were to take action against the Wang Clan, it would be unfilial to the Empress Dowager. And now, the Wang Clan is taking advantage of this to act arrogantly, making many people dare not speak out, even though they are angry. It was better before, but in recent years, after the Wang Clan established roots in the capital, their audacity has grown.”
Since she had decided to speak, Gongsun Feifei did not hold back and revealed all the information she knew, so that Gu Mengyao and the others would have a better understanding and avoid any accidents later.
If something happened to Mengyao Gu and her brother, Gongsun Feifei truly didn’t know how she would explain it to Gu Qing later…
When Gu Yu and Mengyao Gu heard that the Wang Clan was more difficult to deal with than they had imagined, they couldn’t help but frown. Fortunately, they had already thought of a solution and planned to use public opinion to control the Wang Clan.
The Wang Clan could deal with their opponents secretly, but they couldn’t act as they pleased when facing the common people and the Emperor in the capital.
After asking Gongsun Feifei a few more questions, and upon receiving a subtle nod from Gu Qingheng to Gu Yu and Mengyao Gu, they did not bother Gongsun Feifei further and left.
Immediately afterwards, Gu Mengyao sent someone to find a set of women’s clothing for Gu Qingheng to wear. She then styled his hair into double buns and applied a little makeup.
Seeing Gu Qingheng transform from a cute little boy into a cute little girl, Mengyao Gu couldn’t help but cover her mouth and chuckle, clearly finding her brother’s metamorphosis very amusing.
Next was Gu Yu, who thought about his smug brother-in-law wearing women’s clothing… *pfft*.
When Gu Qingheng saw his sister and brother-in-law secretly laughing, his mouth couldn’t help but twitch. He thought that he was sacrificing for the greater good!
If Sister Xia Tian hadn’t promised that after successfully spreading the information, she would…
Thinking of this, Gu Qingheng couldn’t help but glance at Xia Tian. Xia Tian was also looking at Gu Qingheng curiously. When their eyes met, Xia Tian smiled slightly at Gu Qingheng, causing Gu Qingheng’s cheeks to instantly turn red, and he quickly turned his head away.
Sister Xia Tian’s smile was too beautiful!
After finishing Gu Qingheng’s transformation, Gu Yu asked Xia Tian and Gu Qingheng to go first. Then, he released Xi Yang and instructed him to secretly protect the two children and ensure their safety!
Seeing Gu Yu’s serious expression, Xi Yang naturally knew the gravity of the situation. He nodded to Gu Yu and quickly rushed out the door, following Gu Qingheng and the other to protect them from harm.
As for Gu Yu and Mengyao Gu, they were fine. However, they were both worried about the progress of the matter, so they didn’t do anything else and stayed in the room, waiting quietly.
“Ah Yu, I’m very worried now. I don’t know about my father’s situation…”
“It’s okay. Your father has been on the battlefield so many times without any incident. This time will be no different.”
Sitting on the bed, Mengyao Gu spoke with a worried expression, clearly concerned about Gu Qing, who was at the battlefield.
Gu Yu could only comfort Mengyao Gu at this moment, asking her to think positively.
In reality, Gu Yu felt that his father-in-law was indeed in danger.
The Wang Clan had already colluded with people from other countries to instigate war. If they had also planted spies in the Linfeng Kingdom’s army, and they betrayed them, it would be truly dangerous.
For now, they could only see what the Wang Clan was plotting.
“I thought the same thing before, but after discovering that the envoy from Luoluo Kingdom was harmed by the Wang Clan, I started to worry… The Wang Clan already has all the power, why are they still doing this?”
Afterwards, when talking about the Wang Clan, Mengyao Gu’s face showed confusion again.
Mengyao Gu was furious with the Wang Clan for being so wicked and wondered why such wicked people were not punished… Could they do as they pleased just because of their powerful backgrounds?
“What you see is only the surface. The patriarch of the Wang Clan is just a Hanlin Scholar. Although he assists the Emperor and sometimes participates in decision-making, he is still subservient and can only act according to the Emperor’s orders. Without the Emperor’s support, he can do nothing. That’s why, when the opportunity of the Luoluo Kingdom envoy appeared, they took a risky move and decided to try.”
“What do they want to do?”
“According to my guess, it’s nothing more than power or money. After the war between the two countries breaks out, there will be many opportunities. As long as the Wang Clan seizes the opportunity, they can gain the greatest benefits.”
When Gu Yu was strolling in the town before, he had heard others talk about official positions in the imperial court, so he had some impression of the position of Hanlin Scholar.
At this moment, he was explaining the hidden complexities to Mengyao Gu.
The Emperor was not unprepared for the Wang Clan. However, due to the Empress Dowager’s reasons, he could not completely eliminate them. But when necessary, he would not show mercy.
The imperial family had always been ruthless. Although the Wang Clan was the Empress Dowager’s maternal family, the Emperor would not allow the Wang Clan to overstep their authority and covet his empire.
However, due to the Empress Dowager’s influence, the Emperor could not be too ruthless towards the Wang Clan, so he could only offer them some concessions in other areas.
“The Wang Clan is already very powerful now, why aren’t they satisfied!”
“Sometimes, desires only grow stronger, like a bottomless pit that can never be filled. In the imperial court, the Emperor controls the members of the Wang Clan, preventing them from holding excessively high official positions, which is a way to suppress them. But in other areas, he will offer compensation, such as turning a blind eye…”
While talking to Mengyao Gu, Gu Yu’s thoughts also gradually opened up.
However, under such circumstances, Gu Yu wished he hadn’t thought so much.
Because after guessing the Wang Clan’s intentions, Gu Qing’s risk level skyrocketed, making Gu Yu very worried about whether his father-in-law could return safely this time.
If the Wang Clan wanted to disrupt the balance of the court, after the war between the two countries broke out, they only needed to directly eliminate the generals of the Linfeng Kingdom… In this way, the Wang Clan could promote members of their clan to quickly fill those positions.
Although Gongsun Jie’s situation was dangerous, Gu Qing’s situation was equally precarious!
