Chapter 362: When a Whale Falls, All Things Thrive

Chang'an City and its surroundings, the various negative rumors about the Wei family, are spreading at a terrifying speed.

What causes all this is not only the paper flyers drifting everywhere, but also the sudden appearance of all kinds of storytellers, some newcomers and some with a modest reputation.

Through word of mouth, in just a few hours even children can repeat that many lines.

More importantly, public sentiment is boiling, and some even shout that the Tang Dynasty doesn't need the Wei family.

Du Gou and Fang Yizhi are quite puzzled by this and go straight to Chen Yan to ask what the situation is.

"Isn't it just some rumor‑mongering?"

"They even said several members of the Wei family have a 'Longyang' relationship; why do the common folk believe that?"

Fang Yizhi can't help but ask.

Chen Yan is at home packing his luggage at that moment; hearing his words, he stops what he's doing.

"Because the people's long‑standing anger needs an outlet, I simply gave them a candidate for venting!"

Du Gou and Fang Yizhi stare at each other, not fully grasping Chen Yan's words.

"Brother Chen… could you be more straightforward?"

"I…" Chen Yan glances at the luggage he's only half‑packed, hesitates, but decides to explain properly, after all the Weinan County matters will be handed over to them in the coming days.

"How to put it? From Emperor Yang of Sui up to two years ago, the people have lived hard lives, not only suffocated by Corvée Labor but also suffering as various families annex their lands."

"Later the world fell into chaos, wars erupted everywhere, and countless people died; you can't expect the people to have no resentment!"

"Before, there was simply no way to address it and no one paid attention, so that resentment has been building up in the people's hearts."

Chen Yan patiently says, "The rumors we spread are indeed false, but upon closer examination, the facts they point to are essentially true as well."

"You are both second‑generation Meritorious Nobles; aren't you aware of the covert tactics each family employs?"

"The Wei family hasn't married close relatives? The Wei family hasn't engaged in nepotism? The Wei family hasn't seized land?"

"Are these rumors?"

When the speech ends, the room falls silent, and Du Gou and Fang Yizhi fall into contemplation.

During the silence, Fang Yizhi seems to understand, "So the news we released is a spark that ignites the people's anger?"

"Exactly!" Chen Yan nods, "It's fine if no one exposes these matters, but once they are exposed—especially on a large scale—those long‑oppressed will come forward to testify, which will undoubtedly prove we didn't fabricate rumors and will make the fire burn even hotter!"

"The Wei family has been powerful for so long; behind the scenes, many families have been ruined because of them."

"Moreover, we directly exposed how the Wei family seized our silk and burned our workshop; these facts are clearly backed by evidence, not a joke."

"At this point, the image of the Wei family as no different from bandits has taken root in the people's hearts."

"Thus the Wei family naturally becomes the target for the people's vented anger."

So that's why.

Du Gou and Fang Yizhi suddenly see the truth.

Excitement follows.

Too intense!

If you say to smash it, then smash it!

In just one day, the lofty Wei family turned into a street rat that everyone shouts to beat.

As the situation develops, if the Wei family mishandles this, their reputation will be damaged, and they will be looked down upon by everyone thereafter.

While the two are excited, Chen Yan resumes packing his luggage.

He then slings a bundle over his back and is about to leave.

Du Gou, seeing this, hurriedly stops him, "Wait, Brother Chen, I just wanted to ask—where are you going?"

"What do you think?" Chen Yan retorts irritably, "I've already offended the Wei family so badly that saying they'll never give up on me isn't an overstatement; they're definitely going to find a way to deal with this now."

"But I'm still the mastermind behind the scenes; if they want to handle it, they'll naturally go after me first. Otherwise they'd be debunking rumors while I spread them, which wouldn't be effective."

"I'm afraid if I push them too hard, they'll resort to unsavory methods, so I'm taking my wife back to the palace to hide for a couple of days; the Weinan County matters are handed to you first, okay?"

Du Gou: "......"

Fang Yizhi: "......"

"No!"

Du Gou panics, "We fabricated the rumor together—if you leave, what will we do?"

"You're fine," Chen Yan comforts, "At most you're an accomplice, and your father is Du Ruhui, so they wouldn't dare act against you."

"Besides, don't we still have the local militia?"

"Let the militia protect you, that's all."

Hearing this, Du Gou calms down, then asks confusedly, "If that's the case, why did you run to the palace?"

"Can't the militia protect you?"

Chen Yan gives Du Gou a meaningful look, says nothing, and walks straight out.

"Eh......"

"Brother Du!"

Du Gou reaches out to stop him, but Fang Yizhi blocks him, "I guess Brother Chen's words were just an excuse; after being with him so long, don't you understand?"

"He's certainly not the type who runs at the first sign of danger."

"...... ah~" Du Gou nods blankly, vaguely guessing some things.

"Indeed, if Chen Yan can't hide well, why specifically the Imperial Palace?"

"Isn't the Zhe Chong Residence sufficient?"

"What about the Cheng Family?"

"Then just say it outright, why keep it from us?" Du Gou says speechlessly.

Fang Yizhi folds his arms, shakes his head, "It's not that they're hiding it from us; it's just that some matters weren't certain enough to speak of."

I think this matter is absolutely not as simple as we thought; Chen Yan's rushing into the palace like this is very suspicious. Let's just do our own things and wait for Chen Yan to come back.

Sigh~ Marrying you has truly been a misery, and you still say I'm busy all day—you're not any less busy yourself.

On the carriage, Gao Yang felt uneasy from the bumps and couldn't help complaining.

Chen Yan felt a pang of sympathy, shouting outside, "Xue Li, no need to rush, go slower."

All right, Lord Bo!

As he spoke, the carriage slowed, and Gao Yang's expression eased considerably.

"My lord, are we really just leaving like that?"

Li Lizhi asked, puzzled, "Are you just giving up on Weinan County?"

"You just took action against the Wei family; shouldn't you be pressing the attack next?"

"No need!" Chen Yan waved his hand, his tone deep, "Lizhi, I'll tell you an interesting phenomenon today."

"You've heard of whales and leviathans, right? Those huge creatures of the ocean—I once heard a passerby say, 'When a whale falls, all things thrive.'"

"When a giant whale dies in the deep sea, its carcass sinks into the dark, barren seabed. This massive corpse becomes a sudden, extraordinarily rich 'gift of life,' a process that can last decades or even centuries, enough to sustain myriad marine life—like an oasis in the desert."

Living up to her reputation for cleverness, Li Lizhi grasped Chen Yan's meaning from just a few short sentences.

"My lord means that the Wei family is currently a living whale, but you have already struck first and gravely wounded this leviathan. Once it dies, its carcass will be a huge slab of fat."

"Exactly!" Chen Yan said happily, "So I don't need to press the attack at all, because I have gravely wounded that whale, and I did it in front of many carnivores."