Finally unable to endure the intimate bubble surrounding the couple, Qin Hao blurted out:
"Should I return these funds to Third Brother and Sister-in-law now?"
As he spoke, he produced a stack of banknotes from his sleeve—
The 1.2 million taels retrieved from ChangLe Den yesterday.
Though Gu Yanshu had calculated a high probability of the Emperor refusing the money, caution had dictated entrusting the physical notes to Qin Hao as contingency.
Now with the matter settled, the Fifth Prince saw no reason to retain them further.
"You've labored hard in court today." Qin Lu finally tore his gaze from Gu Yanshu to acknowledge his brother.
"Not at all!" Qin Hao waved off the praise, though a faint flush betrayed his pleasure at the rare compliment.
His expression soon sobered:
"But Eldest Brother's expression when leaving court... I fear he won't let this rest. Third Brother should remain vigilant."
Even a blind man could've sensed Qin Sheng's volcanic fury after that humiliating defeat—
Losing both face and funds without gaining an inch.
Knowing his eldest brother's temperament, Qin Hao anticipated retaliation—
Though the exact form remained unclear.
What Qin Hao forgot was—
While he couldn't predict Qin Sheng's next move, someone else could.
"Eldest Prince certainly won't concede defeat," Gu Yanshu agreed before adding, "but excessive caution is unnecessary."
"Oh?" Qin Hao leaned forward eagerly, his earlier skepticism replaced by unquestioning respect. "How so?"
"His Highness commands both martial prowess and military might." Gu Yanshu analyzed coolly. "Unless achieving instant victory, any direct confrontation would backfire catastrophically. Were I Qin Sheng, I wouldn't risk mutual destruction over this."
"Sound logic." Qin Hao nodded vigorously.
Their faction's years-long struggle with Qin Sheng's party had intensified recently—
Yet never escalated to armed conflict, no matter how bitter the disputes.
But if not force... then what?
Gu Yanshu answered before Qin Hao could ponder further:
"He'll resort to his old tactics."
"Old tactics?" Both princes frowned in unison.
"Public opinion." The unfamiliar term rolled smoothly off Gu Yanshu's tongue.
Blank stares greeted him.
Realizing his anachronistic slip, he rephrased:
"The power of rumors."
Understanding dawned on Qin Hao's face as he continued:
"How else did His Highness' current reputation come about?"
"Exactly!" Qin Hao slammed his fist on the table, outrage boiling over. "All lies spread by Qin Sheng's faction!"
Gu Yanshu merely sipped his tea, allowing the obvious truth to hang—
Anyone with half a brain knew Qin Lu's notorious image didn't emerge spontaneously.
To some extent, Qin Lu might have even allowed this reputation to persist deliberately.
Gu Yanshu gave a slight nod before returning to the main point:
"So this time, the Eldest Prince will likely exploit this same tactic—using the gambling incident to his advantage."
"And we're just supposed to sit back and watch?" Qin Hao's brows knitted together in displeasure.
His Third Brother's reputation was already in tatters—enough to scare children into obedience at night!
If Qin Sheng continued to tarnish it further, wouldn't Qin Lu become public enemy number one?
"Of course not." Gu Yanshu didn't wait for Qin Hao to ask before providing the solution. "If the Eldest Prince can wield rumors, so can His Highness."
"Sister-in-law means..." Qin Hao's frown eased slightly, as if he grasped his meaning but wasn't entirely sure.
"I mean we strike first—before the Eldest Prince can act."
Gu Yanshu's smile confirmed his suspicions:
"Spreading a rumor shouldn't be difficult for His Highness or the Fifth Prince, should it?"
"Not difficult at all!" Qin Hao answered before Qin Lu could speak.
As the saying went—
If you haven't eaten pork, you've at least seen pigs run.
After years of clashing with Qin Sheng, Qin Hao had witnessed his rumor-mongering tactics enough times to master them himself!
Still riding the high of their preemptive victory in court, Qin Hao grew excited at the prospect of another.
"Tell us what to do!" he urged eagerly.
Gu Yanshu pieced together Qin Hao's earlier account:
"The Eldest Prince likely intended to claim the gambling scheme was a joint plot between His Highness and me to amass wealth."
"But after today's court session—with His Majesty declaring the winnings compensation for defamation—that angle is dead."
"If I were Qin Sheng, I'd pivot."
"Paint His Highness as merciless—unwilling to show leniency even after winning."
"Or go further: Seek out those who lost bets and have them wail about their suffering—claiming the losses left them starving and destitute."
"So we act first."
"Pin the gambling entirely on me."
"Frame His Highness as merely indulging his consort's whims—reluctantly reclaiming the money to appease me."
Both Qin Lu and Qin Hao immediately frowned at this suggestion.
Men of principle, neither had ever shirked responsibility before.
Gu Yanshu read their expressions effortlessly and chuckled:
"Understand this—the public cares far less for politics than for scandalous tales."
"If we spin this as 'the fierce general helpless before his beauty,' no one will care about the money."
"They'll only gossip about the romance of it all."
Qin Hao pondered this and slowly nodded:
"That... does make sense."
After all, even trivial scandals—like the elopement of some distant relative of Old Wang from the marketplace—could spread like wildfire, proving just how much the public adored juicy gossip.
Just as Qin Hao was about to agree to Gu Yanshu's plan, he added a caveat:
"But there's one downside..."
"What downside?" Qin Hao pressed.
"If worded poorly, it might make His Highness seem like a lustful coward—whipped by his consort."
Gu Yanshu picked up his teacup, blowing lightly on the floating leaves, his demeanor detached—as if leaving the decision entirely to them.
"This..." Qin Hao hesitated.
Neither "lustful" nor "whipped" were flattering labels—
Especially the latter!
It struck right at the heart of a man's dignity!
Unable to decide alone, Qin Hao turned to Qin Lu for guidance.
To his surprise, Qin Lu didn't seem bothered at all.
In fact, the prince's lips curled into a faint smile:
"Since this prince will be relying on my consort's support from now on, a little fear is only natural."
His words signaled clear approval of Gu Yanshu's strategy.
With Qin Lu's agreement, Qin Hao had no reason to object.
After a brief pause, he nodded firmly:
"Then we'll proceed as Sister-in-law suggests!"
Gu Yanshu's lips curved slightly as he set down his cup.
"There's one more thing—we'll need to find a few gamblers who've been ruined by betting."
"Why?" Qin Hao frowned, clearly disdainful of such individuals.
"To warn the public about gambling's dangers. The Eldest Prince has profited immensely from ChangLe Den—don't you want him to pay a price?"
If the first plan was self-defense, this second move was a counterattack.
By exposing gambling's harms and revealing how dens manipulated outcomes—
Then stoking public outrage with planted agitators—
Gu Yanshu could already envision the fallout.
The people's fury would be directed squarely at the gambling dens—
Leaving no room to criticize him and Qin Lu's windfall.
"Brilliant!"
Qin Hao couldn't contain his admiration, once again thanking fate that Gu Yanshu wasn't their enemy.
With his intellect and mastery of public sentiment—
Who could possibly withstand him?
Eager to make Qin Sheng suffer, Qin Hao leapt to his feet:
"Leave it to me, Sister-in-law! I'll handle this flawlessly!"
With that, he hurried off—even dragging Zhi Ge along in his enthusiasm—
Clearly ready to spread rumors and make Qin Sheng's life miserable.
As Qin Hao departed in high spirits, Gu Yanshu remained deep in thought.
Qin Lu watched him for a long moment before finally asking:
"What occupies your thoughts?"
"Public opinion."
Gu Yanshu's fingers tapped his chin, his tone pensive.
Throughout history, controlling the narrative had always been a powerful weapon.
Words could destroy without drawing blood.
Currently, Qin Sheng held the reins of the capital's discourse.
This time, they might catch him off guard—
But once he grew wary, replicating this success would be far harder.
Yet for Qin Lu to contend for the throne, rehabilitating his reputation was essential.
Somehow, they needed to seize control of Tianqi's narrative landscape—
And to do that...
A bold plan began taking shape in Gu Yanshu's mind.