Chapter 278: Great Wu’s “Farce”

The young man had a sallow complexion and a thin frame. When he reached Gu Ning’an’s table, he first cupped his hands respectfully and spoke in a low voice: “Sir, I’m a News Teller. I’ve got fresh, major news about Great Wu… Would you be interested in hearing it?”

A News Teller?

Gu Ning’an sized up the young man before him.

This wasn’t his first time encountering a News Teller.

Back in Lexiang County, he had learned from a News Teller about how the one-armed swordsman Jiang Wanzhou had stormed the imperial palace in a fit of rage and killed the old emperor.

But normally, News Tellers would make a big show of attracting customers. Why was this young man acting so cautious, as if he were afraid?

Even his voice was barely above a whisper, as if he only wanted Gu Ning’an to hear him.

“Sir, just give it a listen… It’s not expensive, only twenty copper coins…” Seeing Gu Ning’an’s hesitation, the young man simply stated his price.

Twenty copper coins for some news? That was actually quite cheap!

Back in Lexiang County, that other News Teller had only charged five copper coins per person.

But that was a public performance, relying on high volume and small profits.

This young man, however, seemed to be offering exclusive information to a single person.

Moreover, prices in Great Wu varied drastically from place to place and were much higher than in Great Qian!

Take white steamed buns as an example. In Great Qian, two copper coins could buy a fist-sized bun.

But in Great Wu, some vendors dared to charge eight or even fifteen copper coins for a single bun!

And judging by the chaos in Great Wu’s court, prices would likely continue soaring, possibly reaching outrageous levels.

“Have a seat and tell me.” Gu Ning’an gestured invitingly and smiled. “I’ve got time to spare, so let’s hear what major events have unfolded in Great Wu.”

Hearing this, the young man quickly sat down and grinned. “Sir, you’re a straightforward man. I’ll get straight to the point.”

Gu Ning’an nodded and shook his wine jug. “Care for a drink?”

“Uh…” The young man hesitated, his gaze fixed on the jug. After struggling for a moment, he gritted his teeth and said, “I’ll have a cup.”

Without waiting for Gu Ning’an, he grabbed an empty cup, accepted the wine jug with a word of thanks, poured himself a small half-cup, and downed it in one go.

“Ssshh—!”

The strong liquor burned his tongue, making him hiss through his teeth before he continued.

“Just a few days ago, Great Wu’s old emperor’s second son—the current Second Prince—had his throat slit and was hanged at the capital’s gates…”

Within the time it took for half a stick of incense to burn, the young man recounted everything he knew about the recent major events.

After listening, Gu Ning’an finally understood why this News Teller wasn’t openly gathering customers.

The things he spoke of were the kind that could get a person executed if overheard.

Take the Second Prince’s murder, for instance. That was a matter of utmost importance in Great Wu.

It all started when the one-armed swordsman Jiang Wanzhou beheaded the old emperor in fury.

At that time, the old emperor, along with the crown prince he had personally ordered executed, had already departed for the Yellow Springs.

However, before his death, the emperor had given orders to kill his remaining five sons!

The five princes scattered in all directions, pursued by the capital’s soldiers and the old emperor’s guards.

The slowest runner died first—the youngest, the Sixth Prince.

The Sixth Prince, being the youngest, had far fewer loyal guards and warriors than his older brothers.

And so, when the old emperor’s guards made their move, they didn’t take long to butcher him.

The second prince to die was the Fourth Prince. He had a fair number of devoted warriors willing to die for him, but unfortunately, his luck wasn’t as good…

While fleeing, the Fourth Prince accidentally ran straight into a military camp.

In Great Wu’s capital, once the old emperor issued an order, it could spread across the entire city in less than the time it took to brew a cup of tea.

The Fourth Prince had essentially walked right into the gates of hell. No matter how desperately his guards fought to protect him, they could only meet the fate of being riddled with arrows.

The old emperor of Great Wu probably never imagined that even after crossing the Naihe Bridge, three of his sons would soon follow him.

Later, upon learning that the emperor had been slain, the city guards shifted their target from the fleeing princes to Jiang Wanzhou, the one-armed swordsman.

This allowed the remaining three princes to escape their immediate crisis.

However, despite searching the entire city for a whole day and night, the city guards never managed to find the fugitive swordsman.

Eventually, Great Wu’s Grand Preceptor intervened, declaring that the search should be put on hold until the emperor’s burial was completed, after which they would resume the hunt.

The old emperor was ultimately laid to rest in the imperial mausoleum, but the wanted posters for his killer are still being posted at major border crossings to this day.

With the emperor and Crown Prince dead and only three princes remaining, it was inevitable that these three would descend into a ruthless power struggle.

The court officials initially proposed selecting the new emperor based on seniority.

This immediately placed the Second Prince in the most favorable position.

Naturally, this decision put him in direct opposition to the Third and Fifth Princes.

After all, if the throne was up for grabs, why should age alone determine the rightful ruler?

And so, the Second Prince was killed.

His death was exceptionally brutal. Had it not been overshadowed by the old emperor’s own gruesome demise, it might have gone down as one of the most shocking deaths of a crown prince in Great Wu’s history.

Following the Second Prince’s death, the Fifth Prince promptly accused the Third Prince of orchestrating it.

After all, under the court’s “elders first” principle, if the Second Prince was dead, the throne would naturally go to the Third Prince.

The Third Prince, in turn, furiously refuted the accusation, claiming the Fifth Prince was slandering him.

It was said that the two princes engaged in a full-blown street brawl—right in the imperial court, before the assembled civil and military officials.

The Third Prince knocked out two of the Fifth Prince’s teeth, while the Fifth Prince nearly bit off the Third Prince’s ear.

It was painfully obvious that one of them had to be the killer.

However, at such a precarious moment, no court official dared to confirm which of the two was truly responsible.

With no other choice, the Grand Preceptor ordered the funeral arrangements to proceed first, postponing the decision on who would inherit the throne.

“The imperial family is the most heartless of all… The ancients never lied.” Gu Ning’an chuckled with a sigh. He then poured another cup of wine for the young News Teller and continued, “Any word on where that one-armed swordsman disappeared to?”

“Hiss—!” The young man flinched and hastily gestured for silence. “How would I know that, sir? Please… we can’t just say that name out loud…”