Publicity and Ninth Royal Uncle Destined by Popular Will

Of course, spreading word among the disaster victims is only one tactic. Relying on that alone is too weak; to craft a true legendary hero, we need full-spectrum publicity.

We also have to ramp up the publicity, using diverse methods to broadcast Ninth Royal Uncle's deeds far and wide—so everyone knows just how much he’s done for the people behind the scenes, all without seeking recognition.

If we could pull off some miracle, that would be ideal. If not, we’ll just invent more stories of good deeds done by Ninth Royal Uncle—things no one knew, until common folk come forward and say, “I once got help from a mysterious benefactor, but never knew who it was. Now that you mention it, it turns out the one who helped me was Ninth Royal Uncle.”

The more real and subtle, the better—not grand events, but small, anonymous acts. The goal is to shape Ninth Royal Uncle into a near-mythic figure: someone with deep compassion who never wants credit, always working quietly for the people without asking anything in return.

"Serena, you’re diabolical." Vincent Su’s eyes sparkled as he listened to Serena rattle off ways to stir up momentum and spread the word.

Serena was basically turning Ninth Royal Uncle into someone cold-faced but warm-hearted, willing to endure anything for the people—misunderstood, wrongly accused, never explaining himself, just quietly making life better for everyone through his actions.

This way, all of Ninth Royal Uncle’s supposed flaws become virtues, and everything he does naturally gets reinterpreted as working for the people’s benefit.

"I call this my God-Making Plan. Pretty clever, right?" In the modern world, people use this all the time—create a moral paragon and let the masses follow their example.

"It is clever, but isn’t it a bit much?" Vincent Su worried they might go too far—overshadowing the Emperor and earning his wrath.

"You’re worried about the Emperor? Fair enough. Ninth Royal Uncle winning the people’s hearts will definitely make the Emperor uneasy. That puts Ninth Royal Uncle in real danger—the Emperor won’t just let him live like this."

But without harnessing public opinion, getting the Emperor to release Ninth Royal Uncle is nearly impossible. Even with the Cui and Warren clans joining forces to pressure him, all they've managed is to keep the Emperor from acting for now. This time, he’s serious—he won’t let Ninth Royal Uncle go. Right now, it’s only outside pressure stopping him from killing Nolan." Serena slumped her shoulders, sounding drained.

She’d forgotten—Ninth Royal Uncle isn’t just anyone; he’s a prince, someone with a real claim to the throne. Too much prestige isn’t necessarily a good thing for him.

Besides, this isn’t the kind of era that needs moral role models.

"Let me think about this a little more. Maybe it could work." Vincent Su suddenly fell silent.

Serena’s plan might be too much for an ordinary prince, but for Ninth Royal Uncle, it could be just right.

Ninth Royal Uncle shouldn’t be confined to Eastlyn. Winning the people’s hearts is almost all gain, little risk. Even a fool knows: whoever wins the people, wins the world. Nolan already has the birthright—add prestige, and everything falls into place.

"Is it really doable? Wouldn’t it bring trouble for Ninth Royal Uncle?" This time, it was Serena who felt uneasy. After all, she wasn’t native to this world and didn’t fully grasp imperial power—but even she saw that Nolan’s move threatened the Emperor’s rule.

The Emperor would never allow a royal with such overwhelming public support to exist.

"It’s an opportunity," Vincent Su said gently.

Some things he couldn’t say outright—he could only hint. Still, he figured Serena would never make that connection; most people wouldn’t.

After all, this is huge.

"It really is a golden opportunity. Disasters like this don’t just happen because you want them to. Vincent, I’m not sure if you can reach Ninth Royal Uncle, but I think this is the perfect moment. We should ask him first—he’s the one at the center of it all, and it’s wrong for us to decide on our own."

Ninth Royal Uncle had a bigger-picture view and sharper insight than either of them. If he thought it was doable, they’d go for it. Sure, using a disaster like this was a little shameless, but at least they’d be doing some good.

Vincent Su nodded solemnly. "I get it. Wait for my word on this."

"I’ll handle the early prep. If Ninth Royal Uncle says no, I’ll just do free clinics. That kind of small-scale work, the Emperor won’t even notice." She’d be earning some political capital—or rather, medical ethics points.

"Alright, let’s leave it there for now. We’ll need to work out the details—actually pulling this off is a massive undertaking. If anything goes wrong, Ninth Royal Uncle’s reputation could be ruined. And... we’ll have to see if Heaven gives us a break." If the disaster wasn’t serious, their charity wouldn’t have much effect, and there’d be less time to act.

Vincent Su admitted he was a bit wicked, but right now he genuinely hoped the snow disaster would get worse—so they’d have more room to operate.

"We have to move fast, or... if we miss this chance, it’ll be gone forever." Serena herself felt her heart darken, actually wishing for the snow to keep falling.

But this isn’t something she could wish into existence. Heaven doesn’t give favors to anyone—they could only seize the opportunity.

"I know—it’s a natural disaster, beyond human control. All we can do is take advantage of it." Vincent Su and Serena exchanged a few more words, then hurried off.

As soon as Vincent Su got into his carriage, he started jotting down all of Serena’s operational ideas, refining them as he went. After scribbling out a dozen sheets, he set down his brush and flexed his aching hand.

"I really am cursed with a busy life. Came to Feng Manor hoping for a break, and now look—busier than ever."

After carefully reviewing his notes, Vincent Su took out a bottle of special solution and wiped it across the paper. Instantly, the writing vanished.

He packed away his custom desk, rolled up the papers, and stuffed them into slim bamboo tubes.

Ninth Royal Uncle loves the scent of bamboo!

Both Serena and Vincent Su were people of action. While Vincent waited for orders from Ninth Royal Uncle, he gathered his staff and started calculating logistics—especially the grain requirements.

Earlier, following Serena’s advice, he’d dumped grain and disrupted the whole market. Now, with heavy snow, prices were sky-high. He had stores, but hated to part with them—he still had tens of thousands of soldiers to feed. But...

Serena’s logic made sense: to gain, you have to give. Plus, the potatoes and sweet potatoes she’d introduced had already yielded a bumper crop, and those alone could get them through for a while.

Potatoes and sweet potatoes could be planted twice a year, even in sandy or dry soil. Next year’s harvest wouldn’t be a problem—especially with the lucky snow killing off pests, it was sure to be a bumper year. No shortage of grain then.

This opportunity had to be seized. Even if it meant tightening his belt, he’d see it through—because if it worked, Ninth Royal Uncle would become the man chosen by popular will...