He Tianhong shared a look with Shao Wenbo. "Jingyuan, the Capital is not as peaceful as you think it is. The higher you climb the social ladder, the more power you have, but also the more enemies you will inevitably make. Wenbo and I are both very high ranking officials and currently in the favor of the Emperor. There are numerous eyes watching our every move—and numerous people waiting in the shadows to pull us off the stage and trample us into the ground."
"Not to mention, we are different than the other officials and ministers," Shao Wenbo added. "Not just because of our unique origins, but we also climbed the ranks so quickly it is almost impossible. And the fact that Tianhong and I are friends and hang out regularly—that is already enough for some people to spin out lies and conspiracies. As unbelievable as they may seem at first, when enough people believe in something, even lies can become the truth.
