Following the tumultuous assembly at the Median court, where Astyages's rage had echoed like thunder through the hall and shaken the stone columns, copies of the open letter from Mandane, the king's daughter and mother of the lost Kourosh, were rapidly distributed throughout Persia and gradually in various parts of the land of Media. Kourosh's messengers, utilizing the unparalleled lightness and revolutionary efficiency of paper and movable type, delivered the letter to the most remote villages and small towns with unprecedented speed, as if the wind itself carried the words of pain and tyranny. These letters, written in the simple and legible New Persian script that anyone could understand, were easily passed from hand to hand, creating a silent but powerful earthquake among the common people; an earthquake that shook the foundations of the despotic Median rule from within.
In the land of Persia, where love and respect for Mandane, the Median princess who was their king's wife, had deeper roots in the hearts of the people, tears streamed from their eyes upon hearing the letter's content. The grief of a mother whose innocent son had fallen victim to his grandfather's fear and madness squeezed their hearts and ignited a spirit of empathy among them. A man from the Pasargadae tribe whispered with deep anger and sorrow, "Who could treat his own grandson this way? Is this the custom of kingship?" Another added, "A king who fears his own blood and oppresses his own child, how can he rule over us and establish justice?" This letter completely destroyed Astyages's legitimacy in the eyes of the Persian people and strengthened their support for the house of Cambyses and their oppressed prince, Kourosh.
In the land of Media, the letter's impact was deeper and more complex. The common people, from weary farmers to oppressed merchants, who had suffered for years from heavy taxes, court corruption, and the cruelty of Astyages, and had nurtured resentment in their silence, now found a tangible and understandable reason for their dissatisfaction. An elderly woman in a bustling Median market said in a voice trembling with pain and anger, "If he shows no mercy to his own grandson, what expectation of justice can we have for ourselves?" Every word of the letter ignited the accumulated anger of the people and planted seeds of doubt and hatred in their hearts; seeds that were ready to sprout and turn into a storm of protest.
Among the Median priests, especially in the Magian tribe, debate and controversy intensified, dividing their ranks into two. Some of the younger priests and those with a more open mind, who were already aware of Kourosh's "Achaemenid Avesta" and saw an aura of sanctity in his collection of this sacred work, now leaned more towards Kourosh because of this letter. One of them cautiously asked, "A king who does not see the Divine Glory in his own child and sends him to his death, is he worthy of Ahura Mazda's crown? Is it the way of Ahura Mazda that the innocent should be oppressed?" These questions dried up the roots of faith in Astyages in their hearts.
But in contrast, Atropates, the chief Magus, and other traditionalist and conservative priests reacted to the spread of this letter with anger and fury. They knew well that this action not only challenged their religious authority and stripped them of their monopoly on knowledge but also painted a demonic and ruthless picture of the Median king. Atropates shouted, "This is deception! A Persian lie to weaken our government and overthrow thousands of years of tradition!" They tried with all their might to collect and destroy the letters, but the wave of dissemination was too wide and too fast to be contained; it was as if the wind was scattering the seeds of revolution throughout the land.
The news of this letter and the popular reactions quickly reached the ears of the Median nobles. Ormozd of the Busae and other tribal leaders, who had previously witnessed Astyages's unbridled rage at court, now saw the impact of this event among their own people. They saw that Astyages's credibility was severely weakened and that a unique opportunity had arisen to express discontent and change the existing situation. The name of Kourosh, the "lost" prince who was introduced in this letter with his innocence and genius, suddenly became imprinted on their minds with an aura of hope and salvation.
This "silent earthquake" among the people and nobles of Media shook the foundations of Astyages's rule far more severely than what Herodotus narrated in the real history. The unprecedented political and religious influence of Kourosh, resulting from his genius and innovations in inventing a script, a language, and printing books, had now become a powerful factor in inciting rebellion. The people, who had previously only heard of him orally, now held his words in their hands, and this itself was an unparalleled power.
Astyages, with his clumsy decision, had not only failed to circumvent destiny but had, with his own hands, sown the seeds of rebellion in the heart of his own nation; seeds that were ready to sprout and bear fruit. And this very event caused the people, more than ever, to pay attention to Kourosh's books and his teachings, and to consider him their savior. The shadow of Persia, this time not with the sword, but with wisdom and words, had fallen upon the heart of Media, heralding a new chapter in history.