249: Su Xiaobai is a demon

“Good, good, good, you are truly something!

Is this how you officials serve? I think all of you should just retire and return to your hometowns!” The Empress slammed the table and stood up.

“Your Majesty, please calm your anger!” Prince Ming stepped forward, cupping his hands in a bow and hastily said, “Although Lord Shangshu and the others managed poorly, there are many people and eyes below, so oversights are unavoidable.

Minor mistakes there may be, but it’s certainly not enough to warrant retiring and returning to their hometowns!”

These people were all his, and if they all fell, the loss to him would be immeasurable.

“Yes, Your Majesty, if Lord Shangshu and the others all leave, the functioning of the court will be greatly hindered!” The Prince Party members also quickly stepped forward to agree.

The Empress narrowed her eyes slightly, sweeping over them, and coldly snorted, “Every single one of you, you constantly speak of the court, but what you do, how is it different from worms?!”

Those below dared not speak.

Now their handle was in the Empress’s hand, and if they truly angered her, it would be a lose-lose situation.

Too many officials were involved this time; even the Empress would not dismiss so many people at once, as that would truly cripple the court and make it easy for others to take advantage.

But if she were truly pushed, the outcome would be hard to say.

“Hmph! Do you think not speaking will make everything alright? All of you, your official ranks will all be lowered by one grade!

The holes caused by the corruption of those below, I give you three days to fully fill them!

“Three days later, if I see no silver entering the national treasury, all of you will be executed in autumn!” The Empress waved her sleeve, her tone beyond doubt.

“This… Your Majesty, we don’t have that much money on us?” An official’s face showed bitterness.

The Empress’s expression turned cold as she looked directly at him, “Do you truly think I don’t know what you’ve been doing all these years? Or are you treating me like a fool? Do I need to list them out for you one by one?”

That official immediately broke out in a cold sweat, lowering his head and not daring to look at her.

Clearly, he had a guilty conscience.

“What, still have objections?” The Empress said from above.

“No, none.”

“What about you?” She then looked at the other officials kneeling on the ground.

“None!” Everyone shook their heads repeatedly.

The former Emperor looked at Su Xiaobai with hatred; this brat clearly had the souls of those people in his hand, yet he deliberately refused to take them out.

Instead, he used this to accuse him of being an incompetent ruler, truly a wolf in sheep’s clothing!

Given the chance, he must be eliminated quickly.

At this moment, the former Emperor felt a gaze lock onto him.

The Empress was propping her head, looking at him askance, with a hint of disdain, showing no daughterly respect for her father.

“Even now, Imperial Father, do you still believe Lord Su shouldn’t have killed them? And their mastermind, Minister of Revenue Li Quan, was appointed by you when you were on the throne.”

The former Emperor’s face twitched; this sentence was indirectly slapping his face, as if saying: Look at the Emperor you were? Simply utterly incompetent!

“Hmph!”

He sat back down in his seat, choosing to close his eyes and remain silent, feigning death.

And this open scheme targeting Su Xiaobai ultimately ended with a large number of officials being demoted by one rank and their salaries confiscated to replenish the national treasury.

“Alright, I am tired.

If there’s anything to report, report it; otherwise, dismiss.” The Empress began to dismiss them.

Su Xiaobai’s matter was resolved, and she wanted to continue reading her storybooks.

“Wait!” Suddenly, Prince Ming stepped out again, “Your Majesty, I still have one more matter.”

The Empress’s willow-like brows furrowed slightly; she disliked this imperial brother very much.

Before she became Empress, he had tried every means to marry her off to the Yao Emperor of the Southern Domain, and after she became Empress, he continuously created obstacles for her.

“What is it?” She replied indifferently.

“This matter is still about Lord Su.” Prince Ming looked at Su Xiaobai.

Su Xiaobai’s brows furrowed slightly; this idiot was truly troublesome, clinging to him and not letting go, was he?

“Prince Ming, Lord Su is a high-ranking official of the court and cannot be slandered. If you make baseless accusations again, even if you are a Prince, I will still punish you.” The Empress said coldly.

Su Xiaobai was her subordinate, after all, so she had to show her stance.

What kind of situation was it to be constantly suspected?

“This humble Prince would not dare, but this matter concerns the safety of the Human Race, and I must question Lord Su thoroughly!” Prince Ming said with a determined expression.

“…Alright, ask away.” Su Xiaobai stepped forward; anyway, come what may, he had the Empress as his backing.

“Good!” Prince Ming’s lips curved slightly, “May I ask if Lord Su knows about the Extraterrestrial Demon Clan?”

Su Xiaobai’s brows suddenly furrowed; he vaguely knew what he was going to say.

“Extraterrestrial Demon Clan, what is that?”

“I don’t know, never heard of it. Is it a race more powerful than the Yao Race?”

The officials below discussed animatedly.

“This matter is confidential, only Second Realm powerhouses can perceive it, and I only learned of it from the Elders of my clan.

It turns out that beyond our world, there are other worlds.”

“And we are currently being invaded by a race called the Extraterrestrial Demon Clan, but they are blocked outside our world by a magnificent formation.

No one knows who created this formation, only that it is a supreme existence invisible to mortals, and it is precisely because of this formation’s existence that we have been able to live safely until now.”

“But there are Demon Race Grand Beings who used great Divine Ability to cross the formation and send a portion of the Demon Race into our world.

And their mission is to slaughter all of us native beings and turn us into their nourishment!”

Prince Ming explained excitedly.

“What?! Such a thing exists?!” The officials were all shocked.

They quickly looked at the Empress, and then at the former Emperor.

The former’s brows were tightly furrowed, while the latter slowly nodded.

Everyone immediately confirmed that what Prince Ming said was indeed true.

Their world was being invaded by the Demon Race!

“But what does this have to do with Lord Su?” Someone asked, puzzled.

“Heh heh, of course it does.” Prince Ming sneered, turning his gaze to Su Xiaobai, “Because our Lord Su is an Extraterrestrial Demon Clan member!”

Su Xiaobai: “…”

Sigh! As expected… He sighed and shook his head.

He knew that he would be exposed sooner or later, but he didn’t expect it to be so soon.

To resolve this situation, he could only unconditionally trust the Empress, believing she would save him.

If it really didn’t work, he would just have to leave his homeland.

“What?!”

Everyone’s eyes widened again, and a storm surged in their hearts.

Su Xiaobai was actually a Demon Race member!

Swish!!!

Everyone’s steps were remarkably uniform, instantly retreating away from Su Xiaobai, looking at him with vigilance.

These high officials, despite their seemingly proper appearance, were all extremely fond of their lives.

“What evidence do you have to say he is a Demon Race member?” The Empress scrutinized Prince Ming.

Prince Ming was fearless, “This humble Prince naturally dares to accuse, and naturally has evidence.

Su Xiaobai came from the Desolate Continent and once used an extremely evil purple demonic power in broad daylight; many people present at the time can testify.”

“Moreover, he also used extremely cruel methods to kill the Xuan Yue Dao Sect’s Sect Head’s biological son, as well as the Dao Protector Elder!

The scene at the time was too gruesome to behold. If Your Majesty does not believe me, I have already invited the Xuan Yue Dao Sect’s Sect Head to wait outside the hall and can summon him in at any time to confront him.”

Prince Ming looked up at the Empress.

“Wang Ming is here too?” Su Xiaobai’s brows furrowed tightly.

This guy had hated him for a long time; the hatred of a murdered son was irreconcilable, and he certainly wouldn’t give up easily.

A hint of gravity flashed in the Empress’s eyes; she had already sealed off news about Su Xiaobai being a demon, but she didn’t expect Prince Ming to dig it out anyway.

And he even invited the Sect Head of the Xuan Yue Dao Sect.

The Xuan Yue Dao Sect’s Sect Head—Wang Ming, a Second Realm powerhouse.

Although she was not afraid, a Second Realm powerhouse already involved the Great Zhou’s national foundation, and she could not pretend not to see it.

“Summon the Xuan Yue Dao Sect’s Sect Head in.”

Her mind raced, constantly thinking of countermeasures.