259: Fame

"Your Majesty!" Su Xiaobai bowed respectfully.

The Empress rested her head, a hint of impatience in her expression, "Speak, why have you come to see me so late?"

The tyrant looked a little angry, was it because I disturbed her evening reading?… Su Xiaobai noticed the Empress's expression.

As a qualified subordinate, one must, of course, be good at reading expressions.

However, the news I'm about to deliver will definitely shock her… Su Xiaobai's lips curled slightly, and he said loudly, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Your humble servant is here to report something important."

Then, he told the Empress about Prince Pingyuan.

"What did you say?!" The Empress stood up abruptly, her face showing both excitement and a hint of regret.

"It's a pity he died too quickly, otherwise, I would have a hundred ways to make him speak."

"This is a list of officials who colluded with him. Please decide their fate, Your Majesty." Su Xiaobai handed a scroll to the Empress.

The Empress took the scroll, glanced at its contents, nodded, and praised him, "You did very well this time."

"Mm-hmm!" Su Xiaobai nodded repeatedly, looking at her expectantly.

He had come this time, waiting for a reward.

Having accomplished such a great feat, it wouldn't be too much to ask for another Millennium Blood Spiritual Root, would it?

The Empress naturally saw through his thoughts, a smile on her lips, "Alright, I know what you want. These two Millennium Blood Spiritual Roots are your reward."

With a wave of her jade hand, two blood-colored ginseng roots landed in Su Xiaobai's hand.

Su Xiaobai felt a surge of excitement in his heart. He had thought the tyrant would only give him one, but he didn't expect her to give him two right away.

It must be said that the tyrant was truly generous.

"Alright, if you have nothing else, you may withdraw." The Empress waved her hand, dismissing him.

Now the entire court was spreading rumors about her and Su Xiaobai, and this fellow even came to see her in the middle of the night. Was he afraid that others wouldn't suspect anything?

"Wait, Your Majesty, I have one more request." Su Xiaobai quickly said.

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Prince Pingyuan is Prince Ming's brother. I am afraid he will send people to retaliate. I am not afraid for myself, but the maids and servants in my residence cannot protect themselves."

"Don't worry, he wouldn't dare be too presumptuous in the capital. I have already set up a teleportation array in your residence. Should any accident occur, I will immediately teleport to your residence to ensure your safety."

When did she set up a teleportation array in my residence? Why don't I know?… Su Xiaobai wondered in his heart.

However, with his safety guaranteed, he was still very happy, and he cupped his hands to the Empress in thanks, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Finally, Su Xiaobai left the palace contentedly.

After he left, Eunuch Zhao was summoned by the Empress.

The Empress, holding a storybook, casually said, "Send people to widely publicize Commander Su's deeds. Within a day, I want his reputation to spread throughout the capital."

"This… the things Commander Su did might greatly affect the reputation of the royal family." Eunuch Zhao's face was conflicted.

"Heh, the royal family's reputation?" A hint of disdain and contempt appeared in the Empress's eyes, and an unquestionable voice came, "This is not your concern. Do what you are supposed to do."

"Yes!" Eunuch Zhao dared not object and quickly withdrew to arrange the relevant matters.

The Empress's eyes deeply gazed in the direction Su Xiaobai had left, "Given that you did quite well this time, I will help you."

…

The next day.

Su Xiaobai's deeds quickly spread throughout the capital.

He wrote the peerless masterpiece "luoshen fu," surpassing all other talented scholars and becoming the Champion of the Imperial Examination of that year;

He raided the Anchun Courtyard, angrily beheaded dozens of corrupt officials, rescued hundreds of fallen young women, and for this, he was targeted by the Prince Party in court;

In a court debate, he angrily criticized the Supreme Emperor as an incompetent ruler, and he silenced him;

Yesterday, Prince Pingyuan, harboring resentment, sent people to assassinate Su Xiaobai, but he was tragically counter-killed. In the end, Prince Pingyuan, fearing implicating his followers, committed seppuku.

And according to unofficial sources, Prince Pingyuan had severe mother-complex issues and often kidnapped women over fifty, making them pretend to be his mother for some extremely perverse hobbies.

Once these numerous deeds were exposed, they quickly caused a strong reaction among the common people.

"Lord Su is a true and honest official. A few days ago, I saw him leading the Brocade-Clothed Guard, under the scorching sun, asking us on the street if we needed legal assistance."

"Yes! That Prince Pingyuan is truly despicable! My sister's second mother's third brother's wife was abducted by him, and it was thanks to Lord Su that she was released."

"Not just him? In my opinion, that so-called Prince Party is not a good thing at all; they are all scoundrels!"

"I also heard that the Supreme Emperor is their backer. This old immortal, he never did anything good when he was in power, and now that he's abdicated, he still wants to harm the country and its people. Bah! Just as Lord Su said, he's just an incompetent ruler!"

"Thanks to good officials like Lord Su, Great Zhou will not be destroyed."

Su Xiaobai's reputation greatly increased, and the entire Prince Party was subjected to people's scorn.

And on this day, the people from Qingzhou finally arrived in the capital.

Inside a tavern.

Upon hearing that Su Xiaobai was Black Abyss, a group of people burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! As expected of Black Abyss Saint! No matter where he goes, he is always the brightest focus." The leading man laughed.

"Then should we still publicize the Empress's twenty-one crimes for the Saint?" A subordinate beside him looked conflicted.

"Of course, publicize them! Why not publicize them!" The man stood up, "The Saint entrusted this matter to us, which means he is confident that Your Majesty will not blame him. How can we give up halfway?"

"That's right! And what the Saint said is not wrong, why can't it be said?!" The people beside him responded one after another.

Immediately, a group of people marched grandly through the streets and alleys of the capital, publicizing Su Xiaobai's twenty-one crimes in angrily denouncing the Empress, and loudly cursing her as a tyrant.

The people of the capital were greatly astonished upon hearing this, feeling that Su Xiaobai did not want to live, daring to curse the Empress as a tyrant.

But when they finished reading the list of crimes Su Xiaobai had compiled, they all nodded, because they were indeed irrefutable.

"Alas! If Your Majesty does not correct these mistakes in time, she will probably be infamous for ten thousand years!" Someone sighed.

…

Imperial Palace.

Inside the Empress's bedchamber.

"Bastards! These bastards! How dare they curse me as a tyrant! I will cut you all down!"

The Empress was furious, her chest heaving violently, and things in the room were overturned everywhere.

Eunuch Zhao and the palace maids beside her trembled, not daring to provoke the Empress's wrath.

Just then, the Empress turned her head and stared intently at Eunuch Zhao, "Where is Su Xiaobai? Tell him to enter the palace immediately to see me!"

It was all because of this scoundrel that she ended up with the title of a tyrant!

"Lord Su… Lord Su just sent a message, saying that he has faint signs of a Breakthrough and needs to immediately go into seclusion. He will not be able to attend court for the next few days. He hopes Your Majesty will be understanding." Eunuch Zhao stammered.

"Su! Xiao! Bai!" The Empress was so angry that her teeth were almost ground to dust.