The events that happened in the Palace Hall immediately spread throughout the Capital.
The first-class official, the Duke.
As a five-star official, the Duke was above civilian and military officials, and only the royal family and important ministers who had made great achievements could be awarded this title.
Despite his great achievements, Su Shi did not hold an official position, and he was also a Shengzi of the Netherworld Rakshasa Sect.
Now, not only had he become a Duke, he even had a continent as his fiefdom!
There had never been such a precedent in Linlang history!
There was an uproar in the Capital, no one knew what Her Majesty was thinking.
Would she divide the kingdom with her own hands?
Su Shi had only been in the Capital for two days, but the events that happened in succession had already shaken everyone’s scalp!
This time, the skies would truly change in the Nine Regions!
###
Hua family residence.
The gate of the Hua residence was closed.
In the few hours since the imperial edict was issued, there had been an endless stream of visitors.
In desperation, the Hua family could only thank the guests behind closed doors, otherwise the threshold would have been destroyed.
Banquet hall.
Hua Manlou raised his wine cup and smiled brightly, “Congratulations, Brother Su!”
Hua Jinguan frowned, “Insolent, do you think you can just call him Brother Shu!”
Hua Manlou patted his head, “I misspoke, I meant Duke Su!”
Su Shi fiddled with his wine cup and fell silent.
Hua Jinguan saw this and was a little puzzled, “Duke Su …… you don’t seem too happy?”
Su Shi asked rhetorically, “Should I be happy?”
Hua Jinguan smiled and said, “A Duke is a first-class official, ranking above ministers, of course it is a great joy.”
Su Shi said indifferently, “Although I have a title, it’s just a facade and I cannot interfere in the affairs of the Empire, how can you call this being ranked above the ministers?”
Hua Jinguan was silent for a moment and said with a forced smile, “Don’t say that, Duke Su.”
Su Shi looked at him and said softly, “If I want the Southwest Region, do I still need the Holy Empress’ reward?”
Hearing these words, Hua Jinguan’s face changed!
“Duke Su, you said this ……”
Su Shi said, “The entire Southwest Region has long been under the control of my sect, and now with a word from the Holy Empress, it has instead become a fiefdom gifted to me.”
“Without a single soldier, the Holy Empress has undone my merits and placed me on the opposite side of the Netherworld Rakshasa Sect.”
“The demonic path wreaked havoc in the Southwest Region, and it was no longer the Empire that was affected, but my interests as Su Shi.”
“Holy Empress’ heavenly grace is so vast that it can block the mouth of the world, if I dare to rebel in the future, the name of a hero will be reduced to nothing and the world will spit on me for being an ambitious wolf.”
(TLN: Meaning ungrateful and treacherous instead)
Su Shi stopped with his tone and looked at Hua Jinguan, “Does Uncle Hua think I should be happy?”
The banquet hall was silent.
Hua Jin Guan’s eyes were slightly downcast, but his heart was shocked.
So, he already knew everything!
Hua Manlou listened in awe, not knowing that there were so many twists and turns behind this reward.
“Once the decision is issued, whether I am willing or not, the Holy Empress’ goal has been achieved, this is an open and honest plot.”
“Unless I don’t come to the capital, there is no way to avoid it.”
Hua Jinguan was silent for a long time before whispering, “Since Shengzi Su saw it so clearly, why did you still come to Weiyang Capital?”
Unknowingly, his title had changed from Duke to Shengzi.
Su Shi smiled and said, “Because I don’t care.”
Hua Jin Guan froze for a moment, “Don’t care?”
“Uncle Hua is a civil official, so you might not understand the concept of Holy-grade perfect talent.”
“One day, I will be above the world, living the same life as the sun and the moon, lifting the heavens and the earth, grasping yin and yang!”
“Imperial power? Wealth? They are worthless in front of immortality!”
“Everyone, whether Righteous or Demonic, they will all become corpses that will pave my way to immortality!”
Su Shi’s eyes were clear and sharp, and his voice was bland, “The Yangtze River rolling past to the east, only green mountains are left …… heroes? Heh, I should be a green mountains!”
(TLN: Dynasties will rise and fall, only rivers and mountains will remain/eternal. So green mountains are immortality)
What about the conspiracy?
As long as they don’t kill him, no matter what cunning plan they had, they can’t stop him from standing at the peak of the Nine Realms.
Hua Jinguan looked at Su Shi in a dumbfounded manner.
No wonder he didn’t care, so his ambitions weren’t in the Nine Regions at all!
Hua Jinguan gulped, “Why is Shengzi Su telling me this?”
Su Shi played with his wine cup, “Isn’t this to save Uncle Hua from having to organize conversations?”
Hua Jin Guan froze at his words.
Su Shi sighed, “The poem has been made, I was appointed as an Imperial official, and I’ve already announced my stance, so the Holy Empress shouldn’t be chasing me anymore now, right?”
He was not a fool.
As he walked into the imperial capital, he happened to run into Chen Qingluan’s friend.
Before he could say a few words, he was immediately pulled into a brothel, and the Oiran girl happened to appear and write a poem about his heroism.
How could such a coincidence possibly happen?
Besides, how dare a comfort woman risk offending Su Shi by offering her body?
Clearly, this was all just a test from Feng Chaoge.
Hua Jinguan’s old face flushed slightly as he said awkwardly, “Shengzi Su is not wrong, everything is indeed arranged.”
Only when he heard this did Hua Manlou react.
“Father, no wonder you asked me to wait for Qingluan at the city gate, and said that I should bring her friend to Fengchun House.”
“So you were using me!”
“I treat Brother Su as a friend, aren’t you, aren’t you setting me up to be unkind and unfair?”
Hua Jinguan glared at him, “You brat who is simple-minded and has no ink in his mind, if I tell you everything, won’t Shengzi Su see it when you meet?”
Hua Manlou looked dejected.
That was so outrageous!
Su Shi shook his head.
He and Hua Manlou had a pretty good relationship.
The other party was simple-minded and had a rather interesting personality.
Su Shi asked, “Since Uncle Hua’s mission has been completed, you should be able to drink properly now, right?”
“Clang!”
Hua Jinguan raised his wine cup and blushed, “I punished myself with three cups!”
Hua Manlou also raised it, “Brother Su, I also punished myself with three cups!”
Su Shi frowned, “You’ve all finished your wine, what else should I drink?”
“Someone, bring all my precious immortal drinks!”
“Old man, so you’re still hiding wine?”
“Cough ……”
####
Zhaotian Palace.
Feng Chaoge looked at the female official in front of her, her brows wrinkled slightly, “He really said that?”
The female official nodded, “Exactly.”
Feng Chaoge was speechless.
It turned out that this brat had seen it all, only that he didn’t care at all.
At this moment, the female official took out a piece of paper and gave it to him.
Feng Chaoge was confused and said, “What is this?”
The female official said, “This is what Su Shi wrote when he was drunk and reckless.”
Feng Chaoge glanced at it and his entire body froze.
On the paper was written in large letters.
“The Empress’s hegemony is a laughing stock, no better than a drunken life.”
There was still a faint smell of wine on it, as if she could see the frivolous scene of Su Shi holding a wine jug in one hand and waving his ink with the other.
The palace was silent for a long time.
“No better than a drunken life ……”
Feng Chaoge sighed, his voice low, “How could I possibly keep Su Shi by my side?”