Starting with being handed over to the Imperial Concubine, building a family with a thousand-year hi

Xiao Changshan paused, then said, "Moreover, Lord Su Mu has a Grandmaster behind him. The Empress may not know, but that Grandmaster is not Xiao Yuanhou. Back then, he was struck by Situ Jing's Tyrant Dragon Spear, either dying or being seriously injured and forced into seclusion. But in any case, with that Grandmaster by his side, if Lord Su Mu wanted to rebel, the Great Qian Dynasty would have already changed hands long ago, and it would not have waited until today."

"Lord Su once said that the Western Chuan royal family had already perished before his birth. He grew up in the Great Qian Dynasty and received its favors, so he has no feelings for the Western Chuan royal family and cannot be considered a descendant of Western Chuan!" Xiao Anxun's expression gradually turned serious. His gaze swept over everyone, and he slowly said, "I believe that people should be tolerant. We cannot deny merits because of one's birth, nor can we impose blame for things that have not happened. Empress, let's leave this matter here, shall we?"

Lin Wen hesitated for a moment, knowing full well that the entire royal family was helping Su Mu, and Xiao Anxun had already decided to believe him. She knew that saying more would be pointless and would only displease the Emperor. She took a deep breath and slowly said, "Your Majesty, I am doing this for Your Majesty, for the royal family, and for the Great Qian Dynasty. I have no selfish motives!"

"I understand your good intentions!" Xiao Anxun waved his hand, his tone softening. He couldn't blame Lin Wen, after all, her words had a reason and weren't intentionally targeting Su Mu. Moreover, Lin Wen's grandfather, Lin Zhengying, the sixth elder of the Tianwu Sect, had recently broken through to the Grandmaster level and would soon arrive in the capital to guard the palace. He didn't want to offend this newly promoted Grandmaster because of Lin Wen's matter—the Xiao royal family desperately needed the support of a Grandmaster.

"Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty!" Lin Wen felt a sense of relief; the weight that had been hanging over her head finally lifted. As long as the Emperor didn't blame her, and as long as her grandfather arrived in the capital safely, she still had a chance.

"You may all leave, I am tired!" Xiao Anxun rubbed his throbbing temples, his face weary and his eyes bloodshot. During this time, the border war was tense, and assassinations and rebellions occurred one after another in the palace. The pressure from all sides was like a mountain pressing down on him, making it hard for him to breathe.

Fortunately, his martial arts skills were not weak and his physical body was strong, otherwise he would have been overwhelmed by exhaustion long ago. He sighed inwardly, if the Xiao royal family had one more Grandmaster, they would not have to be controlled by others at every turn—as an emperor, this kind of humiliation filled him with resentment.

Lin Wen, Xiao Changshan, Xiao Anran, and the others dared not disturb them further, bowed respectfully, and slowly withdrew from the Qianming Hall.

Although Su Mu had previously admitted to protecting the assassin and hiding Xu Shan'er's body, after this incident, coupled with Xiao Anxun's obvious bias, everyone knew that no one dared to mention the matter again. Compared to Su Mu's achievements and the potential Grandmaster behind him, hiding an assassin's body was a trivial matter. Moreover, Su Mu and Xu Shan'er were never on the same side; he neither helped her assassinate nor helped her escape, so this matter was understandable.

In the latter half of the night, the palace was quiet, and no further incidents occurred.

The following morning, news spread throughout the palace that the chief eunuch, Wei Zhongxian, had died from a qi deviation caused by forcibly activating his true energy in his eagerness to break through to the Grandmaster level. The Emperor, grateful for his years of service, appointed Li Lianqing as the new Chief Eunuch, entrusting him with the reins of power in the inner court and overseeing all matters concerning the palace eunuchs.

Everyone knew that the Chief Eunuch, though seemingly only a second-rank official, actually wielded immense power, able to interfere in all affairs of the inner court, far surpassing the powerless ordinary eunuchs. Now that Wei Zhongxian had passed away, the only first-rank eunuch in the palace was Su Mu, and Li Lianqing's appointment to this position undoubtedly reflected the Emperor's trust and high regard for him.

As for the true cause of Wei Zhongxian's death, no one cared, and no one dared to investigate. Secrets were never lacking in the imperial palace; to see through something but not reveal it was the wise way to protect oneself. If Wei Zhongxian had died a just death, why would the emperor have fabricated the excuse of "failed breakthrough, death and dissipation of his Dao"?

Besides, another piece of news quietly spread—Xu Qian'er, who was imprisoned yesterday, "coincidentally" found a rope and hanged herself. Everyone had expected this outcome, and it was not surprising at all—assassinating the Empress was a capital offense, and even if she did not commit suicide, she would still be ordered to die by the Emperor.

From early morning, the library became bustling with activity, with a constant stream of people coming and going. These people ostensibly came to borrow books and consult classic texts, but in reality, they wanted to curry favor with Su Mu and cultivate a good relationship with this powerful and loyal eunuch who enjoyed the emperor's deep trust.

Everyone knows that after Su Mu entered the Imperial Library, he adopted Feng Bao, Cheng Ping'an, and Yu Tian as his godsons. Now that Wei Zhongxian is dead, Su Mu's status in the palace is unmatched, and everyone thinks that this "loyal and filial grandfather" might continue to adopt godsons. If one could become his godson, not only would they receive meticulous training, but they would also gain a foothold in the palace, and might even rise to the top in one step.

Therefore, some bold and shameless eunuchs would bow respectfully and be extremely humble when they met Su Mu. Many elderly eunuchs even knelt down and begged Su Mu to take them as his godson.

Su Mu looked at the elderly man with gray hair and a wrinkled face kneeling on the ground, tears streaming down his face and incoherent in his speech, and couldn't help but tease him: "Eunuch Cao, you are older than me, do you also want to become my adopted son?"

The elderly man with gray hair was Cao You. Hearing Su Mu's teasing, he was not embarrassed at all. Instead, he quickly kowtowed, his tone respectful and earnest, with a hint of excitement: "Grandpa, please don't mind! Although I am old, I am still quite healthy and can still serve you and bring you tea and water!"

Cao You raised his head and said sincerely, "As the old saying goes, 'A wise man is a teacher, regardless of his background or age!' With your strength and character, although you are young, you are already a martial arts master and have made outstanding contributions. You are a role model for us all and deserve our support! It is my blessing to be your adopted son. Even if I were to die right now, I would do it willingly!"

Looking at Cao You's earnest expression and then at his full head of white hair, Su Mu's eyes flashed with a smile. He slowly said, "Since Eunuch Cao has shown me such favor, it would be unreasonable of me to refuse! Very well, I will recognize you as my adopted son!"

"Thank you so much, Godfather! Thank you so much, Godfather!" Cao You was overjoyed and trembled with excitement. He kept kowtowing to Su Mu, not caring that his forehead was bleeding. Compared to the joy of becoming Su Mu's adopted son, this pain was insignificant.

This is the sixth adopted son Su Mu has recognized this morning. Ever since the news spread that he had opened his doors to adopt sons, eunuchs have been coming in droves to plead for him. Regardless of their age or cultivation level, as long as they sincerely request it, Su Mu will grant their request.

His calculations were clear: one more adopted son meant one more source of support and security. Moreover, he had the system's blessing—the system had no strict requirements for adopted sons and daughters; as long as they genuinely recognized him as their godfather and he agreed, he would immediately receive a system reward!