Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan! Chapter 682 The Empire Welcomes Its New Ruler

Soon, the news spread throughout the entire Desolate Heaven Empire.

Like a hurricane, it swept across every city, every sect, every marketplace, and every village.

The entire empire was thrown into an uproar.

"What?!"

"The one ascending the throne isn't Prince Yu Zidi?"

"It's the Ninth Princess?!"

Countless people were stunned.

For months, public opinion had overwhelmingly favored Yu Zidi.

Whether because of his carefully cultivated reputation or deliberate propaganda, many commoners genuinely believed he was the ideal Emperor.

The sudden announcement that Yu Feiyan had become the victor left countless people unable to believe it.

Some immediately frowned.

"Did the Ninth Princess rebel?"

"Did she seize the throne by force?"

"Could the Imperial Palace have suffered a coup?"

For a brief moment, rumors spread everywhere.

Many who had supported Yu Zidi immediately denounced Yu Feiyan as a traitor.

However, before long, more news about what had happened began spreading.

"What?! Prince Yu Zidi colluded with foreign empires to destroy the Bai Clan?"

"He even promised to cede our border territories as payment for their assistance?!"

"What kind of Emperor sells his own empire's land to outsiders?"

"So that's why several foreign empires suddenly appeared inside the Imperial Palace!"

"He's a traitor!"

"He almost gave away our homeland!"

"It is also said that the First Prince framed the Second Prince, when it was actually he who killed his own brothers and sisters. What a vicious man!"

Public opinion shifted almost overnight.

Many who had once praised Yu Zidi now cursed him more fiercely than anyone else.

The Imperial Family's evidence was simply too complete.

There was no room for denial.

Of course, even if it hadn't been true, Qin Lingxiao would have been able to fabricate a completely believable story to sway public opinion.

History has always been written by the victor.

If Yu Zidi had succeeded, then today's story would likely have been completely different.

Yu Feiyan would have been branded the rebel.

Every scheme would have been blamed on her.

Yu Zidi would have portrayed himself as a benevolent ruler who had saved the Empire from a traitorous princess.

Unfortunately for him, he had lost.

And because he had lost, every one of his crimes was brought into the light.

The irony was that, unlike many political accusations throughout history, most of these crimes were genuine.

Had Yu Feiyan not exposed everything publicly, the people would have continued believing Yu Zidi to be the rightful Emperor.

She would forever have been remembered as the princess who rebelled against the throne.

By releasing undeniable evidence, she not only destroyed Yu Zidi's reputation but also completely cleared her own name.

Of course, even if Yu Zidi hadn't committed such unforgivable crimes, the victors could always have fabricated a few.

That was simply the nature of political struggles.

The dead could no longer defend themselves.

Soon afterward, another piece of news spread throughout the empire.

The foreign coalition that had attacked the Bai Clan had been completely annihilated.

The entire empire erupted into cheers.

"Hahaha! They deserved it!"

"They dared invade our empire and attack the Bai Clan!"

"The Bai Clan is invincible! How dare those ants think they could destroy them within our own territory?"

The common people were filled with excitement.

Although many feared the Bai Clan's strength, they were still a force belonging to the Desolate Heaven Empire.

They had protected the Empire for thousands of years, and their recent contribution in defeating the Demonic Forces was known to everyone.

If not for the Bai Clan, they knew they would have suffered greatly.

When everyone learned that the invading armies had been almost completely wiped out, the Bai Clan's prestige soared to an unprecedented height once again.

Then another shocking revelation spread.

"The Li Clan and Zhao Clan fought alongside the Bai Clan!"

"What?!"

"Impossible!"

"The Three Great Clans reconciled?"

Countless people stood frozen.

Everyone within the Desolate Heaven Empire knew of the thousand-year feud between the Bai Clan, Li Clan, and Zhao Clan.

They had fought one another for generations.

Their hatred had become common knowledge.

At first, many refused to believe it.

However, after confirmation arrived from all three clans, the disbelief gradually turned into excitement.

"This is wonderful!"

"If the Three Great Clans have truly reconciled, then who else in the Eastern Region would dare invade our empire?"

"Exactly! Our Desolate Heaven Empire has never been stronger!"

Hope gradually replaced uncertainty.

The empire had suffered numerous internal conflicts over the years.

Although they had always put aside their differences whenever danger threatened the Empire, most of the time they exhausted their resources keeping one another in check.

If they weren't constantly fighting each other and instead focused on increasing their overall strength, the Empire would have become far stronger.

Moreover, when Yu Feiyan took the throne, the Bai Clan, Li Clan, Zhao Clan, and other top forces such as the Heaven Suppression Sect, Crimson Thunder Palace, and Frost Lily Pavilion were all present.

It showed that they did not oppose her ascension.

As the news continued spreading, resistance toward Yu Feiyan's ascension gradually disappeared.

The common people no longer questioned the outcome.

Instead, cheers gradually spread throughout the empire.

"Long live Her Majesty!"

"Long live the Empress!"

"The Desolate Heaven Empire has a new ruler!"

Along with the announcement of Yu Feiyan's ascension, another series of imperial decrees quickly spread throughout the Desolate Heaven Empire.

The first decree immediately surprised countless people.

Taxes would be reduced across the entire empire.

The burden that had weighed upon ordinary cultivators, merchants, and common families for years would finally become lighter.

Before the people could even recover from their surprise, another wave of good news followed.

One territory after another publicly announced its own decree.

"To celebrate Her Majesty's ascension to the throne, our territory shall waive all taxes for the next five years!"

The announcement immediately caused an uproar.

"What?!"

"Five years without taxes?!"

"Is this real?"

People rushed toward the city notice boards to verify the news.

Soon, a second territory announced the exact same policy.

Then a third.

A fourth.

Within only a few days, numerous territories throughout the empire had declared five years of tax exemption.

The common people were overjoyed.

Many could hardly believe such generosity.

For ordinary families, taxes often determined whether they could save enough resources to survive another year.

Five years without taxation meant countless families would finally have an opportunity to improve their lives.

Laughter could be heard throughout the streets.

Restaurants became crowded.

Markets became livelier than ever.

"Her Majesty truly cares for the people!"

"No Emperor has ever reduced taxes so quickly after ascending the throne."

"The Ninth Princess... no, Her Majesty... is far better than Prince Yu Zidi!"

Cheers gradually spread from city to city.

Naturally, none of this happened by coincidence.

Within the Imperial Palace, Qin Lingxiao calmly listened as reports continued arriving.

A faint smile appeared upon her lips.

She naturally understood that winning the throne was only the first step.

Winning the hearts of the people was equally important.

Yu Feiyan's reputation had been built almost overnight.

Many still knew very little about her.

In contrast, Yu Zidi had spent years carefully cultivating the image of a wise and benevolent prince.

Although his reputation had already collapsed, Yu Feiyan still needed something to quickly earn the people's approval.

There was no better method than allowing the people to directly enjoy tangible benefits.

The reduced imperial taxes had been Qin Lingxiao's suggestion.

As for the five-year tax exemptions...

The territories announcing those decrees all shared one thing in common.

They were controlled by clans and sects that had already fallen under Qin Lingxiao's influence.

They willingly accepted the temporary losses.

Compared to firmly establishing Yu Feiyan's legitimacy, a few years' worth of tax revenue meant very little.

As long as the people genuinely supported the new Empress, they believed everything was worth it, even though their actions were ultimately the result of Qin Lingxiao's control.

Even forces such as Crimson Thunder Palace followed suit because they wished to curry favor with Yu Feiyan.

They had already stood against her once and didn't want to risk worsening their relationship by refusing.

As for the Bai Clan, they had no intention of doing so.

People were naturally free to move to other territories if they wished.

However, most wouldn't.

Why?

Because the Bai Clan possessed the strongest territory in the Empire.

That also meant it was the safest place to live.

What was a little tax compared to the safety of one's life?

In any case, these benefits naturally delighted the citizens.

Every passing day brought more praise, more gratitude, and more support.

The voices opposing Yu Feiyan's ascension gradually disappeared.

Instead, the people began celebrating.

"Long live Her Majesty!"

"Long live the Empress!"

"Our Desolate Heaven Empire finally has a ruler who truly thinks of the people!"

The cheers echoed throughout the empire.

However, while celebration filled the Desolate Heaven Empire, the atmosphere within the neighboring empires was the complete opposite.

Boom!

Inside the imperial hall of the Tianyu Empire, an aura of terrifying pressure erupted.

"What did you say?!"

The Emperor's furious roar shook the entire palace.

"The army we secretly dispatched has been annihilated?"

The reporting official knelt upon the floor, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty."

"Not only the coalition army, our entire foreign delegation that attended the coronation was also killed."

Silence!

Every official present felt a chill run down their backs.

The Emperor's face became increasingly gloomy.

The army they had lost consisted of elite cultivators painstakingly nurtured over centuries.

Nearly twenty percent of the Empire's military strength had vanished just like that.

Even worse, several important elders had also died within the Desolate Heaven Empire.

Such losses were enough to severely damage the Tianyu Empire's overall strength.

Similar scenes unfolded within the Azure Cloud Empire...

The Jade River Empire...

And the Vermillion Pill Empire.

One imperial hall after another erupted into chaos.

Tables were smashed.

Tea cups shattered.

Furious roars echoed through the palaces.

No one had expected what was supposed to be a perfect opportunity to weaken the Desolate Heaven Empire...

To instead become one of the greatest defeats their empires had suffered in recent years.

Not only had they failed to destroy the Bai Clan, they had even lost their armies.

"Quick! Send a message! We demand an explanation from the Desolate Heaven Empire!"