The Wild Daoist had been watching from the sidelines all along.
Su Ziji ordered the carriage turned around toward the Imperial Feather Guards. After pondering for a while, the Wild Daoist spoke again. "My lord, our efforts to spread your poetry and biography have begun to yield results."
"Oh? How are things going?" Su Ziji asked with a smile.
The Wild Daoist reported, "There have been some twists and turns, but overall, spreading your poetry and biography has gone very smoothly."
"It isn't just our people promoting them. Storytellers have been reciting and singing them of their own accord, too. By now, more than half the people in the Capital City have heard them."
"Sometimes, when we go out for tea or visit taverns and teahouses, we hear people discussing them."
As he spoke, he glanced at Su Ziji. Seeing his lord's satisfied expression and nod of approval, the Wild Daoist gained a little insight.
It seemed he would have to devote even more care to this matter in the future.
For now, he merely smiled. "That is also because this is a minor matter. No one would deny you face over something like this-not even His Majesty."
He then gave a detailed account of the circumstances. Su Ziji nodded. "It is indeed a minor matter."
In officialdom, one's rank determined one's treatment. Matters considered difficult were major affairs commensurate with one's station. A provincial official, for instance, might find it difficult to draw funds from the provincial treasury, but taking silver from a county treasury required no more than a word.
Even if the emperor intended to use him as a medicinal pill, he would still accord him a measure of respect and would not refuse him over such trifles.
But who could have guessed that his killing stroke