The First Lackey Under The Empress

"They all say Zhao Jisi fears nothing, but how can he be afraid of my 'little woman' and her three or five flying knives?" Haitang said teasingly, a smile on her face.

Zhao Du'an sighed softly:

"I once heard a senior say that there are three types of people in the Jianghu you should never provoke: women, children, and monks/taoists."

Haitang raised an eyebrow: "That's interesting. I wonder which 'senior' said that?"

It sounds like Gu Long, but I'm not sure... Zhao Du'an muttered to himself, not taking the bait. He looked around and asked:

"Miss Haitang said you've been waiting for me for a long time. Could it be you knew I was coming to capture a thief today?"

Haitang put down the wine cup she was holding between two fingers, a smile playing on her lips:

"Zhao Jisi, there's no need to act. If I'm not mistaken, the rebel party you claim to be capturing today doesn't exist. Your real purpose is to deceive us eight hall masters, am I right?"

As soon as she said this, Zhao Du'an's expression remained unchanged, but the Embroidered Uniform Guards of Pear Blossom Hall were stunned, one after another in astonishment.

They never expected that their intentions had been seen through by the other party.

Seeing this, Zhao Du'an finally sighed helplessly and said:

"Miss Haitang, that sentence of yours is also a trick to get information from me, right? Fine, that's indeed the case."

Once the other Embroidered Uniform Guards showed their surprised reactions, it was pointless for him to continue acting.

Zhao Du'an could guarantee that his acting skills would remain consistent, but his many subordinates could not.

He asked curiously: "How did you figure it out?"

Having received a definite answer, the corners of Haitang's mouth curved up even higher. Her eyes were filled with the excitement of confirming her guess, and even a hint of triumph at having outsmarted Zhao Gou once:

"Thinking."

She pointed to her head and said:

"Yesterday, I received news that I had to stay home today, and only Pear Blossom Hall could go out. After returning home, I kept thinking about the Governor's intentions.

After thinking about it, the most likely reason was to make us avoid suspicion."

"That there is a mole in the Zhao Yamen, I don't know if you know, the Governor knows, and we also know.

The Governor has investigated the yamen, both openly and secretly, more than once before. This is not difficult to guess.

However, if it was only to avoid suspicion and prevent someone from leaking information, then why did he have to confine the eight of us at home?

Wouldn't it be safer to gather us in the yamen, or even in one room, to monitor each other?"

Haitang smiled:

"After realizing this contradiction, I began to suspect whether today's matter had other hidden motives.

You, the Jisi appointed by His Majesty's own pen, are just here to gain political achievements? And why did the Governor open the door of convenience for you?"

"So, I had a bold guess: perhaps your real purpose, from beginning to end, was to catch the mole.

And all the previous performances and arrangements were to isolate the eight of us from each other today, making us anxious and uneasy…"

"I once asked the jailer of the Zhao prison about interrogation methods. He told me about a method of interrogation that is similar to this.

But I was still not sure until I saw the change in the faces of your subordinates just now, then I was convinced."

Zhao Du'an listened to her quietly, without interrupting her.

Only after the female Jisi finished explaining did he clap his hands lightly:

"Clap"… "Clap"… "Clap"…

"Very keen insight, very wonderful reasoning."

Zhao Du'an said with admiration:

"I used to wonder how you could lead the ordinary-strength Water Lily Hall to rank among the top three and claim to challenge Zhang Han, but now I am convinced that you have the capability."

Among the three, Zhang Han is both literary and martial, and the overall number one.

Tie Chi Guan governs with military methods, with outstanding martial power.

Haitang excels in wisdom.

She was able to see through the loopholes in Zhao Du'an's layout in a short period of time in the chaotic situation.

And give assumptions and tests.

It seems simple, but in fact, very few people can do it.

"However," he changed the subject and asked:

"Since Miss Haitang has already guessed my purpose, shouldn't you pretend not to know? By telling me this, you seem to be showing off your mind, but in fact, it is difficult to clear yourself of suspicion."

Haitang snorted and said disdainfully:

"This official can't act. You are a deep-minded person, and acting unlike yourself will easily cause suspicion."

She is indeed a woman who knows her own strengths and weaknesses…

After a pause, Haitang said again:

"Besides, can suspicion really be cleared? Who can guarantee that someone who is clean today will not defect tomorrow?"

Zhao Du'an began to admire her, especially after comparing her with his "confidential secretary."

Well, but a woman who is too smart is troublesome to keep around, and someone like Xiao Qian is more trustworthy to use.

Seeing that he was silent, Haitang asked curiously:

"How about the others? Have they been caught yet?"

Zhao Du'an smiled and said:

"You should know that this kind of question cannot be answered."

Haitang pinched the wine cup and hummed:

"Even if you don't tell me, I can guess. Heh, when your subordinates came in, they were obviously not nervous enough. It was a kind of relaxation that comes after a successful 'capture'. I'm too familiar with it.

And among those qualified to be ahead of me, Zhang Han's poker face is a dead brain. According to the scholars, he is a gentleman who can be deceived with the right methods.

If he is suspected, he will foolishly be captured, with a loyal and patriotic attitude. Then it must be Tie Chi Guan."

Zhao Du'an said: "You don't seem surprised."

Haitang said:

"Because he is also the one I suspect the most. But there is no evidence.

Heh, don't look at me with that kind of look. As a Jisi, it is my duty to arrest rebels. I want to surpass Zhang Han and become the number one in the nine halls, so naturally I will pay attention to the mole. It's a pity that this credit was taken by you."

After a pause, the heroic female Jisi realized:

"But with these subordinates of yours, you can't capture him. Did the Governor take action? Could the Governor be hiding in the dark at this moment?"

In the carriage outside the courtyard, Ma Yan's expression changed.

Tie Chi Guan, who was lying beside him, closed his eyes and could not hear the conversation in the courtyard due to his serious injuries.

"…" Zhao Du'an remained noncommittal:

"What do you want to say?"

Haitang smiled sweetly:

"It's nothing, but you have to hurry up. With such a large-scale arrest, the moment Tie Chi Guan is captured, the eyes of the rebel party must have acted. Those related to him may be implicated, and I'm afraid they have also begun to flee.

By the way, let me remind you that if Tie Chi Guan jumps out especially quickly after being deceived, and admits it very directly, then it is possible that he is covering up some people."

Zhao Du'an narrowed his eyes: "Explain clearly."

Haitang smiled:

"I said, I'm also investigating him. Although I don't have any strong evidence, I discovered an interesting thing: he seems to be very close to the Lord of the Peach Blossom Hall in private."

Peach Blossom Hall Jisi… The corresponding appearance appeared in Zhao Du'an's mind.

That is the other of the only two female Jisi in the nine halls.

She is not outstanding in appearance, in her thirties, and relatively low-key.

Office romance… No way… Zhao Du'an raised his eyebrows.

But if the two really have something going on, then the probability of both of them defecting at the same time is indeed very high.

This can also explain why Tie Chi Guan jumped out so directly just now, and made a deadly move without almost any nonsense.

Afterwards, he frankly admitted it, and then remained silent, unexpectedly smoothly.

If it is explained that he knew he was exposed, so he did it on purpose, wanting to cover up the Peach Blossom Hall Jisi, then all the doubts can be explained.

And because Peach Blossom Hall is ranked at the back, it belongs to the more distant one in the deception route.

Zhao Du'an said sharply:

"Retreat!"

A large group of Embroidered Uniform Guards howled as they withdrew.

Haitang smiled and said:

"Walk slowly, no need to see you off. Don't worry, I won't leave my home. I'll wait for the dust to settle."

She had the air of a female Zhuge Liang, confident of victory.

However, the next second, unexpectedly, as Zhao Du'an, who was already turning towards the gate, had the cuff of his right hand, which was hanging by his side, suddenly torn with a "shirr" sound.

If the camera were slowed down countless times.

One could see that his well-proportioned and slender fingers suddenly turned outwards, throwing out a palm-sized, ancient and mysterious, dark golden flying knife.

The flying knife seemed to have its own intelligence, breaking free from its master's control, tearing through a turbulent flow in the sweltering air.

With extremely terrifying speed, almost pulling out afterimages, it stabbed towards Haitang, who was sitting in the courtyard, drinking.

"Rumble—"

In the deep, muffled explosion, the tip of the flying knife actually supported a conical air shield.

Danger!

The "female Zhuge"'s composed expression suddenly changed drastically.

Even though she had lightly tapped the stone table when Zhao Du'an launched the flying knife.

A series of fine steel flying knives leaped out from the bag, blocking in front of her.

But in the end, they couldn't match the speed of the Golden Crow.

"Clang!"

The wine cup she was holding between two fingers instantly shattered into pieces, wine splashing everywhere!

Sprinkling on her cheeks, delicate nose, chin, lips, neck, chest…

And the Golden Crow flying knife had already circled back, like a dog summoned back by its master, firmly grasped by the hand that Zhao Du'an used to throw the knife.

All of this happened in an instant.

Zhao Du'an didn't even turn his head back, still striding outwards, his voice floating over:

"Well said. But this official doesn't like being told what to do."

With that, he disappeared outside the courtyard gate.

Leaving only the stunned servants in the courtyard, the fine steel flying knives frozen in mid-air, and Haitang, who maintained the posture of holding a wine cup, a drop of wine sliding down her face, frozen like a stone statue.

Just now, the female Jisi, a martial artist of the Divine Chapter realm, seemed to feel death brush past her.

… …

Inside the carriage.

Ma Yan stared at Zhao Du'an with a complex expression:

"Just now, your flying knife had the chance to kill her."

Zhao Du'an leaned back weakly, helplessly spreading his right hand, only to see fresh blood slowly oozing from his palm. He mocked himself and said:

"Having seen the Iron Ruler Pass, I now know that the gap between major realms is like a chasm.

I just used my full strength to maximize the speed of the flying knife, and with the element of surprise, I barely managed to do that.

Otherwise, even if my knife was ten times better than hers, if the speed wasn't enough, I'm afraid it still wouldn't get close to her."

Ma Yan stared at him intently:

"You used the power accumulation method I just taught you."

He was somewhat moved in his heart.

He had only explained it once, and Zhao Du'an had actually mastered it.

Although it still seemed unfamiliar, this speed of learning was astonishing enough.

The power accumulation method, coupled with the quality of the Golden Crow flying knife, made Zhao Du'an's full-strength strike enough to threaten the Divine Chapter realm.

And he was only a mere mortal of middle grade.

Zhao Du'an, however, was still not satisfied with himself, but he didn't continue this topic, and said:

"It was just a final test of her."

"Test?" Ma Yan snorted, not calling him out on it, and said with a smile that wasn't a smile:

"How is this official's subordinate? Her mind isn't inferior to yours, right?"

"Her brain is considered clever, but she's too stupid," Zhao Du'an calmly commented:

"Her desire to show off is too strong. If she doesn't know how to hide her abilities, she's not as good as Zhang Han."

Ma Yan nodded, similarly agreeing with this assessment.

Immediately, he said seriously:

"Those words she said just now, do you think they're credible?"

Zhao Du'an thought for a while, and said:

"I'm willing to believe them.

She said one thing very correctly: from the moment my deception tactics began, the rebel's informants had already begun to act.

And it's impossible for me to implement the tactics one by one.

At this moment, the rebels connected to Iron Ruler Pass are probably already receiving the news and starting to evacuate."

He calmly judged:

"I'm afraid my speed isn't enough to reach the homes of the Peach Blossom Hall Jisi in time."

Ma Yan's eyes turned cold, and he said:

"But I can."

The speed of a World Realm martial artist was already extremely terrifying. The most important thing was that people could go in a straight line, climbing over walls and roofs, but galloping horses couldn't.

As it stood, continuing the deception was no longer of great significance. Seizing the time to catch people was the top priority.

Zhao Du'an cupped his fist and said: "Please, senior brother, catch the ghosts."

Ma Yan looked at him: "Aren't you afraid that I'm also a ghost?"

Zhao Du'an smiled, suddenly lifting the carriage curtain and shouting loudly at the sky:

"Please show yourself and accompany the Director to capture the thieves."

His voice was loud and clear, and the surrounding Embroidered Uniform Guards were stunned.

They looked around blankly, not knowing who their superior was talking to.

Ma Yan was also stunned, his gaze suddenly shooting out.

Instantly following a certain deliberately revealed fluctuation, he looked towards a roof ridge not far away.

Only to see that on the roof ridge, a young white-robed monk had appeared at some unknown time, looking somewhat refined.

He didn't look like an expert at all. At this moment, he put his hands together and said loudly:

"Alright."

Ma Yan's pupils suddenly contracted!

He seemed to recognize the identity of the monk on the distant roof ridge, then smiled wryly and shook his head:

"He's gone."

He had realized that this was the contingency plan that Zhao Du'an had arranged to prevent him from being a ghost.

And Ma Yan also knew clearly that he was indeed not his opponent.

Saying that, he grabbed Iron Ruler Pass with his large hand, jumped out of the carriage, and soared into the air as if transforming into a large bird, disappearing into the distance in the blink of an eye.

And the white-clothed monk on the roof ridge had also disappeared at some unknown time.

Accompanying the disappearance of the two, Hou Renmeng, Shen Juan, and the others looked at Zhao Du'an with blank expressions:

"Sir, then what do we do next… Do we continue…?"

The bodyguards are gone, do we still continue… Just taking this little salary, why are we risking our lives… He waved his hand and said:

"Turn around, go back to the Tie family."

The task of capturing the master of Peach Blossom Hall was handed over to Ma Yan, but he still had things to do.

"The more complex and multi-person an intelligence network is, the harder it is to completely destroy the traces of contact with companions, even if it's a single-line connection, it's the same."

Zhao Du'an thought secretly. With Iron Ruler Pass's official position, he must have quite a few subordinates in the Kuangfu Society.

He would destroy evidence and cover up for the Peach Blossom Hall Jisi, but he might not be so attentive in protecting his "subordinates."

Especially today, being confined to his home, realizing that Pear Blossom Hall was arresting rebels, Iron Ruler Pass would definitely try to pass this information out.

Perhaps, there would be clues left behind that couldn't be dealt with in time.

… …

Shortly after.

When Zhao Du'an led the crowd back to the Tie family, Qian Kerou and Zheng Laojiu, who were left behind to search, immediately brightened up and greeted him:

"Sir, we found something."

"What?" Zhao Du'an's spirits lifted, but he saw Qian Kerou, as if offering a treasure, hand over a piece of paper:

"Found in Iron Ruler Pass's study. Old Zheng verified the degree of ink stain dryness and judged from experience that it was written last night. Someone must have passed it to him, but it hasn't been destroyed yet."

Zhao Du'an used his fingers to unfold the crumpled piece of paper. The writing on it was very short:

"Zhao, today, after returning from the Zizhao office, wrote official documents and sent them to Sun Lianying, suspected of requesting guards."

The handwriting was very strange, as if deliberately written with the left hand, and the strokes were not natural.

Zhao Du'an's expression instantly froze.