The First Lackey Under The Empress

Within the Golden Luan Hall, a clamor arose.

He admitted it!

Faced with Zhou Cheng's trap, Ma Yan didn't dodge or evade, but directly admitted it!

In the crowd, Yuan Li, the Censor-in-Chief in a green robe, quietly watched, his eyes slowly narrowed, his gaze secretly glancing towards the Empress.

Seeming to have guessed something, a faint smile appeared on the corner of his lips.

Correspondingly, the Prime Minister, as the 'party leader,' frowned, feeling vaguely uneasy.

Anyone should know that Zhou Cheng's words were setting the tone, abandoning all the messy clues and clinging to the core.

From the moment Ma Yan nodded in admission, the Zhao Office side fell into an extremely passive situation.

"The Director admitted it?"

Zhou Cheng was stunned for a moment, the "川" character lines on his forehead becoming even deeper.

Ma Yan looked at him coldly, mocking:

"This official is different from Court Secretary Zhou; there's nothing I've done that I'm ashamed to admit."

Zhou Cheng didn't care about the thorns in his words, and immediately turned around, addressing the Empress:

"Your Majesty, you've heard it too. Ma Yan has admitted to this crime. I implore you to severely punish Ma Yan and his subordinates, including Zhao Du'an and the constables of the Pear Blossom Hall, according to the laws of the Great Yu!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the other officials of the Great Court of Revision, above the fifth rank, who had come to the hall with him, stepped forward and said in unison:

"We beseech Your Majesty to punish them severely, to uphold the clarity of the law!"

Among the officials, a Remonstrating Official also stood out, echoing loudly:

"The Zhao Office is reckless and unrestrained, and the people are filled with complaints. This is due to long-standing malpractices..."

Another official jumped out, supporting the Great Court of Revision and criticizing Ma Yan.

Among them, not all were Zhou Cheng's partisans; some were simply kicking someone when they were down. For a time, petitions resounded incessantly.

"Pa!"

The eunuch beside the Golden Luan Hall raised his whip and lashed it fiercely on the ground:

"Silence—"

Only then did the officials quiet down. Xu Zhenguan, sitting high on the imperial throne, remained unchanged in her expression, but her eyes became much colder. Her clear voice echoed throughout the hall:

"Are you finished?"

No one answered.

Xu Zhenguan said calmly: "Now that you've finished speaking, it's Ma Yan's turn to speak to them."

What does she mean?

Zhou Cheng keenly sensed the strangeness in her words.

"Yes." Only then did Ma Yan open his mouth unhurriedly, surveying the officials:

"What Court Secretary Zhou said is indeed true, but my Zhao Office has never violated the law."

Zhou Cheng was stunned, and many others also became puzzled.

However, in the next second, Ma Yan explained their confusion:

"According to the laws of the Great Yu, in ordinary cases, if the Great Court of Revision has already detained the suspect, the Zhao Office naturally cannot contest it. But... there is an exception, which is a special edict from the Imperial Authority, ordering the arrest!"

Zhou Cheng's expression changed slightly, already understanding the other party's meaning.

Sure enough, Ma Yan took out a thick stack of files from his sleeve, extracted the top few, and displayed them to the officials:

"As early as the day before yesterday, His Majesty had ordered the Zhao Office to investigate the crimes of the Marquis of Xiajiang and, if necessary, arrest him. The relevant procedures all have formal approvals for review. According to the laws of the Great Yu, in cases specially authorized by imperial decree, the Zhao Office may overstep its authority to make arrests, and the Three Judicial Offices may not obstruct it.

Therefore! Last night, Zhao Du'an, holding my warrant, arrested the Marquis of Xiajiang, acting on imperial orders. He Zheng, the Vice Minister of the Great Court of Revision, obstructed him out of personal grudges and was repelled by Zhao's Investigator, which does not violate the truth of the law!

Moreover! The imperial order to investigate and arrest came first, while the Great Court of Revision detained the person later. And from what I saw, at the time of the arrest, the Marquis of Xiajiang and Court Secretary Zhou were gathering for tea and drinks, resolutely defending each other when questioned.

I would also like to ask, how many benefits did the Marquis of Xiajiang promise you to make Lord Zhou willing to come forward?!"

With that, he threw the stack of files in his hand towards Zhou Cheng.

"Whirr—"

Papers fluttered, scattering on the ground.

The entire hall was silent.

The officials of the Great Court of Revision were stunned in place, never having imagined that Ma Yan would throw out this answer.

His Majesty had already ordered the investigation of the Marquis of Xiajiang... Wasn't it because of his affair with Zhao Du'an?

This greatly exceeded their expectations.

As for whether the files on the ground were real or fake, whether it was actually the case, or whether the Empress had worked overnight to catch up and supplement them afterward in order to protect the Zhao Office?

Even if someone suspected it, they wouldn't be foolish enough to bring it up on the spot.

The truth is not important.

What is important is that Ma Yan presented a legitimate reason, and Zhou Cheng's impeachment could not stand.

"Your Majesty... this matter..."

Court Secretary Zhou Cheng's face turned from ruddy to pale, and gradually presented an iron-blue color. He turned to look towards the imperial throne.

The Empress nodded expressionlessly:

"Minister Zhou misunderstood."

Misunderstood... Zhou Cheng opened his mouth, trying to make a final struggle:

"But when Zhao Du'an entered, he never said that he was acting on imperial orders..."

Ma Yan glanced at him and said lightly:

"Which of His Majesty's subjects is not acting on imperial orders?"

The implication was that since Zhao Du'an did it, it must be legal.

You are wrong to question his lawlessness.

Zhou Cheng was speechless.

Those who had just jumped out to support him also fell silent.

In the crowd, the smile on Yuan Li's face was undisguised. He looked at his old rival, Li Yanfu, but saw that the Prime Minister had already closed his eyes, seemingly not intending to intervene.

This made Yuan Li, who was sharpening his knife, a little disappointed.

Ma Yan then spoke again, shaking the remaining thick stack of files in his hand, and said:

"Since Lord Zhou is not speaking, then it is my turn to ask questions. Since the Great Court of Revision claims to be investigating the Marquis of Xiajiang, I wonder what you have found?"

Zhou Cheng said with a sullen face: "There is only suspicion, not yet confirmed."

Ma Yan nodded: "Then that means there is nothing. It doesn't matter, I have something."

He took out a piece of paper and read:

"According to the investigation by my Zhao Office, the Marquis of Xiajiang has had large amounts of gold and silver dealings with the Red Flower Society, a gang in the capital. Through the Red Flower Society, he has privately opened four gambling dens and two underground usury banks..."

"Due to debt collection, he has privately killed a provisional total of thirty-nine people through the Red Flower Society..."

“Last September, using the Red Flower Society to indirectly control the human trafficking organization, they sold fourteen innocent girls into the capital, suspectedly to use them as bribes, and hid three in a private residence, torturing them to death in January of this year, throwing their bodies into the river to destroy the evidence…”

“And the most recent case involves the kidnapping of Feng Lianlian, the daughter of a director in the Ministry of Personnel, who was fortunately rescued by Zhao Du'an in time. The evidence for all the above cases is complete and can be verified.”

Silence fell in the Golden Luan Hall.

Behind Zhou Cheng, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, in his scarlet official robe, fine beads of cold sweat quietly emerged on his back.

He hadn't expected that the Imperial Bodyguard would have quietly gathered so much evidence of Xia Jianghou's crimes.

Although some of the most fatal things, such as some of his transactions with the other party, had not come to light due to lack of evidence.

But these existing charges alone were enough to send this hereditary marquis to the execution ground in the autumn.

But if Xia Jianghou was imprisoned, would he confess them all?

Zhou Cheng quickly went through his mind, confirming that although he had gained a lot of benefits from the other party.

But he was always cautious and left no evidence.

Moreover, as long as Xia Jianghou was imprisoned, the number of people who wanted him to shut up would probably be several times more than those who would try to save him.

“This man is so heinous that if the Director had not pointed it out, this official would have almost been deceived by him!”

Zhou Cheng turned his face faster than flipping a book, righteously indignant.

The officials who had stood up just now woke up as if from a dream.

They turned their guns one after another, scolding Xia Jianghou and requesting the Empress to punish him severely.

The impeachment against Zhao Du'an and Ma Yan seemed to have been forgotten by everyone, becoming a trial of Xia Jianghou.

… …

… …

Just as the court trial was in full swing.

Zhao Du'an also left his home and walked for a long time in the direction of the palace.

After the sun rose, the sunlight was scorching hot, and he hid in the carriage to cool off.

Without a mobile phone, the bumpy carriage was really not suitable for reading…

Especially the storybooks of this era, either a talented scholar gets together with a beautiful woman, or a talented scholar gets together with a female ghost, or a talented scholar marries a princess…

Zhao Du'an said that the authors of this era were too timid and dared not even write about the Empress in their fantasies, despising them.

He could only look at the scenery outside the window boredly.

However, at first, the street scene outside was still normal, but gradually, he became uneasy.

“Xiao Wang, haven't we arrived at the palace yet?” Zhao Du'an suddenly asked.

The coachman Xiao Wang also said strangely:

“Sir, it doesn't seem right. I've walked this road more than once, but somehow, this street feels so unfamiliar.”

As he spoke, he also controlled the carriage to slow down.

Zhao Du'an got up, subconsciously grasped the saber, and lifted the car curtain.

He saw that at some point, the two of them had turned into a cold street.

On both sides were buildings, but they were all empty, without a single pedestrian.

They weren't closed either, the shops were all open.

Including a noodle shop on the roadside, there were even boiling noodles in the pot, and wisps of hot air were emanating.

But there was not a single person.

“Stop the car.” Zhao Du'an said in a deep voice.

The coachman also realized the danger, and hurriedly tightened the reins, pressed his hand on the weapon around his waist, and looked around vigilantly.

The master and servant got out of the car and first looked towards the street they had come from.

They saw that the street behind them was long, as if there was no end in sight.

Looking ahead again, it was the same.

“Sir, what's going on…”

The young constable surnamed Wang turned pale:

“We haven't run into a ghost wall, have we?”

Zhao Du'an raised his hand and chopped him on the head, scolding:

“In broad daylight, where do ghosts come from?”

His face was ugly and said: “However, we are indeed in trouble.”

At this moment, he thought of the warning from the “idle official” of the Tianshi Mansion:

The bloody disaster surrounding his head!

Zhao Du'an initially thought that this disaster should befall Xia Jianghou, but it did not happen yesterday.

Unexpectedly, it came at this moment.

“Sir, are you saying someone…” The coachman Xiao Wang was stunned.

Zhao Du'an interrupted him, suddenly looked into the distance, and his face changed slightly:

“What is that?”

Xiao Wang subconsciously turned his head to look, and then only felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, his eyes went dark, and he passed out.

Zhao Du'an retracted his palm knife and raised his hand to grab his fainted subordinate.

Having learned from Zhu Kui's lesson, he inevitably became more careful with the people around him.

Although he couldn't be sure whether turning into this strange street was related to the coachman, he didn't need to take any risks.

Moreover, facing enemies who could threaten his life, having one more follower would not be of much use.

“I'm sorry, if it has nothing to do with you, I'll take you out after I've dealt with the enemy.”

Zhao Du'an threw his subordinate into the carriage, then raised his hand to appease the restless horse.

With a “clang” sound, he drew his saber and strode forward.

Quiet street, dense buildings.

A cloud quietly floated in the air, covering the scorching sunlight and casting a shadow.

Zhao Du'an walked with his saber and suddenly stopped.

At the front of the street was a tea stall, leaning against a gray brick wall. Under the awning supported by the tea stall, there were only two tables.

Beside one of the tables, a person was sitting on a bench.

Wearing a gray robe and a bamboo hat, inside the robe was actually a white swordsman's robe.

He lowered his head and was quietly tasting tea. Besides a teapot and a teacup on the table, there was only a sword lying horizontally.

A long sword that had not been unsheathed.

A… swordsman?

Zhao Du'an raised his eyebrows, somewhat surprised: “Are you waiting for me?”

The swordsman slowly raised his head, and laughter came from behind the indigo blue ghost face mask under the bamboo hat:

“I have long admired your name, Zhao Du'an.”

Zhao Du'an stared at the ghost face, sighed softly, and thought that Xiao Wang, you guessed right.

In broad daylight, ghosts and monsters are really running rampant.

… …

Mistakes will be corrected later.