The First Lackey Under The Empress

Inside the Imperial Study.

As the Empress uttered these words softly, Zhao Du'an, though in the midst of summer, felt a hint of autumn's chill.

Mo Chou also realized that Her Majesty's mind was made up, and she ceased her attempts to dissuade her, respectfully saying:

"This servant obeys the decree and will see to it at once."

Then, she turned and left, decisive and swift, without the slightest hesitation.

Zhao Du'an quietly watched this scene, and he could almost imagine the bloody storm that would be stirred up when these four edicts were issued.

The entire capital would be engulfed in a massive "anti-rebellion storm", and in the Jianghu world beyond the capital, countless heads would roll.

The Empress raised her blade once more, but this time, the blade was aimed not at the court, but at the vermin lurking in the shadows.

"Zhao Du'an."

When only the two of them remained in the Imperial Study, the Empress suddenly called out his name.

"Your subject is here!"

Zhao Du'an perked up, only to see a figure in white drifting out the door:

"Accompany me for a walk."

...

Xu Zhenguan seemed to have a habit of going out to relax whenever she was angry.

Zhao Du'an still remembered that the last time he reported on the "Kyoto Garrison Firearms Case," which angered the Empress, she went to the garden to relax.

This time was no exception, except the garden they were walking in was not the same as before.

The monarch and her subject followed the carved beams and painted pillars of the corridor and turned a corner.

A river appeared before them.

The river was small, named the "Inner Imperial River," the one that could be seen from the back window of the Imperial Study.

Xu Zhenguan walked along the riverbank, the cool breeze caressing her face, bathing her in coolness, and the fire in her heart gradually subsided.

"Did I seem like a tyrant just now?" she suddenly asked after walking for a while.

Having learned from his previous experience, Zhao Du'an did not act like a stalker, but stayed two steps behind Zhenbao, and was stunned when he heard the words, without hesitation:

"If Your Majesty is a tyrant, then there is not a single good person in the world."

The white-clad Empress smiled slightly.

A gentle breeze blew, and some of the black hair on her head was messy, brushing across her face and eyebrows, and she subtly rolled her eyes at him, mockingly saying:

"Sweet words."

But she didn't dwell too much on this question, and suddenly said:

"Regarding the battle with Gao Li, do you have anything else to say?"

Hiss... This meaningful question... Zhao Du'an couldn't figure out what the Empress was thinking, and tentatively asked: "What is Your Majesty referring to?"

Xu Zhenguan looked into the distance, and said lightly:

"Although Gao Li's martial path was cut off in the past, he was by no means a weakling in the Divine Manifestation Realm, yet he was killed by a single Talisman of Divine Decree..."

"That talisman probably also had the power of the 'Worldly' realm, and it was in the city... Even if I were in the Golden Luan Hall at that time, I shouldn't have been unaware of it."

Huff... Scared me, I thought you saw that the "Talisman of Divine Decree" wasn't given by Jin Jian.

Zhao Du'an breathed a sigh of relief, and showed admiration:

"Your Majesty is insightful, and I was just about to report..."

As he said that, he reached into his arms, took out a palm-sized, green jade shaft, silver silk fabric magic scroll, and offered it with both hands.

Xu Zhenguan raised her hand, and the scroll flew into her hand on its own.

The Empress listened to his explanation, casually unfolded the scroll, and showed a look of understanding, saying:

"Scroll of Emptiness... So it's this thing, no wonder it can avoid my perception."

Zhao Du'an asked curiously:

"Does Your Majesty know this thing?"

Xu Zhenguan stroked the scroll, a complex look flowing in her beautiful eyes:

"Of course I know, this thing was originally a treasure in the palace."

What? Zhao Du'an was shocked.

Xu Zhenguan showed a look of reminiscence, and said:

"This object is a collection of the imperial palace's armory. During a palace gathering that year, it was bestowed by the late Emperor to my Second Imperial Brother. It's been many years since I've seen it, but I didn't expect it to return to the palace now."

The Second Prince's thing?

Zhao Du'an was very surprised, and after a little thought, he guessed the general idea:

It should be that the Second Prince gave it to someone in order to win over power and make connections.

After the "Profound Sect Coup", the Second Prince's supporters fled and formed the "Revival Society", and the holder of this scroll was probably a "high-level" member of the Revival Society.

This time, Gao Li went to the capital to take office, and he was given this treasure because he was carrying an important mission, so that he could act conveniently.

Or, it was simply that the Second Prince personally gave it to Gao Li back then, and such generosity made Gao Li submit, which was also possible.

"The Jin Jian Divine Official said that this thing is sealed and cannot be used by outsiders," Zhao Du'an tentatively asked.

Xu Zhenguan glanced at him with her beautiful eyes, looking as if she had seen through his little thoughts, and nodded:

"That's true. The number of items with inner space for suppression is extremely small, even if you look at the whole world.

Moreover, it is even rarer to be able to set up formations to trap enemies and conceal fluctuations. Even if it is placed in the Celestial Master's Mansion, the Shenlong Temple, or even the imperial palace's armory, it can be ranked at the top in terms of rarity.

This one thing alone is worth as much as a small city."

So valuable?

Zhao Du'an's breathing tightened.

Xu Zhenguan was also a little emotional:

"With Gao Li's cultivation and status, it was impossible for him to possess it. There wouldn't be many in the Revival Society either."

The implication was that a small shrimp like Zhao Du'an was even less worthy of possessing it.

Zhao Du'an looked pitiful, squeezed out a smile:

"Since it's so precious, it should be returned to the palace. It's not appropriate to put it here with me."

So pretentious...

Xu Zhenguan found it a little funny, shook her head, and suddenly waved her slender jade hand on the scroll, and there was a faint flash of light, and then she casually threw it to Zhao Du'an, saying:

"I have already lifted the seal. This thing is precious and should not have been left outside, but considering that you have contributed to eliminating the rebels, let it be temporarily... placed with you.

You can ask Eunuch Hai about the method of use, but if you don't leave the capital, you probably won't have a chance to use it, so you can use it as a storage magic tool."

Storage magic tool?

Isn't that the standard equipment for the protagonist of a time-travel novel... Zhao Du'an was overjoyed:

"Your Majesty's grace, this subject has no way to repay."

Although it was nominally "borrowed" to him, he was familiar with the matter of using public tools for private purposes.

The Empress glanced at him, and suddenly said again:

"Speaking of which, you are doing things for the imperial court, encountering danger, but still have to ask the Celestial Master's Mansion for help... It is my negligence, you should take this thing."

Her fair and slender hand suddenly fell on her waist.

She took off a purple jade pendant from her belt, which was quite exquisite, in the style of a woman's jade pendant, with golden tassels hanging underneath, and threw it to him:

"This jade pendant was bestowed by my mother when I was an imperial princess to protect myself. It is called 'Teleportation Jade'. If you encounter a life-or-death crisis, you only need to crush it to teleport away...

"But with my current cultivation, it is no longer useful, I only keep it as an accessory, so I will give it to you today for self-defense."

There's also an unexpected surprise...

Zhao Du'an subconsciously reached out and grabbed it, feeling the temperature on the purple jade pendant, as well as the faint fragrance, and was stunned.

At this moment, compared to the "practical value" of the jade pendant, he was more concerned about the meaning behind it.

Based on his experience in his previous life, being able to obtain the Empress's personal belongings meant:

Now he can truly be regarded as a favorite by the "monarch".

A "Scroll of Emptiness" in his left hand, and a "Teleportation Jade" in his right hand.

Treasures that could make all the cultivators in the world go crazy, he obtained two today,

Well, Ma Yan is hard to say, but at least the other nine hall's investigators definitely don't have this kind of treatment.

"Your Majesty..."

Zhao Du'an said emotionally:

"This... is too precious. This subject's meager achievements are really hard to repay..."

He muttered in his heart:

If it really doesn't work, I can only offer myself in return.

Xu Zhenguan glanced at him and suddenly said:

"The treasure is not given to you for nothing. I really have something to entrust to you."

...I was touched for nothing... Zhao Du'an said solemnly:

"Your Majesty's entrustment, even if this subject dies a hundred times, I dare not refuse."

Xu Zhenguan smiled and said:

"There's no need for you to die. I only want you to thoroughly investigate a person and find enough evidence of their crimes."

Huff... Biting people, I'm good at that... Zhao Du'an asked curiously:

"May I ask which traitor it is?"

The Empress calmly spoke a name:

"Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Zhou Cheng."

Zhao Du'an was really stunned.

His first thought was, Zhenbao, we don't have to... Although I had some unpleasantness with Old Zhou, it's not to the point of stripping him of his official robes...

Even the narrow-minded Zhao Du'an felt that this was a bit too "vindictive".

But in the next second, he dismissed this obviously wrong answer, and in his mind, many clues flashed like lightning.

He suddenly asked:

"Isn't the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review of one heart with Your Majesty? Does Your Majesty want to replace him with someone who listens?"

This was not difficult to guess, not to mention the vague relationship between Zhou Cheng and the "Li Party", just the fact that he confronted the Zhao Yamen, which represented the Empress, was enough to prove it.

But Zhao Du'an still felt that something was wrong.

Instinct told him that there must be a deeper reason behind the Empress's sudden move against the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

Xu Zhenguan was silent for a while, without answering directly, but only said:

"You only need to answer me, can you do it."

How can a man say no?

Zhao Du'an weighed the scroll and jade pendant in his hands, thought for a while, and said:

"It takes time."

"Is one month enough for you?"

"Need manpower"

"Ma Yan will fully cooperate with you, if you need anything else, just tell Sun Lianying."

"Since that's the case..." Zhao Du'an took a deep breath and smiled:

"This subject accepts the decree!"