The First Lackey Under The Empress

He felt much better now!

After delivering the slap, Zhao Du'an felt refreshed and didn't bother with the Grand Princess, who was sitting sideways on the bamboo mat behind him, and walked outside.

Although the suggestion of "making Li Lang's mother apologize" was quite tempting, he knew it was a trap, even if he were blind.

"Creak."

Pushing open the door, Zhao Du'an saw Prince Consort Li Shuping pacing anxiously beside a red wooden pillar in the corridor.

Perhaps drawn by Zhao Du'an's laughter, he looked over, his face changed, and he lowered his head and shifted his gaze.

"I'm leaving."

Zhao Du'an shook his head, too lazy to waste words with him, waved his hand, and led the two eunuchs back to report.

The remaining eunuchs remained silent, as they were there to supervise the implementation of the decree.

At the latest today, they had to take the Grand Princess to the nunnery.

"Yunyang, what did that Zhao fellow say to you in private?"

After Prince Consort Li Shuping and the others left, he breathed a sigh of relief and hurried into the room, then froze.

He only saw his wife sitting sideways on the bamboo mat, hugging an embroidered mandarin duck pillow.

She hid the side of her face that had been slapped, her red纱 skirt was disheveled, her shoes were off to the side, and she was silent.

Li Shuping was stunned for a moment, his breathing quickened:

"Did he do anything to you…"

Thinking of the possibility of something happening between the lone man and woman in the room just now, he felt a strange excitement rising in his heart amidst his anger.

Yunyang sneered, turned her head, and looked at him with disappointment and contempt:

"Useless thing."

Li Shuping was happy to accept it.

……

……

Zhao Du'an left the Prince Consort's mansion and did not return to the palace.

He cupped his hands to the two eunuchs, mounted his horse, and headed towards the Celestial Master's Mansion.

On the way, he saw five waves of Imperial Guards passing through the long street with murderous intent, and the atmosphere in the capital had also changed.

Clearly, the Empress's decree had been issued, and the capital had entered a new round of sweeping out the rebellious party.

"The new helmsman died a few days after taking office. Even if the Kuangfu Society is crazy, they should be careful and lie low. At least until the headquarters makes the next appointment, these rats in the gutter won't jump around again."

"That's right… I still have a rebellious party member in my hands, I almost forgot."

Zhao Du'an remembered Yunxi, the female disciple who had been abandoned by Zhuang Xiaocheng and had been locked up in prison for several days.

A few days ago, after Zhao Du'an gained a firm foothold in the Zhao Yamen, he issued a transfer order, ordering people to escort Yunxi from the Fu Yamen prison to the Zhao prison.

In order to prevent the incident of Lu Liang robbing people from happening again.

But although the person had been transferred to his territory, Zhao Du'an had been ignoring her.

"Heh, I wonder what expression the little girl will have if she knows that the new helmsman has been chopped down by me again."

Zhao Du'an shook his head, "Forget it, I'll talk about it later."

He was too busy recently and didn't bother to visit her.

The Celestial Master's Mansion is an independent complex, surrounded by square walls, with Taoist-style buildings inside.

The most eye-catching is the large bell placed on the high building in the center.

Every time it rings, the heavy bell sound can be heard outside the city.

—He heard the bell on the day he transmigrated, but it was his first time here.

Taoists guarded the main entrance. Those who didn't wear priests' robes were not cultivators, but servants in the Celestial Master's Mansion.

After Zhao Du'an politely reported his name, the Taoist looked at him in surprise:

"Please wait a moment, sir, I will report."

Soon, Jin Jian yawned, looking like she had just crawled out of bed, and floated out like a ghost:

"Yawn~ You're here?"

No… it's almost noon… Zhao Du'an opened his mouth, reminded of himself staying up late in his previous life.

Sleep at four, get up at seven, the King of Hell praises him for his good health.

"Divine Official, let's talk in private."

Zhao Du'an indicated that there were outsiders and wanted to talk inside.

The pale-skinned, delicate-faced girl with unfocused eyes shook her head:

"The Celestial Master's Mansion prohibits outsiders from entering except in special circumstances."

Then, with a wave of her hand, a faint glow flashed:

"Okay, our conversation won't be overheard."

Am I not special… so in your heart, I'm just an ordinary outsider… Zhao Du'an complained in his heart, felt disappointed, and cupped his hands in a proper manner:

"I came here to thank the Divine Official for helping to cover up the matter of the Divine Talisman."

He was referring to the matter of the Divine Edict Talisman.

Jin Jian raised her small hand to cover her mouth:

"Yawn~ No need to thank me, I was also entrusted by someone."

Zhao Du'an suddenly understood:

"Is it that tall loose official? Speaking of which, he has come to me many times, was it also introduced by Divine Official Jin Jian? Is he familiar with you?"

Jin Jian looked at him strangely, gave an ambiguous "En" sound, and said:

"Quite familiar."

Sure enough! Zhao Du'an confirmed his guess and asked curiously: "May I ask his name?"

Jin Jian was silent for a moment, and said: "His surname is Wang."

Old Wang ah… I can find someone to inquire about which powerful loose official in the Celestial Master's Mansion has the surname Wang… Zhao Du'an noted it down and said euphemistically:

"Please help me pass a message to the Divine Official, just say that this official owes him a favor, and the sentence I sent him last time will be free of charge. If he wants more in the future, he can come to me and exchange it for talismans or something. Large quantities are preferred…"

Jin Jian: "…Okay. Is there anything else? If not, I'm going to sleep, yawn~"

Zhao Du'an's heart stirred and he suddenly said:

"By the way, I remember that our Celestial Master's Mansion also operates many industries, such as shops."

The Celestial Master's Mansion, the Shenlong Temple, and other places have stood for many years, supporting so many unproductive divine officials, and require a lot of resources.

Selling elixirs, wound medicine, and the like only accounts for a small part.

Most of the operating funds rely on their respective industries, such as a large number of fields, shops, etc.

Jin Jian nodded cutely:

"Yes."

Zhao Du'an took out the ice-making recipe from his arms, explained it, and said:

"I wonder if the Divine Official, or Old Wang… cough, Loose Official Wang, is interested in buying my recipe and selling it through the shops of the Celestial Master's Mansion, which will definitely make a lot of money."

Zhao Du'an's move had two intentions.

First, to make money.

The Celestial Master's Mansion has a complete sales system, and itself refines elixirs and medicines, so it has a large number of cheap saltpeter.

Second, it can deepen the relationship with Old Wang and Jin Jian through business cooperation.

He even thought about it, he would rather earn less and give more profits to the other party, in order to maintain this network.

Especially, the girl in front of him is the legendary disciple of the Celestial Master.

If he gets along well with her, wouldn't it be a big profit if he gets on the line with the old Celestial Master in the future?

A mere Old Wang can take out such good things, not to mention the legendary Zhang Tianshi.

Make money!

Jin Jian's eyes lit up, she was no longer sleepy, and her scattered gaze focused.

She likes money, this was fully reflected in the Jingwang Mansion case, and she suspiciously said:

"Can saltpeter really make ice?"

Zhao Du'an patted his chest:

"If it's fake, you can come to me."

Jin Jian stared at the recipe expectantly:

"How much is this?"

Zhao Du'an silently calculated the approximate profit he could earn, and stretched out a index finger.

After thinking about it, he put his thumb on it and made an "eight" shape, saying:

"A fixed price, ten thousand taels of silver, I'll give you a friendship price, eight thousand taels, take the recipe."

Jin Jian was so frightened that she shivered, took a big step back, and waved her hands repeatedly:

"I don't have that much money!"

Ah? Is the dignified Celestial Master's disciple so poor?

I've already bled a lot and given up huge profits… Zhao Du'an said:

"How much do you have?"

Jin Jian lowered her head, fiddled with the purse on her waist with her ten slightly short fingers, then carefully raised her head, a little guilty:

"Eighty taels, is that okay?"

Goodbye!

Zhao Du'an took a deep breath, resisted the urge to turn around and leave, and said:

"I have another way, which is to invest with technology… you don't need to spend money to buy it, wait until you sell the money, and share the profits proportionally."

Hearing that she didn't need money, Jin Jian was very satisfied and showed a pure smile:

“Then it's settled! Don't worry, I won't treat you unfairly. We'll split the profits fifty-fifty.”

Alas… This silly child, you'd earn more with a fixed price, yet you insist on giving me money… Zhao Du'an nodded with tears in his eyes:

“By the way, if I need to contact you later, how should I do it? Come to your door?”

Earning money is secondary; getting his contact information under the guise of business is the real goal.

Jin Jian didn't suspect a thing and handed him a short, yellow incense stick:

“As long as you're within the capital, light this incense, and I'll come. But you'd better look for me at night; I need to catch up on sleep during the day, so I'll be slow to arrive… Ah-choo~”

… …

Deep within the Celestial Master's Mansion, in a small courtyard.

Jin Jian returned, yawning, with an excited expression:

“Master, I've agreed with him.”

Under the large banyan tree, Zhang Yan leaned back in a rattan chair, holding a palm-leaf fan:

“Very good.”

Jin Jian asked curiously:

“But why didn't you tell him your true identity? And how did you meet him? Master, you weren't secretly meeting him behind my back, were you?”

The girl was a little suspicious; could the "little friend" her master mentioned be Zhao Du'an!

But she had no evidence, and how could a mortal martial artist say words worthy of being recorded in the 《Heavenly Book》?

She couldn't figure it out no matter how hard she racked her brains.

The old Celestial Master, tall with white hair and eyebrows and a ruddy face, smiled leisurely:

“Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed.”

“Tch, forget it then.”

Jin Jian was so sleepy her eyelids were drooping, yawning repeatedly. She paid almost no attention to anything other than cultivation and making money.

Zhang Yan asked curiously:

“By the way, what are you so happy about?”

Jin Jian took out the recipe, explained it, and then pondered:

“Master, what do you think about me partnering with Senior Brother to sell ice?”

Zhang Yan was stunned for a moment, then laughed heartily:

“Good idea, but when you make money, don't begrudge the profit sharing.”

Jin Jian was baffled, thinking how much money could selling ice make? Zhao Du'an dared to ask for eight thousand taels; she wouldn't fall for that.

… …

That evening.

News of the conflict between the Dali Temple and the Imperial Censorate in court today, and the involvement of the Marquis of Xiajiang and Princess Yunyang, spread like wildfire throughout the capital's officialdom.

For a time, countless people were discussing it heatedly.

No one expected the Emperor to be so biased, sending his own aunt to a nunnery to be with the green lamp and ancient Buddha for the sake of a male favorite.

As for the Marquis of Xiajiang, after his evil deeds were exposed, the crowd was outraged, and many secretly cursed him for dying well.

However, more eyes were focused on the gossip of the royal family.

Zhao Du'an, on the other hand, found himself in leisure.

As for the matter of the Blood-Drinking sub-rudder master of the Rebel Party, it was not known to the public due to the small number of people who knew about it.

Instead, the Empress's series of thunderous actions made people feel a chill in the sweltering heat.

However, the killings in the martial world were not strongly felt by most people in the capital.

What was even less known was that on this very night, another drama was unfolding in the residence of Zhou Cheng, Minister of the Dali Temple.

“My Lord, you summoned me?”

Inside a hall in the Zhou residence.

He Zheng, Vice Minister of the Dali Temple, closed the door and respectfully saluted his superior, who was sitting upright in a huanghuali grand master's chair.

Last night, after being knocked unconscious by Zhao Du'an, he woke up to find it was already dawn.

He didn't suffer any serious injuries, but compared to the physical wounds, the public loss of face was even more unbearable for him.

He took a day off at home, but unexpectedly received a summons in the evening.

At this moment, the middle-aged civil official, wearing a green robe with a bruised and swollen face, slowly raised his head and looked curiously at the person in charge.

He saw that the Minister of the Dali Temple, about sixty years old, with a square face and deeply furrowed eyebrows, was wearing casual home clothes and playing with a vase in his hand.

Beside him, two opened precious boxes were placed on the tea table, lined with soft silk.

One of them was empty, and the other box contained another vase.

“Is your injury better?”

Zhou Cheng asked in a calm tone, his eyes always glued to the extremely precious pre-dynasty blue and white porcelain vase.

He Zheng respectfully said:

“Thank you for your concern, my lord. This official's injuries are fine. I have already asked a doctor to see them.”

“That's good.” Zhou Cheng said lightly:

“It just so happens that this old man has a task and is preparing to hand it over to you.”

He Zheng was surprised: “May I ask what it is that requires your personal instruction, my lord?”

Zhou Cheng spoke calmly, but his words shocked Vice Minister He.

“I want you to investigate Zhao Du'an's crimes. It's impolite not to reciprocate. This time, my Dali Temple has completely lost face. If we don't do something, what will the officials think? Where is our authority?”

Investigate Zhao Du'an!

He Zheng was taken aback and said with difficulty:

“My Lord, but that Zhao is a favorite of His Majesty, deeply loved. The Marquis of Xiajiang is not far from death, and even Princess Yunyang has been sent to a nunnery. We…”

Zhou Cheng paused, slowly turned his head, and looked down at him with a pair of cloudy old eyes, not angry but imposing:

“Are you afraid?”

“No!” He Zheng said solemnly:

“This official was publicly humiliated by that Zhao. How could I not want to bring him down? It's just that His Majesty…”

Zhou Cheng said calmly:

“The reason why this person has been so unscrupulous recently is simply because he relies on the Emperor's favor. However, the things he has caused have already displeased the officials in the court. In other words, as long as he falls out of favor with the Emperor, it will be easy to get rid of him.”

Fall out of favor?

He Zheng asked curiously: “Does my lord have a way?”

Zhou Cheng glared at him unhappily and said:

“If this old man had evidence, would I need you? But there is indeed a way.

This person has been messing around in the capital for more than a year. This old man doesn't believe that he hasn't touched other women. Heh, a young man with vigorous blood and a sudden rise to power, entering the world of pleasure, how can he control himself?”

He Zheng's eyes lit up:

“My Lord, you mean that Zhao may seem aloof and uninterested in women on the surface, only admiring the Emperor, but in private he must be having affairs with other women.

With our Emperor's temper, once she knows that Zhao Du'an is messing around behind her back, she will definitely lose favor with him. At that time, without support, he will naturally not survive.”

Zhou Cheng smiled and nodded:

“Therefore, I asked you to investigate. As long as you find evidence, it will be the little thief's death date.”

He Zheng was overjoyed: “This official understands. This official will start the investigation tomorrow.”

Zhou Cheng nodded in satisfaction: “Remember to be discreet and don't let him notice.”

“Yes, this official will take his leave now?”

“Wait. Take these broken pieces out and throw them away.”

Zhou Cheng suddenly stopped him, and then, in the stunned gaze of the green-robed civil official.

He let go of his hand, allowing the extremely precious blue and white porcelain vase, sent by who knows who, to fall to the ground.

With a "smash", it shattered into pieces.

“My Lord, this…” He Zheng watched with heartache:

“If this official is not mistaken, this is a tribute from the previous dynasty, right? There are only two identical ones in the world. Now that one is destroyed, what a pity?”

Zhou Cheng smiled. The corrupt official, who accepted a lot of bribes in private, shook his head.

He pointed to the remaining vase on the table and said:

“These two vases are indeed rare and the only two treasures in the world. However, you must know that things are valued for their scarcity. If this old man destroys one, then the remaining one will be the only true peerless masterpiece.”

He Zheng was stunned, and then suddenly realized:

“My Lord is wise. This official has been taught.”

Zhou Cheng laughed and waved his hand:

“Go. Remember, do it properly. This official doesn't want to see Zhao Du'an live past this autumn.”

Thank you to 酒淼 for the 500 point reward!