The First Lackey Under The Empress

"Zhao Jisi, please come with me. Lord Yuan is handling affairs and ordered me to invite you to the inner hall first."

The one who came out to greet him was surprisingly a young censor.

Leading Zhao Du'an in, he spoke as he walked, his eyes still curiously sizing him up, seemingly quite curious about this recently famous favorite minister of the Empress.

"Thank you for leading the way."

Zhao Du'an smiled and nodded, tidying up his appearance as he walked along a small path towards the rear office.

The Court of Judicial Review was also a complex of buildings, and perhaps because it was not yet time to leave work, he did not see many people on the road.

After Zhao Du'an entered the inner hall, the young censor retreated.

He waited for less than a quarter of an hour before he saw a familiar blue robe slowly walking into the courtyard outside the hall.

In the midsummer sun, the dazzling sunlight illuminated the figure in the courtyard, revealing every detail.

Yuan Li wore a cyan-colored Chinese robe with a mandarin jacket, and a court hat. On his refined and handsome face, his eyes were deep and restrained, as if containing the vicissitudes of time.

At this moment, he walked alone, a smile appearing on his face.

"Lord Yuan! It's been many days since we last met, your demeanor is still as elegant as ever."

The moment Zhao Du'an saw Yuan Li, he stood up to greet him, instinctively blurting out flattering words.

The current Grand Censor of the Court of Judicial Review, the "leader of the Qingliu Party," Yuan Li shook his head and smiled, teasing him:

"It's been many days since we last met, but Zhao Jisi is still as glib as ever."

If outsiders were to see this scene, they would surely be greatly shocked.

It was surprising that two people with such different reputations, who shouldn't have appeared in the same place, were so familiar with each other.

It was also because the Grand Censor, who possessed both dignity and grace in front of the officials, would actually joke with a junior whose status was so far apart.

As for the two of them, although they hadn't seen each other for many days, this greeting, full of personality, quickly diluted the slight awkwardness.

"I don't dare to accept the title of 'Zhao Jisi,' Lord Yuan can just call me 'Little Zhao.'"

Zhao Du'an blinked, welcoming him to take a seat.

Can't get carried away!

Although he had recently risen to fame, it was all just empty reputation, and he was still worlds apart from the Grand Censor in front of him.

Little Zhao… Yuan Li couldn't help but smile, stepping into the hall and sitting down.

The wide sleeves fell down, particularly unrestrained and natural, but he didn't speak, instead carefully examining him for a moment.

Immediately, this Grand Censor, whose every move could make the Great Yu tremble, revealed a look of emotion:

"The last time I saw you, you were just a small envoy fighting with the Zhang brothers. In the blink of an eye, you've become the 'Little Yama' who can pull the Princess down from her horse. How long has it been? The younger generation is indeed to be feared."

He still remembered that in the "Downfall of Pei" case, Zhao Du'an, who was originally just an idle chess piece, used a brilliant strategy of sowing discord, participating in the vortex of court factional struggles as a mere small envoy, and successfully gained a share of the pie.

At that time, Yuan Li was already surprised in his heart.

Afterwards, fulfilling his promise and sending Zhao Du'an a gift, Yuan Li petitioned the Empress to transfer Zhao Du'an from the Baima Prison to the Imperial Edict Office.

At that time, he even made a bet with the Empress in the palace, but unexpectedly, both he and Xu Zhenguan underestimated him.

"Lord Yuan is too kind," Zhao Du'an said with a serious face, respectfully thanking him:

"This official was able to enter the Imperial Edict Office, thanks to Lord Yuan's recommendation. I will never forget this kindness."

Yuan Li waved his hand and smiled, scolding:

"You shouldn't resent me, being able to gain a foothold in the Pear Blossom Hall is your ability. Besides, if Her Majesty doesn't nod, my recommendation would be useless."

Zhao Du'an said with a look of agreement:

"Her Majesty treats me with kindness as great as rebirth. We ministers should do our best to share Her Majesty's worries."

Hearing this, Yuan Li gave a non-committal smile:

"You have an ulterior motive in your words. Speak, what are you here for suddenly?"

As he spoke, the Grand Censor raised his hand to take the teacup, and Zhao Du'an quickly handed it over, but didn't answer.

Instead, he used the action to cover up, observing the other party out of the corner of his eye, and said:

"Why doesn't Lord Yuan guess?"

Guess? Yuan Li sat leisurely, accepting the teacup offered by Zhao Du'an with both hands.

This Grand Censor, who had been through many ups and downs in the officialdom, smiled. How could he not hear the intention of his probing?

Bad probing is annoying, but good probing is not.

Zhao Du'an was proficient in this, knowing when and how to probe safely.

Sure enough, Yuan Li didn't show any anger, pretended to ponder for a moment, and smiled leisurely:

"It wouldn't be for Zhou Cheng, would it?"

Zhao Du'an was really surprised: "Lord Yuan knows?"

He only said the word "knows," but didn't explicitly refer to anything, which was the second probe.

Yuan Li didn't fall for it, smiling and asking back:

"What should I know?"

Zhao Du'an blinked, not saying a word, his mind running quickly, thinking about how to respond.

He complained in his heart that those who could get to this position were indeed shrewd people.

He didn't ask anything, but was instead turned into the host by the other party.

While hesitating and thinking, Yuan Li suddenly laughed loudly, feeling uninterested:

"Forget it, I'm too lazy to tease you. Her Majesty taught you to investigate Zhou Cheng, this official knows."

Zhao Du'an was both surprised and not surprised. After all, according to his understanding, Zhou Cheng and Li Yanfu were closely related.

And weakening the "Li Party" was obviously the common goal of the Empress and Yuan Li at the current stage.

He deliberately let out a long breath, looking embarrassed:

"Lord Yuan already knew…"

Moderate weakness was also a subtle way of flattering.

Yuan Li instead praised:

"Being cautious is not a bad thing. When working for Her Majesty, one should be like this. Alright, let's talk business. You're not investigating Zhou Cheng, what are you doing here? Could it be that you can't start? Can't find his flaws? Coming here to try your luck?"

This guess was not difficult to make.

Although the Court of Judicial Review was only a supervisory agency and was not good at "investigating," Yuan Li, as the leader of the Qingliu Party, naturally knew the important officials in the court like the back of his hand.

Pei Kai was like this in the past, and Zhou Cheng is the same today.

Yuan Li frowned and said:

"Zhou Cheng is extremely good at currying favor. When the eunuch Wang Zhen was in power, he was transferred back to the capital from the Provincial Administration Commissioner because he had established a relationship with him.

This kind of person is also extremely cautious, and it is indeed difficult to find enough leverage. In this regard, he is no less than Pei Kai.

But Pei Kai had relatives and children for you to seize leverage, but dealing with Zhou Cheng, I'm afraid it will be difficult to replicate."

Zhao Du'an asked curiously:

"Lord Yuan is in charge of the Court of Judicial Review, doesn't he have any leverage over Zhou Cheng either?"

Yuan Li shook his head and smiled, raising his hand and pointing at him, smiling and scolding:

"You're actually mocking this official, you've indeed grown bolder."

Zhao Du'an smiled cheekily, knowing that he wasn't angry.

Sure enough, after Yuan Li smiled and scolded him, he sighed softly and said:

"It's not that there's nothing at all, but they're all small things… In short, now that Her Majesty has a new dynasty, it's not good to mention them again."

Zhao Du'an's heart stirred, hearing some hidden meaning, it seemed that there were still some things inside.

But Yuan Li obviously didn't want to say it, and he wasn't in a hurry to ask.

Seeing that he wasn't saying anything, Yuan Li thought he was worried, and couldn't help but comfort him:

"You have solved cases quickly before, but you have also borrowed some geographical advantages and human harmony, or borrowed others' underestimation of your ability, or Pei Kai's youngest son, not being wary of you…

In short, it's all the accumulation of your bad reputation in the past year, but you can't always rely on it. Now that you're blocked, it's not a bad thing…"

"Ah?" Zhao Du'an raised his head and smiled:

"Lord Yuan has misunderstood, I'm not worried about not finding a breakthrough."

"Oh?" Yuan Li was surprised: "Then you are…"

Zhao Du'an smiled:

"Just now, this official obtained evidence of Zhou Cheng violating laws and disciplines, and wrongly killing an important court official. I have come to visit presumptuously to report to Lord Yuan."

Yuan Li was stunned.

…

Time is running out, updated in a hurry, a little short