The First Lackey Under The Empress

"Mm," Xu Zhenguan first nodded slightly, then her gaze fell on the slight morning dew on the female official's body, and her expression softened: "You've all worked hard, go and rest."

"Yes." All the attendants breathed a sigh of relief and dispersed to rest and recuperate.

Zhao Du'an followed beside the Empress, his eyes drifting back and forth between Mo Zhaorong and Xu Zhenguan, as if deep in thought.

… …

"Splash!"

Inside the Empress's bedroom, in a room located in a corner, Zhao Du'an stood up from a bathtub sprinkled with flower petals.

Water flowed down his body, tracing the masculine lines.

Strangely enough, even though he didn't practice diligently, his physique was getting better and better.

"Could it be that the training done in visualization also feeds back into reality?" Zhao Du'an speculated randomly.

He raised his hand and swept his hair back from his forehead, the water-soaked black hair plastered to his scalp, as if he had styled it with hair oil.

Stepping out of the bathtub, Little Zhao lowered his head and dried his body carefully.

Turning his head to look at the bathtub, he suddenly took a breath, then slowly struck the bathtub with a palm.

Inside his body, the originally white, turbulent aura suddenly turned light blue.

The palm wind blew into the bathtub, and a thin layer of ice slowly covered the surface of the water.

"A human-shaped refrigerator…" Zhao Du'an marveled.

The "Cloud Swallowing and Breath Exhaling Technique" taught by the Emperor Taizu was not a simple group attack AOE skill that involved blowing air, but could cover the originally "attribute-less" aura with frost damage.

"It won't be hot this summer. Isn't this much better than putting ice in the room?"

With a sigh, Zhao Du'an pushed the door open and went out.

He wanted to meet the Empress again, but learned that she was not in the bedroom.

Helpless, Zhao Du'an had to leave the palace first:

"Strange, where could Her Majesty have gone?"

… …

The Grand Inner Armory.

"This old servant greets Your Majesty."

In the quiet and deep courtyard, Hai, the eunuch in a python robe with a slightly hunched figure, bowed to greet the Empress, who floated in like a celestial being.

He said in surprise, "It's not the day for the routine practice yet, why did Your Majesty suddenly come here?"

Xu Zhenguan, dressed in white, fluttered gently and said calmly:

"Last night… I had some insights, so I came to observe the Taizu stone wall again."

Eunuch Hai couldn't hide his surprise.

One must know that it was extremely difficult for someone at the Empress's level to gain insights. How could she suddenly have some?

The old eunuch led the Empress into the depths of the armory, to the old building where the murals of Taizu were displayed.

He asked curiously.

In the past, Eunuch Hai often discussed cultivation insights with the Empress.

After all, he was an old immortal who had lived for two hundred years. Although his talent and realm were not as good as the Empress, he had much more experience.

Xu Zhenguan also respected him quite a bit. When it came to cultivation, she did not hide anything:

"Last night, after I helped that Zhao Du'an digest the medicinal power in the Yuan Ancestral Temple, it was late at night, so I simply sat down and cultivated. I don't know why, but the visualization was extremely smooth, and the ancestors in my dreams were also much more vivid."

"Is that so?" Eunuch Hai was surprised at first, then pondered for a moment and said:

"If it's not a coincidence, then the only difference lies between the Yuan Ancestral Temple and that Zhao Du'an."

Xu Zhenguan frowned:

"In the past, when I cultivated in the Yuan Ancestral Temple, there was nothing special about it. So, could it be related to that little Imperial Guard?"

She found it incredible.

A mere mortal realm, and she had already seen clearly inside and outside Zhao Du'an's body. Besides that restless thing, there was nothing special about him.

Eunuch Hai suddenly said:

"I remember that in the Taizu Emperor's records, there was a passage about cultivation.

It was when Emperor Taizu discussed Buddhism with the people of the Western Region Buddhist sect, and talked about the 'Joyful Zen,' which was also a taboo in the Western Region.

He once said that the so-called 'Great Joyful Ode of Heaven and Earth Yin and Yang Intercourse' was despicable, but it was not without its merits.

Heaven and earth are yin and yang. If cultivators want to reach the perfect and ultimate realm, yin and yang complementing each other is also a clear path.

It's just that among the thousands of people in the world, it is extremely difficult to find someone who can match each other in the path of cultivation."

Xu Zhenguan was stunned, and it took her a while to understand the euphemistic meaning that the old eunuch in the python robe wanted to express.

Shame and annoyance appeared on her fair cheeks, and she said unhappily:

"Eunuch Hai is thinking too much. How could I be… suitable with him? Besides, that so-called method of reconciliation is not the right path. Few strong people in ancient and modern times have relied on these."

Eunuch Hai smiled and cupped his hands:

"I suppose this old servant is thinking too much."

But in his heart, he thought:

Indeed, no strong people in ancient and modern times have relied on dual cultivation, this kind of heretical path, to reach the peak.

But they are also surrounded by the opposite sex, after all, they have been reconciled.

And the Empress is obviously severely imbalanced… But these words should be stopped at the right time.

Xu Zhenguan changed the subject:

"In my opinion, maybe it's caused by the hidden aura of the Dragon Soul."

Dragon Soul…

Mentioning this topic, Hai, the eunuch who was always frivolous and liked to joke, also rarely became serious and sighed:

"Is Your Majesty still not giving up on the Dragon Soul?

In the past, Emperor Taizu walked around the four directions of the earth on foot, walked out of the Martial God Road, and cultivated a mouthful of 'Profound Yellow True Qi' on the way, which was domineering and unparalleled.

It's strange to say that countless talented warriors in later generations also learned from Taizu's route, but none of them realized the 'Profound Yellow Qi'.

It can only be attributed to Taizu's amazing talent.

Later, because he became emperor and possessed the great dragon vein of a country, that mouthful of Profound Yellow Qi evolved into dragon energy and was called the 'Dragon Soul,' which was a first-class treasure in the world.

Unfortunately, the qi followed the person, and after Emperor Taizu returned to heaven, the Dragon Soul also disappeared without a trace…

It's just that the emperors of the past have never given up, and they often perceive the dragon energy escaping in the palace, especially in the Yuan Ancestral Temple, guessing that the Dragon Soul has not completely dissipated, but is hidden in the depths of the palace…

But no matter the emperors of the past, or Your Majesty, you have also investigated countless times, but found nothing. That dragon energy is probably just the afterglow of the dragon vein's turbulence…"

Xu Zhenguan was silent. How could she not know these things?

It was just that she always held a glimmer of hope.

After Taizu's death, although the Da Yu Dynasty continued for six hundred years, no emperor could reach Taizu's height.

Now, relying on the emperor's luck, she barely squeezed into the "Pseudo Heavenly Human Realm," but she felt a great sense of urgency in her heart.

If she could find that "Dragon Soul" and swallow it into her body, her cultivation would surely step into a new realm.

Even if she couldn't catch up with Emperor Taizu, it would be enough to look down on the world.

Nor did she need to be on guard against the other "Three Celestials" all day long.

Not to mention the hidden "reclusive" powerhouses beyond the borders of the Great Yu.

"Forget it," Xu Zhenguan sighed, and said:

"Recently, I have been busy with government affairs, and the time for cultivation has been much less. In a few days, the Academy of Scholarly Affairs will open, and many scholars will share the burden for me, so I can free up some time."

Eunuch Hai asked: "Does Your Majesty want to seclude herself for a while?"

"Yes, but I have to wait a while, at least until I have dealt with the recent turmoil in the court."

Xu Zhenguan narrowed her phoenix eyes:

"Successively removing Pei Kai and Zhou Cheng… the implementation of the New Policies will be much smoother next.

But… alas, the country that my father left behind is truly riddled with holes.

I have been in the deep palace for a long time, and I am not good at recuperating and managing the people's livelihood and commerce. If the Academy of Scholarly Affairs can produce an ‘Imperial Patchwork Artisan’, it would be the blessing of the Great Yu's people."

The people of the capital only knew that in the past six months, the court had been in constant turmoil, and officials had fallen one after another.

But they did not know that behind all of this was the Empress's grand scheme.

…

…

In the next two days, the aftermath of Zhou Cheng's downfall continued to spread.

Zhao Du'an stayed at home, not participating, but instead actively giving the remaining opportunities to make contributions to the Imperial Prison, the Ministry of Justice, and the Censorate.

When he ate meat, he always left enough broth for others. This was his consistent method.

As expected.

After the Xue Lin case was overturned, many officials involved in the past were implicated. The Empress was murderous, and several more people were successively removed from their posts.

At the same time, the unjustly dead of that year were vindicated.

Those with descendants were given compensation.

Some officials who had been demoted were also re-employed. It was conceivable that these people naturally became loyal "Imperial Party" members.

It is worth mentioning that:

Lu Zhi was officially promoted to Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, while Zhou Cheng's position was still vacant.

Zhao Du'an recommended him, and this time there was really not much personal gain involved.

He thought to himself that he could no longer be considered a good person in this life, but if he could promote a good official and reduce the number of wrongful convictions, it would be good after all.

In the blink of an eye, it was the Qiqiao Festival (Double Seventh Festival).

On this day, the festive atmosphere among the people diluted the bloody storm in the court.

Zhao Du'an changed into casual clothes and went out shopping with his stepmother and younger sister in a carriage.

The weather was clear and sunny, and men and women on the street were walking together in pairs, lively and extraordinary.

You Jinhua and Zhao Pan sat in the carriage, looking out, chattering excitedly.

"Oh, Brother, why are there still candied hawthorns for sale at this time of year?"

You Jinhua looked out of the carriage in surprise.

Because it was stuffy outside, the beautiful stepmother wore a low-cut dress.

Even so, she was still sweating profusely from the heat, her chest was slippery, and she kept fanning herself with a small fragrant fan.

Zhao Du'an could have used his Qi to send cold air into the carriage.

But he was wickedly bad, only covering his own pores with cold air, ignoring others.

Zhao Pan keenly noticed that it was cooler near him, and leaned towards him slightly.

But the relationship between the siblings had just eased, and she was still a little embarrassed.

Hearing this, she said:

"Mother, I heard that recently there has been a large amount of cheap ice for sale in the capital, far below the market price. Some vendors use ice to preserve candied hawthorns, covering them with cotton cloth to prevent them from melting. They sell them very expensively, just to make a big profit during the festival."

You Jinhua said:

"Could it also be ice made with saltpeter? I thought before that if Brother could get that recipe, others would definitely know about it too."

The stepmother still thought that Zhao Du'an had heard the saltpeter recipe from somewhere else.

Therefore, she did not doubt the cheap ice that appeared on the market in large quantities, only thinking that it was sold by merchants.

Zhao Du'an smiled, knowing that the Heavenly Master's Mansion's sales channels had spread out.

It had only been half a month, and it had not been sold for long, so the money had probably not been returned much.

He was not in a hurry. It was time to ask Jin Jian for a share when the dog days were about to pass.

"Stop the carriage."

Zhao Du'an shouted, went down to the street, and bought three strings of red hawthorn candied hawthorns to bring back.

One for him, his stepmother, and his younger sister.

You Jinhua felt sorry for the money, but her stepson only said:

"Today is the Qiqiao Festival, so consider it a gift for you women."

The two beauties, one big and one small, happily accepted.

Zhao Du'an couldn't help but sigh that the women in his family were too easy to fool. If it were in his previous life, he would have to offer a big red envelope.

"Brother! You're here too, my dear big brother!"

Suddenly, a short man wrapped in silk clothes, wrapped in gauze, with a bruised nose and swollen face,窜 out from a distance.

Qin Qiu rolled over flatteringly, calling "Mother" and "Sister" sweetly to the two women, scaring the two women pale.

Zhao Du'an kicked him away and said indifferently:

"Stop scaring people. You've only been out of prison for a few days. Why are you wandering around the streets instead of recuperating?"

He did not delve into Qin Qiu's "betrayal" in the Zhou Cheng case.

Firstly, the other party had tried to speak for him in court that day, and his choice of sides was correct.

Secondly, after all, Qin Qiu was beaten like this and suffered too much. He was also implicated by him.

Anyway, he was just a lackey. Master Zhao Du'an was generous and did not intend to promote him, but he was too lazy to target him.

Qin Qiu smiled obsequiously:

"Today is the day to confiscate the Zhou Cheng's traitor's house. It's next door. Aren't you here to see the confiscation?"

Zhao Du'an was stunned. He really didn't pay attention to the subsequent broken things, and frowned:

"Isn't the Zhou residence not here?"

Qin Qiu said:

"This is one of the Zhou thief's private residences. Hey, you don't know, this old thief Zhou has a pile of private residences, hiding countless properties."

With the mentality of watching a show, Zhao Du'an asked the servants to accompany the women to shop in nearby shops.

He himself carried a string of big candied hawthorns and followed Qin Qiu around a street.

He saw a magnificent mansion surrounded by officials from the Peony Hall of the Imperial Prison.

Carriages were moving Zhou's criminal property out.

Suddenly, he raised his eyebrows and noticed two figures not far away.

…

These two chapters write some daily life to ease the rhythm. The layout will be changed after the update.