The First Lackey Under The Empress

“Your Majesty…” Zhao Du’an felt a sudden unease, instinctively shrinking back.

He was scared.

“… …” Xu Zhenguan was helpless, thinking, aren't you usually very bold? Back in the palace, you even dared to confess to me.

Your eyes were never very honest either, so why are you being so timid today?

“I order you to come and sit here.” She could only emphasize her tone.

Zhao Du’an had no choice but to bite the bullet, stand up, and step over to sit on the small couch on the Empress's side of the carriage, maintaining a certain distance.

“Come closer,” Xu Zhenguan sighed, reaching out to pat the space beside her.

“Oh.” Zhao Du’an became increasingly suspicious and uncertain. He keenly sensed that the Empress was acting strangely today.

Tensing his heartstrings, he cautiously scooted his butt over, sitting down next to the Empress.

Because they were too close, the moment he sat down, he keenly felt a wave of heat beside him.

It was the heat radiating from the Empress's body, accompanied by a faint fragrance. The sultry air of a dog day combined to create an indescribable atmosphere.

Both of them sat upright and stiff, but they were very close together.

Staring straight ahead, they looked exactly like a couple in a period drama, sitting side by side facing the camera in a photo studio.

Highlighting their stiffness.

“Your Majesty…” Zhao Du’an was extremely nervous, feeling like disaster was imminent, and he simply didn't have the mind to let his thoughts wander.

Although Xu Zhenguan appeared calm and composed on the outside, the subtle movements of her body also revealed that her heart was not as peaceful as it seemed.

She said:

“It has been some time since you broke through to the high ranks. I just observed that your aura seems slightly stagnant, and I fear you may have encountered a problem in your cultivation. Today, I will simply examine you.”

These words were naturally a fabrication, just a plausible excuse.

“Thank you for Your Majesty's graciousness…”

Zhao Du’an felt that the Empress's words sounded a bit fake, but he had no evidence, so he cautiously probed:

“Your Majesty can observe my physique with your divine sense, right?”

Xu Zhenguan said calmly:

“Divine sense probing is ultimately flawed. I will infuse your body with qi to examine your meridians later.”

More lies.

Today, she mainly wanted to verify whether there was a mutual influence on cultivation between herself and this little imperial guard.

Naturally, she couldn't replace it with divine sense.

Of course, it was impossible for the Empress to try anything like the Yin-Yang Great Bliss Empowerment of the Western Regions Buddhist monks, as Eunuch Hai had said, in this carriage…

Therefore, she only intended to probe slightly, but even without trying any “dual cultivation,” there would still be physical contact.

Verification would be clearer that way.

“Oh, oh.” Zhao Du’an panicked even more, feeling that the Empress had noticed his little secret.

But he couldn't resist, so he pondered for a moment and asked:

“Do I need to visualize?”

He was thinking that if he visualized later, he wouldn't talk to Old Xu and would try to conceal it as much as possible.

“No need.” Xu Zhenguan had no idea what the little martial artist beside her was thinking:

“Just send qi. Later, you will perform breathing exercises and circulate the Heavenly Circuit in the usual way. No need to visualize.”

Zhao Du’an silently breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, could it be that he had guessed wrong?

Just examining the meridians, not involving the secret of the Martial God Diagram?

Seeing that he was not moving, Xu Zhenguan had no choice but to put on a stern face and say, “Your hand.”

“Ah?”

“… … Infusing qi requires hand contact.”

Huh?

If he hadn't misunderstood…

He turned his head, subconsciously looking at the slender hand of the white-clothed Empress.

Inside the royal carriage, the female emperor who had removed her crown sat upright, her naturally flawless jade-like skin making her a beautiful sight to behold.

Her two hands were slightly curled up, placed on her legs. It was a particularly stiff posture, with deliberate and unnatural movements.

On the left side, which was the side closer to him, her fair and slender jade fingers slowly unfolded.

On the root of her thigh, her palm was flattened upward, with her fingers spread open.

After thinking about it, she raised it again, hovering in the air in the gap between the two of them.

“… … Look ahead.” Xu Zhenguan ordered.

Zhao Du’an turned his head sharply, sitting side by side with her, staring at the bright yellow curtain that swayed slightly as the carriage moved forward.

Where was there any need for instructions?

He opened his well-proportioned right hand, palm down, his heart suddenly beating a little faster:

“I… am I coming?”

“Why so much nonsense,” Xu Zhenguan seemed displeased, “A doctor is just examining a patient, you don't need to worry.”

A righteous and confident tone.

“Oh…”

Zhao Du’an thought, this is what you asked for… Without needing to use his eyes, relying only on memory, his large hand naturally covered hers.

Contact, adjust position, fingers intertwined.

Silence.

How to describe it?

Zhao Du’an really wanted to find an elegant verse to describe it, but for a moment he couldn't think of one, only feeling boneless tenderness, bringing a slight coolness in this hot summer day.

Making the small boat in his heart gently sway.

“… …” Xu Zhenguan had a moment of stiffness. Although her eyes did not stray, she could cheat. Her invisible divine sense had already enveloped the surroundings.

The first thought that popped into her mind was:

Are my hands so small?

They usually don't look that different, how can the contrast be so great now…

Then there were indescribable subtle feelings.

The mind of a great cultivator in the Heaven-Man Realm, which had never wavered even when facing thousands of troops, was somewhat swaying.

Actually, it wouldn't have been like this. Just as she said, a doctor was just examining a patient, how could there be other thoughts.

But perhaps it was because of Eunuch Hai's words that day, which had given her a not-so-small suggestion.

Coupled with the contact during this period of time and the deliberately released “rumors,” they jointly shook her mind slightly at this moment.

But the Empress quickly calmed down and began to circulate qi.

Zhao Du’an also closed his eyes, clearly feeling a cool stream pouring into his palm.

A stream of pure gold, noble and turbulent, flowed from the Empress's meridians and into his body.

The Qi within his Qi Sea, far paler in color, reacted instinctively, attempting to resist, but was easily suppressed, not even causing a ripple.

If it were different inheritances, the Qi energies clashing would inevitably cause damage.

But at this moment, the two strands of Qi energy, sharing the same origin, immediately merged into one.

Then, Zhao Du'an clearly sensed that the Qi energy within his body was completely out of his control, flowing slowly through the Heavenly Circuit under the Empress's manipulation.

It was as if he had activated an idle mode, his body cultivating on its own.

After completing a full cycle of the Heavenly Circuit, the Qi energy that had merged the two of them flowed back into the Empress's meridians, also completing a cycle.

When it returned again, Zhao Du'an faintly sensed that the Qi energy had become slightly more vigorous.

But he didn't think much of it, assuming it was just some of the Empress's power dissipating.

Xu Zhenguan's feelings were even clearer.

She was absolutely certain that as the two strands of Qi energy merged, the speed of her breathing and cultivation had increased slightly.

It was a small increase, but it definitely existed!

The Empress was stunned, so what the Sea Offering said was true… It had nothing to do with the Yuan Ancestor Temple, but only with this little forbidden soldier.

But… why?

Although there were few people who practiced the Royal Martial Arts, it wasn't as if there were none.

Not to mention the eunuchs, even the princes and other members of the royal family, such as the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, had cultivated together as siblings in the past, but they had never had such an effect.

Could it really be that their physiques were compatible?

She was not sure, so she tried another round, and then a third round.

Unconsciously, as the number of Heavenly Circuit cycles increased, Zhao Du'an felt hotter and hotter, and his originally calm mind became inexplicably agitated.

Xu Zhenguan felt the same way, but she knew very well that it was caused by the cultivation method.

Once the Yin and Yang energies of Heaven and Earth converged, they would tend to move closer together.

She decisively stopped breathing and opened her beautiful eyes, saying:

"Fortunately, perhaps because of the Futen relationship, your Yang Qi is hot and dry, so there is no major problem."

Zhao Du'an also opened his eyes and nodded:

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your diagnosis."

The corners of Xu Zhenguan's mouth twitched, and she said helplessly:

"Then what are you still holding on to… We're almost near the Zhao Yamen, you should get off."

"Oh, oh." Zhao Du'an reluctantly withdrew his hand, got up, and took his leave.

The Empress ordered the royal carriage to stop and watched Zhao Du'an leave.

When she was the only one left in the spacious carriage, she took a deep breath, raised her hand, looked at the sweat on her palm, and became somewhat lost in thought.

It really works… but…

It's not very meaningful.

The difference in cultivation realm between the two sides is too great.

As a result, the cultivation bonus does exist, but… the increase is very limited.

As for the insights gained in the Yuan Ancestor Temple that night, they have not occurred again today.

With the Empress's current cultivation, the little bonus provided by Zhao Du'an cannot be said to be meaningless, but it is negligible.

Considering the cost…

"Hoo, that's good." Xu Zhenguan breathed a sigh of relief for some reason.

But in her mind, a thought involuntarily emerged:

He is useless in the Mortal Body Realm, but what if he reaches the Worldly Realm?

Will it be different?

"Forget it, how easy is it to step into the Worldly Realm? Even with the Royal Cultivation Method, it will take ten years of hard work…"

Xu Zhenguan shook her head.

In short… it's still early.

Instead of thinking about this, it is better to search for the "Dragon Soul" left behind by the Great Ancestor.

She always suspected that the Dragon Soul might still exist in the world, and even be hidden in the palace.

But she could never find it, not knowing where it was hidden.

Shaking her head, Xu Zhenguan spoke, summoning Mo Zhaorong, who was following behind:

"Tonight, I will seclude myself for some time, not for long, about half a month.

If there is nothing important, do not disturb me. Now that the Xiuwen Hall has been established, you can discuss any decisions with Grand Tutor Dong. If you are not sure, wait for me to come out of seclusion."

She had been working hard on government affairs for a long time and had not been in seclusion for a long time. Now she was finally relieved.

As for the new policy, it was impossible to formulate it in a short time. With Grand Tutor Dong in charge, she only needed to review and decide on it in the end.

Mo Zhaorong nodded in agreement: "Yes."

When the bright yellow carriage curtain was lowered and the carriage drove back to the palace, Mo Chou stood in place with a changing expression.

Based on a woman's keen intuition, she realized that Her Majesty was a little strange today.

… …

… …

"Hoo, I finally escaped."

Nearby, at the entrance of a street alley, Zhao Du'an exhaled deeply, his expression strange.

Just now in the carriage, he was clearly cultivating seriously, his mind clear, but later he became inexplicably distracted, and Little Zhao was restless.

"This is not normal! There's something strange!"

Zhao Du'an rubbed his face and activated the "Frost Qi Energy" to calm his mind, but he couldn't figure out the reason.

"Weird, weird…"

Zhao Du'an had a headache, not understanding whether he had exposed anything.

After pondering for a long time, he shook his head and threw the doubts to the back of his mind, avoiding mental exhaustion.

Calming his mind, he walked out of the alley, his stomach rumbling, even hungrier.

With a sweep of his gaze, he prepared to find something to eat first.

However, just as he was hesitating about what to eat for lunch.

Suddenly, an elegant carriage slowly stopped in front of him.

The curtain of the carriage was lifted.

Revealing the gentle face of "The Capital's Number One Talent," Han Zhou:

"Envoy Zhao, we meet again."

… …

ps: I used to be locked by the mythical beast, which made me always feel frightened when writing the interaction plot between the male and female protagonists. This level should not trigger the mythical beast, right?

Thank you grapeforest for the 500 coin reward support