The First Lackey Under The Empress

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The night deepened, and when Zhao Du'an returned to his home, he found the lights were on.

"The young master is back!"

The old steward opened the door, a look of joy appearing on his tired and worried face, and loudly announced the news.

Soon after, his stepmother and younger sister, who had not yet gone to sleep, arrived together.

Clearly, Zhao Du'an's sudden departure earlier had caused concern among his family, especially given the conflict that had occurred during the day.

"It's nothing, just some official business at the yamen, I went to take care of it," Zhao Du'an casually lied.

His plump and beautiful stepmother lightly patted her heavy breasts, let out a long sigh of relief, and with a restored smile, said with concern:

"Are you hungry? Your aunt has left you some food."

What food… something to eat or drink?

…Zhao Du'an was a little tired and didn't feel like joking, so he said:

"Have the servants bring it to my room."

After a day of running around, even with his martial artist's abundant energy, he didn't have much energy at the moment.

…

Inside the bedroom.

Zhao Du'an devoured the food like a whirlwind, filling his stomach. With his energy somewhat restored, he stroked his belly in a daze.

After repeated attempts, he confirmed that the dragon soul within his Qi Sea had fallen into a deep sleep, and there were no defects other than being of great benefit to his cultivation.

"Fortunately, I thought it would need to eat something too…" Zhao Du'an silently complained.

Shaking his head, he temporarily put this matter behind him, got up, and took off his outer clothes.

He removed his damp inner clothes, soaked from the river water, and threw himself onto the bed.

His strong body was exposed to the air, his hands behind his head, and he began to recall the content of his conversation with the Empress.

"The one who attacked me this time is Li Yanfu's son… that Junior Grand Secretary, sigh… as my achievements increase, I will eventually encounter the higher-ups of the Li faction."

"Zhenbao said she hopes I will be removed from the Xiūwén Institute next, because she's worried I'll be affected by the aftermath… It's right to be cautious, but being cautious all the time is a strategic retreat."

"This time, she vented her anger for me and taught a group of scholars a lesson, which was satisfying, but the feud with that Junior Grand Secretary will only deepen.

Well, next, the Li faction's main focus should be on blocking the New Policies, and they won't have time to find trouble with me for the time being, but as soon as they free up their hands, they will eventually come after me…"

"If you don't kill a snake completely, you will suffer from it… but with my mere sixth-rank position, I'm not enough to bring down the other party… but who says that if you can't bring them down, you can't do anything?

Zhenbao also deals with the Li faction by chipping away at them bit by bit, gradually weakening them… I can also borrow this idea, not seeking to defeat them in one fell swoop, but seeking to make progress little by little…"

"Junior Grand Secretary, heh, Li Yinglong… it is impolite not to reciprocate, does he really think that just because he tricked me once, that's the end of it?"

Zhao Du'an thought about his plans, his eyelids drooped, and weariness surged like a tide, and he fell into a drowsy sleep.

…

…

The same night.

In front of the Li residence, a sedan chair slowly landed.

Li Yinglong, nearly forty years old, with delicate features, a high nose bridge, and deep-set eyes, stepped out of the sedan chair and, surrounded by servants, walked into his own residence.

As the "Junior Grand Secretary", a dignified Vice Minister, his residence was naturally grand and spacious, and extremely luxurious.

Even a random stone in the courtyard was a rare stone transported from thousands of miles away, outside the capital, at great expense of manpower.

Li Yinglong's daily life was also extremely extravagant, as evidenced by his fondness for riding in sedan chairs.

If it weren't for this, he wouldn't have been able to become the "Number One纨绔 (Wánkù - rich playboy) in the Capital" back in his youth.

Even though he was nearly forty years old now, his extravagance had not diminished, and the old foxes in the capital's officialdom all knew that the Junior Grand Secretary loved women most.

In addition to his legal wife, he had more than five concubines—this was still limited by the 'Yu Law', which only allowed six slots, but he often replaced them.

Not only that, but he also had many rare hobbies.

A large number of maids were kept in the mansion, and every winter, he would select those with strong physiques to stand around Li Yinglong in a circle, using their bodies to shield him from the cold wind.

This was called a "Meat Screen."

When close guests arrived, banquets would be held in the mansion, without tables and chairs, and all the plates would be held by beautiful concubines, kneeling and serving the guests.

This was beautifully called "A Feast for the Eyes."

It was only because he had to consider public morals to some extent that Zhao Du'an had no doubt that Li Yinglong would have created a human body platter…

At this time, the maids and concubines in the mansion came out to greet him, saying in unison:

"Master."

Li Yinglong's face was gloomy, and he was in a bad mood.

Seeing these women, he couldn't help but become more irritable and waved his hand:

"Get lost."

The concubines were as quiet as cicadas in winter, not knowing why the master was angry, and hurriedly scattered like frightened birds and beasts.

Li Yinglong sat in the hall with a golden sword, drank a mouthful of tea offered by a servant, and the anger in his heart gradually subsided: "Is the Sixth Madam asleep?"

Next to him, the old nanny in the mansion said: "The lights in the room are not off, does Master want to go over and sleep?"

The Sixth Madam was a new "Auntie" that Li Yinglong had forcibly taken in not long ago.

It was said that one day, the Junior Grand Secretary went out for drinks and accidentally caught sight of a young and beautiful woman, and his heart was stirred, and he liked her very much.

After sending someone to investigate, he learned that this woman was originally a courtesan from Jiangnan, and was later married to a merchant surnamed Hu. This time, she came to the capital with her husband to sell goods.

In this day and age, doing business inevitably involves some gray methods.

After Li Yinglong found out, he sent someone to investigate again, caught the mistake of the Hu merchant in handling affairs, and used some tricks to involve him in a case, turning a small matter into a big one.

He sent him back to his original home and threw him into prison, and the merchant's wife was also brought into his room by him using his power.

In order to free up a spot, the original "Sixth Madam" was abandoned.

The whole process was legal and reasonable. Low-level纨绔 (Wánkù - rich playboys) would only molest respectable women, while high-level纨绔 (Wánkù - rich playboys) would do things flawlessly.

It's just that after the new Sixth Madam entered the mansion, she washed her face with tears all day long. She was an unyielding person. Under her elegant appearance was a wild horse that was difficult to tame.

Li Yinglong had not yet been able to subdue her.

"Okay, let's go take a look." Li Yinglong got up and, accompanied by a nanny, arrived at the side room of Madam Liu's courtyard.

Sure enough, he saw the silhouette of a woman reflected on the window paper.

As if hearing the noise, the Sixth Madam in the room was startled, and suddenly stood up, coldly saying:

"Who?!"

Li Yinglong now revealed a smile, as if forgetting the unpleasantness Zhao Du'an had caused him, and said softly:

"Madam Lin, it's me..."

"Get out!"

Inside the room, the woman with a fiery temperament said coldly, startling the old nanny, but she saw that the master beside her was not angry at all.

Li Yinglong advised kindly:

"Madam Lin, as the saying goes, a day as husband and wife is a hundred days of grace. You are already my concubine, living in a high-ranking mansion in the capital, isn't that a hundred times better than being a mere merchant's woman?"

Inside the room, the woman's shoulders trembled, and she said hoarsely:

"If you dare to enter again, I will risk my life..."

"Alas! What are you saying!" Li Yinglong said unhappily:

"If I don't enter, then I won't. In your eyes, am I really that unbearable?"

Saying that, he actually flicked his sleeves and left, with a hint of anger on his face.

The old nanny beside him said:

"Master, please calm down. Sixth Madam hasn't been here long, and she can't get over that hurdle yet. This old servant has been trying to persuade her these days. I believe that in a couple of days, after she accepts reality, she won't be like this."

Li Yinglong nodded:

"Hopefully. However, don't push her too hard."

Saying that, the Little Grand Secretary, who had not been able to sleep with a woman as he wished, inexplicably thought of the culprit who had caused him so much trouble today.

"Zhao Du'an..."

Li Yinglong's eyes were gloomy, and remembering his father's instructions, he could only suppress his anger.

For the next period of time, he and the Grand Chancellor needed to work hard to resist the New Policies, and for the time being, they should avoid causing unnecessary trouble.

"I'll let you jump around for a while."

Inside the side room.

Beautiful and refined, with an oval face and silkworm eyebrows, although she was born as a courtesan, she had a scholarly temperament about her.

Madam Lin, whose appearance was not inferior to that of a young lady from a high-ranking family, had tears in her eyes, and her hands tightly grasped a pair of scissors, fiercely pointing them towards the door of the room.

Until the sound of footsteps outside the door faded away, confirming that Li Yinglong would not "visit" her tonight.

The scissors in Madam Lin's hand fell to the ground with a "clang", and she, draped in a light gauze robe, fell on the table, looking towards the direction of Jiangnan, with tears streaming down her face.

Who can save her?

Probably...

She can only accept her fate, right?

......

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, the officials entered the Meridian Gate early.

Inside the palace, the gate of the Yuan Ancestral Temple opened with a bang, and the Empress slowly walked out, looking at the group of female officials waiting outside the gate with their heads bowed, her gaze falling on Mo Zhaorong, who was at the head.

On the ice block's tray, there was the crown and dragon robe for the court session.

"Your Majesty. The Grand Tutor and a group of courtiers are already outside the Meridian Gate."

Xu Zhenguan "En"ed, her beautiful eyes sharp:

"Attend court."

She knew that today was the day the New Policies would be officially launched.

At that time, what awaited her was the resistance of countless aristocratic families and gentry of the entire Dayu Dynasty, as well as the officials and scholars from those backgrounds.

......

On this day, a piece of news quickly spread throughout the capital.

It was said that during the early court session, Grand Tutor Dong Xuan presented the Empress with three New Policy strategies after her ascension to the throne, causing a shock among the officials.

On the spot, a large number of officials opposed it, pointing out the various drawbacks of the three strategies.

Furthermore, many officials from the Six Departments and the Censorate criticized it, believing that the person who drafted the strategies was worthy of being condemned, and was merely engaging in empty talk. If implemented, the country would be ruined...

This piece of news, like a bomb, attracted the attention of countless people with a bang.

As a result, the disturbance in Zhai Garden yesterday was temporarily ignored.

As for Zhao Du'an, at this critical moment, he returned the badge of Outside-Editor Scholar, decisively withdrawing and avoiding this storm.

And for the next period of time.

Things really went as Xu Zhenguan had said, the entire court was almost as noisy as a vegetable market.

The Empress looked down from above, overlooking the infighting of various forces. This struggle concerning the division of interests of the entire Dayu Dynasty was also like adding oil to a raging fire.

In this summer, when the hot days were gradually passing, it became more and more intense.

Anyone who rashly approached would be burned to ashes.

And Zhao Du'an, who had originally been the focus of many people's attention, suddenly disappeared and was gradually "forgotten" by people for the time being.

......

"Netizens are always forgetful... The best way to cool down an incident is to have a bigger hot topic appear."

Baima Prison, in the small courtyard of the back office.

Zhao Du'an, who was slightly drunk, was talking nonsense.

Opposite him, Sun Lianying, the old Secretary Supervisor, who was wearing a loose official robe and had frost on his temples, said drunkenly:

"What are you saying, brat? This old man didn't hear clearly."

"It's nothing," Zhao Du'an hugged the wine jar, retracting his gaze from a corner of the eaves, that is, the direction of the palace, and muttered:

"Is Your Majesty just letting the various parties fight to a standstill? No, I feel that even Grand Tutor Dong may not be able to withstand it."

Sun Lianying narrowed his eyes, and this experienced eunuch sighed:

"For such a major event, Your Majesty cannot immediately intervene. She must, and can only, sit on the dragon chair and watch, allowing the imperial party led by Dong Xuan to charge into the battle, and then decide when to make a final decision based on the situation. If she directly issues an edict, although it can also be forcibly implemented, that would be leaving no room for maneuver. It is far better to let them fight it out first..."

"Besides, your three strategies, boy, have cut into the interests of too many officials. How can they not fight?"

"It's you, though, who caused such a big storm with a few words, but you ran away and are idle all day long, looking for this old man to drink. It's as if the court has nothing to do with you."

Zhao Du'an put down the wine jar and got up to leave:

"What does the court dispute have to do with me, a mere sixth-rank junior investigator?"

"Hey, where are you going?"

"I have something to do."

Thank you to Leng vs Luo for the 100-point coin reward support