The First Lackey Under The Empress

"Yes!"

Hou Renmeng, the rebellious leader of Pear Blossom Hall, who was temporarily acting as the "coachman" today, responded.

He raised his hand and gently pressed down the brim of his sun hat, then flicked his wrist, cracking the whip.

The group of officials in plain clothes headed straight for Shenlong Temple.

… …

On the other side, a luxurious carriage that departed from the Li residence was also heading towards Shenlong Temple.

Inside the carriage, the sixth concubine of the Junior Grand Secretary, a woman respectfully addressed as Lady Lin, sat quietly, like a lifeless piece of withered wood.

Or a beautiful skeleton devoid of a soul.

Across from her sat a maid arranged by Li Yinglong, who appeared respectful but was actually staring intently at "Sixth Madam," not missing the slightest movement.

Today, Lady Lin was wearing a plain white dress, which made her look particularly pretty and charming.

But only she knew that this white dress symbolized a kind of heartbreak, an attitude of guarding her heart for her husband.

Well, it could only be an attitude.

Even… …

She worried that as the days went by, with the persuasion of that Li family嬷嬷, she would eventually become completely numb.

Adapting to the new life, willingly submitting to the enemy who separated her from her husband.

Lady Lin clearly knew the terrifying power of human adaptability to the environment.

When she was in Jiangnan, she had personally witnessed too many courtesans, each of whom initially held the firm idea of saving money to redeem themselves.

But in the end, with the passage of time, they could no longer muster the courage to leave.

Even to the point of being assimilated, treating the life of a courtesan as their final destination.

Because of this, although she was quickly gaining fame in Jiangnan due to her talent and beauty, attracting many literati and scholars.

At her peak, she was only one step away from reaching the top of the courtesan rankings.

She resolutely chose to retire, not marrying any powerful figures as a concubine, but instead following her own heart and choosing a merchant who was not very prominent at the time as her husband.

In just a few years, her husband's business grew bigger and bigger, and Lady Lin also bid farewell to the past.

This time entering Beijing, she was both accompanying her husband on a business trip and wanting to see the number one majestic city of the Great Yu Dynasty with her own eyes.

But unexpectedly, she stepped into purgatory.

During this time in the Li residence, she felt like she was trapped in a cage, missing her husband day and night, and all she could do was go to the temple to pray for him.

Fortunately, the hypocritical Li Yinglong had not completely confined her.

Perhaps in order to make her change her mind sooner, or perhaps because he was recently busy with court affairs and neglected to pay attention, he actually allowed her to go out for some fresh air.

At this moment, Lady Lin's beautiful and refined face looked out through the swaying curtains at the bustling and prosperous streets, and her depressed mood could not help but ease a little.

… …

Shortly.

The Li residence's carriage stopped outside Shenlong Temple.

"Madam, we've arrived," the maid in the carriage said calmly:

"Our family doesn't need to squeeze with those lowly commoners to offer incense and pray to the Buddha outside; we can go directly to the hall at the back, which is much quieter."

Shenlong Temple occupied a large area, and several courtyards in the front were available for pilgrims to worship.

But even before the Buddha, there was rank and status, and the esteemed pilgrims who made regular donations had special "VIP" rooms, and the Li family was naturally within that category.

"Mm."

Lady Lin uttered a faint nasal sound as a response.

She quite disliked the superior attitude of the Li family's servants.

At this moment, she stepped out of the carriage with lotus-like steps, while the guards driving the carriage watched her vigilantly, without saying a word.

"I can't run away," Lady Lin said with a hint of sarcasm.

The guard merely cupped his fist: "Please forgive me, Madam."

The guards and maids were naturally there to monitor her.

At this moment, a young novice monk had already taken the initiative to step forward, and upon seeing that it was the Li family's carriage, he immediately led the three of them in through the side door, avoiding the noisy front hall.

Leading them to a quiet Buddhist hall.

"I want to worship the Buddha and chant scriptures, do you even need to follow me every step of the way? Or are you afraid that I can run away in this room?"

Lady Lin couldn't help but get angry when she saw the two of them following closely. Although she was born as a courtesan, she was actually very imposing.

The two quickly lowered their heads: "We wouldn't dare."

After all, she was the master's beloved concubine, and they wouldn't dare to offend her too much.

Seeing that the Buddhist hall in front only had the main entrance, and assuming that a weak woman would not be able to escape, the two stepped aside and guarded the door.

Only then did Lady Lin's brow relax slightly, and she stepped into the hall wearing a white gauze dress.

This was a small side hall, with wooden pillars supporting the dome.

On the offering table in front stood a Medicine Buddha statue.

Silk curtains hung down on both sides, and smoke curled up. It was said that there would usually be a monk guarding the hall, but no one was to be seen.

Lady Lin didn't think much about it, only assuming that the monk on duty was not there, which was fine with her.

She closed the hall door behind her.

She walked straight to the Buddha and knelt down, put her hands together, closed her eyes, and prayed silently for her husband, whose situation she did not know.

She also prayed for her own tragic fate, asking the gods and Buddhas to protect her.

Tap… …

Tap… …

Tap… …

The sound of the wooden fish outside the room, the faint sound of chanting scriptures in the front hall, and the solemn and sacred atmosphere of the ancient temple gradually calmed her heart.

However, just as she was about to finish her prayer with her eyes closed, she faintly felt footsteps approaching.

Lady Lin opened her eyes a crack and then saw a pair of boots appearing in front of the futon where she was kneeling.

Above, were a pair of legs.

And a man's voice, seemingly smiling but not:

"What a pretty little娘子."

Scare!

Lady Lin was startled and frightened by the mysterious man who appeared like a ghost.

She opened her mouth to scream, but only felt a pain in her chest and abdomen, and the scream turned into a hoarse gasp.

"Shh, don't shout, you don't want the people outside to break in, do you?"

The mysterious man flicked a finger, sending a burst of Qi that struck her 'dumbness point'. He raised a finger to his lips, a smile gracing his exceptionally handsome face.

Madam Lin staggered backward, hurriedly regaining her balance, her heart still pounding. She opened her mouth:

"Who… who are you?"

She could speak now.

The mysterious man was naturally Zhao Du'an. He smiled, not approaching further to provoke her.

Instead, he leisurely walked towards the incense table, shaking the few sticks of sandalwood in his hand:

"Those who are here are either monks or pilgrims."

Pilgrim?

Madam Lin was taken aback, wanting to ask why she hadn't seen him earlier.

Then, a thought struck her. Perhaps he had been behind the curtain, getting incense and candles, and she hadn't noticed him when she entered…

And the young novice who led the way hadn't even mentioned that there was another pilgrim present…

Madam Lin's nerves calmed slightly. Only then did she notice the young man's understated yet luxurious clothing and his outstanding appearance.

She thought to herself that he was probably a young master from some high-ranking family in the capital. However, a woman's intuition subtly warned her that there was something strange about him, as if his presence wasn't accidental. She tentatively asked:

"Is this young master also here to worship Buddha? I didn't see you earlier. May I ask for your name?"

"Me?"

Zhao Du'an walked gracefully, picked up a fire starter, and lit the sandalwood while smiling casually:

"My surname is Zhao, Zhao Du'an."

Boom!

The moment she heard that name, Madam Lin's eyes widened instantly!

Her body subconsciously retreated, her expression one of shock, followed by instinctive fear!

Zhao Du'an!

Even though she wasn't from the capital, she was still familiar with this name.

When she arrived in the capital some time ago, it was when Zhao Du'an's fame was rising. She had also heard some legends about this male favorite of the Empress.

It was said that this man was black-hearted and ruthless, always seeking revenge. Anyone who offended him would end up in a miserable state of family ruin and death.

Relying on the current Emperor's favor, he acted arrogantly and recklessly. He was the "Little Yama" in the Imperial Secret Service, second only to Director Ma Yan.

A first-class hypocrite, the Empress's number one lackey, with a terrible reputation, a sinister and ruthless cruel official…

In short, compared to him, Li Yinglong was considered a gentleman who followed the rules.

"You are that… White Stallion Bureau…"

"Hehe, is Zhao's reputation so great that even Sixth Madam knows of it?"

Stomp, stomp, stomp!

Madam Lin retreated several steps in fear, both shocked by the other party's identity and realizing that his intentions were not simple:

"You… you know me?"

"Madam, please be at ease," Zhao Du'an said with a smile, unhurriedly blowing out the fire starter and shaking the incense sticks.

He didn't resemble the violent official described in the rumors at all. Instead, he seemed like a scholar from a noble family, well-read and knowledgeable:

"Hehe, I haven't met Madam, but I do recognize you… Hmm, Little Grand Secretary… that is, Vice Minister Li, didn't mention me to you? Heh, it seems not. I am an official in the same court as him, and we have had some dealings."

Madam Lin was stunned.

Li Yinglong's friend?

That was her first thought…

As the wife of a merchant from Jiangnan, she knew very little about the disputes in the imperial court. This was the state of most of the people in the Great Yu Dynasty:

At most, they had heard the names of a few important figures. Other than that, they knew nothing.

They didn't know how many factions were divided in the court, let alone the complex interpersonal relationships between different officials.

Therefore, even though she had heard some of Zhao Du'an's deeds, such as the large-scale arrest of dozens of officials, and his confrontations with Marquis Xia Jiang and even Princess Yunyang, she didn't know whether Zhao Du'an and Li Yinglong were enemies or friends.

Zhao Du'an was very experienced. With a few words of probing, he understood the Sixth Madam's background. He smiled and said:

"Of course, it's normal for Madam not to recognize this official. It was impolite of me to come out earlier and startle the beauty."

As he spoke, he looked down, scrutinizing the woman.

He couldn't help but admire her in his heart, secretly thinking that although Li Yinglong was incompetent, you could always trust the aesthetics of the aristocratic families…

An oval face, silkworm eyebrows, and an elegant and beautiful appearance.

Especially in her plain clothes, with a look of sorrow and sadness in her eyes, she possessed both the dignity of a respectable woman and the charm of a courtesan…

Being scrutinized by him, Madam Lin felt as if she had been stripped naked, giving rise to a strong sense of discomfort.

Especially when she remembered his terrible reputation, she couldn't help but turn sideways, her tone also becoming cold:

"Lord Zhao, you don't have to be polite. Since it was a misunderstanding, then please help yourself, Lord Zhao. I'll take my leave first."

Saying that, she stepped out to leave—

Although she didn't want to go back to the Li family, she didn't want to be in the Buddha hall with Zhao Du'an even more.

She always felt that he had malicious intentions.

Otherwise, why would they meet here so coincidentally?

It was as if he was waiting for her to arrive.

Zhao Du'an didn't stop her.

He just turned around, raised the burning sandalwood sticks high with both hands, bowed to the Buddha statue without sincerity, and then planted the incense into the incense burner.

He said faintly:

"Madam should think carefully. Once you enter this room, whether you can leave or not is not up to you."

Chi—

In the furnace, the green smoke suddenly became chaotic for a moment.

Madam Lin's footsteps stopped instantly.

Her slender hand stopped in the air only half a foot away from the hall door.

A deep knife mark slowly appeared on the ground in front of her.

It was only a hair's breadth away from cutting off her embroidered shoes.

Madam Lin's back felt prickly, and cold sweat poured down like a waterfall.

Thank you 谛听风雨 for the 2000 coin reward support!