The First Lackey Under The Empress

Night, the Jinjiang embankment.

The last time Zhao Du'an came to this place was at the invitation of Pei Kai. At that time, he was just an envoy from Baima Prison.

And this time, when he came again, his identity had undergone tremendous changes.

"Things are different now," Zhao Du'an stretched his waist and leaned back in a cloth-covered chair.

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A lantern hung beside him, and a fishing rod was set up in front of him, the front end fixed with a Y-shaped support, the rear extending directly into the dark river.

The water reflected the dim starlight and the fragmented moon.

Tonight, Zhao Du'an had a whim and chose this place for night fishing.

Behind him, the trusted officers of Lihua Hall vigilantly surveyed their surroundings, guarding against possible outsiders.

"My lord, the man has been brought," Hou Renmeng stepped forward and said in a low voice.

With a wave of his hand, the captain behind him threw a broken sack on the shallow beach of the riverbank and untied the opening.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh."

Xu Mingyuan, his hands and feet bound and his mouth gagged, rolled out in a disheveled state, not yet understanding what was happening.

"Heh heh, you little brat better not shout, or you'll know the consequences."

Hou Renmeng removed the rag from his mouth, and then easily cut the rope on his body with a dagger.

"Huff—"

As a pure and noble scholar of the Hanlin Academy, surrounded by intellectuals, once a successful candidate in the imperial examination, second only to Han Zhou in the Hanlin Academy, Xu Mingyuan gasped for breath.

His eyes darted around warily, his heart uneasy.

He didn't know where these people came from, but since they knew his identity, they must not be afraid of his background.

Therefore, he did not foolishly utter harsh words.

At this moment, he quickly scanned the area, his gaze sweeping over the plainclothes officers standing like javelins in the darkness.

His eyes fixed on the mysterious man beside the lantern, leisurely sitting on the chair and fishing.

Realizing that this was the person in charge, but the darkness was too thick, he couldn't see clearly for a moment, and he cautiously said:

"Who is Your Excellency? Have I, Xu, ever had a feud with you?"

The mysterious man did not answer immediately, but continued to quietly stare at the gray river surface. The dog days of summer had passed, and the night in the capital city already had a slight chill.

At this moment, the wind on the river surface ruffled the weeds, and the paper lantern also swayed, casting ghostly shadows.

This extremely quiet river beach seemed to be isolated from the bustling world, not like being in the lively capital, but more like being in some desolate wilderness.

Just as Xu Mingyuan became more and more uneasy.

The mysterious man finally let out a chuckle:

"Is Scholar Xu so forgetful? You and I just met not long ago."

This voice… so young… Xu Mingyuan was stunned.

Then he felt familiar, but couldn't remember for a moment.

It wasn't until Zhao Du'an, wearing a bamboo hat and holding a fishing rod, turned his head, that a handsome face was illuminated by the flickering lantern light.

Xu Mingyuan's mind buzzed, his eyes widened suddenly, and his whole body felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him, the remaining bit of drunkenness instantly dissipating!

"It's you!"

Zhao Du'an!

The one who kidnapped him was actually the female emperor's lackey he had been cursing in Zuixian Residence an hour ago!

At this moment, Xu Mingyuan only felt a chill running up his spine, and a sense of being monitored.

Could it be that what he said was known by the other party?

Here to retaliate?

Yes, who in the capital doesn't know that the Zhao family of Baima is notoriously vindictive and shameless…

He originally thought that after a trip to the imperial prison, the matter was over, but he didn't expect Zhao Du'an to appear before his eyes like a ghost.

Thinking of Zhao Du'an's terrifying reputation in the past, Xu Mingyuan retreated almost instinctively, outwardly fierce but inwardly weak:

"What are you going to do? Do you want to rebel? Kidnapping a Hanlin academician is…"

Zhao Du'an turned his head back: "Slap him."

Beside him, Shen Juan, looking lazy with dark circles under his eyes, smiled and flicked out his scabbard. The wooden scabbard carried a clever force, accurately hitting Xu Hanlin's face.

With a "啪!" sound, it was extremely ear-piercing.

"Ah…" Xu Hanlin cried out in pain. Unexpectedly, Zheng Lao Jiu kicked him back, his legs weakened, and he knelt on the grass.

Two captains stepped forward, one holding him down and gagging his mouth, the other slapping him left and right.

"啪", "啪", "啪"…

"That's enough, if you disfigure him, it won't be good for the lord's business."

Qian Kerou said faintly, and then added:

"Use needles to prick the bone seams, piercing the heart and bones, leaving no traces on the surface."

Xu Mingyuan's eyes were filled with stars from the slaps. Hearing this, he was so frightened that his soul almost left his body, and he looked at Zhao Du'an, wagging his tail and begging for mercy.

"Heh, don't scare people, Scholar Xu is a scholar, different from us vulgar warriors."

In the darkness, Zhao Du'an's teasing voice came, "Scholar Xu, is that right?"

As the officers of Lihua Hall released him, Xu Mingyuan covered his burning face. Although he was extremely unwilling in his heart, scholars pay attention to a flexible bottom line. At this moment, he suppressed his humiliation and lowered his eyebrows:

"Lord Zhao, I, Xu, mistakenly believed the rumors last time, which is why I was disrespectful to Lord Zhao, it is already…"

Zhao Du'an smiled and said:

"Oh? Believed the rumors? I'm curious, whose rumors did you hear, and who instructed you?"

Xu Mingyuan closed his mouth and remained silent.

Although he was still a little dizzy, he also knew what could be said and what could not be said indiscriminately.

Zhao Du'an sighed softly:

"It seems that Scholar Xu is still not sincere."

Beside him, the officers of Lihua Hall made a gesture to strike again.

Xu Mingyuan's face changed.

Just as he was struggling in his heart, he saw Zhao Du'an, sitting in the chair, wearing a bamboo hat and fishing, waving his hand. Then the wolf-like and tiger-like, black-hearted and ruthless hawks stopped their steps.

"Don't do everything with violence. Treat scholars with a little gentleness, understand?" Zhao Du'an said calmly.

The people of Lihua Hall lowered their heads in shame:

"Your subordinate understands."

Thinking that he was worthy of being their own lord, his heart was so broad, facing such a villain, he actually treated him with courtesy.

Seeing this, Xu Mingyuan couldn't help but straighten his back, thinking to himself: "It seems that this Zhao thief, although fierce, is still somewhat afraid of my status as a Hanlin scholar."

His heart also settled down a bit, and his courage recovered slightly.

Zhao Du'an didn't even look at him, but just held the lantern closer to himself, adjusted the angle of the fishing rod, and sighed softly:

"Actually, even if Hanlin Xu doesn't say it, this official knows that it's nothing more than Li Yinglong causing trouble behind the scenes.

His Majesty has also spoken to me about it and reprimanded the Li family, father and son. Originally, this official is not a petty person, so I didn't bother to pursue the matter further.

However, in the past two days, after hearing about your experiences, Hanlin, this official feels quite indignant on your behalf."

Indignant on my behalf? Xu Mingyuan couldn't figure out what medicine this treacherous villain was selling in his gourd.

Zhao Du'an sighed:

"As far as I know, Hanlin Xu has been quite diligent in serving the Li family. For example, when the conversion of rice paddies to mulberry fields caused trouble, the Grand Secretary clearly knew that His Majesty disliked it, but still presented a memorial with the so-called 'self-resolving dilemma,' which seems to have been Hanlin Xu's work.

At that time, this official was in the Imperial Study, and it was from His Majesty's mouth that I learned about this matter. I was impressed, Hanlin Xu really put in a lot of effort, willing to be a pawn for the Li family. If things were really handled according to this method, a big problem would inevitably arise in the end. When that time comes, the Grand Secretary only needs to discard the Hanlin who proposed this plan, and everything will be fine…

Well, speaking of which, was that method Hanlin's own idea, or was it presented on behalf of someone else? Hehe, no need to answer, this official doesn't really care about the truth."

Xu Mingyuan's expression changed uncertainly.

Zhao Du'an continued:

"Fortunately, His Majesty didn't pursue the matter too much. Unexpectedly, this time Hanlin was once again used by Li Yinglong as a vanguard. He is quite clever, hiding behind the scenes the whole time, so that if something goes wrong, the fire won't reach him.

Hmm… this official originally thought that this time the Li family would at least consider your hard work, and promote Hanlin, but it seems that is not the case."

Xu Mingyuan felt like he was being stabbed through the heart by knives, and said calmly:

"Lord Zhao, just say what you want to say."

"Good, I like straightforward people," Zhao Du'an said with a smile, looking at him for the second time:

"You know that I have a feud with Li Yinglong, and you, presumably, are not happy working under him either. Why not come and join this official? Heh, if you agree, this official can forgive your previous offenses."

Xu Mingyuan was stunned, and then almost laughed.

He thought to himself, is this dog thief crazy?

With just a few words, he wants me to change my allegiance?

What a joke.

Li Yinglong is indeed not a good person, but you, Zhao, what face do you have to talk about the Junior Grand Secretary?

Although he felt indignant, he was still with the Li family, and with the relationship of his teacher Chen Zhengru, he could gain a foothold by relying on the Li faction.

And Zhao Du'an? The feud between the two of them is real. He would be crazy to join him.

"Lord Zhao is joking. If I join you, next, will I have to learn from Feng Ju, to slander the Junior Grand Secretary, or even slander the Grand Secretary?"

Xu Mingyuan said lightly:

"If Your Excellency intends to use me to deal with the Grand Secretary, then I can only say that Your Excellency is wasting your efforts. Although Xu is just a scholar, unable to withstand the knives in your hands, I still have some backbone."

Zhao Du'an looked at him with a strange expression, and then smiled meaningfully:

"What a righteous scholar, so, you are rejecting this official?"

Xu Mingyuan stiffened his neck and closed his eyes:

"Please forgive Xu for being unable to agree."

He was already certain that Zhao Du'an's previous actions were just to scare him.

Whether it was being tied up or slapped in the face, frankly speaking, it was just a superficial injury, and not even a serious injury by far.

No matter how crazy the other party was, he would definitely not dare to murder a Hanlin scholar in the capital.

Therefore, Xu Mingyuan firmly believed that even if he refused, he would at most be beaten up.

This might not be a bad thing. If he went to find Li Yinglong with injuries, the other party would definitely help him.

Otherwise, the morale of the Li faction would be scattered.

"Alright, since that's the case, then there's nothing more to say," Zhao Du'an's expression also turned cold, and he said lightly:

"Men, send Hanlin down. It just so happens that this official's fish bait is not sweet enough, and lacks a nourishing ingredient to feed the fish."

"Yes!"

Xu Mingyuan was stunned for a moment, and a sense of unease vaguely arose.

He saw Pear Blossom Hall constables already stepping forward, one using a rag to block his mouth, and the other re-tying his hands and feet, and then pushing him into a sack, dragging him towards the river.

"Move to the side a bit, don't startle the Lord's 'nest'," Qian K柔 said, hugging her arms.

Hou Renmeng grinned, grabbed a rope, and dragged Xu Mingyuan, who was tied in a sack with only his head barely showing, further and further away.

By the river, Shen Juan carried a large stone tied with ropes, and tied the other end of the rope to the sack.

Xu Mingyuan widened his eyes in horror, finally understanding something, and struggled with a muffled sound, but Hou Renmeng kicked him over, tying him even tighter:

"What are you yelling about, don't be afraid, you won't feel anything in a moment."

Saying that, he used his strength to kick the big stone into the river.

With a thud, the rope suddenly tightened, quickly dragging Xu Mingyuan into the icy river water, and then quickly sinking to the bottom of the river.

"Woo! Woo woo!"

Xu Mingyuan struggled frantically, feeling the water gradually engulfing his neck, trying his best to push off the rag with his tongue, and shouting in horror:

"You can't kill me… can't kill me…"

In his vision, he could no longer see Zhao Du'an, only vaguely seeing the bright lantern in the darkness in the distance.

It seemed like the last afterglow of the evening sunset.

"Help…"

"Lord Zhao… I… am willing…"

"Glug glug…"

The last sentence was swallowed by the river water, and Xu Mingyuan's vision was shrouded in darkness.