The First Lackey Under The Empress

"Divine Official Jin Jian?"

Dong Da was stunned for a few breaths before he suddenly recognized the girl's identity and subconsciously wanted to get up:

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"How could you... uh, are you also Brother Zhao's guest?"

Only then did he remember that, according to rumors, Zhao Du'an was indeed acquainted with the little apprentice of Celestial Master Zhang, and their relationship was extraordinary.

However, he still couldn't hide his astonishment at Jin Jian's arrival.

Was there a need for such a big reaction... it was as if he was more nervous than meeting a high-ranking official... Zhao Du'an complained inwardly, then belatedly realized.

It seemed that he had underestimated the status of this innocent-looking girl...

Perhaps because he had been in contact with her more often, he had lost some of his awe, but for the vast majority of court officials, the mere identity of "Celestial Master's disciple" was already a huge deal.

"..." Jin Jian glanced at him, seemingly not recognizing who this person was at all, and lowered her head to start eating.

Zhao Du'an said with a smile, "Brother Dong, there's no need to be surprised."

Dong Da realized that he had lost his composure. He looked around and, seeing that few people were paying attention, lowered his voice and said:

"Brother Zhao, do you have some important arrangement today?"

Zhao Du'an smiled and said:

"Don't be impatient. It's not a big deal. It's just that there might be a show to watch today, so I specially invited Brother Dong and the Divine Official to be witnesses... Hehe, don't worry, it definitely won't be difficult for you.

After all, I also have some connections with the Grand Tutor."

A show?

Witness?

And what relationship does it have with his grandfather?

Dong Da's eyes were blank, unable to understand.

...

...

"Sir, it's right there." The carriage drove along the street.

Inside the spacious carriage.

Xu Mingyuan only sat halfway on the seat. At this moment, he looked at the street scene outside the car window and pointed to the building ahead.

Li Yinglong, who had been dozing with his eyes closed, opened his eyes and ordered the coachman to stop nearby.

Considering that Chen Zhengru had invited him to meet, he definitely had to avoid crowded places.

So he only brought a coachman and guard, and even didn't ride his favorite sedan chair.

He also didn't wear his official robe, just a simple long shirt.

Getting out of the car, Xu Mingyuan took the initiative to lead the way. Li Yinglong was not surprised to meet in this kind of place.

"The teacher is in the private room upstairs," Xu Mingyuan said.

Li Yinglong nodded, stood with his hands behind his back, and walked up the steps.

But for some reason, when he arrived, he vaguely felt a bit uneasy.

But he couldn't find anything strange.

It was very quiet upstairs.

"Sir, it's in that private room. Just go in, and the student won't follow." Xu Mingyuan stopped "thoughtfully".

Li Yinglong nodded. Since it was a secret talk, it was naturally not good to let him follow.

Without even looking at him, he strode straight to the quiet private room. He didn't even knock on the door, and with a creak, he pushed the door open.

What came into view was not the door, but an indoor screen.

Through the screen, he could vaguely see a blurry figure behind it. Hearing the sound of the door opening, the figure seemed to get up nervously, wanting to speak but appearing afraid.

Li Yinglong strode around and suddenly froze, blurting out:

"Madam?"

In the room, next to a low table, stood a woman with an oval face and silkworm eyebrows. Her clothes were plain and ordinary, as if she was deliberately dressed as a man. Her eyebrows and eyes were quite similar to Madam Lin.

Li Yinglong was stunned, not understanding why his newly acquired concubine would appear here.

Looking around, where was Chen Zhengru?

Opposite him, Yuan Consort, who had arrived early and had been sleepless since last night, finally saw her old lover after many years, and was also in a daze for a moment.

Because of excitement, she didn't immediately realize that something was wrong. Hearing the words "Madam", her mind didn't react for a moment, or she thought she had misheard.

In an instant, thousands of thoughts in her heart turned into an extremely complicated call:

"Li Lang... you've come..."

Li Lang...

Li Yinglong froze, and then suddenly woke up. Although the person in front of him looked similar, she was not Madam Lin.

Then who was she...

Boom!

In Li Yinglong's mind, a thought flashed like lightning, accompanied by thunder.

"Yuan Ru?! Is it you?"

He asked almost in disbelief.

Then, before the cross-dressed Yuan Consort could answer, a strong sense of crisis surged wildly in the heart of the Junior Grand Secretary, who, although ambitious but incompetent, was by no means stupid.

Why would Yuan Consort appear here?

And looking as if she knew he was coming?

Where was Chen Zhengru?

What was going on?

That's not right... that Xu Mingyuan... there's a problem!

Li Yinglong's face suddenly changed, and he felt a chilling coldness running from the soles of his feet along his spine to the top of his head.

Although it was late summer, he felt as if he was in the dead of winter.

Even Yuan Consort, who was dressed as a man but carefully made up, realized that something was wrong at this moment.

She frowned: "Li Lang, how could you..."

Li Yinglong's face was gloomy, and he suddenly asked: "Why are you here?"

Yuan Consort was frightened by his appearance and said blankly:

"Didn't you write a letter, inviting this palace to come and meet..."

As she spoke, she took out Li Yinglong's "token" jade pendant from her waist.

Writing a letter... inviting... jade pendant... Xu Mingyuan...

At this moment, Li Yinglong's mind buzzed, and countless thoughts floated up and down.

In a hurry, although he couldn't completely sort out the cause and effect, but...

"We've been tricked!"

The Junior Grand Secretary didn't hesitate. He turned his head and ran out of the room in a few steps, but where could he find the guiding Hanlin Xu?

At this time, noisy voices came from downstairs, as if a large group of people had broken in.

Accompanied by scolding:

"We have received a report that there are rebellious parties hiding here. Anyone who obstructs the handling of the case is tantamount to treason and will be killed without mercy!"

There was chaos downstairs, with cries of surprise rising.

The sound of footsteps approached quickly.

"It's over..."

Li Yinglong, with his feminine features and sunken eye sockets, felt his heart sink suddenly.

Decisively returning to the room, he closed the door and blocked it with the screen.

"Li Lang... where are you going? Take me with you." Yuan Consort was also panicked at this moment. Hearing the movement of the officers downstairs, she was already pale with fright.

A strong desire to survive made her grab Li Yinglong, as if grasping a life-saving straw.

"Get out of here!"

Li Yinglong was already struggling to save himself, so how could he still care about old feelings?

In a hurry, he pushed Yuan Consort down and ran to the window in a few steps, pushing it open.

This was the second floor, and behind the window was a small alley paved with bluestone bricks.

Li Yinglong didn't hesitate. He grabbed the windowsill, put his boots out, gritted his teeth, and jumped down awkwardly but decisively.

"Li Yinglong! How dare you abandon this palace..."

Yuan Consort was pushed by him and fell to the ground. On her dignified and melancholic face, her eyes were also red.

Hearing the footsteps of the officers getting closer and closer, she also hurriedly got up, wanting to jump out of the window to escape.

But looking down at the height, her legs couldn't help but weaken.

With this delay, there was a "bang", and the door behind her was kicked open, and the screen also collapsed with a crash.

"You guys guard outside." A lazy voice sounded.

Then, Yuan Consort saw in horror that an officer in brocade clothes with dark circles under his eyes walked in holding the hilt of a knife.

Shen Juan glanced around, looked at the open window, smiled, and didn't chase after him.

Instead, he closed the door behind him and propped up the screen.

Then, he pulled up a chair and sat down, saying in a just-right voice:

"Shh, keep your voice down. Your Majesty, you wouldn't want the fact that you are secretly meeting with the Minister of Works to be known by anyone other than my lord, would you?"

Yuan Consort's soul had already flown away after being exposed, and she couldn't put on the harsh airs of a consort.

Slumped by the window, her lips murmured:

"Who... whose subordinates are you?"

Shen Juan said gently:

"Pear Blossom Hall, Zhao Jisi ordered me to say hello to Your Majesty."

Zhao Du'an... Yuan Consort's face turned pale.

...

...

In the alley.

Li Yinglong fell to the ground. Although his legs were numb, he still had some martial arts foundation.

Although he was not a cultivator, the height of only two floors was not enough to injure him.

Getting up quickly, without any hesitation, he fled towards the mouth of the alley in a panic.

This alley was a gap between the teahouse and the inn.

Therefore, it was very narrow, only allowing two people to walk side by side. The tall buildings on both sides blocked the sunlight, casting large shadows.

Li Yinglong held his breath and concentrated. After running a few steps, he saw that the bright "alley entrance" ahead, which seemed like hope, was suddenly blocked.

An officer from the Pear Blossom Hall, who had been hiding in the dark and now came out, blocked the alley entrance expressionlessly.

The leader, with a arrogant expression, casually carried a ring-pommel saber on his shoulder, the blade already unsheathed.

Hou Renmeng raised his head, his eyes contemptuous, and grinned:

"Sir Li, where are you going?"

The Embroidered Uniform Guard... Li Yinglong didn't recognize this general of the Pear Blossom Hall, but he recognized the uniform and his face changed drastically.

Turning his head to run from the other side, he saw in despair that the other side was also blocked by Embroidered Uniform Guards.

The leader was a short, almost retirement-aged old official with a wolf-like ferocity.

Zheng Laojiu smiled and said:

"Sir Li, I'm sorry, this road is blocked."

Li Yinglong stopped, was silent for a moment, and slowly stood up straight, unexpectedly calming down in this desperate situation.

He didn't say any nonsense and said:

"A mere officer, since you recognize this official, why don't you get out of the way? Do you want to rebel? Believe it or not, this official can use this to send you to Lingnan to plant lychees."

Zheng Laojiu picked his ear with his little finger:

"What did you say, sir? This humble officer is old, my ears are bad, I didn't hear clearly."

Li Yinglong was expressionless and turned to Hou Renmeng, advising him kindly:

"Why risk your life for that little bit of salary?"

Hou Renmeng's answer was exceptionally concise and powerful. The knife in his hand suddenly slashed out into the air.

"Chi Chi--"

Where the blade energy pointed, there were ferocious scars on the walls on both sides of Li Yinglong, accompanied by the peeling of the wall skin.

His hair crown was blown off, and his hair was lifted messily behind his head.

Li Yinglong stood frozen in place.

There was a wolf behind him and a tiger in front of him, no way to go to heaven and no door to enter the earth.

The Junior Grand Secretary stood woodenly in the alley, and dark clouds gathered in the sky above his head.

"You, were you sent by Ma Yan, or..."

Li Yinglong finally gave up his illusions and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he only asked this one sentence.

"Director Du doesn't have time to find trouble with you, that's right, it's me."

A voice came late.

Hou Renmeng stepped aside, and the Embroidered Uniform Guards tacitly stepped aside, leaving a narrow path that only allowed one person to pass.

Zhao Du'an, dressed in luxurious clothes and with a handsome appearance, picked his teeth and walked leisurely, as if strolling in a leisurely courtyard.

Behind him, Dong Da had a solemn face, following closely, and Jin Jian had long since disappeared.

Zhao Du'an walked up to him, smiled, looked at the "Junior Grand Secretary", and gave a slight salute:

"Sir, do you still remember this humble officer?"

Li Yinglong's head was dizzy, and he squeezed out three words from between his teeth:

"Zhao! Du! An!"