The First Lackey Under The Empress

"Glug, glug…"

In the wine pot on the table, the green plums rose and fell in the murky wine.

Beside the table, Zhao Du'an merely smiled:

"Prime Minister Li jests. My Zhao family is but a humble household, only wishing to serve His Majesty with the loyalty of a dog or horse, and has no aspirations to become a noble clan."

Indeed, he only harbored the ambition to become a member of the imperial family…

Li Yanfu was unaware of his thoughts, and even if he knew, he wouldn't care. He leaned back in his chair, appearing quite casual, and sighed:

"Sometimes, when you reach a certain position, many things are beyond your control, regardless of your desires.

Take family, for instance. You may not want to expand your lineage, but can you guarantee that your family members don't want to? Or your relatives? It's easy to control oneself, but difficult to control those around you."

Zhao Du'an deeply agreed, pretending not to understand the hidden meaning in the other's words, and said:

"It's good that Prime Minister Li understands. Just like this time, Prime Minister Li can control himself, but he can't control your son."

This was considered getting down to business.

Li Yanfu's expression remained unchanged. He uttered an "Oh," with a questioning tone:

"Could it be that Yinglong is seeking trouble with you again?"

Zhao Du'an sighed and smiled wryly:

"Prime Minister Li misunderstands me. I'm not here to interrogate. Although your son and I have some grievances, the matters are in the past, and I'm not a petty person who holds grudges…"

Hearing the last sentence, Li Yanfu's lips twitched slightly, thinking that young people nowadays were indeed much more shameless:

"Then what brings Investigator Zhao here?"

Zhao Du'an feigned surprise: "Prime Minister Li doesn't know?"

Li Yanfu remained composed, as if he truly knew nothing:

"What should this Prime Minister know?"

"Alas," Zhao Du'an said with great regret:

"Well, then my arrival is timely. Actually, today's events are quite coincidental… My Pear Blossom Hall was lying in ambush, tracking down a rebel, but unexpectedly, instead of finding the rebel, we accidentally stumbled upon your son meeting with a woman, which is truly…"

Li Yanfu frowned and interrupted, not wanting to listen to his nonsense:

"Is the Imperial Prison now so idle that it meddles in matters of men and women?"

Zhao Du'an's tone was sincere, but his posture became even more casual:

"If it were just an ordinary woman, I wouldn't be surprised, after all, your son enjoys taking concubines and is known for his amorous nature… I've heard about it for a long time. However, this woman's identity is quite troublesome… She is…"

As he spoke, he mysteriously raised a finger and pointed vaguely towards the ceiling, and the name he uttered caused Li Yanfu, who was feigning composure, to suddenly change color.

"The late Emperor's widow, Yuan Ru, Consort Yuan!"

Woo hoo!

In the wine pot, a stream of white vapor spurted out in a timely manner, pushing open the lid and emitting a low, sharp whistle.

The nation's important minister, wearing a scarlet official robe and with thick sideburns, even with his excellent composure, had his pupils suddenly narrow at this moment, and his heart skipped a beat!

Consort Yuan!

Yinglong, having a secret meeting with Consort Yuan?

Li Yanfu's first thought was that it was impossible, but in an instant, he vaguely remembered that he seemed to have heard that Consort Yuan had returned home to visit her family a few days ago.

As for the old love between Li Yinglong and Yuan Ru that was severed and hidden back then, outsiders didn't know, but Li Yanfu did.

Because back then, when Li Yinglong learned that Yuan Ru was going to enter the palace, he had asked his father for help, and it was Li Yanfu who suppressed the matter.

Coupled with the Pear Blossom Hall's coincidental "discovery," and Xu Hanlin's betrayal…

In a flash of lightning, the old man who had dominated the Great Yu court for twenty years looked at Zhao Du'an with eyes as cold as knives.

At this moment, the slight appreciation he had for the young man before had vanished, turning into anger, and… disbelief.

"Heh heh, why is Prime Minister Li looking at me like that? This official didn't believe it at first either. After all, Consort Yuan should be visiting her family at this moment, how could she dress as a man and meet with your son in an inn?

The subordinates even vaguely heard the term 'Dear Li'… Heh, they probably misheard…

It's also my fault for not managing my subordinates strictly. The subordinates were careless and rushed in directly, which actually caused your son to jump out the window and run away.

As such, this official wanted to control the situation, but it was no longer possible, so I had to bring your son back to the Imperial Prison first…"

Zhao Du'an always wore a smile as he spoke.

It was as if he was not the mastermind behind the scenes at all, but an innocent passerby:

"Of course, I certainly believe in your son's innocence. Although the late Emperor has passed away, no matter how lustful Vice Minister Li is, he wouldn't go so far as to be with Consort Yuan…

Heh, there must be a misunderstanding. That's why this official hurriedly came to ask, presumably Prime Minister Li should know why."

At this time, the sun had already set in the west, and the shattered golden light reflected on the lake outside the building.

Li Yanfu stared at him intently, without expression, showing no joy or anger.

That look… reminded Zhao Du'an of the day he angered Pei Kai to the point of vomiting blood at the Meridian Gate, and the old Prime Minister's turning gaze.

After a long while.

Li Yanfu's hands, which had been clenching the armrest of the chair in his sleeves, slowly loosened, and he said calmly:

"This Prime Minister knows nothing about it, you're just afraid you've asked the wrong person."

The meaning of these words was:

Don't think about setting a trap for this old man. He would claim ignorance and resolutely cut ties with Li Yinglong to avoid getting burned, father and son falling in together.

So cold-blooded… Crafty and cunning… Seeing his attitude, Zhao Du'an felt disappointed and said unwillingly:

"As the saying goes, no one knows a son better than his father. Prime Minister Li should know that your son recently took in a new concubine, right? It is said that her eyebrows and eyes are quite similar to Consort Yuan's."

Li Yanfu closed his eyes, as if he was old and tired, and sighed:

"As the saying goes, children cannot be kept when they grow up. This Prime Minister has never known about Yinglong's family matters."

Don't fool me, isn't it daughters can't be kept when they grow up?

…The buck-passing is really fast, old mudfish, slippery and elusive… Zhao Du'an also sighed, straightened his robe, stood up and said:

"Since the Prime Minister knows nothing, then this official has no choice but to report this matter. After all, the matter is of great importance, and I, a mere sixth-rank official from the Pear Blossom Hall, dare not make a decision without authorization."

As he spoke, he strode away, counting silently in his heart: one, two, three…

Li Yanfu remained expressionless, and did not get up to chase after him, only watching Zhao Du'an walk to the stairway before saying calmly:

"Spare me these petty tricks. If you really wanted to report it, why would you come looking for this Prime Minister?"

Zhao Du'an paused and turned back, his face already full of smiles.

His movements were smooth as he returned to his seat, glancing at the bubbling wine pot:

"Prime Minister Li, as a host, won't you invite me to drink some wine?"

Li Yanfu said: "Take it yourself if you want to drink."

Zhao Du'an also smiled and shook his head: "I wouldn't dare to drink the Prime Minister's wine indiscriminately."

A mocking smile appeared on Li Yanfu's lips: "Are you afraid this Prime Minister will poison you?"

Zhao Du'an sighed:

"I come from a humble background, far inferior to Prime Minister Li's family, but my father would also teach me some simple principles when I was young, such as 'He who eats a man's food is short of speech, he who takes a man's gifts is soft of hand.'"

These words were a clear indication.

If he wanted him to be "short of speech" and "soft of hand," to take this matter up high and put it down gently, then he had to fill his mouth and stuff his hands.

Li Yanfu understood.

Or rather, when Zhao Du'an painstakingly plotted and successfully lured Li Yinglong into the trap, instead of reporting it immediately, he ran to him, full of "there must be a misunderstanding."

He understood that this cunning little fox had come to him to do business.

Politics is the art of compromise.

Anything can be discussed.

From Zhao Du'an's perspective, did he want to get rid of Li Yinglong? To bring him down in one fell swoop?

Yes.

But he couldn't.

Just as Chief Eunuch Sun Lianying said, one had to look at the situation.

The current state of the court was not suitable for wielding the knife against the Li family, father and son. Once it was done, what would be exchanged was very likely a complete loss.

Even if Zhao Du'an really handed over this evidence, the Empress would suppress it, because at least at this critical juncture, Li Yinglong could not be abolished.

That would only arouse the hatred of the noble clans.

Therefore, Zhao Du'an had never thought from beginning to end that he could abolish the Junior Grand Secretary with this small layout alone.

His goal had always been Li Yanfu.

The Li faction.

The New Policies.

It was this political storm that had swept through the entire Great Yu court, had lasted for some time, and had been watched by countless people.

He, a small chess player on the edge of the storm, in a sheltered harbor, wanted to exert a little effort at a certain node and do something big.

Therefore, this meeting was actually a negotiation unique to the two of them.

It was just that at this moment, Li Yanfu, who was sitting on the other side of the negotiating table, did not yet know what Zhao Du'an really wanted.

But even so, the former Grand Secretary, who had suppressed the court for twenty years, still read a key piece of information from Zhao Du'an's twinkling eyes:

This little wolf has a big appetite!

I'm afraid it can't be dismissed with "a pot of murky wine."

Thinking of this, Li Yanfu suddenly changed the subject.

Instead of asking what Zhao Du'an wanted, he shook his head, using the topic just now as an excuse, and said:

"Although this Prime Minister was born into the Li clan of Huaishui, I have been able to get to where I am today, and what I have learned and used, like you, are some of the simplest principles from the fields and lands."

Changing the subject? What medicine is the old fox selling in his gourd…

Tsk, could it be that he wants to lower the price… Zhao Du'an showed a curious expression:

"Oh? For example?"

It was as if he was a junior who was sincerely asking the Prime Minister for advice on the path to becoming an official.

Li Yanfu leaned back in the circle chair, the red official robe seemed to swallow him, and the old man with white hair said:

"Have you ever let a sheep go?"

Zhao Du'an shook his head.

Li Yanfu said:

"When I was young, I followed the elders of my family to see the farms of the tenants in the fields, and I saw shepherds herding sheep.

It was quite interesting. There were dozens of sheep in the flock, but a small shepherd could control them freely.

I was puzzled and asked my elders for advice. That elder of the clan pointed to an old ram in the flock, and then pointed to a strange-looking dog in the grass, which seemed to have been brought in from the Western Regions.

He said to me, farmers herding sheep rely entirely on this one sheep and one dog."

"He said that sheep are very stupid animals. They have short-sightedness, dull minds, and no independent minds, so how can they act and survive? It's very simple, they follow the 'lead sheep'.

Every flock of sheep has a lead sheep. Whatever the lead sheep does, the flock will follow.

Even if the lead sheep jumps off a cliff, the sheep behind will follow down without thinking, don't you think it's strange?"

"So, the shepherd doesn't need to drive so many sheep, as long as he drives that one lead sheep, the whole flock will follow.

That elder told me that the sheep raised by farmers are all sold and slaughtered after they are fattened, so except for the ewes, the rams cannot live for too long…

But the lead sheep is an exception, because the lead sheep can help manage the flock, so it will be spared the knife for a while longer."

…

First update, then edit.