The First Lackey Under The Empress

At noon, the rain cleared and the sky became bright.

As the "daytime curfew" was lifted, the people of the capital walked out of their homes, the shops lined up one after another opened, and the stone roads crisscrossing the city were filled with pedestrians.

The stagnant city was like a wind-up toy, regaining its vitality.

"Make way! Make way!"

On Zhuque Avenue, a carriage was barreling along, its hooves thundering, and pedestrians scattered in panic, fearing they couldn't avoid it in time.

Inside the carriage, Zhao Du'an leaned against the soft brocade cushion, looking at the ancient city outside the shaking curtains, dispelling the last trace of doubt:

"It's not The Truman Show."

Corroborating his judgment was not only the overwhelming sense of reality, but more importantly, a vastly different body and the fragmented, broken memories in his mind.

In his previous life, he was a small-town student who had worked hard to pass the civil service exam, get a government job, and take the path of a secretary.

He then relied on luck to follow the right person and rise rapidly, becoming the envy of outsiders.

But beneath the glamorous exterior was caution and walking on thin ice.

His humble origins deprived him of the confidence to squander power, and he bowed his head and willingly became a workhorse, eventually dying gloriously from overwork and staying up late.

Unexpectedly, when he opened his eyes again, he had become an ancient powerful official, rising to the top in one step.

… …

As for his current identity, it was somewhat delicate.

The Dayu Dynasty had unified the Central Plains and been established for a long time.

The previous old emperor was昏聩无能 (confused and incompetent).

After he passed away, his descendants fought among themselves, leading to the so-called "Xuanmen Coup."

The victor, the Third Princess, is the current Sage, a rare female emperor throughout history.

The original owner of this body was originally a small soldier in the Imperial Guard.

During that coup, he saw the wind and steered the rudder, betting on the Empress, and was promoted.

Because of his handsome appearance and excellent toadying skills, he became increasingly favored.

After the Empress ascended the throne, she established the "White Horse Bureau," dedicated to handling her private affairs.

The original owner was in it, serving as a "Messenger."

Because the White Horse Messengers worked for the Sage, they were not under the jurisdiction of the Six Ministries and various government offices of the imperial court.

They could freely enter and leave the palace, and even temporarily mobilize small groups of the Imperial Guard, wielding considerable power.

Among the many messengers, the original owner was particularly valued by the officials in the capital because of rumors that he was the Empress's kept "male concubine."

As one can imagine, a small soldier of the Imperial Guard, once gaining power, would inevitably become unrestrained.

In the year since the original owner gained power, he had developed an arrogant and domineering personality, indulging in sensual pleasures, acting recklessly, living extravagantly, and associating with high-ranking officials and dignitaries.

His behavior was disgraceful, and he made many enemies.

A standard case of a petty person becoming successful.

But he was not without merits.

The original owner knew that his power came from the Empress, so he tried his best to cater to her wishes.

After the "Xuanmen Coup," the Second Prince's followers fled and hid in the shadows, maneuvering and confronting the Empress, becoming a major concern.

The "Zhao Yamen," similar to the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the capital, was ordered to hunt down the rebel party.

In order to curry favor with the Empress, the original owner secretly bought off informants from the Zhao Yamen, intercepted information, and accidentally obtained a clue a few days ago:

A major figure of the rebel party was suspected of hiding in the capital.

After investigation, he indeed found something.

In order to seize the credit, the original owner disregarded the Zhao Yamen's plan of "playing the long game to catch a big fish" and urgently mobilized the Imperial Guard to seize the person.

That's how the previous scene happened.

As for the truth of the coup, the original owner, as a participant, had a lot to say.

In his opinion, it was indeed the Second Prince who launched the coup, engaging in fratricide first, and the Empress only intervened later.

The Old Tutor's narrative was a fabricated story to slander the Empress.

Zhao Du'an didn't care about this.

He only cared about his own situation.

His assessment of the original owner's series of bewildering actions was only two words:

"Stupid!"

"Although that Zhuang Xiaocheng is a black-hearted and lying scholar, he didn't say one thing wrong: being complacent and forgetting oneself is the nature of a petty person.

Even without today's incident, 'I' wouldn't have been rampant for long."

"The imperial court is not a place to mess around like this."

"If the person is caught, it's still okay.

But the person ran away, and the officials were maliciously intercepted by 'me'.

In order to show its innocence, the Zhao Yamen will inevitably try its best to pin the blame on me…"

"I have also offended so many people, and they will inevitably kick me when I'm down…"

Releasing rebel party members!

If this major crime is confirmed, I'm finished!

This is a capital offense.

Even if there is no evidence, just being suspected, I won't be able to keep this official robe.

Considering the original owner's villainous persona of doing all kinds of evil, once I lose my official position, I'm afraid I'll be worse than dead.

This is feudal ancient times, not a society ruled by law…

… …

Inside the carriage.

Zhao Du'an's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and a chill ran down his spine as he racked his brains for a solution:

"Escape? No, I can't escape within the capital…"

"Family help? This dynasty is not named Zhao, but Xu, and besides, the original owner doesn't have a powerful family behind him…"

"Seek help from the original owner's friends? Heh, fair-weather friends, it would be a blessing if they didn't stab me in the back."

"Sell my looks and gain the Empress's trust as a male concubine?"

This seems to be the most reliable method, and it is also the purpose of the black-clothed official's suggestion for him to enter the palace.

But Zhao Du'an, who has obtained the original owner's memory, knows that he has never touched the Empress!

Even in the past year, the number of times the two have met privately has been very few.

At most, there is some ambiguity, or more precisely, the original owner has always felt that the Empress is interested in him!

This is not just wishful thinking.

There are three pieces of evidence:

First, the original owner has a handsome appearance, and the Empress has repeatedly commented and praised him;

Second, the Empress allows the original owner to enter and leave the palace, and her attitude towards him is different from the other messengers of the White Horse Bureau;

Third, and most importantly, the rumors that the male lead is the Empress's male concubine have been spreading for a year.

With the Empress's ears and eyes, she must have learned about it in the first time.

But the Empress has never denied it!

Instead, she has adopted an attitude of tacit approval!

This is worth pondering.

Therefore, the original owner has the capital to be rampant: with the identity of a female emperor, if she did not tacitly approve, how could she allow the gossip to spread in the streets?

Insulting her reputation?

Therefore, the male lead has always believed that the reason why the Empress has not yet allowed him to serve in bed is that she is busy with official duties and is examining him.

This is also his motivation for being eager to make contributions, trying to show off and ascend the dragon bed early.

However, Zhao Du'an, who has transmigrated, sees this matter from his perspective and keenly perceives the strangeness:

"No! Something is wrong with this…"

He always feels that it is not that simple.

But for a moment, he can't figure out the key.

He shook his head and gave a self-deprecating smile:

"There are also benefits, at least it's not easy to be exposed."

If the two really had physical intimacy, the Empress would definitely realize that he is not "Zhao Du'an."

This way, it's also good.

But how to break the situation?

At this time, the carriage suddenly slowed down, and the coachman's voice came:

"Master, we are about to enter the imperial city!"

I can only adapt to the circumstances… Zhao Du'an cut off his thoughts, restored his composure, took out a token from his waist, threw it out of the carriage, and said to the gate guard armor:

"This official has important matters to report to the Sage, quickly let me pass!"

… …

… …

The imperial palace is composed of two nested cities.

The carriage entered the imperial city and could no longer proceed when it reached the palace gate.

Zhao Du'an had to get out of the car and walk under the guidance of a young eunuch, heading towards the "Hall of Mental Cultivation" where the Sage was located.

Before long, at the end of the corridor supported by red lacquered wooden pillars, a group of palace servants appeared.

"Stop there," an older palace maid saw the two approaching and said to stop them:

"His Majesty is discussing state affairs with the Grand Chancellor, no idlers allowed."

Zhao Du'an's heart suddenly relaxed, feeling a sense of relief like a postponed exam.

Then he imitated the original owner's tone and smiled at the leading eunuch:

"If that's the case, Eunuch, please go and be busy, I will wait here."

In his memory, the original owner, although arrogant, was accustomed to judging people.

He had always been polite to the close servants in the palace.

After sending away the little eunuch, Zhao Du'an stood sideways in the corridor.

The remaining rainwater slid down the tiles, and the sunlight poured down, cutting out dazzling golden lines on the ground.

He suddenly lowered his head and quickly searched his mind for memories of the "Grand Chancellor."

His previous life's experience told him that any small matter related to the leader might contain important information.

At this moment, like a drowning person, he must seize every opportunity to overcome the crisis.

Before long, he found the information he needed:

Dayu Grand Chancellor, Li Yanfu, the leading powerful official during the late Emperor's reign, once served as the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, wielding power over the court, and was a scheming person.

After the Empress ascended the throne, in order to strengthen the imperial power, she dissolved the Cabinet, and Li Yanfu was severely weakened, but he was still the de facto "Imperial Prime Minister" and also the leader of the "Li Party," which was mainly composed of Jiangnan gentry.

Controlling the court for many years, his power was deeply rooted.

Together with the "Purist Party" led by Yuan Li, the Censor-in-chief of the Censorate, they were the two major forces that checked each other in the current court.

Placed in later generations, they are big figures that can only be heard on the news…

Zhao Du'an was briefly dazed, feeling an unreal sense of an ant stepping into a tiger's den.

He took a deep breath, raised his eyes, and gestured to the older palace maid to speak aside.

"Does Messenger Zhao have something to say?"

The older palace maid was no stranger to him.

The two walked a few steps away and asked lightly.

Zhao Du'an smiled:

"There is nothing important, I am just curious why the Grand Chancellor is so anxious.

It hasn't been long since the heavy rain stopped, but he has already entered the palace.

Could it be that something major has happened?"

The older palace maid glanced at him:

"How would we servants know?"

Zhao Du'an smoothly handed out a roll of silver notes from his sleeve:

"Sister, just pick what you can say and give me a hint."

The older palace maid looked at him in surprise, and suddenly smiled:

"It's not a secret matter, with the Messenger's connections, you will know it after a little inquiry… Does the Messenger know about the conversion of rice paddies to mulberry fields in Huai Shui?"

I don't know… Zhao Du'an was expressionless.

The original owner's understanding of the court was limited to who could be bullied and who couldn't be provoked.

He knew nothing about political affairs.

What a waste.

"Please tell me, Sister," Zhao Du'an humbly asked.

"…" The palace maid had no choice but to explain simply that the national treasury was already empty when the late Emperor was in power, and after the coup, the Empress inherited a serious deficit.

The faction led by Li Yanfu, in order to alleviate the financial situation, strongly promoted the conversion of some rice paddies to mulberry fields in the Huai Shui area of Jiangnan to promote silk trade, but due to eagerness for quick success, some fields were damaged, almost triggering a civil unrest.

"His Majesty was furious when she learned about it.

These days, the adults in the court have been arguing about this matter.

The Grand Chancellor's entry into the palace today may be because he has found a solution."

After the palace maid finished speaking, she turned and returned to her original position.

Zhao Du'an's heart moved, knowing that the other party would not say more, so he shut up and waited with his head down.

… …

The palace was full of flowers, but the atmosphere was oppressive and deep.

Just as Zhao Du'an's legs were aching from standing, at the end of the corridor, the closed door opened.

Following this, an elderly man wearing a scarlet official robe and a black gauze hat, with temples like hedgehog skin and eyebrows like amethyst ridges, his face fierce, stepped forward.

The palace envoys lined up on both sides to let him pass.

Zhao Du'an stood sideways in the corridor, cupping his hands in salute: "Prime Minister, take care."

The extremely dignified old man didn't even glance at him, as if he hadn't seen him at all, and strode away.

The surrounding palace servants snickered secretly. The entire capital knew that in the real circle of power, they all despised and ridiculed pretty boys like Zhao Du'an, who served others with their looks.

For the Prime Minister to even glance at him would be demeaning himself.

The Empress's pretty boy?

Seemingly glamorous, but in the eyes of the real big shots, he's not even as good as a courtesan selling smiles in a brothel. Even ordinary people, while showing respect on the surface, would secretly spit on him.

Zhao Du'an felt even more keenly the original owner's universally disliked persona.

Facing the meaningful gazes of the crowd, his expression was as usual, not at all offended:

The face the original owner lost has nothing to do with me?

At this moment, an older palace maid went to report. After a long while, she finally returned:

"Her Majesty grants you an audience."

"Thank you for the message." Zhao Du'an took a deep breath and walked forward through the crowd.

What's coming, will eventually come.

He silently recalled the original owner's habits, one step, two steps, three steps… After seven steps, his entire demeanor, temperament, and actions were exactly the same as the original owner.

Politicians are natural actors.

At this moment, Zhao Du'an brought his acting skills into full play.

"Dong!"

"Dong!"

"Dong!"

He raised his hand and knocked on the door.

From inside the closed vermilion carved double wooden doors, a clear and cold voice came:

"Enter."

Zhao Du'an used both hands to push open the heavy door. Sunlight bypassed his body, crossed the threshold, and ignited the expensive carpets from the Western Regions laid on the floor of the spacious room.

Inside the priceless antique shelves, the almost transparent double-eared dragon-patterned porcelain vases fired in the imperial kilns shone brightly.

At a wide desk, piles of old brushes were stacked like a mountain, and the black ink in the white inkstone had dried up.

A woman wearing plain white clothes was reviewing memorials beside the desk.

She was about twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, with a clear and cold expression. Her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall. Because of her bowed posture, only half of her face was visible, but she was already stunningly beautiful. She wore no gold or silver jewelry, yet she gave off an air of grace and elegance.

Focused, the cuff of her sleeve slipped, revealing a section of her white jade-like wrist, her slender fingers like scallions, holding a thick gold-bristled wolf brush with standard finger technique.

The Great Yu Empress, Xu Zhenguan!

The moment Zhao Du'an saw the Empress, his brain briefly went blank. In a daze, he seemed to recall the Xuanmen coup in the past, on that day when heavy snow covered the palace city.

At that time, the young imperial guard, who was in the midst of the chaotic army, looked out at the palace gate from afar and caught sight of the Third Princess, who was dressed in full regalia:

Wearing a phoenix crown and a crimson cloud-patterned robe, with gold and jade hanging outside, she arrived in the wind and snow as if attending a grand ceremony, a jade dragon sword in her hand sweeping away thousands of troops, noble and majestic.

Blood surging, heart beating like a drum…

Zhao Du'an lightly bit the tip of his tongue, forcing himself to lower his gaze, cursing inwardly, how could he, who had been nurtured by countless battles and beauties, be like this?

Immediately, he realized that it was probably the remnant instinct of the original owner at work.

Back then, the young imperial guard wasn't betting on a team at all. The reason he had relied on the Third Princess was purely because he was attracted by her beauty, his soul captivated by her beauty.

This pretty boy coveted her body, how despicable!

As Zhao Du'an was criticizing himself, the Empress beside the desk didn't even raise her head and said faintly:

"Grind the ink."

"Yes!"

Zhao Du'an was slightly surprised, but he still went around to the desk and ground the ink for the female emperor.

As the distance closed, a faint fragrance lingered around his nose, making him restless.

The two, ruler and subject, one reviewing, one grinding ink and holding the brush, the only sound in the silent room was the rustling of paper.

…

After a long time.

Xu Zhenguan suddenly said without raising her head: "The Prime Minister came to see me just now, do you know why?"

Her voice had a texture, slightly magnetic, reminding Zhao Du'an of a voice actor from his previous life.

Zhao Du'an paused in his ink grinding, his expression as usual:

"This humble servant dared to inquire, and only then did I learn a little. It seems that the Prime Minister presented a good strategy for the matter of changing rice cultivation?"

Based on his previous life's experience, in a flash of inspiration, he realized that the older palace maid had probably reported the matter of his "bribery" to the Empress truthfully.

At this time, pretending to be stupid was absolutely not advisable. Answering honestly was the correct operation.

Xu Zhenguan "Mm"ed, seemingly quite satisfied with his answer, but upon hearing the second half of the sentence, she said with a touch of emotion:

"The Prime Minister came to see me, saying that a talented person in the Hanlin Academy presented a plan that could resolve the situation of the destroyed farmland in the Huai River."

"There really is a way to break the situation? I wonder what method it is?" Zhao Du'an pretended to be curious.

Xu Zhenguan faintly "Heh"ed, and uttered eight words with ambiguous meaning:

"Use change to provide relief, two difficulties will be solved by themselves."

Use change to provide relief!

Thanks to his experience as a secretary when he was eating imperial rations in his previous life, as well as his experience watching historical dramas, Zhao Du'an easily understood the meaning of this sentence.

The current situation is probably as follows:

The imperial court tried to promote changing rice cultivation to mulberry cultivation, but the execution went wrong, resulting in the emergence of a large number of disaster victims.

A talented person from the Hanlin Academy believes that the disaster victims are not eating enough, so local gentry can be ordered to buy the destroyed fields with grain.

In this way, the disaster victims will have food, and the gentry can also cooperate with the government to promote mulberry cultivation, killing two birds with one stone, which is the so-called solving two difficulties by themselves.

At first glance, it seems like a clever plan that kills two birds with one stone, but in Zhao Du'an's eyes, it's purely a method that only someone with a brain full of holes could come up with…

Would the dignified Prime Minister not be aware of the problems with this method?

He never dared to underestimate the wisdom of the ancients, so why would Li Yanfu come to report it?

Is it choosing the lesser of two evils? Or is it…

Suddenly, Zhao Du'an remembered a detail:

Li Yanfu's "Li Party" belongs to the Jiangnan gentry group, and the Huai River is located in the Jiangnan region. If the local gentry benefits, then the "Li Party" benefits.

Moreover, after Xu Zhenguan ascended the throne, she has been continuously suppressing the "Li Party".

It's getting interesting.

Did the Empress see this? Not sure.

But it doesn't stop this from being an opportunity to show loyalty and gain favor.

"Your Majesty, this method… I'm afraid it's not appropriate." As Zhao Du'an's thoughts turned, he carefully opened his mouth.

Xu Zhenguan continued to review the memorials without stopping, casually "Oh?"-ing.

Zhao Du'an said:

"Changing rice cultivation to mulberry cultivation was originally a good strategy. If it is gradually implemented over a period of three to five years, it may not be impossible to succeed. The current situation is already difficult, and if we use change to provide relief, I'm afraid the situation will only get worse."

He slightly organized his language and continued:

"Imagine, if the relief is provided by the gentry, at what price should they buy the fields? If it is at the market price, not only will the local wealthy households not be able to swallow it and there will be no profit to be made, but the disaster victims will only need to sell a small number of fields to survive. In this way, changing rice cultivation to mulberry cultivation will still be difficult to promote."

"If the fields are bought at a low price, the gentry and clans will naturally applaud and be happy, but the disaster victims will have to go hungry and have no way to survive. At that time, it will inevitably arouse a civil uprising… In this way, the imperial court will be in a dilemma, so how can we talk about solving two difficulties by themselves?"

His words were understated, as if he were chatting casually.

However, falling into Xu Zhenguan's ears, the hand of the female emperor who had ascended the throne as a woman suddenly stopped reviewing the memorials!

Immediately.

The white-clothed Empress, who had been looking down all along, slowly raised her beautiful head, turned her head, and revealed her full appearance.

Her plain white face was like ice crystals carved, without flaws. The line of her nose was straight and upturned, her lips were plump, and her eyelashes were thick like brushes. At this moment, a pair of beautiful eyes revealed a hint of surprise mixed with majesty.

She was extremely surprised.

In her impression, this small guard, rumored in the capital to be her male concubine, had always been a "vase" character.

Just now, when she spoke to him about government affairs, she didn't mean anything else. It was just that she was feeling bored and was looking for someone to confide in casually, not expecting the other party to give any response.

But the other party's eloquent talk, although all the words she had thought through and seen through herself, were not new, but coming from "Zhao Du'an's" mouth, it was enough to surprise her.

This kind of insight and敏锐 to criticize current malpractices, at least… is stronger than that Hanlin.

"Did you think of this yourself?" Xu Zhenguan's beautiful eyes stared intently.

Zhao Du'an was neither humble nor arrogant: "This humble servant's knowledge is certainly not as good as the officials in the court, I'm just daring to say it."

This demeanor and bearing was slightly different from the past.

Zhao Du'an was gambling. He guessed that the Empress didn't know about the Old Grand Tutor's escape, so he had to do everything he could to show his value.

Improve her favorability.

After all, the Empress's one thought could determine his life and death.

If he could get through this disaster by licking, he wouldn't mind changing his name to Boiling Sheep.

Xu Zhenguan lowered her eyes and stared at him, as if discerning the truth. After a moment, she asked with a smile:

"Then, in your opinion, how should it be solved?"

Zhao Du'an said frankly: "There is no solution."

The most arrogant thing about people is that they always think that there is a solution to any problem, but looking at the past and present, most problems have no solution.

Of course, Zhao Du'an also wanted to propose a solution, to make merit and be exempted from his crimes, but that was not realistic.

Xu Zhenguan was not surprised, but looked at the handsome-looking "guard" with chiseled features with increasing interest:

"I thought you would answer that I should invite the Old Celestial Master, or the Abbot Xuan Yin, to perform a heavenly magic to break this situation."

Old Celestial Master? Xuan Yin?

Zhao Du'an vaguely learned from the original owner's memory that these two names seemed to be like terrestrial gods in the capital, and even the entire Great Yu territory.

It's just a pity that although the original owner was skilled in martial arts, he was still far from the Xuanmen realm. For him, warlocks were beings from another world.

Can spells solve it… Zhao Du'an's heart grew curious, but after glimpsing the Empress's expression, his previous life's ability to "figure out the superior's intentions" took effect again.

A flash of inspiration, the original text of the Tao Te Ching appeared in his mind, and he blurted out:

"Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish; govern the world with the Tao, and the ghosts will not be spiritual."

Pa da!

A drop of ink splashed on the paper from the end of the thick gold-bristled wolf brush in Xu Zhenguan's hand. The Empress's phoenix eyes narrowed, revealing a different color, and the way she looked at Zhao Du'an truly changed.