The First Lackey Under The Empress

“Yes…”

As the Empress spoke, Zhao Du'an snapped back to reality and sat down in the lower seat.

He noticed that bowls and chopsticks had already been set out for him.

As the female official had said, there were no servants in the room.

“Help yourself,” Xu Zhenguan said casually, putting down her soup spoon and picking up her chopsticks to eat, her movements swift yet elegant.

Ah? Oh!

She means for me to help myself… Zhao Du'an hadn't eaten breakfast and was hungry, so he faced the table full of delicacies and started eating heartily.

The Empress didn't seem to have the habit of talking while eating; she was very focused, moving her chopsticks like lightning.

So much food, and before you knew it, it was being stuffed into her small, cherry-like mouth.

Her appetite far exceeded that of ordinary women… probably because she practiced martial arts and cultivation, which required a lot of energy… no wonder she didn't want people to serve her… Zhao Du'an speculated.

Heh, it's one thing if my status is lower than yours, but there's no way I, a dignified seven-foot man, can't out-eat you… Zhao Du'an's competitive spirit rose, and he secretly competed with her.

He thought, even if the Empress saw through that he wasn't the original owner of this body, he would still eat his fill before he died.

For a time, the only sounds in the room were the two of them eating heartily.

Well, it's the third day of my transmigration.

I've earned a new achievement: [The Empress's Eating Buddy]

…

About fifteen minutes later, the two of them put down their chopsticks almost simultaneously. Xu Zhenguan wiped her mouth with a silk handkerchief and asked:

“Are you full?”

“Yes.”

“How was the taste?”

“Acceptable,” Zhao Du'an gave an objective assessment.

The imperial kitchen's cooking skills were top-notch, and the ingredients were delicious, but his taste buds, having been spoiled by technology and additives in his previous life, were very picky.

Hmm… so this is all the Emperor eats. When I get back, I'll think about how to extract MSG, maybe it will have a miraculous effect on pleasing her…

After all, love guru Eileen Chang once said:

To capture a man's (or woman's) heart, the first thing to do is to capture their stomach.

Eileen Chang also said: The road to a woman's soul is…

Zhao Du'an's thoughts flew in all directions.

Acceptable? Xu Zhenguan was slightly surprised.

But she assumed it was because the food was too bland and didn't suit his taste—the Empress, as a high-level cultivator, had strict requirements for her diet.

“Someone, clear the table.”

At her command, the palace servants waiting outside the door cleared away the leftovers and brought in freshly brewed tribute tea for the two of them.

The female official thoughtfully closed the door, and for a moment, only the two of them were left in the “tea room.”

Zhao Du'an's heart tightened, realizing that it was time to talk business.

Sure enough, the Empress's opening words were shocking:

“Feng Ju's impeachment memorial, you forced him to write it, implicating Li Yanfu, didn't you?”

She sees everything clearly; the ancients' intelligence should not be underestimated… Zhao Du'an sighed inwardly. Fortunately, he had prepared several contingency plans for this meeting, so he immediately stood up and apologized:

“Your Majesty's eyes are like torches; Master Feng was indeed coerced by this humble subject.”

This kind of thing couldn't be hidden; one question to Feng Ju would reveal the truth, so he absolutely couldn't lie.

“He was willing to be coerced by you?”

“This subject borrowed Your Majesty's name to make him comply, but from beginning to end, this subject didn't mention a single word about Your Majesty; it was just that Feng Ju mistakenly associated it… This subject is guilty!”

“Why did you do this?”

“To seek survival. After this subject learned about 'Changing Rice to Mulberry,' I presumptuously speculated that Your Majesty might have a need.”

Xu Zhenguan looked at the man who was bowing his head and reporting.

She remembered that three days ago, the other party had happened to run into her discussing state affairs with Li Yanfu. She hadn't expected that it would be used as a breakthrough point. This resourcefulness…

Her eyes flickered slightly, but she didn't continue on that topic. Instead, she changed the subject:

“Zhang Changshuo is going to impeach you today; did you know beforehand?”

Zhao Du'an said:

“I had already noticed it, but I didn't know the specifics of how he would impeach me.”

He really knew… Xu Zhenguan became interested and said:

“Explain in detail.”

“Yes.” Zhao Du'an immediately explained in detail how he had arranged for people to keep an eye on Wang Xian but had accidentally spotted the traces of Zhang Changshuo's men, and then reported it to the White Horse Division.

He also carefully explained the whole operation of how he had invited Feng Ju, tricked him into defecting, and then how he had gone to the Ministry of Justice to handle affairs, tricking Zhang Changshuo into taking the bait, making him think he had caught his handle.

“So, you deliberately set out to trap him?” Xu Zhenguan asked.

“Yes,” Zhao Du'an didn't shy away from it. “He wanted to put me to death, so of course I wouldn't be polite to him.”

After a pause, he apologized again:

“This subject has revealed the whole process of the incident without any concealment. During the period, in order to ensure the smooth progress of the plan, this subject boldly borrowed the Heavenly Might. The crime is unforgivable, please punish me, Your Majesty!”

Xu Zhenguan didn't speak, but a hint of admiration appeared in her eyes.

Although, with her wisdom, she had already guessed, she still couldn't help but be amazed when she heard Zhao Du'an describe the entire process in detail.

Having committed such a great crime and facing a situation with nine deaths and one life, he only relied on a little insight into the court's struggle and the identity of a “fake gigolo,” playing the fox and borrowing the tiger's might.

He completed this series of operations in just two days.

And successfully made her change her mind.

This resourcefulness and ability alone surpassed too many people in this court.

Xu Zhenguan even thought that if she were in his place, even she would find it difficult to do better than him.

Could it be that the little imperial guard she had randomly picked because he was “pleasing to the eye” actually had such talent?

Really?

She was a little suspicious.

“Are these things all your own ideas, or did someone instruct you to do this? Like the Supervisor of the White Horse Division?” Xu Zhenguan suddenly asked.

Zhao Du'an said:

“The Supervisor has been kind to me and taken care of me a lot. However, this matter was indeed done by this subject alone and was not instructed by anyone.”

This was easy to verify; as long as she sent someone to ask the Supervisor, Zhao Du'an couldn't and wouldn't be able to lie.

Xu Zhenguan frowned, becoming more and more surprised and uncertain.

If no one else had intervened, it meant that everything was done by the person in front of her?

But after all, this was too different from Zhao Du'an's usual performance and reputation.

Something abnormal must be a demon.

As the ruler of a country, she had to be suspicious of everything unusual.

“Raise your head!” Xu Zhenguan suddenly said, her tone commanding.

Zhao Du'an raised his head in confusion and met the Empress's eyes. The next second, he was stunned.

He saw that the atmosphere in the room had suddenly changed. It was as if an invisible pressure was spreading from the woman in front of him, overwhelming and earth-shattering.

In an instant, Zhao Du'an felt as if he were a lone boat on a stormy sea, as if he would be smashed to pieces by the waves at any moment.

His body was trembling almost instinctively!

It wasn't the effect of “official authority,” but the power of magic!

At this moment, the Empress's white clothes moved without wind, and her black hair was suddenly covered with a layer of radiance. There was a faint seal flashing between her eyebrows.

Everything in the room was swallowed up. In the world, it seemed as if there was only her alone.

In Xu Zhenguan's beautiful eyes, there was actually pure gold, like lightning-like light flowing, emitting a soul-stirring power.

“Heavenly Might…”

Zhao Du'an was as if trapped in a void, able to clearly perceive that his body was trembling with fear.

Even more, there was a sharp gaze, as if penetrating every corner of his body, and no ghosts could escape.

She was spying on him!

…

ps: The chapter was originally called [Interrogation], but after watching short videos, I was brainwashed by “In 1974, I first fought freestyle fighting in Southeast Asia…”

Thanks to Huang'er Beast for the 500 coins support~