The First Lackey Under The Empress

The mighty power of heaven.

At this moment, Zhao Du'an clearly realized:

Under that power, no living being could resist; they could only prostrate themselves.

Yet, for some reason, he could clearly feel that his consciousness was completely unaffected.

It was as if his soul was immune to the spells of this world.

"Is this the power of cultivation in this world?"

"The Great Yu Empress is indeed a cultivator… However, in the original owner's memories, wasn't the Empress following the path of martial arts?"

"Wait, quickly gather your thoughts and don't show any abnormalities!"

Zhao Du'an's thoughts raced as he tried his best to shrink his soul within his body.

He didn't know how long it had been before the gaze that swept over his entire body retracted, the invisible pressure suddenly disappeared, and all the strange phenomena subsided.

"Huff…" Zhao Du'an gasped for breath like a fish out of water, and the scenery in his vision returned to normal:

He was still sitting at the round table, the Empress opposite him had her eyes restored to their clear black and white, and the wind around her had disappeared.

It was as if everything just now was an illusion.

"Your Majesty…" Zhao Du'an asked, feeling lingering fear.

Xu Zhenguan picked up the jade teacup, took a sip, and lied without batting an eye:

"I heard that when you captured Zhuang Xiaocheng, you were attacked by a mysterious mage. I was worried that there might be hidden dangers left in your soul, so I helped you investigate."

I believe you about as far as I can throw you… Clearly, you were examining my body… Zhao Du'an said uneasily:

"What was the result?"

"No harm," Xu Zhenguan said, pausing before adding:

"Although there was some slight damage, I helped you smooth it out in passing."

She had indeed suspected that the Zhao Du'an in front of her was affected by magic.

For example, some mages possess the power of "bewitching people's hearts."

They can achieve effects similar to hypnosis.

The affected person will subconsciously obey the orders of the caster, but be completely unaware of it.

They can even twist people's perceptions of things. There have been two vicious incidents in history:

A certain mage bewitched the people of one area, twisting the union of men and women into a common greeting…

Another was even more insane:

Everyone in a small town was bewitched, twisting their gender perceptions, leading to a collective gender change on a psychological level…

However, after her examination just now, although Zhao Du'an's soul had indeed suffered some impact, it was within a reasonable range and had not been affected by any "bewitching" abilities.

With the Empress's cultivation, even if the old celestial master of the Celestial Master Mansion, or the Xuan Yin Dharma Master, were to cast a spell, they would not be able to hide it from her eyes.

"So, it really was his own idea, without any guidance from others…"

Xu Zhenguan held the teacup, her doubts increasing instead of decreasing.

She healed me… No wonder I feel much better… It seems there are still some benefits to transmigrating, at least I don't have to worry about being exposed…

Zhao Du'an's hanging heart suddenly fell, knowing that he had passed the magical test.

The most difficult hurdle has been overcome.

…

…

"I am very curious."

Finally, Xu Zhenguan stopped thinking too much and stared at the handsome 'male favorite' in front of her, asking:

"As far as I know, the abilities you have displayed today are vastly different from the rumors of the past. I need an explanation."

Here it comes!

Zhao Du'an's spirits lifted, it was back to his favorite acting segment.

He first remained silent for a moment before saying, as if lost in memories:

"A year ago, this humble servant was fortunate enough to be recommended and entered Your Majesty's eyes, entrusted with an important task, serving as the White Horse Envoy.

From an unknown foot soldier in the Imperial Guards, to becoming the so-called 'favorite' in Your Majesty's eyes, a creation from ten lifetimes of cultivation…"

Xu Zhenguan did not interrupt him, quietly waiting for what he would say next.

Zhao Du'an carefully glanced at her, and said:

"But later, some rumors and scandals gradually spread throughout the court, involving this servant and Your Majesty… At first, this servant thought it was just baseless rumors and not worth worrying about, but as the rumors grew more and more intense, the palace never took any action.

Even… Your Majesty seemed to indeed treat this servant slightly differently, unlike other colleagues."

Xu Zhenguan's expression remained unchanged, not taking offense:

"Continue."

Zhao Du'an took a breath and said solemnly:

"This servant is aware of his own limitations, and besides, there were no so-called affairs between Your Majesty and this servant as the rumors suggested, but Your Majesty's attitude was faintly… as if… allowing this statement to spread!

This servant was greatly puzzled and could not find anyone to talk to, so I had to ponder it myself."

"This servant boldly assumes that if this matter was indeed intentionally done by Your Majesty, then what was the purpose?

This servant is just a small soldier, what is so special about me? After thinking about it, this servant only came up with one possibility."

Xu Zhenguan asked curiously: "What possibility?"

"Bait!" Zhao Du'an said clearly:

"At that time, Your Majesty had just ascended the throne, the court was unstable, and I don't know how many people harbored ulterior motives in the dark, either involved with rebellious parties or involved in their own interests, always wanting to be detrimental to Your Majesty.

However, Your Majesty's cultivation is heaven-defying, and you reside in the imperial palace, so wanting to be detrimental is difficult to do."

"So, if a bait could be released outside the palace, perhaps it could lure people to take the bait."

"And this servant was born as a foot soldier, with extremely shallow experience, only possessing a good appearance, making him a good bait candidate, as long as word is released that this servant is favored by Your Majesty, and then placing this servant in an office like the White Horse Bureau…

Those with ulterior motives secretly paying attention, may use this servant as a breakthrough point, whether it is to gather intelligence or to instigate rebellion… This servant is, on the surface, the best candidate."

Xu Zhenguan's eyes became brighter and brighter:

"Continue."

Zhao Du'an took a deep breath and said:

"After guessing this possibility, this servant thought, what should I do to share Your Majesty's worries and perfectly complete this task? This servant thought that those in the dark are very cautious, and if you want to lure them to take the bait, you must make them lose their vigilance towards me."

Xu Zhenguan seemed to understand something:

"So, you changed your personality?"

"Yes!" Zhao Du'an said:

"Therefore, this servant imitated the precedents of the ancients, feigning to be complacent and unaware because of being favored, indulging in debauchery, and associating with the纨绔子弟 in the capital to tarnish my reputation.

And deliberately breaking with the Si Jian who treated me kindly… Only in this way can people think that I am a stupid, arrogant, and scheming 'male concubine' with only an empty shell…

Only in this way can those who intend to be detrimental to Your Majesty lower their guard and dare to contact this servant and reveal their true colors!"

Pausing, he showed a look of regret:

"It's a pity, I don't know if this servant did not do well, or if the traitors are too cautious. In this year, most of what this servant has been able to attract are miscellaneous fish such as Feng Ju and Wang Xian, but the truly great villains have not taken the bait."

Resounding!

Zhao Du'an's words were full of loyalty.

He perfectly displayed the character of a沸羊羊 who was blessed by heaven and loyal to his emperor, willing to tarnish himself and bear the world's scolding in order to share the worries of the sage.

This was also the most reasonable version he had come up with after thinking about it last night to explain the changes in his character.

Zhao Du'an never thought that he could truly perfectly integrate into the original owner.

After only a few days of brief contact, even Zhu Kui could notice his changes, so how could he deceive the Empress's discerning eyes?

Therefore, after he realized that his identity as a "fake male favorite" was extremely suspicious.

And learned that the original owner was once appreciated by Si Jian and was once a good young man, but was polluted by the fame and fortune of the world, he came up with this set of words.

This set of words can perfectly explain why Zhao Du'an's mind and methods do not match the rumors.

As for whether he is really a bait deliberately thrown by the Empress to fish, it doesn't matter!

As long as he can justify himself, it is victory.

Inside the tearoom.

After listening to Zhao Du'an's heartfelt words, the Great Yu Empress Xu Zhenguan was stunned for a moment, and the way she looked at him was different.