The First Lackey Under The Empress

“You… you are Zhao Du’an?”

On the street.

The sunlight slowly sank into the ground, and the afterglow shone out from the cracks between the buildings, illuminating the appearance of the group of people in front of them.

Zhao Du’an stood beside his horse, his eyes slightly narrowed, scrutinizing the unfamiliar priest before him.

This person was not very old, about the same age as him, both in their early twenties.

He was slightly short and fat, a little shorter than him, and the priest's robe he wore didn't seem like much at first glance.

But upon closer inspection, it was subtly different from the robes of other priests.

The outlined lines were dark gold, rather than the silver-white of other priests, similar to the Golden Edict.

However, this robe, which should have represented a noble status, looked wrinkled and greasy on the young, fat man.

In addition, on his back, he was carrying a thick bamboo tube diagonally, tied at both ends with ropes.

On his slightly comical, chubby face, his squinting small eyes revealed a surprising clarity.

It was extremely uncoordinated with his appearance.

“I am. May I ask what business you priests have with me?” Zhao Du’an nodded slightly cautiously.

He didn't understand why these warlocks, who had been brought in by the imperial court to help with the war, were looking for him.

“Haha, no need to be nervous. We have no other intentions. We have only heard of your great name for a long time.”

The fat priest carrying the bamboo tube said with a smile:

“Junior Sister Jin Jian mentioned you to me. Did you develop the method for making ice?”

After saying this, he seemed to remember something and added with a smile:

“I almost forgot. My name is Gongshu Tianyuan. Haha, Jin Jian calls me Fifth Senior Brother.”

Fifth Senior Brother?

Zhao Du’an was stunned. A flash of understanding crossed his mind:

The last two of the six disciples under Celestial Master Zhang are the current generation of “Vermilion Point Priests” of the Celestial Master's Mansion.

One male and one female, among whom the fifth-ranked Vermilion Point Priest is called Gongshu Tianyuan.

However, he rarely leaves the Celestial Master's Mansion, and there is very little information about him outside.

“So it’s a disciple of the Celestial Master, a Vermilion Point Priest. I’ve long admired your name.”

Zhao Du’an smiled and extended his hand in a friendly manner.

This caught Gongshu Tianyuan off guard.

He was stunned for a moment before blinking his small eyes and shaking Zhao Du’an’s hand with a slightly strange expression.

“Haha, this is a kind of etiquette I heard about, called a handshake.”

Zhao Du’an made up a story to cover up his habitual actions from his previous life.

Shaking hands when meeting people and applauding when listening to speeches are two habits that are engraved in his bones…

Gongshu Tianyuan suddenly understood.

Da Yu is so big, there are countless strange customs. He only found it novel and not surprising, and smiled:

“As expected of someone who can figure out the method of making ice, you are indeed knowledgeable.

Haha, you may not know me, but you and I have had a spiritual exchange long ago. I arranged for the production of the ice-making method you gave to Jin Jian.

Also, I have seen the design of that 'glasses' you sent her last time. It's quite… wonderful.”

So he’s a business partner… Zhao Du’an immediately felt close to him.

He immediately began to exchange pleasantries skillfully. This was his old profession, and it was easy to create a pleasant atmosphere for the conversation.

He also learned that Gongshu Tianyuan had been staying in the Celestial Master's Mansion for many years, not caring about external affairs.

It was only because of Zhao Du’an’s two “inventions” that he paid attention to him.

This time, Gongshu Tianyuan came out exceptionally to help the imperial court recruit people for the war.

His purpose was to see Zhao Du’an with his own eyes and get to know him.

Zhao Du’an was also happy to establish new connections. After a pleasant conversation, he invited him to have dinner together.

Gongshu Tianyuan declined on the grounds that the matter was over and he needed to return to the Celestial Master's Mansion to report back.

Only then did Zhao Du’an leave regretfully, claiming that he would visit again if he had the opportunity.

… …

Watching him leave.

The priests who had been standing behind him like wooden stakes began to speak one after another:

“This Zhao Du’an doesn’t seem to be anything special. He speaks very nicely, which is different from the rumors.”

“He’s just mingling in the officialdom, pleasing everyone. It’s not surprising.”

“He does have a good appearance. No wonder Senior Sister Jin Jian is on good terms with him… Um, I mean, it’s just an appearance. He’s not even a tiny bit as good as Senior Brother Gongshu.”

“That’s right. The ice-making method is just a little trick. With good luck, anyone can discover it. As for those glasses, they’re even more whimsical. It’s only because Senior Brother Gongshu cares for his fellow disciples that he spent so much effort to figure them out. I’m sure he’ll master them easily.”

A group of priests flattered him, chattering.

In the fiery red sunset, the chubby priest's face was flushed and somewhat guilty.

— In front of his fellow disciples, he was too embarrassed to say that he was looking for Zhao Du’an with the intention of asking for advice.

Making ice with saltpeter is not important. The key is the design of those glasses… After Jin Jian gave it to him, the little fatty went from doubt to seriousness to surprise to confusion and bewilderment…

Simply grinding a crystal lens is nothing special in itself. If it were an ordinary craftsman, they wouldn’t think much about it.

However, the little fatty who majored in “Craftsman God” had extraordinary eyesight.

Just by looking at the reflection and refraction diagram that Zhao Du’an casually drew on the drawing, he keenly realized that:

The person who drew the diagram possesses some kind of craftsman's path, extremely crucial knowledge!

The so-called seeing the small to know the big, knowing the whole leopard by glimpsing one spot… that’s the idea.

The little fatty held that crude drawing and looked at it for two whole days.

The more he pondered, the more he felt that the “principles” behind it were extremely profound, perhaps even vast as the sea!

He became increasingly curious about the “Zhao Du’an” in his junior sister's mouth.

However, the little fatty was concerned about his reputation and couldn’t bring himself to ask for advice in front of his fellow disciples.

At the same time, as a self-proclaimed genius in the field of craftsmanship, Gongshu Tianyuan also had his own pride.

He felt that he could understand the mysterious knowledge hidden behind the drawing on his own, and didn’t necessarily need to ask for advice.

“That’s right, I can do it myself! Tianyuan, ah, Tianyuan, you are the Gu King who crawled out of the many disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion. You can’t lose face. Cheer up…”

He encouraged himself in his heart.

Gongshu Tianyuan waved his hand and said heroically:

“Stop talking nonsense, everyone. Follow me back to the mansion!”

The priests behind him said in unison: “Yes!”

… …

… …

The Imperial Palace, the Imperial Study.

“…Tonight, the officials can sleep well.”

Eunuch Hai finished reporting the matter, and a smile appeared on his face. He felt that he had regained a little of the face he had lost.

Mo Chou looked surprised and turned to look at the Empress:

“Congratulations, Your Majesty, for resolving another worry.”

Xu Zhenguan, after being in a daze, slowly regained her radiance on her face, which had not smiled for days.

Immediately, the first sentence she asked was:

“How did Zhao Du’an know the location of the rebels?”

Eunuch Hai said:

“Ma Yan didn’t say it explicitly, but the general idea is that the boy used his personal connections to seek help from the Celestial Master's Mansion.”

Personal relationship… Jin Jian?

When did this little Imperial Guard become so close to that little girl Jin Jian?

Xu Zhenguan felt inexplicably jealous, with a sense of discomfort that her simp had turned to simp for someone else.

“Your Majesty?” Mo Chou called out softly when she saw the Empress suddenly distracted.

Xu Zhenguan came back to her senses and then smiled:

“Very good, very good. Eunuch Hai has worked hard this time. Eliminating these traitors has greatly comforted my heart.”

Eunuch Hai looked at her strangely and said with a smile:

“This servant will not steal the credit of a junior. In the final analysis, the greatest credit still goes to that boy. He must have been willing to lose face and ask for help for Your Majesty’s sake.”

Xu Zhenguan’s eyes softened, and she suddenly wanted to see that little Imperial Guard.

But looking at the sky, she had no choice but to give up.

After Eunuch Hai left, Xu Zhenguan immediately instructed Mo Chou to notify the people below and announce the news that the rebels had been captured.

At the same time, she would use this incident as evidence of the evil deeds of the Kuangfu Society and announce it to the world.

“This servant obeys.” Mo Chou said.

Xu Zhenguan pondered for a moment and then said:

“I haven’t been to the Celestial Master's Mansion to visit Celestial Master Zhang for a long time. Tomorrow, you arrange the itinerary. I will go there.”

The Empress was not acting on a whim, but rather spreading her grace evenly.

A few days ago, during the Ullambana Festival, she attended the Dharma assembly at Shenlong Temple.

She had already been thinking about taking the time to visit the Celestial Master's Mansion and visit Zhang Yan, this “half-teacher” who had also instructed the Third Princess.

More importantly, it was to release a signal.

The most important job of the head of any organization, as long as the position is high enough, is often not specific decision-making, but constantly attending various activities and meeting various people.

This is true both in ancient and modern times, at home and abroad.

Just in time, the Celestial Master's Mansion contributed a lot to this arrest of the rebels, so it was a good time to visit.

“This servant obeys.” Mo Chou said.

Xu Zhenguan added:

“Notify Zhao Du’an to accompany me to the Celestial Master's Mansion tomorrow. Heh, take him to see the true face of Celestial Master Zhang, which can also be regarded as a reward for his meritorious service.”

Well… she wanted to ask what exactly was going on between this little Imperial Guard and Jin Jian…

Mo Chou opened her mouth, and jealousy caused her to fall apart:

“…Yes.”

… …

… …

That night.

A message spread like a whirlwind throughout the entire officialdom of the capital.

#Rebel assassins have been executed in the evening!#

As soon as the news came out, it was like a boulder thrown into a lake.

It attracted the attention of countless officials.

“The rebels have really been caught? We don’t have to worry about being assassinated anymore?”

“Absolutely true. Zhaoyamen Ma Yan personally led the Nine Great Halls to take action, and more than ten priests also helped in the battle.”

“Haha, damn rebels, this is called the net of heaven is vast, with meshes wide, but nothing escapes!”

“Strange, how did they find them? Didn’t they say that the rebels were extremely good at disguise?”

“There is insider information that it seems that Zhao Du’an entered the game himself, fishing them out. At noon, in a restaurant in the South City… many soldiers know about it.”

Upon learning that the assassins had been brought to justice, the terrifying atmosphere that had been tense for days suddenly eased, and countless officials were overjoyed.

While cursing that the rebels deserved to die, they lamented that the imperial court was still powerful after all.

When the news that Zhao Du’an was suspected of fishing out the thieves spread, many officials fell silent.

Remembering the rumors targeting Zhao Du’an in the city these days, everyone had mixed feelings.

An official at the Jiaofang Division heavily placed his wine cup on the table and exhaled:

“Although Zhao Du’an is a villain, at least, he is quite responsible in this matter.”

A capable and responsible villain…

This sentence expressed the feelings of many officials.

Perhaps, it is not entirely a bad thing for the Da Yu Dynasty to have such a subject.

… …

I'll change the typos later.