The First Lackey Under The Empress

“What the Princess says is true. Emperor Taizu was incredibly talented and brilliant. Back then, didn't he force both factions to submit? Most of the world couldn't compete with him.”

The old man in plain clothes driving the carriage looked respectful and sighed:

“Unfortunately, things are not like before. Just talking about this Buddhist-Taoist competition, the imperial family hasn't participated in it for many years. On the contrary, the Wudi City lineage is eager to make a move.”

Xu Junling's expression changed slightly when she heard the words “Wudi City”, and she whispered:

“Master Lu, are you saying that Chai… is aiming to challenge the winner of the two factions?”

The person she was talking about was someone the group encountered on the way to Beijing a few days ago.

He is one of the few top experts in the world who has entered the “Celestial Realm” purely through “Martial Arts”. He is one of the personal disciples of Martial Immortal Kui.

His name is “Chai Keqiao”.

The old man in plain clothes recognized the other party's identity and was extremely vigilant at the time.

However, the martial artist surnamed Chai was very polite. Because both parties were going to Beijing, Xu Junling politely invited him to travel together.

However, this person refused, saying that he wanted to walk there.

As a result, several days passed.

The Huainan King's Mansion convoy in the carriage failed to shake off the young martial artist.

The old man in plain clothes was quite envious of this kind of foot strength.

“Haha, it's hard to say. However, disciples of the Wudi City lineage have always had the tradition of traveling around the world and seeking out experts to compete with, called ‘traveling’.”

“This person is entering Beijing at this time, even if his purpose is not the Buddhist-Taoist competition, he will inevitably cause trouble.” Master Lu said.

Xu Junling, who had a sweet face and the temperament of a lady from a noble family, nodded lightly.

Although she was curious about the battles between cultivators, it was only limited to this and she didn't care much.

She had other purposes for coming to Beijing this time.

At this moment, Xu Junling unfolded the scroll in her hand. What was written on this so-called scroll was information worth paying attention to in the capital.

“Zhao Du'an… Well, among the many pieces of information that my father prepared for me, this person's name appears very frequently, and his relationship with the Emperor's sister is unclear…”

“However, with the Emperor's sister's personality, this so-called ‘male favorite’ rumor is probably a deliberately released false statement.”

Xu Junling analyzed softly:

“But even if it's fake, if he can be valued by the Imperial Sister, he must not be a simple person. I didn't expect this person to have such a bad reputation.”

Beside her, the maid Lǜshuǐ whispered:

“How many powerful and overbearing young masters have a good reputation? In this servant's opinion, this person surnamed Zhao is just a…”

Xu Junling interrupted the maid and said seriously:

“Don't underestimate anyone. If what is said in this information is true, how could someone with such skills not be able to control their temper?”

“I'm afraid this so-called bad reputation is all a deliberate self-deprecation…”

“He has been dormant for a year, but suddenly rose up. There are few young talents in Huaishui who can match this kind of character.”

After a pause, she said with a worried expression:

“It's a pity that this person and the Jiangnan faction controlled by the Prime Minister are incompatible, and in terms of position, they are not on the same path as my Huainan King's Mansion, which may become an obstacle…”

“However, if the opposite is true, if the Imperial Sister can really sit firmly on the Dragon Throne, this person is worth befriending, but we must also consider Li Yinglong's attitude…”

As she spoke, she had already imagined a long series of future scenarios.

The maid whispered:

“Princess, you're thinking too far again. How can you determine what this person is like based on paper? Maybe he's just a puppet thrown out by His Majesty.”

Xu Junling smiled self-deprecatingly:

“I'm thinking too much. Hearing is believing, seeing is believing, I can only wait until I get to Beijing to see.”

Closing the scroll, the princess closed her eyes to rest.

In the autumn wind, the carriage rolled over the ruts, gradually approaching the distant capital.

And on the other end of the ruts.

Behind the convoy, there was also a martial artist walking on foot in the distance.

He was about twenty years old and his hair was messy.

He was wearing linen clothes, straw sandals, carrying a baggage on his back, and a gourd for water hanging from his waist.

He had no weapons such as knives or swords in his hand. Only a hemp rope belt that had been kneaded by hand was tied around his waist, with an axe of quite good quality stuffed haphazardly into the gap between the waist and ribs.

He didn't have the air of a strong man at all, more like a woodcutter cutting firewood in the mountains.

The woodcutter strode forward, his dirt-stained toes stretching the straw sandals as if they were about to split open.

His pace seemed slow, but he could steadily follow behind the convoy.

No matter whether the carriage was fast or slow, the distance between the two did not get closer or further.

Chai Keqiao, whose face was tanned red and black by the sun, raised his head and put his right hand in front of his eyebrows to form a small “tent”, his vision seeming to cross mountains and seas.

His eyes were full of anticipation: “Martial God, what kind of scene is it?”

The carriage was in front, and the martial artist was behind.

One was reading ten thousand books, and the other was traveling ten thousand miles.

In this autumn, the cultivators of the Nine Paths and Eighteen Prefectures of the Dayu Dynasty were attracted by the once-in-a-century Buddhist-Taoist battle.

And Zhao Du'an, who was being lazy at home, sneezed inexplicably, rubbed his nose, and muttered:

“Who is thinking about me?”

… …

… …

In the next few days, the court was digesting the aftermath of Wang Heng's downfall.

Secret letters were sent to various parts of the Dayu Dynasty, including the Jing Wang Mansion, which had paid a heavy price.

Unfortunately, no one knew what the expression of the “Jing Wang”, who occupied Jiancheng Dao and was the first of the Eight Kings, was.

In the court, the officials were trembling, waiting for the Empress to carry out a cruel purge.

But to everyone's surprise, the Empress ordered only the confirmed traitors to be punished, without any implication.

The subsequent “amnesty” caused a subtle change in the swaying atmosphere of the court.

No one knew what the pros and cons of this move were.

But Wu Ling, a member of the Kuangfu Society stationed in Bafang Opera House, felt the coolness of autumn.

When he met his partner again, the other party only gave him two words:

“Hibernate.”

The Kuangfu Society and the Wangfu secret agents were successively severely attacked, and the following Buddhist-Taoist competition was like a “truce” signal, causing all parties to suspend their actions.

Even the rebellious party did not want to cause any trouble in the capital at this juncture, and offend the immortals of the two major sects at the same time.

Only some of the “aftermath” of the incident was slowly rippling in the lake of the capital.

For example, the “Young Master” who had his official robe stripped off silently returned to the Shenji Camp, as if he had changed into a different person.

For example, the voices criticizing Zhao Du'an in the army gradually disappeared, and under the guidance of the Privy Council, many admiring voices gradually emerged.

For example, one day, Chen Huoshen, the chief official of the Ordnance Bureau, received the design ideas for the “flintlock gun” sent by Zhao Du'an.

He was overjoyed and excited and didn't sleep all night. It is said that he slept with the simple drawings in his arms.

For example, Jin Jian and Gongshu Tianyuan appeared less and less frequently, and the bells of the Tianshi Mansion rang later and later every day.

The same was true for Shenlong Temple.

As the days passed, the number of unfamiliar faces in the capital increased day by day, and many of them were cultivators from all over the world who came to join in the fun and watch the battle.

Who wouldn't want to watch such a once-in-a-century event?

However, unlike the increasingly numerous discussions about the Buddhist-Taoist competition in the streets and alleys.

Zhao Du'an just wanted to sleep.

“It's a good autumn for coolness…”

On this morning, Zhao Du'an woke up wrapped in a quilt and sighed sleepily.