The First Lackey Under The Empress

“Understood, Ke Rou, take your men and escort him back to the Zhao headquarters, and await the Grand Supervisor's return for disposal.”

Zhao Du'an said calmly:

“And please convey my gratitude to the commanders of each guard. I owe them one this time.”

He didn't overstep his authority to punish the man, after all, his direct superior was Old Ma.

Of course, another reason for sending the person back was to pass the buck to Ma Yan.

Well, as a direct superior, it's reasonable to clean up after subordinates, right?

“Yes!”

The people from Pear Blossom Hall and the officer respectfully saluted and went downstairs to handle the matter.

Eunuch Hai couldn't help but ask curiously:

“Aren't you going to meet that Chai Keqiao in person?”

No… right now I just want to quickly observe and cultivate, inspiration is fleeting, if I don't seize it, I'm afraid I'll lose it… Zhao Du'an muttered in his heart, with a righteous expression on his face:

“It's not a woman, what's there to see?”

Eunuch Hai was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said:

“This old one will report this to His Majesty.”

Zhao Du'an smiled obsequiously:

“This subordinate was joking, His Majesty is busy with important matters, don't bother him with such trivial things.”

His attitude switched seamlessly.

Fortunately, Eunuch Hai was in the habit of teasing younger generations, and didn't have any intention of instigating anything. He said with a chuckle:

“Forget it, I see that you seem to have gained some insight. Suspend today's cultivation and go back and digest what you saw today. Also, I really need to tell His Majesty about these two lively events today.”

One involved the Princess, and the other involved Martial Emperor City… The former was fine.

The latter, although not a "diplomatic issue", Martial Emperor City, with its "Celestial Being" in charge, was no less important than the Heavenly Master Mansion and the Divine Dragon Temple.

However, because its influence was mainly in the martial arts world, it seemed less famous in the capital.

“Farewell, Eunuch.” Zhao Du'an cupped his hands and lowered his head.

When he raised his eyes again, he found that the old eunuch had disappeared.

Shaking his head, Zhao Du'an didn't delay any longer, and turned to look at the Iron Torrent of the Imperial Guards, which was slowly withdrawing, and strode down the watchtower.

He declined the carriage and rode his horse alone, hurrying back home—he vaguely felt that he was only one crucial step away from breaking through his mental state and entering the Divine Chapter.

……

……

The drizzle continued.

Sprinkling on the black dougong eaves, making them look shiny.

“Amitabha,”

In the distance, the white-robed monk, Dharma Master Bianji, put his hands together, looked at the end of the opera stage in the distance, and sighed:

“What a pity, what a pity…”

Beside him.

The Fifth Disciple of the Heavenly Master, perched on the roof ridge, looked displeased.

He took off the miniature lens he was wearing on his eye socket and sneered:

“What's the pity? Don't tell me you were hoping to see the court's expert defeated? Haha, I knew you baldies were in cahoots with Martial Emperor City.”

Bianji, with his handsome and delicate features, smiled and shook his head, immune to this guy's words:

“Not at all, this monk only regrets not being able to witness the Grand Inner Court Attendant's move.

Emperor Taizu had great differences with Martial Emperor City in martial arts, and even imitated the Dharma combat between the Buddhist and Taoist families, with a tradition of agreed-upon battles.

It's just a pity that there are many disciples of Martial Emperor City who travel the martial world, but the inheritance of the Great Yu imperial family is rarely seen.”

When Gongshu Tianyuan heard this, he also felt a little regretful…

He had come to track Chai Keqiao to see what was going on.

After all, the Dharma combat between the Buddhist and Taoist families was approaching, and both families speculated whether Martial Emperor City would interfere, but he accidentally ran into Bianji, who had also come to watch.

He said:

“I heard that hundreds of years ago, when our two families fought, the Great Yu imperial family was the most prominent, but as time passed, the inheritors of the imperial family's cultivation methods gradually declined and disappeared.

If the imperial family was still at its peak, how could it be Chai Keqiao's turn?

Hey, but he was beaten up by Zhao's brother, and injured. Presumably, he won't dare to jump out and steal the show during the Dharma combat… Otherwise, after my Heavenly Master Mansion wins, we will still have to accept this Chai's challenge, it's annoying to even think about it.”

Bianji glanced at him and said helplessly:

“The Dharma combat hasn't even started yet, and you already think you're going to win?”

Gongshu Tianyuan "Heh"ed and said disdainfully:

“Otherwise? Your Divine Dragon Temple is full of old baldy donkeys occupying the seats, have you ever let the younger generation emerge?”

Bianji turned around, didn't bother to talk nonsense with him, and left directly, only leaving a light sentence:

“To defeat the Heavenly Master Mansion, Tianhai alone is enough.”

Tianhai… Gongshu Tianyuan's expression suddenly became serious:

That little monk, has he returned to the capital?

He tightened the hemp rope on his body, raised his hand and grabbed the rotating umbrella surface on his head, and returned to the Heavenly Master Mansion.

Preparing to send this news back.

From beginning to end.

Whether it was Bianji or Gongshu Tianyuan, they both believed that this year's Buddhist-Taoist Dharma combat was just a matter for their own two families.

At most, they worried about Martial Emperor City stealing the show.

But no one had ever thought about whether someone from the already declining Great Yu imperial family could compete with them.

They hadn't even imagined the slightest possibility.

……

……

The Imperial Guards retreated like a tide, but such a grand movement could not be hidden from the ears and eyes of all parties in the capital.

Outside the gate of the Zhao headquarters.

A carriage hurriedly drove back.

The curtain was lifted, and Ma Yan, with a thin face, messy and irritable eyebrows, and a gloomy face, stepped out of the carriage with an ugly expression.

After the meeting in the morning, he went out to handle some matters in the six ministries, and then rushed to the imperial palace.

When he came out, he waited for the Jinyi who came to report the news at the gate of the imperial city.

He learned that the eight halls of the Zhao headquarters had been penetrated by Chai Keqiao alone.

A burst of anger rose, and Ma Yan immediately drove back.

“Grand Supervisor!”

The clerk standing guard at the door hurriedly shouted.

But Ma Yan didn't even look at him, and went straight to the Grand Supervisor's hall.

The drizzle was continuous, and there was no one along the way.

When he arrived at the Grand Supervisor's hall, he saw the eight unlucky investigators sitting in the "conference room", chatting while drinking medicinal soup.

“Grand Supervisor? You're back?”

Zhang Han and others reluctantly got up, wanting to salute.

“Sit down!” Ma Yan said in a deep voice, stopping everyone.

His eyes swept over the weak aura, and the bowls with rich medicinal fragrance in front of everyone.

The anger in his heart grew even stronger.

But the more this happened, the more he held his breath. On the surface, he was calm:

“This official heard a report that the disciple of the Martial Immortal Kui came to the yamen to challenge you and defeated you all?”

The eight people in the hall lowered their heads in shame:

“Grand Supervisor, this subordinate is incompetent…”

It's true… Ma Yan interrupted them and said coldly, “Where is that person?”

He was already thinking about how to find him later and get his face back.

Seeing that no one was speaking, Haitang took the lead to speak:

“Reporting to the Grand Supervisor, the person is lying in the Zhao headquarters.”

“Good… Knowing where he is is enough…” Ma Yan subconsciously replied, then his voice stopped abruptly.

His expression was obviously stunned, as if he hadn't turned the corner yet, his eyes fixed on the female investigator:

“You said he's where?”

“… Zhao headquarters, well, in the A-grade prison.” Haitang replied with an honest face.

A string of question marks slowly rose above Ma Yan's head, and the anger in his heart was also stuck.

He was silent for a while, and his brows furrowed into the word "Sichuan":

“Didn't you… lose? How…”

“Oh, we did lose,” Haitang explained with some displeasure and a little pleasure:

“But Zhao Du'an came back and learned about it, and used his authority as a vice adjutant of the Divine Machine Camp to transfer the experts from other guards over.

They beat up that Chai Keqiao and threw him into the Zhao prison, saying they would wait for you to come back and let you decide how to deal with him…”

She briefly explained the process.

“……”

Ma Yan listened with a wooden face, and looked at the other investigators again.

Zhang Han and the other six people were holding a bowl of medicine each, nodding together, indicating that this was indeed the case.

Ma Yan was silent for a long time before finally asking the first question:

“That Chai… what's his name, his injuries aren't serious, right?”

Zhang Han said coolly:

“It's okay, he just broke half of his ribs, his qi is exhausted, and he can't move now. His injuries are more serious than ours, but they don't hurt the foundation.”

That's good… Ma Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

For a moment just now, he was afraid that Zhao Du'an, that grandson, would directly kill the person…

“Where is that kid?”

Ma Yan's mood was extremely complicated, and he couldn't help but ask.

“Oh. He seems to have gone home, saying that he doesn't dare to overstep his authority on this matter, and it's up to the Grand Supervisor to decide.” Haitang said.

Let me decide… is to let me deal with the mess… Ma Yan took a deep breath, and his eyes went black.

……

……

Inside an elegant room in a certain restaurant.

Princess Xu Junling, who had finished lunch, wiped the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief, and suddenly heard footsteps approaching.

Then there was a "咚咚" knock on the door, accompanied by:

“Princess… Miss”'s call.

When traveling outside, she was used to being called Miss to avoid attracting attention.

“Enter.” Xu Junling said softly, smiling as she looked at the maid, Lǜshuǐ, who walked into the private room:

“What is it? Is there any news from Zhao Du'an? Has he been beaten up by that Chai Keqiao?”

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