The First Lackey Under The Empress

How to ingratiate oneself with the Emperor's will? How to be a thoughtful and loyal dog?

The first priority is to understand the Lord's temperament.

However, the original owner's memory did not contain a deep understanding of the Empress's personality, only a mind full of yellow filth.

Zhao Du'an could only speculate on his own, cautiously probing. For example, the Empress's question just now faintly revealed her apprehension towards the reclusive masters.

Since ancient times, imperial power and religious power, unless vastly different, have always been difficult to coexist harmoniously. It seems that the Great Yu is no exception.

The meaning of the sentence Zhao Du'an quoted can be translated as: governing a large country is like frying a small fish. Using the 'Dao' to govern the world, ghosts and gods cannot play a role.

The "Dao" here refers to the Dao of the Sage.

And the Emperor is the Sage.

He was playing a very advanced form of flattery.

Beside the desk.

"Governing a large country is like frying a small fish..." Xu Zhenguan savored the sentence for a long while before saying, "This doesn't sound like something you would say."

Zhao Du'an was neither humble nor arrogant: "Improving through reform and providing disaster relief also doesn't seem like a method that the Prime Minister could present."

Xu Zhenguan smiled slightly, the majesty on her face turning gentle, her phoenix eyes curving slightly downwards.

In an instant, the antique palace lit up.

Zhao Du'an silently exhaled, he had bet correctly!

It seemed that the Great Yu Empress indeed disliked cultivators interfering in worldly affairs.

However, although Xu Zhenguan appreciated the sentence, she was not too surprised. After all, she was an empress who had read extensively, with extremely high insight, and was more surprised by this "rumored boyfriend"... and only to that extent.

"Speak, what business do you have in entering the palace to see me?" She lightly brushed aside the topic, placing the brush in the groove of the jade brush holder.

Zhao Du'an's heart suddenly leaped, he put down the inkstone and bowed to apologize:

"This sinful subject reports to Your Majesty..."

He described the whole matter in detail, without embellishing himself too much.

As the most powerful woman in Great Yu, she wouldn't be foolish enough not to investigate.

The room was very quiet, so quiet that a pin could be heard dropping.

After Zhao Du'an finished his report, he lowered his head and waited for the Empress's judgment.

He was not sure how much effect his temporary increase in favorability would have.

Do your best and leave the rest to fate.

He even predicted several reactions from the Empress and prepared corresponding plans.

However, the thunderous rage he had imagined did not come. Xu Zhenguan said faintly, "Is that all?"

"...Yes, Your Majesty, I..."

"Retreat," Xu Zhenguan said, "I am tired."

Zhao Du'an's heart sank suddenly. He heard the subtle change in the Empress's voice.

The slight smile and appreciation had been replaced by indifference and alienation.

"Aren't you leaving yet?" Seeing that he didn't move, the Empress's voice deepened.

"This subject... takes his leave." Zhao Du'an bowed and retreated. As he closed the door, he caught a glimpse of the beautiful woman in white, with her black hair, looking out the window with her hands clasped behind her.

Outside the window was a lake, the lake water rippling slightly.

Xu Zhenguan didn't know what she was thinking.

Not long after.

Footsteps came from outside the door, accompanied by the palace servants' respectful address of "Zhaorong", followed by the creaking sound of the door opening.

Immediately afterward, the steady and capable voice of another young female official rang out:

"Your Majesty, Zhao Yamen, the supervisor of works, Ma Yan, along with the Censorate censors, are waiting outside to impeach Zhao Du'an of the White Horse Bureau, saying that he privately released the rebel Zhuang Xiaocheng, fearing collusion..."

"I know."

"How should we deal with it?"

"What do you think we should do?"

"If it were someone else... we could interrogate them according to the law, but this Zhao Du'an is a chess piece handpicked by Your Majesty, and this servant dares not decide on her own."

Xu Zhenguan sighed: "Just a spare piece, it doesn't matter. I heard his reputation isn't very good?"

The female official said coldly:

"Extremely bad. I heard that this person, relying on rumors in the city, is rampant and reckless in the capital, ignorant and incompetent, with a notorious reputation, causing the people to complain..."

The list of crimes made the Empress's head buzz...

After the female official finished her accusation, she said:

"Especially damaging Your Majesty's reputation, this time letting go of the rebel, whether colluding or not, the officials in the court will surely impeach him with all their might, I am afraid that killing him will not be enough to quell their anger."

The implication was that a useless person should be killed.

However, Xu Zhenguan hesitated for a rare moment, the impression Zhao Du'an had left on her just now flashed in her mind, and she felt that it was different from the rumors.

Perhaps it was a disguise in front of her... In that case, it seems that he should be killed even more.

But...

"Send someone to find the Director of the White Horse Bureau and ask him for his evaluation of Zhao Du'an, whether the rumors in the city are true, and whether he still has value. If... he is really useless, then hand him over to Zhao Yamen for disposal." Xu Zhenguan spoke with the voice of the Emperor.

"Yes."

...

...

On the other side, Zhao Du'an, who walked out of the palace gate, had a gloomy face.

The Empress did not give a clear answer, which, in his opinion, was a bad sign.

It was like a guillotine hanging high, and no one knew when it would fall.

"Next, the people from Zhao Yamen, and even the officials in the court who have long harbored resentment towards me, will surely swarm up. And I am not a real gigolo, unable to whisper sweet nothings in her ear... This is a bad situation."

"The Empress's attitude has already shown that she has no strong intention to favor me. The situation in the Great Yu court is also complicated, and I, as the 'Empress's pretty boy', am likely to become a pawn for the various forces in the court to curb imperial power."

"Even if the charges cannot be substantiated, being arrested and tortured will be unbearable."

Zhao Du'an didn't dare to gamble on how much his actions just now could influence the Empress's decision.

He had to find a way to save himself!

As long as the guillotine hasn't really fallen, there is still a chance to struggle!

Zhao Du'an calmly thought and tried to change his thinking.

When faced with false accusations, the usual way of thinking is to prove one's innocence and seek sympathy by shouting grievances.

But the real operating logic of the world is not like this.

Through brief contact, Zhao Du'an believed that the Great Yu Empress was a smart person, and most likely could judge that he had not colluded with the enemy.

This could also be seen from the other party's performance just now.

Then the biggest reason to kill himself was to quell the impeachment of the officials, and at most, to vent their anger.

And from the emperor's point of view:

"As long as the value I provide is greater than the value gained by killing me, I can live."

Zhao Du'an's thoughts suddenly became clear. There were countless corrupt officials and traitors in history. The reason why the emperors didn't eliminate them was largely because these people were more useful alive.

The same logic applied. As long as he didn't cross the red line, as long as he could show enough value before the guillotine fell, he would have a chance to turn the tables.

Catching Zhuang Xiaocheng back? That's unrealistic.

Then there was only one way left.

"Make amends for my sins." Zhao Du'an got into the carriage, already having made a decision in his heart. He couldn't rely on the whims of the upper echelons for his life and death.

He had to try to do something.

But how to make enough contributions in a short time? Zhao Du'an was at a loss.

"Sir, back to the yamen?" the coachman asked.

Zhao Du'an's heart stirred, and he said in a deep voice:

"Go back. Immediately, right away!"

...

...

The location of the White Horse Bureau's official office was not far from the imperial city.

As a newly established yamen, its internal structure was simple. There was a "Director", who was an old eunuch dispatched from the palace.

It was said that the old eunuch had served the Third Princess and was considered a direct line of the Empress.

In addition, there were many "Envoys" in the bureau, all of equal rank, with no superiors or inferiors. When the Emperor had any temporary tasks, they would be handed over to the Envoys to be responsible for.

This official position was created by the founding Emperor of the Great Yu Dynasty.

It was said that one day, the Emperor wanted to eat fresh lychees, so he appointed a "Lychee Envoy" to find a way to send lychees from Lingnan to the capital.

Because the royal family enjoyed privileges in handling affairs, it was considered a lucrative position, with opportunities to profit, and many dignitaries tried to squeeze people in.

However, the Empress valued appearance extremely when appointing Envoys. Only handsome people could enter. Therefore, rumors circulated in the city that the White Horse Bureau was the Empress's reserve harem of male concubines.

Zhao Du'an got out of the car, stepped into the yamen, and casually ordered the servants to feed the horses and wash the car. He went straight to his official office.

"Zhu Kui?" he shouted loudly, calling the name of his trusted black-clad clerk.

It was the ugly and fierce clerk who shook him awake in the bamboo forest.

In his memory, he had worked in the government office and was a very experienced old clerk.

However, what greeted him was not the flattering smile of the black-clad clerk.

But in the duty room, a man in his thirties, with handsome features, combing a delicate mustache, and thin lips, sat drinking tea.

The latter slowly put down the teacup, with a smile that was not a smile:

"Envoy Zhao, I heard you're in trouble? Congratulations."

...

ps: Thank you to the inner ghost boss for the 20,000 reward! Thank you to the beautiful Huang'er, old book friend Li Shipu for the reward support~