The First Lackey Under The Empress

Shua shua — —

The autumn wind from the distant mountains blew into the county office, and large patches of brilliant golden chrysanthemums beside them swayed like waves of wheat.

Zhao Du'an steadily scrutinized the Taicang Prefect who was bowing to him, his expression first strange, then turning to calm:

"Are you teaching this official how to do things?"

The native Sun Xiaozhun didn't understand the meme from another world and said with a serious face:

"Lord, this humble official wouldn't dare. I only hope that Your Excellency will prioritize the 'big picture'."

"A fine 'big picture'," Zhao Du'an seemed to sneer, his face displeased:

"Prefect Sun, when you say these things, in the final analysis, aren't you just trying to protect yourself by leveraging the big picture?

You want this official to accept the methods you've provided, go through the motions, and not dig deep? But you seem to have mistaken one thing, here, this official is the big picture."

Sun Xiaozhun looked disappointed, his expression self-deprecating, and he lowered his hands, saying nothing more.

At this moment, Qian Kerou's voice came from outside the courtyard gate:

"Lord, Provincial Administration Commissioner Gao Lian and Surveillance Commissioner Liu Ji have arrived."

They came quite quickly… Zhao Du'an glanced at Prefect Sun and said:

"Lord Sun, please go out and explain. Oh right, call Censor Chen over here."

Sun Xiaozhun sighed and stepped out of the courtyard.

Shortly after.

Chen Hong, the silver-toothed censor in a green robe, walked in, his expression solemn:

"Lord Zhao, you were looking for me?"

Zhao Du'an gave an "En" and briefed this deputy sent by Yuan Li:

"Chief Judge Song's investigation has obtained evidence of crimes, and this official has acquired it."

He paused, not waiting for the censor, nominally a deputy but actually supervising him, to show a surprised expression.

He continued:

"In the evidence of crimes, many clues point to the officialdom of Linfeng. I just had a talk with Sun Xiaozhun, and this fellow's reaction was very interesting."

Censor Chen, who had been following Yuan Li in the Censorate for many years and had a sharp mind, curiously asked: "Interesting?"

"Yes," Zhao Du'an said with his hands behind his back, slowly pacing, stepping into this patch of chrysanthemums, like a boat sailing in a sea of flowers, letting the branches and leaves sweep past the hem of his brocade robe.

He paused, and then sighed with some inexplicable emotion:

"He sent this official a very big pledge of allegiance."

Heh, agitated rebuttals, seemingly sincere in saying that it can't be investigated…

But Zhao Du'an knew very well that in officialdom, one cannot listen to the surface of a person's words.

A person who could climb from the harsh Lingnan to the position of Taicang Prefect at this age.

Would he really be as straightforward as he appeared?

Heart and mouth in agreement?

How could that be possible.

Therefore, the real message that Sun Xiaozhun wanted to convey to Zhao Du'an in that performance was not the set of words he said on the surface.

The special mention of the relationship between Beijing officials and local officials earlier was implicitly hinting that this case was not just a local matter in Linfeng, but a major event involving Beijing officials.

The statement that the Linfeng officialdom was not clean in the middle was to express the position of the local officials and the possible responses of the local officials next.

As for the last sentence, "Once it starts, it cannot be contained", the meaning is too obvious.

As a prefect from a civil service background, who discusses articles with Song Juren like a scholar, how could he make a low-level mistake in his wording?

"Once it starts, it cannot be contained" and "Once it starts, it cannot be cleaned up" are two completely different meanings.

The wording of this one sentence alone has already implied it too clearly.

"This guy is reminding this official to act quickly and not delay."

Zhao Du'an looked at the distant mountains and said such an inexplicable sentence.

Immediately, he looked at Censor Chen, who looked puzzled, and smiled:

"Old Chen, it seems we have to close the net ahead of schedule."

… …

The front hall of the county office.

Sun Xiaozhun, expressionless, met with the two superiors who had rushed over and briefly explained the matter.

The Provincial Administration Commissioner Gao, with a refined temperament, listened calmly and said:

"What did the Imperial Envoy say?"

Sun Xiaozhun was about to answer when he suddenly heard a familiar voice from behind.

"Since everyone is here, that's for the best." Zhao Du'an, in splendid brocade robes, stepped forward, with the censor half a step behind him.

Gao Lian, as a high-ranking official, hurriedly stood up:

"Imperial Envoy."

Liu, the Surveillance Commissioner who looked like a nice guy and just wanted to muddle through, also stood up:

"Lord Zhao."

Zhao Du'an's face was as heavy as water, his eyes swept over the yamen, which was tightly sealed off by cavalry, and finally landed on the three court officials in front of him.

He said coldly:

"According to this official's investigation, the case of Wang Chusheng's embezzlement involves a wide range of people, and the perpetrator and the accuser have mysteriously disappeared. The clues point to the three of you. In order to ensure that the investigation is not disturbed, this official, by the authority of the Imperial Envoy, hereby suspends all powers and duties of the three of you, retains your ranks, and accepts the investigation."

Almost without pausing, he instructed the Jinyi of Pear Blossom Hall:

"Kerou, your next task is to protect the three adults. During the suspension of duties and investigation, the three adults are forbidden to leave Taicang Prefecture City. Well, it's best not to wander around. Just rest well at home or in the yamen. All affairs will be temporarily handled by your respective deputies. Any questions?"

Qian Kerou and the other Jinyi clasped their fists, exuding murderous aura:

"Your subordinates obey!"

Gao Lian and Liu Ji, who had rushed over and hadn't even warmed their seats, looked stunned, feeling as if they had been struck on the head, dazed.

They were suspended from duty upon the first meeting with the real Imperial Envoy?

Gao and Liu turned their heads at the same time, looking at Prefect Sun, who was also suspended from duty and under investigation.

Sun Xiaozhun smiled self-deprecatingly and spread his hands:

"You've all heard what the Imperial Envoy said to me."

Faced with Zhao Du'an, who held great power and had cavalry in hand, the three had no power to resist, and were soon "protected" and returned to the prefectural city with the main force.

Zhao Du'an fell behind, and at this time, the Princess, who had been quiet for a while, came over.

The two deliberately lagged behind everyone else, and the guards such as Lu Shi also consciously kept their distance.

Xu Junling's delicate, silk-like skin seemed to be covered with a strange halo, just like the strange color in her eyes:

"Do you really have the confidence to solve the case in a few days? Just based on the box of evidence left by Chief Judge Song?"

Zhao Du'an's expression was serious, and he shook his head:

"Of course not enough. Those things are just some assistance, providing some clues."

Xu Junling's beautiful eyes were full of tears, as if trying to see through him, calmly analyzing:

"Without evidence, you immediately detain second-rank officials. Once the news spreads, the entire Taicang Prefecture, and even the Linfeng officialdom, will be shaken. Whose case is investigated like this?

Are you really not afraid of problems underneath?

You must know that this is not the capital. This group of local officials has deeply rooted influence in the local area. If you arrest people, it's okay for a short time, but if it drags on for a while, the people underneath will cause trouble…

Hiss, you mobilized two hundred cavalry before entering the city, wouldn't it be for this?"

Zhao Du'an turned his head and looked at the princess, who was as smart as ice and snow and good at supplementing her brain.

After about two breaths, he smiled silently:

"The Princess is thinking too much."

Xu Junling didn't quite believe it and said resentfully:

"Are you always like this, making people unable to see through you?"

Zhao Du'an's eyes were bold, scanning the princess's slender figure under the long skirt from top to bottom, with thousands of valleys and ravines at the moment of sudden rise, and said with a playful smile:

"When will the Princess let this official see through you?"

Xu Junling's eyes widened and she walked away angrily. This guy repeatedly refuses to be taught.

Every time he doesn't want to answer her questions directly, he does this.

Zhao Du'an laughed loudly, walking in the autumn wind, his eyes calm and without emotion, looking at the mountains full of red, thinking:

The fire here has already been ignited, and deliberately pulling the cavalry to run back and forth in public, the momentum created should be enough to draw everyone's attention to himself.

"I hope things go smoothly over there too."

… …

After the Imperial Envoy left.

Song Juren and Wang County Magistrate, who had survived the disaster, walked out of the county office. The two were speechless to each other.

"Mr. Song!"

Instructor Xie, who was hiding near the county office, walked out with lingering fear, "Just now that was…"

The old Juren shook his head and said bitterly: "He is the Imperial Envoy."

The person who broke into the village was Imperial Envoy Zhao… Instructor Xie's mind was buzzing, unable to speak.

… …

The Imperial Envoy went and returned, re-entering Taicang Prefecture City.

Immediately afterwards, an explosive piece of news exploded in the city.

Gao, Liu, Sun… all three adults were suspended from duty and under investigation.

Outsiders did not know about the "real and fake Imperial Envoy", but only thought that the Imperial Envoy had gone to Taicang Silver Mine for an inspection and came back to wipe out the top tier of Linfeng in one fell swoop.

For a time, rumors were rampant and people were panicking.

In the afternoon.

The Provincial Administration Commissioner, who had come forward to appease the lower-level officials, returned to his temporary residence in Taicang City.

As the head of a province, the Provincial Administration Commission was in "Linfeng Prefecture", but there was also a residence purchased in Taicang City for living in when on business trips.

This time, Gao Lian's family members did not come along for the case, so there were only a few servants and maids of the Gao family in this residence.

Taking care of his daily life.

"Sir, you're back so early?"

The servants in the house were startled to see Gao Lian return.

Gao Lian had no intention of explaining, but only waved his hand wearily and went straight to the study.

Pushing open the door and entering the room, this second-rank civil official, who was young and strong, with fair skin, and whose official robe and hair were never messy, closed the door.

First, he took off his official robe and draped it on the rack on the side. As for the official hat, it had been temporarily confiscated due to the suspension of duties.

As a scholar from the Jiangnan gentry, the Gao family was only a second-rate family.

Gao Lian's ability to reach this position relied to some extent on the support of his legal wife from a prominent family.

Perhaps for this reason, in the eyes of outsiders, Gao Lian had always been known for his demeanor and rarely frequented brothels.

He was also known for his stability and reliability, and his reputation among the Provincial Administration Commissioners of the nine provinces and eighteen prefectures was excellent.

Anyone who had dealt with Gao Lian praised his refined demeanor, and he remained as steady as a mountain in the face of major events.

At this moment, this "immovable as a mountain" Confucian official sat in the grand master's chair and took out the secret letter from Li Yanfu in the capital from the drawer, which was not signed.

On the letter paper were the different strategies given by Li Yanfu to deal with Zhao Du'an.

Gao Lian lowered his eyes and solemnly examined the words on the paper.

"If he uses force and shows a thorough investigation, intending to implicate others, he should let all the civil and military officials in the city know that pulling one hair moves the whole body."

Gao Lian read it for a long time and only read the golden words "Turn your own affairs into everyone's affairs" from the lines.

"Someone." Gao Lian said calmly.

The servant who was waiting at the door of the study walked in:

"Sir, what are your orders?"

… …

At the same time.

Ten miles outside of Taicang Prefecture City, in a certain courtyard.

A member of the organization "Shadow Guard", which was subordinate to the imperial family's offerings, raised in the Jianghu, and collected intelligence and handled affairs for the Empress, raised his head and caught a pigeon that fell from the sky in his hand.

He took out the latest order from the copper tube tied to the pigeon's red feet.

That was Zhao Du'an's order.