The First Lackey Under The Empress

"What do you mean?"

Xu Junling was stunned for a moment, and a look of seriousness gradually appeared on her sweet and lovely face.

Well, this is difficult for me to explain to you, after all, it's a classic from Earth…" Zhao Du'an looked leisurely, with a smile on his lips.

He seemed oblivious to the clamor of the common people petitioning outside the tall, gray walls of the posthouse.

He said lightly, "Just a fragment of a poem I came across."

Could you be any more fake… Xu Junling felt a fire rising in her heart for no reason.

She took two steps at a time, came to him, and sat down, her expression serious:

"Master Zhao, what exactly are you thinking? Or do you think the commotion outside doesn't matter? This princess kindly reminds you that the current situation is very wrong."

"Oh?"

Zhao Du'an, wearing casual clothes, leaned back in a bamboo chair, looking like a leisurely young master on vacation.

He put down the book "Taicang Geography", folded his hands, and asked with a smile:

"What advice does the princess have?"

Xu Junling said with a straight face:

"I told you when you arrested people that day that the suspension cannot last long.

Now, as I expected, rumors are spreading in the city, and the public opinion is not good for you.

Many people are already secretly hostile to you, the imperial envoy. Just look at the people petitioning outside. Do you think they came spontaneously?"

She answered herself:

"Since ancient times, people have feared officials. If someone hadn't been instigating them in secret, how could this have happened? Local officials have already launched a counterattack!"

I know… Zhao Du'an said "Oh" lightly:

"Then what? Do you think it was arranged by Gao, Liu, and Sun? Inciting a group of people to put pressure on me, do you think that will work?"

Xu Junling saw his indifferent appearance, and a sigh appeared on her face:

"Master Zhao, I know that you have repeatedly made meritorious services in the capital and have considerable skills, but you must know that being an official in the capital is different from being an imperial envoy outside.

That's right, you have troops in your hands and you yourself have cultivation, so you are safe from a mere hundred or so people.

But this is a dangerous signal. Once the petitioning team expands and something goes wrong, when you return to Beijing, impeachment letters will fill Her Majesty's desk!

Do you understand? Do you think that local officials can't counter the imperial envoy?

Throughout history, what imperial envoys fear most is not their personal safety, but messing up the mission.

If you allow the public opinion in the city to spread arbitrarily, even if you can find out the case and arrest the corrupt officials back to Beijing, the officials in the court can still accuse you of causing chaos in the region!

Causing civil unrest is enough to give you a hard time!

Or are you really thinking that you can ignore impeachment because of Her Majesty's favor?"

She finished speaking like a machine gun, her eyes full of disappointment.

Zhao Du'an listened with a strange expression, raised his hand to give her an apricot, and smiled:

"Princess, calm down. Speaking of which, is the princess so concerned about the safety of me, the imperial envoy? I thought the Prince of Huai'an would be hoping for a fight on my side."

This sudden sentence was a bit heart-wrenching.

Xu Junling instantly became alert and subconsciously retorted:

"This princess is wholeheartedly for Her Majesty, how can Master Zhao slander people indiscriminately?"

No, your Huai'an Palace is like a weathercock, with an unstable butt, do I need to slander you…

Zhao Du'an slandered in his heart and said slowly:

"So it's deep sisterly affection. I thought the princess was deliberately provoking me, wanting me to send troops to suppress the rioters.

Hehe, the people are just making reasonable petitions, how can we乱动刀兵move troops? This official still has this kind of mind, I dare not乱说speak recklessly about suppression, it is easy to give the rebels something to hold against me."

"…"

Xu Junling was rebuffed, snorted, turned her body, her face cold:

"This princess is just kindly reminding you. In short, local officials have already taken action. If you continue to delay, the consequences will be unpredictable.

Let me guess, the evidence left by Song's judicial commissioner is still not enough, so you are buying time, trying to dig deeper…

Unfortunately, people are clearly not prepared to give you enough time… Alas, thinking about it, I also know that two key people are missing. How could the big tiger you want to catch leave obvious clues?

Unless you can find Wang Chusheng, the magistrate of Taicang County…

Otherwise, since Gao Lian and the others have launched public opinion and are preparing to counter you, I'm afraid the next action against you is also imminent."

After leaving these words, Xu Junling stood up angrily and turned to leave.

"Finish it all in one battle."

Suddenly, Zhao Du'an's voice came from behind:

"Princess, remember to go to the crab feast this afternoon."

Yesterday, Zhao Du'an said that the golden chrysanthemums in Taicang Prefecture were good, and he heard that there was a tradition of holding autumn crab banquets in the city during the local autumn.

As an imperial envoy, he also wanted to take the opportunity to meet with the gentry and celebrities in the prefecture city to ease the tense atmosphere in the city and dispel rumors.

The banquet location was a gentry's residence in the city that planted a large area of good autumn chrysanthemums, named "Chrysanthemum Terrace".

"Got it."

Xu Junling left without looking back.

She thought to herself, this princess wants to see what tricks you are playing, it's not because I'm greedy for a few crabs.

… …

… …

Midday.

The petitioning people withdrew, and the sky above the city seemed to sense the coming storm. For a time, dark clouds gathered, and the autumn wind was fierce.

In the afternoon, Zhao Du'an ordered two hundred cavalrymen to stay behind, and he took the princess and his party, along with Imperial Censor Chen Hong and other imperial envoy teams, to "Chrysanthemum Terrace".

In Taicang Prefecture, all the celebrities and gentry with status had arrived.

The carriages parked outside blocked the entire street.

Gao, Liu, and Sun, who had been suspended from their duties and banned from leaving their homes, had also arrived earlier.

In the mansion, which was full of splendid autumn chrysanthemums, artificial mountains and flowing water, pavilions and terraces, many tables were set up.

On top were plates of tied-up crabs and jars of yellow wine.

There were many people present, all dressed in silk and satin.

However, the atmosphere of the crab-eating and chrysanthemum-admiring banquet, which should have been lively and festive, seemed a little oppressive and heavy.

"The imperial envoy has arrived!"

With a shout from the yamen runner, all the guests in Chrysanthemum Terrace stood up.

Today, Song, a candidate in the imperial examination who proclaimed himself a "disciple of Mr. Zhengyang", also came. When he saw Zhao Du'an and his party arriving, he hurriedly bowed respectfully.

Zhao Du'an nodded with a smile, signaling him to be calm.

Passing through the guests on both sides, they arrived at the main hall of the banquet.

At the door, a group of officials had been waiting in line.

"Master Zhao, Princess, Imperial Censor Chen… the banquet is ready, just waiting for you all."

Gao Lian stood in the center and said with a hearty smile.

This elegant and refined commissioner of administration was still wearing his official robe, but without his black gauze hat. His black and white hair was neatly arranged and fixed with a man's ebony hairpin.

Beside him.

Liu, the inspecting censor, who had obviously become much more tired and older after not seeing him for a few days, and Sun, the prefect, who was as dark and thin as iron, stood on the left and right with their hands down.

After Gao Lian spoke, the officials followed suit and saluted.

It was neat and uniform, with a sense of command and prohibition among the civil officials.

"Haha, everyone has been waiting for a long time. Please sit down, sit down and talk."

Zhao Du'an seemed to be in a good mood and entered the empty main seat with a smile.

It was just that when the group walked past, they could clearly feel the undisguised hostility in the eyes of the officials on both sides.

This gaze made Xu Junling, who was dressed in盛装打扮full attire, beautiful and elegant like a golden branch and jade leaf, feel uncomfortable all over.

It was as if this banquet hall was a dragon's pool and a tiger's den, and this group of officials wanted to swallow them alive.

These people are going to make trouble… the princess intuitively judged this.

She turned her head to look at Zhao Du'an, but saw that his handsome face was relaxed and natural.

Leisurely and carefree, that's all.

… …

Posthouse.

As the imperial envoy and his party went to the banquet, only a group of elites from the temporary Fengwei Garrison, led by Yuan Xingjun, remained.

The war horses had a special yard to feed them. Except for the soldiers on duty, the rest were ordered to rest in the two courtyards without unloading their armor.

They could set off at any time.

"General!"

The soldiers resting in the posthouse courtyard suddenly saw Yuan Xingjun walking in, and hurriedly stood up, instinctively lining up:

"Does the general have any orders?"

The deputy commander of Linfeng, who was wearing black scale armor, a straight knife at his waist, and only executed orders and asked few questions, had a cold gaze.

Scanning the faces of his subordinates, he said:

"By order of the imperial envoy… split up… set off immediately… arrest the criminals!"

Before long.

The yamen runners in the posthouse were shocked to see nearly two hundred cavalrymen breaking up into teams of five, pouring out of the posthouse like a flood and heading in different directions in the prefecture city.

"Da da da…"

The iron cavalry rumbled, shaking the dark clouds over the city, as if to stir up a storm.

"Neigh…"

Yuan Xingjun rode on the most majestic war horse of extraordinary blood, pulling the reins with his left hand and holding the tall flag pole with his right arm, his momentum majestic, heading towards the city gate to meet him.

In the horrified eyes of countless people, only the banner of "Linfeng" fluttered in the autumn wind.

And in the dark places that no one noticed.

In the streets and alleys, the shadow guards of the imperial city, whose appearances were no different from peddlers and porters, quietly got up in various corners of the city.

They dispersed separately and joined the separated cavalry teams, leading the way for them.

"Finish it all in one battle."

Yuan Xingjun carried the flag and galloped on his horse, looking at the approaching city gate, chewing on what Master Zhao said, his eyes gleaming slightly.

… …

… …

Chrysanthemum Terrace.

The crab banquet has officially begun.

The steamed and boiled crabs, with the local unique dipping sauce, paired with the local brewed yellow wine with a fruity aroma, tasted indeed different from those in the capital.

Zhao Du'an and the city officials, gentry and wealthy households, talked and laughed happily, and the atmosphere was surprisingly harmonious.

During this period, due to the demonization of public opinion, Yama Zhao had become an extremely terrifying image in the eyes of many gentry and low- and middle-level officials.

However, after actually meeting him, they realized that he was very different from the rumors.

This "Yama Zhao" was unexpectedly "close to the people" and not as aloof and domineering as the rumors said.

As the saying goes, seeing is believing. Zhao Du'an only used one appearance to greatly alleviate the inherent fear of the heavy gentry class towards him.

Seeing this, several big figures in the officialdom of Linfeng couldn't sit still.

"Master Zhao,"

Gao Lian, the commissioner of administration, picked up the silk cloth and wiped his hands clean. His bright and sharp gaze turned to someone sitting in the main seat, and he said seriously:

"This official dares to ask, how is the investigation of the case going these days, sir?"

Zhao Du'an raised his eyes.

The banquet hall also fell silent instantly.

"Commissioner Gao, what advice do you have?"