The First Lackey Under The Empress

Tomorrow's court assembly… Zhao Du'an felt a chill in his heart, discerning the potential storm from the Empress's few words.

"Your subject understands." Zhao Du'an cupped his hands in farewell, took two steps back, then suddenly stopped, hesitating before asking:

"Your Majesty, what crime do you think Gao Lian will ultimately be charged with?"

Xu Zhenguan glanced at him with surprise, and said calmly:

"According to convention, this crime is second only to treason, punishable by immediate execution."

According to convention… These three words implied that there could be an "unconventional" outcome.

The power struggles in the imperial court often didn't just mean "win" or "lose"; more often, different factions fought each other, eventually reaching some kind of compromise.

For example, even if the Li faction officials tried their best regarding Gao Lian's misdeeds, it would be impossible for him to be reinstated. But similarly… as long as they put in the effort, it wouldn't be easy to have him executed immediately.

Even if he had committed adultery, pillaging, and relied on his power to harm the innocent, his hands stained with lives.

"Your subject understands." Zhao Du'an nodded and walked towards the palace gate.

Xu Zhenguan quietly watched his departing figure, wanting to say something, but ultimately closed her mouth.

She merely raised her eyes, gazing at the withered leaves dancing in the garden's sky.

She thought to herself that by now, the news of the Taicang Prefecture case had probably spread.

…

In the rear courtyard of the Censorate.

Yuan Li, with his refined and stern appearance, finished reviewing the accumulated documents on his desk and stood up, slightly weary, to stretch his body.

The Great Green Robe casually walked in front of the curio shelf in the room, reaching out to play with a jade cabbage tea pet on the shelf.

This period of early autumn was a rare moment of leisure for the Censorate.

The Daoist-Buddhist debate caused a lull in the usually turbulent imperial court, with various factions tacitly ceasing their struggles, putting away their swords and spears.

After that, Zhao Du'an's performance in the debate boosted the imperial family's prestige, creating a sense in the capital's officialdom that the "Imperial Faction" was rising, while the Li Faction and the Qingliu Party were laying low.

"Lord, Lord!" Suddenly, an official rushed in from outside the courtyard.

Yuan Li's hand trembled, startled by the voice. He quickly placed the jade cabbage back on the curio shelf, turned around with displeasure, and glared at the official entering the door:

"This official isn't so old as to be deaf. What happened?"

The official timidly said, "Lord, Chen Hong, Censor Chen, has returned."

Lower-ranking officials didn't dare to use the title "Lord Yuan."

"Oh?" Yuan Li was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up and he said, "Quick, summon him here."

Shortly after.

Censor Chen, covered in dust from his journey, entered the door, cupping his hands with a smile:

"Lord Yuan, this humble official has returned."

Yuan Li smiled and invited him to sit down:

"You've returned so suddenly. Was your trip to Taicang smooth? Didn't Zhao Du'an come with you?"

"Lord Zhao has gone to the palace ahead of me," said the middle-aged censor with silver teeth.

Tsk… Young people are just so impatient… The elegant and refined Great Green Robe smiled.

Then Chen Hong said, "The Taicang case has been solved. The magistrate, Wang Chusheng, has been arrested and brought to justice. However, there have been some changes, involving several people."

"Who?" Yuan Li didn't seem surprised.

"Gao Lian, the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Linfeng." Chen Hong uttered the name.

The smile on Yuan Li's face slowly froze, as if digesting the news. His expression became serious:

"Is it really… him? Are you sure there's no mistake?"

Chen Hong said, "The magistrate confessed personally, and there is evidence…"

He quickly recounted the process he had already prepared in his mind.

After listening, Yuan Li couldn't help but stand up and pace back and forth in the room, exhaling softly and murmuring:

"How could it be him… Alas."

He sighed with a headache. The imperial court, which had been peaceful for only a short time, was about to be swept by another storm.

…

The Prime Minister's Residence.

A carriage hurriedly stopped at the gate. The "Young Grand Secretary," with a high nose bridge and appearing to be about forty years old, jumped down before the carriage had even come to a complete stop.

Ignoring the greetings of the servants in the residence, he rushed towards the backyard.

He shouted, "Father! Father!"

But he found no one there.

"Yinglong? The master is taking a nap. Don't shout," a beautiful woman came out, one of Li Yanfu's concubines.

She waved her hand, trying to dissuade him.

"Something happened. I need to see Father!" Li Yinglong looked anxious, a sense of ferocity lingering on his face. He pushed the beautiful concubine aside and went towards the bedroom.

A moment later, he banged loudly on the door until a voice from inside said, "Enter."

Li Yinglong then pushed open the door and saw Prime Minister Li Yanfu of the Great Yu leaning against the Arhat bed in the bedroom, bathed in the midday autumn sun.

His sideburns were like hedgehog quills, his eyebrows like amethyst ridges, and his messy, bristly beard connected to the sideburns on both sides.

He wore a loose-fitting dark red robe, fastened with white jade buttons.

At this moment, he slowly sat up, supporting himself on the bed with one hand, his eyes sharp as an eagle.

"Father…" Li Yinglong felt a shiver for no reason under the old Prime Minister's gaze.

Li Yanfu had no expression on his face, and said in a slightly hurried voice:

"Has Zhao Du'an returned?"

Li Yinglong was stunned, unable to hide his surprise: "Father already knows?"

"I guessed it." Li Yanfu slowly sat up straight. Li Yinglong hurriedly and carefully went over to help him.

"Tell me, what was the result?" Li Yanfu's old voice was now slow and deliberate.

Li Yinglong said anxiously:

"Those below saw that Zhao Du'an entered the city about an hour ago, bringing two large prison carts. One was the magistrate Wang Chusheng, and the other was… Gao Lian!"

Li Yanfu's hand, full of wrinkles and protruding veins, which was resting on the bed, suddenly clenched!

"Father! The prison carts have already been taken to the imperial prison. It's difficult for our people to go and investigate. The specific situation is still unclear, but we can probably guess. I'm afraid this case has implicated Gao Lian!

That Zhao Du'an is truly our mortal enemy! You showed mercy back then, and now he has gained momentum. He's trying to devour us little by little!" Li Yinglong said.

"Shut up!"

Li Yanfu scolded, his tiger eyes glaring, making the Young Grand Secretary tremble:

"Do you still have the face to mention it? Have you forgotten who cleaned up your mess last time?!"

Li Yinglong's momentum immediately weakened, and he could only anxiously say:

"Father, now is not the time to talk about this, but Gao Lian is about to be finished. He and us are… bound together. If he speaks recklessly in prison…"

"Hmph," Li Yanfu shook off his unworthy son and said in a deep voice:

"Gao Lian isn't as stupid as you. He won't talk nonsense. If I'm not mistaken, he probably hasn't said a few words all the way from Taicang to the capital."

The old Prime Minister sat cross-legged on the couch, his eyes flickering, as if pondering a countermeasure.

Li Yinglong hesitated:

"Your son believes in Provincial Administration Commissioner Gao, but that Zhao Du'an is vicious and may have set a trap… In short, your son means that we can't sit idly by.

If Gao Lian doesn't speak, it's because he's counting on us to rescue him. Father, if we still stand by this time, it doesn't matter what Gao Lian says in prison. It's the loss of people's hearts that's truly fatal."

Several times before, whether it was Pei Kai or Zhou Cheng, Li Yanfu had not tried his best to intervene.

This had already caused great displeasure among the officials of the Li faction and the major clans in Jiangnan, but due to the Prime Minister's accumulated prestige, they were limited to complaining.

They could still maintain stability.

But Li Yinglong knew that if they retreated again and again, the Jiangnan aristocratic families would not agree, and the officials of the Li faction would not agree.

"Father! Today we cede five cities, tomorrow we cede ten cities. You said to take a beating and let His Majesty vent his anger, and we all did as you said, but His Majesty still won't let go. This time, if we still don't exert ourselves, people's hearts will truly be lost!"

Li Yinglong almost begged.

"I told you to shut up!" Li Yanfu was annoyed and lost his temper, scaring the Young Grand Secretary into shivering and daring not to say a word.

The room fell silent.

After a long time, Li Yanfu closed his eyes, exhaled, and said in a hoarse voice:

"Go and gather people to come to the residence for a discussion."

Li Yinglong suddenly raised his head, his eyes suddenly lit up with brilliance, and he said excitedly: "Father, are you going to…"

"Go and call people," Li Yanfu waved his hand, opening his eyes with an unusually calm expression, his gray eyes like an ancient well:

"Indeed, we can't retreat any further."

When pushed too far, even a sheep will bite.

Li Yanfu clenched his hands, raised his head, and his gaze seemed to penetrate the roof, looking towards the direction of the palace:

Your Majesty, why be so aggressive…

…

…

The Zhao Family Residence.

After lunch, Zhao Pan, holding a bowl of hawthorn pills that had been boiled, knocked on the door of the master bedroom in the east wing.

"Mother, have some fruit."

The young girl stepped over the threshold, the sunlight behind her wrapping around her waist in a plain ruqun, spreading across the smooth wooden floor.

The afternoon sun in autumn illuminated the antique furniture.

You Jinhua, in a long dress, sat on a round stool embroidering, holding a round bamboo frame in her left hand, stretching the silk taut.

Her smooth right hand held a needle, with a thimble of mutton-fat jade on her finger.

At this moment, she tilted her head, biting off the thread with her silver teeth, adding a mandarin duck to the silk in her hand.

"Put it down," You Jinhua said, looking at her daughter curiously:

"Offering courtesy for no reason, what's the matter? Do you want to go shopping, or do you want your monthly allowance?"

Zhao Pan puffed out her cheeks. Her melon-seed face, after being well-fed, had gained a little "autumn fat", becoming much rounder and cuter:

"Mother, I just wanted to ask if there's any news about my older brother, when he'll be back."

You Jinhua "ah"ed, sighed softly, her eyes filled with worry and concern:

"Your older brother hasn't sent back a letter, how would I know? But when he left the capital, he said it would be at most a month, he should be back soon."

"Oh." Zhao Pan sat down sullenly, in low spirits.

You Jinhua glanced at her daughter, intending to ease her mood, and showed her the mandarin ducks she was embroidering:

"Look, I'm embroidering these for you."

"What are you embroidering mandarin ducks for?" Zhao Pan frowned.

You Jinhua smiled and said:

"After the new year, you'll be another year older, and it's time to look for a future husband. Our family is not what it used to be, we're a big household now. With your older brother here, whichever handsome young man in the capital you fancy, Mother will…"

"I don't want to hear it, I don't want to hear it, it's like a monk chanting scriptures." Zhao Pan turned around decisively, leaving her mother her bottom, covering her ears with both hands, in a posture of resisting marriage and vowing never to marry:

"If you want to marry, why don't you marry?"

"You child! What nonsense are you talking about!" You Jinhua was helpless, raising her hand angrily to poke her head with her finger.

Just then, a surprised shout came from a servant outside the room:

"Young Master is back!"

The mother and daughter were stunned, exchanged glances, and got up at the same time to run out of the house.

They saw Zhao Du'an in the courtyard, carrying large and small packages, walking in with a smile, his eyes lighting up:

"Aunt, sister, I'm back."