The First Lackey Under The Empress

Did Xu Zhenguan want to be a wise ruler?

This was without question. Even without considering her true feelings, from a practical standpoint, she needed to cultivate such an image.

In Zhao Dou'an's previous life, flipping through history, he found Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty very interesting. This emperor, throughout his life, wanted to be seen as a good emperor in the eyes of the world. The reason, of course, was still the four words 'illegitimate acquisition'.

Just like when launching a war, one must first have a 'just cause' to stand firm.

If Xu Zhenguan wanted to secure her position as empress, she needed to address those criticisms.

'Illegitimate acquisition'… This was the rhetoric constantly spread by the Kuangfu Society, widely circulated. The story about her killing her brothers and father to seize power was, of course, a fabricated rumor.

But even if this rumor was debunked, the fact that she, as a woman, ascended the throne to become a rare empress without the edict of the late emperor and crown prince, was already considered 'illegitimate' in the eyes of the world.

If the name is not right, words will not be smooth.

Therefore, Xu Zhenguan paid particular attention to her words and actions.

When facing many constraints, she didn't choose to rely on imperial power or act recklessly with her cultivation. Instead, she somewhat frustratingly tied her own hands, adhering to 'rules' in everything.

Interestingly, as the person in the world most qualified to disregard the rules, the empress was the most concerned about 'rules'.

However, tonight, some people broke these rules, forcing the empress to make a choice.

…

"I'm actually very surprised."

Inside the carriage, Zhao Dou'an stared at the candlestick shade on the table and said softly:

"Your Majesty actually sent you here."

Mochou looked at him quietly, as if understanding something:

"So, you were worried that Her Majesty wouldn't make this decision, or didn't want Her Majesty to make a choice, and chose to take action?

As long as Gao Lian died, the Southern aristocratic families would still lose this struggle. You secretly intervened to relieve Her Majesty's immediate crisis.

But have you thought about what outsiders would think? What would the Southern aristocratic families and the Li faction officials think? They wouldn't distinguish who took action, they would only think that Her Majesty did."

Zhao Dou'an looked calm, met her gaze quietly, and smiled:

"But it's better than having you do it. Many things, once done, whether right or wrong, are ultimately different."

"Even if outsiders can't distinguish? Can't tell?" Mochou retorted.

Zhao Dou'an said indifferently:

"Over time, the truth will always surface. At least if I do it, even if Her Majesty is temporarily misunderstood, given enough time, there will be a day to clear her name. But if Her Majesty really did it, it can't be washed away."

Mochou was silent.

At this moment, she was somewhat dazed and lost in thought: "So, what you did tonight was to preserve Her Majesty's reputation as a wise ruler?"

Zhao Dou'an smiled: "Otherwise?"

Mochou looked at him quietly for a while, then shook her head: "I don't believe it, you definitely have other intentions."

Her expression suddenly became strange: "You wouldn't be doing it to eliminate harm for the people, would you?"

Zhao Dou'an seemed like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his fur stood on end, and he glared: "Don't slander good people! Does this official look like the kind of stupid chivalrous person who stands up for justice?"

Don't slander good people…

"…" Mochou was at a loss for words, feeling like an old complaint was stuck in her throat.

So, is fairness and justice something dirty and shameful to you?

Oh, right, for a scumbag and traitor like you… indeed…

The words 'eliminate harm for the people' shouldn't be associated with your name at all.

Hmm, deliberately bringing up the topic is to show off your achievements, to demonstrate your contribution to relieving Her Majesty's worries, and the ultimate goal is to curry favor with Her Majesty, to covet her body… It's barely understandable… Mochou nodded, feeling that she had found a reasonable explanation for Zhao's actions tonight.

But she still felt that this guy was a bit insincere…

"You shouldn't have participated in this matter," Mochou exhaled and said stiffly:

"Her Majesty told you before that you don't need to worry about convicting Gao Lian."

Zhao Dou'an smiled cheekily: "It's okay, the capable should do more."

Mochou's head ached with anger, she raised her hand and pressed it on the small table in front of her, as if to increase her authority with this action:

"Her Majesty is protecting you, not wanting you to get involved in more complicated vortexes too early, do you understand?!"

Zhao Dou'an blinked his innocent big eyes, showing pure innocence: "What do you mean by that?"

Mochou said impatiently:

"Do you really think Her Majesty only has you to use? That investigating cases relies entirely on you? In fact, Her Majesty had already investigated the shadow of Jing Wang's mansion behind the Taicang Prefecture case. Who do you think the Song Commissioner who submitted the report and then disappeared was?"

Zhao Dou'an frowned, looking slightly more serious: "Are you saying he was Jing Wang's subordinate?"

Mochou nodded and sighed:

"According to the clues Her Majesty currently has, it is highly likely that Song Commissioner was picked up by Jing Wang's mansion's secret agents and fled to Jiancheng Road after sending the report. The reason he reported at this juncture, stirring up this storm, was to burn the fire to Li Yanfu and the Southern aristocratic families."

No wonder the evidence left by Song Commissioner was so rich. I was wondering before, how could a small commissioner investigate so secretly… If it was Jing Wang's mansion's doing, it makes sense…

Zhao Dou'an's expression became serious: "Continue!"

He had already guessed seven or eight parts of the truth in his mind, but he still needed the big ice cube to confirm it.

Seeing that he had already participated and stirred things up, Mochou simply didn't hide anything and said:

"The first step of the new policies you came up with was to open a market on the Huai River border, followed by the 'spreading the tax to the land'… Once the news spread, the Southern century-old families paid the most attention.

Firstly, the imperial court is trying to make money off of them through finance.

Secondly, those great clans have the most fields in their hands, which naturally causes unrest.

And the Eight Kings are even more unwilling for the imperial court to smoothly implement the new policies, so they will inevitably take action to stop it.

Therefore, Jing Wang is likely to have set up a scheme, using Song Commissioner as a chess piece to detonate the 'Taicang Silver Mine' bomb, thereby provoking the conflict between Her Majesty and the Li faction, the imperial court and the Southern aristocratic families."

"This is a conspiracy because even if Her Majesty is suspicious, it is difficult to ignore it, not to mention that the implementation of the new policies will inevitably clash with the interests of the aristocratic families. This matter cannot be avoided or escaped.

Moreover, at that time, Her Majesty did not know that this matter was related to Jing Wang, so she sent you there, first to investigate the case; second, to kill the chicken to warn the monkey and rectify the bureaucracy; and third, to knock on the Southern aristocratic families."

"And after Gao Lian entered the capital, it did indeed attract the resistance of the Li faction… Among the people who entered the capital recently, the second master of the Jiancheng Shen family is particularly crucial."

Zhao Dou'an interjected: "The Shen family? The branch of the great clan that Gao Lian's father-in-law belongs to?"

He understood this part when he investigated Gao Lian.

Mochou nodded and said:

"According to the Shadow Guards' secret investigation, it is very likely that the Shen family has already defected to Jing Wang's mansion. This time entering the capital, on the surface, it seems like normal lobbying, but in reality, the people they contacted are mainly Li faction officials in the capital.

And judging from the style of action, Wang Chusheng's sudden death tonight doesn't seem like something Li Yanfu would do."

Zhao Dou'an's eyes suddenly sharpened:

"Are you saying that the one who silenced Wang Chusheng might be this Shen family's second master? His purpose… is to further provoke the conflict between Her Majesty and Li Yanfu?"

At this moment, with the completion of several key clues, the entire chain of evidence in his mind became clear:

In order to hinder the promotion of the new policies, Jing Wang tried to provoke a conflict between the empress and the 'Li faction'.

Detonating the Taicang Silver Mine was only the first step, and instigating the Shen family's second master to kill was the second step.

… Once the silencing incident occurs, everyone will suspect Li Yanfu, and Li Yanfu is firmly tied to the Jiangnan aristocratic families and cannot separate himself. In this way, the furious empress will naturally further suppress the 'Li faction'…

If Li Yanfu continues to adhere to the original strategy, shrinking his power and abandoning some members in exchange for the survival of the entire Li faction, it will inevitably lead to the disintegration of the people below…

And going to war with the empress in order to protect the position of 'party leader' will lead to the re-destabilization of the newly stabilized court situation… The promotion of the new policies will be hindered…

At the same time, the Shen family takes advantage of the opportunity of 'lobbying' to contact the remaining officials of the 'Li faction' in the capital in a grandiose manner. It is difficult to say that they have not extended an 'olive branch' for Jing Wang, secretly trying to win them over…

Zhao Dou'an's thoughts fluctuated in his mind, and he took a light breath.

He only felt that the fog that had enveloped him since he rushed to Taicang Prefecture suddenly dissipated.

"So, even if I hadn't caught Wang Chusheng, Jing Wang's mansion would probably have found a way to send him to me…"

"The assassination on the way back to the capital was also likely not aimed at Gao and Wang, but at me… If I, the imperial envoy, died, and then blamed Gao Lian or Li Yanfu… it could further provoke the conflict between Her Majesty and the Li faction… After all, besides the Kuangfu Society, the Li faction involved in the Silver Mine case is the most motivated to assassinate me…"

Zhao Dou'an murmured to himself, feeling a sense of horror for the first time since he transmigrated.

One link after another, it turned out that the Silver Mine case was just an introduction.

The real battlefield, from beginning to end, was in the capital.

If there is a chessboard of heaven and earth between the capital and Jing Wang's mansion, drawn with territory,

Zhao Dou'an is the chariot that the empress pushed out to cross the river and eat the enemy's horse.

And this clumsy horse was deliberately sent out by Jing Wang. The pawn that hampers the horse's leg is Wang Chusheng.

Mochou sighed softly, helplessly:

"So, do you know why Her Majesty didn't want you to get involved? Your current position is not enough to get on the poker table in this kind of struggle."

Zhao Dou'an rarely retorted but said with a strange expression:

"Speaking of which, Zhen… Her Majesty wouldn't have predicted that Wang Chusheng would be silenced, would she?"

If Zhenbao had already discerned the true opponent in this game when he returned to the capital to report, would she really not have provided enough protection for Wang Chusheng?

Or was she condoning all of this?

After all, if Wang Chusheng did not die, then according to the current situation, Li Yanfu's best efforts would only prolong the case and strive to keep Gao Lian alive temporarily, and then seek subsequent opportunities.

And in the end, it would only be the execution of Gao Lian, and the empress would once again knock on the Li faction.

Ultimately, it would only be similar to overthrowing Pei Kai, a routine weakening of the Li faction.

But if Shen Erye is allowed to kill and then Gao Lian is killed.

Firstly, the empress will still win this struggle, this major premise will not change.

The imperial court's prestige and the purpose of deterring local officials can still be achieved.

Secondly, although on the surface, it seems that Jing Wang's conspiracy has succeeded, the premise of Jing Wang's success is that the empress is enraged and severely punishes Li Yanfu, and even launches thunderous revenge on the entire Li faction and the Southern aristocratic families behind it because of this silencing incident!

In other words, Prince Jing was deliberately provoking, trying to make the Empress lose her cool.

As long as the Empress gets angry and abandons her "wise ruler" persona, using her power to destroy the Li faction,

Then Prince Jing's goal will be achieved.

But...

"What if Zhenbao doesn't fall for it?"

Zhao Du'an suddenly had this thought.

"If Zhenbao doesn't fall for it and doesn't use thunderous methods against the Li faction, but instead tries to win them over and divide them? With Li Yanfu's wisdom, he will definitely realize that he has been played by the Shen family and Prince Jing, and perhaps he is already prepared to confront Zhenbao head-on..."

"But as long as Zhenbao doesn't lose her cool and chooses to suppress her thunderous anger, or vent it on the Shen family, without pursuing others... In this way, she can both stabilize Li Yanfu and complete a division within the Li faction, thereby weakening it..."

The more Zhao Du'an thought, the clearer his mind became.

He suddenly thought of his previous conversation with the old Chief Eunuch.

Sun Lianying had told him that Zhenbao was using the "New Deal Opening" to win over and divide the aristocratic families of the Great Yu Dynasty.

Zhao Du'an had only half-listened to the old eunuch's words at the time and didn't pay much attention to them, but now that he thought about it, wasn't that a kind of hint?

Prince Jing was making a move on the chessboard, trying to lure the Empress into anger and attack the Li faction.

The more the Li faction is attacked, the more united they will become, and with the cooperation of the Second Master Shen, they are likely to gradually lean towards Prince Jing.

And the Empress pretends not to know, deliberately entering the game, and when the time is ripe, she can turn around and split the Li faction with a single move.

"Well... this move is not perfect, because in the final analysis, it only temporarily stabilizes Li Yanfu, and cannot win him over, and this divisive situation will further force the situation to become tense... But, where in the world is there a perfect chess game?"

Zhao Du'an closed his eyes unconsciously.

Many thoughts rose and fell in his mind, as if he "saw" this game with the earth as the chessboard and the officials as the pieces.

"Hiss... I seem to have underestimated Zhenbao a bit." Zhao Du'an thought with a slight headache.

"Lord Zhao?" Inside the carriage, Mo Chou saw that he had been silent for a long time and seemed to be distracted, and finally couldn't help but call out softly.

"Oh, sorry, I was thinking about something." Zhao Du'an smiled and said, "Where were we?"

"..." Mo Chou said speechlessly, "You asked me about Wang Chusheng's death..."

"Ah, haha, I was just saying it casually, I don't think it's possible." Zhao Du'an interrupted her, taking the initiative to cut off the topic.

They had talked too much tonight.

As for how much of his guess was true and how much was false, he no longer needed the female official's answer.

He would know by watching how this matter was concluded next.

Zhao Du'an knew that many people in the capital would not be able to sleep peacefully tonight.

"Then I won't delay your return to the palace to report?" Zhao Du'an asked with a smile.

"..." Mo Chou sighed.

Zhao Du'an jumped out of the carriage with a smile, took two steps, and suddenly turned back to add, "By the way, don't forget to send my regards to His Majesty?"

After saying that, without waiting for the big ice cube to get angry, he slipped away and ran towards the Zhao Yamen.

Mo Chou rubbed her forehead with a headache and ordered, "Return to the palace."

...

...

Prime Minister's Residence.

"Father, Father!"

Li Yanfu had just laid down not long ago, wanting to take a nap to prepare for tomorrow's troubles.

Ordinary people would inevitably suffer from insomnia when encountering such a thing, but the Prime Minister, who had experienced countless storms in his life, had the ability to force himself to fall asleep.

However, after sleeping for a while, he heard the voice of his unfilial son coming from outside the door.

Li Yanfu woke up in shock, his right eyelid twitching uncontrollably. He didn't rebuke his son's behavior for once, but took the initiative to get up and walked towards the door wearing loose pajamas.

"What's the change?" The old man opened the door, and the first sentence went straight to the point.

Li Yinglong's robe was stained with the night dew, his face was extremely ugly, and he said almost tremblingly, "Gao Lian is dead."

Li Yanfu's breath tightened.

He held the door leaf with both hands and stared at his son: "How did he die?"

"They said it was a sudden death, the same as before, without any injuries, except that his finger was bitten. He died sitting cross-legged in the prison, and he also wrote a confession on the ground in front of him with his own blood."

Li Yinglong quickly described the information he had obtained:

"Before he died, there was no movement. Mo Zhaorong discovered it. She came out of the palace with a team of people and went to the Ministry of Justice's prison, specifically asking to interrogate Gao Lian alone. After going in and out, it didn't take long before the person died.

The people there said that Mo Zhaorong had already died when she went in, but how is that possible? It was clear that someone had gone to see him when Wang Chusheng died, and Gao Lian was fine at that time."

Li Yinglong was also anxious, and after saying it in one breath, his face twitched and said:

"Father! His Majesty did it! It must be His Majesty who sent Mo Zhaorong to kill the person, and didn't even bother to cover it up!"

Not even pretending!

They don't even hide when they kill people! We know to hide when we kill people!

The Little Grand Secretary was frightened by the two consecutive deaths tonight, and his back felt cold.

Li Yanfu was silent, his face filled with a kind of "unexpected, but reasonable" expression.

A trace of mockery inexplicably appeared in his eyes. The Shen family... hehe, just an aristocratic family in a remote area. When have they ever seen a real bloody storm? They really thought they had the guts to run rampant in the capital by relying on the "Eight Kings"?

These southern rats only know that the Empress is a woman, but when have they ever seen the scene of the Xuanmen coup with their own eyes?

"Prepare the carriage." Li Yanfu sighed and said calmly, "Call the servants to help me dress, I want to enter the palace to see the Emperor."

Now that things have come to this, he knows that what should come cannot be avoided.

It will always have to be faced.

"Father, it's so late, His Majesty should be resting, why not tomorrow..."

"I want you to prepare the carriage!"

Li Yinglong was frightened and shivered, and hurriedly went to arrange it. This waiter, who thought he was used to the storms of the court, realized his immaturity at this moment.

At least when it comes to the survival of the Li faction and the rise and fall of the Li family, his shoulders are far less able to bear than his aging father.

...

...

The palace is brightly lit.

Xu Zhenguan sat in the imperial study, closing her eyes to rest, waiting quietly.

It was not until she heard familiar footsteps outside the door that she opened her bright eyes.

"Your Majesty, I'm back." Mo Chou respectfully bowed, and then crossed the threshold and entered the room.

Xu Zhenguan "Hmm"ed and asked with a smile, "How is it?"

"Gao Lian is dead, and he also left a confession. It has been arranged that tomorrow it will be said to the outside world that he committed suicide out of fear of crime." Mo Chou said.

"Very good," Xu Zhenguan's expression was calm, and her plain white face was like a gilded Buddha in the light, "Anything else?"

Mo Chou lowered her head, took a deep breath, and said:

"But it wasn't this servant who killed him. Someone had already taken care of it for His Majesty a moment before this servant arrived."

Xu Zhenguan was obviously stunned, showing genuine surprise.

Fortunately, Mo Chou didn't keep her waiting too long before spitting out Zhao Du'an's name.

And she completely and completely recounted how she met Zhao Du'an after leaving the prison, and what she said in the carriage.

This matter cannot be concealed, and the other guards have seen it.

Of course, more importantly, Mo Chou can assist the Empress in handling state affairs as a maid, and the most important thing is that she never hides anything from the Empress, let alone deceives her.

Even if she, as a "love rival", was unwilling to ask for credit for Zhao Du'an in her heart, she still did not hide it.

Mo Chou still clearly remembers that she once learned from Sun Lianying in the Third Princess's palace. At that time, the old eunuch did not say any profound words, but only taught her the simplest and most simple truth:

"We servants only need to be wholeheartedly good to our masters, without cheating or concealing, and that is our duty."

Mo Chou wrote these words on her sleeve and looked at them whenever she had nothing to do, and acted according to this experience until now.

She has never done any scheming, but has become the head of the Sixth Shang female officials, and has not had the slightest greed for power, but has become the "Miss Mo" who walks for the Empress.

"Zhao Du'an?" The Empress was stunned, her expression extremely complicated, and after a long time, she only asked, "So, he finally asked you to send his regards to me on his behalf?"

"Yes." Mo Chou nodded honestly.

Xu Zhenguan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and said with an unclear mood: "You are also honest, you have retold everything. If he said something inappropriate to me, would you also repeat it?"

Mo Chou, who used to be quick-witted, couldn't understand the Empress's meaning for a moment, her expression stunned, and she fell into entanglement: "This..."

Fortunately, she didn't tangle for too long before she heard someone outside the door report again: "Prime Minister Li Yanfu requests to see you."

In the room, Xu Zhenguan, who was smiling, restrained her relaxed expression and pursed her red lips:

"Summon him."

...

The night was extremely deep.

When Li Yanfu stepped into the Meridian Gate and walked on the dark square, his whole person wrapped his scarlet official robe tightly because of the cold.

In his memory, it had been a long time since he had entered the palace so late at night.

At first, the old emperor ignored the government in his later years and only left the cabinet affairs to him to handle. Furthermore, the prince had the same meal box.

Since then, there have been fewer opportunities to enter the palace at night.

During the three years since the Empress ascended the throne, the Li faction has been constantly suppressed, and the Empress has supported the Qingliu party to restrain him. When something happens, she also summons the imperial party or the Qingliu party to enter the palace.

"Woo woo—"

The cold wind of autumn night rolled over the robe tube. Li Yanfu stepped over the square and was led to a side hall.

He had already prepared to be left here by the angry Empress, and he was ready to stay awake until dawn.

He remembered that the late emperor was once angry and left him aside for three full hours. It was still winter, with heavy snow flying.

Li Yanfu stood in the snow-covered palace city and waited until he almost fell down. The pain in his bones was left at that time.

He thought that he would suffer this tonight, so that His Majesty could calm down.

However, to his surprise, when the leading eunuch led him to the side hall, he saw the Great Yu Empress standing quietly under the eaves, waiting.

Xu Zhenguan showed a gentle smile: "The Prime Minister is old, how can he be tired? Please sit down and drink soup quickly."

Li Yanfu was stunned, and suddenly realized that the Third Princess in front of him was very different from the deceased Emperor.

Thanks to Zhang Xiubiao for the 500 coins and Li Shipu for the 200 coins reward support!