The First Lackey Under The Empress

Taiwan Novel Network → ᴛ ᴡ ᴋ ᴀ ɴ . ᴄ ᴏ ᴍ

Inside the Jing Prince's mansion.

A secret agent, dressed in equally ordinary attire, knelt on one knee, speaking towards the room with tightly shut doors and windows.

On the window paper, the silhouette of a man with a tiger's frame and ape-like arms was also reflected.

"Come in," a steady, middle-aged voice said.

Only then did the secret agent rise, cautiously push open the door, and step inside, his gaze slightly raised and then lowered.

On the massive desk in the room, the most prominent feature was a precious bonsai, a small pot containing a vigorous old pine tree with crimson needles.

A refined middle-aged man sat in the chair, his arm wrapped with three circles of extremely rare Bodhi beads, totaling one hundred and eight.

Outwardly, he appeared to be in his prime, but the graying at his temples revealed that his true age was somewhat greater than his appearance suggested.

His face was like jade, and his demeanor was exceptionally graceful.

The Xu family had endured for six hundred years, and with each generation's improvements, the imperial family's appearance had always been above average.

In his youth, Prince Jing's bearing and demeanor were outstanding, and his literary and martial accomplishments were superior, making him highly favored by the previous emperor, but unfortunately, he was born too late and was destined to miss the throne.

However, after years of dedicated management and construction, he was now considered a potential dragon in his own right.

"Put it down."

Prince Jing's tone was casual, and he did not immediately pick up the letter on the desk. Instead, he spoke to his trusted confidant, who had single-handedly built the entire secret agent intelligence system for the Jing Prince's mansion and was known for his maturity and prudence:

"Has that man surnamed Song been taken care of properly?"

The leader of the secret agents knew that the prince was referring to Song, the procurator who had been brought back from Taicang Prefecture:

"Your Highness, rest assured, we dare not neglect him in the slightest."

"Well, those who have rendered meritorious service must be heavily rewarded, only in this way can the world be won over," Prince Jing nodded, but it was just a casual inquiry. He turned his head and asked about other matters.

The latter answered each question one by one, and then hesitated, saying, "Your Highness, the Shen family has been wanting to see you."

Prince Jing frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure in his eyes: "Is it the Shen family's ancestor who wants to see me? Or the current head of the family?"

"The latter."

"Then dismiss them for me. Well, appease them a little. Once the matter in the capital is settled, I will naturally not mistreat them."

"Your Highness, the situation in the capital… will it go as we wish?" The leader of the secret agents was somewhat apprehensive.

Prince Jing glanced at him, his fingers caressing the prayer beads, as if pondering. After a moment, he shook his head: "Not necessarily."

"Ah?"

Prince Jing looked at him with a smile:

"Don't underestimate my niece. She may seem soft on the outside, but would a truly soft-hearted person have killed so many people and defied the world by declaring herself emperor?"

The leader of the secret agents was puzzled: "Your Highness, but if you've made such preparations, and gain nothing, wouldn't that be…"

Prince Jing's expression was calm:

"One must eat one's fill bite by bite, and play chess one step at a time. Gao Lian is not one of my people, so what does his life or death have to do with me? I'd rather he died, so that I could force the Gao family to turn to me.

As for Li Yanfu… the disintegration of the Li faction is certainly what my niece hopes for, but isn't it also what I hope to see?"

The leader of the secret agents thought for a moment, and then suddenly realized that this time, whether he won or lost, the prince would not be at a disadvantage.

"Go," Prince Jing waved his hand to dismiss him.

After the man left, he tore open the envelope on the table, and his previously nonchalant expression changed instantly.

Prince Jing suddenly stood up and threw the secret letter into the brazier in the room.

Then, he pushed open the door and walked along the vast, palace-like complex to a certain courtyard.

As soon as he stepped inside, he saw a figure draped in a long skirt, sitting cross-legged in the center of the courtyard.

It was a beautiful woman, and although she was sitting, her body was suspended a foot above the ground.

The luxurious skirt she wore draped to the ground, like a spread-out lotus leaf, or a blooming water lily.

"I've said, don't disturb my cultivation unless it's important," the woman said coldly.

She opened her eyes, and the moonlight poured down from above, illuminating a silver mask of ancient and mysterious design that covered her face.

The mask had strange patterns, covering most of her face, leaving only her eyes and chin exposed.

If Zhao Du'an were here, he would surely recognize at a glance that this mask was identical to that of Pei Niannu's lineage.

The difference was that Pei Niannu's was dark gold, the gold-level female shadow guard's was bronze, and the woman's was silver.

As if symbolizing a certain hierarchy.

Prince Jing was elegant and graceful, but his eyes were somewhat cold:

"Don't forget, you are now the Princess Consort, my wife, and the stepmother of the heir."

Princess Jing retorted: "You also don't forget, I'm just protecting you, doing things for you, and you have to fulfill your promise."

Prince Jing sighed softly, then suddenly smiled and said gently:

"Rest assured, when I gain greater power, I will definitely help you find Pei Niannu's legacy. But before that, you still have to help me, don't you?"

The female sorcerer sighed and said, "What is it this time?"

Prince Jing frowned and said, "Zhuang Xiaocheng sent me a letter, saying that the National Preceptor has returned. Is it really possible that he's still alive?"

The princess consort wearing the silver mask was stunned, and her brows furrowed:

"Do you think Zhuang Xiaocheng would deceive you?"

"Not sure," Prince Jing's refined face showed a cold expression, "These remnants of the Kuangfu Society and I are just superficially aligned. But at this juncture, there's no need for them to lie."

The princess consort pursed her lips and said after a moment:

"That evil Taoist didn't cultivate a righteous god. His methods are strange and unpredictable. I suspected from the beginning that his bewitchment of Xu Jianwen was for his own cultivation… His death was also strange. It's not surprising that he's really back. By the way, where is he now?"

Prince Jing hesitated and said, "Zhuang Xiaocheng said he went to the capital."

The princess consort was stunned, then chuckled:

"That's his temperament. In that case, you should be happy, and your niece should have a headache."

Prince Jing was both happy and worried. He caressed the Bodhi beads and sighed, looking up:

"I have always kept evil Taoist sorcerers at a respectful distance."

"Heh heh." The princess consort mocked him and ignored him. She also lost her interest in cultivation, floated to the ground, and walked towards the bedroom.

As she walked, the silver mask on her face wriggled and disappeared, hiding beneath the gentle face of a woman.

Few people in the entire mansion knew that the princess consort was also a powerful sorcerer.

… …

… …

At dawn.

When the sky was not yet bright, Zhao Du'an watched Ma Yan go to the imperial palace to attend court.

As a fourth-rank official, he theoretically had the qualifications to attend court.

But according to his observation, the official ranks of the Dayu Dynasty were somewhat inflated. There were many second-rank and third-rank officials, and those like him, who were "nominally" fourth-rank military officers in the Jing Camp, were rarely summoned to court.

Of course, he was unwilling to go anyway.

"Going to work and clocking in before dawn? I'd have to be crazy to go to court. Isn't it better to sleep until I wake up naturally at home with my concubine? Oh, I don't have a concubine, then never mind…"

Zhao Du'an complained in his heart and continued to sit and wait for the results in the Zhao Yamen.

About an hour and a half later, the sky was already bright, and the capital ushered in another peaceful day.

With Ma Yan and others returning from court, the final result of Gao Lian's case was also settled.

What truly surprised and astonished the officials of the court was the news that both the witness and the criminal had died suddenly overnight.

The capital, unsurprisingly, exploded again.

… …

Typos will be corrected later