The First Lackey Under The Empress

That morning, the most talked-about "topic" in the official circles of the capital recently, the drama of arresting the Provincial Administration Commissioner Gao Lian and bringing him back to Beijing for conviction, which was triggered by the corruption case of the Taicang Prefecture, finally came to an end.

When the news that Wang Chusheng and Gao Lian both died violently in prison last night was released, as expected, it caused an uproar in the entire capital.

"Both of them died suddenly at the same time? Do you think I believe it?"

"How could this happen? How can people die in prison at the same time? Unbelievable!"

"I heard that Gao Lian left a confession before his death, maybe it was suicide!"

For the vast majority of people, they do not know the inside story, and they are just greatly surprised from their hearts.

Immediately afterwards, more "inside information" began to circulate.

Among them, the most eye-catching one was that Miss Mo Da led the Imperial Guards out of the palace and entered the Ministry of Justice prison in the middle of the night.

Everyone who heard it was stunned, and then kept silent and fell into silence.

Combined with the power struggles in the court, the speculation that the "Li Party" silenced them and the Empress killed people in retaliation appeared in many people's minds.

Just when people were uneasy, thinking that another round of bloody storms was about to be set off, the story that happened in the early court today caught everyone off guard.

It is said that Li Yanfu spoke out in court, claiming that Gao Lian had pleaded guilty and accepted the law in prison, and the crime was confirmed. Li Yinglong, as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Industry, was negligent in his duties and requested to be dismissed and punished.

Xu Zhenguan happily agreed.

The Little Grand Secretary was sacrificed and became a sacrifice to quell this dispute.

After Li Yanfu came forward, a group of "Li Party" officials who were cheering for Gao Lian also died down, after all, the person was dead.

The matter can only be abruptly brought to an imperfect end in this way.

To the outside world, it is only said that one died suddenly and the other committed suicide out of fear of crime. As for how to appease the Jiangnan gentry and accept this matter, it is no longer a topic of Zhao Douan's concern.

"Your Majesty is really amazing," Qian Kerou said with a look of admiration in Lihua Hall.

The other Jinyi nodded in agreement: Yes, yes.

Everyone thought that Zhenbao killed people, forcing Li Yanfu to bow his head and admit defeat, and take the initiative to admit defeat... Zhao Douan slumped on the "office chair", listening to his subordinates chattering and discussing.

No one knows that the real murderer who killed Gao Lian was Zhao, who was by his side.

However, Zhao Douan would not expose himself. In the next two days, the aftermath of this incident in the capital gradually spread and calmed down.

This storm has also come to a temporary end.

Zhao Douan suddenly became idle, racking his brains every day to conceive the plot of a cultivating immortal novel, so that he could take it to "dream" to please Pei Niannu.

Even after advancing to the Divine Chapter realm, his soul power skyrocketed, and many memories of his previous life became exceptionally clear, recalling a lot of content.

But it is still difficult to completely replicate it. Fortunately, although Pei Niannu loves listening to books, she is not too picky.

Zhao Douan uses his memory as a blueprint, and he makes up the plot that he has forgotten, which can also satisfy this senior's appetite, but the fixed updates every day make Zhao Douan deeply feel the pain of being a code worker...

As for the relationship between the two, there has been no substantial breakthrough.

Since she gave him a "Spirit Flame" spell that day, Senior Pei has returned to her aloof posture. If he is verbose, she will lift his heavenly spirit cover. Only storytelling will not be killed.

Zhao Douan gradually figured it out:

Pei Niannu's temper is that she will give him some benefits if she is happy to hear it.

However, he was not greedy, and continued to ask for any spells, but decided to use the rare "guidance and learning" opportunity to spar with Pei Niannu to hone and improve his martial arts

— The Golden-Armored Female Artificer finally stopped killing him in seconds after deliberately lowering her power.

In a blink of an eye, Gao Lian's case was gradually no longer mentioned, and Zhao Douan made great progress in the Divine Chapter realm in addition to writing stories and practicing daily.

It was to arrange for Lihua Hall to investigate the rebellious party of the Kuangfu Society and find a breakthrough.

He did not forget that he had taken on the task of capturing Hui Zhuang Xiaocheng, and seeing that it was already late autumn, he decided to work hard on this.

"How can the imperial court passively accept the repeated provocations of the rebels? We should take the initiative to attack!"

Zhao Douan said this when he was holding a meeting in the hall.

He was wondering whether he could completely destroy the Kuangfu Society's intelligence network in the capital and complete this year's KPI in advance.

...

...

"Whoosh—"

In the early morning, on the training ground of Zhao's mansion, Zhao Douan swung a bamboo stick in his hand, splitting the air and making a sharp whistle.

With a puff, the ink-colored bamboo stick came out of his hand, like a sharp short halberd thrown by a general on the battlefield, directly piercing the target standing under the wall.

"Good!"

Nearby, several maids cheered and applauded, holding water basins and bath towels, and swarmed up to wipe the sweat from Zhao Douan, who was practicing martial arts early in the morning, filling up the emotional value and service.

This is what he learned from Zhenbao's cultivation in the palace.

Well... it's not that he is greedy for enjoyment, but as the future imperial husband, he should adapt to the life in the palace in advance!

Zhao Douan opened his arms and closed his eyes, letting the morning sun of the East shine on his naked upper body.

When he practiced martial arts, he only wore a pair of trousers on his lower body and cloth shoes. The smooth and strong muscles on his upper body were covered with a layer of oil due to sweat, shining brightly.

The maids of Zhao's mansion were very envious. They would boldly pinch him when wiping him, thinking that it was no wonder that His Majesty could take a fancy to their young master. Who wouldn't be envious?

Every time she saw this scene, the big maid, Mian Tao, would glare and turn around to scold the newly recruited servants for following the rules.

The sentence that Mian Tao often said was:

"You are catching up with a good time. If you came in a year ago and dared to be so presumptuous, the young master would definitely not give you a good time."

It can only be said that Zhao Douan's original bad image in the family has now been completely reversed.

"Okay, go down," Zhao Douan put on his coat, drove away the servants, and strode to the dining hall.

I saw that the stepmother and sister were waiting here, and You Jinhua was explaining something to the family Ding.

Seeing him coming, her eyes narrowed into a line, and she greeted him diligently. Then she glanced at the thin coat that her stepson was wearing casually, reached out and tightened his open collar, and said:

"It's so cold today. You should wear more clothes when practicing martial arts. You are most likely to get sick after sweating."

Perhaps because of the progress of his cultivation, Zhao Douan has grown a little taller recently. It is not obvious when wearing robes, and he still has the elegant and feminine demeanor of a young master.

But wearing only a thin coat, he also has a bit of a "burly" meaning.

Especially when compared with the woman in front of him who was tidying up his clothes, it was even more obvious.

Liu Yao stood upright, and Zhao Pan, who was sitting at the table, tore a persimmon with her ten fingers, pouted and said:

"Mom, my brother's current cultivation level is no longer afraid of the cold."

Well, these were the words that Zhao Douan had said to her last night. Now that the girl repeated them, she felt inexplicably good, as if she was sharing a little secret that her mother didn't know.

Zhao Douan smiled and strode to his seat. Zhao Pan just tore off the last piece of persimmon peel and handed it over with her watery hands, smiling:

"Brother, eat persimmons. They were just picked from the tree yesterday."

When I went to Taicang Prefecture on a business trip, I missed the Mid-Autumn Festival. Now the leaves are falling in the capital, and persimmon trees are bearing fiery red persimmons.

Like lanterns.

Zhao Douan took the persimmon, thanked him, took a bite, and the juice was sweet with a hint of astringency. He smiled and said:

"Good omen, it seems that there will be good things (persimmons) happening today."

...

After eating, Zhao Douan walked out of the house, and the coachman Xiao Wang was already waiting outside.

On the way to the yamen, the autumn wind blew through the streets and alleys, and dead leaves swirled on the ground, and the branches along the way also showed signs of withering.

For some reason, it made him feel an inexplicable pressure in his heart.

And this strange premonition reached its peak after arriving at the yamen.

"What are you all doing here? Have you reported for duty yet?"

Zhao Douan entered Lihua Hall and saw a group of Jinyi gathered together in the hall, discussing something, and the atmosphere was a bit strange.

"Sir? You're here," Little Secretary Qian Kerou turned her head back. There was no smile on her round face, but a hint of autumn coolness, and her eyes were complicated:

"Go to the Chief Superintendent's Hall. The Chief Superintendent ordered that all the arresting officers from each hall should go there."

Zhao Douan was stunned. He wanted to ask what happened, but the words came to his lips and rolled back into his throat. He nodded and said, "Okay."

Turning his head to go to the Chief Superintendent's Hall, the Jinyi school lieutenants he met along the way also looked uneasy, gathering in twos and threes to discuss in low voices, forming a depressing atmosphere in the entire yamen.

When Zhao Douan stepped into the conference hall of the Chief Superintendent's Hall, he saw that there were already many people sitting in the hall, including acquaintances such as Ma Yan, Haitang, and Zhang Han.

"Chief Superintendent, are you looking for me?" Zhao Douan asked.

Ma Yan's thin face looked serious. He motioned for him to sit down, and then said, "Do you know?"

Know what... Why are you all riddlers... Zhao Douan shook his head.

Ma Yan pointed to something in the center of the table that looked like a greeting card or an invitation, and said:

“This thing appeared on the Yamen's gate this morning.”

Then, Haitang beside him solemnly added:

“It's not just our Zhao Yamen; the Six Ministries Yamen, the Metropolitan Procuratorate… Several important Yamens have had the same thing appear, and the contents inside are exactly the same.”

Zhao Du'an reached out, picked up the name card, and unfolded it with both hands. On the red card, four large characters were written in black brushstrokes:

“I'm back.”

Besides that, there was only a square seal at the end, with a black eye in the center and patterns embellished around it.

Zhao Du'an was stunned, feeling that the seal looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't recall it. He put down the card and asked in confusion, “What is this thing?”

“You don't know?” The dashing female investigator, with a high ponytail and a tear mole at the corner of her eye, was taken aback, then slapped her forehead and said in annoyance:

“I remember now. You used to be just an unknown soldier in the Imperial Guards, so it's not surprising that you don't recognize the seal. But if we talk about the owner of the seal, you definitely know.”

Opposite him, Zhang Han, with a poker face, said calmly: “The National Preceptor. The dead heretical National Preceptor is back.”

Zhao Du'an was stunned, first in confusion, and then the original owner's memories surged out in response.

National Preceptor!

Of course, he knew this name, and it was like thunder in his ears!

That was a figure from the time of the old emperor. Zhao Du'an was just a small soldier at that time. Although he worked in the palace, with his status, he had no qualifications to get close to the nobles.

But he also knew roughly that in the years before the old emperor's death, because he felt that his life was running out, he was keen on methods to prolong his life.

He ate many elixirs from the Celestial Master's Mansion and herbs from the Shenlong Temple.

However, the natural lifespan of a person is difficult to force. The old emperor also suspected that the Celestial Master's Mansion and the Shenlong Temple were perfunctory to him because they wanted to check and balance the imperial power and were unwilling to exert effort.

So, he sent people to try to find capable people and alchemists in the Jianghu.

The National Preceptor entered the palace at that time, claiming to be an unknown Jianghu warlock. The deity he cultivated was a god from outside the Dayu territory. Although he could not defy fate, he could prolong people's lives.

The old emperor was already plagued by illness at that time, and he was grasping at straws. The many warlocks he had found before were helpless.

After the unknown warlock took action, in just one night, he made the old emperor shine.

The old emperor was overjoyed and immediately bestowed heavy rewards, and earnestly requested him to stay in the capital to accompany him, and for this reason, he bestowed the title of “Dayu National Preceptor”.

As soon as this title came out, it immediately pushed the unknown National Preceptor to the forefront.

Zhang Yan Yi naturally didn't care about these things and was too lazy to pay attention to them, but some people in the Celestial Master's Mansion were not convinced, thinking that an outsider dared to call himself the National Preceptor as soon as he came, which was really arrogant.

Moreover, they didn't believe that anyone could reverse the lifespan, and that the heretical Daoist must have used some crooked methods.

But no matter how he investigated, he couldn't see anything wrong with the old emperor.

When Bianji of the Shenlong Temple saw this, he also contacted him. After a conversation, Bianji bluntly said that the National Preceptor was extraordinary and indeed had unique skills.

For a time, the Dayu National Preceptor became famous and became a guest of honor among the celebrities in the capital. Countless people regarded inviting the National Preceptor as an honor.

Zhao Du'an vaguely remembered that at that time, the Second Prince Xu Jianwen was very close to the National Preceptor and repeatedly invited him to be a guest… Well, the Second Prince always liked to make friends with capable people and strangers, which is why he cultivated the foundation of the Kuangfu Society, which is not surprising.

According to rumors, when the Xuanmen coup took place, the Second Prince broke into the palace, and the Dayu National Preceptor was in the old emperor's bedroom—he was urgently summoned to prolong the late emperor's life.

But it is worth mentioning that although the National Preceptor had extraordinary methods, he was known for not being good at fighting.

So, during the Xuanmen coup, he died in the chaos… His body was shot into a hedgehog by arrows, and his head was cut off.

After the Empress pacified the rebels, the Dayu National Preceptor was also listed in the public list of rebels, meaning that he was also a member of the Second Prince's command at that time.

However, the National Preceptor, who was favored and heavily rewarded by the late emperor, was actually also a rebel… This was somewhat of a slap in the face to the late emperor.

In addition, the person had already died in the coup, so later, no one mentioned this name quickly, and the Dayu National Preceptor had almost disappeared from people's memories, only existing as a dead “historical figure”.

But today.

The Dayu National Preceptor, who was already dead, has returned?

“Supervisor Ma, is what Zhang Han said true? How is that possible?”

Zhao Du'an asked in astonishment. He was really surprised and understood why the atmosphere in the Yamen was so strange on the way here. “Just based on a sentence and a seal?”

He now remembered that the pattern on this seal was the personal seal of the Dayu National Preceptor.

“I can forge this thing even if you give me a carrot.” Zhao Du'an spread his hands, feeling it was too outrageous.

However, Ma Yan's expression was still serious, and he shook his head, saying:

“It can't be forged. That heretical Daoist's seal is extremely unique and has a special verification method. After I got it, I compared it with some official documents with the seal left by the heretical Daoist in the Yamen's vault, and it was indeed from the same person. This involves the level of magic, including the handwriting is the same.”

“Of course, let's put the matter of the seal aside for now. Perhaps it can indeed be forged, but the focus is on the fact that we suspected that this heretical Daoist never completely died! On the day of the Xuanmen coup, the heretical Daoist who died in the palace was likely not the real body!”

Big news!

Zhao Du'an sat up straight. He couldn't have accessed this information as an unknown soldier back then.

He murmured:

“I remember that after the National Preceptor… bah, after this heretical Daoist died, there was indeed a saying in the capital that he had escaped, and the one who died in the palace was not him. There was also a saying that the reason why the late emperor died was because this heretical Daoist used a dark trick…”

“But these sayings are all circulating among the people, and are one of many sayings. I have always listened to them as rumors and stories.”

Ma Yan shook his head and said:

“The rumors circulating among the people are indeed mostly fabricated. The people like to discuss things in the palace the most, and they also like to be curious, which is not surprising. But it is indeed true that this heretical Daoist may not be completely dead… This was His Majesty's judgment at the time.”

“It's just that in the past two or three years, there has been no trace of this heretical Daoist appearing, including in the Kuangfu Society, there is no trace of him appearing. We thought that this person was indeed dead, but…”

Speaking of this, as a personal witness of the Xuanmen coup, Ma Yan, a master of the Imperial Guard who fought bloody battles at that time, stared at the name card on the table and did not say anything.

But Zhao Du'an had already completed the next sentence for him in his heart: “But he is back.”

Yes.

A ghost who should have died in the palace three years ago has returned again.

Is someone pretending to be him? Or did he really not die back then? But escaped from the capital? And hid?

No one knows.

But Zhao Du'an is very clear that a traitor who once stirred up trouble in the capital and was from the Second Prince Xu Jianwen's faction has returned again, which is definitely not good news.

Moreover, announcing it so openly is obviously trying to tell everyone that he has returned.

“Does Your Majesty know?” Zhao Du'an's heart sank and asked a rhetorical question.

At the same time, he complained bitterly, thinking that he was really a jinx, fortunately, something happened…

“After I got the card, I immediately went to the palace. On the way, I learned that other Yamens had also received it and sent it to the palace. I returned first.”

Ma Yan said calmly.

As a Yamen specializing in dealing with rebels, the return of the National Preceptor is clearly within the business scope of Zhao Yamen.

This is why there was this meeting this morning.

Zhao Du'an also understood that their next goal was to wait for the Empress's next order. At the same time, Ma Yan had already sent people out to search for the National Preceptor's whereabouts.

But thinking about it, it was destined to be in vain.

“Supervisor Ma, His Majesty has an order!” At this moment, a young eunuch hurried in from outside the hall and said, “His Majesty summons you to the palace to discuss matters, and bring Lord Zhao.”

It seems that things are serious… Zhao Du'an stood up and looked at the eunuch and said, “Did His Majesty only summon us?”

“Oh, Lord Zhao is here?” The eunuch first bowed and then said:

“If someone else asked, this servant would not dare to say, but since Lord Zhao asked, I will naturally not hide it. His Majesty summoned many lords of the Imperial Party to the palace, and also ordered people to go to the Celestial Master's Mansion. You two must not delay, the matter is urgent, set off quickly!”

Zhao Du'an and Ma Yan looked at each other, and their hearts sank at the same time.