The First Lackey Under The Empress

Since ancient times, emperors have spoken with golden mouths and jade words. Xu Zhenguan's seemingly playful words were no joke.

When the news spread that "His Majesty will be staying in the manor tonight," the mother and daughter, who had run to the courtyard for some peace and quiet for the second time, were stunned.

First came astonishment, followed by nervousness, apprehension, and a hint of… anticipation.

"We're completely unprepared. Even if the main room is vacated temporarily, I don't know if His Majesty will be able to stay there…" Lady You Jinhua, as the mistress of the house, was troubled.

Logically speaking, when the emperor, the most honored person, stays overnight, he should naturally stay in the most esteemed room in the manor according to etiquette, which would be the master's bedroom, but that wouldn't be appropriate either.

As for guest rooms, the Zhao family naturally had more than one, but how could the emperor stay in a guest room?

"There's no need for such trouble. I'll just stay in Lord Zhao's courtyard," Xu Zhenguan decided with a smile.

This statement once again startled the mother and daughter, who exchanged glances, their eyes revealing a strange speculation.

"Ahem, my courtyard has two rooms. I'll have clean bedding sent over," Zhao Du'an offered a way out.

His demeanor in front of the Empress was habitually exaggerated and humble, appearing as a sycophant to outsiders, but in reality, both ruler and subject knew very well that this was not the truth.

How could Lord Zhao, with his extraordinary skills in handling affairs outside, truly be someone whose bones softened in the face of beautiful women?

And how could the dignified Empress not see through the slight traces of her subject's performance?

Adults see through things but don't expose them. Often, the interaction between the two followed only a certain tacit understanding.

Just as the Empress's saying she would stay was undoubtedly ambiguous, Zhao Du'an instead became much more serious, making arrangements that were quite appropriate, without any real fantasies of getting into bed.

…

Soon, the room was cleaned up, and Xu Zhenguan went to Zhao Du'an's courtyard, separated by a hanging flower gate.

"Your Majesty," Zhao Du'an said, holding a lamp as he knocked on the antique door.

He saw the white-clad Empress standing in his bedroom, looking with interest at a pile of papers on his desk, filled with calligraphy practice and random doodles:

"The room next door has been tidied up. Well, if you wish to bathe, should I have servants move a tub over?"

Xu Zhenguan automatically ignored his suggestion about bathing, her slender fingers picking up the papers on the desk, looking at the black characters on white paper, such as:

"I startle awake amidst a fatal illness, chatting and laughing, another year passes," "Although the old woman's strength is weak, she shakes Yueyang City," "Laughing loudly, I go out the door, no one knows that lychees have arrived"\n… such lines of poetry, her expression extremely strange.

She could see that these, taken individually, were all quite good sentences, but pieced together, they were a complete mess.

When she saw the lines of poetry, "I and the general take off our battle robes, in the hibiscus tent we spend a warm spring night," her eyes turned unkindly, and she said faintly:

"Is this Lord Zhao's new work?"

Danger… danger… danger…

Zhao Du'an took a deep breath, walked over with a smile, and an air of composure:

"These are just random sketches I made while practicing calligraphy. Your Majesty, you flatter me."

As he spoke, he deftly gathered up the crooked poems, pretending nothing had happened.

"Hmph."

Xu Zhenguan was in a good mood today and didn't bother to argue with this meritorious official, so she didn't say anything.

Zhao Du'an silently put away his writing materials and said:

"If Your Majesty doesn't return for the night, when word gets out, people outside will start gossiping again."

Xu Zhenguan said, completely unconcerned:

"If I cared about every little rumor, I wouldn't be able to sit firmly on this dragon throne."

After a pause, she smiled: "Besides, are you still concerned about some rumors?"

Zhao Du'an smiled wryly. Why did the Empress deliberately stay at the Zhao residence tonight? Was it really because she was worried about Banruo making a surprise return?

Perhaps that was a factor, but the core reason was not.

In his opinion, Zhenbao was doing it deliberately for others to see.

It was conceivable that as soon as tonight passed, tomorrow the rumors in the capital about Zhao Du'an, this "male favorite," would be reinforced once again. In the past, the real powerful officials didn't believe his identity as a male favorite, knowing it was fake.

But the Empress's stay tonight was releasing an extremely important signal:

Zhao Du'an had indeed entered the Empress's list of potential future husbands.

This signal was very important, extremely important.

After all, the identity of the Empress's favored minister was not unique… Mo Zhaorong was also a favored minister, Sun Lianying was too… otherwise, would a mere Supervisor of the White Horse Bureau be able to summon people from the Celestial Master's Mansion and the Shenlong Temple at will?

Sun Lianying, in fact, was the "window" for communication between the Empress and the two major cultivation forces.

So, favored ministers and darlings were not unique.

But male favorites were different.

Since Xu Zhenguan ascended the throne, she had never had any entanglements with any man. Zhao Du'an was the only one.

If the Empress could eventually sit firmly on the throne, then she would definitely need her own bloodline to continue the dynasty, although legally speaking, it would still be more in line with etiquette to adopt from a branch of the imperial family.

But… what if?

Things in the world are always uncertain. If Zhao Du'an were to become the "Empress's Consort" in the future and have children with the Empress, then his status would immediately become that of an "outer relative"\n…

Although it was far off, some people couldn't help but imagine.

In short, this would once again elevate Zhao Du'an, and even the entire Zhao family, in the Great Yu Dynasty.

Not an explicit promotion or reward, but this invisible "reward" would undoubtedly raise Zhao Du'an's power to another level.

"Let's talk about today's aftermath," Xu Zhenguan said seriously.

"After today, you will also become enemies with Prince Mu."

"And Prince Heng. Xu Zudi probably hates me very much," Zhao Du'an smiled.

"Just because of Princess Yunyang? Or because of your conflict with him?" Xu Zhenguan asked curiously.

Zhao Du'an shook his head and said seriously: "Because of the Xiao family."

?

The Empress was stunned.

Zhao Du'an then slowly recounted the story of Madam Xiao secretly defecting to him.

Xu Zhenguan had only just learned of this matter. After listening, her eyes lit up and she raised her eyebrows:

"So you told her to go to the Lake Pavilion Gathering afterward? To give the Xiao family the status of imperial merchants?"

Zhao Du'an smiled and said:

"I don't have the ability to decide everything with a single word. I'm just making an empty promise for now. It still depends on Your Majesty's intentions."

Xu Zhenguan pondered:

"What do you want to do? Wait, you're arranging for her to go to Lake Pavilion… Oh, are you perhaps agreeing to go there yourself?"

During their last night conversation, Xu Zhenguan had said that the imperial court was about to "open the market," and the location was set at Lake Pavilion.

Such a major event required someone of sufficient weight to represent the Empress to attend, to play a supervisory role, and to prevent the yamen below from messing around.

"I've been thinking about it for a while, and since the New Deal Market Opening was planned by me and I understand it best, I certainly have a responsibility to shoulder this burden," Zhao Du'an said with righteousness.

He muttered in his heart:

I have to go there even if it's just to obtain the treasure, the 'Black Tortoise Seal.'

The magic weapon that even the Taizu Emperor couldn't obtain must be extremely precious.

It was hidden in the 'Smoky Lake' at Lake Pavilion. Since Zhao Du'an had obtained clues from the Bewitching True Man, there was no reason not to retrieve it.

Xu Zhenguan stared blankly at his calm smiling face, somewhat surprised and lost in thought.

After a moment, the white-clad Empress said seriously:

"During this market opening, Prince Jing is not far away and may personally go to try to obstruct it."

The implication was that Prince Jing and Zhao Du'an had a deep-seated feud, making this trip dangerous.

Zhao Du'an smiled and said:

"I have long admired Prince Jing 'spiritually' and really want to see his demeanor. As for the danger, didn't Your Majesty say that cultivators who want to truly become strong must leave their comfort zone and face the trials and tribulations? I feel that in a few more days, I should be able to step into the middle stage of Divine Chapter."

However, even the middle stage of Divine Chapter was still vulnerable to the experts in the Jianghu's Mortal Realm… Xu Zhenguan quietly looked at him and said:

"Are you serious? Have you thought about it?"

"I've thought about it."

"\n… Alright."

Xu Zhenguan's expression was complicated as she uttered the word "alright," and suddenly smiled:

"Since you have such courage, how could I really let you go alone? Guardian Hai can accompany you."

Old Hai was going too? Zhao Du'an's eyes lit up.

Xu Zhenguan continued: "Not just him, come with me."

As she spoke, she suddenly reached out and grabbed Zhao Du'an's wrist.

Before the latter could react, he only felt a blur before his eyes, and he disappeared from the room, appearing instead in the night sky above the capital.

The night breeze was gentle.

Zhao Du'an appeared out of thin air in the high sky, with the fairy-like Empress Emperor beside him.

Wind coiled beneath their feet, lifting them up.

Riding the wind!

Did the Martial God path have this spell? Zhao Du'an was surprised: "Your Majesty, are you going to…"

"Shut up."

Xu Zhenguan identified the direction below, grabbed the loyal running dog, and a barrier of astral wind rose around their figures. They roared out like a cannonball, rushing like a shooting star towards the northern part of the city.

How fast was a Heavenly Human Realm expert?

Zhao Du'an truly felt it. Before long, he looked down and saw himself crossing the city wall and arriving above the "Back Lake" north of the city.

This wasn't his first time here. The last time was with Mo Chou to inspect the "Yellow Register Vault."

Under the night, the entire Back Lake was very quiet, with only sporadic lights on the five islands in the center.

"Whoosh…"

The Empress pulled Zhao Du'an down, hovering over the lake. The strong wind raised by the descent stirred up layers of water waves.

Accompanied by a powerful aura of the Heavenly Human Realm, it spread out in all directions from the two of them as the center.

"Whoosh…"

The sound of the water suddenly intensified. In the darkness, the entire Back Lake was black, with only the starlight and moonlight overhead illuminating the scenery and the shimmering surface.

Zhao Du'an saw bubbles rising and bursting on the lake's surface in the distance.

A realization dawned on him: "Is His Majesty trying to find the Lake God and the strange man on the island?"

The last time he came, he learned that a "Lake God" was hidden beneath the Back Lake, and in the two-story gray building on the island was a crazy man, a prisoner guarding the Yellow Records Repository of the Back Lake.

But now that the Yellow Records Repository had lost most of its significance, he had almost forgotten these two royal guards.

"Boom!"

The water's surface exploded in the distance. In the moonlight, a soaking wet female figure rose from the bottom of the lake.

Her wet, long hair was disheveled, her face was devoid of color, and her eye sockets were pure white, with no pupils visible. Her blood-red clothes concealed black shackles binding her hands and feet.

The long chains seemed endless, stretching into the cold lake water.

The white-eyed woman known as the "Back Lake God" came riding the waves. She didn't swim, but glided across the water's surface.

"Woof woof woof…"

Suddenly, intense barking came from the island in the distance. Zhao Du'an looked over and saw a man with a large cyan gourd on his back treading on the waves in the moonlight!

He was dressed sloppily, in only a single garment, and his long black hair covered one eye and half of his face.

A knife was loosely tied to the man's waist. In the blink of an eye, he was speeding across the water's surface, almost creating a sonic boom.

Xu Zhenguan and Zhao Du'an stood in the air, overlooking the man and woman prostrating themselves on the water's surface:

"Your Majesty…"

Xu Zhenguan, noble and dignified, looked down at the two powerhouses who were clearly not ordinary, and explained to Zhao Du'an:

"This术士 (shùshì - Taoist sorcerer) is named Ji Yue, and specializes in the Water God, coming from the East Sea. This swordsman is named Lang Shiba, a martial artist from the Northern Lands."

Ji Yue… Lang Shiba… what strange names…

Zhao Du'an complained, blinking his eyes: "Did His Majesty send them to protect me?"

Xu Zhenguan looked at the Taoist sorcerer and martial artist kneeling on the water's surface and said coldly:

"If anything happens to him, neither of you need bother to live."

The white-eyed female Taoist sorcerer Ji Yue and the Northern Lands swordsman Lang Shiba trembled slightly, bearing the mountainous and overwhelming pressure of the Celestial Realm:

"Your subordinate obeys!"

… …

Celestial Master's Mansion.

In the small courtyard where the large banyan tree was planted, Jin Jian walked in with a brisk pace, humming an unknown tune.

She happily said: "Master, I've heard some news. That Zheng Yang has actually become Zhao Du'an's disciple."

Belatedly, Jin Jian didn't get the inquiry she was hoping for. She pushed up her glasses and saw that the Old Celestial Master was writing a letter under the banyan tree.

"Oh, Master, who are you writing to?" Jin Jian asked in surprise, sneaking over to look, but only glimpsed the name revealed when the letter was folded:

"Ah, to Senior Brother?"

Zhang Yan, tall and slender-eyed, sealed the envelope and smiled: "Yes."

The Celestial Master's Mansion's Senior Brother, known as "Little Celestial Master," had traveled the world for many years and rarely returned to the capital.

He was also a strong successor to the next Celestial Master. It was said that his cultivation was unfathomable, and he had already entered the Great Perfection of the Mortal Realm, desperately seeking the opportunity to advance to the Celestial Realm.

He was a first-class powerhouse below the four Celestial Beings.

"Is there something you need Senior Brother for?" Jin Jian asked.

Zhang Yan smiled without answering, and with a casual toss, the letter floated into the night sky.

Immediately, a large cyan hand descending from the sky grabbed it and disappeared without a trace.

"Better safe than sorry."

… …

… …

Jiancheng Way, Jing Prince's Mansion.

On the same night, in the courtyard of the Jing Prince's Mansion, which occupied an extremely vast area, was magnificent and awe-inspiring, and had countless hidden guards protecting it in the dark.

The Jing Prince, who appeared refined and had three strings of a total of one hundred and eight extremely rare Bodhi beads wrapped around his arm, looked up at the moon.

He looked to be in his forties, but his graying temples revealed that his true age was slightly older than his appearance.

His face was like jade, and his demeanor was outstanding.

Suddenly, a noble young master walked over in a hurry. His appearance was seven parts similar to the Jing Prince, and his body exuded the aura of wealth and nobility. He was none other than the Jing Prince's eldest son, Xu Jinglong.

He was also the Heir Apparent who had once come to the capital to propose marriage to the Third Princess, Xu Zhenguan, and failed, during the reign of the old Emperor.

"Father, the news has been confirmed. The imperial court has set a date for the market to open next month at Lake Pavilion, and has widely invited merchants and gentry," Xu Jinglong said respectfully.

The Jing Prince, Xu Wen, withdrew his gaze from the bright moon in the sky and said calmly:

"What do the other families say?"

Heir Apparent Xu Jinglong reported:

"Except for the Prince of Huai'an, they have all agreed to send confidants to Lake Pavilion. This time, the market opening will listen to your orders, Father, and advance and retreat together."

"Hmph, weather vanes," the Jing Prince snorted, but he wasn't surprised, and said:

"They all only said they'd send confidants over? What about Yunfu's side?"

Xu Jinglong said: "The Mu Prince's Mansion said the road is far and difficult to travel."

"Clearly, they don't want to be the first to stick their necks out," Xu Wen sneered, but he didn't care:

"Forget it. Counting the days, that Mr. Zheng Yang should have arrived in the capital by now. After some commotion, even if it doesn't amount to much, it can still create some momentum. At the upcoming Lake Pavilion gathering, we can have a few more bargaining chips."

Xu Jinglong smiled and said:

"Father, if you personally go to Lake Pavilion this time, you will surely win a victory. But I don't know who my imperial sister will send to supervise. It would be best if she sent that Zhao Du'an over."

The Jing Prince glanced at his son: "You seem to care about him a lot."

Heir Apparent Xu Jinglong's eyes were sinister:

"Father knows that if it weren't inappropriate, I would have wanted to go to the capital to meet this pretty boy. Moreover, according to the intelligence, this person has repeatedly ruined our plans, and he really deserves to die."

The Jing Prince laughed loudly and said: "I'm afraid this person doesn't have the guts to leave the capital."

He waved his hand and dismissed the Heir Apparent.

After the person left, a beautiful woman slowly emerged from the darkness. She was wearing the Princess's clothes, but her face was covered with an ancient and mysterious silver mask.

The Jing Princess said: "Are you sure you want to go to Lake Pavilion?"

Xu Wen nodded and looked at his nominal Princess, who was actually a powerful Taoist sorcerer protecting him closely: "You have to take a trip with this Prince too."

The Jing Princess wasn't surprised, but she was a little lazy:

"Are you still afraid of being assassinated?"

Xu Wen shook his head and said calmly:

"This Prince may need you to kill someone."

The Jing Princess, who was covered with a silver mask and was actually a Taoist sorcerer of the Pei Niannu lineage passed down from six hundred years ago, sighed softly, said nothing, and turned to leave.

She had no intention of participating in this royal infighting and scheming, but unfortunately, she still needed to rely on Xu Wen.

Xu Wen's cheeks twitched and he said in a deep voice:

"This Prince said that he would find Pei Niannu's mantle."

The Jing Princess didn't respond and disappeared into the Prince's Mansion.

Xu Wen's face was gloomy, and the knuckles of his clenched fist were slightly exerted. He smiled coldly:

"When this Prince finds the mantle of that former number one female Taoist sorcerer, I will teach you to be a slave."

He knew that as long as he mastered that inheritance, he could make this silver-armored female Taoist sorcerer bow down and become a servant.

… …

Huai River Road, Huai'an Prince's Mansion.

Princess Xu Junling led her maidservant along the corridor to the outside of the study in the mansion.

She took the tray from the maidservant's hand and said softly towards the brightly lit study:

"Father, the lotus seed soup is ready."

Then, she pushed the door open, her bright eyes looking towards her father behind the desk, who was stout, wearing silk clothes, wearing six thumb rings on his ten fingers, and always smiling, but could establish a foothold in the gentry-filled Huai River Road.

That is, the famous "political weather vane," the Prince of Huai'an.

"Haha, my daughter still knows how to care for people, unlike your brother who is so heartless," the Prince of Huai'an said with a smile.

Xu Junling chuckled and walked over obediently, her smile sweet:

"Brother is going to do great things. Oh, has the market opening agenda been set?"

She glanced at the documents on the table.

The Prince of Huai'an "En" a sound, lamented: "It's going to be a headache."

The imperial court was starting on the edge of Huai River Road, and he, the Prince of Huai'an, had become one of the biggest factors affecting the effectiveness of the imperial court's market opening.

Xu Junling's beautiful eyes flickered, wondering who the imperial court would send this time. Could it be him?

… …

… …

Capital, Zhao Family.

Zhao Pan sneaked open the door and walked in. You Jinhua, who was waiting in the room, asked uneasily:

"How is it? Did you hear any movement in your elder brother's courtyard?"

Zhao Pan, who was assigned by her mother to eavesdrop, didn't look good. She shook her head and said:

"No. There wasn't any sound at all."

You Jinhua breathed a long sigh of relief, patted her chest, and smiled with relief:

"It seems like he's just staying there and there's nothing else going on."

Zhao Pan said woodenly:

"I heard that powerful cultivators can set up soundproof barriers. The courtyard is eerily quiet, and there isn't even the sound of insects."

You Jinhua: "…"

Zhao Pan: "…"

— —

Five thousand word chapter, tomorrow I have to sort out the subsequent detailed outline