The First Lackey Under The Empress

The Western Regions delegation entered the city this winter, under the watchful eyes of the public.

For the people of the capital, this was undoubtedly a major event worthy of attention in the cold winter. Winter entertainment was already scarce, and for the people of this era, foreigners from afar with exotic customs were always worth paying attention to.

What's more, there was also a princess returning to her mother's home?

...

Early morning.

The Zhao family.

"Splash!"

Zhao Du'an stood by the washstand in his room, cupping a handful of warm water on his face, reluctantly washing up.

"Waking up early in winter is simply anti-human!"

He complained inwardly, looking at his wet face in the mirror, the remaining drowsiness dissipating.

He roughly wiped his hair, hurriedly put on his outer clothes, and then looked at the splattered water stains on the ground from washing his face. He raised his palm, a small seal floating in his palm.

Then, the water stains on the ground gradually dried up, evaporated into water vapor, and re-condensed into water droplets, mixing back into the copper basin.

"My control is becoming more and more proficient!"

Zhao Du'an stroked the Xuan Turtle Seal, his expression somewhat excited.

These days, he secretly took out the Xuan Turtle Seal to practice whenever he had time, constantly improving his ability to control this treasured artifact.

Just like knives and swords, you can't exert their full power just by picking them up. Treasured artifacts also need to be honed and mastered, especially an ancient magical artifact of the Xuan Turtle Seal's level.

"I can already initially control water, even..."

Zhao Du'an pushed open the door, and the cold wind outside "whooshed" in. The charcoal basin placed on the floor of the bedroom immediately brightened up, and the barely warm temperature inside the room quickly dropped.

Zhao Du'an looked outside, the garden of the residence covered in silver, sprinkled with snow, not to mention the accumulated ice and snow on the roof and battlements.

Today it finally cleared up, and the sunlight shone down from the clouds, making the entire yard shine brightly, with a dazzling white color.

"Snow is also condensed from water. Since the Xuan Turtle Seal is a creation of the 'Water God,' it must also be able to control snow to some extent... but it's obviously much more difficult than controlling water. Why?

Is it related to the state of water, or is it because, in the perception of people in this world, there is a difference between water and snow? Therefore, the Water God does not fully master spells related to snow?"

Zhao Du'an fell into deep thought.

After a moment.

He shook his head, put away the Xuan Turtle Seal, and smiled self-deprecatingly:

"You have to eat one bite at a time, you can't be too greedy."

...

On the way Zhao Du'an walked to the dining hall, the servants in the mansion swept the snow wearing cotton clothes, and saluted him one after another.

Inside the dining hall.

His stepmother was already waiting, but Zhao Pan walked in reluctantly, yawning.

The girl was wrapped in a cotton coat, without combing her hair or putting on makeup, expressing her protest against the evil deed of eating breakfast early in winter.

"Woof!"

The Pekingese dog raised by Zhao Pan also shivered and窜 entered the room from the girl's feet, and then Yu Jinhua waved her broom to drive it out:

"It's covered in snow, how dirty!"

The Pekingese dog shrank into a ball aggrievedly, wagging its tail and begging for mercy.

"Next time, just wipe its feet before it enters the door."

Zhao Du'an smiled, sat down at the dining table, and casually suggested.

Stepmother Yu Jinhua sighed softly, and said with some emotion:

"I used to hear that poor people in winter are not as good as a dog in a rich family, but now I know that there is no exaggeration."

Although Yu Jinhua came from a large family in Xipingdao when she was a child, she did not live a good life for long, and she is still an ordinary woman at heart.

Even though the Zhao family has undergone earth-shaking changes this year and has become a rising star in the capital, the family is far from developing the mentality of nobles and rich people.

Zhao Du'an sat in the chair, picked up a bowl of hot soup and took a sip, without much comment on this.

No matter what era, this kind of thing always exists objectively.

"Didn't the family just receive a sum of money? Ask Zhao Bo to buy some charcoal and rice, and help those in need in the city appropriately."

Zhao Du'an said.

Half of the saltpeter formula's dividends went into his pocket, and half went to Jin Jian, who represented the Tianshi Mansion and negotiated business with him.

This allowed him to have extra money to donate some appropriately. In fact, wealthy families in the city have the custom of donating and giving alms every winter.

Not to mention the "Shantang" in Dongcheng that Zhao Du'an has been subsidizing, this winter is not only snowy, but also colder than in previous years.

Commodity prices in the city have recently risen a lot, which has no impact on the Zhao family, but it is really difficult for those poor people to endure.

"Well, I've already asked someone to prepare to go." Yu Jinhua said softly, looking at her stepson with more and more emotion.

D郎 is really different now.

Zhao Du'an flipped through the court's gazette that had already been placed on the table while eating breakfast.

— The Great Yu Dynasty already had gazettes similar to newspapers, which were often read by officials and major yamen.

It's a bit similar to the newspapers and magazines that were forcibly subscribed to by various levels of government agencies in his previous life.

Zhao Du'an raised his eyebrows at a glance and said:

"That holy monk from the Western Regions has already gone to Shenlong Temple?"

It has been several days since the Western Regions delegation entered Beijing.

Because Zhao Du'an was recuperating at home, he rarely showed his face recently. The Empress deliberately reduced his sense of existence, which was a kind of protection.

Zhao Du'an was also happy to be idle, and the number of times he ran to the yamen was greatly reduced, and he didn't pay as much attention to the news in the city.

The gazette recorded that yesterday, the leader of the Western Regions delegation, the Red Sect master "Holy Monk," formally visited Abbot Xuanyin of Shenlong Temple.

The gazette described it briefly, but the amount of information was huge. It mentioned that the "Holy Monk" issued a challenge to Shenlong Temple to debate Buddhist scriptures. Shenlong Temple agreed, and the time has not yet been set, but it will be in the near future.

"Those monks are not good things, it's best to let them bite each other and make a big joke!"

Zhao Pan said seriously, eating a meat bun.

Zhao Du'an joked:

"You haven't had much contact with them, how do you know they are not good things?"

Zhao Pan said as a matter of course:

"What good people can those who want to harm Big Brother be?"

The family did not know the details of Zhao Du'an's assassination this time, but they also knew that it was done by the Dajing Lama.

The mother and daughter's attitudes were extremely clear. Yu Jinhua burned all the Buddhist things in the house that day.

Not to mention the resentment, she ran to Shenlong Temple extremely boldly and asked for the money she had donated for incense oil with the noble ladies of the capital…

Zhao Du'an was amazed after learning about it.

However, he, the person involved, had a much better attitude.

Especially after the Dragon Tree Bodhisattva returned and Abbot Xuanyin gave him a small punishment and explained it to the Empress, he did not vent his anger, but silently wrote down "Dajing Lama" in his little book.

...

...

After breakfast, Zhao Du'an only wore an ordinary cotton robe and walked to a nearby teahouse.

After listening to a storytelling for a while, he saw footsteps coming from the stairs.

Several people went upstairs.

The four golden flowers of Lihua Hall, three of them came in one breath today, only Zheng Lao Jiu stayed behind.

Hou Renmeng, Shen Juan, and Qian Kerou, three capable subordinates, were not wearing brocade uniforms, and did not even carry weapons. Instead, they were all dressed as servants.

Lao Hou and Lao Shen were dressed as family Ding Huyuans, and the confidential secretary Qian Kerou was dressed as a maidservant.

And their faces have been modified to a certain extent, shallow disguise, if it is not a familiar person, they may not be able to recognize it at a glance.

"Sir—"

After the three of them went upstairs, their eyes lit up and they cupped their hands in greeting.

Zhao Du'an sat at the table, cracking melon seeds. He spat out a melon seed shell and glanced at them:

"What should you call me today?"

Qian Kerou's rosy, round face broke into a smile, and she said sweetly, "Young Master."

Zhao Du'an smiled with satisfaction, pointed to the empty chairs, motioned for them to sit down, and then asked:

"Where is the information I asked you to investigate?"

Little Secretary Qian Kerou busily took out a document and handed it over:

"Young Master, this is the Princess Wenzhu. This is a record of her movements and activities in the city these past few days. According to the information we gathered, she is going to the east of the city today to give alms and donate to the people."

Zhao Du'an brushed off the melon seed shells in his hand, picked up the document, and began to read.

Princess Wenzhu!

Zhenbao's other "aunt," a woman of the same generation as Princess Yunyang, the deceased old emperor, and Prince Jing.

To be precise, she should also be called "Grand Princess," but whether in the court or among the common people, they are accustomed to using "Princess Wenzhu" to refer to her.

This princess has quite a few legendary stories. It is said that because her birth mother had offended the emperor at the time, she was thrown into the Cold Palace, which led to Princess Wenzhu's status in the palace plummeting, and she was extremely unloved.

Later, the ruler of the Western Regions kingdom sought a marriage alliance. The emperor at the time probably felt that it was better to be out of sight, out of mind, so he simply waved his hand and married this princess, who had a very low profile and was neglected, off as a bargaining chip for the alliance.

It is said that when Princess Wenzhu married, in addition to the items that should have been included according to etiquette, her own belongings consisted only of a box of miscellaneous books on farming, craftsmanship, divination, medicine, and so on.

As a result, before she even entered the Western Regions, a coup d'état broke out in the small Western Regions kingdom. The prince who was supposed to be married was stabbed with a scimitar and seriously injured, leaving him crippled.

The moment Princess Wenzhu set foot on the land of the Western Regions, her identity became quite awkward. She could neither return to Great Yu nor establish herself according to the original plan.

At this time, Princess Wenzhu showed an unusually strong resilience.

She assisted the seriously injured "husband," led his subordinates, stabilized the situation, and then, with the help of her status as a member of the royal family, she obtained the help of the Dharma King of the Western Regions ancestral Buddhist temple and the Great Yu Dynasty's officers and soldiers guarding the border.

She assisted her nominal husband in gaining a firm foothold and continuously strengthened the power of her tribe through the many books she carried with her.

It took several years to gradually recover the territory lost after the coup, and because she repeatedly rescued the people and showed a "pro-people" image, her reputation in the Western Regions grew stronger and stronger.

Later, even after the nominal sickly husband died, Princess Wenzhu managed to maintain her original position.

"She's a bit impressive."

After learning about her experience, Zhao Du'an's first reaction was to think that this was a powerful figure similar to Zhenbao.

Both were low-key and dormant in the early stages, unloved, and then showed outstanding abilities at critical moments.

Wenzhu's and Zhenbao's experiences have a certain wonderful similarity. In fact, although these aunts and nieces did not spend much time together, they did have a sense of mutual appreciation.

However, after careful understanding, Zhao Du'an overturned this view.

Princess Wenzhu's persona is actually closer to a saintess or holy mother with some kind of "religious significance."

Although she is not lacking in talent, her personality lacks Zhenbao's tough and decisive side, and is more about compassion and empathy.

Her temperament is also softer.

The reason why she has a great reputation in the Western Regions is mainly due to her "pro-people" image and the compromise reached between Buddhism and the Great Yu in terms of politics.

Moreover, the so-called "Western Regions kingdom" is strictly speaking a collection of tribes in the Western Regions. The tribe to which Princess Wenzhu belongs is only the most powerful of the many tribes.

The political situation is far less complex than that of Great Yu, and more crude and primitive.

… …

"Sir," Qian Kerou, with her round and rosy face, said in the teahouse:

"The last time this princess returned was when the late emperor was on the throne. This time she came to the capital, nominally to negotiate trade for next year on behalf of the Western Regions kingdom, but I'm afraid that building a relationship with His Majesty is the biggest purpose.

These days, she has also repeatedly inquired about you. If you hadn't been recuperating at home and declined to see guests, I'm afraid these people would have wanted to meet you."

Zhao Du'an tapped the paper lightly with his finger, threw the information on the table, and said with a smile:

"The visitors are not friendly."

Unlike the intelligence gathered by Lihua Hall, although Zhao Du'an has spent most of his time these days at home, declining to see guests, and only saying that he was seriously injured and recuperating.

In fact, he also learned about the situation in the palace through the White Horse Guard.

Old Supervisor Sun Lianying told him that Princess Wenzhu seemed to have a very deep prejudice against him, thinking that the Empress was bewitched by him, this treacherous minister.

It has a bit of the air of a married aunt returning to her mother's house, wanting to check on her niece and eliminate the blonde boyfriend by her side…

"Hehe, this Princess is has been in the Western Regions for a long time. If she doesn't understand the situation in Yu Kingdom and misunderstands me, that's fine, but I'm afraid that her intentions are not pure…"

Zhao Du'an stroked his chin and said:

"Instead of sitting still and waiting for her to come to my door, it's better to take the initiative and probe her bottom line."

Hou Renmeng scratched his head with his big hand, with a fierce look on his face:

"Sir, do you want us to secretly kidnap her? And then…"

Shen Juan glared at him and said speechlessly:

"Crude. Can you think of anything else besides fighting and killing? Princess Wenzhu is not Princess Yunyang, she represents the Western Regions."

Zhao Du'an smiled, took out a disguise mask, pressed it on his face, and slowly transformed into a new appearance:

"Little Shen is right, the pugilistic world is not just about fighting and killing. Today we are just going to investigate. If she has any misunderstandings about me, it would be best to dispel them in a gentle way."

The second half of what he didn't say was:

If it can't be dispelled in a gentle way, then Master Zhao can only be forced to use some physical methods to make this "aunt" who intends to eliminate him wake up a little.

Although…

As the local tyrant of the capital, Master Zhao is not afraid of a mere married princess.

But as the saying goes, it's not the thief who steals that's scary, but the thief who's thinking about it.

"It's not good to always defend passively."

However, before that, in order to avoid being too handsome and exposing himself immediately, he decided to contact her under a different identity.

Shortly.

After disguising himself, Zhao Du'an led three confidants disguised as maids and servants, drove a carriage, the wheels rolling, and leaving two ruts in the snow.

Heading towards the east of the city.

… …

East City.

Near the Jigu Courtyard, which Zhao Du'an had repeatedly donated to, at the intersection of a street, a long queue formed today.

The poor people who came upon hearing the news surrounded the shed where they were giving out coal for the winter, holding dustpans and shivering in the cold wind amid the shouts.

Not far away, a carriage slowly drove up, and then, Princess Wenzhu, wrapped in a thick cotton cloth long skirt and without her jewelry, walked down under the protection of the tall female warrior.

— —

Putting together a 4k chapter, updating normally today. Also, my taking a leave of absence actually prompted a bunch of book friends to cast monthly tickets… Sure enough, women are nothing compared to brothers!