The First Lackey Under The Empress

"Oh? What instructions does Young Master Lin have?"

Suddenly hearing Zhao Du'an's criticism, Princess Wenzhu was taken aback, and asked back with a smile.

As someone who has been in a high position for a long time, very few people can listen to criticisms, but Princess Wenzhu is an exception. When she was in the Western Regions, she was close to the common people. Moreover, the other party did not know her identity, so she would naturally not mind a little offense.

Zhao Du'an said solemnly:

"The more complex and long-inhabited a place is, the more it has its own set of rules. Just like this donation to save the people, the starting point is good, but how can this coal or grain reach the hands of the poor people who need it? That is a difficult problem."

"The poor are inherently weak. If they suddenly get benefits, it will easily attract the covetousness of the people around them. Even if these gang members and hooligans don't do anything, the surrounding neighbors will also develop greed, jealousy, and even hatred born out of unfairness..."

"As the saying goes, people are not concerned about scarcity but about inequality. How can a group of people who are already poor and weak guard it?"

"Therefore, this word 'equality', or preventing neighbors from acting out of greed, is a difficult problem..."

Because this encounter happened suddenly, deviating from Zhao Du'an's imagined "script", he was somewhat improvising at the moment.

In his heart, whether it was touching the scene or being a good teacher...

He couldn't help but recall the various things he did in his previous life when he was doing related work...

Even in his previous life, in that era when grassroots control was extremely strong, there were still various difficulties involved in "donation" and "disaster relief".

What's more, in this Dayu Dynasty where the grassroots needs "gang" forces to fill and supplement?

Zhao Du'an said from the bottom of his heart:

"The imperial court's annual disaster relief, including donations from wealthy people in the capital and almsgiving from temples, all have a set of procedures that must go through the hands of relevant government offices, and even the hands of many low-level clerks..."

"In this process, some people will naturally embezzle it. If ten percent of the silver taels are deducted layer by layer, it is considered good if only two or three percent are left in the end."

"But if you change your thinking, it is precisely because they are willing to feed these people layer by layer from top to bottom that they are willing to work hard to give the rest to these poor people safely, so that no one will rob them..."

"And if you are not willing to go through the hands of these people, it seems that there are fewer intermediate links, but you also lose the 'protection' of this group of people. This scene in the alley is not surprising."

"In this way, Madam, you are bypassing the intermediate government offices and distributing it directly, but it will harm people."

This speech was eloquent and insightful.

It's not new, it's just the "internal friction cost" within human society.

However, falling into the ears of big figures like Princess Wenzhu, it was like a sharp axe, splitting open the fog in front of them.

Princess Wenzhu suddenly realized her negligence.

When she was in the Western Regions, she often relieved the people in this way, but she ignored the difference between the Western Regions and Dayu.

At this moment, once it was pointed out, her gentle face first showed astonishment, and then revealed regret and enlightenment:

"Young Master is right..."

She laughed at herself: "I... have lived in vain for so many years, but I am far less insightful than Young Master Lin."

While speaking, her gaze towards Zhao Du'an changed again.

If Zhao Du'an's action just now was just a "chivalrous spirit" that she appreciated, then this simple comment now revealed the "wisdom" of understanding the world.

She subconsciously pondered and recalled which famous families in the capital were named "Lin", but she had lived in the Western Regions for a long time, so how could she think of it for a while?

She only knew that none of the top noble families in the capital were named Lin.

In this way, he is not a child of a large family, but he has such a performance... The capital deserves to be a place where dragons and tigers are hidden.

This long princess, who had married far away for many years, developed extra surprise and curiosity towards Zhao Du'an.

"As Young Master Lin said, what should we do?" Princess Wenzhu humbly asked for advice.

Zhao Du'an's expression was natural:

"What has already been distributed can only be done like this. If you want to provide disaster relief again, it is best to donate directly to the large and small charity halls in Dongcheng... At least, it will be much less deducted than allocating funds from the Ministry of Revenue."

Princess Wenzhu's eyes flowed:

"Young Master Lin is so familiar with this, he must know the ways to donate. Can you tell us which charity halls are better? We will be very grateful."

"That's right..."

Zhao Du'an pretended to be embarrassed, hesitated slightly, and said:

"I came to Dongcheng today to make a small donation. If Madam trusts me, you can go with me. It's nearby."

Princess Wenzhu nodded happily: "Thank you, Young Master."

Unexpectedly simple... Zhao Du'an suddenly felt that the several sets of plans he had prepared before coming to approach the other party seemed superfluous.

He turned back and said to the three subordinates who were still cleaning up the mess in the alley:

"Shen Er, you stay to deal with the aftermath and teach these hooligans a good lesson. Xiao Rou, Hou Da, let's go."

The three people who were given nicknames immediately took action.

Qian Kerou put the scattered steamed buns on the dustpan full of coal, and gently squatted down in front of the little girl with a gentle smile:

"Take it."

Immediately, she added the scattered big money and the copper coins from her pocket, and carefully stuffed them into the dirty and skinny little girl's pocket:

"Walk slowly on the way back. Don't worry, these people won't bother you again."

Unskilled in words, the little girl, who was trembling in front of a group of big figures, trembled, lowered her eyes, and dared not accept it.

Qian Kerou pursed her lips, straightened her collar, and said seriously:

"Don't worry, whoever dares to rob what my young master gave is looking down on my young master."

There was a hint of murderous aura in this calm sentence.

"Thank... Thank..." The little girl stammered out two words, and finally ran away timidly holding the dustpan, turning her head every few steps.

Hou Renmeng glanced at the group of people on the ground and spat: "Why did the young master ask you to clean up?"

Shen Juan smiled and said with his mouth:

"If I let you clean up, I'm afraid these people would be killed by you."

Hou Renmeng snorted and did not refute. He left the alley with Qian Kerou, chasing Zhao Du'an and Princess Wenzhu and his party.

...

...

After people left.

Shen Juan sneered and walked to the side of the "unconscious" hooligan leader:

"If you don't get up again, I will make you never get up again."

The hooligans scrambled to get up, and the leading "Wen Ye" was so frightened that he kowtowed as soon as he got up:

"Spare me, sir... Spare me..."

How could he not know that he had provoked the guard of a big figure?

Shen Juan was too lazy to talk nonsense. If it weren't for his master's implication that he should stay to clean up and ensure that the poor people who received the relief would not be retaliated against, he would have liked to chop this group of scum to death with a knife, and he believed that the government would not dare to investigate the Pear Blossom Hall.

"Red Flower Society... Hehe, where is your boss? Take me there."

Wen Ye was stunned, looked up at this master, whose temperament was very different from that of a servant, in disbelief, and his eyes rolled:

"It's nearby, there's a hall."

Soon.

Shen Juan drove this group of hooligans and led them around seven turns and eight turns from the alley to the outside of a small courtyard of the Red Flower Society in this area.

Without nonsense, Shen Juan kicked open the courtyard door, attracting several burly men inside to rush out fiercely. The leader was bald in the cold winter, carrying a knife and cursing:

"Which bastard..."

Halfway through speaking, the bald man's voice trembled, the knife in his hand fell to the ground with a clang, and his knees softened, almost kneeling down:

"Officer... Officer?"

Shen Juan raised his eyelids unexpectedly: "Do you recognize me?"

The bald man squeezed out a smile and said flatteringly:

"Last time, when Master Zhao arrested Meng Ye, the little one was in the crowd and saw you."

At the beginning, Zhao Du'an fought with Xia Jianghou, Yunyang Princess's lover, and Xia Jianghou sent people from the Red Flower Society to arrest Feng Ju's daughter.

At that time, the Red Flower Society's boss "Meng Ye" entered the imperial prison and almost lost half of his life.

Since then, the entire underground gang in the capital has respected Zhao Yama as they respect ghosts and gods.

Shen Juan smiled: "That's right, the people under your command have offended my master..."

After he finished speaking in a few words, dense beads of sweat had already oozed out of the bald man's head, and he was almost pale with fright.

"I'll leave these people to you. Remember, if anything happens to anyone who received relief today, or suffers retaliation... you know the consequences." Shen Juan patted his butt and left:

"By the way, if any information about my master's appearance here today is leaked, your whole family doesn't have to live."

When he walked out, Wen Ye and a group of hooligans were already paralyzed on the ground, their faces pale, and several of them had wet their pants.

Only then did they know what big shot they had provoked.

The bald man respectfully sent Shen Juan away, slowly straightened his body, his face was livid, and he stared fiercely at the group of hooligan younger brothers on the ground.

Before long, the sound of broken legs and muffled screams came from the hall.

...

...

Two carriages, one in front and one behind, were driving on the snowy ground in Dongcheng.

In the carriage following behind, Princess Wenzhu opened the curtains and felt the coolness coming in from outside.

The fox fur scarf wrapped around her neck trembled slightly.

"Princess, this Lin Ke is a bit strange."

The tall female warrior, who was her personal bodyguard, said quickly in the dialect of the Western Regions:

"This person's gestures show that he is a martial artist, and I can't see through him. His servants, including the maid, are not simple servants."

Princess Wenzhu said softly:

"Not surprisingly, someone with such a conversation must have status and position in his family. It is common for children to practice martial arts or even cultivate, and to have several powerful guards around them in Dayu."

The vigilant and cautious female warrior, whose scimitar never left her side, frowned and said:

"But Princess... don't you think it's too coincidental? I don't deny that there are many strong people in Yu, but it's such a coincidence that we met such a person..."

Princess Wenzhu turned her head and looked at the female warrior who was loyal to her:

"Are you saying that you suspect he is deliberately approaching me?"

The female warrior lowered her head and said respectfully:

"This subordinate is just guessing. Your Highness's entry into the capital this time will definitely attract the attention of many people."

Although Princess Wenzhu was a gentle and overly compassionate "holy mother," she wasn't naive. She said calmly, "What you say makes sense. We'll see later. But from my observation, when this Young Master Lin spoke of donations and relief, his words were firm and didn't seem like a temporary disguise."

The female warrior sighed, "Princess, you're just too kind and too quick to think the best of others. The people of Yu are very cunning and skilled at intrigue, unlike the directness of us in the Western Regions."

You're certainly direct… Isn't this princess a person of Yu in your eyes…? Wenzhu didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

At that moment, the carriage slowly stopped.

Wenzhu stepped out of the carriage, her boots crunching on the snow. Before her stood a "Home for Orphans."

Zhao Du'an also got out of the carriage. With two subordinates, he took out sacks of rice and bundles of winter clothes from the carriage.

He carried a large bundle of clothes in each hand and shouted towards the gate, "Old Wu! Open the door!"

Then, the door of the charity hall creaked open. An old gatekeeper with a dark face, missing one leg, and a thin but spirited frame, opened the door, supporting himself with a wooden prosthetic leg.

The moment he saw Zhao Du'an, a bright smile appeared on his face. "Young Master Lin! You've come!"

This Home for Orphans was exactly the one Zhao Du'an had helped before. He was already familiar with the old gatekeeper, who was also the director of the entire charity hall.

Initially, he approached them with his real appearance, but later he felt that his "notorious" reputation and identity would easily implicate these poor people.

Therefore, after Zhao Du'an obtained the disguise mask, whenever he had the spare time to donate, he did so under the identity of "Young Master Lin."

He also claimed to be a friend of "Young Master Zhao," and that Young Master Zhao had a share in every donation of money and grain.

"I'm here. It's been snowing for the past few days, and it finally cleared up. I brought you some things," Zhao Du'an said with a smile.

Old Wu, a veteran who had retired from the southwestern border army, smiled widely. His leg was inconvenient, so he raised his voice and called out to the people inside.

At the same time, he curiously looked at the group of Western Region people who had come along. "This is…"

Zhao Du'an smiled and introduced, "A friend, just passing by."

He turned back and looked at Princess Wenzhu, who was showing curiosity. "This is Old Wu, the director of this charity hall, an old soldier who retired from the army."

Old Wu immediately recognized that this lady had an extraordinary identity, and he politely greeted her, "Young Master Lin's friend must also be a great philanthropist. Please come in."

Princess Wenzhu followed Zhao Du'an with a peculiar look in her eyes, quietly observing and playing a supporting role.

After the group entered the backyard of the charity hall, a group of orphans rushed out, boys and girls, some in their teens, some as young as four or five. When they saw Zhao Du'an, their eyes lit up, and they called out "Brother" and other such names, all beaming with smiles.

Rarely, they weren't afraid of strangers.

When they saw Princess Wenzhu and the others, they showed a restrained expression, their voices lowered a bit, and they instinctively moved closer to Zhao Du'an, who was carrying things.

Seeking protection.

Zhao Du'an smiled and began to distribute clothes and food to the orphans on the spot. As he distributed, he talked to several familiar children, asking about their recent situation.

Old Wu occasionally chimed in with a smile.

In the winter, within the dilapidated charity hall, under the gray bricks and tiles.

The "King Yama Zhao," whose name made officials in the capital turn pale, was so harmonious, chatting and laughing with a group of impoverished orphans without the slightest pretense.

The scene was exceptionally harmonious.

Even Qian Kerou and Hou Renmeng were stunned for a while. Fortunately, they had been instructed beforehand, and given their status as servants, they didn't show anything unusual.

As for the group led by Princess Wenzhu, their hearts were even more deeply impacted.

The female warrior, who had just suspected Zhao Du'an of deliberately approaching, was somewhat at a loss.

She couldn't understand that even in the Western Regions, the nobles had always treated commoners with superiority, let alone in the Great Yu Dynasty, where hierarchy was even stricter.

The reason she was so loyal to Princess Wenzhu and respected her from the bottom of her heart was because Wenzhu was the only noble she had ever seen who wasn't pretentious towards commoners.

But now, she had seen a second one.

Princess Wenzhu, with her gentle temperament and dignified presence, had a sparkle in her eyes. The slight suspicion she had before vanished.

If…

It was possible that this Lin Ke was deliberately trying to get close to her and colluding with this Director Wu to deliberately please her.

However, this large group of orphans could never have such superb acting skills.

It was impossible!

The only possibility was that this "Young Master Lin" had really been coming to provide relief, and without the arrogance of wealthy family children towards the poor, he had used time to dispel the orphans' awe and fear of nobles, and even created a certain closeness.

Moreover, Princess Wenzhu was very certain that the expression of this Young Master Lin as he distributed clothes was absolutely genuine!

Seasoned politicians might have excellent acting skills, but they were limited to the court.

They couldn't completely go against their true feelings and look at the weeds at the bottom with equal eyes.

Even Wenzhu herself, when interacting with commoners, carried the pity of a high-ranking person.

But this Young Master Lin had none at all!

Inconceivable.

"Bring out some silver," Princess Wenzhu suddenly said.

A guard next to her immediately took out silver notes and silver ingots available in Great Yu.

Wenzhu hesitated for a moment, remembering what Zhao Du'an had said before. She didn't take out the silver notes that could easily cause trouble, but only took twenty taels of silver and handed it to Director Wu, expressing her intention to donate.

The one-legged old soldier immediately thanked her and, as usual, took out the donation registry. Wenzhu smiled and waved her hand, saying,

"No need."

Old Wu smiled and said, "Young Master Lin's friends are indeed all good people who don't want to leave their names behind."

Wenzhu asked curiously, "Does he… bring other friends too?"

Old Wu didn't hide anything and said,

"Young Master Lin was also introduced by another young master. They are all good people who don't want to leave their names behind."

"Ahem, Old Wu, take the children to try on the clothes," Zhao Du'an said, walking over in time to interrupt the retired soldier's chatter.

The latter nodded and took the orphans into the house.

…

The courtyard finally became quiet. Zhao Du'an made a "please" gesture and sat down with Princess Wenzhu at the table and chairs in the courtyard.

Princess Wenzhu's face was slightly flushed from the cold wind, and her eyes showed admiration. "Young Master Lin's charitable deeds are truly admirable. I've been in the capital for several days and have seen some talents, but none of them are as good as Young Master Lin. May I ask, does Young Master Lin currently hold an official position? Which famous minister is in your family?"

She even suspected that the name Lin Ke was fake.

Zhao Du'an smiled and said, "Madam is really trying to get to the bottom of things."

Beside her, the tall female warrior suddenly said in the official language of Yu, "Asking you is good for you. Do you know my… Madam's status…"

As a confidante, she had already seen that the princess had developed the intention of befriending and promoting this young man.

Zhao Du'an smiled faintly, with a natural demeanor, and said leisurely,

"I have naturally heard of Princess Wenzhu's great name."

The female warrior was stunned and subconsciously held the hilt of the knife under her clothes.

Princess Wenzhu asked curiously, "You know my identity?"

Zhao Du'an laughed heartily and pointed to the group of sturdy Western Region warriors behind her, saying,

"Although I am not a descendant of a great family, I do know that Princess Wenzhu has recently entered the city. With such outstanding grace and willingness to condescend and come to the Eastern City for relief, and surrounded by Western Region warriors, it would be strange if I couldn't guess the princess's identity."

Princess Wenzhu was stunned, then smiled slightly.

"That's right, it's indeed not hard to guess. It's just that I can't think of which Lin family in the capital has such a talent."

I come from the continent of Hyrule, you'd be a ghost to guess it… Zhao Du'an silently complained, his expression indifferent:

"Why should Your Highness care about the name? In any case, it's just a small family."

A small family… Is it a military general who rose through merit? A scholarly family that started from humble beginnings? Or a local small family… Princess Wenzhu thought to herself, then smiled in relief:

"What Young Master Lin said is true. With my identity, if I associate with you too deeply, it might not be a good thing."

No… you just don't go to Zhenbao and speak ill of me, and there's no need for deep friendship… Zhao Du'an muttered to himself.

He originally wanted to simply test this Western Region princess, but unexpectedly, it turned into a bit of a cross-generational friendship.

What to do next? He should find a way to steer the topic to the main issue, so that he could use this identity to subtly inquire about the other party's intentions in coming to the capital…

Zhao Du'an was pondering his next plan.

He heard Princess Wenzhu sigh softly, seemingly with deep emotion, and say:

"After several years, I have returned to the capital again. All I hear and see is the cunning and powerful people in the court, the deceitful and arrogant people… Especially that Zhao Du'an, who is from the same small family as you, no, even more humble than you, but he is a treacherous villain who flatters his superiors and bullies his subordinates, rising rapidly and enjoying a high position in the court…

And talents like Young Master Lin, who are compassionate, courageous, and resourceful, are instead unknown. It pains me to see this. If it weren't for my special identity, I would really have the intention of recommending you to His Majesty. If His Majesty really wants a good match, someone like you would be ten thousand times better than the likes of Zhao Du'an?"

Zhao Du'an: ??

No, Aunt… Is this true? You can't just say things like that.