The First Lackey Under The Empress

"We meet again… We meet again…"

Inside the room, as Zhao Du'an uttered these words with a smile, Princess Wenzhu's mind went blank, and countless emotions of astonishment suddenly exploded within her heart.

Her cherry lips parted slightly, her eyes widened, and she stammered, "You… Lin Ke… it's you…"

Zhao Du'an nodded, appearing exceptionally calm.

Well, although being exposed at this juncture was indeed beyond his expectations, he never thought this disguise could last long…

Tsk, but why did it have to be at this moment? It couldn't be that Zhenbao had already investigated everything and deliberately arranged it, right?

Princess Wenzhu was unaware of his random guesses. The face of this Western Regions "Holy Mother" displayed immense bewilderment.

The young master Lin, whom she greatly admired and even repeatedly wanted to recommend to her niece as a gigolo, was actually Zhao Du'an before her… How could it be? The two people were clearly completely different.

At this moment, she even suspected that the Empress had placed the identity of young master Lin on Zhao Du'an, but upon closer thought, she knew it was unreliable.

"It's a disguise," Zhao Du'an calmly explained, preempting her question. "I'm very sorry, I used a disguise treasure before to get acquainted with Her Highness the Princess under a false identity."

Princess Wenzhu stared at him blankly, then suddenly turned her head to stare at the Empress:

"Was this arranged by Your Majesty?"

Xu Zhenguan pursed her lips and calmly shook her head, saying:

"Does Aunt think that I need to play such tricks?"

Then, she gave Zhao Du'an a meaningful look, implying:

We need an explanation.

"…" Zhao Du'an took a deep breath, suddenly feeling a chill down his spine. He hurriedly explained:

"This matter was purely accidental. That day, I did go to the Eastern City Charity Hall to deliver winter clothes, and I did happen to meet Her Highness the Princess. It was just that I thought my identity was somewhat sensitive, so I didn't reveal my real name."

Charity Hall… That's right… Princess Wenzhu suddenly recalled the scene of Zhao Du'an meeting those orphans in the Jigu Orphanage that day. That could not be faked.

So… this treacherous minister had indeed disguised himself as "Lin Ke" for a long time, donating cloth and alms in the Eastern City… and his encounter with her was purely coincidental.

Zhao Du'an said helplessly:

"Although it is indeed a bit coincidental, it is indeed true. Moreover, if we talk about coincidence… wasn't the Princess taking me to Huangting Lane an equally remarkable coincidence?"

Princess Wenzhu was persuaded.

It's just…

Still hard to believe!

Seeing her fall into silence, Zhao Du'an seemed to have misunderstood her meaning and said with a smile:

"The reason why I disappeared after the chess game that day and never showed up again was also because I didn't want the Western Regions Buddhist sect to misunderstand that Your Highness the Princess specially brought me there. Well, I also think that the matter of me being Lin Ke should be limited to a few people, and there's no need to make it known to everyone."

This sentence was a bit obscure, but Princess Wenzhu understood it.

So she suddenly woke up from her daze and realized the trouble this matter entailed.

If the news that Zhao Du'an was the chess player who defeated Dan Che was made public, then her act of taking Zhao Du'an to Huangting Lane that day would almost certainly be regarded by the Western Regions Buddhist sect as deliberate.

Chess playing one moment, debating the next… like a continuous drama…

Who would believe it was a coincidence? She didn't believe it herself…

And once the Western Regions Buddhist sect suspected and antagonized Wenzhu because of this, her own position, as well as the position of the royal court tribes she controlled in the Western Regions, would decline accordingly—the Western Regions Dharma King definitely had the ability to strip her of her current power.

Zhao Du'an took the initiative to speak at this time, saying that he would hide his identity, which at first glance seemed to be a gesture of goodwill, indicating that he did not want to implicate Wenzhu in taking the blame.

But wasn't it also a kind of threat?

If Wenzhu turned her elbow outward and lacked sincerity in next year's trade with Yu Country, then Zhao Du'an only needed to expose his identity to make the Dharma King suppress Wenzhu.

Zhao Du'an had not calculated this level before, but after realizing this handle just now, he immediately realized that he could use this "accident" to put pressure on Wenzhu—

Solving the trade problem for next year that the Empress had been worried about not long ago.

As long as Princess Wenzhu is willing to do her best to mediate, even if the Red Sect Guru holds a bellyful of anger, the impact of the debate failure on next year's trade can be minimized…

All of this happened in an instant, making Zhao Du'an himself feel surprised.

He didn't expect that the unintentional act of disguising himself to probe and find out the bottom line would, under a series of coincidences, become a sharp weapon hanging over Wenzhu's head.

And Princess Wenzhu, after realizing this logic, was both shocked and furious.

Shocked at…

She seemed to have misjudged from the beginning.

The Zhao Du'an, who was rumored to have a scandalous reputation, was not the gilded plaything she had guessed, but a truly monstrous figure.

At least, she had personally witnessed the chess game that was enough to be recorded in history. In this way, the divine baptism after the debate also had a reasonable explanation. The merits recorded in the data that this person had made one by one were likely to be true.

Could there be such a strange man in the world?

Yes, with her niece's arrogance, if it weren't for such a man, how could she be moved just because of a handsome appearance? And be so intimate and ambiguous with him?

Wenzhu smiled bitterly.

It turned out that everything was her aunt's wishful thinking.

"So… that's how it is," she sighed softly and put down the memorial in her hand.

As her knot was untied, she suddenly felt bored, slowly stood up, looked at the pair of divine beings opposite her with some envy, and smiled:

"I'm full, so I'll take my leave first."

Xu Zhenguan got up: "Aunt, walk slowly."

Princess Wenzhu turned around, dragging her long skirt, and took a few steps outwards. When she was about to step out of the threshold, she suddenly turned her head and blinked:

"By the way, Your Majesty seemed to say just now that you wanted to send young master Lin to me to take back to the Western Regions?"

"…" Xu Zhenguan was stunned. Her first thought was to deny it, but then she thought that the Emperor's words were golden, and she was a little stuck.

"Puchi." Seeing her like this, Princess Wenzhu suddenly smiled brightly, and her whole person regained the appearance that an elder should have, and teased:

"Just kidding, can Auntie steal a man from her niece?"

No… Even if you are old, the open atmosphere of the Western Regions cannot be said randomly, old aunt… Zhao Du'an complained in his heart.

After Princess Wenzhu dropped these words, she walked out of the courtyard freely and went straight out of the bedroom.

"Princess!"

The tall female warrior guarded outside the palace. Seeing the longing Princess return, she couldn't help but step forward.

Princess Wenzhu said calmly: "Go back."

Then, this unfortunate woman who had been married far away to the Western Regions after adulthood looked back at the red walls and black tiles, and her eyes revealed a bit of envy and two points of self-pity.

Perhaps Zhenguan was right, she and she were very different.

… …

Inside the palace walls, in the dining hall.

Seeing "Aunt" leave, the servants also tacitly retreated, and the sunlight bypassed the threshold and illuminated the corners of the two's clothes.

"Zhao Qing," the Empress suddenly looked at the courtyard and said softly.

"Your subject is here."

"You are very powerful. Your chess is so shocking. Tell me, what kind of monster are you?" Xu Zhenguan tilted her head and stared at him with a faint gaze.

Zhao Du'an tucked his tail between his legs and acted honestly:

"Your subject had good luck for a moment."

Good luck for a moment… Xu Zhenguan snorted and did not entangle with him in chess. But the surprise in her heart was not lessened at all.

Although she had opened her mind and suspected that "young master Lin" was Zhao Du'an as early as the day the chess game was spread, the suspicion at that time was also unfounded fantasy and not certain at all. Otherwise, she would not have blurted out the angry words to give Lin Ke to her aunt just now…

But the guess came true… Is the person chosen by the Dragon Soul of the ancestors so monstrous?

"Tell me, why did you disguise yourself to approach Wenzhu? Don't use coincidence to fool me."

Xu Zhenguan narrowed her phoenix eyes into a line, her tone with danger.

She felt that this male favorite was very dishonest. Either he was favored by Prajna or he approached Wenzhu. It seemed that there was also a stepmother in the family… Wait, so this guy wouldn't like older people, right…

Zhao Du'an felt very wronged and hurriedly swore to explain that he just noticed that Wenzhu was investigating him, so he went to inquire about the enemy's situation, etc., and after much talk, Zhenbao no longer grasped this matter.

"Your Majesty, let's continue to eat, the dishes will be cold later," Zhao Du'an walked back to the stool and sat down diligently.

Xu Zhenguan glared at him: "Sit aside! Are you still addicted to acting?"

Zhao Du'an recalled the brief touch when his right hand moved down from his waistline before, and wanted to nod and say yes, but the instinct to survive made him silently move the chair away.

Xu Zhenguan sat down angrily. The two continued to eat. After they were full, she wiped her mouth and said lightly:

"In order to avoid those monks from causing trouble, you can go home tomorrow."

Zhao Du'an was stunned: "Then where will your subject sleep tonight?"

Xu Zhenguan hesitated for a moment and said calmly:

"Aunt is staying in the palace city and hasn't left yet. Act a complete set. You will sleep in the warm hall tonight."

After dropping these words, she got up and left.

Zhao Du'an was stunned for a moment before he suddenly came back to his senses—so, like last time, he was allowed to sleep in the same room with her?

… …

… …

That afternoon, the story that happened at the debate spread wildly in the capital, setting off an uproar.

Zhao Du'an stayed in the palace, wandering around in the garden for several hours doing nothing. He wanted to take a nap, but he was energetic and couldn't fall asleep.

He simply ran to the Martial Arts Hall to chat with Hai Gongfeng, bragging about his wonderful operation in the morning, especially writing about the World Honored One's baptism, which made Grandpa Hai stunned and amazed.

It was not easy to wait until the evening. The Empress finished her day's work and returned to the bedroom, only to see Zhao Du'an waiting anxiously at the entrance of the courtyard.

When entering the Empress's room again, the sky outside was already dark.

Tonight, the bright moon hangs high and the starry sky is clear. The few remaining white snow in the courtyard reflects a glittering light under the moonlight. A few wisps of thin clouds brushed across the sky. The ancient night sky was so beautiful that even the cold wind of winter became gentle.

Inside the warm hall, the lights had already been lit, and a row of candles spread out a bright light.

"Bang."

Having taken off the thicker casual clothes outside, wearing only a thin long skirt, her long hair scattered lazily, the barefoot Empress hugged a new quilt, passed through the curtain separating the warm hall and the bedroom, and threw the bedding on the ground in the "living room."

"You will sleep here tonight. Be honest. If you mess around like last time, I will throw you outside to sleep in the icy and snowy ground," Xu Zhenguan said with a look of disgust.

What she was referring to was the last time Zhao Du'an lost his mind when he accommodated the soul of the Guhuo True Person and was dominated by desire.

No… Last time I was beaten badly, okay… You still dislike it… Besides, can I be blamed for that time? After all, there is an ancient saying: "Big Head Son, Little Head Dad".

It is natural for the son to listen to his father's words…

Zhao Du'an secretly curled his lip but agreed readily.

Once the Empress gracefully turned, swaying her hips as she entered the adjacent bedroom.

He gently exhaled, carefully taking off his outer robe and placing it neatly on the daybed.

When only his inner garments remained, he furtively glanced at the vague figure lying on the bed behind the curtain before lifting the blanket and slipping into the bedding himself.

Because of the underfloor heating, even sleeping on the floor in the living room, he didn't feel cold within the bedding; instead, it gradually warmed up.

The long night stretched on, one sleeping on the bed in the inner room, the other on the floor in the outer room.

Zhao Du'an, eyes wide, tossed and turned, finding it hard to sleep, and sighed softly, thinking how dull the nightlife was in ancient times; without even a phone, being unable to sleep was truly unbearable…

"Why are you sighing? Not sleeping?" Xu Zhenguan's voice came from behind the curtain.

Zhao Du'an looked innocently at the ceiling, aggrieved, and said:

"It's not that your subject doesn't want to sleep, but that my spirit is vigorous, and I feel no drowsiness at all."

Xu Zhenguan lay within the light gauze curtains, frowning, thinking this guy was being improper again, but then something occurred to her, and her brow smoothed out as she comforted him:

"It must be because of the World Honored One's baptism; there's no need to panic."

Zhao Du'an asked curiously: "Your Majesty, what exactly is this baptism all about?"

After a chaotic day, he only remembered this matter in the stillness of the night.

Xu Zhenguan patiently explained:

"It's a good thing. I remember that when you were baptized, a cyan lotus faintly appeared between your eyebrows. At this moment, a cyan lotus should be planted in your sea of consciousness. The World Honored One governs wisdom, and this cyan lotus will nourish your divine soul, making your energy inexhaustible… You're just not used to it right now, which is why you're experiencing insomnia. You'll be fine once you get used to it in a few days.

With this cyan lotus, even if your body suffers external injuries in the future, it will heal faster than others… Not only that, if you truly have the roots of wisdom, you might even learn Buddhist techniques from that cyan lotus mark…

However, its true benefits will probably only manifest after you step into the Worldly Realm. As for the specifics, I don't know; I've only seen vague descriptions in books."

Buddhist techniques?

That's right… Old Xu's "Martial God Path" is about cultivating both martial arts and spells, but it doesn't say I can only learn the spells from the stone tablet left by Old Xu… Like the spirit flame I learned from Pei Niannu, that counts as external… right?

Then it doesn't seem wrong to secretly learn some Buddhist techniques…

Hmm, so I've already learned things from the royal family and the Buddhist sect, and even the Azure Mountain inheritance… I also learned a bit of martial skill from that Chai Keqiao… The only place I haven't learned anything from is the Celestial Master's Mansion.

Tch, Old Zhang is really stingy. Old Bai is such a weirdo, not teaching me anything…

Zhao Du'an silently despised Old Zhang, but said aloud:

"Then your subject will strive to break through to the Worldly Realm next year."

Xu Zhenguan, lying on the bed, was stunned by his sudden, determined tone, and wanted to say that this couldn't be rushed, but suddenly realized… This guy, isn't he still thinking that once he reaches the Worldly Realm, he'll have met the minimum requirement to cultivate with her…

In the dark winter night, Xu Zhenguan's cheeks flushed inexplicably, along with annoyance.

But since Zhao Du'an didn't say it explicitly, she couldn't very well ask about her random guesses.

Something came to her mind, and she said softly:

"Next year, I will also try to break through to the true Celestial Realm."

Zhao Du'an was stunned and immediately became anxious, thinking, 'It shouldn't be like this, right? If you break through, doesn't that mean that even if I reach the Worldly Realm, there will still be a huge gap, and forcibly cultivating with you will still squeeze me into dregs?'

It shouldn't be like this, right? Is this really just a carrot dangling in front of the donkey, impossible to reach?

He sat up straight away and looked towards the curtain, but heard the Empress continue:

"Once the imperial treasury recovers and the new policies gain momentum, my uncles and the rebels of the Kuangfu Society will not sit idly by; they will inevitably strike early.

I have a premonition that if I can't advance to the true Celestial Realm as soon as possible, there will be a major crisis… Aside from other things, the Xuanyin of the Shenlong Temple makes me very uneasy."

Old Monk Xuanyin?

That's right… This guy is strange. If it can be said that Celestial Master Zhang can still be reasoned with, this seemingly strongest figure in Buddhism seems to have truly cultivated into a living Buddha.

He stays hidden in the Buddhist hall all year round, not showing his face, and has Bianji act on his behalf, clearly harboring the ambition to merge things and unify Buddhism, yet he almost allows the multiple forces within the Shenlong Temple to play games and entangle each other…

It all feels inexplicable.

"Your Majesty is worried that the old bald donkey will cause trouble?" Zhao Du'an asked softly.

Xu Zhenguan said:

"It's hard to say; I can't see through Xuanyin either. But even if he doesn't do anything, I must enter the Celestial Realm as soon as possible. Next year, three years after my ascension to the throne, with the dragon energy stabilizing, I can leave the capital and try to perform the Fengshan ceremony. If it succeeds, it will be a permanent solution; if it doesn't…"

Fengshan? This world also has this thing?

Wait, isn't this just something honorary? Does it have something to do with cultivation advancement?" Zhao Du'an was puzzled.

But obviously Zhenbao didn't want to say more, and changed the topic with a few words:

"The end of the year is approaching. Have you thought about how to deal with Zhuang Xiaocheng next year? Heh, you postponed this matter due to illness this time, but if there's still no action after the new year, even if I don't say anything, some people in the court will make an issue of it."

These "some people" naturally referred to the faction of Grand Chancellor Li Yanfu.

Zhao Du'an's feud with Li Yanfu had only come to a temporary halt, but it was far from over. Once Li Yanfu resolved the internal problems of the Li faction, there would inevitably be another battle with Zhao Du'an sooner or later.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, since Zhuang Xiaocheng was released by me, I will definitely bring him back."

Zhao Du'an said firmly, then lay down again, smiling wryly:

"However, what I'm more concerned about right now is the Duke of the State who will be returning to the capital for the New Year. I heard that it's not just the Duke of Zhenguo who is returning for the New Year; the other Dukes and Great Generals stationed at the border will also be returning to the capital to report on their duties?"

Border generals returning to the capital at the end of the year is a tradition of the Yu Kingdom.

It's both a factor of returning home to reunite with family for the holidays, and a need to report to the Emperor on the border army's affairs over the past year.

As for why it's in the deep winter at the end of the year, it's easy to understand:

During the cold winter season, the border is the most stable, and it's impossible for any large-scale wars to break out. At this time, mobilizing the generals stationed at the border back doesn't require too much worry about problems at the border.

Xu Zhenguan gently "En"ed.

Zhao Du'an heard the hidden worry in Zhenbao's tone, and he suddenly said:

"General Zhao Shixiong will also be returning, right?"

Last time, Xue Shence had told him that Zhao Shixiong, stationed in the southwest, was flirting with Prince Mu.

Xu Zhenguan was silent for a little longer this time, and said: "In principle, he should return."

Zhao Du'an also fell silent.

"It's late, let's sleep." The Empress suddenly said: "You can try to visualize the Six Chapters Sutra more to consume excess energy, and then you can fall asleep."

"Okay."

Zhao Du'an blew out the candle in the warm hall, and the room immediately fell into darkness, with only moonlight shining in through the window paper.

A man and a woman ended their conversation and tried to fall asleep.

However, this time, it was Xu Zhenguan's turn to be unable to sleep…

Dozing off, not knowing how long it had been, maybe an hour, or two hours.

The Empress on the bed suddenly felt a bladder distention, and was awakened by a strong urge to urinate…

Well, cultivators of the Worldly Realm are not gods, they still need to eat, drink, and relieve themselves every day; even fairies need to get up at night.

In fact, there was a chamber pot right under her bed in the bedroom, and she used to just use the chamber pot to solve the problem when she got up at night.

But today it was a little inconvenient.

Xu Zhenguan turned over, and the hand that instinctively reached for the chamber pot suddenly stopped, and a pair of eyes stared straight at someone lying in the warm hall on the other side of the curtain.

A little drowsiness immediately dissipated.

In the darkness, her little eyebrows slowly furrowed.

"…Troublesome…"

Forcibly holding it in? It doesn't seem easy… But even with a curtain separating them, it was impossible for her to take off her underpants and relieve herself. The thought alone made it impossible.

"Hey… Are you asleep?" Xu Zhenguan hesitated for a moment and called out softly.

She wanted Zhao Du'an to go out for a while, and come back in after she was done.

There was no response, only the man's even and steady breathing came from the warm hall.

"He's really asleep?"

Xu Zhenguan's face wrinkled, and she suddenly regretted telling this guy the method to fall asleep.

She had woven a cocoon around herself.

Of course, as the Son of Heaven, she could rudely wake him up, but she hesitated and ultimately didn't do so.

He finally fell asleep… Better not wake him up…

Sneakily relieve herself? No!

Even if she didn't consider the sound of peeing, even if she set up a soundproof barrier, it would still be unacceptable.

So, it seemed she could only go out herself… Going out to relieve herself on a winter night, even with the Empress's cultivation, she wasn't afraid of the cold, but it wasn't a good experience.

"Sigh." Sighing softly, Xu Zhenguan reluctantly pulled her legs out of the bedding, exposing her crystal-white feet to the air.

Standing up, she gently lifted the curtain and entered the warm hall.

A pair of dark, bright phoenix eyes looked down at Zhao Du'an, who was lying on the ground, looking up, eyes closed, and gently snoring. She looked for a long while, and after confirming that this guy was indeed asleep, she gently stepped on the carpet, walked past him, and went to the door.

She casually put on a pair of shoes, gently pushed open the door, and walked out of the room, heading to the outhouse not far away.

Only Zhao Du'an was left in the room.

However, what the Empress didn't know was that Zhao, who seemed to be asleep at this moment, after experiencing several visualizations, and once again having Pei Niannu lift his skull and throw out the "Six Chapters Sutra," his consciousness was drifting and wandering in the sea of consciousness, and a cyan lotus appeared before his eyes.

"Cyan lotus? Is this the one bestowed by the World Honored One? How can I see it…"

Zhao Du'an was hazy and his thoughts were not very clear.

His divine soul was stunned, floating above his sea of consciousness, and subconsciously approached the cyan lotus that was gently swaying in the sea of consciousness, its entire body emerald green, emitting a shimmering light.

Then, the next second.

With a "Boom," Zhao Du'an only felt his sea of consciousness suddenly expand. In an instant, his soul power, which had already exceeded the scope of a normal "Divine Chapter Realm," spread wildly.

With the center of his brow as the center, it quickly spread to the surrounding reality.

He didn't wake up, but he clearly "saw" every piece of furniture, every detail of the Empress's palace, and saw the "empty" bed on the bed next door.

Then, the soul power continued to spread out of the room, spreading towards the night.

…

First update, then formatting

Thank you to book friend Sword Heart Kyoto for the 100-coin reward support!