The First Lackey Under The Empress

“Lord Duke, we have arrived at the foot of the Imperial City.”

Hearing the call of his personal driver, Cao Mao, who was leaning against the carriage pretending to doze, opened his eyes.

Ultimately, age was catching up with him. Even though he always presented a spirited demeanor to the outside world, his dwindling energy could not compare to that of a young man.

Attending court in the depths of winter was undoubtedly a difficult task for him.

Cao Mao was dressed in full regalia today, not only wearing his military officer's robe but also the gold belt bestowed upon him by the late Emperor, adorned with eleven jade stones, signifying his extraordinary status.

He shifted his body, declined the driver's offer of assistance, and stepped out of the carriage onto a small stool.

His boots crunched in the light snow, and the cold wind seeped into his body through the gaps in his bones.

Cao Mao adjusted his attire, opened an umbrella, and walked towards the gate.

Even as the Duke who held sway over a region, he still appeared insignificant compared to the towering gate and majestic city walls.

When he arrived outside the Meridian Gate, the officials of the court had already gathered in twos and threes, waiting.

Everyone was holding paper umbrellas to shield themselves from the snow. When they saw Cao Mao arrive, the murmuring ceased, and they all cast complex glances at him.

“Duke Cao.”

“Duke Cao is here.”

Some greeted him.

Cao Mao nodded, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

The Chancellor, Li Yanfu, stood in a sheltered spot, his sleeves folded, his eyes closed as if napping to conserve energy, conveying his intention not to participate in any of today's conflicts—the Li faction's desire for a peaceful New Year was almost written on his face.

The Chief Military Commander, Xue Shence, stood expressionless, his posture as straight as a spear. The two, both military generals, nodded to each other as a greeting.

“Lord Yuan, are you well?” Cao Mao walked towards Yuan Li, who was standing beside a white jade pillar holding an umbrella, and asked blandly.

Yuan Li smiled and nodded: “The Duke's complexion is rosy, his health is as good as ever.”

Cao Mao gave a forced smile:

“I'm not dead yet. At least some rumors and slanders are not enough to disturb my complexion. But if Lord Yuan has any opinions of me, you can say them to my face.”

Yuan Li looked surprised: “What makes Duke Cao say that?”

Cao Mao's eyelids drooped, about to speak, when a gust of wind suddenly swept over. Yuan Li stepped aside to give him some space.

Cao Mao glanced at him, turned, and stood side by side with the leader of the Qingliu faction, before saying:

“These past few days, the censors under the Censorate have been impeaching me repeatedly. You can't possibly be unaware of that, can you?”

Yuan Li sighed softly, looking helpless:

“Duke Cao misunderstands. The Censorate is not like the military camp, and this capital is not Jubei City. How can this Censor-in-Chief be as absolute as the Duke in the north? Hehe, I wish the censors under me were as obedient as the Duke's soldiers.”

“……” Cao Mao's nose was not a nose, his eyes were not eyes, he felt that Yuan Qingyi's words were subtly mocking him.

But he had no evidence!

Especially the sentence “The capital is not Jubei City”, which evoked some bad memories for him.

“Humph, censors should not make wild accusations either.” After a moment of silence, Cao Mao still made a sarcastic remark.

Yuan Li said seriously: “Duke Cao can say the same later in the hall.”

Finding no common ground, both lost interest in talking.

In the silence, amidst the fluttering snowflakes, a dull bell rang.

The officials entered the hall.

……

Cao Mao followed the crowd, stepping up the white jade steps, walking from the square to the Golden Luan Hall.

The hall was still not very warm, but it was much better than the cold wind outside.

The umbrellas in the hands of the officials were also placed neatly at the door.

While waiting for the Empress to arrive, Cao Mao was surprised to find that there were many new faces in the court, and many of the familiar officials of the past had quietly disappeared.

It had only been a year, and although he had repeatedly heard about the turmoil in the court, Cao Mao was still filled with emotion when he truly witnessed the changing times.

“The Emperor has arrived!”

A figure draped in a dragon robe walked from behind to the dragon throne.

“We pay our respects to Your Majesty!”

“Rise, my lords.” Xu Zhenguan, wearing a dragon robe and a crown, with beaded curtains hanging down from her forehead, covering most of her face.

Her fairy-like, stunning appearance was filled with a cloud-shrouded majesty.

She looked down at the officials in the hall and said calmly:

“Today the snow is heavy, I originally did not want to trouble you all to come here, but… recently I have heard that there are many grievances among the people in the capital, and the people are spreading rumors that the court is handling cases unfairly, and many censors have repeatedly impeached… Therefore, today's court meeting will clarify the cause of the matter, Duke Cao, what do you think?”

Cao Mao was named, but he was not flustered at all. He stepped out of the line and cupped his hands:

“This minister has a clear conscience and wants to clarify this matter.”

“Good,” the Empress nodded, her bright eyes turned to the censor's side, and said:

“Censor Chen Hong, since you are the first to impeach the Duke, you should state your case in public, so that the officials in the hall can understand.”

“Yes!”

Censor Chen stepped out, as if he had been prepared for a long time. He took out a thick memorial from his sleeve, held it in both hands, and recited the contents of the impeachment without even opening it.

The words were fierce, directly targeting Cao Mao.

The content started with rumors among the people, then the Dali Temple accepted the case, and several censors from the Censorate visited and investigated, and retrieved the official documents sent from Jubei City in the past. It was analyzed in detail, and every word was precious.

He impeached Duke An, Cao Mao, for condoning his sons to cause chaos and oppress military dependents. After the case occurred, how Duke An concealed and embellished it, fabricated content, in order to mislead the court's judgment.

The expressions of the officials in the hall varied, especially since Chen Hong's memorial mentioned many crimes that were not in the external rumors, which was even more surprising.

“Nonsense!”

Cao Mao endured his anger and listened, then immediately stated loudly:

“Your Majesty, what Censor Chen said is mostly false and exaggerated. I have also investigated the recent discussions among the people, and not to mention that there are many falsehoods and the intention to slander this old minister is undisguised, just the speed and suddenness of the spread of these rumors are full of strangeness.

This minister believes that these rumors are being maliciously promoted by someone, I am afraid it is the work of the rebellious party in the capital, the purpose is nothing more than to ruin the reputation of the court and this minister, and to alienate the relationship between the monarch and his ministers. I hope Your Majesty will discern right from wrong and restore my innocence!”

Rebellious party?

The officials frowned slightly when they heard this word, thinking that Duke Cao had been away for too long and was out of touch with the current situation in the capital.

The rebellious party in the capital had been subdued into grandsons by the Zhao family, and now even a three-year-old child knows that they cannot blame the rebellious party when looking for a scapegoat.

Censor Chen was even more agitated than him, and said loudly:

“Your Majesty! There is no smoke without fire! Now, throughout the capital, in the market and in the court, everyone is talking about Cao Mao's scandal. The public opinion is overwhelming and cannot be ignored!”

Cao Mao's nose was almost crooked with anger, thinking that you people knew better than anyone why the public opinion outside was “overwhelming”.

On the dragon throne, the Empress was calm and composed, and said:

“The truth of the rumors is not credible without evidence. Shaoqing Lu Zhi of Dali Temple, tell us about that case.”

In the hall, Lu Zhi, who was hidden in the crowd, walked out. With his rank, he could not attend court unless it was a grand court meeting.

He was uncomfortable at the moment, but he still said loudly:

“Reporting to Your Majesty, this minister has personally reviewed the Blood Saber case in the north these past two days, and after many verifications, it has been confirmed that there were indeed irregularities in the original conclusion. The person who defiled the wife of Deputy General Lang Shiba is suspected to be the son of Duke Cao…”

“Slander!” Cao Mao was anxious. He did not recognize Lu Zhi, and pointed at him and scolded: “How dare you slander me?”

“Duke Cao! Let Shaoqing Lu state the case.” The Empress's high and cold voice came from behind the beaded curtains.

Yuan Li also added fuel to the fire at the right time, and said quietly:

“Duke Cao, this is the Golden Luan Hall, not the military camp in Jubei City. Even if Your Majesty is generous and does not mind, it is still inappropriate to shout so loudly.”

Cao Mao was choked for a moment and had to shut up.

Lu Zhi had a stubborn temper and did not give him any face. He immediately stated his findings one by one, item by item.

Just as Lang Shiba said in prison, many people knew about this matter, and Cao Mao did not handle it very properly back then.

It was only because no one in the entire court was willing to offend Duke Cao for an inexplicable military officer.

Therefore, they turned a blind eye and acquiesced to the official documents sent from Jubei City.

Now, under Yuan Li's operation, the relevant chain of evidence was easily found. As Lu Zhi stated, the atmosphere in the hall became depressed and dull.

Even though the courtiers were all seasoned politicians, they were ashamed of the things that Cao Mao and his son had done, even if they did not say it on the surface.

Cao Mao's face became more and more ugly, and fine beads of sweat oozed from his forehead. He finally realized that something was wrong.

According to his original expectation, the Empress wanted to use this matter to beat him, and would definitely give him a way out. Cao Mao was even prepared to admit some of the lighter charges in the impeachment.

In this way, it would be equivalent to expressing his submission. The Empress could accept punishing him once for the charges.

But from the beginning of the court, the Empress did not give him any way out, but instead seemed to be trying to convict him.

“Your Majesty!”

Finally, after Lu Zhi finished his statement, Cao Mao took a deep breath and suppressed his agitated emotions.

He forced himself to calm down, cupped his hands and looked at the dragon throne, and said loudly:

“Your Majesty, this minister does not know how this Shaoqing Lu's so-called investigation was conducted, or where those so-called evidences came from.

This minister only knows that Lang Shiba rioted in the military camp in the past, assassinated his superiors, and injured and killed several comrades, and then violently resisted the law when faced with military arrest, killing many people…

These are all solid evidence! How can there be any comradeship or legal military regulations in the eyes of such a criminal? Where is the law?

Even if we take a step back, there may be some justifiable reasons for his killing in the past, but, military law is merciless! This person violated military law and should be beheaded according to the law, and his execution should be made public! How can the so-called grievances of such an unfaithful and unjust, treacherous and evil person be believed?

Or is it that this Shaoqing Lu, and this Censor Chen, are trying to plead for this military criminal? To overturn the case?

Hehe, if this news spreads to the military, how will those soldiers view it? If they know that you are sympathizing with a madman who killed his comrades indiscriminately, wouldn't it further shake the court's prestige?”

Cao Mao was alert!

After realizing that the atmosphere was not right, he immediately overturned his original plan to seek compromise, and did not refute the evidence presented by Lu Zhi—those things could not be refuted without verification.

Therefore, he cleverly chose to turn the gun and state Lang Shiba's crimes.

And tied the case to the morale of the army.

However, before Cao Mao could continue speaking, Xue Shence, who had been silent in the crowd, suddenly stepped out.

This Great Yu “Military God” said lightly: “Reporting to Your Majesty, this minister has a report involving military affairs, and requests Your Majesty to summon Tang Ping, a military officer from the Shenji Camp outside the hall, and Tang Zhao, a deputy general from the Northwest Border Army, to enter the hall.”

Cao Mao was stunned.

The Empress nodded slightly: “Summon them.”

Immediately, a eunuch went out to relay the message. Before long, the palace doors cracked open, letting in a pale light and scattered snowflakes.

Tang Zhou and Tang Ping, siblings, respectfully entered the Golden Luan Hall. They appeared extremely reserved, bowing and paying their respects to the Empress.

The Young Duke took out a thick “book” from his bosom and said:

“Your Majesty, in recent days, rumors about Lang Shibi have been spreading like wildfire among the Jingying troops. The soldiers deeply sympathize with the plight of the Blood Saber from the Northern Territory and are greatly indignant upon learning of his imprisonment.

Therefore, the generals in the army have jointly submitted a memorial, requesting this humble servant to present the ‘Ten Thousand Army Petition’ to Your Majesty, imploring Your Majesty to grant heavenly grace and retry this case to appease the injustice in the hearts of tens of thousands of soldiers in the Jingying!” As he spoke, the siblings each grabbed a side of the thick, folded silk cloth and unfolded it to the sides.

“Whirr——”

Subsequently, a “petition” several feet long, with white silk as its base, filled with black ink names and interspersed with red handprints, was presented before everyone's eyes.

After a brief silence, the entire Golden Luan Hall erupted in an uproar.

Li Yanfu, who completely refrained from interfering, raised his eyelids and glanced at the Empress sitting on the dragon throne with a complex expression, then sighed softly and closed his eyes again, sighing in his heart: What a brilliant move.

This play, on the surface, seems to provide a pretext for retrying the case, but its real intention is to silence those who question the court's extrajudicial leniency towards criminal generals.

After all, human sentiments cannot be separated from legal principles.

Only a joint petition from the military can allow the Empress's reputation to remain unharmed, and even enhance her reputation, while launching this fatal move against Duke Cao.

In other words, this play is not for the officials in the court to see, but for the soldiers and civilians of the world to see.

This move not only allows for a smooth attack on Cao Mao, but also takes the opportunity to capture the soldiers' loyalty to the Empress.

“You… you…” Cao Mao was struck by lightning. Although he had exclusive power in the north, was accustomed to being domineering, and often acted excessively, it did not mean he was stupid.

At this point, how could he not realize that this was simply a trap?

Did the Empress want to use him to exchange for the reputation of a good emperor in the hearts of the soldiers?

“Duke Cao,” the Empress stood up from the dragon throne, her cold gaze cast upon him, instantly cooling the latter's anger:

“Now, not only the common people but also the military have petitions. Although I trust you, in order to correct public perception, this case will be immediately handed over to the Three Departments for joint trial. Are you willing?”

Cao Mao was silent for a moment, then grinned, revealing a self-deprecating smile:

“This subject is willing!”

Xu Zhenguan nodded in satisfaction, looking down at the officials:

“In that case, let's end the court session here today.”

The eunuch next to him raised his neck and shouted:

“Dismiss court!”

......

......

The court session ended in an atmosphere of intrigue. The officials left one after another, with Cao Mao walking ahead without looking back.

He did not waste time arguing with Yuan Li and others, but instead hurried towards the outside of the imperial city.

As soon as he left the imperial city gate, he immediately lifted the curtain and jumped into the carriage, roaring in a low voice at the coachman's surprised gaze:

“Return to the mansion immediately! Immediately! Right now!”

The carriage drove quickly, leaving two clear tracks in the snow outside the majestic imperial city.

Before long, the master and servant returned to the Duke's mansion. Cao Mao couldn't wait to get out of the carriage and walked into the house with a沉着face.

“Duke? What's wrong?” The steward inside the mansion was shocked by his expression.

“Tell Cao Kedi to come see me!”

The Duke, with graying temples and deep nasolabial folds, said expressionlessly.

After leaving these words, he甩开sleeves and went straight to the back hall, driving away the concubines who came to greet him.

Cao Mao entered the room, angrily took off his hat and threw it on the table, not caring about the stains left by his snow-covered boots on the expensive knitted carpet.

“Foster father, you're looking for me?” Cao Kedi pushed open the door and asked cautiously.

Cao Mao's face was as deep as water, staring at this adopted son, his eyes as deep as a wolf's:

“The Emperor is probably going to take this seriously. You go out immediately, take my waist token, and invite the city's noble clansmen to the mansion.”

He wanted to counterattack!

In the capital, he had no troops, but he could still ask those noble clansmen who were allied with him to take action.

To mediate in the court.

“What?” Cao Kedi's expression changed drastically, revealing fear, “What can we do?”

Cao Mao glanced at him with dissatisfaction:

“What's there to panic about? Humph, if the Emperor was really determined, she would have sent officials to arrest me by now, but she didn't do that, and only seized on the pretext of overturning the case, which shows that things haven't reached the worst situation.

The Emperor is not crazy. She wouldn't dare risk losing Jubei City to kill me, but I can't let them lead me by the nose. You go now, don't talk nonsense.”

As soon as the words fell.

Suddenly, the father and son in the room heard a commotion outside, accompanied by angry and furious roars:

“What are you doing?”

“This is the Duke's mansion!”

The father and son looked at each other, a bad premonition arising.

......

At the same time.

Outside the main gate of the Duke's mansion, a large number of officials in brocade clothes and swords at their waists swarmed in on horseback, without trying to seal off the entire mansion, just a large mass of them,衝擊the gate of the Duke's mansion.

The leader was none other than Hou Renmeng, the “door-breaking expert”. This large group of officials was almost the entire Pear Blossom Hall mobilized.

Behind the team, in a carriage in a wide alley.

Zhao Dou'an was in no hurry to get out of the carriage, but quietly watched his subordinates begin to break down the door, and then, as expected, clashed with the Duke's mansion's guards.

“How much military force can a mere Duke's mansion have? As long as Duke Cao and that Cao Kedi don't act, there's no need for so many people, right?”

Little Secretary Qian Kerou accompanied him, her round buttocks only touching half of the seat, watching the scene outside and couldn't help but say.

“What do you know? This is called psychological warfare.”

Zhao Dou'an looked lazy. He had been here for a long time, waiting nearby until Duke Cao returned from court before summoning his men to break down the door:

“To take him down at the lowest cost, this may be the best way. Hmm, where's the wine? Give me a drink.”

The little secretary said “oh” and obediently took out the wine pouch, pulled out the cork with a “bo” sound, and handed it to the lazy Zhao.

The wine was warm, slipped into his throat, and the taste was average.

“Yellow wine is better when heated up. Warm wine is much worse, and cold wine is worse than horse urine.” Zhao Dou'an commented with emotion.

Stuffing the wine pouch back to the female secretary, he stretched his arms, stretched his waist, and raised his legs to get out of the carriage:

“Let's go, it's time to meet this Duke.”

The little secretary followed nimbly, shaking out a fur coat and draping it over Zhao Dou'an.

The long coat dragged on the ground, leaving clear traces on the white snow.

Zhao Dou'an stepped over the threshold and walked straight in. All obstacles along the way were swept away. When he stepped into the courtyard, he finally saw the two sides facing each other.

Hou Renmeng and other Jinyi guards held steel knives, lined up in a semicircle, like a pack of wolves.

Surrounded, in addition to a few elite guards, was the housekeeper who had been knocked out several teeth by a Jinyi guard's刀鞘, and was howling on the ground with a swollen face.

And, An Guogong Cao Mao, whose face was like a volcano about to erupt.

Cao Kedi stood one step behind him, fearless.

“Tsk tsk, what's going on? Old Hou, what did this official tell you? Handling cases should be 文雅, you guys, if I don't watch you closely, you'll mess things up in one breath, what kind of appearance is this!”

Zhao Dou'an came with a displeased tone.

“哗啦啦——”

The Jinyi school lieutenants who sealed off Cao Guogong and others like an iron bucket tacitly separated like a tide, making way.

Zhao Dou'an, wearing a fox fur coat, an official hat, and an official robe, walked leisurely, followed by the round-faced little secretary.

Scanning the audience, frowning, and waving his hand:

“Put away all the knives, what kind of system is this! Go back and see how I deal with you!”

“刷刷刷——”

The Jinyi guards simultaneously sheathed their knives, their movements uniform, and an indescribable aura permeated.

“Foster father, this person is Zhao Dou'an.” Cao Kedi reminded softly.

Cao Mao was still wearing the 大公衣袍 that symbolized his status when he went to court, and the golden belt around his waist shone brightly.

But at this moment, the general holding military power stood in the snow, his body trembling slightly.

Cao Mao stared at Zhao Dou'an, squeezing out words: “You, are you rebelling?”

Zhao Dou'an smiled and faced this Northern Tiger frankly:

“Duke Cao is joking, this is under the Emperor's feet, we are the Emperor's guards, how can we be related to rebellion?”

Cao Mao's chest heaved violently, his eyes staring at him deeply:

“Openly and blatantly breaking into the mansion of a Duke of the dynasty, Zhao, do you think this Duke doesn't dare to kill you?”

The moment these words fell, without warning, Cao Mao suddenly reached out and drew the precious sword he had casually grabbed when he ran out of the house.

“锵!”

The sword was unsheathed, and in full view of everyone, the old Duke raised his hand and threw it out.

At this distance, the sword was almost like a crossbow, whistling towards Zhao Dou'an's heart.

Zhao Dou'an narrowed his eyes, lightning-like, stretched out his right hand, and suddenly pinched the tip of the sword with his thumb and forefinger.

His right hand was covered with a faint霞光, and his fingers rubbed against the tip of the sword, making a “squeak” ear-piercing scream.

The kinetic energy wrapped in this sword, along his arm, shoulders, spine, lower body... was transmitted all the way to his feet, and a circle of snow荡开around the black boots.

Zhao Dou'an pinched the tip of the sword with one hand, and the smile on his face remained.

He slowly lifted the sword, which was suspended in mid-air, with both hands, lowered his head, and admired the snow-bright blade that could almost reflect his face, and praised:

“Good sword!”

Zhao Dou'an raised his head and casually inserted the sword into the bluestone floor under his feet, with a噗sound, the brick floor was cut open like tofu, and the sword body was immersed in the snow by an inch.

The hilt of the sword was still swaying slightly.

He stared at Cao Mao, the smile on his face slowly disappearing: “What a cheap Duke.”

......

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