The First Lackey Under The Empress

"You dog thief! Despicable villain! Shameless!"

Inside the room, Zhang Changji cursed loudly, completely losing his composure.

His anger could no longer be contained, and he was about to pounce, but Zhou Cang, with quick eyes and hands, struck the latter's dantian hard with the hilt of his blade.

"Peng!"

In the muffled sound of impact, Zhang Changji bent over like a shrimp, his qi and blood in disarray.

Zhou Cang said coldly, "You dare attack an officer of the law? I will report this to Supervisor Gong. Take him away!"

Several Jinyi Guards, like wolves and tigers, used shackles specifically designed for martial artists to restrain him and drag him out of the courtyard.

Throughout the process, Zhang Changji continued to curse incessantly, his language vile, making Zhou Cang's heart tremble with fear.

"Envoy, what's wrong with this person…?" Zhou Baihu was full of curiosity, probing indirectly.

He wanted to know what had happened in the room.

"Alas," Zhao Du'an sighed softly:

"His elder brother and I are colleagues and have always been on good terms. This person tried to use that relationship to his advantage. It's a pity that the laws of the country are ruthless. How can we, who serve His Majesty, allow emotions to interfere with the law?"

You've got to be kidding me… Zhou Cang was shocked.

He never expected that Zhao Du'an could lie without even batting an eye.

"Haha, thanks to all of you brothers for your efforts. It's getting late. Go and distribute some wine to the brothers," Zhao Du'an smiled, took out a few silver notes from his sleeve, and handed them over.

"I wouldn't dare… Envoy, you mustn't… Oh dear, no, no…" Zhou Cang immediately stopped probing.

After completing the ritual of three offers and three refusals, Zhou Baihu reluctantly accepted, his face beaming with smiles, and immediately expressed his loyalty:

"Envoy, just give the order, and we will not dare to refuse.

It's just that this thief has already been captured. What's the next step? I'm afraid we won't be able to pry open his mouth."

Zhao Du'an stepped out, crossed the threshold, and raised his head to look at the sky.

Clouds were coming from Yunnan, and the brilliant sunlight gradually dimmed.

He said calmly:

"Whether he speaks or not is not important. The most important thing is the news that he has been arrested and imprisoned."

Zhou Cang was stunned: "Sir, could you explain further?"

Zhao Du'an smiled and said:

"The purpose of stirring up the grass is not the grass, but the snake. A snake hiding in its burrow is useless. Only by making it crawl out can the snake catcher find its tracks."

After a pause, he glanced at the thoughtful Baihu and said:

"When we came to the door, if we had directly stated that we were here for the Jingying firearms case, the enemy hiding in the dark would have fled."

Zhou Cang suddenly understood:

"So, you deliberately claimed to be here for the Zhuang Xiaocheng case, leading Zhang's second son to mistakenly believe that you were deliberately framing him and retaliating."

Zhao Du'an nodded:

"What I said at the time was heard by many servants in the house, and they will definitely report it to the Zhang family later. In this way, the enemy behind the scenes will not immediately flee in panic, but will worry about exposure… When people are flustered, their IQ often drops, revealing flaws."

Zhou Cang's eyes lit up:

"This subordinate understands. I will immediately send people in plain clothes to lie in ambush and keep a close watch on the Zhang family. Any unusual movements will be reported immediately!"

The feeling of amazement in his heart grew stronger, and a strange thought suddenly arose:

Perhaps Supervisor Gong was wrong. This Envoy Zhao's strategy far exceeds everyone's expectations in the capital.

…

…

Zhang's second son was taken away by the soldiers.

The news spread quickly, deliberately pushed forward.

"What?!"

Inside the room, Zhang Changshuo, dressed in a blue shirt and styled as a scholar with a small mustache, suddenly stood up, staring intently at the servant who came to report:

"Second brother was taken away? Zhao Du'an did it with his men?!"

The three-day confinement period ordered by the Empress had passed.

Zhang Changshuo decided to avoid the limelight and had rarely gone out these days. He woke up this morning with his eyelids twitching wildly, but he didn't expect something to really happen.

"Yes, with the officers from the Zhao Yamen. That Zhao also extorted a large sum of money from Second Master," the servant complained, his eyes bruised.

After the officers left, he immediately ran to find Zhang's eldest son.

Extortion?

Zhang Changshuo's heart was already jumping, but upon hearing this, he carefully questioned the servant, not missing any details.

Finally, he sat back in his pear blossom chair, his face沉凝.

The good news was: it wasn't that the secret had been exposed, but that Zhao, the dog, was retaliating.

The bad news was: danger! danger! danger!

"Is Zhao the thief addicted to false accusations?" he cursed inwardly, believing that Zhao Du'an had benefited from the Xiangguo incident and was doing it again.

"Second brother is also an idiot! Why did he have to provoke him! What I feared has come to pass. He's good for nothing but ruining things."

Zhang Changshuo was in a bad mood.

He was also involved in the firearms craftsman case, but not actively. He was purely dragged into it.

About a year ago.

People from the "Jing Wang Manor" set a trap, designed to frame the intellectually limited Zhang Erlang, using coercion and enticement to pull him into the group, promising to help him transfer a batch of firearms blueprints and craftsmen.

Zhang Erlang, with no ink in his chest, was fooled and, after thinking about it, found his elder brother, wanting to instigate his eldest brother.

Zhang Changshuo was麻了. He scolded his second brother for being stupid. Was this the kind of struggle they could get involved in?

Moreover, he had been racking his brains, wanting to attach himself to the Empress, but his younger brother turned around and joined Jing Wang.

However, the two were connected by blood, and Zhang Changshuo knew very well that once the matter was leaked, it would be a crime punishable by death, and he, the elder brother, would also die.

There was no choice but to get involved as well, working for the Jing Wang Manor.

But Zhang Changshuo was, after all, a scholar, with the bad habits of a literati. He liked to ride the fence, always feeling that betting on Jing Wang was not safe.

Therefore, the motivation to attach himself to the Empress became stronger.

He wanted to straddle two boats.

According to his plan:

If he could climb onto the Empress's bed, he would turn around and sell out his younger brother. At that time, the Empress would remember his loyalty and their intimate relationship, and would not blame him. Perhaps she would value him even more.

This is called: killing his brother to prove his Dao!

If climbing the bed failed, and Jing Wang really managed to seize the throne one day, then the Zhang family could also enjoy wealth and glory.

But now danger had arrived.

"Second brother is a martial artist, so he should be able to withstand torture and won't spill the beans. But Ma Yan is investigating the firearms case. If it's connected and a clue is found, everything will be over!"

"Therefore, he must be bailed out as soon as possible to cut off this matter. But Uncle may not be able to help. Ma Yan has never given face to officials from the Six Ministries!"

"In addition, when the news of his arrest spreads, the people from the Jing Wang Manor will definitely be nervous, suspecting that the firearms case has been exposed. Our Zhang family will immediately become abandoned pawns!"

"Those people from the south are not good people. They might do something drastic. I must appease them."

"And the Jing Wang Manor must have an inside man with a higher official position in the court. Out of self-preservation, they will also agree to take action and bail out second brother!"

Many thoughts appeared in his mind.

Zhang Changshuo's face was uncertain, and his thoughts gradually became clear:

He must notify the other party and request assistance.

But… if he acts rashly, it is likely to attract the attention of the Zhao Yamen.

"I can't panic. Be cautious, be cautious…"

Zhang Changshuo chanted silently.

"Master? Please say something," the servant who reported the news urged anxiously, seeing that he had been silent for a long time.

"What are you shouting about? I have my own arrangements," Zhang Changshuo scolded unhappily, then pondered for a moment and said:

"Report this matter to Father immediately, and inform Uncle to find a way to smooth things over."

"As for me…"

Zhang Changshuo raised his head, saw the dark clouds from the south blocking the sunlight outside the eaves, and said:

"I have to wait a while."

…

Evening, Baima Prison.

Inside his own duty room.

Zhao Du'an sat cross-legged, meditating. Between his breaths, faint evening rays wandered around his body, a mysterious phenomenon.

"Huff!"

He opened his eyes, ending his contemplation of the "Martial God Diagram", and looked at his palm, his eyes filled with excitement.

These days, he had been contemplating the scroll almost every day, allowing his consciousness to sink into the painting.

Each time, he appeared on the summit, witnessing the martial artist practicing boxing.

The sun sometimes rose, sometimes set.

There was nothing else different.

He tried to communicate with "Taizu", but the other party did not respond at all, like a recording, or a harsh coach, guiding his breathing and boxing.

Finally, today, there was some progress.

With a thought, Zhao Du'an's pores spewed out rosy light, covering his palm. He used a dagger to slash at it, "Chi Chi"…

It couldn't be cut through, and there was a faint sound of metal.

"Before, the rosy light only appeared when I was extremely angry. Now, I can actively stimulate it and control its intensity. The part of the body blessed by the rosy light becomes quite hard. Unfortunately, the covered area is only the size of a palm."

Zhao Du'an marveled.

"But the size of a palm is enough…" He moved his gaze down, staring at his crotch, thoughtfully.

Just as he was thinking about trying it out, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching outside the door.

Zhao Du'an got up and pushed open the door, only to see the old Si Jian Sun Lianying walking alone.

"Your Excellency!"

Zhao Du'an was surprised, as if he had thought of something.

At this time, the "Evening Bell" rang in the Tianshi Mansion, the deep bell sound echoing throughout the city, and the last ray of sunset in the sky went out.

The old eunuch with graying temples and sunken eyes stopped, stood with his hands tied, looked at the night sky, and said:

"The person I invited for you has arrived."

…

This chapter is a transition.