The First Lackey Under The Empress

Chapter 433: The Empress: Zhao Du'an, do you know your crime? (6.5k)

Feigned death?

As she uttered this word, the complex emotions brewing in Mo Chou's heart subsided.

Indeed, with that detestable fellow surnamed Zhao's deep thoughts, insidious cunning, would he die so easily?

“I don’t know.” Xu Zhenguan was silent for a moment, then gave an unexpected answer.

Yes, she wasn't sure.

Even if reason told her that a feigned death was a possibility, it was still just a guess. Separated by thousands of miles, who could know the specific situation?

Perhaps there really was no opportunity to transmit, or it was blocked by Zhuang Xiaocheng's methods; there were too many possibilities.

“Assuming… let's assume that Lord Zhao really feigned his death, then why would he do this? Unless it was to hide his whereabouts…”

When he left, he didn't hide, indicating that what he feared wasn't assassination along the way, but that he had a reason to hide.”

Mo Chou calmly analyzed, the female prime minister's IQ went online, and she vaguely had a guess, but she felt that it was unfounded and not easy to make a judgment.

Xu Zhenguan also didn't have full confidence. She thought for a while and said:

“Whether he is dead or feigning death, in short, we will wait until the team escorting the rebel party arrives in the capital before saying anything. Before that, we will just treat him as truly dead.”

Mo Chou's heart stirred, understanding the Empress's unspoken meaning:

If Zhao Du'an deliberately feigned death, then they should cooperate and not expose it, so as not to ruin Zhao Du'an's plan.

“This servant understands.” Mo Chou bowed and retreated, preparing to consider how to cooperate.

When only Xu Zhenguan was left alone in the bedroom again, she sat quietly in the warm hall, her jade hand slowly stroking the Arhat bed beside her, remembering the scene of a certain someone sleeping here.

She was lost in thought.

Was he… really feigning death? Or was she unwilling to accept this result, and forcibly seeking a reason?

Xu Zhenguan couldn't tell.

Clearly… not long ago, she had just publicly announced their relationship in front of all the officials at the grand banquet, but only two months later, news of his death came.

It seemed to be fate; the men related to her, whether father or brothers, had all died, and the remaining uncles and elders had also become enemies.

“I… I… Is the emperor really destined to be alone?”

Xu Zhenguan clenched her white jade hand in her sleeve. She suddenly got up, pushed open the door and walked out of the bedroom, transforming into a golden rainbow and leaping out of the palace, landing in the depths of the Heavenly Master's Mansion.

Outside that small courtyard, she found the door tightly closed, and the entire small courtyard was in a state of “illusion and reality.” It was clearly in front of her, but she couldn't touch it or step into it.

“Your Majesty? You've come.”

Suddenly, a priest slowly walked out from not far away, his expression not surprised. Under the Empress's sharp gaze, he calmly said:

“The Heavenly Master has fallen asleep and is not receiving guests.”

Xu Zhenguan raised her eyebrows: “You knew I would come?”

The priest thought for a moment, confirmed that the Heavenly Master hadn't told him to hide it, and said frankly:

“Zhang Tianshi ordered me to wait here for Your Majesty.”

Xu Zhenguan's brow suddenly relaxed, as if she had received the answer. She nodded: “I understand.”

Immediately, her figure disappeared, leaving only the priest standing in place, lost in thought.

… …

… …

In the blink of an eye, the agreed three-month period was coming to an end.

On this day, outside the capital's wharf, on the canal, a small boat was about to dock.

On the deck, Zhao Du'an, disguised, stood with his hands behind his back, enjoying the spring breeze and looking at the familiar majestic city ahead, sighing:

“When I left, it was still severe winter, but now that I've returned, it's very different.”

Well, that's why they say ancient journeys are long; one round trip and the season changes.

Haitang walked up behind him, the female investigator dressed as a female knight, using disguise techniques and changing her hairstyle. She visibly breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the majestic city, and the tense strings in her heart finally relaxed:

“We're finally back. It seems your plan worked.”

Zhao Du'an also smiled and said: “Yes. More smoothly than I imagined.”

The group set off earlier than Luan Cheng's main force, collectively disguised, and returned to Beijing via a shortcut. They were frightened along the way, but there were no real dangers, which was enough to show that his “feigned death” arrangement had worked. The fact that the remnants of the Kuangfu Society didn't catch up was proof.

Now that the team had arrived in the capital and entered the Empress's sphere of influence, they were completely safe.

“Phew, I just want to go back to the city now, take a hot bath, and have a good sleep.” Haitang stretched her waist, a smile on her lips.

“The closer we get to the end, the more we can't relax, you know? Once the protagonist group relaxes, something is bound to happen. How is Zhuang Xiaocheng?”

Zhao Du'an reminded her seriously, based on his experience of watching countless films in his previous life.

“…Yunxi is watching him every step of the way. Go see for yourself.” Haitang complained, feeling that he was making a fuss.

Zhao Du'an turned around and glanced at Ji Yue, who was squatting in the corner of the deck, staring blankly at the sea, and Gongshu Tianyuan, who was smiling and chatting with Zhang Han.

He stepped into the cabin.

First, he saw Jin Jian lying sprawled out, snoring and catching up on sleep in the cabin. The girl's fair face was full of fatigue, and snot bubbles were about to come out between breaths… The beautiful girl's image was completely ruined.

The corners of Zhao Du'an's mouth twitched. Who would have thought that the mysterious Jin Jian would be like this when she fell asleep… Isn't that what people online said in his previous life, that traveling abroad is a touchstone to test whether a couple is suitable…

Next to Jin Jian was Yunxi, sitting cross-legged on the ground, meditating, and in between the two women was Zhuang Xiaocheng, tied up with ropes and emaciated.

“Grand Tutor, we're about to enter the city. How is it? Have you thought about it? If you're willing to surrender, this official will risk his face and beg His Majesty to give you a lenient sentence, how about it?” Zhao Du'an asked with a smile.

Zhuang Xiaocheng, with white hair and beard, and drowsy, opened his bloodshot eyes and stared at him with an unusually calm expression:

“This old man only seeks death.”

“Okay, okay… When you see His Majesty and face torture in the imperial prison, I hope you can still be so stubborn.” Zhao Du'an sneered, uttering villainous words.

He pulled out a talisman from his sleeve and stuck it on Zhuang Xiaocheng's forehead with a “slap.”

The latter immediately fell into a coma.

“Put him in the box and prepare to enter the city.” Zhao Du'an said expressionlessly.

Yunxi nodded, got up, dragged over a large box, and threw the unconscious Zhuang Xiaocheng into it.

… …

Soon, the boat docked.

Under Gongshu Tianyuan's "illusion," the group successfully passed the inspection of the wharf officials, and rented a freight carriage, threw the large box on the carriage, and Yunxi sat on the box, determined not to leave it.

The rest of them happily sat in the carriage, refused the coachman from the wharf carriage shop, and Zhang Han personally drove the carriage.

When they entered the city gate and walked on the street, a lively and prosperous street appeared in front of them, and the wine flags fluttering in the wind finally settled everyone's hearts.

Looking at the time, it was already noon. The exhausted guys simply found a soup noodle shop nearby to eat.

Taking the opportunity to inquire about the recent situation in the city.

“Recently… the biggest thing in the city is only the death of that Zhao Yan… Zhao Shaobao.”

The shop assistant collected a few big coins and said with a smile about the rumors.

The news of Zhao Du'an's death had spread, and it was said that the current Majesty was overly sad and had not attended court for several days.

Many literati competed to write poems to mourn Zhao Du'an in order to please the Empress.

“I heard that Lord Zhao's reputation is not good, are there still people willing to mourn him?” Zhao Du'an asked with interest while eating the cake.

“Hey, no matter what you think in your heart, it's not good to say it at this juncture, wouldn't that be adding to the current sage's troubles…”

The shop assistant curled his lips, then realized he had misspoke, covered his mouth, and said with a smile:

“I'm just repeating what I've heard. How would someone like me know what the big shots above are thinking? Enjoy your meal, everyone.”

As he walked away, he looked suspiciously at the girl who even sat on a large box while eating… These out-of-towners are really strange.

Zhao Du'an couldn't help but smile wryly. He could roughly guess that many people in the city were already overjoyed, but they just didn't dare to express it publicly:

Lord Zhao's body is not yet cold, who would dare to laugh at this time and be heard by the Empress? Wouldn't that be a great disaster?

"Tsk tsk, they're even mourning you. How about it, do you want to write one for yourself too?" Haitang teased him.

Zhao Du'an retorted: "If Eunuch Hai knew you were dead too, I don't know how heartbroken he would be."

Haitang fell silent.

"Ahem, should we go to the yamen first, or directly to the palace later?" Zhang Han quickly smoothed things over.

Zhao Du'an took a bite of the pancake, swallowed it, and said:

"No, let's go to my house first. We finally 'died' once. Going directly to the yamen or the palace would expose us directly. Let me think if we can use this to make a little fuss."

The others looked at each other.

...

After the meal, the small escort team drove the cart, winding around, and finally approached the Zhao residence.

From a distance, they could see that the entire Zhao family was in a state of "desolation." The red lanterns at the entrance had been replaced with white ones.

They vaguely saw the white silk streamers hanging in the courtyard. On the steps at the entrance, and at the base of the walls on the left and right, there were also mourning "flower baskets" sent by who knows who.

Rows of white and yellow paper flowers were lined up, almost filling the entire alley. Obviously, they were sent by various families in the city.

Such a good "rich area" with an excellent location was actually turned into a funeral scene. Passersby tacitly avoided it, as if afraid of being contaminated by bad luck.

"…" Zhao Du'an took a breath of cold air, his mouth twitching:

"No, my 'corpse' is still on the road, why are they already mourning?! Are these people afraid I won't die?"

Kukuku… Gongshu Tianyuan and the others tried hard to suppress their laughter, their faces flushed.

"Haha, Brother Zhao. If we had come back a little later, we might have been able to eat at your funeral feast…" Gongshu Tianyuan winked and couldn't help but laugh.

Eat at the feast? Jin Jian, who was dozing off on the cart, perked up her ears and subconsciously covered her purse.

She heard that you had to give a gift when eating at a feast… and you could never get your money back.

"…Alas." Zhao Du'an didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He immediately lost the courage to go home through the main entrance and directed Zhang Han to drive the cart around to the back door.

The style finally became a little more normal.

The cart stopped outside the back door. Zhao Du'an jumped out of the cart, didn't call anyone, and threw the flying knife into the courtyard.

With a "bang," he picked open the door bolt, opened the back door, and led the cart in. Zhang Han and Haitang tacitly lifted the box one after the other.

Following Zhao Du'an inside.

Gongshu Tianyuan looked around with his hands behind his back:

"Tsk tsk, Brother Zhao, your house is very nice. It's much better than where I live. How much does this mansion cost? Alas, all my money is invested in manufacturing magical artifacts, otherwise I would also get one… Well, it would be better if these lanterns weren't white…"

Ji Yue silently followed at the end, almost floating in. Her loose black hair matched with her red clothes unexpectedly matched the funeral style of the mansion…

Zhao Du'an walked ahead with a dark face. After bypassing the backyard, he saw a cook walking out of the kitchen.

The cook had white silk wrapped around her head and was holding a dustpan in her hand, which contained dried mushrooms.

When she suddenly saw this extremely strange team, she was stunned:

A man and a woman with expressionless faces were carrying a large box that looked like a coffin.

A fat man carrying a bamboo tube was chattering and pointing, and next to him was a pale-faced girl who looked like she could fall down at any time.

Behind the coffin was also floating something that looked like a standard drowned ghost…

And at the front of the strangely styled team was the eldest son, who had already taken off his disguise and returned to his true appearance, who was already dead.

"Pa!"

The dustpan in the cook's hand fell to the ground, and the mushrooms rolled all over the place. She opened her mouth wide, her face showing horror, and murmured:

"Is it the first seven this year… Master, are you returning from the underworld…"

"Auntie Pang, long time no see." Zhao Du'an greeted casually and nodded to the several cooks who came out of the kitchen after hearing the noise:

"Make some more food and send it over later. We have a lot of people."

The cooks: "…"

The team continued to move forward. A servant carrying a dung bucket stood there like he had seen a ghost, his legs trembling:

"M…Master…"

"Stand firm, don't spill this stuff."

A maid carrying dried clothes turned a corner and sat down on the ground with a thud, her big eyes full of horror, accompanied by a scream:

"Ah! Ghost—Ugh!"

Gongshu Tianyuan casually cast a "silence spell" and gave Zhao Du'an a warm man smile: "Don't worry, keep it low profile."

The maid: "…!!"

The group walked along, encountering servants in the mansion one by one, each with white silk cloth wrapped around their heads, frightened and pale.

Finally, the old steward of the Zhao family, who had noticed something was wrong, rushed over, stunned, rubbed his eyes in disbelief, and said in a trembling voice:

"Eld…Eldest son?!"

Zhao Du'an walked over with a gentle smile, helped the old steward who was about to fall due to excitement, and smiled:

"It's me, I'm not dead. I've brought friends back. Uncle Zhao, please ask the concubine and younger sister to come to the inner hall. Also, don't let anyone in the mansion go out. I don't want the news of my return to spread in a short time."

Uncle Zhao was stunned for a moment, feeling the temperature of the physical contact, his eyes moistened, and he nodded excitedly:

"Okay, okay…"

Inner hall.

Not long after Zhao Du'an and his group sat down, hurried footsteps came from outside the door. Then, two women, one large and one small, with outstanding appearances and wearing white mourning clothes, came into view together.

You Jinhua and Zhao Pan were obviously thinner, their faces also tired, and their eye sockets were red and swollen. They wore no ornaments on their bodies.

The mother and daughter stood blankly at the door, their eyes fixed on a certain Zhao in the hall who was talking and laughing. Tears suddenly welled up in their eyes:

"Eldest son (Brother)!"

Zhao Du'an stood up with a slightly apologetic expression and smiled: "Concubine, younger sister, I'm back. I'm not dead."

The two women cried with joy.

...

After a long while.

The mother and daughter, who had staged a family tragicomedy in the inner hall, finally calmed down. Their red and swollen eyes looked awkwardly at the remaining "guests," and a sense of shame belatedly surged into their hearts.

"Eldest son… Concubine will go urge the servants to serve tea. You… please sit with your friends first."

You Jinhua left these words and fled as if escaping. After all, she was born into a great family, a woman raised in the inner chambers, and she valued education and etiquette quite a bit.

Losing her composure in public made her feel ashamed and embarrassed. After confirming that the eldest son had faked his death, she could no longer stay in the hall.

"Mother… Wait for me, I'm going too!"

Even Zhao Pan, who had a rough personality, couldn't stand the smiling and teasing gazes of Haitang and others. Her ears turned red, and she stomped her feet and twisted her little buttocks as she ran out. When she went out, she kicked away the little Pekingese that had come over after hearing the movement of its masters.

Zhao Du'an helplessly looked at the tear stains that had dyed his chest, sighed that women were indeed made of water, turned his head and said to the others: "You can laugh if you want."

However, unexpectedly, none of them laughed. They just looked moved.

Ji Yue and Yun Xi even faintly showed envious expressions.

When people are walking outside, how can it not be enviable to have relatives at home who are concerned about them?

"Ahem… Now that we have a place to stay, it's time to talk about serious matters. What do we do next?" The poker-faced Zhang Han coughed lightly, breaking the awkward atmosphere.

He pointed to the large box on the ground in the hall.

Zhao Du'an said calmly: "Wait."

"Wait?"

"That's right," Zhao Du'an looked at Gongshu Tianyuan and the others and smiled:

"When we entered the mansion just now, you all sensed that someone was spying nearby, right?"

Gongshu Tianyuan, Ji Yue, and Jin Jian, who was rubbing her eyes, nodded in unison.

Zhao Du'an smiled:

“Your Majesty may not believe I’m truly dead, so there will definitely be imperial experts secretly watching. Hmm, Li Yanfu and the others will probably send people to keep an eye on things as well, though Your Majesty certainly won't allow them to linger nearby…”

So, at this time, news of our return has probably already been delivered to the palace. We just need to wait. As for now, how about we have a proper meal and take a bath?”

The group exchanged glances, all of them tempted.

Immediately, the group sprang into action, each going to bathe and change clothes.

In any case, the Zhao residence now has plenty of rooms and all the necessary items.

Only Yun Xi remained still, continuing to guard Zhuang Xiaocheng inside the large chest.

It was Zhao Du'an who urged her to go, and only then did she quickly go to wash up.

Zhao Du'an also took the opportunity to confirm that Zhuang Xiaocheng hadn't suffocated before going to tidy himself up as well.

Once everyone had washed up and returned, You Jinhua directed the cooks to bring up food, and the team members, who had been traveling through wind and dew, devoured another hearty meal.

When they were almost finished eating, Zhao Du'an suddenly raised his head, looking towards the courtyard.

A figure in white slowly descended, the Great Yu Empress standing in mid-air, having arrived alone using a secret technique. As she slowly landed, she stirred up a biting spring breeze in the courtyard, scattering circles of dust.

Her long black hair, reaching her waist, also fluttered in the wind, her crystal-clear face possessing both coldness and majesty, causing people to lose themselves in admiration.

“Your Majesty!”

Inside the house, everyone stood up one after another, simultaneously exiting the room, bowing and saluting:

“Greetings, Your Majesty!”

You Jinhua had already taken a step ahead, driving away all the servants, leaving the courtyard, not wanting to stand out.

Xu Zhenguan slowly landed, her magnificent white clothes softly falling. Her gaze instantly landed on Zhao Du'an's face, the last bit of worry in her heart finally slowly dissipating.

Just as Zhao Du'an had guessed, she had already ordered Grand Internal experts to deploy near the Zhao residence.

Waiting for Zhao Du'an's trail was one reason, preventing Zhao Du'an's political enemies in the capital from sending people to secretly retaliate against the Zhao family while he was "dead" was the second.

Not long ago, a Grand Internal Guard had rushed to report, describing the situation.

Although the Empress had a ninety-nine percent certainty in her heart, because Zhao Du'an had not yet removed his disguise at that time, a worry had always hung over her.

Only at this moment, under the envelopment of her divine sense, did she clearly and unmistakably confirm that the person before her was indeed the living, breathing Little Imperial Guard, and not someone impersonating him.

The emotions she had suppressed for nearly a month erupted like a flood.

A surge of extremely complex emotions welled up in her heart. Her expression slightly cold, she lightly parted her red lips:

“Zhao Du'an, do you know your crime?!”

Ah?

Gongshu Tianyuan, Haitang, and the others were dumbfounded, not knowing what Her Majesty was up to, and couldn't help but raise their heads in astonishment.

However, immediately afterwards, they saw Zhao Du'an smoothly pleading guilty:

“This subject! For the crime of deceiving the Emperor, the crime is unforgivable!”

Deceiving the Emperor?

Isn't… isn't faking death also considered deceiving the Emperor? That's a bit outrageous, isn't it logical? Gongshu Tianyuan frantically complained inwardly.

But he didn't dare to say anything.

The Empress coldly looked down at him, her nose slightly stinging, and said expressionlessly:

“Do you know how much turmoil these days, We… the court officials, the entire capital, have caused because of your death?”

Zhao Du'an loudly exclaimed:

“Your Majesty, please quell your anger. This sinful subject deserves to die ten thousand times for his crimes, but only begs that Your Majesty can grant this subject a little time to report on the Fengcheng trip, after which, however Your Majesty decides to punish me, this subject will have no complaints!”

The Empress reservedly "hmmed" once, only then remembering that there were other people present, glancing at the group, her cheeks momentarily flushed:

“We will allow you to argue.”

Isn't… so this is the mode of interaction between monarch and subject? We are still here, ah.

So, are we also part of your play?

Everyone tried their best to control their expressions.

Gongshu Tianyuan exclaimed inwardly, 'Good heavens, I've learned something'.

Zhang Han's lips slightly curled upwards, but he concealed it very well.

Haitang's eyes were full of disgust. As a staunch straight woman, she felt uncomfortable all over, and her goosebumps rose.

Jin Jian yawned, his eyelids drooping, not hearing anything clearly at all.

Ji Yue and Yun Xi were both cautiously peeking forward, the two tacitly hiding at the back, one being socially awkward, and the other being a "rebel", naturally fearing the Empress.

“We have something to ask him, you continue to eat, there is no need to panic.” The Empress comforted the small team, then looked at Zhao Du'an.

The latter immediately led the Empress to the family's study.

… …

… …

Study.

Once the Empress entered the room, Zhao Du'an closed the door with both hands, slowly exhaled a breath, and only then turned around to look at her.

The layout inside the study still maintained the appearance it had when Zhao Du'an left home. You Jinhua, according to his instructions, would not easily touch his things.

Therefore, even if she cleaned, she tried her best not to disturb the position of the items in the room.

Thus, even though he had been away from the capital for more than two months, the furnishings in the house were still as they were before he left.

Papers were scattered messily on the table, books were piled up haphazardly, a writing brush was lying next to the inkstone, and a half-finished, ugly painting remained on the rice paper on the table.

Some antique porcelain and jade were placed on the bookshelf.

Xu Zhenguan curiously looked around, her lotus steps gracefully walking to the desk, lowering her eyes to examine the half-finished painting on the table.

The painting clearly depicted a woman standing by the window, looking at the lake outside, only revealing a side profile.

“You drew this?” Xu Zhenguan frowned, scrutinizing this abstract painting, “What is this?”

Zhao Du'an diligently said: “The person in the painting is Your Majesty. This subject misses Your Majesty day and night, so I made a painting to comfort myself…”

？ ？

On Xu Zhenguan's face, which was as frosty as condensation, a look of shock rarely appeared. She looked at this “abstract” traditional painting in disbelief, raised her head, and stared at him quietly:

“You said, this lump of things is… Us?”

Uh… Zhao Du'an's smile froze, suddenly feeling a little guilty.

Although he had been in contact with some Sinology while following his leader in his previous life, he had also tried traditional Chinese painting, but only at the level of a hobbyist.

Without the early foundation laid down from childhood, how difficult is it to learn after adulthood? This is not the same difficulty as Go, copying poems, or anything like that.

However, the officialdom of Yu Kingdom pursues elegant things such as Qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

Zhao Du'an secretly tried to learn traditional Chinese painting, and what was on the table was also a practice piece. He was quite proud and felt that his level had improved quite quickly.

But obviously, in the eyes of the Empress, who had received royal education since childhood, his paintings were no different from a lump of nothing.

“This subject… this subject…”

The eloquent Zhao Du'an was stuck, he suddenly realized a problem, compared to the joke-like “faking death to deceive the Emperor”, painting the Empress into a lump seemed to be of a more heinous nature.

However, as he imagined, the Empress's anger did not arrive. After Xu Zhenguan cast a look of extreme disgust, she suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, and said with an ambiguous meaning:

“You still have things you are not good at after all. If your painting attainments were similar to your chess and poetry skills, We would really have to consider whether you are a human being or a deity walking in the world.”

— — — —

Originally, I could write seven or eight thousand words, but I was invited to the website's live broadcast room tonight for a microphone connection, which was delayed. This chapter is six thousand five.

Thank you: Editor Zhenguan's great reward of ten thousand, 2024…5612's reward of 1241 points, New's sorrowful reward of a thousand coins, 2024…0410, and Kyoto Fire's support of a hundred rewards!