The First Lackey Under The Empress

Heart fluttering? No, Bodhisattva, you must be a devil... Zhao Du'an's lips twitched.

In a daze, he felt like he had become Tang Sanzang, deeply trapped in the Land of Daughters, with the Queen of the Land of Daughters standing before him, constantly teasing him and chanting in his ear: "Tang Sanzang, take a look at me..."

Zhao Du'an's expression turned solemn. He took several steps back, averted his gaze, and said with displeasure, "Bodhisattva, please stop making jokes!"

"Haha... Benefactor Zhao is so cute," Prajna Bodhisattva smiled brightly, like an aunt teasing her nephews and nieces, and joked:

"Don't worry, this humble nun has abandoned all worldly thoughts and is now wholeheartedly devoted to Buddhism. I'm just here to ask you to come out for a meal."

After speaking, the female monk, who was accustomed to wearing a light gauze monk's robe, swayed her body and gracefully walked out of the dock.

"Huff..." Zhao Du'an wiped the sweat from his forehead, his expression helpless.

This old woman had taken the initiative to come to his door because Prajna Bodhisattva was preparing to go south to receive the "legacy" left by the Great Pure Master, so she simply traveled with him.

This matter had been reported to the Empress, and the Empress, considering that Eunuch Hai was by his side and that there was an additional Bodhisattva accompanying him, greatly increased Zhao Du'an's safety, and generously approved it.

As for the danger...

Due to the Buddhist debate, Prajna Bodhisattva's position was different from Longshu and Xuanyin, and she needed the court's help.

Zhao Du'an vaguely knew that the court also intended to form an alliance with this old nun in order to restrain the Shenlong Temple.

Therefore, apart from the fact that this old nun teased him from time to time along the way, a rational judgment indicated that she was indeed a great help.

Especially since Prajna Bodhisattva's most important destination for this trip was also in Jiancheng Dao.

"Eating is eating, why be so ambiguous?"

Zhao Du'an complained and stepped out of the cabin, greeted by a warm breeze.

It was now late spring, and the river breeze was humid and warm. The green mountains gradually lined the banks of the canal. On the deck, familiar figures stood or sat.

"Lord!"

Several trusted officials and constables from the Pear Blossom Hall were carrying benches and tables onto the deck, greeting him.

Lang Shiba, holding his wine gourd, and Ji Yue, deeply socially anxious, were still hiding in the corner of the deck.

"Junior Protector!"

On the deck, a group of imperial guards led by Tang Jinzhong and Song Jinxi saluted.

It is worth mentioning that, in order to keep a low profile, everyone on the ship was not wearing official robes, but dressed as guards and servants.

Zhao Du'an nodded and walked to Hai Chunlin's side, who was standing by the ship's rail with his hands behind his back, gazing ahead:

"What is Eunuch Hai looking at?"

Eunuch Hai was dressed as a wealthy man, wearing a melon-skin cap, with a few strands of silver hair protruding from under the cap. He looked at the ships coming and going in the distance on the river and said:

"Further ahead is the territory of Jianning Prefecture."

Jianning Prefecture... the largest prefecture city in Jiancheng Dao. Prince Jing's mansion is also located in the city, and there are several local wealthy families in the prefecture. It can be said to be the central hub of Jiancheng Dao.

Mount Luo, where the Empress will perform the Fengchan ceremony, is also within Jianning Prefecture, but it is some distance from the prefecture city.

"Knowing this place, what kind of ships are the most numerous?" Eunuch Hai asked.

Zhao Du'an smiled and said:

"Eunuch, don't underestimate me. Although I haven't been here before, I have done my homework. If the Huai Shui waterway has the most merchant ships, then Jiancheng Dao is best known for its grain transport ships."

"Yes, grain transport," Eunuch Hai said with emotion:

"The climate in the south is mild, and two or even three crops can be planted in a year. In addition, the capital is in the north, so there is a need to transport grain from the south to the north. The canal excavated by the previous dynasty was initially only widened to the Huai River. At that time, the Huai River was the center of grain transport.

Later, it gradually extended south, and now the core of grain transport has also reached Jianning Prefecture. Heh, if Jiancheng Dao did not produce a lot of grain, how would Prince Jing have the courage to challenge the imperial court?"

Tsk, Old Hai, you understand very well. In the feudal era, the key to military power was who had enough grain to feed the army. Prince Jing is indeed well-funded in this area... Zhao Du'an's eyes were deep:

"The late Emperor also knew the importance of this place, so he set up a Grain Transport Governor in Jianning Prefecture to oversee grain transport matters and also intervene in local affairs. He is a powerful official of the second rank, with more real power than the Provincial Administration Commissioner.

This time, the appointment and removal of officials in the south was accelerated by the repeated urging of that Governor named Ning Zechen."

Grain Transport Governor Ning Zechen... this name is also a legend in the Yu Kingdom's officialdom.

It is said that this person came from an ordinary background. He passed the county examination at the age of twenty, but failed the imperial examination three times. In a fit of anger, he married into a wealthy family in Linfeng according to a marriage contract. At the wedding, this person wrote a couplet and posted it in the new house:

"With not half an acre of land, my heart worries about the world; having read ten thousand volumes, my spirit communes with the ancients."

After that, Ning Zechen, as a mere son-in-law, somehow became acquainted with the Provincial Administration Commissioner at that time. The two became friends through books and became lifelong friends.

Later, through the recommendation of the Provincial Administration Commissioner, Ning Zechen met a large group of local ministers. All the people he interacted with and befriended were important figures.

It was not until he was nearly forty years old that a bandit outbreak occurred in the area, and there was a great shortage of manpower. Ning Zechen was invited by the prefect of Linfeng to assist in the official office as a friend and became famous in one fell swoop.

Then, he took the opportunity to enter the officialdom, went to the river to deal with water bandits, and handled local affairs. Because of his tough style, he was valued by the old emperor, who was confused at the time but not yet昏聩, and was promoted to Grain Transport Governor to restrain the southern gentry.

After the Xuanmen coup, the Empress ascended the throne, and Ning Zechen was among the first local officials to submit a memorial expressing his loyalty. Therefore, he is also an important minister of the imperial party.

"He will probably be the happiest that you are coming this time," Eunuch Hai said with a smile.

Zhao Du'an wondered, "Happy? Hasn't he heard of my terrible reputation?"

Eunuch Hai said:

"This Governor is different from those Confucian scholars in the capital. He only cares about ability and skill, and doesn't pay much attention to character. Although your reputation is bad, your achievements this year are real. This time you are here to help him, so why would he hate you?"

Oh, he's a pragmatist... rare... Zhao Du'an nodded, feeling a little interested.

He still has a good impression of this kind of official who does not participate in power struggles, party disputes, and does not care who the emperor is on his head, but only focuses on doing things.

This time entering Jiancheng Dao.

Zhao Du'an only has three things to do.

One is to prepare for the Fengchan ceremony, but this matter is not urgent and can be put off a little later, to be completed before Zhenbao goes south and arrives in Jiancheng Dao.

The second is to investigate the situation of local officials and how strong Prince Jing's power is.

The third, and most important, is to assist the Grain Transport Governor in suppressing the local gentry here, so that these people will be quiet, and the new local officials who come to take office later will face less constraints, and it will be easier to promote the new policies.

It also avoids the situation where the new officials are unable to implement an order and also face the erosion of sugar-coated bullets.

However, this matter is not easy to handle. Zhao Du'an has no plan for the time being and intends to wait until he quietly enters the city, meets with the Governor, and understands the situation here before making a plan.

"Lord, Eunuch, it's time to eat."

At this moment, the call of his subordinates came from behind, and at the same time, the aroma of rich fish soup wafted from the kitchen on the ship.

Zhao Du'an and Eunuch Hai stopped talking, turned around and walked into the cabin.

In the corner of the deck, Lang Shiba stood up, took a few steps, turned his head to look at Ji Yue, who was squatting by the ship's rail, holding his hands in a "telescope" shape, resting them on his eye sockets, stretching his neck and looking into the distance, and asked curiously:

"It's time to eat. What are you looking at?"

Ji Yue didn't move, still maintaining his strange posture, and said:

"Something's not right ahead..."

...

...

Splash, splash...

The sound of waves lapped against the cabin. It was noon, and the ships on the river stopped one after another, and the boatmen rested and ate.

Feng Da carried the food box, walked out of the kitchen on the ship, and came straight to the side of several constables who were standing guard on the deck, and greeted:

"Don't all stand there, sit down and eat."

Several constables didn't move. The old soldier, who was about fifty years old, smiled:

"Don't mess up the rules. You guards eat first, and then we take turns to eat. Otherwise, everyone on this ship will be lazy, and if there is no one guarding, if thieves attack, people will die."

Feng Da put down the food box and joked:

"I know that Old Xu, you have fought in the southwest border army in earnest, seen blood, and then came to our Grain Transport Office to become a guard soldier, with rich experience. If it weren't for this, you wouldn't be able to lead a team at such an old age, and be selected by the Governor to specially escort the Madam...

But where are the thieves on this river? The Governor is not here, don't worry, it was the Madam who asked me to bring food, to show her care for your hard work along the way."

Hearing this, several soldiers on guard duty, whose minds were already wandering, smiled and were about to crowd around the food boxes.

Old soldier Xu scolded:

"Did I tell you to move? Have you forgotten the military discipline you usually talk about?"

The young Weicao soldiers sheepishly withdrew their hands.

Feng Da smiled wryly and shook his head, both admiring and feeling it was a bit of an overreaction.

Feng Da was a guard in the household of Ning Zechen, the governor-general of the canal transport.

But to be precise, he was a guard from the family of the governor-general's wife, who had entered the family. Only later, after Ning Zechen rose to prominence as a son-in-law, his wife took her family's maids and guards and left her family, following her husband to form a new "Ning family."

Feng Da naturally became the chief guard of the Governor-General's mansion.

During the New Year, the madam took the young master and miss back to her family in Linfeng to visit relatives, staying for a month or so, and this time they were returning to Jianning Prefecture.

On the way, in addition to the family guards, Ning Zechen also dispatched a team of elite canal soldiers and sailors to protect them.

The Canal Transport Office had great power, with more than two hundred civil and military officials under its command, and nearly 20,000 people under its jurisdiction, including warehouses, shipyards, and canal soldiers.

If it weren't for the court's laws and regulations, the governor-general would not be able to deploy troops at will, and the escort specifications had upper limits, there would be even more officials on board at this moment.

But… …

Feng Da felt that this was more than enough. The elite sailors were equipped with military crossbows and armor, and there was even a small, simple cannon on board.

Ordinary water bandits, let alone dare not provoke Madam Ning's bad luck, even if they were really blind, they would only end up with no return.

"Well, anyway, seeing that Jianning Prefecture is just ahead, when we go back and see Governor-General, Madam will definitely ask for credit for you."

Feng Da said with a smile.

Old soldier Xu frowned, staring at the front, and said in a low voice:

"Something's not right, perk up!"

Feng Da was stunned, and when he looked forward, he saw a ship in the distance approaching rapidly, not at all like a passing ship, but giving people the intention of crashing straight into them!

"Raise the flag!" Old soldier Xu shouted.

Immediately, a young official ran into the cabin, took out a bright flag of the Canal Transport Office, and waved it vigorously.

This was to show their identity. Almost no one on the canal would not recognize the flag of the "Canal Transport Office."

However, the ship in the distance did not slow down, nor did it respond with any "flag signals", and was still approaching rapidly.

Moreover, at this distance, they could vaguely see a group of people standing on the deck of the other ship.

"Alert! It's a black ship!"

Old soldier Xu shouted loudly.

The so-called black ship originally referred specifically to private ships on the river that were not registered with the government, but later generally referred to suspicious water bandit ships.

"Water bandits? Where did the water bandits come from? Are they crazy? Don't they avoid even seeing the flag of the Canal Transport Office?" Feng Da was both surprised and angry, and turned his head to greet the guards who were eating in the cabin to come out.

In the blink of an eye, the deck was full of people, and the officials were all holding military crossbows that could only be used in the army, locking onto the suspicious ship.

He shouted loudly: "Stop! If you dare to approach, we will shoot you immediately! !"

Ahead.

On the ship that was approaching rapidly, stood a group of masked Cao Gang assassins. The leader, with a face covered in a mask, a red ribbon tied to his right arm, and a black long stick behind his back.

It was actually Zuo Rong, the confidant of He Xiaolou, the number one thug of the Jiancheng Dao Cao Gang.

"Master Rong, it seems that this is the ship, they all have military crossbows." A killer next to him said.

Zuo Rong, who only showed the upper half of his face, had a gloomy look in his eyes, and said:

"Reduce the speed of the ship and keep it out of the range of the crossbow arrows."

… …

"They slowed down."

Feng Da noticed that the black ship in front had slowed down, and the heart hanging in his chest relaxed. He smiled and said:

"It seems that they saw our manpower and were scared."

Another Ning family guard, carrying a knife, also smiled and said:

"A group of water bandits from who knows where, wouldn't they be frightened when they see the military bows and crossbows? Do they really think they can play a water battle where two ships get close?"

When the officials saw this, they also relaxed, thinking that the other party would retreat and leave after seeing clearly.

However, just when everyone was concentrating on the black ship in front, they didn't notice that the water surface behind the ship slowly broke open.

More than twenty "water ghosts" emerged. These killers, who were extremely good at swimming, were only wearing shorts, their upper bodies were naked, and they had daggers in their mouths.

Silently climbing onto the ship, they divided into two groups, approached the guards standing at the back, and then suddenly burst out.

"Puff!"

"Puff!"

In the muffled groans, several corpses were left in the blink of an eye.

"Not good! Someone climbed up… … Ah!"

"Behind! Behind!"

The guards and soldiers who came back to their senses were shocked and hurriedly fought with the killers, but how could a group of family guards be a match for well-trained water ghosts?

In the blink of an eye, several more people died.

At this distance, the soldiers couldn't use the military crossbows because the guards were blocking them, so they had to draw their knives in a hurry, but they were blocked by the terrain. For a time, there was chaos, only shouts of killing, and from time to time, blood spurted out like a fountain, splashing on the windows of the cabin.

"I'll go over first, you guys follow up later."

On the deck of the black ship.

Zuo Rong said lightly, and then the number one killer of the Cao Gang bowed his steps and sank his knees, suddenly jumped out of the ship, stepped on the water surface with both feet, and was actually walking on flat ground. With his superb light work, like a big bird, he swept to the front of the ship in a few breaths.

In mid-air, he drew out the black long stick with his backhand, and with a "whoosh" sound, he smashed the head of old soldier Xu, who had bravely drawn his knife and charged towards him, with a "bang"!

Like a smashed watermelon!

Old soldier Xu's headless body shook, and with a plop, it fell off the ship and into the water, splashing waves.

"Old Xu? ! ! !"

Feng Da's pupils suddenly narrowed, and he shouted hoarsely. A surge of anger rose, causing him to forget his fear for a moment, and he raised his knife and slashed at Zuo Rong, who had jumped onto the deck.

However, Feng Da only felt a blur in front of his eyes, and the other party had disappeared. Immediately, he felt someone pulling his hair.

Before he had time to turn his head, he blankly saw that his lower body was actually under his nose, rushing out of the deck and falling into the river.

He was stunned before he realized that his waist had just been broken by the other party's stick, leaving only his upper body, which was being held in mid-air by the martial arts killer by his hair.

After a moment of severe pain, Feng Da let out a heart-wrenching scream.

Zuo Rong casually threw him on the deck, and swept the remaining living soldiers and guards with the black long stick in his hand. They had no resistance at all, and died cleanly in a few breaths.

Some were so frightened that they jumped off the ship to survive, but were also cut through their throats by the "water ghosts" hidden under the water.

Below the ship, the river water was dyed red.

The entire ship was silent. Zuo Rong carried the long stick, his boots stepped over blood and corpses, and arrived in front of the cabin. He raised his hand and pushed open the cabin door.

With a "creak" sound.

The cabin was empty, no one was there, only half-eaten food was placed on the small table.

"Madam Ning, come out, don't hide, it's such a big ship, do you think you can hide?"

Zuo Rong said with a smile.

No one answered.

He wasn't in a hurry either, so he carried the black long stick and walked around the small cabin. His steps were neither fast nor slow. Just as he walked to a certain place, he suddenly stabbed the ground with the long stick without warning!

"Puff!"

The long stick sank into the floor, and a low cry came from below.

"Found you."

Zuo Rong grinned, squatted down, and used his hand to tear off the floor, which served as a secret door, revealing a small space below. Inside, a well-maintained madam was curled up, holding a maiden in her arms.

"Mother… …"

The girl trembled, and Madam Ning held her daughter tightly in her arms, raised her head with an unusually calm expression, and stared at him:

"I'll go with you."

Thank you for the 2,000 points from If You Are Well, It Will Be Sunny, the 1,500 points from 2020… …7004, and the 200 points from Kyoto Animation's Fire Support.