The First Lackey Under The Empress

Zhao Du'an stepped onto the final step with a faint smile, calmly surveying the astonished pair in the room.

At that moment, most of the setting sun had sunk below the horizon, and sunlight streamed through the vermilion pavilion's windows, casting half the ground in shadow and half in light.

He stood precisely on the dividing line between light and darkness.

Behind him, the entire floor below had been seized by Eunuch Hai and his men; the Cao Gang's thugs were no match for the imperial palace's elite guards.

Taiwan Novel Network → ᴛ ᴡ ᴋ ᴀ ɴ . ᴄ ᴏ ᴍ

"Governor Ning, what does this mean?!"

Beside the table, He Xiaolou's expression changed as he stared at Ning Zechen, instinctively assuming that this young man ascending the stairs was a helper arranged by the latter.

However, a similar look of astonishment and bewilderment appeared on Ning Zechen's face as well. He stood up and scrutinized the newcomer, finding the face vaguely familiar but unable to recall where he had seen it before.

"It's not surprising that Governor doesn't recognize Zhao, but you should know that Zhao will be arriving in Jianning Prefecture in the coming days," Zhao Du'an said with a slow stride and a faint smile.

Like a thunderclap from a clear sky!

At that moment, the Second-Rank official with real power, who held sway over millions of canal workers and was stationed in Jianning Prefecture, felt as if struck by lightning. A flash of insight crossed his mind, and he blurted out:

"The Zhao Shaobao from the capital?"

Zhao Du'an nodded in correction:

"This official is here to handle matters for the Sage. Governor, you may simply call me Envoy."

Zhao of the White Horse!

The capital's most favored subject, who had risen to prominence in the past year and was highly likely to become the future Emperor's Consort, a legendary figure.

Ning Zechen opened his mouth, a strong sense of unreality washing over him. He couldn't understand why this official from the capital would suddenly appear here.

No… more importantly, appearing at this occasion.

"Zhao Shaobao… Envoy Zhao… it's him?!"

He Xiaolou's pupils also contracted sharply, the knuckles of his hand gripping the fan turning white.

A thunderous roar echoed in his heart, as if struck by a thunderbolt, revealing an expression of disbelief accompanied by intense fear!

A man's reputation is like the shadow of a tree.

With his status, he had of course seen Zhao Du'an's portrait and was even more aware of his methods and capabilities.

At this moment, a terrible premonition flashed through his mind. He Xiaolou rushed to the window, holding onto the frame as he leaned out to look down.

"Gang Leader He, there's no need to look. When this official came upstairs, I had a small disagreement with the people below, and at least taught them a slight lesson," Zhao Du'an said with a smile as he walked to the round table.

"Gang Leader He doesn't mind, does he?"

Fine beads of sweat appeared on He Xiaolou's forehead. Where was the calm and collected demeanor of manipulating a Second-Rank official?

His body stiffened as he turned his head back, forcing out a smile as if his own father had just died:

"No… I don't mind."

"Haha," Zhao Du'an laughed heartily, pulled out a chair, and sat down on his own accord. He glanced at the sword lying on the table amidst the lavish dishes, and said without missing a beat:

"Why is everyone standing? Sit down and talk, sit down and talk."

As if he were the host of this banquet.

Ning Zechen: …

He Xiaolou: …

The two remained silent, even more unsure of the situation, and could only sit down again. However, the atmosphere of the previous negotiations had completely vanished.

Zhao Du'an waited with a smile for a while, then joked:

"Why don't you continue? You can continue talking about your business, just pretend that this official isn't here."

The official and the gangster were both cursing inwardly, thinking, who would dare to pretend you don't exist?

Zhao Du'an sighed softly, and said helplessly:

"Since neither of you is speaking, then this official will have to speak. Hehe, this official entered the city today, intending to pay a visit to Governor Ning, but I found you were not there, so I had no choice but to search for you here."

The two remained silent.

Zhao Du'an continued leisurely:

"This official's hearing is still quite good. Just now, outside, I faintly heard the two of you upstairs mention that Governor Ning's wife and daughter were kidnapped by water bandits? Is there such a thing?"

Ning Zechen had no choice but to speak at this moment, biting the bullet and saying: "There is indeed such a thing…"

He Xiaolou also hurriedly said:

"Governor Ning is the Cao Gang's benefactor. Upon learning of his wife and daughter's disappearance, he entrusted the Cao Gang to search for them…"

"Oh——" Zhao Du'an dragged out the sound, scrutinizing the two of them with a half-smile, and said:

"So, Governor Ning came tonight to ask Gang Leader He to help rescue them?"

Ning Zechen didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Zhao Du'an had already continued:

"What a coincidence, on the way to Jianning Prefecture, this official happened to encounter a group of water bandits intercepting passing merchant ships. After this official took action to rescue them, I rescued a mother and daughter from the ship, who also claimed to be the Governor's wife."

Ning Zechen suddenly raised his head, staring at him in disbelief, and asked excitedly:

"Envoy, is what you say… true?!"

But immediately, he had second thoughts of disbelief:

If his wife and daughter had not fallen into the hands of the Cao Gang, how would He Xiaolou dare to negotiate with him?

Could there be a misunderstanding?

He Xiaolou's eyebrows also twitched wildly, feigning surprise: "There's such a thing?"

Zhao Du'an smiled and said: "Would this official be so bored as to make up such a joke? Someone, come here."

He suddenly clapped his hands.

Immediately, footsteps came from downstairs, and an accompanying imperial guard came up, holding a square wooden box in both hands.

He placed it in front of He Xiaolou and then retreated.

He Xiaolou suddenly felt a strong sense of unease, but under Zhao Du'an's smiling gaze, he could only furrow his brows and tentatively use both hands to slowly lift the lid of the black square wooden box.

"Bang."

The wooden box opened, and a bloody stench mixed with cold air gushed out. Inside the box was a bloody human head, surrounded by ice to prevent it from rotting.

"Oueh——"

He Xiaolou's face turned ashen in an instant, and he began to retch violently, the folding fan in his hand falling to the ground with a "pa" sound.

Governor Ning also caught a glimpse of the human head in the box, and his heart was filled with terror.

Zhao Du'an's smile remained unchanged as he spoke eloquently:

"The person in this box is the leader of that group of water bandits. He was quite fierce and was actually a Divine Chapter Martial Artist. Fortunately, this official had many guards accompanying me, so I was able to capture this person.

Speaking of which, before this person died, he claimed his name was 'Zuo Rong', and he even said with certainty that he was a member of Gang Leader He's group. I wonder if what he said is true or false?"

Zuo Rong? That thug from the Cao Gang? Governor Ning's heart skipped a beat, knowing this person.

After retching, He Xiaolou barely managed to cover his pale lips with a handkerchief and slowly shook his head:

"I don't know this person… nor is he a member of my Cao Gang. I presume… it's a Jianghu bandit framing me…"

Zhao Du'an said "Oh" and said slowly:

"Framing? But, before this person died, he also said the password and method of contacting the Cao Gang. This official was curious, so I followed his method to send a message to Gang Leader He. Didn't you receive it?"

He Xiaolou's face turned even paler, and he vehemently denied: "Envoy, you've misunderstood. This lowly one indeed didn't receive any message."

"Is that so? Then why doesn't Gang Leader He summon your subordinate Zuo Rong to confront us face to face?"

"…This, Zuo Rong went home to visit his family a few days ago and is not in Jianning Prefecture."

"Oh, he just happened to go home at this time," Zhao Du'an sighed softly, then suddenly picked up a pair of chopsticks from the table, the smile on his face disappearing:

"It seems you still don't understand this official's style of handling cases."

He Xiaolou looked back blankly, and then he saw Zhao Du'an suddenly flick his wrist, and the two chopsticks in his hand shot out like flying knives with a whooshing sound.

"Puff!"

"Puff!"

Two sounds were heard in succession, nailing the Cao Gang leader's sides of the shoulder blades. The force was so great that it brought He Xiaolou's entire person off the seat, slamming hard against the screen behind him.

"Ah!"

Amidst the screams, He Xiaolou was actually nailed to the screen by two chopsticks!

Governor Ning's eyelids twitched wildly, and his gaze towards this never-before-seen favored subject of the Empress was filled with astonishment.

Zhao Du'an slowly reached out, grabbed the sword on the table, stood up, walked in front of He Xiaolou, and said calmly:

"This official has no interest in wasting words. I'll give you three breaths to say who instructed you to do this."

He Xiaolou wailed: "Envoy, I…"

"One."

Zhao Du'an's sword flashed, and with a puff sound, he poked a big hole in his leg.

He Xiaolou was in so much pain that he almost fainted: "It wasn't me…"

"Two."

Zhao Du'an turned the sword hilt, and the latter's other leg was also pierced through, with blood gurgling out.

Immediately, he pulled out the blood-stained sword tip and held it between He Xiaolou's legs.

He Xiaolou was finally overwhelmed by fear and shouted almost screaming:

"It's the Shen family! The Shen family forced me to do it!"

The Shen family?!

Zhao Du'an and Ning Zechen's hearts stirred at the same time, both having an emotion of not being surprised.

Within Jianning Prefecture, the only ones with the motive and ability to do this were Prince Jing's Mansion and the Shen family who were most suspicious.

"It's absolutely true! The Shen family's second master died a few days ago. Governor Ning promoted the new policies and also cracked down on the Shen family, so they came to me…"

He Xiaolou poured out everything like a bamboo tube emptying beans, describing in great detail how the other party found him, how they instructed him, and threatened him, as if he had recited it countless times in his heart.

Zhao Du'an frowned slightly, slowly walked back to the table, casually threw the sword among the dishes, and said with a smile to the Canal Transport Governor:

"It seems that handling cases is not difficult either."

"…" Ning Zechen took a deep breath, stood up, and solemnly cupped his hands in a bow: "This subordinate today is…"

"No need to say more," Zhao Du'an interrupted him with a warm smile, "Governor went to the banquet alone, how brave. This official has long admired Master Ning's reputation in the capital."

This is… not going to pursue the matter? Ning Zechen once again changed his impression of this rumored Empress's favored subject.

After careful consideration, although his style is indeed as domineering and arrogant as the rumors say, it is clearly not without method. No wonder he is Zhao Shaobao, who can solve major cases one after another and even personally arrest Zhuang Xiaocheng.

“Your Excellency is too kind. May I ask about my wife and daughters…”

“Don’t worry, your wife and daughter are safe and sound, only slightly frightened. They are currently in a city inn. If the Governor wishes to see them, we can go and bring them back now, how about that?” Zhao Douan asked with a smile.

Governor Ning took a deep breath: “This official would be delighted!”

“Good,” Zhao Douan laughed and beckoned the imperial guards to come upstairs, casually instructing:

“Take He Xiaolou back, I still have use for him. As for those small fry below…”

Ning Zechen said:

“If Your Excellency trusts this humble official, you can send someone with my waist token to the Canal Transport Office, and someone will properly handle it.”

Wen Shiye will handle it, right… But he is also my man… Zhao Douan pondered, smiling gently:

“Alright.”

…

…

Less than half an hour later, Zhao Douan and Governor Ning's party returned to the inn where he was staying.

At this moment, the sky had completely darkened. As the group walked into the inn's backyard, Madam Ning and her straightforward daughter, who had come out upon hearing the news, saw Ning Zechen entering the courtyard.

“Husband—”

“Father—”

The surprised shouts of the mother and daughter, who had been uneasy for a long time, finally put their hearts at ease, and they happily threw themselves into Governor Ning's arms.

Soon after, there was the usual scene of a family reuniting after a disaster, asking about each other's situations and expressing their heartfelt feelings.

“My lord, if it weren’t for Master Zhao’s timely rescue, we would have been harmed by those treacherous villains,” Madam Ning said proactively in a refined and gentle manner.

The young girl also nodded like a chick pecking at rice:

“Master Zhao treated us so well. I said that Father said he was a good son-in-law, and Mother pinched me, not letting me say it, but Master Zhao didn't get angry, and even laughed very loudly.”

Ning Zechen and his wife: “…”

“Cough cough,” Zhao Douan, who was watching from a distance, coughed lightly, proactively breaking the awkward atmosphere. He first asked the two women to return to their room, and then simply pulled the capable and pragmatic official to sit down in the courtyard and began to discuss serious matters.

Governor Ning was eager to show his worth, and he explained the current situation in detail:

“…In general, the implementation of the new policies is facing enormous resistance. This official originally wanted to take down Shen Family, this tough nut to crack, first. As long as the Shen Family nods, the other observing gentry families, large and small, would be much easier to handle. It's just a pity that these people's power is deeply rooted, and this official lacks capable people under his command, which is why I have repeatedly petitioned the court for a new official to be appointed.”

Zhao Douan thought for a moment and asked, “What is the reaction from the Jing Prince’s Estate?”

Governor Ning said, “Hiding behind the scenes, secretly making trouble.”

Zhao Douan nodded, as expected. Before completely falling out, Prince Jing, as a member of the royal family, could not openly oppose the court’s new policies.

Therefore, he would only fuel the flames from behind the scenes.

Zhao Douan said:

“I am here on imperial orders to suppress the arrogance of these local powerful families and pave the way for subsequent officials to take office. However, I didn’t expect that as soon as I arrived, the Shen Family almost gave me a show of force.”

He said coldly:

“Assassinating and kidnapping the family members of high-ranking court officials. It seems that these powerful families are used to being local emperors, and their courage is not much different from that of the rebellious bandits of the Kuangfu Society.”

Governor Ning's heart skipped a beat, and he persuaded:

“Your Excellency, please calm your anger. The situation in Jiancheng Prefecture is extremely complicated. We should proceed gradually, think thrice before acting. It doesn’t matter if this official suffers a little grievance, after all, nothing major has happened.”

At this moment, he recalled the past behavior of “King Yama Zhao” and suddenly felt a little panicked.

Zhao Douan smiled slightly, his expression amiable:

“Don’t worry, I am not a reckless person, I have a plan in mind. How about this, please trouble the Governor to send someone to deliver a message to the head of the Shen Family later, just say that I have arrived.”

Governor Ning was stunned for a moment, tentatively asking:

“Does Your Excellency mean to force them to take the initiative to come to the door?”

Zhao Douan smiled:

“The Zhu Pavilion incident was so big, and He Xiaolou has been arrested. The Shen Family, and even the Jing Prince’s Estate, must have already received the news. If the Shen Family is really the mastermind, they will definitely not feel at ease.

You only need to say that I have arrived. Heh, with my status and reputation, it’s normal for Prince Jing not to come, but the Shen Family, as the leading family in Jianning Prefecture, should personally pay their respects to me, shouldn’t they?”

Governor Ning nodded, guessing that Zhao Douan wanted to take this opportunity to knock and control the Shen Family. Not arresting people, as long as the other party comes to the door… This is undoubtedly leaving room for maneuver…

Phew, thankfully, this “King Yama Zhao” isn’t that crazy, he knows that this is Jianning Prefecture. If it were in the capital, he would probably have led troops to the Shen Family to arrest people by now…

But here, he definitely won’t act recklessly…

Governor Ning felt that he had figured out the style of this official from the capital.

…

…

After seeing off Governor Ning and his family, Zhao Douan, Eunuch Hai, and the Prajna Bodhisattva and others finally had a good meal.

After the meal.

Lang Shiba, Ji Yue, and the Brocade Guards of Pear Blossom Hall each went to rest, and Eunuch Hai also took a group of enshrined practitioners for their daily breathing exercises.

After a simple bath, Zhao Douan draped a single garment in the room, lit a candle, and perused the detailed information about Jianning Prefecture sent by “Advisor Wen.”

He waited until late at night without the Shen family coming to visit.

When he rubbed his eyes, pulled his gaze away from the document scrolls, stretched his back, and pushed open the door, he found that the bright moon had already risen to the mid-sky.

The night was as cool as water, and the courtyard was quiet, with only the sound of insects chirping.

The night sky in ancient times was extremely clear and brilliant, and countless stars converged into an unfamiliar Milky Way, flowing endlessly in the universe.

“What are you looking at?” A soft voice appeared beside him.

“Looking at the stars.” Zhao Douan replied casually, then was stunned and turned his head to see the white-robed Prajna Bodhisattva standing beside him.

The old nun in her fifties was draped in a thin monk's robe. The night wind blew, and the robe on her body rippled like water.

The thick hair behind her head was dense and black, matching her round and jade-like face, as bright as a moon, which made Zhao Douan think of the so-called “national beauty” look on the internet in his previous life.

Prajna did not hold a jade淨 bottle in her hand, nor did she hold a comb. She just stood lightly and gracefully beside him, her translucent and strange eyes looking at him with a smile.

Those pupils were extremely mysterious, as if the entire soul would be sucked in if one looked at them for a while longer.

“What is so good about the stars? Why not look at me?” Prajna Bodhisattva breathed like an orchid, her lips upturned.

“…” Zhao Douan expressionlessly raised his head to look at the sky again and said:

“Bodhisattva, do you know that the starlight we see in our eyes actually comes from countless billions of years ago.

When those lights bloomed from distant stars, perhaps this world was still in its infancy, and there were even no living beings. And when these starlights crossed countless ages, they fell into our eyes at this moment, separated by countless years.”

Prajna Bodhisattva looked at him curiously:

“Did those star officials of the Imperial Observatory, who control the calendar, tell you these strange sayings? A group of mortals with low cultivation, what do they know about the great Dao? They are nothing more than some wild words.”

Zhao Douan smiled and didn't bother to argue with her.

However, very quickly, he had to speak:

“Bodhisattva, don’t lean on me, this distance is a bit ambiguous, let me tell you, His Majesty said…”

Half of her body was almost touching Zhao Douan, and the Buddhist Bodhisattva, whose arms could clearly feel each other's temperature, said with a smile:

“This poor nun knows that His Majesty will kill me, Zhao-daren doesn't need to emphasize it.”

I see that you are deliberately doing it… Zhao Douan was about to sternly reprimand her when he suddenly heard the Bodhisattva's voice in his ear:

“Speaking of which, Zhao-daren, how far have you and His Majesty progressed? It wouldn't be limited to touching little hands, would it?”

…Damn it, this is simply unbearable… Zhao Douan felt that he was being mocked. He seriously moved to the side, trying to create distance, and sneered sarcastically:

“I suddenly know why His Majesty threw Princess Yunyang to the Jizhao Nunnery.”

Prajna Bodhisattva was not offended, her lips smiled lightly, her eyes with a teasing expression of looking at a young boy, and said softly:

“It’s a pity that Zhao-daren is so loyal, but His Majesty always can’t let go of her status. This poor nun feels really sorry for you.”

It's none of your business… You old woman who only wants to drain my potential in advance… Zhao Douan dismissed it and turned to go back to the room:

“Now that we have arrived in Jiancheng, Bodhisattva can leave on another day to go to the temple to deal with matters.”

Prajna Bodhisattva twisted her flowery white thighs and suddenly wrapped around him, hanging heavily on him, her lips close to Zhao Douan's ear, and said in a greasy voice:

“This poor nun also wants to help you… Husband…”

Zhao Douan got goosebumps, his face flushed red, and he shouted:

“Old Hai!”

Whoosh—

Prajna Bodhisattva instantly let go, retreating ten feet, her eyes filled with resentment.

From the upstairs not far away, Eunuch Hai's impolite voice came: “Flesh Bodhisattva is shameless.”

Prajna Bodhisattva sneered and turned to return to her room: “Old eunuch doesn't understand romance.”

Zhao Douan shook his head speechlessly, turned and went back to the room, looked at the sky, and confirmed that the Shen family would not come tonight.

He sneered: “If the mountain doesn't come to me, I will go to the mountain.”