The First Lackey Under The Empress

Broken Water Style? That guy? Zhao Du'an was stunned for a moment, but surprisingly, he didn't feel too surprised.

In his opinion, with the Empress's Feng Chan ceremony imminent, Prince Jing, as the biggest troublemaker among the "Eight Princes," would inevitably take action.

Trying various methods to obstruct the Feng Chan ceremony, against this backdrop, it was only natural to call over "Broken Water Style," that Qingshan "Senior Brother" who had clearly sided with Prince Jing's mansion back at Lake Pavilion.

"But those sorcerers… what are their origins? Could it be… the God of Law Sect?" Zhao Du'an's heart stirred.

He clearly remembered that when he eliminated the Zhang brothers in the capital, he had captured a sorcerer who was a "secret agent of Prince Jing's mansion."

His identity and origin were that of a defector from the Celestial Master's Office, suspected of joining the Jianghu organization "God of Law Sect."

Later, on his way back to the capital after handling a case in Taicang Prefecture, he was also ambushed by the God of Law Sect.

"What are Prince Jing's plans? He can't possibly think that he can interfere with the Feng Chan ceremony with this little manpower, can he? Wishful thinking."

Zhao Du'an thought to himself, but he didn't dare to be careless. He nodded seriously towards the Prajna Bodhisattva:

"I understand."

The female Bodhisattva who was lusting after his body couldn't help but remind him:

"The more critical the moment, the more careful you must be. If the Shen family is pushed too hard, they might do something."

Zhao Du'an looked at her in surprise and smiled confidently:

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. In the current situation, unless they can assassinate me, but I'm hiding in the Governor-General's office, with you, this large group of Worldly Realm experts, protecting me, who can kill me?"

After speaking, he turned and left, leaving the Prajna Bodhisattva to sigh softly, no longer looking at the "Jingguan" made of human heads piled up in the courtyard.

……

That day.

The drizzle fell for most of the day, and it didn't stop until almost evening.

During this time, Zhao Du'an handled official duties as usual, discussed the next plan with Governor-General Ning, and also urged the preparations for the Feng Chan ceremony.

——Even though the imperial court and the Shen family were fighting like this, the preparations for the Feng Chan ceremony were not affected.

Not surprisingly. Neither the Shen family nor Prince Jing's mansion wanted to be punished by the upcoming Empress for this.

It wasn't until dark that Zhao Du'an had no appetite for dinner, and only felt tired and mentally exhausted.

"Envoy Zhao must have been too overworked recently, and exhausted too much energy. Go and rest early, and I will keep an eye on the remaining affairs." Governor-General Ning saw him yawning repeatedly and couldn't help but advise.

Zhao Du'an thought for a while, and didn't force himself. He got up and returned to his bedroom, only feeling a surge of sleepiness.

He didn't even take off his clothes, and fell asleep on the bed.

In his sleep, Zhao Du'an only felt extremely cold. He subconsciously pulled the quilt and covered himself, but still felt cold.

His skin turned red and hot, and then the blood color faded little by little, and his complexion visibly deteriorated.

……

……

Prince Jing's Mansion.

Xu Jinglong held a lamp in both hands, accompanying his father, Prince Xu Wen, stepping on the wooden stairs, in the dim candlelight, taking advantage of the night, walking up to a閣楼 (gé lóu, pavilion).

Opening the door, inside this empty pavilion that few people visited, the doors and windows were closed, and it was pitch black.

Only a small piece of darkness was dispersed by a ball of warm light in the center.

The heir Xu Jinglong curiously saw that an old man wearing a gray robe was sitting cross-legged in the pavilion.

The old man was weak, with white beard, extremely thin, and the robe on his body seemed very large.

Behind him on the ground was a mourning stick, and a very delicate wooden coffin was hanging on his waist.

On the floor beside him, a strange magic circle was drawn with the blood of some unknown exotic beast.

At each corner of the magic circle, there was a bowl, and in the bowl was a blood-colored candle, burning quietly.

In front of this elderly sorcerer, besides the three bowls of blood, there was also a pure white "scarecrow" fixed on the ground.

The front and back of the scarecrow's chest were covered with talismans with a green background and golden lines.

At this moment, the old man was inserting a silver needle into the pure white scarecrow's head, and a strand of black hair was wrapped around the head.

Seeing Prince Jing and his son arrive, he didn't get up, but cupped his hands and smiled: "Greetings, Your Highness, Heir."

Prince Jing asked: "How is it?"

The old sorcerer smiled:

"The curse has been completed. With this hair as a medium, and the appropriate distance, and with the blood of a hundred hearts given by Your Highness, I have evoked the 'Lost God' and cast down the curse.

Tonight, that Zhao Du'an will have the 'Lost Star' appearing above his head!

Heh, if he had entered the Worldly Realm, it might be troublesome. But since he is still in the Divine Chapter Realm, and a martial artist, there is no possibility of failure."

Prince Jing was delighted to hear this:

"It was not in vain that this prince worked hard, ordering secret agents to accumulate for several months, and finally collected enough items needed for the curse."

Although people in this era emphasized "body and hair are received from parents," they also got haircuts, so Zhao Du'an's hair was not too difficult to obtain.

What was really difficult was finding other conditions sufficient to curse and kill a Divine Chapter Upper Grade expert.

Xu Jinglong was very surprised: "Lost God… Could it be that this is a sorcerer from the White Robe Sect?"

In the Jianghu, the largest organization that worships the "Lost God" is the "White Robe Sect," which is connected to the Underworld Sect that worships the "God of Death."

The spells controlled by the "Lost God" are mostly related to curses, and can interfere with people's fortunes.

Xu Jinglong was a little puzzled. Wasn't it the sorcerers of the God of Law Sect that his family had secretly summoned recently? Where did this White Robe Sect guy come from?

Prince Jing glanced at the heir and lightly explained to him:

"This is a borrowed soldier from Prince Mu's Mansion."

Sent by Prince Mu's Mansion? That's right, these harbingers of doom from the White Robe Sect are indeed more active in Yunfu Road… Xu Jinglong instantly thought of many things, his eyes lit up, and said:

"Your Highness had already made arrangements? Knowing that there are many experts around Zhao Du'an, making it difficult to kill him by force, so you prepared for the curse?"

Prince Jing smiled faintly, his face looming in the shadows:

"Hmph, even if that old woman from the Shen family didn't come to the door, this father was prepared to implement the curse. Tonight is the day with the most magnificent Lost Star light in recent dozens of days, supplemented by many preparations… I don't believe that kid won't die!"

Xu Jinglong said excitedly:

"This child thought that Father would temporarily endure him. It turns out you had already made arrangements, but… if he really dies at this time, when Xu Zhenguan arrives, will he…"

After being excited, the heir frowned, a little uneasy.

Prince Jing's expression was indifferent:

"Our Majesty knows what is important. Before the Feng Chan ceremony, she will not create unnecessary trouble. As for after the Feng Chan ceremony…"

The heir waited for a long time, but didn't hear the second half. He felt a little drumming in his heart. Even with his status, he didn't know his father's recent arrangements and plans.

He only knew that since the beginning of the year, his father had frequently communicated with the six princes other than "Prince Huai'an," as if plotting something big.

Xu Jinglong vaguely guessed something, but he was not sure and dared not ask.

Prince Jing didn't mean to explain, he said half a sentence, and looked at the old sorcerer of the White Robe Sect: "How long will Zhao Du'an die?"

The old sorcerer pondered for a moment, and said:

"If all goes well, he will die tonight. If not, he will become terminally ill, and will die within five days at most."

Prince Jing turned and left:

"There is Prajna Bodhisattva beside him, in that case, what does it matter to wait another five days?"

……

……

The next morning, the sky was still cloudy.

Early in the morning, a scream attracted the attention of many people in the yamen.

When Canal Transportation Governor-General Ning Zechen heard the news and rushed to Zhao Du'an's bedroom, he found that the people from Pear Blossom Hall and Martial Arts Hall were already crowded outside the room.

The room was also full of people!

Eunuch Hai, Tang Jinzhong and other palace experts;

Lang Shiba, Ji Yue and other close guards, as well as Qian Kerou and other confidants, crowded the small room.

"How is Envoy Zhao?! I heard from Teacher Wen that Envoy Zhao is sick?!" Governor-General Ning looked anxious and shouted as he entered the room.

He pushed through the crowd in a few steps, came to the window, and what came into view was Zhao Du'an, who was lying unconscious on the bed.

His skin was gray, he was lying on his back, his upper body clothes were unbuttoned, revealing his chest.

His lips were blue-purple, his face was not bloody, he was unconscious, and his body was shivering from the cold.

At this moment, Prajna Bodhisattva was sitting on the edge of the bed, a pair of translucent eyes revealing a faint Buddha's light, staring at the black-purple meridian on Zhao Du'an's chest, which was slowly spreading to the heart.

"Envoy Zhao?!" Governor-General Ning was struck by lightning, his body almost swayed, his mind exploded, and he murmured:

"How could he be so seriously ill? How could this be?"

Divine Chapter Upper Grade, not to say that he is invulnerable to cold and heat, but it is not far off.

Overnight, he became terminally ill, which exceeded the imagination of this second-rank official.

Eunuch Hai's face was solemn, standing by the bed, and explained:

"He didn't show up on time this morning. His subordinates came to knock on the door and found that he was already like this. This old servant arrived a little earlier than you."

As he spoke, Prajna Bodhisattva's pair of "Wisdom Eyes" converged, and her face showed a strange look.

"Bodhisattva, how is my lord? Why did this suddenly happen?" Little Secretary Qian Kerou asked anxiously, and Shen Juan, Hou Renmeng and other confidants were also anxious.

Prajna Bodhisattva looked around at the faces and said:

"Lord Zhao isn't just sick; he's been cursed. If I'm not mistaken, Lord Zhao's natal star was dim last night, the Death Star moved, and his fortune plummeted to its lowest point recently... It seems a heretical sorcerer who worships the God of Death has cast a death curse on him."

God of Death? Death curse?

"A heretical sorcerer from the White Robe Sect?"

Lang Shiba, who was standing nearby, frowned. "Was it the Shen family? Or the Jing Prince's府 doing?"

Governor Ning was suddenly awakened and murmured:

"Prince Jing's府! It must be Prince Jing's府! There were visitors outside the Prince's府 yesterday... The Shen family is desperate, I'm afraid the two sides have joined forces... Since it's a curse, we might be able to undo it by finding that heretical sorcerer. I'll take people to Prince Jing's府 to arrest people!"

After saying that, the governor, in a fit of rage, turned around and was about to leave with murderous intent, but he heard Prajna Bodhisattva say softly:

"Governor, please wait. Let's not talk about whether you can break into the Prince's府 and find the caster, or whether the caster is hiding in the Prince's府, but just say that this curse has already been cast, and it can't be undone by killing the caster."

Governor Ning stopped and turned back dejectedly: "Then what should we do?"

Suddenly, his eyes lit up:

"Bodhisattva, you were able to use your magic to save me that day, you must be able to save Envoy Zhao!"

For a moment, everyone, including Eunuch Hai, turned their expectant gazes to Prajna Bodhisattva.

The female nun felt as if she was surrounded by wolves, as if as long as she said half a "no," she would be chopped to death here today—

Well, considering Zhao Du'an's status, and the martial power of Eunuch Hai and others, this possibility was extremely high.

Under the threat of life and death, the old nun's mouth twitched, and she said:

"Everyone, please rest assured, this humble nun will naturally do her best to help, but... the situation is not as bad as you think. In fact, even without this humble nun, Lord Zhao can hold on until His Majesty arrives."

Seeing everyone's doubts, the female Bodhisattva raised her finger and gently pointed it towards Zhao Du'an's brow.

Light bloomed from her fingertip, and then, before everyone's eyes, a cyan lotus mark suddenly lit up on Zhao Du'an's brow.

The mark seemed to be alive, rooted in his sea of consciousness, gently swaying, and releasing circles of warm and constant Buddha light.

The Buddha light was like water, spreading layer by layer and washing over his body.

"Lord Zhao debated scriptures in the capital in the past, and the Buddhist principles he spoke moved the 'World Honored One' to descend. Lord Zhao received the blessing of the World Honored One, planted a cyan lotus in his sea of consciousness, and his soul is protected by Buddha light. If his body suffers any injuries, the cyan lotus can deliver vitality and recover faster than ordinary people..."

Prajna patiently explained:

"It is precisely because of this cyan lotus that Lord Zhao now looks like he is terminally ill, but it has not damaged his life. Now that the Death Star's strongest time has passed, the power of the curse is slowly dissipating. As long as the cyan lotus's mana is artificially stimulated, the curse can be dispelled and he can return to normal."

Eunuch Hai stared at her and said calmly:

"Since that's the case, please take action, Bodhisattva. This old one will watch from the side and lend a hand to the Bodhisattva."

The implied meaning:

This old one is watching you treat him. If you dare to play tricks, such as stealing someone while treating the illness, you can watch out for the consequences.

Prajna Bodhisattva's smile stiffened: "This humble one will let the esteemed one watch."

As she spoke, she raised her hand and took out the jade净 bottle. Like the day she saved Governor Ning, the "Medicine Master" Buddha face lit up on the bottle, and sweet dew emerged from the bottle, condensed into a human form, and entered Zhao Du'an's mouth.

A moment later, the cyan lotus on Zhao Du'an's brow shone brightly, and the cyan lotus, which had been blessed by the same source of Buddhist mana, bloomed.

Zhao Du'an's brow faintly seemed to grow a third "eye," and Buddha light burst out, condensing into a cyan lotus flower an inch above his head, slowly rotating.

Each rotation sprinkled Buddha light on his body, and almost visibly to the naked eye, his gray-white skin gradually gained color, the black-purple meridians in his chest faded, and the cyan-purple lingering on Zhao Du'an's face faded.

When the lotus slowly disappeared and the phenomenon dissipated, Zhao Du'an slowly opened his eyes and saw faces surrounding the sickbed, with a brief moment of daze: "What are you all..."

Then he caught sight of the female Bodhisattva sitting on the bed, her buttocks intentionally or unintentionally touching his thigh, and he immediately woke up!

He suddenly sat up: "Bodhisattva, please have some self-respect!"

Prajna: "..."

Eunuch Hai: "..."

Everyone's expressions were strange, and the tense atmosphere in the room was eased.

Only Governor Ning didn't care at all, and was overjoyed. He stepped forward and squeezed away the beautiful nun, grabbed Zhao Du'an's hand with both hands, and said with a smile:

"Envoy, you scared me to death!"

Zhao Du'an frowned, feeling light-headed and drowsy, and said: "My body..."

"Curse." Eunuch Hai folded his sleeves and briefly narrated what had happened.

The White Robe Sect's death curse? God of Death?

Zhao Du'an leaned back on the bed, tapped his temples, and ridiculed himself:

"It seems that my understanding of their assassination methods is still not enough."

Well... I can't blame myself, who made this a world with magic? Fortunately, I have the cyan lotus to protect my body, plus I brought a Prajna as a "doctor."

"How is my situation?" he asked.

Prajna Bodhisattva's tone was resentful:

"There is no major problem. Now that you have woken up, you can stimulate your Qi Sea and infuse the cyan lotus to wash away the power of the curse. At most one day, it can be washed away completely."

Zhao Du'an suddenly said: "Will the caster know that I'm better?"

Prajna thought for a while and said:

"Probably not. Even a咒术师 in the mortal realm would hardly know, but if it is a Celestial Realm, they should know."

That means I don't know... Zhao Du'an nodded with satisfaction.

Governor Ning's heart moved: "Does Envoy have any ideas?"

Zhao Du'an looked around the room, smiled, and said:

"I suddenly remembered that the Prince Jing's府 has secretly taken many mysterious术士 into Jianning府 recently. Presumably, this caster is also among them. It is impolite not to reciprocate. Since some people want to see me die so much, then it is better to let him see me die."

Before everyone could react, Zhao Du'an calmly ordered:

"Block the news of my awakening, and prohibit people outside the room from knowing. Only say to the outside world that I am terminally ill and unconscious, and that I rely entirely on Prajna Bodhisattva to maintain my vitality with the 'Medicine Master' God's mana, and to treat me painstakingly."

"Governor Ning, take Lang Shiba and Ji Yue to Prince Jing's府 and put on a posture of questioning, but don't really fight.

After you come back, continue to maintain the encirclement and suppression of the Shen family, don't stop the action, and show your determination and momentum to kill the Shen family in front of all the officials in Jianning府...

Heh, if I die, you won't be able to explain to His Majesty, so the more crazy you are at this time, the more the outside world will believe that I am really going to die... and Prince Jing's府 and the Shen family will be more inclined to defensive strategies..."

"Eunuch Hai, I still need you to make a trip, avoid the surveillance of the spies, and contact a person... She will help us find out the location of the group of术士..."

Zhao Du'an sat on the sickbed, calmly issuing orders one by one.

Everyone was surprised, never expecting his counterattack to be so fast.

"Envoy wants to use serious illness to hold back the enemy's sight and make them relax their vigilance, secretly find out where the group of术士 are, and annihilate them?" Governor Ning looked at him almost in amazement.

Suddenly, I understood a little why Zhao Du'an could make great achievements repeatedly.

This scheming mind and the wisdom to turn passivity into initiative are beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Zhao Du'an smiled, and his eyes showed emotionless coldness:

"If you want to kill me, you should be prepared to welcome painful lessons. Do you really think this official's evil reputation of 'retaliating睚眦必报' is fake?"

……

……

On the same day, the news of Zhao Du'an's sudden serious illness and terminal illness spread throughout Jianning府 like a whirlwind.

Countless dignitaries came to visit, most of them were blocked outside, and only a very few were allowed to visit. After they came out, they shook their heads again and again, confirming that Envoy Zhao's face was full of death, and it seemed that he was not long for this world.

Ning Zecheng also led people to break into Prince Jing's府 once, and as expected, he gained nothing.

This local official showed the superb acting skills of an old fox in the officialdom.

For a time, everyone realized that the storm was coming, and when His Majesty's dragon boat arrived at Jianning府, there would be a huge earthquake like the sky falling.

And no one noticed that the gold medal shadow guard "Wen Liang" stationed in the city also quietly sent the news of Zhao Du'an's serious illness to the north with the flying bird "Qingshan Falcon" used for emergency contact.

……

On the canal, the huge dragon boat was splitting the waves.

Driving towards Jiancheng Road.

Around the dragon boat, there were "escort water soldier fleets" guarding the left and right.

On the wide deck, Xu Zhenguan walked out of the cabin and looked up at the gray sky.

I saw a bird similar to a falcon called Qingshan隼 flapping its wings in the clouds, protruding from the clouds, and falling towards the deck like an arrow, caught in the Empress's white slender hands.

Xu Zhenguan took out an urgent report from the copper tube tied to the eagle falcon's leg and slowly unfolded it.

The words on the letter came into view:

"Zhao Du'an, dying!"

……

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