The First Lackey Under The Empress

The night wind drilled in through the lifted carriage curtain, and Zhang Changshuo felt an icy chill that plunged him into an ice cave.

The passion and excitement he'd felt earlier, the fantasy of a gentleman's revenge, seemed to be shattered by that one "Brother Zhang."

"Zhao..."

His body stiffened, his throat constricted, and his eyes bulged.

He saw that the servant driving the carriage had already fainted and slumped to the ground, while the old nag restlessly swished its tail.

"What's this? Didn't expect me to catch up?"

Zhao Du'an smiled warmly, lifting the carriage curtain towards the top of the compartment, letting the moonlight shine in. Then, slowly and deliberately, he sat down in the carriage as well.

Zhang Changshuo's lips turned white, and he suppressed his fear, his tone stiff:

"Does this official need to report to you when I go out for a stroll?"

He didn't even notice that his voice was trembling.

… Zhao Du'an was speechless, almost laughing, and shook his head:

"Brother Zhang, are you really an ostrich? There are no outsiders here, who are you putting on a show for? Or do you think that as long as you're stubborn and don't admit that you were the one who leaked information, nothing will have happened?"

He sighed softly: "Isn't it pointless to deceive yourself?"

Zhang Changshuo was silent!

Indeed, so many Jinyi Guards had witnessed it with their own eyes and could serve as witnesses. It was no longer something he could fool his way out of by playing dumb.

How could he not know?

It's just that people, when facing death, are always unwilling to accept their fate.

They would rather weave foolish fantasies than wake up.

Resist with force?

That thought only arose for a moment before he extinguished it.

Unlike Erlang, he was just a weak scholar, with impressive skills only with his mouth. If he resorted to force, he would only humiliate himself.

"Where's Ma Yan? Or the other chiliarch officers from the Imperial Prison?"

Zhang Changshuo took a deep breath and said with his eyes closed:

"I will only speak with the leader in charge."

As a scholar, he tried to preserve his last bit of dignity.

Do you think this is a movie?

Being captured as a prisoner, and still demanding a big shot to personally see you before you'll open your mouth... Zhao Du'an laughed in exasperation, seeing through him, and said:

"I know what you're thinking. You think that Ma Yan set up this situation tonight, and I'm just the bait to lower your guard?"

"Perhaps, you still firmly believe that the last time I was able to retreat unscathed from a dangerous situation, it was also orchestrated by the Sage?"

Zhang Changshuo opened his eyes and stared at him:

"Isn't it?"

Zhao Du'an sighed softly, his eyes filled with pity, each word piercing the other's heart:

"Accept your fate. There are no other leaders. I am the only one in charge of this case. Today's setup, and the dangerous situation a few days ago, were all planned and resolved by me alone."

"No! Impossible!"

Zhang Changshuo, who was feigning composure and trying to maintain the demeanor of a scholar, suddenly looked ferocious:

"You're just a straw bag with an empty shell! Besides a pretty face, where are you better than me?! Where are you better than me?!"

He broke down!

With his intellect, from the moment Zhao Du'an led the team to arrest him, he already understood that what the other party said was probably true.

He just didn't want to believe it, couldn't accept that he would be defeated by a "foot soldier" whom he despised from the bottom of his heart.

Not defeated by force, but defeated by intelligence!

Zhao Du'an looked at the other party's outburst with a blank expression, calm, even almost cold, as if watching a trapped beast in despair.

After a moment, he said: "Are you finished?"

At this moment.

Zhang Changshuo, who had originally been baring his fangs and brandishing his claws, glaring at him as if he wanted to fight him to the death, suddenly seemed to have had his bones removed.

His eyes turned red, and with a "thump," he knelt down in the carriage.

No longer possessing the restraint and pride of a scholar, he said almost pleadingly:

"Let me go. It's more useful to keep me alive. Don't you like money? If you throw me into prison, you won't get a single copper. If you keep me, I'll give you as much as you want..."

If Zhao Du'an hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes, he would have found it hard to imagine.

That a person could instantly complete a 180-degree turn in attitude.

He touched his lapel, suddenly feeling a little melancholy, feeling that lighting a cigarette at this moment would suit the atmosphere:

"Actually, the feud between you and me wasn't that big to begin with.

It's just that you were too greedy, always thinking that I was blocking your path to approaching the Sage, so you tried every means to deal with me, even collecting evidence to try to kill me in front of the Emperor."

Zhang Changshuo's old tears streamed down his face, his tone humble:

"It was this small person's fault, I was blind, my heart was blinded by greed, that's why..."

"No, you weren't." Zhao Du'an shook his head and said:

"What's wrong with wanting to advance? Court struggles have never been gentle and affectionate since ancient times. It's a game of people stepping on people. Being in it, whether forced to protect oneself or competing for ambition, since you and I are both players, what's wrong with following this set of rules?"

Zhang Changshuo was stunned, not understanding what he meant.

Zhao Du'an continued:

"Including you just now, you were trying to escape, right? I guess you were even thinking that after you take refuge with Prince Jing, you would one day kill your way back and take revenge."

"No! I didn't..."

"No need to deny it. I said, there's nothing shameful about it," Zhao Du'an smiled:

"Including me, dealing with you is also for a better future. So, you should understand what I want."

Want a future, not money… Zhang Changshuo was stunned for a moment, then a flash of inspiration came to his mind, and he blurted out:

"You want to know who else Prince Jing's mansion has in the capital?"

Very smart… Zhao Du'an gave him an approving look.

Zhang Changshuo, who had long lost his temper, did not hesitate and immediately revealed the information he had mastered—anyway, he couldn't withstand torture, and he would say it sooner or later.

"So, you're saying that those people from Prince Jing's mansion found Zhang Changji, and he's only responsible for one small step, and the more critical procedure is operated by someone else?" Zhao Du'an frowned.

Zhang Changshuo nodded:

"Artisans of firearms seem small, but in fact, the defense is extremely strict. My younger brother is just a military officer, doing things for big shots.

Such as transporting, finishing up, killing a few lowly people, cutting off clues, etc… As for the higher-level people involved, we don't know who it is, but we only know that it should be in the Privy Council."

When talking about killing a few lowly people, his tone was no different.

But when he mentioned the words "Privy Council," his face was full of awe.

Privy Council… Zhao Du'an knew that this was a department in the Great Yu court that was independent of the Six Ministries.

Whenever there was a war, troop deployment, formation, and various strategic decisions were all the responsibility of the Privy Council.

The Ministry of War was in charge of logistics, such as the distribution of food and salaries, registration, etc.

The current person in power in the Privy Council is named Xue Shence.

It is said that he is a strongman in the martial arts field, and he uses a spear with supernatural skill.

It actually involves the Privy Council?

Indeed, firearms and the Beijing garrison are also areas jointly managed by the Privy Council and the Ministry of War.

Seeing Zhao Du'an thinking silently, Zhang Changshuo became a little anxious and quickly added:

"I know this information is not enough, but as long as you are willing to say a few good words to the Holy Emperor and help me through this tribulation, I am willing to report Zhang Changji and my uncle. Zhang Changji is not important, he is just to vent your anger, my uncle is a director in the Ministry of War, he is important enough…"

At this moment, Zhao Du'an was stunned, looking at Zhang Changshuo with a cold and contemptuous gaze, and said quietly:

"Sir, you are really destroying your family for righteousness."

For some reason, he suddenly lost the interest in talking to this person.

Even if the other party was a bit tougher, taking all the blame on himself and protecting his family, even if he couldn't withstand the torture in the end, Zhao Du'an would respect him as a man.

As for now…

Heh.

Zhao Du'an got up, stepped out of the carriage, ignoring the frightened and uneasy former colleague behind him.

He saw a team of Jinyi officials rushing forward.

Each person had a Prince Jing's infantryman bound under their arm.

The leader was Zhou Cang. His eyes lit up when he saw Zhao Du'an, and he cupped his hands and said:

"I am fortunate not to disgrace my mission! All the fugitives have been captured, except for the warlock and Zhang Changshuo."

"The warlock has been sealed…"

Zhao Du'an explained simply, about the matter of him being taken away by Jin Jian.

Zhou Cang breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, and a smile appeared on his face.

Immediately, he caught a glimpse of the person in the carriage behind him, and became even more pleasantly surprised:

"Not only did Sir capture the mastermind, but also this traitor?"

Immediately, he waved his hand, and the Jinyi rushed up like wolves and tigers, tying up the shivering Zhang Changshuo.

The latter kept calling "Sir" in his mouth, but Zhao Du'an turned a deaf ear and waved his hand irritably:

"Gag this person's mouth and throw him into the Imperial Prison to accompany his brother.

You are familiar with the set of torture and interrogation, I don't care how much you can dig out.

By the way, tell Zhang Changji that his brother betrayed him, saying that he did all the crimes alone."

Zhou Cang was stunned for a moment, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

As if foreseeing the scene of brothers killing each other in the Imperial Prison, the elder brother being beaten violently by the younger brother.

However, since neither of the brothers is a good thing, he doesn't bother to care:

"Sir, what do we do next?"

Zhao Du'an stretched greatly, looking at the bright moon hanging high above his head, the night was already deep.

After a hard night, it was time to reap the rewards.

The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and he said:

"Go back and rest. Tomorrow morning, follow this official into the palace… to meet the Emperor!"