The First Lackey Under The Empress

“Welcome His Majesty back to the palace!”

Zhao Du'an's shout, fueled by the Qi within his chest, was incredibly loud.

It immediately rolled out from the South City Gate, towards the two armies clashing in the Wu Gate Square.

At this moment, the vast square was filled with the crisscrossing glints of swords and blades, the shouts of battle, and the incessant clang of weapons.

The Golden Guard and the Thousand Bull Guard's rebel forces had formed an alliance, piecing together a semicircle to protect the main hall where the court assembly was held.

The other Imperial Guards, having heard the news and rushed over, were attempting to charge into the semicircle, but this coup had erupted too suddenly.

Many Imperial Guard generals, arriving on the scene, were still unclear about the situation and hesitated to give their all.

Coupled with the hasty circumstances, it was difficult to organize an effective resistance. Although the number of soldiers who had not participated in the rebellion far exceeded the former, they were still stalled before the copper wall and iron barrier formed by the rebels, unable to break through.

Meanwhile, many corpses had already fallen on the line where the two sides were engaged in fierce combat.

Just at this stalemate, a shout from behind interrupted the fighting.

Almost subconsciously, the soldiers on both sides, driven by instinct, stopped fighting, assumed defensive postures, and looked towards the source of the sound.

The commander of the Feather Forest Guard, who had arrived first, suddenly turned his head. He was tall, and his gaze swept over the heads of the soldiers, allowing him to be the first to clearly see the two figures of the monarch and her minister walking from the city gate.

“Boom—”

The Feather Forest Guard commander's mind exploded as if a thunder had struck. His eyes widened, and the blood-stained long sword in his hand almost slipped from his grasp. He thought he was seeing things and vigorously rubbed his eyes with his free hand before looking again.

That's right!

The two walking side by side, weren't they His Majesty and Zhao Shaobao?!

“Your Majesty… Your Majesty is back in the palace…”

Although countless questions filled his mind, this tall commander in silver armor and helmet excitedly murmured, then opened his throat, raised his long sword, and shouted loudly:

“Welcome His Majesty back to the palace!!”

In another direction, the Tiger Brave Guard commander, who had just led a team of Imperial Guards to Wu Gate, abruptly tightened his reins on horseback, staring blankly at the female emperor in a dragon robe, walking with a sword from outside Wu Gate, and the crimson official robe beside her.

He was stunned for several breaths, then suddenly dismounted, knelt on one knee, and shouted in a deep voice:

“Welcome His Majesty back to the palace!”

The example set by these two was like a signal. In an instant, the Imperial Guards on the outermost layer, who were trying to break through the rebels' copper wall and iron barrier, turned their heads one after another, kneeling down in unison and shouting:

“Welcome His Majesty back to the palace!”

Zhao Du'an, following beside the female emperor, witnessed with emotion the thousands of Imperial Guards in front of him kneeling down with a thunderous sound, retreating to both sides.

Like a wave being split open, they cleared the path to the main hall for the monarch and her minister.

What a magnificent scene!

How astonishing!

Correspondingly, the rebel soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder, forming a copper wall and iron barrier, facing Wu Gate, seemed to freeze in an instant, instantly losing their fighting spirit.

Countless faces showed bewilderment, doubt, fear… as if unwilling to believe what was happening before their eyes.

Li Yinglong stood among the rebels. He was also wearing armor, holding a sword in his hand, and riding a warhorse to supervise the battle.

When Zhao Du'an and the female emperor suddenly appeared, and the sound of welcoming His Majesty echoed, Li Yinglong's face turned pale instantly, as if struck by lightning. He stared incredulously at the two figures of the monarch and her minister, whom he would recognize even if they turned into ashes.

“No… it's fake… it must be fake…”

Li Yinglong felt a chill rising from his spine, almost bursting open his skull.

His eyes were filled with extreme horror, unease, and confusion, which then turned into an almost insane roar:

“It's fake! What are you all standing there for? Release the arrows! Zhao Du'an cannot possibly appear in the capital! It must be a thief impersonating him!”

He didn't even dare to mention Xu Zhenguan's name!

The Little Grand Secretary's shout had some effect, and the eyes of the rebels who had been shocked regained some vitality.

That's right, at this time, the female emperor was still fleeing in the south and could not possibly appear here.

Even if they took ten thousand steps back and the two people in front of them were real, they had no way out.

“There are only two thieves, what do we have to fear with thousands of us?” The Golden Guard commander, who had already bet his life and fortune, roared, his eyes tearing apart, and waved his sword fiercely.

The Thousand Bull Guard commander also shuddered and came back to his senses, with ferocity erupting from his eyes:

“Release the arrows! Shoot and kill the thieves!”

At this moment, they no longer cared whether the monarch and her minister in front of them were real or fake. Even if they were real, the information was extremely certain that the female emperor was already seriously injured and had fallen from her realm.

Adding Zhao Du'an, at most he was equivalent to a worldly martial artist. Facing thousands of elite Imperial Guards equipped with magical artifacts, armor, and weapons, they had no chance of winning.

“Li Yinglong, it's hard for you to still remember me,”

Zhao Du'an smiled. He was clearly standing on the ground, looking at the Little Grand Secretary riding on a warhorse, but he was clearly looking down on him:

“I took the overall situation into consideration and temporarily spared you once. I didn't expect your Li family to still be obsessed. Since that's the case, I'll send you on your way today.”

As the words fell, a low and sharp whistling sound rang in everyone's ears. The rebels only glimpsed a dark golden thin line, passing through a distance of ten zhang.

A thin red line appeared on Li Yinglong's neck, and fresh blood slowly overflowed.

He was stunned for a moment, as if he hadn't come back to his senses yet. He reached out to cover his neck, only to realize that hot blood was gushing out from between his fingers uncontrollably.

“Heh… heh…”

The former number one纨绔 in the capital, the incarnation of the "Li Party" inner party leader, the "Little Grand Secretary" who had fought with Zhao Du'an several times and had all ended in miserable defeats, had deathly silence gradually emerging in his eyes, and his body also fell weakly from the warhorse.

The helmet fell off with a bang, and on his effeminate face, the last bit of light in his eyes extinguished, with the unwillingness before death still remaining in his eyes.

Li Yinglong died!

Zhao Du'an pinched the blood-stained flying knife with his fingers, his expression indifferent, and he was a little distracted:

It turned out that the big shot whom he had to look up to and painstakingly calculated against a year ago was just a matter of one knife.

“Young Master Li!?”

Two rebel commanders were unable to stop him and witnessed Li Yinglong being instantly killed, and a chill arose in their hearts.

The same thought arose in their minds:

“The Worldly Realm?!”

Could it be that Yama Zhao had already stepped into the realm of worldly martial artists?

Xu Zhenguan didn't look at Li Yinglong's death. From the moment she stepped into the palace gate, her divine sense of the Celestial Human Realm swept across most of the imperial palace.

At this moment, she didn't even stop her steps as she walked towards the distant main hall, with golden Qi spewing out from her palm, flowing like mist to the sword's edge, emitting a hazy halo of sword Qi.

The Tai'a Sword buzzed and trembled excitedly, as if drinking sweet dew.

“Not good!” The two commanders were shocked and wanted to resist, but they only felt their whole bodies dominated by fear.

In the next moment, a vast and mighty sword Qi, almost like a long rainbow, swept over.

The "steel wall" built by the rebels with their flesh and blood collapsed and was destroyed in the sword light.

Zhao Du'an raised his right hand and blocked it in front of his eyes. Old Master Zhao was kind-hearted and couldn't bear to see the dead.

In a trance, he recalled that three years ago, on the day of the Xuanmen coup, the female emperor was also one person and one sword, invincible against thousands of troops.

It was just that, that time, he stood among those Imperial Guards, extremely inconspicuous.

This time, he stood beside the female emperor, second only to one person and above ten thousand people.

… …

… …

Inside the main hall.

Four female officials simultaneously drew their swords and suddenly attacked Li Yanfu.

This sneak attack was extremely sudden, and the ministers in the hall did not expect it. Kong Wu, who was closest, was also being watched closely by Ma Yan, and it was too late to rush to help.

However, there was no panic or fear in Li Yanfu's eyes. On his left, another masked guard suddenly took action.

This guard had a slender figure and clean hands, and seemed to be a woman. She took a stride and stood in front of Li Yanfu, but she had already handed out a short knife.

Its scabbard was quite simple and square, with a golden color and inlaid with several pigeon-egg-sized gems, held in the female guard's left hand.

The snow-bright blade that was unsheathed was slashed down into the air with her right hand!

This knife did not belong to her, but to Li Yanfu. It was the weapon that was often placed on the desk in Li Yanfu's study, which everyone thought was a decoration.

However, at this moment, as the magic power within the woman's body poured in, twisted array patterns suddenly lit up on the blade.

A warding item!

This knife was actually a warding item of considerable rank!

At this moment, the moment the blade was slashed out, a circle of azure-blue ripples spread out. The faces of the four female officials changed drastically, and the sword formation they had formed was forcibly split open.

The four figures also flew backwards in low cries, as if hit by invisible sword Qi!

The four female officials retreated in small steps, barely stabilizing their bodies, but they simultaneously covered their chests, with blood overflowing from the corners of their mouths!

Silence!

A piece of silence.

The smile on Dong Xuan's face froze, and the light in Yuan Li's eyes extinguished again.

Ma Yan was stunned for a moment and exclaimed: “A worldly occultist?”

As soon as the words came out, he turned his head and changed his words: “No, not a true worldly realm!”

Li Yanfu smiled, his gaze sweeping over the expressions of the ministers one by one. He turned his head to look at the female guard and said with a light smile:

"That's right, Li Qing is indeed not yet a 'worldly expert'. I have to admit, it is by no means easy for a术士 (shùshì - Taoist mage/cultivator) to cross that threshold.

Although my Li family can spend heavily to recruit Jianghu (martial arts world) experts, such a major event as 'cleansing the emperor's court' today is not something anyone can be trusted with."

The female guard held a short knife in her right hand and took off her veil with her left, revealing the face of a young woman.

This face was extremely unfamiliar to the officials in the hall, and even Ma Yan had never seen it.

But after hearing the name "Li Qing," he understood:

"The Li family of Huai River is a family of scholars for generations, with many scholars entering officialdom. However, each generation also has a few who take the path of martial arts and cultivation. According to my Zhao Ya (imperial intelligence agency) intelligence, there is a young woman in the Li family who cultivates術士. It seems to be her."

Li Yanfu nodded, his eyes filled with emotion:

"Li Qing has good talent and is now also at the Divine Chapter Realm. Most importantly, she is trustworthy. It's just a pity that her martial strength is still slightly insufficient to participate in today's events, but if she holds this Zhen Dao (suppressing blade), she can be used as more than half a worldly expert for the duration of one incense stick."

After saying this, Li Yanfu turned back again and looked at Dong Xuan with a smile:

"The female official in the palace is actually a hidden供奉 (gòngfèng - retainer/offering), which is indeed beyond my expectations. As you said, His Majesty did make some arrangements, but how many experts are left and in this palace?

The Feng Chan (imperial sacrifice to Heaven and Earth) ceremony is a major event, after all, and is more important than guarding an empty shell of a palace.

If Hai Chunlin were still here, or had already returned to the capital, I might not have dared to invade the palace today, but… there are no ifs.

So, Dong Xuan, if you have any more guards, call them out together. I have these hundreds of retainers behind me. Let's use this place as a battlefield and fight it out. If you have no more cards to play… even if you don't consider yourself, you should think more about your family."

Grand Tutor Dong's face changed:

"Family? What do you mean? Li Yanfu, you wouldn't…"

Li Yanfu smiled:

"At this moment, the people I arranged should have arrived at the homes of you adults. Heh, don't worry, I'm just trying to protect your families in advance to avoid chaos in the city. There is absolutely no intention of threatening you."

The officials became agitated. Lu Zhi, the Shaoqing (Vice Minister) of the Dali Si (Court of Revision), who had risen rapidly through the ranks due to Zhao Dou'an, stood up abruptly and shouted sternly:

"Li Yanfu! How dare you commit such a despicable act?!"

The other ministers also showed angry expressions. A coup was one thing, but involving family members was another.

Li Yanfu's eyes were strange, and he sneered:

"Now that things have reached this point, do you still think I care about these things?"

He found Lu Zhi somewhat ridiculous. Since he had already done something that would lead to the extermination of nine generations, he would naturally use all the means at his disposal. Why would he care about any rules?

"Li Yanfu! Don't be too proud!" Dong Xuan said sharply:

"Do you really think you can do whatever you want by relying on force? This old man has one foot in the coffin and has long disregarded life and death. If you dare to attack, I will simply refuse their protection. If Ma Yan and the others ignore everything and focus on killing you, do you really think these retainers and guards can protect you completely?"

Fighting and risking one's life are two different concepts.

Although Li Qing was a member of the Li clan and loyal enough, she was not strong enough.

Although Kong Wu was strong, he might not be willing to risk his life to protect Li Yanfu.

Once Ma Yan, the grand eunuch who had experienced life-and-death battles in the Xuanmen coup, really went crazy and fought to the death, could Kong Wu really stop him?

Li Yanfu smiled.

He smiled very happily, very triumphantly, and very frankly.

The laughter echoed in the hall, causing everyone present to show surprised expressions, not understanding why the Prime Minister was laughing.

"Hahaha…" Li Yanfu laughed for a while, slowly restrained his smile, sighed softly, and stared at Dong Xuan:

"To be able to say such a thing, it seems that you really have no backup plans. Very good, then it seems that I have won this round."

He sneered, looking down at the old Grand Tutor, his expression unusually calm:

"You're right, if we were to fight to the death, with him and them here, I might not be able to escape unscathed."

He pointed to Ma Yan and the four female officials.

"But… why are you so foolish as to think that I really cherish this life?"

He chuckled, the white hair under his helmet shaking slightly:

"Although I am younger than you, Dong Xuan, I am also halfway into the ground. In this life, I have enjoyed wealth and honor, and reached the pinnacle of power. What haven't I enjoyed? If it were only for myself, why would I wade into this muddy water today?

I could have retired to my hometown long ago after the Xuanmen coup, returned home to raise fish and tease birds, and enjoyed the joys of family, but…"

He took a deep breath, a hint of self-deprecation on the corner of his mouth:

"But we are born into this world not to live for ourselves. As the patriarch of the Li clan, I should earn wealth and honor for the Li clan before I die. Dong Xuan, Yuan Li… and you, haven't you thought about it?

Now that the five vassal kings are rushing to the capital, if I don't act, when the city is besieged one day, will you, Dong Xuan, surrender, or will you, Yuan Li, offer merit?"

Dong Xuan was furious: "Traitorous subject, do you think this old man would be as despicable as you?"

Li Yanfu smiled again, ignoring his scolding, and continued:

"So, I dare to come today, and I am not afraid of death! Haven't you noticed that my son is not here? At this moment, Ying Long should be leading troops to guard outside the palace. If I die, Ying Long will take over the power in the city. If Ying Long is unfortunately killed in battle, then I will take charge."

His cold gaze swept over the ministers, over those faces with different expressions:

"I am telling you this to give you a chance. Now, those who want to live should come to my side. Those who want to be loyal, I will fulfill you."

He didn't plan to waste any more time.

The hall fell into an eerie silence. Apart from some royalist officials who had lost their qualification to choose a side, the rest of the officials were hesitant, but between their brows, they were already wavering.

Just as some ministers gritted their teeth, took a step, and were about to make a choice.

Yuan Li suddenly said unexpectedly:

"Listen, don't you think it's too quiet outside?"

The ministers were stunned, and only then did they notice that the sound of fighting outside had disappeared at some point.

The thick palace doors blocked too much of the shouting and killing, but there was no doubt that the previous shouting and killing was getting louder and louder, but at this moment, it was eerily quiet outside.

"Ceasefire? Or is it over?" Ma Yan also frowned.

Today's rebellion obviously only had problems with a small number of the Imperial Guards. As the fighting began, more and more Imperial Guards would only come. There was no reason to suddenly stop.

As for the end…

It was also unrealistic.

Although the number of rebels was small, they occupied a favorable position and defended with the palace buildings as their backing… most importantly, it hadn't been long since Li Yanfu brought his retainers into the hall.

In total, the two sides had only spoken for a while. How could the fighting end in such a short time?

Even Li Yanfu frowned deeply, inexplicably feeling a strong sense of unease.

"Go and see." Without hesitation, Li Yanfu immediately ordered a retainer.

The latter nodded, turned around and ran towards the tightly closed palace door. However, before he could get close, without any warning, the tall, heavy double palace doors creaked open slowly.

Opened…

Someone pushed it open from the outside, towards the inside.

"Creak—"

In the sharp metallic wail, the zhang-high palace door was slowly pushed open, and a foul-smelling, cold wind poured into the hall from the outside.

It stirred the hair of the ministers, and the pale light of day spread in from the crack of the door again, illuminating the dark palace.

No one spoke. At this moment, countless eyes looked at the opened door. The light gradually softened, and a familiar figure walked in from the light.

Zhao Dou'an pushed open the door, raised his leg and stepped over the threshold, met the stunned gazes of the civil and military officials, and smiled, raising the corners of his mouth:

"It's so lively. How far has the court meeting progressed? It seems we're not too late."

No one answered.

Zhao Dou'an stepped over the threshold, ignored the wooden and pale faces, turned around and made way for the Yu Kingdom female emperor, wearing a dragon robe, with her black hair scattered and holding the Taizu's divine weapon, to come in from behind.

Xu Zhenguan held the Jade Dragon, her phoenix eyes swept over the ministers, her gaze fell on Li Yanfu's face, and she said lightly:

"Prime Minister Li, why are you speechless?"