The First Lackey Under The Empress

The shouts of killing on the Meridian Gate Square disappeared, leaving only the cold, salty wind rushing in from the open palace gate.

Zhao Du'an stood smiling on the gleaming stone floor, with the majestic and dignified Empress beside him, her eyes coldly fixed on Li Yanfu.

At that moment, the entire hall fell into a deathly silence, as if all sound had been drawn away and blocked out.

Then, after about ten heartbeats, a wave of exclamations like a stormy sea suddenly erupted from the crowd, accompanied by expressions of astonishment on every face.

"Your… Your Majesty!?"

"Zhao Du'an!?"

Li Yanfu was struck as if by a heavy blow. Beneath the metal helmet covering his graying head, the wrinkles on his face, revealing his枭雄 demeanor, instantly turned deathly pale.

His first thought was that it was impossible, but Xu Zhenguan's eyes were so familiar.

No one could imitate or disguise those eyes.

It was the cold gaze unique to the first female Emperor of Yu.

He would never mistake it.

"Your Majesty…" Grand Tutor Dong's face in the back of the crowd was blank. He couldn't comprehend why the Empress, who had been missing for so long and was supposed to be trapped in the Huai River waterway according to intelligence, and Zhao Du'an were appearing at this event.

He blinked hard, then blinked again, reaching out to wipe the air, as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Zhao Du'an… Your Majesty…"

Beside him, Yuan Li was equally stunned, staring intently at the monarch and her minister entering the hall, his heart almost skipping a beat.

At this moment, he turned to look at Dong Xuan, and after seeing the bewilderment and disbelief on the latter's face, he realized that today's scene was not a pre-arranged play.

So…

Her Majesty had escaped danger? When did she return to the capital? How did she break through the encirclement?

"Your Majesty…" Ma Yan's thin face showed a rare flash of excitement. He was the first among the officials to react.

Before the palace gate opened, he had sensed the fluctuation of the Martial God Qi within his body. This was the natural reaction of someone from the same lineage when sensing the Empress's divine sense sweeping through the hall.

But even so, the astonishment and joy in his heart were no less than anyone else's.

"You… you are… Your Majesty?!" Li Yanfu subconsciously took several steps back, the confident smile on his face completely gone. "No… impossible… You can't be here…"

Zhao Du'an smiled and said:

"Prime Minister Li's words are strange. Her Majesty is blessed by the heavens, so how could she not escape safely? It is you who are truly impatient, eager to jump out while Her Majesty is still alive. Oh, 'cleansing the Emperor's inner circle,' hehe, I'm curious, which kind of 'loyal ministers' are you cleansing?"

Li Yanfu opened his mouth, his gaze avoiding Xu Zhenguan, and suddenly looked towards the palace gate, towards the square above.

"Prime Minister Li doesn't need to look," Xu Zhenguan said calmly:

"The rebel army outside the hall has been completely annihilated. The rebel Li Yinglong has been personally killed by Zhao Qing."

At this time, the people in the hall noticed that the Taia Sword in the Empress's hand was dripping with hot, scarlet blood along the groove from the tip of the sword onto the ground.

Outside the hall, the vast square was filled with fallen rebel soldiers. At this moment, the Imperial Guards who had come to support were kneeling on the ground, as if in worship.

All of this was like a repeat of the Xuanmen coup three years ago. However, the troops in Li Yanfu's hands were far inferior to Xu Jianwen's.

The scale of the chaos was also only twenty or thirty percent of the Xuanmen coup of the past.

"Yinglong is dead…"

Li Yanfu staggered, as if he had been hit hard with a club. Li Qing next to him subconsciously supported him, terrified and flustered: "Clan Leader… what do we do…"

Li Yanfu's face was ashen, wanting to speak, but unable to say a word.

He had only one thought in his mind:

It's over!

Everything is over!

If the Empress was truly seriously injured and her cultivation had greatly declined, he could still fight with the experts in his hands.

But the scene that was unfolding now, although difficult to explain, was tantamount to declaring the utter defeat of this farcical palace coup!

Suddenly, without any warning, Li Yanfu abruptly snatched the Zhen Knife from Li Qing's hand, pointed the blade at his heart, and with both hands, stabbed down fiercely!

Not good… this old schemer wants to commit suicide… Zhao Du'an's expression changed slightly. Even he didn't expect Li Yanfu to be so decisive after his defeat!

Shouldn't the villain say a few words at this time? Or make a desperate struggle? Or beg for mercy? What does it mean to commit suicide without saying a word?

"Clang!" However, when the Zhen Knife was about to stab down, it was struck by an invisible force.

Li Yanfu's wrist was suddenly paralyzed as if by an electric shock. The Zhen Knife flew out with a whoosh, fell to the ground, spun several times, and stopped at Zhao Du'an's feet.

"Clan Leader!" Li Qing screamed, arriving late.

"Prime Minister!?" The hundred or so retainers and officials of the Li faction who participated in the rebellion also exclaimed in alarm.

Xu Zhenguan's cold voice echoed in the hall: "Li Yanfu, do you think you can die so easily? Has朕 nodded?"

Li Yanfu collapsed to the ground, as if all his strength had been drained. At this moment, two lines of turbid tears actually burst from his eyes. He tremblingly broke free from Li Qing's support, knelt on both knees, placed both hands on the ground, and touched his forehead to the ground, prostrating himself completely, trembling as he said:

"Your Majesty… I… I… am guilty!"

Like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

As Li Yanfu confessed his guilt, the officials who were also of the Li faction and had participated in taking sides knelt down like dumplings falling into a pot, "thump," "thump," kneeling all over the ground, prostrating themselves in the same way:

"I… am guilty!"

The hundred or so red-clothed retainers, seeing this, also knew that there was no point in resisting. The weapons in their hands fell to the ground with a "clang," kneeling in a mass, silent.

Li Qing stared blankly at the Clan Leader on the ground. This clansman who had traveled all the way from the Li clan of the Huai River to the capital seemed to finally accept the fact, silently slumped to the ground, as if he had lost his soul.

"Crack!"

Suddenly, amidst the crisp sound of a broken floor tile, Kong Wu, whom Li Yanfu had fished out of the death row, stepped on the floor of the hall, shattering it.

Without the slightest hesitation, he pulled out a blur of afterimages and ran wildly towards the outside of the hall!

He wanted to escape!

He still didn't believe that the Empress had truly recovered her Celestial Human combat power, so he harbored a fluke, believing that if he fought desperately, he still had a chance to escape the palace!

"Where did this idiot come from…" Zhao Du'an's eyelids twitched, he curled his lip, and the Golden Crow Flying Knife slipped from his sleeve into his palm, ready to strike.

But he heard Zhen Bao beside him say calmly: "No need for you to act."

The Taia Sword in the Empress's hand whistled out, a majestic bolt of lightning tore through the air, pulling out a turbulent white stream of air.

The veteran worldly martial artist Kong Wu rushed out of the hall, leaped up, and was about to climb up the palace to escape. In mid-air, he suddenly grunted, lowered his head in disbelief, and saw a bright sword tip piercing out of his chest.

Then, the Taia Sword forcibly opened a bowl-sized gap in his chest, shattering his internal organs.

"Thump!"

Kong Wu's corpse fell, crashing to the ground. On the corpse, a pair of dead eyes were still fixedly gazing towards the direction of freedom outside the palace walls.

The people in the hall did not know Kong Wu's fate, but at this moment, no one cared.

When the people of the Li faction knelt down one after another, the officials on the court side finally came back to their senses.

"Your Majesty… This old minister welcomes Your Majesty back to the palace!"

The octogenarian Grand Tutor Dong was overjoyed, tears glistening in his eyes with excitement, and he was about to kneel down.

Yuan Li, Ma Yan, the ministers of various departments, Lu Zhi, and other ministers also woke up from their dreams, showing joy after surviving a disaster, and welcomed her loudly.

The four female officials serving as palace guards also showed smiles, mixed with deep surprise.

"Grand Tutor need not be so polite," Xu Zhenguan raised her hand in a gesture of support, and Dong Xuan and other ministers could not kneel down. Facing this group of subjects, she finally showed a smile on her face:

"During the days when朕 was away from the capital, thanks to the Grand Tutor and all of you for your hard work in maintaining the situation, and even nearly being harmed by traitors. This is朕's dereliction of duty, but fortunately, everything is not too late."

"Your Majesty…" Grand Tutor Dong was weeping with tears, the dignified Emperor's teacher, at this moment, was crying with joy, unable to speak.

Yuan Li and others were slightly better. At this moment, their stomachs were full of questions, wanting to understand what had happened, what the Empress and Zhao Du'an had experienced, but at this moment, it was clearly not the time to ask these questions.

"The lords must have many things to say, but the top priority now is to deal with the Li faction's rebellion," Zhao Du'an reminded with a smile.

Everyone hurriedly said yes, not daring to be disrespectful to Zhao Du'an, this colleague.

"Zhao Qing is right," Xu Zhenguan suppressed her emotions, straightened her face, and said towards the outside of the hall:

"Come, take these rebels into custody in batches, especially Li Yanfu. Without朕's permission, he must not be allowed to die."

Outside the hall, the Imperial Guard generals who had already arrived rushed into the hall, hurriedly responding.

Xu Zhenguan continued:

"Commanders of the Feather Forest Guard and the Tiger Brave Guard, listen to the order! Immediately disarm and control the two battalions that participated in the rebellion, and cleanse the inside and outside of the palace. Any remaining rebels, kill without mercy if they resist!"

"This humble general obeys the order!" The two Guard commanders were sweating profusely, fearing that they would be held accountable by the Empress for dereliction of duty, and were eager to perform.

Xu Zhenguan said again:

"Ma Yan, listen to the order! Immediately leave the palace and lead the Jinyi of the Imperial Secret Service to arrest the Li faction's rebels outside the palace, especially to eliminate the thieves who kidnapped and controlled the family members of the lords in the hall. No need for interrogation, kill them immediately after arresting them."

Through her divine sense, she had already heard the previous conversations in the hall. If not, she would not have been able to handle things with such ease, killing the rebels first and then entering the hall.

Ma Yan's heart surged, as if he had returned to the day of the Xuanmen coup, clasped his fist:

"This minister obeys the order!"

Then he twisted his body and ran out, glancing at Zhao Du'an as he passed him, slightly astonished, vaguely sensing that Zhao Du'an's realm seemed different from before.

Zhao Du'an returned a brilliant smile.

The number of people involved in this rebellion was not too many. The Li faction leaders and the rebel army commanders were all dead, and the rest were small fries. In his opinion, it would take at most half a day to quell it.

……

……

Soon, from all four gates of the imperial palace, armored Imperial Guards swept out like a flood, beginning to swiftly strangle the remaining forces of the Li faction.

Zhao Residence.

You Jinhua nervously pressed close to her daughter inside the gate of the residence. At this moment, the main gate of the Zhao family was tightly closed, and the mother and daughter could only look outside through the crack in the door.

Behind them, the servants in the residence were wandering far away, the atmosphere heavy and oppressive.

The Zhao residence was located in an area where officials and nobles congregated in the city. The residents in this vicinity were all either rich or powerful.

Not long ago, the servants came to report that a group of unidentified assassins had appeared nearby, rushing through the streets and alleys, and breaking into the residences of several important court officials, with sounds of fighting and exclamations.

It was suspected that gangsters had broken into the houses.

You Jinhua was shocked and ordered the gate to be closed. The servants and guards were holding sticks, long knives, and spears, holding their breaths and preparing for battle.

Fortunately, those assassins had clear goals and were not coming for the Zhao family.

But this inner city area was usually patrolled by yamen runners, so how could there be such bold gangsters?

Even a simpleton like You Jinhua realized that something was wrong, fearing that a major event had occurred in the court.

Just as the family was uneasy, counting the seconds, a large number of cavalry suddenly roared through the streets outside. This time, those who came were wearing the familiar Jinyi uniforms of the Imperial Secret Service.

They charged into the residences with fierce appearances, quickly taking control of the situation and capturing or killing those arranged by Li Yanfu.

"Open the door, quickly open the door!" You Jinhua's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly ordered.

Zhao Pan nimbly removed the door bolt. As soon as the courtyard door was pushed open, You Jinhua strode out and waved at the brocade-clad figures, calling out, "Commander Zhang! Has something happened?"

The stepmother recognized Zhang Han, the commander of the Peony Hall, who led the group, knowing he was D郎's colleague.

Hearing the call, Zhang Han dismissed his subordinates and dismounted, walking over with an awkward smile forced onto his usually stern face:

"Greetings, Madam Zhao and Miss Zhao."

Zhao Pan, holding the Pekingese, said weakly, "You don't look good when you smile. You look fierce, so you shouldn't smile."

Zhang Han: "..."

This girl... You Jinhua glared at her daughter, annoyed, then put on a smile, "Commander Zhang, don't take it to heart. This child doesn't know how to speak."

Zhang Han coughed lightly, indicating that he didn't mind:

"It's nothing. A major event has indeed occurred in the city. Chancellor Li Yanfu led troops to launch a coup, and the palace is awash with blood from the fighting."

"Ah?!"

The mother and daughter were stunned, their faces turning pale simultaneously.

Zhang Han continued as if gasping for breath:

"Fortunately, His Majesty and Junior Guardian Zhao arrived in time and quelled the chaos. We are now under orders to eliminate the remaining rebels. Stay at home and do not come out for the time being. It will be safe once the rebels are completely wiped out."

"Did you say D郎 is back?" You Jinhua ignored everything else, seizing the key words.

Zhao Pan's autumn-water-like eyes also brightened, staring at him intently.

Zhang Han nodded, maintaining his cool, aloof demeanor:

"Yes. His Majesty and Junior Guardian Zhao both appear to be well, with no injuries. They are currently in the palace overseeing the situation. I estimate that once they are finished, they will come home."

D郎 is back... He's alright... You Jinhua was overjoyed.

Big brother is safe... I knew it... Two dimples appeared on Zhao Pan's cheeks.

...

Imperial College.

Dong Da did not enter the palace with his grandfather today, but followed his grandfather's orders to silently record in the Imperial College who was openly discussing and spreading the news of the rebel army attacking the city.

The Chancellor of the Imperial College had repeatedly ordered that at this critical moment, scholars were strictly prohibited from spreading panic and disturbing the public's morale.

However, a group of scholars continued to do as they pleased, as if their courage had grown now that His Majesty was not around.

"If only Brother Zhao were still in the capital, where would you dare to be so bold?"

Dong Da walked through the Imperial College, listening to a group of students gathering and discussing in the distance, his expression unsightly.

The Zhao Yama's lethality to scholars was all-encompassing, including both the deterrence of force and the spiritual trauma—this trend was particularly evident since Master Zhengyang conceded defeat to Zhao Du'an in the capital.

Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves came from outside the gate of the Imperial College. Dong Da looked back in surprise and saw a large group of brocade-clad figures rushing in like wolves and tigers, ignoring him and rushing directly into the pavilion in front.

"What are you doing?"

"This is where scholars reside. We all have academic titles. How dare you... Ah!"

The scholars who publicly spread panic shouted a few times, only to be greeted with a rain of fists. Before long, they were crying for their parents and being taken away in chains.

"Miss Haitang? What is the meaning of this?" Dong Da looked bewildered, his eyes lighting up as he walked towards Haitang, who was leading the team.

Haitang had dark circles under her eyes from recent late-night overtime, but at this moment her face was flushed and she was radiant, as if she had some happy event.

"So it's Young Master Dong Da. It's nothing, just arresting people on orders," Haitang said with a smile. "There are some children and followers of Li Party officials in the Imperial College. His Majesty said they must be swept away."

"I see..." Dong Da suddenly understood, then froze. "Wait, did you say... His Majesty?"

"Yes," Haitang smiled:

"Li Yanfu led troops into the palace and launched a coup, but His Majesty and Zhao Du'an arrived and quelled the rebellion.

Surprising, right? I was also very surprised. Zhao Du'an, that guy, I don't know when he entered the city, there wasn't any movement at all, but it fits his consistent style, always appearing and disappearing mysteriously, accomplishing what ordinary people cannot."

Dong Da listened blankly, his mind a blank: "Brother Zhao... is back in the capital?"

...

...

A similar scene played out in various parts of the city that morning.

Due to the surrender of Li Party officials, many arrests became easier, and because "things are accomplished in secrecy," the core members truly involved in this small-scale coup were not many.

After Xu Zhenguan regained control of the capital, arresting people was ten thousand times easier than dealing with the Kuangfu Society.

At this moment.

In a warm-colored palace hall filled with seats, the monarch and his ministers sat together.

Xu Zhenguan sat upright on the dragon throne, with Zhao Du'an accompanying him, and the other ministers who had not participated in the rebellion sat below.

"The situation is roughly like this."

Zhao Du'an said lightly, taking a cup from the tray held by the palace maid beside him and drinking water to moisten his throat.

Just now, he had succinctly recounted his and the Empress's experience of fleeing back to the capital after the failure of the Fengshan ceremony.

Of course, some embarrassing passages of the monarch and his ministers were omitted by him using the Spring and Autumn Annals writing style.

As for the three days and three nights of fiery passion between the two, naturally it would not be mentioned. Zhao Du'an only said that His Majesty still had a backup plan and eventually broke through successfully.

Although he really wanted to show off... but he was worried that if he said it, he would be hammered to death by the embarrassed Zhenbao.

"So that's what happened..." The ministers all showed expressions of amazement after listening.

Yuan Li took the lead in saying:

"His Majesty has turned misfortune into blessing, entered the realm of Celestial Being, and is now returning to the capital, taking it a step further. Congratulations."

No, you can still force a compliment in this situation... Zhao Du'an twitched his lips, thinking that this old schemer's licking skills when he was young were probably no less than his own.

Xu Zhenguan shook her head and said:

"Although I am already a Celestial Being, with the blessing of dragon energy in the capital, I am almost invincible. But now that the flames of war are rising everywhere and the vassal kings are rebelling, outside the capital, without the blessing of dragon energy, I am still just a beginner Celestial Being, not Xuan Yin's opponent."

Is that so... The ministers looked at each other, they didn't understand the matters of cultivation.

Zhao Du'an coughed lightly and said succinctly:

"In short, now is not the time to celebrate. Although His Majesty has returned, the rebellions in various places will not disappear immediately. Destroying Li Yanfu only eliminated the disloyal people in the court. Next, how to defeat those rebellious vassal kings as soon as possible and recover the lost territory is the top priority.

Of course, the good news is that the rebels will not continue to attack the capital. They will most likely turn to separate regimes. In other words, in the next second half of the game, they are the defending side, and we should counterattack."

Grand Tutor Dong nodded. He had recovered from his joy. Although he was a little tired after great sorrow and joy, his thinking was still clear:

"What Junior Guardian Zhao said is true. The worst time has passed. Next, the court should spread the news of His Majesty's advancement to Celestial Being and sitting in the capital as quickly as possible to stabilize people's hearts.

At the same time, His Majesty should issue an edict to label the current rebels as rebellious ministers...

Hmph, the banners these rebels are currently waving are to enter the capital to serve the king, and they are also members of the royal family, so the local court officials along the way surrendered so quickly and without burden. As long as they are defined as rebels, the local officials and generals will do their best to stabilize the situation."

His words sounded a bit bookish, but Zhao Du'an agreed.

As long as they are defined as rebels, then if the local officials want to surrender again, they have to consider whether they will be infamous for thousands of years, or even implicate their families due to disloyalty.

Zhao Du'an rationally analyzed:

"With the current situation, the Yan Mountain King in the north is blocked by Luo Kedi of Jubi City, and the Xiping Dao in the west has Duke Tang leading the border army to suppress the Hejian King. After all is said and done, the only true threats are the Jing King and the Mu King's rebel armies.

Since Envoy Xue has already gone south to garrison Linfeng, as the news of His Majesty's return spreads, the situation will most likely stabilize temporarily."

The Minister of Revenue suddenly said:

"Junior Guardian Zhao, don't forget the Qingzhou army outside the city."

The Minister of War snorted coldly:

"Prince Heng is ambitious but incompetent. He thought that by turning against the Qingzhou military government, he could enter the capital. Before His Majesty returned, the Jing Camp was not in a good position to attack the royal family, so they were blocked outside the city. Now that His Majesty has returned, there is naturally no more scruples. With the Jing Camp's strength, it is enough to repel the enemy."

Yuan Li suddenly reminded:

"Everyone, don't be careless. Although the Qingzhou soldiers are not as powerful as the Jiancheng and Yunfu rebel armies, they can advance to the capital and retreat back to Qingzhou. It is easy to repel them, but I am afraid that if the bandits are not killed, what if Prince Heng leads his army back to Qingzhou?

If the Jing Camp goes deep into Qingzhou, how can they support Linfeng once the military strength is in urgent need? You must know that the troops in Linfeng Dao are not enough to fight against two rebel armies at the same time!

But if the Qingzhou soldiers cannot be wiped out, once they shrink back, they will always be a threat to the capital, and they can also form an alliance with Prince Chen of Bin Hai Dao, which may become a major disaster."

This... The Minister of War was speechless. The Qingzhou soldiers were not strong, but they were indeed a troublesome problem to deal with.

Zhao Du'an sat beside the Empress, not saying anything, but suddenly had an idea in his heart:

Speaking of which, so much time has passed, I wonder how the mass production of the new firearms in the Divine Machine Camp is going...

If they can already be used, perhaps testing the power of the new firearms in this era with Prince Heng's troops in Qingzhou is a good choice.

"Alright, the matter of the Qingzhou soldiers is not urgent today, it can be discussed tomorrow." Xu Zhenguan said:

"The top priority is to resolve the turmoil caused by the Li Party rebellion in the court and the public. The fallen officials are all important positions and need to be arranged for people to fill them to ensure that the central government operates as usual.

In addition, as the Grand Tutor said, the Xiuwen Hall should draft an edict to condemn the rebels and quickly report it to all places, defining the rebels as traitors, and at the same time wanted monks belonging to the Shenlong Temple and Jianghu martial artists of the Qingshan lineage in the East China Sea. It is also time to announce to the world that I have returned."

The ministers all stood up and bowed their hands: "We obey the order!"

Xu Zhenguan nodded, waved her hand, and the ministers turned and walked out.

Zhao Du'an also stood up and was about to go home when he was suddenly stopped by the Empress:

"Minister Zhao, I almost forgot something that needs you to deal with."

"What?" Zhao Du'an was stunned.

Xu Zhenguan's eyes were calm: "Eradicate the Shenlong Temple. After today, there will be no more Shenlong Temple in the capital!"