The First Lackey Under The Empress

Zhao Du'an left with satisfaction, carrying the lantern, after receiving the Empress's affirmative reply.

After seeing the "future Emperor Consort" off, Xu Zhenguan did not return to her palace but went back to the fourth floor of the old building.

She planned to try the visualization once herself to confirm whether she would experience any new changes after entering "The Human World."

The night was still and quiet. The white-robed Empress placed the fiery red lantern on the floor, sat cross-legged on a futon, and entered meditation.

Even and gentle breaths flowed from her delicate, exquisite nose.

In a daze, Xu Zhenguan also experienced the familiar sensation of weightlessness, as if falling from a great height into another world.

At the same time, in the metropolis where Zhao Du'an lived in his previous life, at the same early morning hour,

in a bustling metropolis, a young woman in her twenties, curled up and fast asleep, suddenly appeared on a park bench.

Xu Zhenguan opened her eyes and slowly sat up, her messy long hair covering half of her face, revealing a countenance identical to her appearance in the "outside world."

However, the clothes she wore had changed. Her upper body was a woman's shirt, her slender legs were clad in trousers, and her feet were in light-colored sandals, revealing ten delicate toes.

"Every time I come in, it's at the same time, the same place, the same identity, as if time is frozen at this point."

Xu Zhenguan took out her mobile phone from her pocket, turned it on, and looked at the Arabic numerals on it.

Her first visualization was here. Apart from her mobile phone and a bunch of keys, she had nothing else on her.

Unfortunately, she didn't know the unlock password for the phone and still couldn't open it. She also didn't know which house in the city the keys in her hand belonged to.

"It seems there's no difference. Let's see if the time I can stay here will be extended."

Xu Zhenguan pondered. At this moment, a car passed outside the park, and its bright headlights swept over her, causing her to instinctively raise her hand to shield her eyes.

After the car left, a strong sense of curiosity and vigilance flashed in her beautiful eyes.

Even though she had entered here many times, the city was still full of novelty for her because the time she spent here each time was limited.

As an Empress, she even wondered, if this was indeed another world recorded by the Great Ancestor Emperor, how powerful would the experts here be?

To be able to build such magnificent buildings, and "carriages" that were faster than the warhorses in the army.

Shaking her head, Xu Zhenguan pocketed her phone, walked out of the park, and skillfully headed in a certain direction.

Before long, she appeared outside a Taoist temple with a plaque that read "Taiqing Palace."

This was the only place in this strange city that she found familiar and reassuring.

Moreover, although the rules of the Taoist temples in this world were strange, she knew from experience that Taiqing Palace was not yet closed at this hour.

Inside, there was a female Taoist priest who called herself a "management staff member" who was quite kind. As long as she made a request that she was homeless, the other party would allow her to stay for a while.

This time was no exception.

When Xu Zhenguan knocked on the door and used slightly awkward Chinese to express her request to stay overnight to the middle-aged female temple keeper, who was about forty or fifty years old and wearing a green Taoist robe,

the gentle-eyed, kind-hearted middle-aged female temple keeper hurriedly said, "Come in first. I'll help you call the police, but the police station will have to wait a while before someone can come."

Xu Zhenguan knew that the female Taoist priest had reported to the government, but she never waited for the officials to come to her door each time she was here before waking up.

Before long, the Empress was taken to a room. The middle-aged female temple keeper organized the divination sticks on the table while chatting with her.

The Empress was not in the mood for small talk. Her gaze was fixed on the "Marriage Tree" in the courtyard, which was covered with colorful ribbons.

According to the female temple keeper, for some reason in the past two years, young people had become popular for coming to temples to pray for marriage, and this business was very popular.

"Do you want to ask for a marriage? I won't charge you any money."

The female temple keeper looked at her and smiled, "I can calculate, it's very accurate."

Xu Zhenguan hesitated for a moment and nodded, "Please."

According to the female temple keeper's request, after providing information such as her birth date, the other party fiddled for a while and handed her a jar filled with beads, each bead with a surname written on it.

Xu Zhenguan reached out and randomly grabbed one. The surname on the bead was relatively rare; it was "Zhang."

The female temple keeper smiled and said:

"Your future true love will have this surname. According to the divination, you will definitely get married before the age of thirty, and the other party's career… is still a public servant."

Xu Zhenguan stared at the bead with the character "Zhang" on it in a daze, then suddenly shook her head and smiled, throwing the bead back into the jar.

She thought to herself: As expected, she was a charlatan.

The husband she chose clearly had the surname Zhao.

… …

… …

The same night.

Within Linfeng Dao, a ship sailed north under the moonlight.

Hai Gonggong, with slightly graying temples and wearing a scarlet python robe, stood on the deck, bathed in the moonlight, gently breathing in and out.

Suddenly, footsteps came from the cabin. Mo Chou emerged from the cabin and walked to the side of the ship.

"Why isn't Miss Mo Chou asleep?" Hai Gonggong opened his eyes and looked at her:

"You've been working hard for days. After all, you're just an ordinary person. If you don't rest well, I'm afraid you'll get sick."

Mo Chou looked haggard, wrapped in a female official robe, and remained silent, gazing at the fragmented bright moon in the river, the direction of the capital city was dark:

"I can't sleep. It's stuffy in the cabin, so I came out to get some air. I wonder where His Majesty is now."

Hai Gonggong cupped his hands and said, "His Majesty is blessed with good fortune. He must have entered Linfeng by now, escaped the pursuit of the rebels, and will definitely return to the capital soon."

News of the battle in Hundred Flowers Village had not yet spread. Because almost everyone who participated in that battle was dead, even Hai Gonggong, except for a very few people, was unaware of the details.

He only knew that a fierce battle broke out, and many experts died, and His Majesty and Zhao Du'an were on the run.

There was no way around it, he was pinned down by Duan Shuiliu and his men, losing track of the Empress's whereabouts.

Therefore, unable to escort her, he simply changed direction and led the Martial Arts Hall's offerings to join forces with Mo Chou, the Minister of Rites, the Canal Transport Governor Ning Zechen, and others who were heading north.

"I hope so, but after so long, I'm afraid many people in the capital are restless."

Mo Chou frowned:

"I'm just worried that if we return too late, something will happen in the city. I heard that Prince Heng of Qingzhou Dao has already led rebel troops to the eastern suburbs of the capital… If the capital is lost, even if His Majesty returns, it will…"

Hai Gonggong said calmly:

"Although I don't understand court politics, I also know that the Qingzhou troops are not strong. Prince Heng is ambitious but incompetent and not a hero, more like a fool. He sent his son Xu Zudi to the capital to make trouble in the first place, which is enough to show that he is not a threat."

After a pause, the old eunuch added:

"As for His Majesty, with Zhao Du'an's talent, he will definitely be able to safely escort her back to the capital."

Zhao Du'an… Mentioning this hateful "love rival," Mo Chou couldn't help but snort, somewhat gnashing her teeth:

"This guy has good luck. After escorting her all the way, His Majesty's favor towards him will probably be even greater."

Mo Chou, who secretly loved the Empress, secretly refused to accept this, deciding to continue competing fairly with Zhao Du'an after returning to the capital.

She still believed that with the Empress's amazing talent, no man in the world was worthy of her.

Although she was not worthy, she could stay by the Empress's side as a maidservant until old age.

Poor Mo Chou, in her unrequited love, did not know that Zhao Du'an had already climbed onto the dragon bed… Even more, she did not know that a coup had broken out in the capital, and it had even been quelled…

Eunuch Hai glanced at her but remained silent. He raised his palm and struck towards the sail. A strong wind blew, the sail billowed, and the boat accelerated towards the capital for support.

… …

… …

East of the capital, several dozen miles away.

On a stretch of plains along the Qingzhou Road, the Qingzhou rebels and the imperial court's Five Armies Camp had been stationed facing each other across the Qingzhou border line for many days.

If viewed from the sky, large military camps were pitched on either end of a clearing on the earth.

As one of the 'Capital Camps,' the Five Armies Camp naturally possessed elite weaponry and soldiers, but the current situation was too complex.

The Prince of Heng on the opposite side, as a member of the imperial family, was using the name of 'aiding the emperor.' Dong Taishi, a minister in the court, neither dared nor had the authority to rashly order an attack.

They could only garrison and defend.

The Qingzhou rebels also did not initiate war, and the two sides fell into a stalemate.

Without a mistake, a first, a hair, an inside, a face, a tolerance, an at, a look, a look!

Moreover, due to slow intelligence, they were still unaware that the Empress had returned to her position in the capital.

At this moment, inside the central military tent of the Qingzhou rebel camp, the lights were bright.

The core members of the rebel army gathered together, sitting around the tent, discussing important military matters.

Sitting at the head was a pampered middle-aged man, about fifty years old, with a full beard, exuding the air of a privileged noble accustomed to giving orders. He was none other than the Prince of Heng, one of the 'Eight Princes'.

Below the Prince of Heng, on the left, sat a fair-skinned young nobleman in his thirties, none other than Zhao Du'an's 'old acquaintance,' the Heir Apparent, Xu Zudi.

Back then, Xu Zudi, together with the female head of the Xiao family of Donghu, had entered the capital with Master Zhengyang. Because the Prince of Heng and Princess Yunyang shared the same mother,

Xu Zudi stood up for Li Lang, that good-for-nothing, and captured two pawns from Pear Blossom Hall, causing trouble for Zhao Du'an.

As a result, Zhao Du'an forcefully slapped him in the face, and the Privy Counselor Xue Shence intervened to mediate, preventing the conflict from escalating.

Later, Zhao Du'an even accepted the allegiance of Madam Xiao of Donghu at the Lake Pavilion Market, setting up this Heir Apparent.

On the right side of the Prince of Heng, a spirited general in armor, in his thirties or forties, sat upright. His head was slightly lowered, his gaze habitually falling to the ground to conceal the light in his eyes.

He was none other than Wei Xianzong, the highest-ranking military commander of the imperial court stationed in Qingzhou.

The Prince of Heng's ability to quickly gather rebel troops to march on the capital was thanks to the defection of this commander.

Below these two were the other civil officials of the Prince's mansion and military officers from the army.

"Father, Dong Xuan in the imperial court is clinging to the Xiumen Hall and won't let go. If this continues, the Capital Camp in front will not retreat. Although we are rapidly advancing on the capital, relying on Qingzhou, we don't have much in the way of supplies and provisions in the army. If we continue to stalemate, I'm afraid it will be disadvantageous!"

Xu Zudi spoke first, handing over several intelligence reports sent from the capital:

"As for the news we spread in the city that the Empress is dead and the city is about to fall, it has been quite effective. Now the people in the city are panicking, and the court is restless. In my opinion, we should take the initiative."

Inside the tent, another general also agreed:

"Your Highness, what the Heir Apparent says is very true. Our Qingzhou troops are now ahead of the other feudal lords, with our army at the city. This is the will of heaven. But if we continue to stalemate, I fear that before the imperial court collapses internally, other feudal lords will arrive, and we will miss the opportunity."

Another strategist from the Prince's mansion hesitated:

"What the Heir Apparent says is naturally correct, but Your Highness's cautious approach also has merit. Our Qingzhou troops are not numerous. If we go to war with the Five Armies Camp in front, we will inevitably suffer losses. After we capture the Five Armies Camp, there is still the Divine Machine Camp guarding outside the capital, and the Twelve Guards of the Imperial Army inside the city…"

The reason why the Qingzhou rebels had been slow to start a war was their fear of the remaining forces in the capital.

They were worried about losing too many men.

Therefore, they had been playing the 'aiding the emperor' card, trying to create turmoil within the imperial court by any means possible, hoping to enter the capital without bloodshed.

At this moment, everyone in the tent was offering their advice, discussing heatedly.

"Quiet!"

Finally, a large hand without calluses slammed heavily on the table, and everyone fell silent.

The pampered and ambitious Prince of Heng swept his gaze over the "ministers," raised his nostrils, and turned his gaze to Wei Xianzong, the Qingzhou military commander:

"Xianzong, what do you think?"

Wei Xianzong clasped his fists and bowed, standing up and respectfully saluting:

"This humble general will only act on Your Highness's orders. Whether to fight or wait is up to Your Highness to decide."

A flatterer… Xu Zudi pinched his folding fan and glanced at him, lacking any fondness for this always somewhat gloomy commander.

However, the Prince of Heng was very satisfied with Wei Xianzong's performance, nodding slightly and haughtily saying:

"What you all say has merit. Since those treacherous ministers in the city are occupying my imperial family's power and refusing to open the gates to welcome this Prince, continuing to drag on is indeed inappropriate.

However… rashly launching a full-scale war will ultimately result in losses for my Xu clan's army… Now that the court is restless, the Capital Camp outside the city and the Imperial Army inside the city must also be panicking. As ministers, how dare they truly fight with this Prince?"

After a pause, the Prince of Heng made a decision:

"Therefore, we might as well fight a battle first. Send out fierce warriors to fight and first suppress the arrogance of the Five Armies Camp, letting these soldiers who pride themselves on being from the Capital Camp see the strength of my Qingzhou army!

Heh… Outsiders all think that my Qingzhou army is small and not good at battle formations. It's ridiculous. If this Prince had no support, how would I dare to be the first to enter the capital to aid the emperor?"

He revealed a cold smile, completely unafraid of the well-equipped Capital Camp army.

It seemed that as long as he gave the order, defeating the Capital Camp would be as simple as eating and drinking.

And everyone in the tent also looked as if it was a matter of course.

Xu Zudi smiled smugly:

"What Father says is true. Those idiots really think that our Qingzhou army can't break through the city? Heh, it's not that we can't, it's just that we don't want to suffer losses.

As Father said, we won't fight to the death for now. We'll fight a battle first, subdue the Five Armies Camp, and then force them to surrender. That's the most appropriate approach.

As long as we win a great victory and tell those pedantic scholars in the city that our Qingzhou army can break through the city whenever we want, then they will really be afraid!

At that time, as long as we send people to spread rumors and incite them in the city, we won't have to worry about the court not opening the gates to welcome Father into the city!"

The others also echoed in agreement.

The Prince of Heng laughed loudly and ordered the battle to begin tomorrow.

The generals dispersed to prepare to mobilize their troops for battle.

After everyone had left, the Prince of Heng also stood up, left the central military tent, and returned to his luxurious military tent where he slept.

At this moment, two beautiful concubines were making the bed and waiting in the tent:

"Your Highness!"

The Prince of Heng stepped into the tent and grunted softly. He suddenly asked:

"How is that Xiao Dong'er?"

One of the concubines lowered her eyes and said obediently: "According to Your Highness's orders, she is being held in separate confinement. Does Your Highness want to bring her over?"

"Forget it," the Prince of Heng waved his hand, losing interest:

"If I wasn't worried about the Xiao family causing trouble behind my back, I wouldn't bother bringing a widow on the expedition. It's unlucky. You can leave too. With the battle imminent, this Prince needs to conserve his energy."

"Yes."

After the two beautiful concubines left, the Prince of Heng walked to a box in the corner and opened it. Inside the box was a strange and mysterious half-body armor.

It was fiery red all over, with black human face patterns on the front.

"The throne, this Prince is determined to have it." The Prince of Heng held up the mysterious armor, the corners of his mouth rising, revealing a condescending expression: "With this thing in hand, even if a celestial being appears, this Prince can kill them!"