The First Lackey Under The Empress

The next day, early morning.

Zhao Du'an lay on his back, forcing his eyelids open, his right hand instinctively reaching beside him.

Confirming the emptiness, he couldn't help but sigh softly.

"When will these hard days end...?"

With a sudden exertion of his 'adonis' waist, Zhao Du'an sat up in a carp-like leap.

The ancient-style handsome man's disheveled long hair fell down as he reached out and yanked open the bed curtains, sunlight pouring in from outside, causing him to squint.

"Still, although I sleep alone, my own bed is still the most comfortable..."

After a moment of reflection, Zhao Du'an rubbed his hair, relieved to find that the listlessness he felt last night from contemplating 'The Human World' had dissipated.

"Although I have the Azure Lotus to replenish my spirit, forcibly contemplating 'The Human World' across realms clearly puts a certain amount of pressure and burden on me.

The time I can stay in that world is also greatly limited..."

"Well, so, what suits me best right now is to honestly cultivate 'The Great Dream Scroll'."

"Besides, although 'The Human World' is, to some extent, my home field, I didn't notice anything special about this painting last night... Is it because my realm is not high enough to comprehend it?"

"However, 'The Human World' also has strategic value, such as potentially preserving books and materials... But let alone whether I can find them and memorize them to bring them out, most of those materials are not suitable for the current era of the Yu Kingdom..."

"Furthermore, what I should be studying and exploring now is the secret of Old Xu, and perhaps the answer can be found in 'The Great Dream Scroll'."

Zhao Du'an made the above judgment with a clear mind, deciding not to delve into the murals on the fourth floor for the time being, and to focus on conquering the Pei Niannu data fragments from six hundred years ago.

However...

Before that, he had to solve the problem of the Qingzhou rebel army.

...

Rolling out of bed, Zhao Du'an quickly finished washing up.

When he pushed open the door and walked out of the room, the sky was already bright.

In the capital during summer, the sky dawns early.

His nose twitched, as the familiar aroma of food wafted from the dining hall.

"Aunt, sister, good morning!" Zhao Du'an said, stepping into the hall, a smile on his face.

Breakfast was sumptuous.

You Jinhua smiled radiantly, personally rolling up her sleeves and using a delicate hand to ladle soup and serve rice.

Zhao Pan, dressed and made up early in the morning in her usual home clothes, held a Pekingese dog, smiling as she watched Zhao Du'an munch on a steamed bun.

The picture was one of serene domesticity.

"Sister, what are you looking at me for?" Zhao Du'an asked curiously.

Zhao Pan smiled and said, "It's been a long time since elder brother has eaten at home, so I'm just taking a good look."

You Jinhua glared at her and poked her daughter's head with her finger:

"Go wash your hands, all you know how to do is play with the dog."

Then she looked at Zhao Du'an and sighed softly:

"But it's right to take a good look, after elder brother marries His Majesty, you won't see him anymore."

Zhao Pan was unhappy: "It's not a done deal yet."

Although in the capital, the rumors of Zhao Du'an and the Empress were already well known, they had never been officially acknowledged.

Just then, the three of them suddenly heard the noisy sounds of wind instruments coming from outside the courtyard, approaching from afar.

"What's that sound? Is someone celebrating a happy event?" You Jinhua asked in surprise, curiously looking outside.

Given the current turbulent situation, with the political upheaval just quelled, the Li faction overthrown, and the court in unrest, it stood to reason that the families nearby, all wealthy and noble, would not hold any celebrations during this sensitive period.

Zhao Du'an, who was drinking soup with his head lowered, looked up, his expression slightly strange, thinking to himself, 'It can't be this fast...'

In a moment, the music grew louder and louder, finally alarming the entire Zhao mansion.

The old butler suddenly rushed into the backyard, shouting:

"People from the palace are here, playing wind instruments, carrying flags, young master, come out and see!"

People from the palace? What were they doing here at this time?

The mother and daughter were both stunned, looking at Zhao Du'an.

Their instinctive reaction was that some kind of reward for Zhao Du'an had arrived.

"Let's go out and see," Zhao Du'an said calmly, rising to lead the women to greet them.

When they walked out of the gate, they saw the entire street filled with palace attendants.

A group of eunuchs carried bright yellow dragon flags, some beating gongs and drums, clearing the way, and several carriages were in the procession.

At this time, people from the surrounding mansions also came out, curiously watching.

"Young Protector Zhao! Hehe, this humble one takes the liberty of calling, please forgive me if I disturb you," the person leading the procession was a smiling eunuch.

Zhao Du'an recognized that this person was the "Chief Secretary Eunuch" in the palace, second only to Sun Lianying and Mo Chou.

He was the highest-ranking servant in the palace today.

"Eunuch, this is...?" Zhao Du'an's expression grew even stranger.

The Chief Secretary Eunuch smiled slightly and took out an imperial decree from his sleeve in public, unfolding it:

"Young Protector Zhao, receive the decree!"

Zhao Du'an stood with his hands clasped, and the Zhao family behind him also bowed their heads skillfully.

The eunuch said loudly:

"I, by the grace of Heaven, inherit the grand plan, and the way to govern a country begins with managing the family.

The relationship between husband and wife is the righteousness of heaven and earth.

It is truly to respect the ancestral sacrifices and assist in the sincerity of support, and what is relied upon is only weight, and to respectfully obey the Mandate of Heaven... Now, I send an envoy to hold the節 and choose with courtesy... to accept the Zhao family's young master as a consort... By imperial decree!"

His words were powerful and resounding.

The eunuch, temporarily appointed as the "Officer of Ceremony," put away the imperial decree, smiling obsequiously as he bowed and presented it forward:

"Congratulations, Young Protector, today, this humble one is here to propose marriage on His Majesty's orders."

Propose marriage!

Like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, not only the Zhao family, but even the neighbors who came out to watch the excitement, felt a buzzing in their heads, finally understanding what had happened.

The Empress proposed marriage, officially announcing the consort!

From this day on, Zhao Du'an would be the rightful "Empress Consort" and "Current Emperor's Husband."

"His Majesty... proposed marriage..." You Jinhua was stunned, then her eyes turned red, she raised her hand to cover her mouth, excited and delighted.

Even though she had expected this day for a long time, she still found it difficult to remain calm as the Zhao family's matriarch, witnessing the imperial marriage proposal and her stepson's upcoming marriage.

"Proposed marriage... Emperor's consort..."

Zhao Pan was also stunned, not expecting everything to come so quickly.

A sense of loss filled her heart, but then she thought of His Majesty's unparalleled grace and raised her face, squeezing out a smile:

"Congratulations, elder brother."

Propose marriage... Zhao Du'an, who had never thought that he could be proposed to by a woman in his life, only felt strange, a look of wry smile on his face.

Xu Zhenguan mentioned proposing marriage to him last night, but he didn't expect it to be so fast.

After a little thought, he understood that it was because he was about to lead troops on an expedition, so Zhenbao wanted to set this title in advance to facilitate his command of the Jingying.

"Someone, why not send the congratulatory gifts to the mansion?"

The Chief Secretary Eunuch busily said, and immediately, a large group of honor guards behind him beat gongs and drums, taking out gifts from the carriages and sending them to the Zhao mansion.

"Please see, Consort, this is the list of congratulatory gifts for the marriage proposal.

Originally, His Majesty's wedding should have been even more grand, but time is too short, and the preparations were not thorough this time..." The eunuch flattered, handing over a gift list.

Zhao Du'an glanced at it, and on the gift list alone, there were:

Two hundred taels of gold, ten thousand taels of silver, one set of gold tea utensils, two sets of silver tea utensils, two silver basins, thousands of various satin, twenty full sets of saddles and bridles, and trained horses...

And such gifts were only the first round.

The Emperor's marriage had "Six Rites," each of which was a grand gesture.

"Thank you, Eunuch, someone, wrap a silver ingot for the Eunuch," Zhao Du'an said with a smile.

The latter declined again and again, finally reluctantly accepting it.

The entire Zhao family was in an uproar, and then, the surrounding neighbors came to visit and congratulate.

It was conceivable that with the spread of this news, the Zhao family would be full of guests all day today.

The Zhao family's position would also go a step further, ranking among the top families in the capital.

After seeing off the Chief Secretary Eunuch, Zhao Du'an entrusted the task of welcoming guests to his aunt and sister, while he changed into official robes, quietly left the house from the back door, and rode straight to the Shenji Camp outside the city.

The news of the Empress's return would soon spread.

To prevent the Qingzhou army from withdrawing, he dared not delay and would pull out the camp today.

...

...

Outside the city, the Shenji Camp garrison.

Before dawn, the soldiers in the barracks were already breaking camp, forming ranks, and preparing to depart.

When Zhao Du'an arrived, he saw banners fluttering, a dense mass of infantry, and a forest of spears.

A group of familiar military officers, all clad in armor, were waiting in the morning light.

"General Zhao!"

Upon seeing a lone rider approaching from afar, Shi Meng, the Commander of the Divine Machine Battalion, Chen Gui, the chief official of the Ordnance Bureau, and Tang Ping, the "Young Duke" in silver armor, all brightened up.

They all stepped forward to greet him.

"Welcome back to camp, General Zhao!"

"Yesterday, we heard about the changes in the city, but unfortunately, we were tied down with military affairs and couldn't enter the city. Today, we finally get to see you."

"After not seeing you for several months, General, your heroic bearing is even greater than before!"

Everyone was very excited.

Zhao Du'an reined in his horse, smiling as he examined each face. When he saw Shi Meng, who appeared rough but was actually meticulous, he cupped his fist in salute:

"Commander Shi, long time no see."

Turning his head to meet the bright, war-filled gaze of the Young Duke Tang Ping, he said with a smile:

"What? Does the Young Duke still want to give me a hard time?"

Tang Ping's face flushed red from the teasing. This son of a Duke sincerely said:

"I heard that the General has advanced to the Worldly Realm and escorted His Majesty all the way from Jianning Prefecture, breaking through layers of rebel resistance. Tang Ping is completely convinced. Today, I only wish to follow the General's lead, suppress the rebels, and restore peace to our Great Yu!"

The other military officers also spoke excitedly, eager to go to the battlefield.

Shi Meng said with a chuckle:

"After Shao Bao Ming Chen Gui brought back the news yesterday, the entire Divine Machine Battalion broke camp overnight. Now, with just one order, we can set off to defeat the enemy!"

These military officers were suffocating!

Among the Jing Camp, twelve imperial guards were stationed inside the city, while the Three Thousand, Five Armies, and Divine Machine Battalions were stationed outside the city.

After the rebel king raised his army, Xue Shence, the "Military God" of Great Yu, took the "Three Thousand Battalion" south to Linfeng Road to intercept the rebels.

The Five Armies Battalion was transferred to the east of the capital, on the Qingzhou border, to block the Qingzhou rebels.

Only the Divine Machine Battalion remained motionless, left behind to prevent chaos in the capital.

This made Shi Meng and the others feel terrible. As military officers, they only hoped to fight, to make contributions, and to kill enemies on the battlefield.

Now that Zhao Du'an had returned and given the order to take them to destroy the Qingzhou army, how could they not be excited?

"Very good. Where are the firearms?" Zhao Du'an nodded with satisfaction and looked at Chen Gui.

The skinny Chen Gui stroked his beard proudly and pointed to the rear of the formation, to a long line of supply carts protected by the army. Each cart was covered with waterproof cloth, bulging with contents.

"Reporting to the General, the new firearms are all on them. This time, we have brought a thousand muskets, twenty Divine Might Cannons, thunder bombs, fire crows, and so on…"

Chen Gui spoke eloquently. At this moment, this craftsman was even more excited than a group of military officers.

News of the new firearms was a top secret of the imperial court, and even the military officials of the Privy Council could not find out.

For the past year, the entire Divine Machine Battalion had been building firearms behind closed doors. Even the "Three Thousand" and "Five Armies" Battalions, which also belonged to the Jing Camp, only knew that the Divine Machine Battalion was tinkering with firearms, but knew nothing about the specific progress.

Moreover, their impression of firearms still remained at the time of Zhao Du'an's military exercise.

Little did they know that after a year of hard work and transformation, the current firearms were already different from those at the time of the military exercise.

"Very good, very good," Zhao Du'an smiled, reached into his arms, took out a piece of paper – a "troop mobilization order" issued to him by the female emperor’s order from the Academy of Scholarly Affairs last night – and threw it to Shi Meng.

This military order clearly stated that Zhao Du'an was appointed as the temporary supervisor of the army, responsible for this suppression of the rebellion.

The necessary procedures for mobilizing troops and fighting must be in place, otherwise he, a third-rank Shao Bao, could not mobilize a single soldier.

Shi Meng hurriedly took it, opened it and glanced at it. After confirming that it was correct, he smiled:

"In that case, Shi and the others will follow your lead on this trip."

"Eh, what is this…" Suddenly, Tang Ping, who had good eyesight, noticed the half-rolled imperial decree that Zhao Du'an had "accidentally" revealed when he took out the troop mobilization order.

"Oh, this? I just received it this morning." Zhao Du'an smiled, casually tossing the imperial decree to Tang Ping, as if he didn't care:

"Young Duke is curious, just take a look."

After saying that, he turned his horse and walked towards the front of the army.

Tang Ping took it suspiciously, unfolded the silk imperial decree that had been crumpled into a ball, and then his pupils dilated and his expression became dull.

Raising his head, seeing that Shi Meng and other military officers were looking at him suspiciously, Tang Ping silently handed the imperial decree to the general beside him.

After reading it, this military officer had the same pupil earthquake, and then silently handed it to the third person.

After a while, everyone took turns reading this "marriage proposal" imperial decree, and couldn't help but gasp softly. Chen Gui said enviously:

"The Lord has good fortune."

Shi Meng respectfully folded the imperial decree and said:

"From now on, Shao Bao Zhao's orders are His Majesty's orders."

If the troop mobilization order only gave Zhao Du'an the title of supervisor of the army, and in name, the real commander was still Shi Meng, then this imperial decree truly made the entire Divine Machine Battalion understand who was the boss.

At this time, Zhao Du'an's voice came from afar: "Speed is of the essence in war, let's set off."

Before long, the mighty army in the suburbs set off eastward. Considering that the Qingzhou army was not far from the capital, the Divine Machine Battalion was traveling at full speed and could arrive at most tomorrow.

… …

… …

The Imperial Palace.

Inside the Imperial Study, Xu Zhenguan was dressed in white, her black hair like a waterfall.

She stood quietly at the door of the study, looking towards the direction of the suburbs.

"Your Majesty, the marriage proposal gift has been sent to the Zhao residence. The ministers have also entered the palace and are waiting in the side hall."

The chief eunuch walked over in small steps, stopped in the corridor, and reported with his head bowed.

Today was the first court meeting officially convened after the female emperor returned to the palace. Due to the Li Party coup, the various yamen were busy too late.

Therefore, the female emperor postponed the time for attending court today a lot.

And this court meeting undoubtedly had a lot of things for her to deal with. The Qingzhou border was a battlefield, and today's court meeting was also a battlefield without gunpowder smoke?

"Do you think that the Divine Machine Battalion plus the Five Armies Battalion can quickly quell the rebellion and prevent the Qingzhou army from escaping back to Qingzhou Road?"

Xu Zhenguan suddenly asked.

The chief eunuch was stunned. He didn't expect His Majesty to ask himself. Without hesitation, he said:

"The Qingzhou soldiers are few, and Prince Heng is ambitious but lacking in talent. With just the Five Armies Battalion, they can undoubtedly defeat the Qingzhou soldiers. If the Divine Machine Battalion is added, there is naturally no suspense. They will definitely win the battle."

This was not flattery, but the general opinion in the court.

No one felt that the Qingzhou soldiers could really threaten the capital. What the officials were worried about was only that Prince Heng would run too fast when he saw that the situation was not good. Once he retreated back to Qingzhou Road, it would take too much time to fight again.

And now, what the court lacked was time.

"Hmm," Xu Zhenguan nodded, "Prepare the carriage, prepare to go to court."

She turned around and led a large number of palace servants towards the Jinluan Hall.

However, just as she had walked halfway and was approaching the Meridian Gate Square.

Suddenly, on the empty square, which still had traces of blood, a "messenger" with a scarlet chess piece stuck on his back ran wildly at full speed!

From a distance, seeing the female emperor about to step into the Jinluan Hall, this messenger rushed forward several times, kneeling on the ground almost in a panic, and shouted loudly:

"Urgent report from the Five Armies Battalion!!! The Qingzhou rebels took the initiative to start the war yesterday. The two armies clashed, and the Five Armies Battalion... suffered a crushing defeat!!! Now the defense line is in critical condition, requesting the court to send troops for immediate support!!!"

The female emperor was stunned.

… …

… …

Qingzhou Road Border.

Inside the Five Armies Battalion of the imperial court, dark clouds loomed.

Inside the central army tent, Yuan Feng, the commander of the Five Armies Battalion, who was about forty years old and had a square face, sat in the tent with a gloomy and ugly expression, looking around at the generals.