The First Lackey Under The Empress

"That's right," Zhao Du'an nodded, organized his words, and said with a serious expression:

"This time, it was quite unexpected that I rescued her from the rebel army…"

Immediately, he used the most solemn and serious tone possible to recount how he pursued Heng Wang, how the other party kidnapped Xiao Dong'er, and attempted to slander, threaten, and slander him… as well as the plan he had devised:

"Now that Heng Wang has been captured, Qingzhou Dao, as his lair, must still have remnants, and the court's current military strength should be invested in more important battlefields.

The Xiao family of Donghu, as local snakes, assisting the court to control Qingzhou Dao is the most 'cost-effective' solution.

Not only that, but this will also have the effect of buying a horse's bones for a thousand gold coins. Leaving aside other things, the other imperial merchant families in the Nine Daos and Eighteen Prefectures will also be more inclined towards Your Majesty because of this."

Xu Zhenguan listened quietly, but did not comment on the pros and cons of his plan, but suddenly said:

"Heng Wang slandered you, framing you for having an affair with that widow?"

…! ! Zhao Du'an's heart was alarmed, and without hesitation, he pointed to the sky and swore:

"Slander! Absolute slander! My heart is entirely for the public, and my heart for Your Majesty can be seen by heaven and earth, let alone a widow…"

Xu Zhenguan said quietly: "So, if it weren't a widow, what would you do?"

Damn, damn, don't be so picky… Zhao Du'an changed his words:

"In my eyes, there is only Your Majesty. All other women are mediocre and vulgar, not worth looking at."

Xu Zhenguan seemed to smile, as if she didn't care much, and said:

"I'm just joking. Zhao Qing's virtue is well-known throughout the court. I trust you."

…You seem to be implying something about me… Zhao Du'an kept a straight face, his heart was up and down, carefully staring at Zhenbao's fair and clean face for a while, and cautiously said: "Your Majesty… then…"

Xu Zhenguan pondered slightly and nodded:

"The method you mentioned is good, but whether to allow it or not, I will have to meet that Xiao Dong'er before I can decide."

Phew… I knew it, Zhenbao, you are reasonable. Heng Wang's slander, which can be broken with a single poke and is not believed by a three-year-old child, definitely can't deceive you… Zhao Du'an showed a warm smile:

"She is in the team, now in the imperial city, under the custody of the Shenji Camp soldiers. If Your Majesty wants to see her, you can order her to come."

Xu Zhenguan glanced at him quietly and smiled:

"You have arranged it properly. In that case, order someone to bring her to see me. By the way, you don't have to stay here. You can catch up with Eunuch Hai and the others."

The implication:

She wanted to meet Xiao Dong'er alone.

Zhao Du'an's heartstrings tightened inexplicably, but thinking that Madam Xiao was sensible and had already revealed the bottom line in advance, he felt relieved: "Yes."

After speaking, he got up to say goodbye and went out of the Imperial Study to fetch someone.

Leaving the female emperor alone, quietly sitting in the room, her slender jade fingers playing with a Zhuhong-dyed Yulin writing brush, in a daze.

…

Not long after.

Outside the study, a female official led two imperial guards, escorting a woman to arrive.

"Your Majesty, the person has been brought."

"Leave," Xu Zhenguan replied, casually.

The palace people retreated, leaving only Madam Xiao, dressed in a dark horse-face skirt, who had already washed and dressed on the way, extremely respectful, bowing her head, cautiously, not daring to breathe loudly, stepping over the threshold and gently kneeling on the Western Regions knitted carpet in the study.

"This commoner, Xiao Dong'er, greets Your Majesty!"

Xu Zhenguan's fair fingers held a slender light brown pen, noble and compelling, overlooking with majesty:

"Raise your head."

Xiao Dong'er hurriedly and carefully raised her face.

Her cloud-like hair was black, her face was round and dignified, and her appearance was not bad. Because of the devastation of this period, the noble lady had added a bit of weakness and pity.

Although she was a widow, her age in her thirties was just right for a woman to be ripe, too much was too soft and rotten, and too little was too green.

Especially her figure, with a protruding front and a翘back, was full of femininity.

When Xiao Dong'er knelt on the ground and looked up, and saw the female emperor of Yu, her heart skipped a beat!

She was deeply amazed!

How could there be such a beautiful, aloof, and majestic woman in this world?

Xiao Dong'er herself was already an extremely outstanding beauty, but at this moment, when she looked at the female emperor, she felt a strong sense of inferiority!

"As expected of the 'No. 1 Widow of Yu' in folk legends, she does have an extraordinary appearance," Xu Zhenguan said faintly after examining her for a moment.

Xiao Dong'er shuddered, and hurriedly lowered her eyes, terrified:

"Your Majesty is too kind. How can a commoner's firefly-like appearance enter Your Majesty's eyes?"

Xu Zhenguan looked down from a high position, with an elegant posture:

"Zhao Shaobao just said a lot of good things about you to me, and specially brought you back to Beijing from thousands of miles away, and arranged for you to meet me."

Thump!

Although Xiao Dong'er was just a woman, she was able to run the family, how could she not be a "human spirit"?

Just hearing this sentence, she felt uneasy and hurriedly explained:

"Zhao Daren broke through the Heng thieves, and this commoner was fortunate to be rescued, and is very grateful. I dare not have any extravagant thoughts. If I can serve Your Majesty, it is the luck of my entire Xiao family!"

Xu Zhenguan stroked the pen with her fingertips, her bright eyes like lacquer, overlooking her faintly:

"If you dare not, then you still have it."

Xiao Dong'er was anxious and explained in panic: "This commoner misspoke, I absolutely have no such intention…"

Xu Zhenguan suddenly chuckled, her voice was flat, but the words she threw out were shocking:

"When you came to Beijing to ask for the imperial merchant quota, when you met Zhao Shaobao privately, it wasn't like this."

At the beginning, Madam Xiao and Xu Zudi went to Beijing together, secretly went out, and met in a private house in the city called "Chayong Xiaozhai".

This matter was quite secret, but after her identity as an imperial merchant was exposed, Heng Wangfu had tried to find out this section.

Before that, the female emperor had received a record of this private meeting presented by the Shadow Guards lurking in the city a long time ago.

Of course, because the private meeting was top secret, no one knew the specific process, but the female emperor knew about this matter.

At this moment, saying this casually was with the intention of "fraud".

Xiao Dong'er's body trembled, and a look of confusion and grievance appeared on her face:

"Your Majesty, please be aware that this commoner did ask Zhao Daren, but from beginning to end, I only talked about official business, and there was absolutely nothing else!"

Xu Zhenguan squinted her eyes and examined her micro-expression. After a while, she smiled charmingly:

"I didn't say anything, please get up quickly."

…

…

Outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Zhao Du'an watched Xiao Dong'er disappear from sight, and went to the Imperial Study. After thinking about it, he did not go to see the returning acquaintance, but turned his head, turned a few corners, and arrived at a certain side hall.

At this moment, in the hall, Yuan Li, wearing a sky-blue right-lapel official robe, with a handsome face and vicissitudes in his eyes, sat alone.

Seeing him stride in, he was slightly surprised: "Zhao Shaobao? Does Your Majesty want to see me?"

After the temporary "report meeting" just now, the ministers left one after another, but Yuan Li stayed behind, waiting here, trying to see the female emperor.

Zhao Du'an learned this news from the familiar female official when he came out just now.

"Lord Yuan, don't worry, Your Majesty is now receiving the head of the Xiao family of Donghu. Presumably, she will have some free time later," Zhao Du'an walked over with a smile, sat down opposite Yuan Li familiarly:

"I think Lord Yuan may be bored waiting here, so I came to join in the fun."

Yuan Li was stunned, this Daqingyi looked strange, the mustache on his lips spread out, and he smiled:

"It's hard for Shaobao to come and accompany me to relieve boredom, it's my honor."

Zhao Du'an waved his hand and said unhappily:

"Lord Yuan is too polite. My real power is only a temporary governor, and my honorary title is only third rank. How can I be worthy of Lord Yuan's politeness?"

He said sadly: "I still remember that when I was lucky enough to defeat the Zhang brothers and left the palace, Lord Yuan condescended and rode in the same car with me, who was only a seventh rank at the time. It's no exaggeration to say that it was the grace of knowing me."

Yuan Li was slightly lost in thought.

In just over a year, he had witnessed Zhao Du'an step by step from a seventh-rank envoy, walking on a tightrope, participating in the bloody storm of the court, and defeating one political enemy after another, thus killing him alive.

Now, even if he doesn't mention the identity of "future imperial husband".

Also leaving aside the honorary title of third-rank Shaobao.

Just relying on his real power as the commander of the Shenji Camp, no one in the entire court dares to underestimate him.

Yuan Li has no doubt that as long as the female emperor can survive this "rebellion of the eight kings", and Zhao Du'an does not die, relying only on military achievements, in the near future, Zhao Du'an is very likely to become the youngest first-rank in the history of Yu.

Reaching the pinnacle of power!

How many years did Li Yanfu use to get to this step?

How many years did he, Yuan Li, use?

"Heroes come from youth…" Yuan Li sighed with emotion, his eyes showing admiration.

The child is determined to leave his hometown, and will not return if he does not make a name for himself… Zhao Du'an silently took the stalk in his heart and smiled:

“It was just luck. As the saying goes, great generals often emerge from times of chaos. If I could, I would rather not have this official robe and not want the world to suffer so many disasters.”

Yuan Li looked at him deeply, surprised, and said, “You're actually not lying.”

“……” Zhao Du'an was saddened: “In Lord Yuan's eyes, am I just an image of someone who craves fame and fortune?”

Isn't that so? Yuan Li was taken aback.

Zhao Du'an coughed lightly, stopped teasing him, became serious, and tentatively asked:

“Lord Yuan wants to see His Majesty, is it for the matter of Wei Xianzong?”

Yuan Li was not surprised, nodded calmly, with a sad expression:

“Wei Xianzong defected to the enemy and betrayed the court, a heinous crime. This person was originally recommended by me. Now that he has rebelled, I cannot escape the blame. Therefore, I have come to plead guilty to His Majesty, severely punish Wei Xianzong, and severely punish Yuan. Only in this way can we correct the public's perception.”

He cupped his hands, his expression solemn:

“I will ask His Majesty to resign from my position as Imperial Censor and retire to the capital to become a teacher, to teach future scholars and use me as a warning.”

No… Old Yuan, you are not being sincere. At this critical moment, when people are needed, how could Zhenbao agree to your resignation?

Zhao Du'an curled his lips, thinking that he deserved to be an old schemer in the court.

Ruthless and black-hearted.

Yuan Li's strategy was nothing more than going with the flow. Now that the Li faction has been defeated, only the Imperial Faction and the Qingliu Faction remain in the court.

The former is still shallow, and the Qingliu Faction has become an unstable factor. Coincidentally, Wei Xianzong defected to the enemy, so Yuan Li simply took the initiative to plead guilty before the Empress could punish him.

First, he maximized his guilt, so the Empress would not really punish him severely.

“Lord Yuan is making it difficult for His Majesty.” Zhao Du'an sighed softly.

Yuan Li quickly waved his hand: “I have no intention of doing so, but I feel that my sins are too deep and must be punished.”

He suspected that Zhao Du'an was here to test the waters for the Empress and was very vigilant.

Zhao Du'an looked at him seriously and said bluntly: “Lord Yuan should know that the Yu Kingdom is now in turmoil and in need of people.”

Yuan Li was stunned: “What does Shao Bao Zhao mean?”

Zhao Du'an pursed his lips and said:

“I don’t know much about marching and fighting, but I can also see that this Wei Xianzong is a talent. After I arrested the Heng Prince's mansion, I interrogated him all the way back to the capital and learned that Wei Xianzong's defection was mostly forced.

That Xu Heng set a trap for him, laid out a plan, seized his weakness, and used his relatives to coerce and lure him, binding him to the pirate ship…”

Yuan Li felt more and more that something was wrong as he listened: “So?”

Zhao Du'an smiled: “I wonder if Lord Yuan can bear to part with him and let me have this person, to teach him to redeem himself?”

This time, Yuan Li was really stunned, his expression became serious, and he leaned forward slightly: “You dare to use him?”

Zhao Du'an smiled freely: “Why wouldn’t I dare?”

Yuan Li stared at him for a while, then suddenly deflated, sat in the chair, his eyes complicated: “Heroes emerge in their youth.”

This was the second time he had made this comment.

The two times before and after were completely different.

Of course, he understood what Zhao Du'an meant: It might be true that he cherished talent, but even if Zhao Du'an really dared to use him, there was no need to come to him to ask for it.

The reason for coming here was to go through the motions, the meaning was clear:

It was Wei Xianzong who defected, he was your Yuan Li's man, now that I have taken this person away, the crime associated with Wei Xianzong will be borne by me, Zhao Du'an.

This was undoubtedly taking the initiative to share the blame for Yuan Li, sharing the responsibility he would bear.

“Why?” Yuan Li's eyes were complicated, and he joked: “You wouldn't tell me it's just because of that sentence 'gratitude for being recognized'.”

“I’m not that ‘grateful’,” Zhao Du'an got up freely and walked out: “Just sharing the worries for His Majesty.”

Yuan Li was thoughtful.

… …

Leaving the flower hall, Zhao Du'an had not taken two steps when he suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked at Mo Chou, who was standing quietly not far from the corridor outside the flower hall at some unknown time.

He gave her a look, and the two tacitly walked away a distance.

“Did you enjoy eavesdropping?” Zhao Du'an joked.

With his current cultivation level, he had naturally noticed Mo Chou's arrival outside the door long ago.

The “Female Prime Minister” had a straight face, without the slightest embarrassment of being caught eavesdropping, but glared at him fiercely:

“What did you mean by what you said to Yuan Li?”

Zhao Du'an curled his lips, rubbed his eyebrows, and sighed softly:

“I really don’t know how you got the title of ‘Female Prime Minister’, you can’t even understand this? Let me ask you, is the balance of power in the court important?”

Mo Chou frowned, resisting the urge to turn around and leave, and said coldly: “Of course it’s important.”

“But there are always more important things than this,” Zhao Du'an said seriously, staring at her:

“Now that His Majesty is in charge, even if the Qingliu Faction is temporarily powerful in the court, it cannot turn the world upside down. But if we cut off Yuan Li, the leader of the Qingliu Faction, at this moment in order to achieve balance, it would be tantamount to pushing the families behind the officials of the Qingliu Faction to the Eight Kings. This is unacceptable.

Now that the Li Faction has collapsed, it means that a large number of vacancies have been created in the court. Some of these vacancies can be used to promote new officials and cultivate the Imperial Faction, and the other part must be fed to the Qingliu Faction to tie this group of people to the court's chariot.”

Mo Chou suddenly understood:

“So, the crime of Wei Xianzong's defection is here. If His Majesty does not severely punish Yuan Li, it will not be able to convince the public, but if Yuan Li is severely punished, it will alienate the Qingliu Faction and damage the overall situation.

Therefore, someone must give His Majesty a step down, a reason. Your proposal to ask for Wei Xianzong is to be the person to give this step.

With the military merits you have made now, once you ask for someone, His Majesty should allow it in terms of reason and emotion.

And if Wei Xianzong is saved by you, and even taken to redeem himself, then even the commander who defected has not been severely punished, and there is even less reason for Yuan Li, who recommended him, to be severely punished…

In this way, it not only maintains His Majesty's prestige, but also stabilizes the Qingliu Faction, and gives Yuan Li a favor… And what you lose is nothing more than the reward for this military merit… You don't need this anyway.”

Zhao Du'an nodded with a smile:

“That's right, it seems you're not too stupid. In the future, stay by His Majesty's side and use your brain more.”

Mo Chou was annoyed by his condescending and teacher-like appearance, and the admiration she had just felt disappeared in an instant.

The big ice cube sneered back:

“If you have the mind to lecture me, you might as well go and see if His Majesty is angry. Heh, let me remind you, that Xiao Dong'er has already been sent out of the palace.”

Zhao Du'an's expression changed, he took a deep look at the dowry maid, turned his head and hurried towards the Imperial Study.

However, as soon as he entered the courtyard where the Empress was, he was stopped by a familiar older female official who raised her hand:

“Lord Zhao, please stop. His Majesty just ordered that she is a little tired and no one should disturb her.”

Zhao Du'an opened his mouth and pointed to his face with his hand: “I want to go in, it's me.”

He tried hard to emphasize his specialness.

The older female official smiled and said: “His Majesty said, especially Lord Zhao, is not allowed to enter.”

“……” Zhao Du'an's heart tightened, realizing that something was wrong. He cursed Xiao Dong'er in his heart, and his intuition told him that it must be because these two women met, causing Zhenbao to misunderstand and get angry.

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand and pointed sharply in a certain direction: “Look, Cai Xukun!”

“Ah?” The female officials were stunned, subconsciously turned their heads to look, and then only felt a shadow forcibly break through the blockade.

Zhao Du'an easily bypassed a group of palace people and appeared outside the tightly closed door of the Imperial Study. He coughed lightly, raised his hand and knocked on the door:

“Your Majesty, it's me… Ah!”

A surge of majestic, vast, and invisible energy suddenly struck. Zhao Du'an's expression changed drastically, and he was helplessly blasted out like a cannonball, over the high wall, and out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

“Get out.”

The Empress's cold voice echoed in his ears.

Zhao Du'an landed a few steps, unloading the force, only feeling his blood churning, and the Gang energy triggered by his body slowly faded away.

He said with a bitter face, “Your Majesty, I have something important to ask to see… Damn it!”

As soon as he uttered the word “see”, Zhao Du'an's hair stood on end, and he suddenly pulled away from the afterimage and retreated violently.

The next second, where he had just stood, with a “ding” sound, the Tai'a Sword was fiercely stabbed into the ground, half submerged, leaving the hilt trembling!

“Murdering your husband…” Zhao Du'an gasped, feeling grief and indignation in his heart. His strength was not as good as hers, and it was difficult to establish marital authority:

“But I can also control the Tai'a Sword…”

“Sword come…” He reached out to grab it, then suddenly retracted his hand and turned to run.

Behind him, the Tai'a Sword pulled itself out, as if held by an invisible hand, and slashed towards him:

“Get out!”

… …

Mistakes will be corrected later.