The First Lackey Under The Empress

Although they had just experienced a difficult city defense battle, the news of the arrival of reinforcements boosted the morale of the soldiers and civilians in the city.

In any case, when Zhao Du'an walked out of the side door of the government office and onto the main street of the city, he found that the city was still maintaining order.

It was just that the once bustling streets were much deserted, and although some shops along the street were still open for business, most of them had signs saying 'Closed'.

Zhao Shande looked at this noble young master whose name he didn't know, hesitating to speak, he was still a little confused.

He had failed to see the prefect, but such a handsome young man had come out from the depths of the government office, repeatedly saying that he was ordered to go with him to get food, but he was secretive about his identity.

When did such a person appear in the government office?

Zhao Shande didn't know, but the ancient social animal who had been working at the grassroots level for half his life had good eyesight. Although he didn't know Zhao Du'an's identity, just looking at his aura between his gestures, he knew that his identity was definitely not simple.

Could he be the prefect's son?

Zhao Shande speculated. With his status, he was not qualified to see the prefect's relatives, so he could only guess randomly.

"Just the two of us?" Zhao Du'an asked with a smile.

Zhao Shande was stunned for a moment, then quickly said: "There are still a few soldiers waiting at the street corner near the Lu family."

Then he plucked up the courage to ask tentatively: "Sir, you don't have a local accent?"

Zhao Du'an glanced at the cautious old clerk of the yamen, his smile somewhat meaningful:

"Yes, I haven't been here long. Did you inherit your position from your father, or did you pass the exam?"

Zhao Shande straightened his back slightly:

"When I was young, I passed the Xiucai exam and was fortunate enough to be appreciated by the county magistrate, starting as a clerk in the county yamen... It has been twenty years now..."

Zhao Du'an's eyes warmed slightly, seeing a shadow of his past life in this clerk with the same surname.

Both came from the bottom, with similar growth paths. The difference lies in the fact that officials in the feudal dynasty were divided into 'ranks'. Officials and clerks were clearly distinguished from the beginning.

As he walked, he chatted with him. Zhao Shande became more and more astonished because he found that this young master was knowledgeable and had a noble air in his speech, as if he came from a famous family, but he was extremely familiar with the daily life of lower-level officials.

If you put aside this appearance and only look at the sophistication in his words and his grasp of the ecology of the lower-level officialdom, he is simply more "slippery" than this old clerk.

When did such a person appear in the yamen?

While speaking, the two had already walked to the outside of a large residence in the city.

In a small shop at the street corner, four soldiers hurriedly got up and walked out, looking at Zhao Du'an with surprise and uncertainty.

"This is the person sent by the prefect." Zhao Shande explained, also putting on an "official air" in front of the soldiers:

"Immediately follow me to collect grain again."

The few low-level soldiers did not dare to neglect, and hurriedly bowed. The group walked towards the main entrance of the Lu family mansion again.

"Please knock on the door first." Zhao Du'an said with a smile.

Zhao Shande nodded with a stiff face, straightened his back, and went up the steps in three or two steps, knocking on the door ring.

With a "creak", the tall gate of the Lu mansion opened a crack. A man who looked like a steward came out, frowned, and said patiently:

"I've already said, the mansion doesn't have any extra rice. Go collect it elsewhere."

As he said that, he was about to close the door, his attitude indifferent, as if he had dealt with grain collectors many times.

"Wait!" Zhao Shande said anxiously, putting on a stern face and shouting:

"I am the grain collector under the command of Xue Privy Councilor, ordered to come and collect military grain according to the law..."

He couldn't guess the identity of the noble young master behind him, and wanted to show off, so as to prevent the prefect from having a bad impression of him for "ineffective handling of affairs."

The Lu family steward sneered:

"Zhao Shande, you really think you're an imperial envoy just because you're given a chicken feather. In the past, with your status, you couldn't even enter the gate of our Lu family. Stop talking nonsense. Not having people drive you away is already giving you face, so hurry up and get out."

Zhao Shande had a flash of inspiration, and shouted sternly with a straight face:

"Do you know that Zhao Commander has already entered the city! Do you still think it's the same as before? Heh, do you really think I'm easy to bully? Don't you think about why the prefect ordered me to collect from your Lu family?"

The steward was stunned for a moment, looked him up and down, and suddenly laughed:

"Zhao Shande, don't you want to use Commander Zhao's name to scare people? Do you really think you're related just because you both have the surname Zhao? I know your background very well, so stop using Commander Zhao to scare people.

I might as well say it here today, not to mention you, even if that commander from the capital comes, my Lu family will still say the same thing, want grain? No way!"

Zhao Shande's thoughts were exposed, and he immediately lost half of his courage, bitterly turning his head to look at the noble young master behind him.

Thinking in his heart, you see, it's not that I'm not doing my job well, it's just that the Lu family is too domineering.

We few people don't dare, and don't have the ability to use our power to oppress others.

Zhao Du'an's expression was a little strange, looking at him with a smile, he sighed softly, stepped forward, and said seriously:

"Whether the Lu family has grain or not is one thing, but blocking the grain collector appointed by the imperial court outside the door, not even allowing him to enter, is a bit too domineering."

The Lu family steward, who was about to close the door, frowned:

"Who are you? Let me advise you, mind your own business."

He couldn't figure out Zhao Du'an's identity, but seeing that he was not wearing an official robe and was with an old clerk like Zhao Shande, he didn't take it seriously—

How could someone with real status be with such a small character who climbed up from the bottom and has only been a clerk in a unimportant yamen for many years?

Zhao Du'an's smile did not diminish, but one hand grabbed half of the courtyard door:

"What if I insist on interfering?"

The Lu family steward's eyes blurred, and this person was close to him.

Startled, he subconsciously wanted to close the door, but was shocked to find that this gentle and refined young master was surprisingly strong. With a light wave of his hand, the door did not move at all.

"Someone, someone is making trouble—"

He only shouted halfway before his whole person flew into the courtyard like a cannonball.

"It's been a long time since someone dared to yell in front of me." Zhao Du'an slowly retracted his hand, feeling a little nostalgic.

Stepping over the threshold, he casually said: "Follow me."

Zhao Shande and the four soldiers behind him were shocked and speechless, only then realizing that this young master was actually a martial artist.

However, the old clerk's heart was not filled with joy, but with fear, his soul almost leaving his body, realizing that something was wrong:

The prefect would never send someone to take him to fight.

Could it be that he was deceived?

But it was too late to think about it, he gritted his teeth and followed.

...

As the first major family in the prefecture city, the Lu family's residence was extremely impressive, with a full five courtyards, and the courtyard was very well arranged.

Zhao Du'an strolled leisurely, walking all the way into the central courtyard, already alarming a large group of Lu family servants, maids, and guards to come.

"Who dares to make trouble?!"

As soon as Zhao Du'an entered the central courtyard, he saw three young masters in the distance rushing out with swords, and the guards behind them also carrying sticks, looking fierce and menacing.

"Those are the three young masters of the Lu family." The old clerk reminded in a low voice.

The three belonged to the third generation of the Lu family, and were not very old. The eldest young master was only in his thirties, and the youngest third young master was just a teenager.

Zhao Du'an stood still, calm and composed, and said lightly:

"The imperial grain collector has come to the Lu family to collect military grain. Call someone who can make decisions over here."

The second young master of the Lu family was angered and laughed, picking up the saber in his hand, pointing it at Zhao Du'an's nose, and scolding:

"Are you blind? Don't you know what place this is?"

The eldest young master next to him frowned, vaguely feeling that this "grain collector" looked a bit familiar, but he couldn't remember.

Zhao Du'an's tone was understated:

"Facing imperial officials with sharp weapons, is the Lu family planning to rebel?"

The eldest young master of the Lu family also darkened his face, first raising his hand to press down on his second brother's arm holding the knife, and then said:

"This 'grain collector', words cannot be said randomly. Even if Prefect Sun comes to our house, he is still polite.

I don't know what misunderstanding has occurred, but if the imperial court wants grain, it shouldn't be taking it by force after entering the door, right? Acting like this, how is it different from rebels? Are you not afraid of ruining the law?"

Zhao Du'an was too lazy to waste words with a group of "kids", and said lightly:

"You are not qualified to talk nonsense with me, call someone who can make decisions over here."

"Where did this grain inspector come from, not knowing the immensity of the heavens and earth? Seize him! Forcibly entering a private residence, sending him to the prefectural yamen will give us something to talk about!" The hot-tempered Second Young Master roared.

A group of house guards, already armed with clubs, pretended to surround them.

Zhao Du'an stood with his hands behind his back, his eyelids slightly lowered, the smile on his lips gradually disappearing.

Just as he was about to make a move, a sudden, aged, and anxious roar came from behind the crowd.

"All of you, stop for this old man!!"

The Lu family members suddenly froze, turning their heads to look. From the direction of the rear residence, an old man with a full head of white hair, wearing loose silk clothes, and possessing an imposing presence, was shuffling his shoes, almost running over!

Because he was too anxious, his shoes had fallen off, and he was barefoot!

"Grandfather?" The three young masters were stunned and hurried to pay their respects.

"Master!" Many of the guards hurriedly lowered their heads and made way.

"It's the Old Master of the Lu family. He has rarely appeared in recent years. Why has he come out...?" Zhao Shandé was taken aback, then revealed a relieved expression, and leaned close to Zhao Du'an, saying:

"Fortunately, it seems that the Old Master of the Lu family still knows what's important and is mindful of the prefect's dignity. He knows that we have the prefect and the imperial court behind us and wouldn't dare to act rashly..."

Everyone thought that the Old Master was considering the overall situation and the face of the important figures in the city, so he came out to reprimand and stop the small conflict below.

However, the Old Master Lu's somber expression completely changed when he saw Zhao Du'an standing in the middle of the courtyard.

After only a brief moment of astonishment, this head of the largest clan in Taicang Prefecture, whose power could be ranked among the top two local magnates in the entire Linfeng Circuit, ran over with a pale face.

Under everyone's gaze, his knees weakened, and he knelt down in front of Zhao Du'an with a thud, his forehead touching the ground, and he said in a trembling voice:

"This humble one was unaware of Your Excellency's arrival. These unruly descendants are young and ignorant. Please forgive them, Your Excellency!"

Silence.

Complete silence.

The entire mansion suddenly became so quiet that a pin could be heard dropping.

The flying knife that had been quietly suspended in Zhao Du'an's sleeve, ready to be launched, slowly went dormant, and the slightly surging sea of qi also returned to calm.

He looked down at the white-haired old man on the ground with a sneer that wasn't a smile:

"You remember me?"

The Old Master of the Lu family said:

"Last autumn, when the prefect hosted a banquet, this old one was fortunate enough to be seated at the lowest rank and had the honor of seeing Your Excellency's face."

Zhao Du'an nodded slightly, he also had some impression of this old man, but it wasn't very clear. He said with emotion:

"This official only arrived in Taicang today and came to visit. The Lu family's descendants are indeed very powerful, not even putting the people of the government in their eyes. When I was in the capital, I never saw such impressive families."

Cold sweat oozed from the Old Master's forehead. The white-haired old man suddenly turned his head, staring at the three young masters with a face full of anger:

"Why aren't you kneeling down?!"

The three young masters of the Lu family were still bewildered at this moment, completely not understanding what had happened. After being scolded, they dropped their weapons like children who had done something wrong and knelt down in a row beside the Old Master.

Zhao Du'an's expression was indifferent. Suddenly, he grabbed with one hand, and suction force spewed out from his palm. A stone bench not far away in the courtyard suddenly rotated in the air and flew over with a bang, landing on the ground.

This was the palm technique he had learned from Old Xu when he was in the Mortal Embryo Realm.

Zhao Du'an lifted his lower hem and sat down on the stone bench, pointed at the Second Young Master, and said to the old scribe beside him:

"Go ask him if he knows why we're here."

From the moment the Old Master knelt down, Zhao Shandé had been completely numb.

Being called upon at this moment, he seemed to come back to life, but his heart was pounding wildly like a drum, and his mind was dizzy. How could he not know that he had encountered an extraordinary figure?

Taking a deep breath, he walked tremblingly to the side of the kneeling Second Young Master of the Lu family, deliberately avoiding the direction in which he was kneeling, carefully glanced at Zhao Du'an, and tentatively asked:

"Do you know why we're here?"

"..." The Second Young Master, who had been arrogant and despotic just now, was stunned and shook his head:

"No... I don't know."

For such a great figure to arrive, causing even Grandfather to be so terrified... He couldn't think of what the other party's intentions were for a moment.

As for urging the payment of grain... what a joke, such a small matter could be instructed to the servants. How could such a great figure personally inquire about it? And even come to collect it in person?

He wasn't stupid.

"Slap him." Zhao Du'an ordered indifferently.

Zhao Shandé was stunned, widened his eyes, looked at Zhao Du'an, and then at the Second Young Master, his whole body softened by half.

On the contrary, the Old Master Lu gave him an "encouraging" look, signaling him to do it. Zhao Shandé then slapped him with a trembling heart.

I hit the Lu family's young master... It's okay... The old scribe looked at his hand, unable to believe it.

Zhao Du'an said calmly: "We're here to collect grain. Do you know now?"

His gaze swept towards the remaining kneeling people.

The Eldest Young Master and the Third Young Master shivered together and hurriedly said: "To collect grain."

Zhao Du'an nodded in satisfaction: "Ask him, do you know why you are being punished?"

Zhao Shandé looked at the Second Young Master and repeated the question.

The Second Young Master felt the burning pain on his face and dared not be arrogant at all. He tentatively asked cautiously:

"Because we were disrespectful to Your Excellency?"

"Slap him." Zhao Du'an said expressionlessly, and added: "With force."

Zhao Shandé only felt a surge of qi and blood rushing to his heart, inexplicably a little excited. He spat on his palm, rounded his arm, and slapped him again with a loud bang!

This time it was very hard, and the Second Young Master's head was buzzing.

"Because you didn't pay the grain." Zhao Du'an replied lightly, his gaze sweeping over the remaining people: "Do you know now?"

The Eldest Young Master and the Third Young Master trembled and said in unison: "Because we didn't pay the grain!"

The Second Young Master, whose cheeks were swollen high: "..."

Zhao Du'an nodded and was about to speak when he saw the Second Young Master of the Lu family trembling all over in fright.

— This aristocratic playboy had already realized that whatever he answered, he would be beaten.

Zhao Du'an suddenly revealed a smile and shifted his gaze to the Old Master:

"So, do you know what to do now?"

The white-haired old man hurriedly said:

"The Lu family will fully cooperate with Your Excellency in suppressing the rebellion! Now that the imperial reinforcements have entered the city, the consumption of people and horses is so great that the exhausted money in the prefectural government will inevitably be unable to support the imperial court's military operations. We should call on all the people in the city to raise rice, silver, and all kinds of supplies for military use!"

The Old Master became more and more fluent as he spoke. He already understood:

Zhao Du'an brought two full battalions of tens of thousands of troops to arrive. The suppression of the rebellion would inevitably involve a large expense. Today's visit to the Lu family was to make the Lu family an example.

The old man smiled and said:

"This old one understands how to handle the fundraising. I will definitely not let Your Excellency return empty-handed. According to the old rules, the imperial court fundraises, the gentry in the city take the lead, and the people follow.

Afterwards, the gentry's donations are returned, and the people's share is divided between the two parties.

However, since it is a major event to suppress the rebellion, and Zhao Dutong is personally leading the troops, this old one presumes to represent all the gentry in the city and is willing to hand over the people's share in full. Not only that, but my Lu family also has a generous gift to present to Your Excellency..."

Zhao Du'an was slightly stunned when he heard half of it.

Hearing the second half, the smile on his face gradually disappeared again, and his eyes became dangerous.

He raised his hand, interrupting the Old Master's words, and said in a faint voice:

"You don't seem to understand, or you've misunderstood something."

The Old Master of the Lu family was stunned: "Please enlighten me, Your Excellency?"

Zhao Du'an sat on the stone bench, his body leaning forward slightly, his face closer, looking into each other's eyes. He stretched out his two hands, spread them open, palms up, shook his left palm, and said in a gentle voice:

"This official doesn't want the people's share, and you are not allowed to want it either. Just keep it in the hands of the people."

He retracted his left hand, and his right hand suddenly clenched into a fist:

"As for the gentry's share... I! Want! It! All!"

The Old Master of the Lu family was stunned.

Only Zhao Du'an's voice continued to echo in his ears:

"Not only that, but I want you to inform all the gentry and wealthy households in the city that tonight I will hold a banquet at the Lu family, inviting everyone to donate. Whoever dares not to come will bear the consequences!"