The First Lackey Under The Empress

“No… no… I…”

At this moment, Lu Liang, known for his 'motormouth,' was momentarily incoherent.

The scene unfolding before him was simply too surreal.

The smugness of his recent success, the fantasies of revenge against Zhao Du'an, all seemed to be mercilessly shattered by the appearance of the jade scepter.

More profoundly, a sudden surge of fear washed over him.

Ironically, when Zhao Du'an's identity was merely that of the Empress's consort, Lu Liang had not been afraid at all.

Because of the rule established during the reign of the Taizu Emperor, that outspoken officials would not be punished, he would not be penalized no matter how much he attacked Zhao Du'an, as long as he stood on 'principle'.

Especially with Xu Zhenguan's recent ascension to the throne, surrounded by wolves, the Empress dared not rashly punish censorious officials.

But upon discovering that Zhao Du'an's new identity was 'a guest of honor to Lord Yuan,' fear arose instead.

The Empress would not execute an outspoken official, but the Grand Censor could.

Especially when he had done something wrong and was caught red-handed by the other party, as was the case now.

“Censor Lu, why are you so incoherent?”

Zhao Du'an said calmly:

“Just now, I heard you mention that I had an affair with that female thief and threatened government officials. I am curious as to where these rumors came from. Why don't you bring the relevant people here now for a public confrontation?”

Beside him, Yuan Li smiled leisurely:

“This official will gladly serve as a witness.”

A confrontation? Absolutely not!

Lu Liang shuddered. The arrest warrant was fake, and the affair was based on conjecture; these were things that could not be concealed.

He immediately realized that sophistry and resistance were meaningless, and he knelt down in a flash:

“Since Envoy Zhao says so, it must be that this humble official mistakenly believed the rumors, leading to a misunderstanding.”

As soon as he finished speaking, without waiting for the two to react, Lu Liang turned around angrily and issued orders to the officials beside the prison cart:

“Quickly send the prisoner back to the yamen! Everything as before, no delays!”

The change in tone was too fast, like a tornado, leaving the group of officials dumbfounded…

They were standing far away and could not hear the conversation beside the cart.

They only saw Censor Lu being called over for questioning, and after a few words, the order was reversed on the spot.

“Lord Lu, didn’t you say that you would use the female thief to target Zhao…?” The flattering official hesitated.

Lu Liang's face darkened, and he said loudly:

“This official was deceived by rumors and almost wrongly accused Envoy Zhao. Now that it has been clarified, why haven't you sent the person back yet!?”

One second he was shouting accusations, the next he was slapping himself in the face at the speed of light.

The surrounding commoners couldn't keep up with Lu Liang's rhythm and looked at each other in confusion.

The officials dared not disobey and immediately turned the prison cart around.

Yun Xi was stunned for a few breaths before she understood what had happened.

It seemed that this dog official had been reprimanded by that Zhao thief, and she… was okay?

Her mood was a mixture of emotions: relief, joy, self-blame, annoyance, disappointment… Yun Xi suddenly realized that she didn't seem so brave after all.

She feared death and clung to life.

And the care she received from Zhao Du'an was becoming increasingly heavy.

A strong sense of shame surged into her heart, and Yun Xi desperately tiptoed, trying to shout out the lines she had practiced countless times in prison, refuting Zhao Du'an's views.

“Ugh… ugh ugh!!”

Yun Xi was stunned for a moment, her eyes reddening with anger. She had actually forgotten the fact that she had a gag in her mouth.

Zhao Du'an versus Yun Xi, round two, KO.

……

The prison cart went away, accompanied by the girl's unwilling sobs.

Lu Liang ran back to the carriage, bowing, with a look of shame:

“Please punish me, Lord Yuan.”

However, the great scholar in blue robes, holding the jade scepter, looked at Zhao Du'an and said:

“You decide how he should be punished.”

Joke, I would like to strip off his official robes directly, but you definitely wouldn't agree… Zhao Du'an muttered inwardly.

Knowing that this minor mistake was not enough to deal with the other party, and that Lu Liang's response measures were perfect.

Yuan Li smiled and casually ordered:

“Because of your fault, the people have suffered under the scorching sun. You are fined to stand until sunset. Are you convinced?”

Lu Liang took a deep breath:

“This humble official… is convinced!”

Yuan Li laughed heartily, lowered the curtain, and the four carriages set off again, as if all of this was just a chance encounter.

Leaving behind only the departing prison cart and the commoners who were about to disperse.

As well as the iron-tongued censor, standing like a nail under the scorching sun, maintaining the posture of pleading for forgiveness with his hands clasped.

It was conceivable that Lu Liang's reputation would suffer greatly after today.

And all of this was only because of a casual remark from the Grand Censor.

……

……

Inside the carriage, as the excitement faded away.

Zhao Du'an finally couldn't help but speak:

“Lord Yuan, today's events were not accidental, were they?”

He really couldn't accept that the other party would favor his script so much based on a single encounter in the Imperial Garden.

Unless the other party liked men… Thinking of this possibility, Zhao Du'an shivered, silently moving further away, his eyes wary, to protect his chrysanthemum.

Yuan Li: “……”

Zhao Du'an: “……”

After a long while.

Yuan Li finally threw down the jade scepter, annoyed:

“If this official wanted to harm you, would I need to go to such lengths?”

That's not necessarily true… Zhao Du'an was very cautious, maintaining a high degree of vigilance against unprovoked goodwill.

On his face, however, he looked relieved and worried:

“This subordinate is just worried that today's events will spread and affect your reputation.”

The refined and amiable grand power-holder exuded an air of dominance:

“Who would spread it?”

He had said this sentence once at the Imperial City Gate, this was the second time.

At first, he didn't understand the meaning of the song, but now he was already a part of it. It seemed that, in his opinion, Lu Liang would never dare to gossip.

After a pause, Yuan Li added faintly:

“Moreover, I have never pursued or cared about so-called reputation. I was like this as a young man, and I am still like this today. Those who pursue a pure reputation will be burdened by it and ultimately lose it. Those who do practical things, even if they are not understood by outsiders for the time being, will naturally be praised and admired when everyone in the world truly benefits. Why seek it externally?”

Zhao Du'an sincerely said:

“Lord Yuan's state of mind is far beyond my reach.”

Yuan Li suddenly smiled:

“With your notoriety today, if you were to turn over a new leaf, it would be much easier to gain a good reputation than it would be for Lu Liang.”

I know, a villain only needs to lay down his butcher knife to become a Buddha… Zhao Du'an smiled:

“This subordinate thinks that a bad reputation is sometimes more useful.”

The reason why he maintained the original persona to the outside world was largely because he valued the benefits of a bad reputation.

Yuan Li smiled, and the two looked at each other.

The two, disparate in status and opposite in reputation, actually developed a certain mutual recognition because they both didn't care about the word 'reputation'.

It was like smelling out one's own kind in a crowd, regardless of status or other external things. Lu Liang would never understand this point.

After smiling.

Yuan Li suddenly asked: “Do you think my punishment for Lu Liang was too light?”

Zhao Du'an shook his head solemnly:

“Lord Yuan, you are not related to me, yet you are willing to help and protect me. I am already extremely grateful.”

Yuan Li smiled:

“So, you are still not satisfied. You want to deal with him? Just like you brought down the Zhang family?”

Zhao Du'an nodded frankly: “I do.”

Back then, when the entire court impeached him, Lu Liang was the vanguard. Now he wants to harm him again. Even a clay figure has some anger, let alone Zhao Du'an.

“How do you plan to do it?”

“I haven't thought about it yet. I'll catch him doing something wrong first.”

“Lu Liang cherishes his reputation very much. He has minor faults, but they are insignificant. It will be difficult to dig up dirt on him.” Yuan Li shook his head.

Zhao Du'an blinked: “What advice do you have, Lord Yuan?”

The great scholar in blue robes said calmly: “If you want to prune the small branches, you can cut off its main trunk.”

Zhao Du'an smiled wryly:

“You're joking. Lu Liang is backed by the entire Li faction. I can't bite through that with my teeth.”

Yuan Li shook his head:

“I'm not asking you to deal with Li Yanfu. Do you know why Lu Liang can act under the banner of the Ministry of Justice? It's only because his wife is the fourth daughter of Vice Minister Pei of the Ministry of Justice.”

Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice!

A third-rank official. One step up is the Minister.

Although he can't compare to Yuan Li, he is already a powerful figure that Zhao Du'an dare not provoke.

“You mean…” Zhao Du'an's breathing tightened slightly.

Yuan Li smiled:

“Since you want to make contributions, instead of staring at small fish and shrimp, why not try to take a big bite?”

After a pause, he said leisurely:

“Bite off a piece of the Vice Minister's flesh. Do you… dare to do it?”