The First Lackey Under The Empress

"Call me Old Second and bring the wine…" Zhao Du'an hugged the heavy, black wine jar, slapped away the mud seal, and instantly the fragrance of wine filled the air.

Just as the Empress's sleeve brushed past, an invisible force field spread out, shielding them from the cold wind.

And so, this "First Lookout Tower" became quiet.

Above, the starry sky was dazzling; below, ten thousand homes were lit.

Atop the empty and towering "Son of Heaven Tower," precious delicacies and fine wine, a lone man and woman… Zhao Du'an suddenly realized:

Today's grand display, with hundreds of palace attendants present, even if most of those in the know kept their mouths shut, some rumors were bound to leak out.

Zhao Du'an's secret meeting with the Empress late at night… would undoubtedly greatly increase the perceived truth of their "scandal."

Is this also your goal? Zhenguan?

Zhao Du'an's thoughts drifted as he came to stand opposite the Empress and began to pour wine.

His eyes couldn't help but wander.

The Empress's cultivation was powerful, and her figure was tall, but she was still half a head shorter than him, as those with experience knew.

The height difference, even if only a little, allowed the one standing higher to have a panoramic view of the one below.

Especially with one sitting and one standing.

Although the Empress, to show her majesty, wore a high collar and a tight chest wrap, artificially compressing her size, preventing anyone from glimpsing the valley scenery.

The slender swan neck extended downwards, creating a breathtaking curve that stirred the imagination.

"Swish, swish…"

The clear wine gushed out, almost filling the porcelain bowl in front of the Empress.

Only then did Zhao Du'an move the wine jar away and sit down cross-legged.

When he tentatively raised his head, he saw the Empress's clear eyes quietly scrutinizing him.

An inexplicable dryness in his throat… Zhao Du'an was somewhat dazed.

This was the first time he had so carefully seen her face clearly.

During the two times he ground ink for her, and the time they strolled in the garden, he had only seen her profile.

As for the time they had lunch together, Zhao Du'an was uneasy and had no mind for aesthetics, eating with the determination of a condemned man, and hadn't looked carefully.

Only now, on this vast rooftop, with a circle of red lanterns hanging high, and delicate dragon-shaped candlesticks placed among the delicacies and fine wine on the table.

Xu Zhenguan's naturally perfect face, without the slightest flaw, was clearer than ever before.

Her dark eyebrows were like distant mountains, her jade bones were naturally formed, her rosy cheeks were like piled snow, and her delicate nose was particularly upturned.

The imperial majesty in her bones, combined with the aloofness of a female cultivator, created Xu Zhenguan's unique and noble temperament as an unparalleled woman in the world.

"Drink," the Empress's voice was clear and cold.

"Oh…" Zhao Du'an filled his own bowl, intending to raise his cup and say a toast, a skill he had honed at banquets in his previous life.

But Xu Zhenguan had already picked up her wine bowl, raised her neck, and drained it in one gulp!

How bold!

The clear wine spilled from the corners of her mouth, trickling down her snow-white, tight neck.

Zhao Du'an quickly accompanied her with a bowl.

"Pour wine."

"Pour again."

Xu Zhenguan drank three bowls in a row, and Zhao Du'an accompanied her with three bowls. He noticed that after the wine entered the Empress, not a trace of alcohol escaped.

She was deliberately locking her pores, deliberately feeling the intoxication.

Then, he heard the Empress say softly:

"Do you know why I came here to drink tonight?"

Zhao Du'an blinked, saying, "Tonight is the Mid-Autumn Festival, the full moon is just right…"

His speech was slow, as if organizing his words, but in reality, he was observing her expression.

This was a small skill he had learned in his previous life to guess what people were thinking, first releasing half a sentence, and then adjusting the second half based on the changes in the superior's expression.

Similar to novelists adjusting subsequent plots based on feedback from readers.

While observing her expression, he said:

"But, although the moonlight is good, it is always there, but a moment of joy is rare."

The Song Dynasty scholar in "Retreat Studio Miscellany" once recorded that Emperor Shenzong of Song wanted to execute someone, but was refuted by a minister and could not get his wish. In his anger, Shenzong complained:

I can't even do one thing that pleases me!

When Zhao Du'an read this story in his previous life, he was moved and guessed that emperors throughout history had similar feelings.

Even the tyrant at the peak of autocracy, when he first ascended the throne in his youth, must have been greatly restrained.

At the beginning of his transmigration, he thought that the Empress, with her powerful cultivation, would be different, but after observing her for this period of time, he found that was not the case.

Pei Kaizhi's concern was for his descendants, while Xu Zhenguan's concern was for the stable survival of the Great Yu Dynasty, or perhaps even the desire to prove that she was no less than the emperors of previous generations.

If she single-mindedly sought the Dao, she could have been a carefree person, but she wanted to create a prosperous era.

Then, martial force alone was not enough. From historical experience, it could be known that a rule maintained by violence was indeed feasible, but it could only be limited to a small area.

Once the radius of rule was too large, violence would experience systemic failure, and the logic behind it was very simple.

The larger the population ruled by a tyrant, the more people would be hostile to him, confront him, and try to overthrow him.

The Empress's cultivation of "Pseudo-Celestial Realm" was not enough to confront an entire Celestial Realm.

Even if she advanced to "Valkyrie" and reached the legendary Human Immortal Realm, being invincible in the world, the country under a tyrant would not be a prosperous era.

Therefore, Zhao Du'an felt that behind the Empress of Great Yu's glory were shackles all over her body, locking up her cultivation.

She also never had a moment of joy.

"A moment of joy is rare… a moment of joy…" Xu Zhenguan was stunned.

At this moment, the peerless Empress seemed to have been stabbed in the heart.

She stared blankly at Zhao Du'an, not expecting that he would blurt out her thoughts in one breath.

He understands me…

Once this thought emerged, it could not be stopped.

The Empress's gaze also turned gentle. She suddenly smiled, stood up, with the full moon above her head, paced by the railing, overlooking half of the capital below, and said loudly:

"Well said! Today, cutting off an arm of the Li faction is indeed a moment of joy, worthy of a large white cup."

She turned back and smiled again:

"Then guess again, why did I only order you to accompany me?"

She likes me… Zhao Du'an quickly extinguished this wrong answer, thought for a moment, and said:

"Drinking alone is too lonely and boring, perhaps this subject's appearance is still passable?"

Translated: Drinking alone is no fun, shouldn't you call a handsome man to accompany you?

Why are you so shameless… Xu Zhenguan couldn't help but smile, shaking her head and saying:

"You are wrong this time."

Zhao Du'an knowingly asked: "Then why is that?"

Xu Zhenguan snorted, and in an instant, a hint of feminine charm flashed by:

"Drinking with you, at least there won't be any random rumors."

These words were inexplicable, but Zhao Du'an understood.

Those in high positions, every move they make, will be interpreted and guessed by countless people.

Drinking with any other minister, if it spread, would trigger a series of uncontrollable risks.

But Zhao Du'an was an exception.

The two already had a "scandal", and as a male favorite, accompanying her to eat, drink, and sleep… was all taken for granted.

Instead, it would not cause the courtiers to speculate wildly.

For some inexplicable reason, Zhao Du'an suddenly felt that the woman in front of him was somewhat "pitiful."

"Your Majesty…" He opened his mouth, but was interrupted by the Empress raising her hand: "Shut up, listen to me."

Zhao Du'an was silent.

The Empress frowned slightly: "Did you hear that?"

Zhao Du'an pointed to his tightly closed mouth, waving his hand to indicate:

Your Majesty, you told me to shut up.

"…" Xu Zhenguan was inexplicably annoyed, but in a good mood, she was too lazy to argue with him.

She raised her hand, and a jar of wine spun and flew up on its own, the lid opened, and she grabbed it with her slender and delicate fingers, raised her head and took a hearty drink, exhaled a mouthful of alcohol after a moment, sighed softly, and said:

"You guessed one thing wrong just now, I used to come here, not for joy, but mostly to dispel sorrow."

Using wine to dispel sorrow, huh… Zhao Du'an covered his mouth and said nothing.

Xu Zhenguan seemed to be lost in memories: "The earliest time was more than ten years ago."

More than ten years ago? That was still during the Third Princess period? Zhao Du'an raised his eyebrows.

Xu Zhenguan said:

"At that time, I was still young, but I had already entered the palace's royal school. The Crown Prince and the Second Imperial Brother were also still there at that time. The Crown Prince was kind and benevolent, but somewhat dull. At that time, the Grand Tutor Dong, who taught at the school, commented that if the Crown Prince succeeded to the throne, he would definitely be a benevolent ruler.

The Second Imperial Brother was the opposite, quite intelligent, and was not bad at either martial arts or reading, but he was just passionate and only liked to make friends and travel, mingling with famous people, military generals, and meritorious nobles in the capital… He didn't care much about reading.

Looking at it now, I'm afraid the Second Imperial Brother already had the intention of cultivating his own faction at that time? Clearly, he was still a teenager."

For the first time, Zhao Du'an learned about such vivid descriptions of the other two protagonists in the "Xuan Gate Incident," and couldn't help but listen attentively.

Xu Zhenguan didn't continue to speak, but waited for a moment.

Seeming to feel that it was stupid to only talk to herself, she helplessly waved her hand:

"I allow you to speak."

Zhao Du'an smiled, looked at the Empress's back, and said:

"This subject does not dare to comment on such royal secrets."

"If I tell you to speak, then speak!" Xu Zhenguan was slightly drunk, and her words and actions were very different from her usual majesty and composure.

You told me to say it… Zhao Du'an muttered, cooperating and asking:

"Your Majesty should be very good at reading."

The corners of the Empress's mouth curled up slightly:

"That's natural, I was the best at reading in the entire school at that time."

After a pause, Xu Zhenguan suddenly felt lost and sighed:

"But her academic performance was the worst in the entire royal school."

Zhao Du'an was stunned: "Why?"