The First Lackey Under The Empress

Intentional revenge?

Qian Kerou's palm-sized face showed confusion, her single-threaded "confidential secretary" brain unable to figure out the key.

Zhao Du'an stood with his hands behind his back beneath the large ink painting, leaving only his back to her, and said faintly:

"Coming neither earlier nor later, but precisely at this moment, is it a coincidence? Not necessarily."

He used Li Lang to establish his authority, a goal that was obvious to everyone, and Princess Yunyang must have understood it.

Today, he opened the door wide for bribery and ransom, and the驸马 (Imperial Consort) took the opportunity to visit, intending to take people away in public.

If Zhao Du'an agreed, the authority he had painstakingly built would be severely weakened.

It would be interpreted as his daring to beat Li Lang that day because Mo Chou was backing him up.

Today, with Mo Chou absent, a 京圈 (Jing Circle) recognized "wimp" and "cuckold" could make him back down.

Especially today, the Jinyi (embroidered clothing guard) inside the Pear Blossom Hall, and nearly half of the officialdom in the capital, were watching remotely.

Similarly, ransoming people, demanding bribes from the families of minor officials, and offering it for free to the驸马 (Imperial Consort), the difference in treatment was obvious, and Princess Yunyang only needed to spread the word slightly.

Zhao Du'an's behavior of bullying the weak and fearing the strong, relying on power, would spread.

His authority would be swept away, and all previous efforts would be in vain.

Of course, this speculation may not be true.

But regardless of whether Princess Yunyang had this intention, at this crucial juncture, the 驸马 (Imperial Consort) coming to freeload and demand people was giving him trouble.

Zhao Du'an had to, and could only, fight back hard.

"Your subordinate doesn't understand."

Qian Kerou said honestly, the female official felt that the thoughts of the great figures in the court were so complicated.

It was like walking on eggshells, and a slight carelessness could lead to mistakes.

Imperceptibly, she became more and more admiring of her superior, feeling that the master was truly amazing.

"You don't need to understand. Thinking too much can easily affect the heart. It's good to be simple."

Zhao Du'an smiled self-deprecatingly:

"Continue, call the next one."

After the female secretary left, he touched his heart, lost in thought.

He wondered when he had become so scheming and black-hearted.

...

After the small interlude, the bribery process continued.

In the afternoon, perhaps the news had spread, and even more family members came to bribe.

The box under Zhao Du'an's table was full, so he had to change to a larger one.

The accumulated赃款 (bribed money) was also rapidly approaching the 30,000 taels of silver mark.

It didn't pause until the evening when it was time to leave work.

That day, as expected, a great storm arose in the early朝 (court) .

The collective imprisonment of fifty-eight officials was enough to attract the attention of the 三公九卿 (Three Dukes and Nine Ministers).

The Great Yu Empress Xu Zhenguan sat on the dragon throne, quietly listening to the ministers' repeated impeachments, remaining silent for a long time, and finally said calmly:

"朕 (I, the Emperor) will investigate and verify, and discuss it after understanding the cause."

Then, the eunuch raised his whip high and snapped it against the shiny golden floor of the 金銮殿 (Golden Luan Hall) with a "啪" sound, shouting in a shrill voice:

"Retreat from the 朝 (court)——"

The ministers left angrily.

The students of the 国子监 (Imperial Academy) discussed it heatedly, denouncing the treacherous officials for causing chaos, and the country was about to perish.

The next morning.

Zhao Du'an continued to accept bribes. During this time, no one from the 驸马府 (Imperial Consort's Residence) came again, and Princess Yunyang showed no reaction.

This instead made Zhao Du'an think highly of this woman, whose reputation for being "licentious" was well-known.

"Master, I'm afraid no one will come again today."

In the evening.

Qian Kerou walked in with a list of bribers and the amount of gifts.

It had been two days, and the time was indeed almost up... Zhao Du'an gave an "En" sound and asked:

"Is everything complete?"

Qian Kerou flipped through the list and said:

"Of the fifty-eight guilty officials, fifty-seven families have sent gifts."

"What about the last one?" Zhao Du'an raised his eyebrows.

Qian Kerou explained with a complex expression:

"The remaining one is Lu Zhi, a seventh-品 (rank) judge in the 大理寺 (Court of Judicial Review). This person... is from a poor family, and I'm afraid he can't afford it."

"Oh? Tell me more about it."

"Yes. As far as your subordinate knows, this person was born in a poor family. After passing the 进士 (imperial examination), he was arranged to serve as a judge in the 大理寺 (Court of Judicial Review).

This position is the starting point for 进士 (successful candidates), and in theory, he would be promoted quickly, but Lu Zhi's name is like his person, upright and unyielding, and he seems to have a bad relationship with his colleagues.

He has repeatedly refuted his superiors, even written to criticize the late Emperor, and does not associate with朋党 (cliques)... Therefore, he has been sitting in this position for ten years."

Qian Kerou said with undisguised admiration:

"However, this person has a good reputation among the people. It is said that he judges cases fairly and has the nickname 'Little Qingtian (upright official)'."

Tsk... sounds like a Hai Rui-like upright character...

So, his impeachment of me was with the intention of eliminating harm for the people?

Zhao Du'an muttered.

For these fifty-eight people, he had actually roughly investigated their backgrounds.

He learned that almost all of them were蜂拥而上 (swarming) to please Li Yanfu.

Most of them were at the bottom of the "Li Party."

This was why he felt at ease arresting them, but it seemed that this Lu Zhi was an exception.

"What did he say in prison?" Zhao Du'an asked.

Qian Kerou hesitated and said, "Your subordinate dares not say."

"Speak."

"Oh. He cursed you in prison, saying that you are a treacherous villain, disregarding laws and regulations, a traitor who corrupts the court, and will never submit to you, not even offering a single copper plate..."

The female secretary's voice became smaller and smaller, glancing at Zhao Du'an.

But she saw that this domineering and unbridled superior not only did not show anger, but listened with great interest.

"He's a very temperamental person," Zhao Du'an chuckled and ordered:

"Pass down the order, release Lu Zhi, and continue to detain the others."

At this time, the other three subordinates also walked in, and when they heard this order, they were all stunned.

They suspected they had misheard.

"Master... did you say the opposite? Shouldn't we release the fifty-seven people and only leave Lu Zhi?" Shen Juan asked blankly.

Hou Renmeng also showed a puzzled look.

Zhao Du'an's嘴角 (corner of his mouth) turned up, he sat upright at the head, and smiled:

"This official said that I was just inviting them to prison to cooperate with the investigation. Since Lu Zhi has nothing to do with the rebellious party, he should be sent back. As for the other fifty-seven people..."

After a pause, he restrained his smile:

"Although they also have nothing to do with the rebellious party, they dared to bribe court officials in public, which has violated the 'Great Yu Law'. They still want to be released from prison?

As the head of the 缉司 (arresting department), I have the responsibility to supervise all officials. I will personally draft a memorial to inform His Majesty. As for the nearly 30,000 taels of赃款 (bribed money)..."

He bent down and moved the two large boxes of gold, silver, and jade from under the table onto the table.

He casually scooped up a pile of silver ingots from it and placed them aside.

Pointing to the remaining two boxes, he changed his words:

"As for the remaining 20,000 taels of赃款 (bribed money), seal them with封条 (seal), and send them to the palace along with the memorial."

He pushed the allocated silver ingots forward:

"The brothers in the hall have been working hard these past few days. This official will pay out of his own pocket. Distribute these silver coins. This official is clear about rewards and punishments, and will never mistreat his own people, understand?"

The four people below were dumbfounded.

No one answered for a while.

Zhao Du'an was too lazy to take care of his subordinates' emotions, thought for a moment, and then said:

"By the way, there's one more thing. I want you to mobilize the channels and spread another message."

The reason this official takes money and doesn't do the job, but instead turns around and bites, engaging in entrapment, is only because I am targeted by the other eight divisions, unable to get any cases, and resent Supervisor Du for being biased and unfair.

This official was worried about failing this month's assessment, and therefore resorted to this tactic.

A series of schemes!

At this moment, Zheng Lao Jiu, holding a celadon tea mug and with the Di Bao (official gazette) tucked under his arm, was the first to understand.

Finally understanding the real purpose of Zhao Du'an's puzzling actions.

Striking back in retaliation?

That was just a convenient side effect!

His real goal was to blow things up and attract the attention of the entire imperial court.

It is conceivable that once Zhao Du'an sends the memorial and the 'ill-gotten gains' into the palace, the attacks against him in the court will be temporarily silenced.

Although entrapment is shameful, the fact of bribery is right in front of everyone, providing a reason to argue, debate, and smooth things over.

Zhao Du'an can completely explain it as:

He was only arresting people to 'cooperate with the investigation,' and would have released them after a day or two.

But a group of corrupt officials came to bribe him, so he couldn't be blamed.

In this way, with the Empress and Yuan Li showing a little favoritism, this matter can be raised high and dropped gently.

Zhao Du'an would at most receive a punishment of having his salary docked, which wouldn't hurt or itch.

But he would have severely retaliated against a group of parasites.

At the same time, the Li faction would also argue that they did not intend to bribe, but were misled by rumors in the streets, which is excusable.

Even to save face, they would do their best to bail out the fifty-eight people.

At this time, Zhao Du'an released the news that he was wronged and targeted by the eight divisions.

With Ma Yan's intelligence, he would definitely understand his intentions.

He only needs to go along with the flow to forcibly order the eight divisions to yield and offer up their cases.

And it won't make people suspect that Ma Yan and Zhao Du'an are in cahoots.

At the same time, Zhao Du'an's actions not only demonstrated his skill and dominance, but also crushed the blockade of the eight divisions, and even quietly moved some of the dirty money to reward his subordinates and buy people's hearts.

A combination of kindness and power.

How could the officials of the Pear Blossom Division not be convinced?

And agree to follow him, this Chief Investigator?

A triple win.

Although Zheng Lao Jiu and others couldn't guess all the plans, just seeing the tip of the iceberg was enough to make them terrified.

And develop a sense of awe for this young superior.

"This subordinate understands, please rest assured, sir, we will go and do it now."

Shen Juan, who is lazy but intelligent, also reacted, took a deep look at Zhao Du'an, and bowed as he left.

From then on, he was completely convinced in his heart, and only at this moment did this "sir" truly take effect.

From showing his authority to subduing the troublemakers of the Pear Blossom Division, Zhao Du'an only took three days.

After the four subordinates left.

Zhao Du'an closed his eyes again, listening to the rustling sound of the lush pear tree in the courtyard.

Quietly contemplating.

The four subordinates only thought that at this point, the series of schemes had come to an end.

But the truth is that, as of now, everything Zhao Du'an has done is just a prelude.

"The next step should be put on the agenda."

Should he challenge himself to find the mole within a week?

Give Zhen Bao a surprise?

Zhao Du'an felt that he could try.

......

......

That night.

A memorial and two boxes of gold and silver treasures, with the help of Zhao Du'an's special privilege as the 'Envoy of the White Horse Guard,' were urgently sent to the palace.

The next day, at the early morning court.

When the officials, filled with anger, were preparing to question the Empress about the 'investigation results,' the eunuch announced Zhao Du'an's memorial on the spot.

For a time, the officials were silent.

The subsequent development was completely consistent with Zhao Du'an's deduction.

Under the pressure of the court, the pressure was ultimately directed to Ma Yan.

Supervisor Du, under the pressure of the Empress, had to convene a meeting of the eight divisions and fly into a rage.

The investigators who were originally waiting to see Zhao Du'an fall were scolded miserably, sprayed with blood, and after the meeting, everyone was dumbfounded.

Only then did they belatedly realize that they seemed to have been schemed against.

Annoyed and angry, but helpless, Supervisor Du had issued a death order, ordering them to 'take care of it,' appease Zhao Du'an, and release the officials.

And end this farce.

The eight people had no choice but to swallow their pride and blood, and braced themselves to visit the Pear Blossom Division together.

But they were turned away.

......

"My lord is taking a nap, it's not good to disturb him, you can move to the flower hall to wait first," Qian Kerou said seriously.

Her cheeks were slightly red because she was lying.

"......?"

Hai Tang, the chief official of the Narcissus Division, who is tall, has a ponytail, and a tear mole at the corner of her eye, looked up at the setting sun.

She said expressionlessly: "Are you sure Chief Investigator Zhao is 'napping'?"

The heroic female investigator almost gritted her teeth, emphasizing the word "nap" very hard.

Tie Chi Guan, with developed muscles and a beard as hard as steel needles, twitched his cheeks and clenched his hands tightly, making a "creaking" sound from his knuckles.

Forcibly suppressing the urge to break down the door.

"Hai Tang, there's no need to make things difficult for the people below."

Zhang Han said calmly, this middle-aged man with a general's demeanor:

"We'll just go to the flower hall and wait."

In just three days, the situation had reversed.

From Zhao Du'an sending people to be rejected, to them, the chief officials, coming to be turned away.

"That Zhao is really vengeful!"

Hai Tang was indignant, wishing she could stab a few holes in him with a flying knife.

They waited for more than an hour.

Just as it was about to get dark and everyone's patience was almost exhausted.

Outside the flower hall, in the fiery red twilight, a dark silhouette slowly walked in.

Zhao Du'an, wearing a black flying fish uniform, with a tall figure and handsome appearance, came leisurely, with a bit of sleepiness on his face.

Ironically, although they had been officials in the same yamen for several days, it was the first time they had met each other.

What a beautiful skin!

Hai Tang's bright eyes lit up, and the urge to cut off his roots with a flying knife weakened a bit.

However, very quickly, when Zhao Du'an opened his mouth like a lion after they exchanged greetings, this trace of goodwill disappeared.

"If you want to quell this matter, it's very simple," Zhao Du'an looked around at everyone and smiled:

"I want you to share all the clues about the rebellious party in your respective divisions unconditionally with the Pear Blossom Division."

After a slight pause, he added: "Talk to me individually."

However much the eight divisions had taken from him, Zhao Du'an wanted them to spit it out twice as much.

ps: The plot of these chapters is relatively "big", so it seems a bit empty. There are many characters, and the protagonist is constantly giving orders. He can only advance the plot by constantly sketching to increase the readability. But this is also to lay the groundwork for the back. Now the groundwork is basically laid.