The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 136 - 121, Death Game

Xu Zhenguan shook her head.

With her level of cultivation, she was far from reaching the Human Immortal Realm where "whenever one speaks, it must be known."

So, the Empress, who was toiling away in the imperial study, had no idea that her silent arrangements had already been known by Zhao Douan.

"Knock knock." The door suddenly sounded, and Xu Zhenguan simply put down her pen, saying,

"Come in."

The door creaked open, and Mo Zhaorong, dressed in the attire of a court lady and wearing a black gauze hat without wings, came in and reported,

"Your Majesty, there has been an incident at the Ministry of Justice."

"Oh?" Xu Zhenguan lifted her delicate eyebrows, "Tell me."

Mo Chou gave a brief account of the events.

Unusually, she did not exaggerate or add fuel to the fire even though it involved Zhao Douan.

"So, Zhao Douan went to arrest someone, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice refused, and Ma Yan stepped in to forcefully take the person away?" the Empress summarized, almost like asking back.

"Yes."

"Alright, I understand."

"...Your Majesty, at tomorrow’s morning court, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice will probably not let it go," Mo Chou analyzed calmly,

"Marquis Xiajiang may not matter much, but with the conflict involving the Three Legal Departments and the Imperial Court, if not handled properly, in the end..."

Xu Zhenguan said lightly,

"I already have a plan, and I will give them an answer."

Mo Chou was taken aback.

She realized that the Empress before her had become increasingly assertive recently, no longer as cautious as before when facing court ministers, but instead possessed a bit more of an emperor’s decisive authority.

This change seemed to occur after "Pei Kaizhi" was deposed.

This significant event appeared to be just a replacement of a Vice Minister.

But in reality, it signaled that the Empress’s control over the court had ascended a new step.

Mo Chou felt somewhat happy for her.

Over the two years since Her Ascension, she had witnessed with her own eyes how "Third Imperial Princess" had step by step reclaimed the imperial power.

Although there was still quite a distance to completely take control of the court, this was already a gratifying trend.

"Yes. I shall take my leave now," Mo Chou said as she curtsied and turned to leave.

Xu Zhenguan, holding the azure jade Coiling Dragon pen, suddenly asked with a hint of curiosity,

"This time you didn’t speak ill of him; that’s quite rare."

The "him" obviously referred to Zhao Douan.

Mo Chou stopped in her tracks.

She couldn’t help but recall a few days ago when she had vehemently accused Zhao Douan of causing chaos in the Imperial Court, flaunting his power, only to be speedily contradicted.

That disastrous defeat significantly drained the "female Prime Minister" of her energy, and it took her a full two days to recover.

Learning from her experience, she decided not to make the same mistake again.

Caught off guard by the Empress’s teasing, she felt a mix of shame and embarrassment and fell silent for a moment before suddenly blurting out,

"Your Majesty might also want to remind Mr. Zhao to be cautious, such titles as ’Old Xu’ are fine in private, but it’s really improper for the palace maids to overhear."

After speaking, she bid farewell and left, disappearing outside the door.

Only the Empress in white, clutching the azure jade pen, remained seated behind the desk, with a perplexed look gradually appearing on her fairy-like visage,

"Old... Xu?"

...

...

When Zhao Douan bade farewell to Ma Yan and walked out from the Governor Hall, he felt a gentle warmth in his heart.

He indeed hadn’t expected that all this was arranged by the Empress.

"No wonder, my cold and merciless cheap senior brother agreed so readily, not even flinching at the Minister of the Ministry of Justice. It turns out he had already received the instructions from Zhenbao..."

"And here I was wondering, when did my flattery skills become so impressive that Old Ma would be so supportive this time... It all makes sense now."

With his doubts cleared, Zhao Douan felt a sense of relief and his steps became lighter.

Despite his confident demeanor in the Ministry of Justice, as if everything was under control,

In reality, provoking a conflict between two government offices... for a mere Master, it was truly a heavy burden.

However, after Ma Yan’s confession, the subsequent matters no longer required his concern.

"Just wait for tomorrow’s morning court, to see the dust settle."

Zhao Douan called for his coachman Little Wang and rode home in the night, instructing,

"Tomorrow I need to go to the palace, arriving around the time court is dismissed should be good; you estimate the time to pick me up."

After all, since it all started because of him, Zhao Douan wouldn’t feel at ease without seeing it with his own eyes.

Especially considering... there was also Princess Yunyang; he didn’t know how the Empress would handle her.

After all, considering the aunt-niece relationship, Zhao Douan thought about it and felt a headache coming on.

"Oh, oh."

The coachman Little Wang acknowledged, asking no further, as the carriage traversed the streets and alleys.

Neither of them noticed that from a distant dark alley, several figures dressed in grey cloaks emerged, watching the carriage disappear into the distance.

These people wore veiled masks, and leading them was a figure with an indigo ghost face mask.

Indeed, it was the Branch Leader sent by the Kuangfu Society to the Capital, taking over for Zhuang Xiaocheng.

"Branch Leader, are we just going to let him go like this?"

One person asked in a low voice, slightly eager for action.

The Branch Leader wearing the ghost face mask slowly shook his head,

"Wait a bit longer. That the Imperial Court and the Ministry of Justice have sparked such a quick contradiction is an unexpected joy.

Don’t forget our goal; compared to killing a pretty boy, shaking the court and weakening the Fake Emperor’s control over Great Yu is what’s most important.

If we kill this man now, it would only introduce unpredictability and cause the Ministry of Justice to lose a target for hatred, weakening the animosity between both sides.

It would also unite the court in shared enmity... It would be less satisfactory.

It’s just a pretty boy, let him live another day. Wait until tomorrow’s morning court when the two government offices confront each other in the Golden Throne Hall. Then it will be more secure to kill him."

The other Kuangfu Society Members were awed, subdued by the Branch Leader’s wisdom:

"Branch Leader has a deep and far-reaching plan; we’ll surely succeed in our major undertaking."

Then, the group vanished into the depths of the dark alley.

After they left, just across the alley, atop a hundred-year-old willow tree, the air twisted silently.

A delicate young girl’s figure appeared:

She wore a black robe with the "Heavenly Master Mansion" emblem embroidered on it, exuding a mystical aura, her gaze unfocused, seeming a bit dazed.

Jin Jian sat silently on a branch of the willow tree, with a thoughtful expression on her little face.

After a moment, she ultimately refrained from any rash action.

She simply turned into a burst of starlight, speeding toward the direction of the Heavenly Master Mansion.

...

Shortly thereafter.

Jin Jian once again arrived outside that quiet, secluded courtyard deep within the Heavenly Master Mansion.

Pushing open the courtyard door, she saw the massive, lush banyan tree with its green branches swaying, emitting a bright glow, illuminating the entire courtyard.

Under the tree.

Zhang Yan Yi sat on the ground, using the sky as a blanket and the earth as a bed, seemingly lost in thought.

In front of the Old Heavenly Master, on the low table, lay casually opened bamboo slips of green jade, beside which rested a carving knife.

That immensely precious "Heavenly Book," inherited for thousands of years, continually revised by generations of Heavenly Masters, now once again had a considerable number of characters erased, with new sentences carved on it.

"Oh? Master, you’re revising the book again?"

Jin Jian was startled and curiously approached.

Seeing that the master seemed not to hear her, paying no mind to her as if his spirit had wandered far away, leaving only an empty shell behind.

She crouched down, stretched her neck, peered at the bamboo slips named "Heavenly Book," and read softly,

"Man follows the Earth, the Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Dao, Dao follows... nature?"

Jin Jian muttered in confusion, "What does ’Dao follows nature’ mean?"

Zhang Yan Yi suddenly spoke, "Your teacher is pondering that too."

Startled!

Jin Jian jumped, her eyes wide,

"Master, you weren’t lost in thought."

"Indeed. Just thinking about some things."

"Um... are these new sentences also from that ’young friend’ of yours?"

"Yes. When I first heard them, though I found them astonishing and was delighted by them, I did not have any doubts. But upon returning to revise the book, I began to feel perplexed."

Zhang Yan Yi gazed into the night sky and said,

"Writing is the best form of contemplation. Before the words become worldly, the ancient Saints also used dialogue to think. Many puzzles in the world, you think you understand, but when you put it in writing, when you express it with words, that is when you realize you do not understand."

Jin Jian listened with a clueless face and candidly admitted,

"I don’t understand."

Zhang Yan Yi returned his gaze from the night sky, smiled faintly, and as he patted Jin Jian’s head, he said,

"It means you should write more and ponder more in your daily life."

Writing books... that’s not interesting... Jin Jian muttered inwardly and curiously asked,

"Does Master also not understand certain things?"

"Oh, there are many," Zhang Yan Yi said with an amiable smile,

"Take the word ’Dao,’ for instance. When I was ten, I thought I understood it; at twenty, I realized I did not. I believed I had grasped it at thirty, but at forty, I felt that the previous me really did not understand... This cycle repeated itself.

About sixty years ago, I comprehensively grasped our sect’s Heavenly Book and thought I had no more doubts.

After another sixty years, I had no new insights, but today, I was suddenly aware that the ’Dao’ I thought I saw through has once again become unfamiliar."

The Old Heavenly Master’s face, however, bore no disappointment or dismay but was rather ruddy and full of anticipation like a child.

What he did not say was that he just had an interaction with the Heavenly Dao and faintly felt a premonition:

The day he would completely overthrow and revise the "Heavenly Book" in his hands,

And the "New Heavenly Book" was finalized,

Would be when he took a further step in his practice of the Heavenly Dao.

And all this, it seemed, would depend on that young man named Zhao... The Old Heavenly Master became a little distracted.

Wondering why a mortal warrior could repeatedly utter brilliant phrases?

Has there ever been such a figure in history?

Thinking back and forth, only the Great Yu Grand Ancestor from six hundred years ago bore some resemblance.

"Um, right, what brings you to seek your teacher?" Zhang Yan Yi returned to his senses.

Jin Jian, reminded by the question, finally remembered the purpose of her visit.

She hurriedly recounted the "new incident" she had just witnessed, and at the end, she said,

"Master, those rebels seem to be targeting Zhao Douan, the emissary from White Horse Hall. I want to help him."

Within the Heavenly Master Mansion, there is an unwritten rule not to get involved in political struggles.

If the court requests aid in war, they may help depending on the situation.

But the Heavenly Master Mansion does not take the initiative to involve itself in conflicts, even if they discover rebels, they would act as though they have not seen anything.

It is precisely because they adhere strictly to this rule, coupled with their strong foundation, that the Heavenly Master Mansion has stood for over a thousand years, watching imperial powers change over generations, remaining unshaken.

"Oh, is that so?" Zhang Yan Yi was not surprised at all, smiled and said,

"Then go. By the way, I have something to tell you. Do you have the ’Imperial Talisman’ I gave you for protection on you?"

Jin Jian nodded earnestly, patting her little tummy,

"It’s right here, close to my body."

Zhang Yan Yi instructed,

"If anyone asks later, you just say you gave the talisman to that Zhao Douan, got it?"

Jin Jian was obviously puzzled,

"But I didn’t give it to him, it’s right here."

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She patted her stomach again to indicate she had kept it safe and had not lost it.

"... Your teacher knows. If someone asks, just say so."

"Okay."

"Don’t forget."

"I know!"

...

Transition chapter, please help catch any typos~