The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 143 - 127, the sixth entry into the Imperial Palace

A secluded alleyway.

Accompanied by the swarm of government officers from the Imperial Court, the place suddenly became crowded and bustling.

From her vantage point, Haitang, who hurried over to help, first saw a carriage overturned and lying flat on the ground.

Then she saw Zhao Douan, standing in the alley, along with Jin Jian, whose presence was less conspicuous.

The body of the dead swordsman was exactly obscured behind the two, out of sight.

"Why have you come?" Zhao Douan was momentarily taken aback.

He was surprised not only by the appearance of his two colleagues but also by their use of the term "rebel."

Haitang looked him up and down, relieved to see that he was unharmed.

Her gaze then shifted to the young priest, and she paused momentarily.

In an instant, she seemed to understand something, completing a series of mental deductions, and then she greeted with hands clasped together:

"I’ve met Priest Jin Jian before."

She then quickly explained:

"We received news that the new leader of the Kuangfu Society has entered the Capital..."

She spoke rapidly and concisely, recounting the events.

Zhang Han nodded and added:

"Just a moment ago, we saw a bluish mist rising in the distance, which suddenly vanished. We were puzzled and wondered if perhaps a rebel had sent a Magician to harm you.

Now it looks like it was Priest Jin Jian who acted?"

Both of them were also somewhat puzzled by the current situation.

As they spoke, they kept watchfully scanning the surroundings, as if searching for signs of a fight.

Shortly afterward, they expectedly noticed a figure behind Zhao Douan and immediately shouted:

"Who’s there!"

As they spoke, they were already in a fighting stance.

"No need to worry, he’s already dead," Zhao Douan said after a moment of silence, feeling somewhat helpless as he stepped aside to reveal, "This is the one who ambushed me with the intent to assassinate, um, already killed by me."

Killed by me... killed...

Zhao Douan’s casual remark reached the ears of the two, initially stunning them.

Upon seeing the corpse, kneeling on one knee with a sword in hand, eyes closed as if in deep sleep,

The expression on their faces turned to disbelief.

"Gao Li!"

Almost in unison, the two linked the appearance of the man before them with the portrait in their files.

Especially the distinctive Cold Frost Sword, which clearly indicated the identity of the body:

Newly arrived in the Capital just a few days ago, the successor to Zhuang Xiaocheng, the new Branch Leader of the Kuangfu Society, and also a talented swordsman who had stepped into the Divine Chapter Realm decades ago.

Not long ago, they had earnestly discussed in the Peony Hall how to deal with Gao Li.

How to gather the power of the nine sects and face the challenge together.

But now, Zhao Douan was saying that the new leader had been killed by him.

"Is that really Gao Li?"

The female detective, with her heroic posture, long legs, slender waist, and high ponytail, murmured to herself.

Zhang Han stepped forward to confirm, and said with a complicated tone:

"It should be right, he is indeed dead."

He raised his hand, touched the fresh blood on the chest, and said in confusion,

"Is this a knife wound? But this injury seems wrong... there are no fatal wounds, could it be the Divine Soul..."

Zhao Douan cleared his throat and spoke:

"He was indeed killed by Magic."

There was no way he could hide it, and he felt conflicted inside, unsure how to explain the situation.

A single Imperial Talisman held such power.

Zhao Douan was almost certain the old man who had repeatedly tried to draw him as a disciple was definitely a ’Cultivator’ of the "World" level.

Otherwise, how could an ordinary Divine Chapter Realm priest, even with such a prized talisman, be so generous as to give it away casually, right?

Here he was, a court-appointed official, a Tributor to the Imperial Family, yet connected with a high-ranking priest, potentially arousing suspicion...

It was a sensitive matter.

At this moment, Jin Jian suddenly spoke up:

"It was thanks to the ’Imperial Talisman’ from the Heavenly Master Mansion."

As the three turned to look at her, she lied without batting an eye:

"I gave it to him for self-defense."

Ah?

When did you give it... Zhao Douan was bewildered for less than a second before he nodded with a smile:

"That’s right, I previously sought Priest Jin Jian’s protection and thus we became friends. Recently, as I had attracted too many enemies and considering what happened with Marquis Xiajiang yesterday, I asked for her help."

A perfect excuse!

While speaking these words, Zhao Douan suddenly realized why Jin Jian had come to this place.

Surely, it was the divination-savvy old independent official who had sensed he would face danger today and thus communicated with Jin Jian to make her visit.

Thus, by claiming that the talisman was a gift from Jin Jian, everything could be accounted for.

As for the reason, there was already a ready-made one

—in the recent event at Prince Jing Mansion, they had caught a middle-aged Magician, who happened to be a deserter from the Heavenly Master Mansion.

Essentially, in that case, Zhao Douan inadvertently helped the Heavenly Master Mansion capture a turncoat.

This wasn’t a secret, many people knew about it.

For Priest Jin Jian to thank Zhao Douan, giving him a private favor in return, was perfectly reasonable.

Especially being the wealthy and generous disciple of the Old Heavenly Master, she was not short of money.

"Is that so..."

Zhang Han and Haitang exchanged glances, revealing a look of sudden realization.

At the same time, they couldn’t hide their astonishment.

They did not expect that Zhao Douan would be friends with a disciple of the Heavenly Master, with such great influence to ask for her help.

Since when did the proud and noble priest consider the infamous pretty-boy worth her time?

"Alright, this ordeal was quite dangerous, fortunately, in the end, it was the enemy who died, not me."

Zhao Douan spoke solemnly:

"Many thanks to both of you for coming to the rescue. This is a matter of great importance, and I just happen to be entering the Imperial Palace to report on it. Please help transport this corpse back, and also, I suspect there may be rebels lurking nearby..."

Zhang Han and Haitang exchanged glances, then said simultaneously,

"Master Zhao can rest assured, we’ll take care of this end."

Zhao Douan nodded his thanks, then turned to look at Jin Jian.

But he saw the young priest raise her little hand to yawn, her figure slowly fading away:

"I’m off now, come find me at the Heavenly Master Mansion if there’s something you need."

She really is a night owl, tired like this... Zhao Douan shook his head.

He borrowed a mount from a government officer, spurred the horse on, and raced toward the Imperial Palace,

"Hoping I haven’t delayed too long..."

...

...

Outside the Meridian Gate of the Imperial Palace.

The sun was high in the sky, the day was bright, and the morning court session had just ended.

Officials filed out in droves from the marble steps carved with dragons and phoenixes.

The atmosphere was unusual.

Many eyes fell on the officials from the Ministry of Justice, in particular on Zhou Cheng, whose frown was etched deeply into his face as he left in a huff without uttering a word.

He made no delay.

It was clear to everyone that the Minister of the Ministry of Justice was in a foul mood, and no one dared to provoke him.

Ma Yan was among the last to exit the Golden Throne Hall.

Not a single minister appeared to be on friendly terms with him.

His poor relations were evident.

As he walked alone to the Meridian Gate, he suddenly looked up and gazed into the distance.

Outside the gate, a solitary horse raced against the flow from outside the Imperial City!

When it reached the gate, the dark figure dismounted swiftly and approached with rapid steps.

The deep crimson of the palace walls, the golden sunlight, and the black figure like a dot of ink composed a scenic image with a lot of ambiance.

"Why have you come here?"

Ma Yan stopped in his tracks, his lean and stern face showing surprise.

Zhao Douan was covered in dust from his hurried horse ride and was now gasping for breath, but he managed to say with a chuckle,

"Brother Senior, how did it go? On my way here, I saw Zhou Cheng’s face was ashen, and he ignored me altogether. It seems he’s had a setback."

Upon hearing this, Ma Yan’s lips curved slightly upward as he briefly recounted the events in court.

So, you’re telling me, I stormed into the Ministry of Justice and assaulted someone... and there’s no trouble for me?

Zhao Douan found it amusing and asked curiously,

"What about the Marquis Xiajiang?"

Ma Yan replied calmly, "He was a severe criminal, executed immediately."

That harsh... Zhao Douan was taken aback.

But when he learned of the crimes the man had committed, he shook his head, thinking that this kind of person deserved to die a hundred times over.

"And the outcome regarding Princess Yunyang’s punishment..."

He finally asked the question he was most concerned about.

Ma Yan glanced at him and said,

"You came just at the right time. When I left, Her Majesty instructed me to find you and bring you to the Imperial Palace, to explain things to you personally."

The case of the Marquis Xiajiang, although instigated by Princess Yunyang at the back, ultimately lacked evidence.

And given that it involved the face of the Imperial Family, it was unsurprising that it wasn’t mentioned on the spot.

But the Empress definitely had to provide him with a resolution.

"Her Majesty is looking for me?"

Zhao Douan couldn’t help thinking it was quite the coincidence—that everything had come together at once—and he smiled,

"I’ll head over right away; I also have a major matter to report to Her Majesty."

The Imperial Palace was far from the site of the assassination.

And with the efficacy of the Imperial Talisman and the coverage of the "Void Illusion Scroll."

The brief convergence of the cirrus clouds caused disturbances only limited to that particular district.

Therefore, those in the Golden Throne Hall were not yet aware of the incident.

"A major matter?" inquired Ma Yan.

...

...

In the Imperial Study.

After the court session, the Emperor of Great Yu, first assisted by palace maids, took off the Dragon Robe and removed the Bead Curtain.

She then changed into her usual white attire before, as always, heading to the Imperial Study to review the accumulated petitions.

Dressed in a female official’s robe and wearing a black hat without wings and adorned with plum blossom makeup, the "female prime minister" with androgynous beauty, had already been waiting for a while.

"Your Majesty, the confidential report just sent by the Shadow Guards has been placed at the very top."

Mo Chou strictly performed her role as the "great female secretary."

Xu Zhenguan, who had just come off the morning court and was faintly weary, perked up at the mention of "Shadow Guards."

She walked gracefully to the back of the desk.

Then sat down on the golden nanmu chair, cushioned with silk.

Her pale, slender fingers picked up that one "confidential petition" from the small mountain of petitions at the top.

All knew that the Imperial Court was the blade in the Empress’s hand, wielded openly.

But very few knew that in the hands of the Emperors of Great Yu throughout history, there was also a hidden dagger.

This was an underworld spy organization known as the "Shadow Guards," under the system of "Royal Tribune," loyal only to the sovereign.

Unlike the Imperial Court stationed in the Capital, which mainly monitored court officials and was dispatched to the Nine Roads and Eighteen Prefectures on major cases, the Shadow Guards were scattered within the territories of Great Yu, apart from the Capital.

Members were all hidden in the shadows, existing as covert spies.

Through the format of "confidential petitions," they delivered important messages from across the land to the Empress.

"A Branch Leader?"

Xu Zhenguan opened the confidential petition, her beautiful eyes scanning over each character, her slender eyebrows furrowing slightly, and she said coldly:

"So Zhuang Xiaocheng is gone, and now Gao Li has been pushed over to us, these remnant scandals from the drains are truly restless. It seems... I have been too kind to them."

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This confidential petition contained news that Gao Li had secretly slipped into the Capital to take on the role of the "Branch Leader," replacing Zhuang Xiaocheng.