The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 176 - 155, Grand Ancestor Emperor’s Private Collection

"I have actually read quite a lot of books," Zhao Douan said thoughtfully, taking the initiative to volunteer himself.

Then, he helplessly saw the corners of the Empress’s mouth curl up as if his statement had amused her.

Xu Zhenguan shook his head and said with a wry smile,

"You want to relieve me of my worries, and I am delighted by that, but as they say, each has his own expertise.

Your strength lies in practical affairs, your performance these days has caught my eye, and you have done exceedingly well. Naturally, I won’t mistreat a meritorious Minister, nor am I unwilling to promote you.

However, this newly established so-called ’new cabinet’, officially known as the Xiuwen Pavilion within the government office, is intended to share the administrative duties, offer advice, and discuss state affairs, focusing on policies, finance, military etiquette, and many other matters.

Therefore, we can only look for scholars to join.

Moreover, we need individuals who are as less entangled as possible with the two factions of the court."

Such patient explanation could certainly be considered wholehearted.

Of course, Zhao Douan understood.

The so-called new cabinet was nothing but an effort by the Empress to build a base of literate officials loyal to the imperial power.

Thus, she deliberately blocked the current court Ministers and also sought to prevent the infiltration of the "Li Party" and the "Integrity Party"; the Xiuwen Pavilion was, in fact, the embryonic form of the future "cabinet".

In light of this, he was even more eager to get involved, but the Empress’s stance was clear:

The Xiuwen Pavilion was a place for scholars to shine, and Zhao Douan, a Martial Artist, should not crowd that scene.

As for his so-called reading... in Xu Zhenguan’s view, it might exist.

But how could it compare to the Advanced Scholars who had emerged from a "sea of corpses and ocean of blood"?

"Minister..." Zhao Douan opened his mouth, feeling somewhat helpless.

There was no way around it; stereotypes were strong, and clearly, they couldn’t be overturned in just a few sentences.

He couldn’t very well start discussing state governance strategies on the spot, could he?

Although he had read many books in recent days, it was only to understand the governing framework of the Great Yu Dynasty.

He still wasn’t clear on the details, and any strategy must first be "adapted to local conditions."

Without specific issues presented before him, he found it impossible to demonstrate his capabilities.

"All right," Xu Zhenguan saw his frustrated demeanor, smiled gracefully, then thought for a moment and said,

"It seems you’re still not giving up.

How about this? If you’re interested, in a few days when the Xiuwen Pavilion opens, I can take you there to broaden your horizons, so you can see for yourself the difference between your so-called reading and that of the scholars inside.

Then, you will naturally give up."

"Then I must thank Your Majesty in advance!" Zhao Douan’s eyes brightened, and he quickly bowed in gratitude.

No matter what, it was better to blend in first and see how things went.

Moreover, although he deemed himself experienced from his past life, Zhao Douan never underestimated the wisdom of the ancients.

What if they were all incredibly capable, potentially having no need for him?

In the night breeze, the two walked along the plaza, and after dark, the air was no longer stifling.

This little incident concluded, and the Empress initiated a new topic, asking about his cultivation progress.

Zhao Douan hesitated slightly, then replied,

"Within the Martial God Map, I have exited the desert and am just stepping into the tundra."

In fact, he had already delved deep into the tundra, but considering his excessively "earth-shattering" talents, he opted to play it safe.

Yet even so, the Empress seemed visibly stunned by his speed, attributing it to the influence of the previous "The Book of Changes marrow cleansing."

"Given that, I may have underestimated you a bit," Xu Zhenguan smiled,

"That’s good. I was originally planning to assist you tonight, but I was worried that the Heart Realm accumulation within your Martial God Map wasn’t sufficient. It seems I far underestimated you."

Zhao Douan curiously asked, "What do you mean, Your Majesty? Assist?"

Xu Zhenguan nodded and explained,

"It’s been a while since you entered Middle Grade as a mortal. Last time I performed the ’The Book of Changes marrow cleansing’ for you, the medicinal bath included many spiritual herbs. Even after accounting for the energy consumed during your transformation, the residual essence is enough to spare you a year of grueling effort and advance you to top-grade.

If you were a standard Martial Artist, sparring and fighting daily, the medicinal essence would be depleted.

But since you’ve been in the capital with no combat experience, the medicinal power has settled in your body.

I can help you expel this medicinal power to advance to top-grade."

Advance in cultivation?

Zhao Douan’s breath hitched:

"Your Majesty, where shall we break through? Are we returning to the hot springs palace?"

He was somewhat eager.

Xu Zhenguan gave him a sideways glance, her face flushing slightly in the darkness, and pointed ahead:

"We’re almost there."

...

Shortly after, Zhao Douan was led to a pavilion-like tower, the pavilion bearing a sign with three large characters:

Primordial Ancestor Temple.

Xu Zhenguan commanded the attendants following behind to wait outside and led Zhao Douan forward alone.

She explained, "Do you know what this place is?"

Zhao Douan shook his head honestly.

"This is a pavilion tower personally ordered by the Grand Ancestor Emperor during his reign, to be used as a place for quiet contemplation."

According to legends, whenever the Grand Ancestor Emperor faced a major decision that left him uncertain, he would seclude himself in this building to quietly contemplate and avoid distractions.

Afterward, generation after generation passed down the story that although ceremonies were held at the Grand Temple after the Grand Ancestor Emperor’s celestial ascension, in order to facilitate the Royal Family’s remembrance, they often burned incense here, thus it also considered a kind of ’family temple.’

As she spoke, she had arrived outside the building.

With a wave of her hand, the tightly closed doors opened, and the lamps inside all lit up one by one.

Stepping inside, the interior turned out to be a two-story space punctured into one, similar to the spacious style of a Daoist Temple, supported by huge red lacquered wooden columns thick enough to require several people to embrace, sustaining the lofty dome.

Ahead was a huge altar table, which bore no statues, only a very large calligraphy scroll hung on the wall, featuring a boldly and vividly brushed character "Martial."

Zhao Douan stared up in awe, captivated by the character "Martial" that seemed to burst through the paper and expand the heavens and the earth.

"Is this the Grand Ancestor Emperor’s handwriting?" he asked.

"...No," Xu Zhenguan awkwardly paused, then explained:

"The Grand Ancestor wasn’t skilled in calligraphy. This character was written by a renowned calligrapher of the time, but the Grand Ancestor Emperor had imbued it with the essence of martial arts."

I thought as much, whose family’s handwriting could be so attractive, and then on the stele, the Martial God Map turns into stick figures... Zhao Douan silently criticized.

The Empress walked straight to the offering table, opened a drawer, and took out six sticks of incense.

She handed three to him, lit them herself as a matter of course, respectfully bowed, and then planted them in the three-legged incense burner on the altar table.

Where would Zhao Douan delay?

He mimicked the Empress and also bowed with three sticks of incense.

In the quiet family temple, under the clear bright lights, a man and a woman stood side by side in front of the altar, offering incense to the character "Martial."

At that moment, Xu Zhenguan shed the imperial majesty of being an Emperor and the celestial aura of a cultivation expert, reverting to a mere descendant before his ancestors.

Zhao Douan simply took it as offering incense for his thriftily obtained teacher, Old Xu. After all, since he had been taught skills, he wasn’t at a loss.

But during the incense ritual, in the curling blue smoke, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye of the Empress next to him, her sleeves sliding down to reveal her creamy white wrists and a part of her indescribably beautiful profile.

A weird thought suddenly occurred to him:

Could this be considered some form of "meeting the parents"?

"What are you daydreaming about? Aren’t you going to sit down?" As he was distracted, Zhao Douan heard the Empress’s voice and saw her pointing to a mat on the ground.

"Oh, right." Zhao Douan hurriedly sat down cross-legged, somewhat taking on the air of temple meditation.

After offering the incense, Xu Zhenguan seemed much more at ease. She swept her sleeves and closed the doors of the Ancestor Tower, covering up whatever happened inside from outside views.

The Empress then walked to the side of the altar table and suddenly lifted her hand to turn a candlestick.

Amid a scuffling noise, a stone door opened in the wall, revealing stairs leading downward.

Zhao Douan was taken aback: "Your Majesty, what is this..."

"A wine cellar." Xu Zhenguan stepped through the stone doorway, and soon came back holding two jugs of wine, tossing one to him: "Drink, it’s good for digesting the medicine."

Zhao Douan sat cross-legged on the mat, holding the wine jug, and curiously said:

"Isn’t this a family temple? How could it be..."

Xu Zhenguan delicately lifted the clay seal off the wine jug, tilted her head, and took a sip. The clear liquid formed a stream that flowed into her opened red lips.

Underneath her graceful forehead, her graceful neck swallowed, showing the casual elegance she had displayed during their previous drink at the Emperor Tower.

Zhao Douan suddenly realized, the Empress had once mentioned that she liked to drink alone when happy, and after Pei Kaizhi’s downfall, she had gone to the Emperor Tower.

Today, with Zhou Cheng’s downfall, she came to the Primordial Ancestor Temple, and she turned out to be a drinker, who could believe it?

"Hah, the ’family temple’ was a title given by later generations. When the Grand Ancestor Emperor built it, he left this hidden wine cellar. There’s even an array set up inside to keep the wine tasting fresh year-round..."

Xu Zhenguan, holding the wine jug, kicked a mat over to face him, then also sat down, burped—a fragrance of alcohol mixed with her bodily scent wafting towards him—and squinted:

"After ascending the throne, I discovered the secret here.

I remember reading in the Grand Ancestor Emperor’s journal that his Empress forbade him to drink, so perhaps building this structure, what seemed a place for quiet contemplation, was actually just a place for the Grand Ancestor Emperor to drink in secret."

Zhao Douan was speechless, feeling that the venerable image of ’Old Xu’ he had seen in the Martial God Map was beginning to crumble.

"Alright, enough talk, take a few sips and then close your eyes to meditate. I’ll help you dissolve the medicine." Xu Zhenguan urged him.

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At that moment, sitting on the mat, she showed no sign of imperial dignity; rather, she resembled a fairy who had descended to the mortal world, a sword-bearing heroine of Jianghu.

Zhao Douan, smelling her sweet scent so close, with his past experiences, struggled to suppress the restless Little Zhao, and closed his eyes to mediate.

Little did he know, as he entered into meditation, Xu Zhenguan sitting opposite him, with bright shining eyes, quietly gazed entranced at his face.

"He’s quite... handsome."

...

Wuu wuu...

In the snowy plains, amidst the fierce cold wind mixing with snow, Zhao Douan opened his eyes to find himself wrapped in a cotton coat, curled up in a wind-sheltered snow pit.

At that moment, day was about to break, the morning light faintly glimmering. He crawled out of the snow pit to find Old Xu also dressed in thick clothes and boots, sitting cross-legged on the snowy ground.

His sturdy back, like rocks or mountains, his messy black hair and thick beard continuous, not sleeping, but with shiny eyes, looking towards the north.

"Old Xu, what are you looking at?"

Zhao Douan, familiar with the procedure, grabbed some snow, squatted at the edge of the pit to wash his face, his skin turning bright red, gradually reducing the cold feeling.

Old Xu said, "Old citizens."

What’s that? Zhao Douan didn’t hear clearly and asked again, but Old Xu remained silent.

He was used to this, knowing Old Xu was like an AI that occasionally came online, most of the time offline, and didn’t bother him about it. After washing his face, he suddenly mischievously smiled:

"Do you know what I just did? Your, great great great great... granddaughter led me to offer incense for you, right in that palace’s Primordial Ancestor Temple or Ancestor Pavilion. Think about it, did you actually build that tower just to dig a wine cellar for stealthy drinking?"

He casually joked, not expecting a response.

Yet, Old Xu suddenly turned his head, glanced at him, and uttered two words:

"Eleven, secret passage."