The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 376 - 320, it was you who killed him

At the moment Gao Lian was being executed by Zhao Duan in the painting,

outside the Ministry of Justice's prison, a carriage escorted by Imperial Guards on horseback carrying torches came from the palace and stopped outside the grim building.

Mo Chou lifted the curtain of the carriage, stepped down without any hesitation, and directly led a group of people into the prison.

"Miss Mo?!" A few officials who had been urgently arranged to take charge of affairs in the prison due to the sudden and unexpected death of Wang Chusheng were shocked and came out to greet her, "What brings you here? Could it be that Your Majesty has instructed you?"

Mo Chou could not be bothered with them, the female officer's brows furrowed with killing intent, said coldly, "I want to interrogate Gao Lian."

"This..." The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice hesitated.

"Alone, take me to his cell, no one else should come close." Mo Chou completely ignored the reaction of the official and continued.

The Vice Minister immediately said, "Please, this official will personally take Miss Mo there. Don't worry, we have kept him secure."

Mo Chou glanced at him and said, "I said, no one else should come close."

The Vice Minister's expression stiffened, but Mo Chou completely disregarded this important person and directly had the jailer lead the way, then led a group of Imperial Guards forcefully into the prison.

"Vice Minister, Mo Zhaorong is trying to…" Beside him, a Chief was tense and nervous, fearing the Emperor might condemn them since a witness died tonight.

"Don't interfere, don't ask! Do your job well!" The Vice Minister scolded, staring at him, "If you don't want to die."

The Chief's forehead instantly broke out in sweat beads.

He waved his hand to drive away the gathering officials and turned his head to deeply gaze at the prison with a heavy expression, heaving a sigh.

Outsiders might not know, but he was clear that after the coup by Xuan Sect, the Empress cleared the palace of rebels, and this unknown female officer also had her hands stained with many lives.

...

"Mo Zhaorong, the person is just ahead, held separately in a cell," Inside the prison, the jailer, sycophantically smiling, led the group through the corridor.

Pointing at a cell door ahead and said, "This is it."

Then, he bellowed, "Gao Lian, the criminal officer? Aren't you hastening to greet the Heavenly Official?"

Silence reigned.

A wave of unease surged in Mo Chou's heart, and she swiftly strode over, the Imperial Guards behind her shoving the jailer aside, clustering at the door, illuminated by the torchlight.

Inside the cell, Gao Lian was seen sitting cross-legged like a monk, head hanging, motionless.

"Something's wrong!"

Mo Chou's eyes narrowed, "Open the door!"

Next to her, an Imperial Guard drew his sword, chopped off the lock of the cell, stepped in, and nudged with the back of his sword.

As soon as he touched it, Gao Lian's body softly fell to the ground, his expression peaceful, utterly serene in death without any signs of injury.

"He's dead!" The Imperial Guard tested for breathing and exclaimed.

Mo Chou froze, her usually indifferent face showing astonishment.

"There are words on the ground!"

As the torchlight filled the cell, Mo Chou followed the voice and saw, in front of the corpse on the ground, a short confession written in blood.

Mo Chou stared blankly at the scene, her expression becoming exceedingly strange.

She hadn't taken action yet; how could the person be dead already? Who completed the task first?

"Leave half the troops to seal off the scene, the rest follow me out!" Mo Chou suddenly ordered, turning and rushing out hurriedly.

...

...

"You can let me down now, no need to take me home, just drop me off here."

Two streets away from the Ministry of Justice, on a secluded street.

Jin Jian, dragging Zhao Duan, gently floated down to the ground in an "invisible" state.

"Oh." The youthful priest was obedient, and also liked to be lazy, happy to hear that she didn't have to exert herself by escorting someone home.

"Do you not want to take me home?" Zhao Duan noticed her joy and asked solemnly.

"Mmm-hmm!" Jin Jian vigorously nodded, her forthright nature clear, she declared proudly, "Flying with someone is really tiring."

Saying this, she even pretended to be exhausted and heaved a heavy sigh for emphasis.

Then, with hopeful wide eyes, she stared at him—thanks to the crystal glasses, she went from a "lifeless" Jin Jian to a "expressive-eyed" Jin Jian.

For instance, at this moment, her eyes seemed to spell out two big characters:

Payment!

"…" Zhao Duan sighed, pulled out a silver note from his sleeve and handed it over, and only then did Jin Jian beam with joy, bowed her head low, and carefully placed the silver note in her carry pouch.

"I'm telling you, this money doesn't come for free. Whatever happens tonight, you must learn to forget and not talk about it with anyone else, understand?" Zhao Duan cautioned.

Jin Jian put the silver note away and looked up blankly, "What happened tonight?"

"...Very good, you can go back now."

"Oh."

Jin Jian turned into a burst of starlight and disappeared.

On the cold, empty street, Zhao Duan was left alone. He shook his head; after so many collaborations with Jin Jian, he could honestly say they had been very pleasant and reassuring.

Although that girl seemed clueless, she was actually quite clever—a reliable teammate indeed.

"Phew..."

Exhaling, Zhao Duan walked on the deserted street, glanced back towards the direction of the Ministry of Justice's Imprisonment, and recalled the moment Gao Lian died.

"Does this count as putting theory into practice?" he used sarcasm to lighten the aftermath of murder and continued walking towards the Imperial Court.

He planned to stay overnight at the government office under the pretense of gathering information, but just as he stepped out, reaching an intersection under the moonlight, he suddenly stopped.

There, at the crossroads under the moonlight, a familiar carriage bearing the Imperial Palace's emblem was stationed.

Beside the carriage were several Imperial Guards holding torches, seemingly waiting for him.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and with his excellent night vision from the Divine Chapter Realm, he clearly saw the face that seemed to say, "I knew it was you."

Inside the carriage.

When the thick curtain was lowered, Zhao Duan could clearly hear the Imperial Guards nearby, and even the coachman, tacitly moving away to a significant distance, guarding at every nearby intersection.

He looked opposite, only to see Mo Chou lighting a small lamp inside the carriage and retracting the flint.

The orange halo spread out, illuminating their faces.

"Why are you here?"

The two of them said simultaneously.

Then they fell into a mutual silent gaze.

Zhao Duan chuckled, made a gesture inviting her to speak first, ladies first.

Mo Chou looked at him icily and said, "Don't tell me you came to the Imperial Court because you heard about Wang Chusheng's death."

Zhao Duan was taken aback, "Mo Zhaorong, your intelligence truly impresses me."

With a cold smirk that gave away her thoughts of his foolishness, Mo Chou challenged, "And you traveled to the government office just on foot?"

Saving energy doesn't work? Riding doesn't cost grain, right? Zhao Duan hit back, not backing down, "Miss Mo leaving the palace so late, not going to the Ministry of Justice to observe the situation but blocking me; surely you're not specifically here to receive this official for a night service at the palace?"

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

Mr. Zhao had a knack for pressing people's weaknesses, and was accustomed to manipulating situations, like when he used lewd jokes to make the Commandery Princess crumble, and likewise.

Now, mentioning the Empress immediately broke Mo Chou's composure, she replied sternly, "I just came from the Ministry of Justice's Imprisonment, Gao Lian is dead, you killed him, didn't you?"

Zhao Duan remained silent.

So he admits it... Mo Chou was shocked, despite having suspected as much, but couldn't help but widen her eyes, "How dare you?!"

"How dare I?" Zhao Duan smiled, "As a subject, isn't it my duty to relieve Your Majesty of her worries? A clever subject doesn't wait for commands but deals with matters efficiently."

His tone slightly sarcastic: "Mo Zhaorong, you leaving the palace overnight, surely it wasn't just to kill and silence others?"

Mo Chou paused, her face flushing with suppressed anger, "What nonsense are you spouting? Why would I?"

"You wouldn't?" Zhao Duan smirked, "But if not, then it's strange, how did you just happen to come upon this after Gao Lian died? Such a coincidence, and well, your acting is a bit poor, when one's intentions are exposed, they often use anger to mask it, your expression has already betrayed you."

Stung by his accurate reading of her mind, Mo Chou took a deep breath, knowing from their many past encounters she had never gained the upper hand in verbal sparring, she hardened her expression and said, "How could you..."

"How could I know? Or, how could I think this way?"

Zhao Duan sighed softly, leaning back on the soft cushion in the carriage, he said gloomily:

"Because Your Majesty needed Gao Lian dead, wasn't that clear from the beginning?

When I was out with Chen Hong, he told me that throughout dynasties, imperial envoys sent to investigate cases were primarily not to inquire about the cases but to understand the Emperor's intentions first.

Just like during the late Emperor's reign, there was a case of examination fraud, and the late Emperor sent four waves of imperial envoys to investigate, dragging it out for over a year. Why? It wasn't because it was difficult to investigate, but because the conclusions of the first three waves didn't satisfy the late Emperor...

Haha, I digress. Anyway, when Imperial Censor Chen mentioned this, I understood he was hinting that Your Majesty needed a significant scandal to serve as a warning to others, the proverbial 'strike one to warn a hundred...'

The hardest to tackle in implementing reforms are the interests of families like the Jiangnan gentry, and unsurprisingly, Gao Lian became the target in this game."

He continued helplessly: "So, upon arriving at Taicang Prefecture, I made a show of summoning troops and adopting an intensive investigation stance. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Gao Lian turned out to indeed be the mastermind behind the curtain. If he hadn't been, it would be me who'd be troubled, seeking whom to pin this grave sin on.

If it were the late Emperor, he might have either sentenced him on the spot upon his return to the capital or pretended nothing had happened, but Your Majesty faces a more complex situation.

Your Majesty needs to be seen as a fair and just ruler, a Holy Emperor, to win the people's hearts and counter the rebels' slander about gaining power illegitimately, so she had to opt for a trial by the Three Agencies."

Zhao Duan's face was expressionless: "Clearly, some people do not wish Your Majesty to become that enlightened ruler."