The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 500 - 389, The Joy of the Boudoir (5k)_3

"Sister, please entertain Brother Zhao for me; I'll go change my clothes..."

Jin Jian quietly covered her face, feeling that the dignity of the Heavenly Master Mansion had been utterly lost.

Once the disrupting presence left, Zhao Douan, with a big grin, turned to Jin Jian, who had also greatly improved in cultivation, and smiled:

"Long time no see."

Jin Jian entered the room, took off her glasses, her eyes once again lost focus, appearing dazed: "Ah? Has it been a long time?"

She didn't really keep track of time.

"...not wearing glasses?" Zhao Douan awkwardly restarted the conversation.

"It's winter now, there's fog!" Jin Jian stated confidently.

...Alright, that's indeed a tricky issue, but can't you magicians come up with some kind of "Defogging" magic array pattern or something...? Zhao Douan silently criticized.

Jin Jian, not much for small talk, sat down and spoke earnestly:

"Master said thanks, and he has accepted it, but please take the gift back."

Not accepting gifts? Are you sure these were the exact words of Zhang, that habitual freeloader?

Zhao Douan was incredulous, attributing it to Zhang needing to maintain a certain status publicly as the acknowledged Heavenly Master... With that thought, he realized his mistake; one should offer gifts privately, indeed he might have exposed it a bit this time...

Ah, such a rookie mistake, Secretary Zhao, how could you make it?

Is it because, as your status rose, your sense of crisis weakened, losing that on-thin-ice mentality?

Zhao Douan silently reflected, then suddenly asked, "The Heavenly Master isn't receiving someone else, is he?"

When does a leader ever explicitly refuse gifts?

Most likely when there are outsiders present.

Jin Jian was greatly shocked, thinking he was so clever, she hadn't even hinted at anything, how did he guess?

"Who is the Heavenly Master receiving?" Zhao Douan asked curiously.

Jin Jian's small head shook like a bobblehead: "No, definitely not."

Her mouth was very tight!

Zhao Douan looked disappointed, sighed, and looking at the big pile of gift boxes on the floor, he said: ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

"Since that's the case, then never mind. I was originally thinking, with so many boxes that I couldn't carry them all himself, I was preparing to give Priest Jin Jian some compensatory fee, what a pity, since the Heavenly Master isn't accepting, we'll have to drop it."

As he spoke, he took out a thick roll of silver notes exuding the smell of ink from his sleeve, amounting to thousands.

Jin Jian's astigmatic eyes went wide!

She opened her mouth, made a grasping motion in the air like a fish out of water, her rosy complexion visibly fading.

I knew it, everyone has weaknesses... Zhao Douan pretended to put the silver notes away, casually saying:

"But, if the priest would like to share..."

"Senior Brother! Zhong Pan!" Jin Jian blurted out straightforwardly: "Senior Brother has returned and is speaking with Master."

Zhong Pan? The "Little Heavenly Master," who according to the intelligence, intercepted Long Shu Bodhisattva at Yansuo Lake?

Zhao Douan squinted his eyes; if the Little Heavenly Master had returned, did that mean Long Shu Bodhisattva had also returned to the Capital?

In that case, the Western Regions Mission should be arriving too.

Delighted, Jin Jian grabbed the thick roll of silver notes, count them one by one, her happiness growing with each count.

"Eh? Brother Zhao has shared the profit with you?" Outside the door, Gongshu Tianyuan walked in, dressed in a new robe and with his hair neatly arranged.

Jin Jian looked up confused: "Profit?"

Gongshu Tianyuan nodded, "Yes, the remaining payments for the nitrate ice-making formula, that's your share of the profit."

So... this was already my money?

Jin Jian gazed stunned at the silver notes in her hand, suddenly feeling less excited.

...

...

Deep within the Heavenly Master Mansion, in a courtyard where a large banyan tree grew.

The entire courtyard had no snow, with green grass still growing on the ground, as if under the protection of the big banyan tree, this place was an everlasting spring.

A tall figure with narrow eyes, Zhang Yan, sat in a bamboo chair, hands clasped, scrutinizing the "Little Heavenly Master" Zhong Pan, who carried the blood-red Red Tide Sword and naturally bore a fierce look, smiling:

"It's been a long time since you returned; it seems you have gained something."

Zhong Pan respectfully held a purple clay teapot, pouring tea for the Old Heavenly Master, as proper as proper can be:

"The disciple is slow, barely making progress. How are the other junior brothers and sisters?"

Zhang Yan sighed, feeling melancholy:

"They haven't returned for a long while either, not knowing where they have wandered off to. Two more months until the end of the year, and they don't even think of coming back."

Senior Brother Zhong Pan said: "They probably are holding back, wanting to break through before they return to see Master."

"You... always make excuses for them," Zhang Yan huffed.

Zhong Pan curiously asked:

"Master, the Zhao Douan that you wanted me to protect, what is so special about him? To warrant you taking the risk of intervening in the court's secular power struggles?"

The assassination at Yansuo Lake, if investigated thoroughly, would mean the Heavenly Master Mansion had already interfered in court affairs.

But since it involved intercepting a fellow "Outworld" cultivator, Long Shu, and both parties did not overtly partake in it, no one delved deeply into it.

The Heavenly Master Mansion's tradition of standing firm for thousands of years largely relied on the principle of "not interfering in secular matters."

Zhang Yan was silent for a moment, then said:

"That Zhao Douan... I can't quite say, he's inscrutable."

Zhong Pan was shocked. With countless people in the world, who could be so profound that even his own master could not see through?

"Master acts with reason, of course. It's just..." Zhong Pan hesitated:

"That Zhao Douan is ultimately a man of the court. This time, let it be. Next year, when the Empress has been in power for three years, and the Dragon Qi is stable, when she can leave the Capital, the world's situation might undergo a big change again...

If the Empress really initiates the rites in Luo Mountain, seeking a breakthrough... it won't just be a royal conflict anymore. Martial Emperor, Qing Mountain, Divine Dragon Temple, and Western Regions Ancestral Court might also intervene... By then, if Zhao Douan gets involved, we..."

Zhang Yan's gaze shifted upward, not answering his senior disciple's question, his gaze seemingly penetrating through many buildings, pointing toward the west, saying:

"People from the Western Regions have entered the city."

...

At the Western Gate of the Capital, the gatekeeping officer was directing soldiers to clear the snow when he saw a slowly approaching caravan outside the city.

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ps: Writing this chapter to slow down the pace.