The Empress's No.1 Lackey

Zhao Douan assumed his duty in the Imperial Court on the sixth day.

Early in the morning, the red sun of the East Sea rose out of the clouds.

In the Imperial Garden, the rare and precious plants and trees that had been painstakingly transported from all over Great Yu over the past six hundred years, now shed dewdrops that glittered like crystals.

Groups of golden koi fish in the pond jostled and competed for food.

The Empress, clad in white, stood by the pavilion on the lake's edge, holding a blue-and-white porcelain container filled with fish food. Beneath her pale skin, faint blue veins could be seen.

She tossed the food nonchalantly, a picture of beauty.

"Your Majesty, Mr. Yuan has arrived," reported a female attendant from behind.

Xu Zhenguan, without turning her head, focused on amusing the fish,

"Please."

Shortly thereafter, a man in a big Qingyi robe with an open front, led by a Palace Attendant, walked along the winding path of green bricks, passing through the arranged rocks and flowing water, surrounded by many attendants bowing their heads.

He arrived next to the pavilion Zhao Douan had once seen.

The Imperial Censor, a refined and handsome man with deep-set eyes, smiled and said,

"Your Majesty seems to be in a good mood today, has something amusing happened?"

Xu Zhenguan tilted the rest of the fish food into the pond, turned around, and the dignified Empress responded teasingly with a smile,

"Mr. Yuan, why pretend to ask what you already know?"

The sovereign and her minister shared a knowing smile.

Both were aware that they were referring not only to the recent turmoil stirred up by Zhao Douan but also to the farce that had settled at court earlier that morning.

Last night, after the Eight Hall Detectives were forced to bow to the Zhao thief's depraved power and concede, Zhao Douan finally showed mercy and released the remaining fifty-seven people.

This morning, Lord Ma Yan personally made a report, stating that the "misunderstanding" between the parties had been resolved.

As for the officials, due to the massive bribes involved, they had no desire to investigate further and just kept quarreling endlessly.

Both sides tacitly ceased their disputes, and the perpetrator Zhao Douan simply received a three-month salary deduction as punishment with the promise of no leniency for future offenses.

It was nearly as good as no punishment at all.

He had won big time.

And all the while, the Empress and Yuan Li, watching over the mountains from on high and overlooking the tumult below, took great pleasure in witnessing the embarrassed expressions of the officials led by the Li Party.

The pair found great enjoyment in the turn of events.

The two of them entered the pavilion and sat facing each other at a table.

Yuan Li laughed and said:

"Zhao Douan has been in the Imperial Court for merely five or six days and has already found his footing and stand firm. At first, his display of power might have only induced fear, but after this turmoil, things must have greatly improved."

Sometimes, the observer of the game sees the situation most clearly.

Before those caught up in the midst of things could comprehend, Yuan Li had already roughly guessed Zhao Douan's true intentions.

Even so, when everything unfolded as he had predicted, the First-rank official still stroked his beard in admiration.

"Good generals are hard to find, and Zhao Douan's ability to lead is a blessing for Your Majesty."

Yuan Li delivered his flattery with finesse.

Xu Zhenguan felt delighted.

Sometimes, when people say they dislike flattery, it's not because they truly dislike it or find the flatterer's techniques lacking in finesse.

Rather, it's because the flatterer's status is too low.

Receiving compliments from someone as widely respected as Yuan Li, a man esteemed by all scholars throughout Great Yu, was hard to resist.

A faint smile played across the flawless face of Xu Zhenguan:

"Mr. Yuan jests, merely a Master Detective with some trivial, unsophisticated tricks. Should the Little Forbidden Army hear this, I fear they might become too proud."

Criticizing overtly while praising covertly.

Though her words seemed to downplay the significance of those just in the imperial guard, she was actually extremely satisfied.

In just five or six days, Zhao Douan had managed to subdue the troublesome Lihua Hall, which had long been a headache to Ma Yan.

Though direct comparisons weren't quite fair.

After all, Ma Yan, by virtue of his position, had to balance various factors and faced numerous constraints, while Zhao Douan, being an outsider, had no such concerns.

Nonetheless, his rapid success was remarkable.

This was something the Empress had not anticipated.

But if Zhao Douan were here, he would surely have corrected her with stern righteousness:

He would never strut about proudly... and even if he did, it wouldn't be his tail that he'd be holding high...

"If there is one flaw, it's that his style and methods are too rigid, not sufficiently subtle."

Xu Zhenguan objectively pointed out the flaw.

Yuan Li smiled and said,

"But since Your Majesty agreed to send him there, you must have anticipated this."

Xu Zhenguan replied with a hint of helplessness,

"I did expect that, given my 'Imperial Sword', he would stir up some trouble, but I didn't expect him to be able to stir up this much."

Yuan Li chuckled, gently stroking his beard, and remarked,

"The young man knows full well that he can act so boldly because he has Your Majesty's backing; he even dares to chase away the prince consort."

Mentioning Princess Yunyang, his own "aunt," Xu Zhenguan also sighed, a bit troubled.

She had always been one to value kinship, and though her relationship with this particular aunt was not good, there was still a blood connection.

She couldn't deny her all semblance of face, she could only hold back. Now, she said with a sigh:

"I will personally send an imperial edict to the Imperial Court later, to have Li Lang returned. After being held for so many days, my aunt's incessant complaints have been driving me to distraction."

At this point, giving such an order would not undermine Zhao Douan's authority.

However, this would certainly infuriate Zhao Douan's aunt thoroughly; one could only hope that it wouldn't lead to further conflicts.

Seeing the unchanging expression of the Empress, Yuan Li changed the subject,

"To my knowledge, Zhao Douan has already requested from the Eight Halls clues about the rebels, probably with the intention of rooting out the traitor."

Clearly, as a staunch supporter of the Empress, he was also aware of Zhao Douan's "hidden mission" upon entering the Imperial Court.

With the conversation turning to serious matters, Xu Zhenguan's countenance grew more solemn, and her elegant brows furrowed slightly:

"Mr. Yuan, do you think he can achieve this?"

Yuan Li countered,

"And what is Your Majesty's level of confidence in him?"

Xu Zhenguan hesitated for a moment, her gaze became more intense:

"If before, I had but ten to twenty percent confidence in him, now, it's risen to fifty percent."