The Empress's No.1 Lackey

He suddenly stood up, searching through the bookshelves. Last time, he had collected numerous notes from the Grand Ancestor Emperor. Among them was a section that mentioned the "Mystic Turtle Seal."

Soon, Zhao Douan found the ancient book titled "Yingchuan Miscellaneous Records" and located that particular article.

The content roughly stated that, in the past, the Grand Ancestor Emperor tried to find an artifact named the "Mystic Turtle Seal," but could never trace its hiding place. Once, while talking with a close friend and drunk, he slammed the table and sighed, saying,

"An old saying claims that treasures belong to those with virtue. I possess such great virtue, yet I can't obtain it, which proves that the words of ancients are like farts."

"What does Pei Niannu mean? Is the Mystic Turtle Seal hidden in Yansuo Lake? Is this leaf the key to obtaining the treasure?" Zhao Douan breathed hurriedly.

He didn't expect this pleasant surprise.

He didn't believe the female sorcerer would deceive him for no reason, and given her status back then, it wasn't surprising that she had such information.

As for Yansuo Lake... He happened to know it was located at the juncture of Linfeng and the Huai River, where the court had chosen to open the market at "Hu Ting."

Zhao Douan put down the ancient book, clutching the shiny leaf, and remembered Zhenbao's joking words about him visiting Hu Ting to participate in the market's inauguration.

His expression became strange, and he muttered, "Could this be fate?"

...

...

That day, news about the State Preceptor of Great Yu Kingdom being executed and the rebel branch of the Kuangfu Society being completely uprooted began spreading wildly throughout the government offices.

The court officials were baffled and stunned, having just received notice the previous day to be on their guard.

But within a day, the threat had been eliminated, and besides astonishment, this made people look down on the rebels even more.

Especially since Zhao Douan had uprooted the sub-branch in the Capital, it significantly shifted the officials' attitudes toward the Kuangfu Society.

After all, three Branch Leaders had died in six months, and now a complete sweep had taken place, sending out an undoubtedly positive signal.

Zhao Douan's name once again became the center of the conversations, but people's focus wasn't on his accomplishments but…

"Have you heard? During the early court session, Mr. Zhao came out from His Majesty's bedchamber. It is said he had scratch marks all over him, his steps were unsteady, his face was pale as death, and he had to lean against the palace walls to exit."

"I also heard that there were terrible screams from the Emperor's bedchamber after midnight…"

"From His Majesty?"

"How could it be possible? Of course, it was Mr. Zhao screaming…"

Hence, at a banquet, a group of officials clinked glasses with tacit understanding, speaking cryptically, all understood among them:

"Young ones have it all…"

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to anyone, a prisoner quietly vanished from the Imperial Prison, with related records also sealed.

Wu Ling secretly escaped from the Capital, using an emergency contact method he had at his disposal to reconnect with the Kuangfu Society before hastily departing.

As for the disappearance of the young actor from the Eight Directions Theater, the official explanation given by the government was that he had been killed by rebels from the Demon Path.

Zhao Douan's prisoner exchange plan was also quietly set into motion, but to the vast majority, this was just insider's knowledge limited to a few.

For most common folks, they had no idea what was happening. Wu Ling's "death" momentarily became a topic of conversation over meals, also causing some noble ladies to briefly grieve.

...

...

The temperature difference between day and night in the Capital was becoming more pronounced.

Street sellers with persimmons were also on the rise.

One clear morning, the Zhao family's home became bustling early in the day.

Zhao Douan woke up early as usual, first practicing his martial arts.

After his body was soaked in sweat, he returned to the central courtyard and saw Zhao Paner standing with her hands on her hips, loudly instructing the servants to dismantle the tower.

Today was "Frost Descent", according to the custom of Great Yu, every household would stack tiles or clods into a tower shape on the ground, then light it with branches inside to heat the tiles red-hot.

Then they'd knock it over, use the inside hot tiles to heat the sweet potatoes, and eat them.

Named "Mechanical Potato Tower."

And afterwards, those tiles were also thrown at the village head and alleyway, sent outside the home.

Named "Send Potato Ghost."

"Big brother!"

Today, Zhao Paner was wearing a thickly padded jacket with her hair cascading down the back of her head, her slightly round cheeks flushed with a touch of red.

It seemed she had stood beside the fire tower too long, her entire dewy skin roasted into a red glow, with beads of sweat on the tip of her nose, resembling a human-shaped sweet potato.

She sweetly called out, then pointed to the house servants who were burying a basket of sweet potatoes in the red-hot tiles, saying,

"When you go to the outer city later, they'll be ready. Eating sweet potatoes, you won't feel cold all winter."

Zhao Douan smiled broadly, lifted his hand to tidy her hair on her forehead, and said with a laugh,

"Then you all eat more, big brother isn't afraid of the cold."

Behind him, You Jinhua, also wrapped in a dark green padded jacket, was calling her stepson and daughter to eat.

The morning meal was all highly nutritious.

After the frost descends, winter sets in, and the days have been getting colder.

"When will the troops be withdrawn? Will there be any delay?"

You Jinhua stood beside the table, twisting her waist, personally serving porridge to her children.

"No rush, I am a military officer on special assignment; I just need to show up on the scene, there's no need for me to participate earlier."

Today, Zhao Douan had put on the official robe of the Divine Mechanism Camp's commander, with polished soft armor placed on the ground.

As a tradition in Great Yu, the frost's descent marks the end of autumn, and the military across various regions hold a "withdrawal of the troops" ceremony, and naturally, the Divine Mechanism Camp must participate.

And according to tradition, cannons are fired into the sky, colloquially known as "hitting the frost's descent," symbolizing the expulsion of the deities controlling the frost to ensure that crops and all things are not affected by the frost.

As a military officer, Zhao Douan also needed to attend.

However, he highly doubted whether the deities could really be driven away by cannons...

Hmm, he could perhaps discuss this with Miss Jin Jian when there's time...

You Jinhua nodded, then took out several invitations and handed them to him to review,

"These were delivered last night, I saw you were cultivating and didn't disturb you."

At the end of autumn, numerous gatherings sprung up in the capital, scholars banded together to ascend heights, and warriors organized autumn hunts. Now flourishing in the capital, Zhao Douan received invitations like snowflakes, with visitors arriving daily.

Most, however, were stopped by the steward outside.

Only those selected, with certain statuses, would be handed to You Jinhua and then to Zhao Douan for review.

"Big brother, is there any literary meeting attended by Mr. Zhengyang lately? I've heard recently from the ladies that the literary circles in the city are bustling," Zhao Paner asked curiously.

Zhao Douan pressed his lips together.

Mr. Zhengyang had entered the city the day before yesterday, followed by hundreds of disciples. Upon settling in the city, he drew scholars from all over the capital to visit him.

His inn was so crowded it was nearly impassable.

The most talked-about topic in the city these past few days was the arrival of this top recluse of the Great Yu.

Zhao Douan hadn't visited, but he had people keep an eye through various channels, and the summarizing report was four characters:

"Malicious visitors!"

Compared to the Mr. Zhengyang School, which stirred a sensation upon entering the city, another team entered around the same time but only drew significant attention within a small circle, which concerned him more.

However, these upper echelon intrigues were complicated, not suitable to discuss with the family, to avoid worrying them.

Thus, Zhao Douan merely smiled ambiguously, glossing over it. After dinner, he donned his armor and prepared to leave the house; Zhao Paner stuffed two hot sweet potatoes into his arms.

...

On the streets of the capital, Zhao Douan, in armor, galloped on his horse, feeling the warmth of the sweet potatoes in his embrace.

Observing at every street corner, with every household overturning tiles outside as "Send Potato Ghost," his expression gradually turned grave, murmuring,

"Sending ghosts? Hah, the Eight Princes have sent two ghosts straight to the Zhenbao's doorstep now."