The Empress's No.1 Lackey

"Boom!"

At the South Suburb of the Capital, as "Test Number One," the cannon's muzzle spewed a bunch of blue smoke, the thunderous explosion reverberated through the woods, and Zhao Douan stood among the crowd, looking up at the sky as a plume of yellow smoke drifted up.

Then, from all directions, the thunderous chants of thousands of soldiers rose, deafening.

Zhao Douan dug his finger into his ear, turned his head to the person beside him, the head of the Firearms Bureau in the Divine Mechanism Camp, Chen Huoshen, and smiled,

"The progress is good."

The old acquaintance, Chen Huoshen, proudly stroked his beard and responded with a smile, "It's all thanks to your great teaching, sir."

Zhao Douan smacked his lips and criticized,

"Next time, we could add more pigment to the gunpowder so that it splashes brightly and beautifully in the air, just like daylight fireworks."

Around him, the military generals, led by the Commander of the Divine Mechanism Camp, Shi Meng, exchanged looks, wondering where such loud fireworks existed?

At that moment, everyone was clad in bright armor, having completed the final step of the autumn military drill. As far as the eye could see, the troops from the three camps of the Capital Camp filled the fields, their banners fluttering impressively in the wind.

On the highest hilltop were the military officials from the Privy Council led by Xue Shence.

Following the conclusion of the "Frost Descending" drill, low to mid-ranking officers directed their respective camps' soldiers to orderly return to base.

In the countryside, where only a portion were "professional soldiers," those who normally farmed, having concluded their spring and autumn drills, each returned home to prepare for the harvest.

However, the imperial guard of the Capital Camp consisted of the elite who trained all year round, thus this customary autumn event also served as a grand military exercise for the entire army.

The next would be the coming early spring.

"Don't hurry back, Master Zhao, as the Secretariat Envoy invites all generals to a banquet at noon, and you must attend," chuckled the burly, yet sharp-minded, Shi Meng, adding, "It's a tradition."

Well, it had become tradition for the military generals to have a meal after the autumn drill every year, and while other mixed invitations could be declined, Zhao Douan did not refuse one of this caliber.

Therefore, after the drill, all camp generals gradually congregated towards Xue Shence, a compact group of officers, each with their own warhorse, not hurrying back to the city but lazily trailing behind the returning army.

Upon seeing Zhao Douan approaching, Xue Shence suddenly smiled and called out, "General Zhao, it's been a while, shall we chat in private?"

Eh... What's with this friendly tone... Zhao Douan was surprised, having a typically formal relationship with this "Military God," he now nodded with a smile, "I would be honored."

Thus, Xue Shence broke away from the troop and sped ahead; Zhao Douan hurriedly spurred his horse to follow.

In this way, the pair left tens of other generals behind, who exchanged glances, each harboring a look of envy:

Just a fourth-rank Master, how could he, in this occasion, be in the company of the Secretariat Envoy alone?

This was extremely rare in the past, but if that "fourth-rank" officer was Zhao Douan, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

...

In the late autumn, the scenery outside the town was a mosaic of yellow and green, and the mountain breeze was invigorating.

"Clap, clap, clap..."

As Zhao Douan and Xue Shence pulled away from the other generals, they slowed their horses down, riding side by side.

"What guidance does Mr. Xue have?" Zhao Douan, holding the reins, looked at the Great Yu's Military God, cutting straight to the point.

Xue Shence today was not wearing the scarlet robe embroidered with a lion on the chest but clad in a full suit of Qilin armor, with a black and gold spear hanging beside his horse.

Yet his complexion was still pale, the short beard on his chin clearly well-groomed. Hearing the inquiry, he seemed taken aback, almost smiling, "Lord Zhao sure speaks frankly."

He did not use the title "Master" but "Lord."

This clearly indicated that the following conversation would not be from a "superior" to a "subordinate," but between officials of different government offices serving in the court.

"Although Zhao is not usually in the ranks, I consider myself a military officer and thought it better to speak frankly," Zhao Douan said with a smile.

The implied meaning was:

Even though I am favored, I still consider myself a military officer under your command.

Xue Shence felt satisfied, and the usually stern-faced man's wrinkles deepened with a hint of a smile:

"I've been beating around the bush, but it's fine. Lord, have you been paying attention to Mr. Zhengyang and the developments on Qingzhou Road these past few days?"

Zhao Douan responded with a wry smile,

"I have certainly heard about it, but don't laugh, Mr. Xue. I have been in office for a short time. In the past half a year, I've barely come to recognize most of the officials in this part of the Capital. But as for personalities outside the Capital, I'm mostly uninformed. Like this Mr. Zhengyang, it was only on my last trip to Taicang Prefecture on official business that I learned about him. It was said that when the Xiuwen Pavilion was being prepared, Her Majesty considered inviting him out of retirement, but it didn't happen. I didn't expect that, mere months later, he would appear again and cause such a stir."

Riding atop his horse, Xue Shence suddenly stated, "It's said that he was invited down by the Mu Prince of Yunfu."

The Mu Prince... Rooted in Yunfu Road, adjacent to the southwestern Alien Race, one of the "Eight Princes," ranked among the top three in strength amongst them.

Flashes of corresponding information went through Zhao Douan's mind, his astonishment evident, "Is that so?"

Xue Shence smiled,

"Although I am in the Capital, I still manage several soldiers, and through military communications, I also get some news from abroad. Especially since Zhao Shixiong, who leads the southwestern border army stationed in Yunfu, deals most with the Liao Clan and local bandits there. Hence, there's a bit more document exchange."

Zhao Shixiong... Zhao Douan was familiar with this relative's name, having heard of him several times, knowing him to be a major general overseeing a region.

The retired soldiers from the Jizhao Temple in the eastern part of the city had once served under Zhao Shixiong.

Xue Shence suddenly, out of nowhere, blurted out, "It's said, Zhao Shixiong and the Mu Prince are also close."

Zhao Douan's expression slightly changed.

That statement was incisive.

A border army general, entangled with a restless member of the Imperial Family, really touched a sensitive nerve.

"Mr. Xue didn't mention this to Your Majesty?" Zhao Douan asked.

Xue Shence sighed, "These are rumors of uncertain authenticity, how could I possibly speak of them to Her Majesty?"

Ha, it's your status that makes it inconvenient, isn't it? There was already a traitor in the Privy Council who colluded with Prince Jing. As a Secretariat Envoy, you can hardly escape blame. Now, speaking ill of Zhao Shixiong would likely net you the reputation of "inciting discord between sovereign and ministers"...

Zhao Douan smirked, finally understanding the purpose of Xue Shence seeking a private conversation with him.

Undoubtedly, he wanted to use Zhao's mouth to convey the intelligence to the Empress—by putting him in the middle, Xue Shence would avoid the culpability of "concealing and not reporting" and also dodge the accusation of inciting discord face-to-face.

However... this matter was indeed a bit tricky.

Mr. Zhengyang leading his students to the Capital, their momentum formidable. Although there had been no improper actions thus far, discerning individuals realized this was not auspicious.

Now knowing that it was Mu Prince who had invited him down the mountain, the targeted implication was even stronger. Delving deeper, Mr. Zhengyang had initially declined the court's invitation but now accepted Mu Prince's invitation...

Ha, the implication of his allegiance was all too clear.

"That so," Zhao Douan uttered, ending the conversation there.

Xue Shence didn't expound further on this topic. Being both intelligent men, Xue had passed on the message, and he trusted Zhao Douan would relay the news upward.

In the late autumn woods, two horses rode side by side, silent but for the sounds of their hooves and the distant rustle of birds in the trees.

"About the two from Qingzhou Road that you mentioned, Mr. Xue, could you provide some guidance?" Zhao Douan remembered the point raised earlier, suspecting there might be more to discuss.

Xue Shence smiled, "Haven't you investigated?"

Zhao Douan, unembarrassed, openly said:

"The son of the Qingzhou Prince Heng, the esteemed Princely Heir, Xu Zudi... ah, that is indeed a fine name. Are you saying he has come to the Capital for a leisurely visit and to see relatives?

As for the one called Xiao Donger, who actually manages the powerful Qingzhou family, with merchant teams aplenty under her command, I've heard she's a remarkable woman. This time entering the Capital, it seems she's headed for the Hu Ting market."

Compared to the openly formidable Mr. Zhengyang.

These two from Qingzhou had captured Zhao Douan's attention even more.

Of course, he wasn't naive enough to believe that the illustrious Qingzhou Prince's heir had truly come for leisure and relaxation. Mulling it over, one objective seemed likely akin to Xu Junling's—to probe the Capital's details.

But while Prince Huai'an only sent a daughter for reconnaissance, Prince Heng was bold enough to send his heir directly.

As for the female head of the "East Lake Xiao Family," a major clan from Qingzhou, her story was even more legendary. Initially obscure, she was only known as the wife of the new Family Head of the Xiao family.

However, following the unexpected demise of the Family Head, leaving just a two-year-old child, and with the Xiao family's lineage at stake and power slipping away, this widow suddenly displayed shrewd tactics and defeated the second and third branches of the family who sought to seize control...

At the same time, it was then revealed that before her husband died, she had already been managing the family's merchant dealings and wielding real power...

Later, as a woman, she took over as the head of the family, becoming a rare "female family head" and earned the Great Yu Dynasty's most richly ironic "widow" reputation.

However, since these two's arrival in the Capital, there had been no disturbances, and Zhao Douan couldn't fully grasp their complete intentions.

"The East Lake Xiao Family is indeed a profound and centennial major clan," Xue Shence commented first, then added:

"However, there's a saying that two tigers cannot share one mountain. In the Great Yu Dynasty, except for the special case of the Huai River, the greater the royal family's power gets, the lesser the local scholarly families become. For Mrs. Xiao, a mere woman, to maintain her family's standing is indeed no simple feat."

Zhao Douan looked at him unexpectedly, the message in his words not trivial.

It seemed he said nothing much, yet also a lot.

Zhao Douan thought for a moment, then pulled two warm sweet potatoes from his robe, handing one to Xue Shence, smiling:

"My sister made these this morning. Care to try, sir?"

First, a gesture of goodwill, then probing for intelligence.

Xue Shence paused, looking strangely at the broadly smiling Mr. Zhao, reached out, grabbed a sweet potato, and both peeled off the skin to reveal the warm, lightly steaming golden "sweet potato flesh" beneath. Biting into it, the sweetness filled his mouth.

In the chilly air of a late autumn outing, eating sweet potatoes had its own unique charm.

The two silently ate the sweet potatoes, and after Xue Shence swallowed his bite, he continued, "As for this Xu Zudi, do you know whom he's visiting?"

"Isn't it Your Majesty?" Zhao Douan asked, blowing on the steam.

Xue Shence casually said, "Prince Heng and the Great Princess share the same mother, so Xu Zudi has always been closest to the Great Princess since childhood."

Hmm? This lad and that bitch Yunyang are close relatives?

Zhao Douan paused, unaware of this connection.

Grasping the sweet potato, Xue Shence looked at him with a smirk, saying:

"After Xu Zudi arrived in the Capital, he's been enduring quietly, not moving much, but last night, he visited the Prince Consort's mansion and met Princess Yunyang's son, Li Lang. Mr. Zhao, you may want to be cautious these days."

Zhao Douan had personally sent Princess Yunyang to the Jizhao Temple under confinement and had also beaten Li Lang in Lihua Hall before throwing him into the Imperial Prison.

That grudge was suppressed by Xu Zhenguan back then, but now, with Xu Zudi in the Capital, having learned that both his aunt and cousin had been dealt with by Zhao Douan, could he bear it?

Zhao Douan stuffed the last bit of sweet potato into his mouth, staying silent.

Just then.

Suddenly, a rider appeared in the distance, their horse's hooves pounding on the ground, kicking up a trail of dust.

The rider, dressed in Jinyi, was none other than Hou Renmeng, one of the "Four Pears of Lihua Hall."

Old Hou galloped up, abruptly pulling on the reins, dismounted swiftly, and ran up with an urgent expression:

"Sir, there's trouble, our people have been captured!"