The Empress's No.1 Lackey

A government officer known as Households Commander Zhou sat respectfully across from him and said,

"As per your instructions, we've already investigated. Zhang Changji has taken sick leave recently and seldom goes out."

Sick leave?

Zhao Douan raised an eyebrow. He knew full well the force and power of the punch he'd thrown that day.

Although Zhang Changji had been knocked out with a single strike, his martial artist foundation meant that aside from needing extra time to recover his palm, the rest of his injuries were not serious.

Had his older brother warned him? Was he laying low to avoid trouble? It didn't matter.

"Is that so." Zhao Douan mused thoughtfully.

Households Commander Zhou asked curiously,

"How do you plan to investigate, sir? It's difficult to shadow the man covertly while he's holed up at home. Should we start with his network of relationships? Or perhaps retrace the severed threads of the case he's involved in..."

He was tactfully presenting his method of investigation in the form of a "question".

Before setting out, Lord Ma Yan had personally instructed that in handling this case, it was necessary to not only get the job done but also to maintain Zhao Douan's face.

Translated into plain language, it meant:

"Zhao doesn't know the first thing about investigations! The only reason he wants 'command' is to hang onto a title and fish for credit."

In officialdom, such maneuvers were all too common.

Leaders lead, but the real work is done by those below, which seems rather unfair.

But on the flip side, if an affair were botched, it was the leader who bore the brunt, not the underlings.

Hence, Ma Yan never counted on Zhao Douan to conduct the investigation; he merely saw him as a lucky charm.

If things went well, it was no problem to give him the great honor, and if they didn't, there was someone to share the blame.

They were on mutual expeditions of sorts.

"Hmm?" Zhao Douan, who was well-versed in these tactics, glanced at Zhou Cang but didn't just go with the flow. Instead, he said,

"No need for such trouble. I have a much simpler investigative technique."

Zhou Cang's heart skipped a beat, sensing something was amiss:

"What do you mean, sir?"

Zhao Douan's smile was ambiguous:

"If the suspect is at home, wouldn't it be better just to take him from his home and question him in prison?"

...

...

Around noon, on the main road in the western part of the city, a procession of Jinyiwei on horseback swept past with great momentum.

On both sides of the streets, the pedestrians were so alarmed they lost their courage.

"Lord, are you certain about this? Could it not alert the suspect?" Zhou Cang was a bit panicked, trying to dissuade him.

Zhao Douan, clutching the reins, replied indifferently,

"The moment the Imperial Court investigated with such fanfare, it already startled the snake. Or do you think the Saint will give you enough time? Waiting for the storm to pass so the other side can resurface?"

Zhou Cang fell into silence.

Zhao Douan continued,

"Moreover, with such an incident under our noses yet the trail completely vanished, do you think the enemy lacks 'allies' within the court?

The longer we delay, the higher the risk of a leak. Striking a snake requires not only aiming for its vital spot but also being swift, accurate, and ruthless, so fast that the enemy can't react."

Zhou Cang was stunned, lost in thought.

At this moment, he viewed Zhao Douan differently.

Even if he didn't fully agree with this logic, could the person who calmly laid out this argument really be the legendary "pretty boy" with no substance?

"Quit the chatter. Once we're there, follow my orders. If anything goes wrong, I'll shoulder it."

Zhao Douan tossed out a declaration and then kicked his horse forcefully, galloping ahead, charging towards the mansion in front.

The Zhang brothers had long "divided the family," and Zhang Erlang's residence, a house with three courtyards, was in a rather fine location.

Zhao Douan led a troop of Jinyiwei straight to the main gate.

While mounted, his right hand clutched the handle of his sword, which he drew with a "clang," channeling a powerful Sword Energy into the blade, producing a sharp and lethal aura.

"Boom!"

A loud blast, and the tightly shut gates were forcibly torn apart.

Zhou Cang's eyelid twitched, thinking to himself that this was open and blatant retaliation.

After all, a few days earlier, Zhang Changji had ridden his horse over the premises of the Zhao family—this move appeared to be a tit-for-tat reprisal.

"Follow me!"

Keen to perform, Zhou Cang let out a grim laugh, dismounting with his sword in hand: "Anyone who dares resist, beat them mercilessly!"

"Yes, sir!"

A group of Jinyiwei clad in their distinctive uniforms, fierce as wolves and as aggressive as tigers, rushed past Zhao Douan, vying to lead the way.

"Ah, you are—"

"Someone help!"

"Quickly, call for the young master..."

The household servants rushed out with their clubs on hearing the commotion, but instantly lost their nerve and surrendered without a fight.

Before they could even drop their weapons and surrender, Zhou Cang and his men beat them mercilessly.

There was a brief moment of clamor as if everyone was crying out for their parents amidst a great chaos.

"Could it be Households Commander Zhou? This place belongs to Captain Zhang of the Capital Camp; perhaps you gentlemen have mistaken your target?" the house steward rushed out, saying frantically.

Zhou Cang's face was as still as water; he pretended to draw his sword from its scabbard, frightening the steward into falling onto the ground:

"We are looking for Zhang Changji. Where is he?"

"Stop right there!!"

Suddenly, a stern shout came from the direction of the inner house, and a figure darted out—it was none other than Zhang Changji, who had been ordered to recuperate at home.

At that moment, he was only wearing a loose undergarment with his chest exposed, his hair untied, standing in cloth shoes, his cold, stern face filled with anger.

He seemed to have been startled awake from his nap.

"Zhou Cang!?"

Zhang Changji's eyelid twitched, recognizing the visitor.

The government officers of the Imperial Court also belonged to the imperial guard ranks; strictly speaking, they were considered "brethren" with the Capital Camp.

Although the two were not familiar with each other, they had crossed paths a few times.

Zhang Changji was naturally a violent man, but upon seeing the flying-fish uniform on the other party, he also calmed down slightly, forcibly suppressing his anger, and said:

"What right do you have to barge into my home?!"

Zhou Cang didn't respond to him, but first waved his hand:

"Seal off the house; let no one escape."

A large group of subordinates went to carry out the orders, clearly quite familiar with the procedure.

Immediately after, Zhou Cang then turned around, his face beaming with a smile as he said to someone behind him:

"Lord, we have caught the man."

"Good job."

From the direction of the gate, Zhao Douan arrived leisurely, strolling over; upon getting closer, he nodded in satisfaction and then said teasingly:

"Zhang Erlang, we meet again."

"Zhao Douan!"

Zhang Changji was startled, then flew into a rage, his blood boiling:

"You dare to seek death at my house?"

He stepped forward, muscles bulging, his left fist—which was not wrapped in bandages—making a "creak creak" sound as he clenched it.

Zhou Cang's eyelids twitched wildly; he drew his sword and placed it between the two men, shouting:

"Zhang Changji! Are you defying the law?"

Zhao Douan squinted, smiled, and lightly placed his hand on the back of the sword, pressing it down, his voice soft:

"Brother Zhang's home has been invaded, and his anger is justifiable. Let's put the sword away; we don't want to seem as if I'm using my position to bully others."

He paused, then pretended to look around, curiously asking:

"Eh, why don't I see the women of the household? I've long heard about the beauty of Zhang Erlang's mother, and I too wish to feast my eyes."

Zhou Cang said with a smile, "If the Lord wishes to see her, I will capture her right away."

A well-coordinated effort.

Zhang Changji's forehead was bulging with veins, his joints crackling loudly, his chi surging as if he was about to act on his rage at any second.

Zhao Douan was deliberately provoking him.

Regrettably, after Zhang Changji's expression changed several times, remembering the warnings his elder brother had given him, he eventually contained his anger, grinding his teeth:

"Zhao Douan, what exactly are you trying to do?"

He then turned to Zhou Cang, his voice deep:

"Since when did the Imperial Court become a dog that strikes back in retaliation for others?"

He felt, quite obviously, that Zhao Douan was here for revenge today.

Zhao Douan was startled by the accusation and said:

"What? Are you insinuating that the current Saint is seeking retaliation? Zhang Changji, what are your intentions?"

Everyone knew that the Imperial Court was the Empress's hound.

Zhang Changji had originally meant to mock Zhou Cang, but he had not expected Zhao Douan to twist his words.

Angered to the point of seeing stars, he knew he was no match for Zhao Douan in a battle of words:

"You know that's not what I mean!"

Zhao Douan reined in his exaggerated expression, and without the desire to continue this dull exchange, he said flatly:

"I have no time to spar with words. I am here with colleagues from the Imperial Court to investigate a case, and today we need to inquire about certain matters from you."

A case?

Zhang Changji was taken aback: "What case?"

To the side, Zhou Cang said:

"We suspect you are..."

Zhao Douan abruptly interrupted, his voice low and lingering:

"I suspect you of colluding with Zhuang Xiaocheng, serving as an inside agent for the rebels. The reason he managed to escape last time was because you tipped him off!"

Zhou Cang: ???

No, this isn't what was agreed upon!