The Empress's No.1 Lackey

The night wind sneaked in through the lifted curtain of the cart, and Zhang Changshuo only felt a "chill" that cut to the bone, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

The passionate bloodlust of just moments ago, the far-flung reveries of a gentleman's revenge, seemed to have been shattered by that one call of "Brother Zhang."

"Zhao..."

He was stiff all over, his throat clogged, his eyes bulging.

Seeing that the driving house servant had already fainted, slumped to the ground, the nag horse anxiously flicked its tail.

"What? Did you not expect me to catch up?"

Zhao Douan's smile was gentle as he flipped the curtain toward the top of the carriage, letting the moonlight pour in; he then leisurely took a seat inside the carriage.

Zhang Changshuo's lips turned white, as he suppressed his fear with a harsh tone:

"Does this official need to report to you when I go out for a breather?"

He hadn't even noticed that his own voice was trembling.

...Zhao Douan remained silent, with a somewhat bitter smile, he shook his head and said:

"Brother Zhang actually belongs to an ostrich. There are no outsiders here, so who are you pretending for? Or do you think that just by being obstinate and denying that it was you who gave the signal just now, nothing will happen?"

He sighed lightly, "Self-deception, is there any point in that?"

Zhang Changshuo remained silent!

Indeed, so many Jinyi Captains had witnessed it with their own eyes, and they could testify; it was no longer something he could just bluff his way through by playing dumb.

Didn't he know that?

But people, when facing their end, always refuse to accept their fate.

They would rather weave foolish fantasies than wake up.

Resist by force?

This thought arose for but a moment only to be extinguished by him.

Unlike Erlang, he was merely a frail scholar, his only formidable skill was in his words, and to resort to martial arts would only bring disgrace upon himself.

"Where is Ma Yan? Or the other Imperial Court officials?"

Zhang Changshuo took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and said:

"I will only speak with the leader of the team."

As a scholar, he tried to retain the last of his dignity.

What do you think this is, a movie?

As a prisoner, you still need to see an important person before you're willing to talk... Zhao Douan almost laughed out loud, seeing right through him, and said:

"I know what you're thinking. You believe that tonight's trap was set by Ma Yan, and I was just the bait to lower your guard?"

"Perhaps, you still firmly believe that the reason I escaped unscathed from the last dangerous situation was because the Saint orchestrated everything?"

Zhang Changshuo opened his eyes, staring at him:

"Is it not so?"

Zhao Douan sighed softly, his eyes filled with pity, each word he spoke seemed to carve into his opponent's heart:

"Accept it. There are no other leaders; I am the only one directing this case. Today's arrangement, the crisis from days before, I was the one who alone planned and unraveled them."

"No! That can't be!"

Zhang Changshuo, trying to maintain the composure and demeanor of a gentleman, suddenly distorted his face in rage:

"You're just a scarecrow with nothing but a skin! Aside from a face, where are you better than me?! Where are you better?!"

He had broken down!

With his intellect, from the moment Zhao Douan led the team to arrest him, he knew that what the other had said was likely true.

He just didn't want to believe it, unable to accept that he would be brought down by a "pawn" he so disdained in his heart.

It wasn't a loss of physical strength, but a loss in wits!

Zhao Douan watched expressionlessly, calmly, almost cruelly as his adversary vented, like observing a wild beast trapped in a hopeless situation.

After a moment, he said, "Are you finished?"

In this moment.

The once fierce and furious Zhang Changshuo, who seemed ready to fight to the end, suddenly collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

His eyes reddened, and he fell to his knees in the carriage with a "thump."

No more pride or dignity of a scholar remained, almost pleadingly he said:

"Spare me, keeping me alive is more useful to you. Don't you like money? If you throw me in jail, you won't get a single copper coin, but if you keep me, I will give you however much you desire..."

Had Zhao Douan not witnessed it with his own eyes, it would have been hard for him to imagine.

How swiftly one could do a one-eighty in attitude.

He touched his lapel, suddenly feeling a tinge of sadness, thinking that lighting a cigarette at this moment would be more fitting to the atmosphere:

"Actually, the animosity between you and me wasn't that serious.

It's just that you were too greedy, always thinking that I was blocking your path to the Saint, going out of your way to deal with me, even gathering evidence to strike me down in front of the court."

Zhang Changshuo's tears flowed freely, his tone humble:

"It was my fault, I was blinded, blinded by greed, and thus..."

"No, you were not," Zhao Douan shook his head and said:

"What's wrong with seeking advancement? Court struggles have never been tender affairs from ancient times to today; it's a game of people trampling over each other. Engaged in it, whether forced to protect oneself or chasing after ambition, since you and I are both players abiding by these rules, what's there to fault?"

Zhang Changshuo was stunned, not understanding the meaning behind his words.

Zhao Douan continued,

"Including your attempted escape just now, right? I bet you're even considering, once you've sided with Prince Jing, how you'll return one day for revenge."

"No! I didn't..."

"No need to deny it. I've said that there's no shame in this," Zhao Douan smiled faintly:

"Including me targeting you, it's all for a better future. So, you should understand what I want."

Career advancement, not silver... Zhang Changshuo stood dumbfounded for a moment, then suddenly realized and blurted out,

"You want to know who else in the Capital Camp is with Prince Jing Mansion?"

How clever... Zhao Douan looked at him with approval.

Already having lost his temper, Zhang Changshuo did not hesitate and divulged all the information he had — since he couldn't withstand the punishment and would eventually talk anyway.

"So, you're telling me that those people from Prince Jing Mansion found Zhang Changji, and he was only responsible for a minor step, while someone else controlled the more critical procedures?" Zhao Douan frowned.

Zhang Changshuo nodded:

"The artisan might seem a minor figure but is actually heavily guarded. My brother is just a military officer, doing tasks for those higher up.

Like transporting, wrapping things up, killing a few lowlifes, cutting off the pursuit trail... As for the higher-ups involved, we're not sure who, only that they are likely within the Privy Council."

He spoke about killing a few lowlifes with no change in tone.

But when mentioning the Privy Council, he was full of reverence.

The Privy Council... Zhao Douan knew it was an independent government office from the six ministries within the Great Yu Dynasty.

Whenever there was a war, the deployment of troops, arranging of formations, and various strategic decisions were all handled by the Privy Council.

The Ministry of War, on the other hand, was in charge of logistics, provisions, registers, and the like.

The current master of the Privy Council was named Xue Shence.

Rumored to be a martial arts master, he wielded his spear with a godlike skill.

Could the Privy Council be implicated?

Right, firearms, Capital Camp, these were indeed areas under joint jurisdiction between the Privy Council and the Ministry of War.

Seeing Zhao Douan lost in thought, Zhang Changshuo grew anxious and quickly added,

"I know this information may not be sufficient, but if you can speak a few good words for me to the Saint, to tide me over this disaster, I am willing to denounce Zhang Changji and my uncle. Zhang Changji has little influence, only enough to vent your anger. My uncle is a doctor in the Ministry of War, carrying enough weight..."

In that moment, Zhao Douan was stunned. Looking at Zhang Changshuo, his gaze was cold and scornful as he said indifferently,

"Lord is really practicing familial piety by exterminating his own kin."

For some reason, he suddenly lost interest in speaking with this man.

Even if the other party had been more resistant, taking all the blame to protect his family, even if he couldn't withstand the torture in the end, Zhao Douan would have respected him as a true man.

As for now...

Ha.

Zhao Douan stood up and stepped out of the carriage, ignoring his former colleague's panic and distress.

He saw a group of Jinyi government officers running towards them.

Under each person's arm was a bound foot soldier from Prince Jing Mansion.

Leading them was Zhou Cang, whose eyes brightened when he saw Zhao Douan, offering a salute,

"Your order has been executed! All those who fled have been captured, except for the Magician and Zhang Changshuo."

"The Magician has been sealed..."

Zhao Douan briefly explained about his being taken away by Jin Jian.

Zhou Cang let out a heavy sigh of relief, a smile emerging on his face.

Then noticing the person in the carriage behind, he was even more surprised,

"Not only did you catch the mastermind, but you also captured this traitor?"

He waved his hand, and the Jinyi officers, fierce as wolves, rushed up and bound the trembling Zhang Changshuo.

The latter kept calling out "Lord" while Zhao Douan coldly ignored him, irritably waving his hand,

"Stuff his mouth and throw him into the Imperial Prison to keep his brother company.

The technique of torture and interrogation is something you're familiar with. How much you can dig out of him, I'll leave that to you.

Oh, and tell Zhang Changji that his brother has betrayed him, claiming that he was solely responsible for all their crimes."

Zhou Cang paused, the corners of his mouth twitching.

As if he could foresee the scene inside the Imperial Prison where siblings would turn on each other, the older brother being beaten up by the younger.

But then again, neither of the brothers was a good person, so he wasn't too concerned,

"My lord, what shall we do next?"

Zhao Douan stretched lazily, gazing at the bright moon high above, as the night grew deeper.

After a long night's labor, it was time to reap the rewards.

His lips curled slightly as he spoke,

"Go rest. Tomorrow morning, accompany me to the palace... to see the Saint!"