The Empress's No.1 Lackey

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"No… not… I…"

At this moment, Lv Liang, known for his eloquence, found himself at a loss for words.

The scene unfolding before him was too surreal.

Moments before, he had been basking in success, imagining revenge against Zhao Duan, only for it all to be ruthlessly shattered by the appearance of the Jade Ruyi.

More than anything, it was the sudden surge of fear.

Ironically, when Zhao Duan's identity was merely the Empress's gigolo, Lv Liang never felt afraid.

The rule set forth during the founding Emperor's time declared that sincere advice would not be punished, so no matter how he criticized Zhao Duan, as long as he had reason on his side, he would not be punished.

Especially with Xu Zhenguan's recent ascension to the throne, surrounded by wolves, the Empress dared not punish officials recklessly.

But discovering Zhao Duan's new identity as "guest of Mr. Yuan" incited fear in his heart.

The Empress would not execute an official, but the Imperial Censor could.

Especially when he had made a mistake that the other side had caught him in, like now.

"Why is Imperial Censor Lv at a loss for words?"

Zhao Duan calmly said,

"I just heard you mentioning my alleged affair with that thief, and that I also threatened a government officer. I'm curious where these rumors originated from. Why not bring related individuals here for a public confrontation?"

Beside him, Yuann Li leisurely chuckled,

"I can be a witness in this matter."

A confrontation? Impossible!

Lv Liang shuddered; the arrest warrant was fake, and the alleged affair was mere speculation—an undeniable fact.

He immediately realized that arguing was pointless and kneeling down swiftly declared,

"Since Lord Zhao says so, I must have been misled by rumors, leading to a misunderstanding."

With those words, before the two could respond, Lv Liang turned and furiously issued orders to the government officers beside the prison carriage,

"Quickly take the prisoner back to the government office as usual without delay!"

The rapid shift in stance was like a tornado, leaving the group of officers bewildered…

They stood too far to hear the conversation next to the carriage,

Only noticing Imperial Censor Lv being called over for questioning, and in a few words, the order completely reversed.

"Lord Lv, didn't you say you wanted to use the thief to blacken Zhao…" a previously fawning officer hesitated.

Lv Liang's expression darkened as he shouted,

"I was deceived by rumors, almost misjudging Lord Zhao's character. It has been clarified now; quickly return the person!"

One moment he was sternly rebuking, the next, he was immediately backtracking.

The surrounding citizens were left bewildered and confused by Lv Liang's sudden change.

The officers dared not defy him and quickly turned the carriage around.

Yun Xi was bewildered for a few seconds before grasping what had happened.

It seemed this corrupt official was rebuked by Zhao the thief, and she… was safe?

Her emotions were mixed—relief, joy, self-reproach, anger, disappointment… Yun Xi suddenly realized that she wasn't as brave as she thought.

Fearful of death, clinging to life.

And her reliance on Zhao Duan's protection was growing burdensome.

A strong sense of shame surged in her heart, and Yun Xi stood on tiptoe, attempting to yell out lines she had rehearsed numerous times in the prison to refute Zhao Duan's arguments.

"Mmm… mmm!!"

Yun Xi paused, her eyes reddening with anger; she had completely forgotten about the gag in her mouth.

Zhao Duan and Yun Xi's second round of confrontation, KO.

…

The prison carriage moved away, accompanied by the girl's unwilling sobs.

Lv Liang hurried back beside the carriage with a face full of shame,

"Please punish me, Mr. Yuan."

However, the Big Qingyi holding the Jade Ruyi looked at Zhao Duan and said,

"You decide how he should be punished."

Zhao Duan responded neither servilely nor overbearingly, "It's all up to Mr. Yuan to decide."

"As if I wouldn't want to strip him of his official robe right away; you surely wouldn't agree…" Zhao Duan criticized inwardly.

Knowing that this small transgression alone wasn't enough to trouble the other party and recognizing that Lv Liang's response was nearly flawless.

Yuann Li laughed lightly and casually ordered,

"Because of your mistake, the people suffered under the blazing sun, so your punishment is to stand until sunset. Does that satisfy you?"

Lv Liang took a deep breath,

"I… accept willingly!"

Yuann Li laughed heartily, rolled up the curtain, and the four carriages got back on the road, as if all this was merely a chance encounter.

Leaving only a distant prison carriage and dispersing citizens behind.

As well as the iron-mouthed Imperial Censor standing immobile under the scorching sun, maintaining a posture of making a bow with palms pressed together in a plea for forgiveness.

It was foreseeable that after today, Lv Liang's reputation would suffer greatly.

And all this originated merely from a casual remark by the Imperial Censor.

…

In the carriage, when the excitement had faded away,

Zhao Duan couldn't help but ask,

"Mr. Yuan, today's events, weren't accidental, were they?"

He found it hard to accept that just from a single encounter in the Imperial Garden, the other party would favor him so much.

Unless the other party had a fondness for young men… The thought of that possibility made Zhao Duan shiver, silently moving a bit further away, his eyes wary, to protect himself.

Yuann Li: "..."

Zhao Duan: "... "

After a long moment.

Yuann Li finally, with a bit of exasperation, tossed aside the Jade Ruyi:

"If I wanted to harm you, why would I go to such lengths?"

That's uncertain... Zhao Duan remained cunningly skeptical, highly wary of unprovoked kindness.

Outwardly, he feigned relief and, with concern, said:

"I'm just worried that today's events get out and affect your good name."

The scholarly and amiable power holder abruptly revealed his authority:

"Who would spread it?"

He had said this once before at the Imperial City's gates, and now this was the second time.

Initially unaware of the underlying message, by now, it was evident—Lv Liang would never dare spread gossip.

After a pause, Yuann Li added lightly:

"Moreover, I have never pursued or cared about what's called reputation, as it was in my youth and still is today. Those who seek reputation end up being burdened by it and eventually lose it. Those who do real work, even if temporarily misunderstood by outsiders, will be naturally praised and admired once everyone benefits. So why seek external validation?"

Zhao Duan genuinely replied,

"Mr. Yuan's state of mind, I am far from equal to."

Yuann Li suddenly smiled and said,

"With your infamous reputation, it would be much easier for you to gain a good name than for Lv Liang if you repent your ways."

I know, they say a villain becomes a Buddha just by dropping the knife... Zhao Duan laughed,

"I actually think having a bad reputation is sometimes more useful."

He maintained the villainous persona mainly because he valued the benefits of such a reputation.

Yuann Li grinned, and the two exchanged a smile.

Despite their vast differences in identity and reputation, they found mutual understanding due to their disregard for "reputation."

It was like sensing a kindred spirit amidst the crowd—something beyond status or extrinsic factors—a realization Lv Liang would never comprehend in a lifetime.

After the laughter,

Yuann Li suddenly asked, "Do you think my punishment for Lv Liang was too light?"

Zhao Duan seriously shook his head,

"Mr. Yuan and I are not related, yet you helped shield me. I'm already immensely grateful."

Yuann Li smiled,

"So, you're still not satisfied. Want to deal with him? Just like how you toppled the Zhang family?"

Zhao Duan candidly nodded: "Indeed."

Back then, amidst the impeachment, Lv Liang was at the forefront. Now, he wanted to undermine him again—even a clay Bodhisattva would harbour some anger, let alone Zhao Duan.

"How do you plan on doing it?"

"Haven't figured it out yet, maybe start by catching his mistakes."

"Lv Liang treasures his reputation greatly. He may have minor mistakes, but they are insignificant. Digging up major dirt on him will be difficult," Yuann Li shook his head.

Zhao Duan blinked: "Any advice, Mr. Yuan?"

The Big Qingyi calmly said, "To remove branches, you might cut the main trunk."

Zhao Duan laughed wryly:

"You must be joking; behind Lv Liang is the entire Li Party. My teeth can't bite through that."

Yuann Li shook his head:

"I'm not saying you should take on Li Yanfu. Do you know why Lv Liang can act under the Ministry of Justice's name? It's because his wife is the fourth daughter of Vice Minister Pei from the Ministry of Justice."

Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice!

A standard third-rank official, just a step away from Chief of Staff.

Not comparable to Yuann Li, but for Zhao Duan, it was someone with real power that dared not provoke.

"You mean…" Zhao Duan's breath slightly caught.

Yuann Li smiled:

"Since you want to make a significant achievement, why focus on small fry when you can try going for something bigger?"

After a pause, he leisurely added:

"Take a bite out of the Vice Minister, do you… dare to do it?"

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