The Empress's No.1 Lackey

That morning, the hottest "topic" in the Capital's official circles, which began with the corruption in Taicang Prefecture and ended with the arrest and conviction of the governor Gao Lian being brought to the Capital, finally concluded.

When the news of Wang Chusheng and Gao Lian both dying violently in prison the night before was released, it created a massive stir in the Capital, as expected.

"Both of them died suddenly at the same time? Do you think I believe that?"

"How could this happen? How could two people die at the same time in prison? It's incomprehensible!"

"I heard that Gao Lian left a confession before he died, perhaps it was suicide!"

For most people, unaware of the details, this news generated immense shock.

Following this, more "rumors" began to circulate.

Among them, particularly striking was the one about Miss Mo leading the imperial guards out of the palace into the Imprisonment at night.

Everyone who heard it was shocked, then kept deeply silent, sinking into silence.

Combining this with the struggles and manipulations at court, speculations such as the Li Party silencing others and the Empress murdering in retaliation emerged in many people's minds.

Just when everyone was on edge, fearing another storm of blood and violence, the events that occurred at this morning's court session caught everyone off guard.

It was said that Li Yanfu spoke up in court, claiming that Gao Lian had confessed and accepted his punishment in prison, and that the crime was confirmed. He argued that Li Yinglong, as the Minister of Public Works, had failed in oversight and requested his dismissal as a punishment.

Xu Zhenguan gladly accepted.

The Young Master was sacrificed, becoming a victim to quell the dispute.

After Li Yanfu stepped forward, officials of the "Li Party" who had been vocally supporting Gao Lian also quieted down since the man was dead.

The matter could only conclude in this abrupt and unsatisfactory manner.

Externally, it was merely stated that one died suddenly and one committed suicide out of fear of his crimes. As for how the Jiangnan gentry would be appeased and accept this incident, it was no longer a concern for Zhao Douan.

"Her Majesty is truly impressive," Qian Kerou said with admiration in Lihua Hall.

The others in Jinyi nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes."

Everyone thought that it was Zhenbao who had forced the people to their deaths, compelling Li Yanfu to bow his head in submission, voluntarily conceding defeat... Zhao Douan slumped in his "office chair," propping his chin and listening to his subordinates chattering.

No one knew that the real murderer who killed Gao Lian was Mr. Zhao right beside them.

But Zhao Douan wasn't about to expose himself; instead, over the next two days, the aftermath of this incident gradually spread throughout the Capital and calmed down.

This turmoil, too, tentatively concluded.

Zhao Douan suddenly had some free time, spending his days in deep meditation imagining cultivation novel plots to please Pei Niannu in his "dreams."

Even after ascending to the Divine Chapter Realm and experiencing a surge in his Divine Soul Power, which made many of his past life memories particularly clear, recalling those memories was still challenging. Fortunately, although Pei Niannu loved to hear stories, she wasn't picky.

Zhao Douan would base his stories on his memories, and would make up the plots he forgot, which was enough to satisfy the preference of Senior Pei, but the obligation to daily updates made Zhao Douan deeply aware of the struggles of writing...

As for their relationship, there was no substantial breakthrough.

Ever since that day he was gifted a "Spirit Flame" Magic technique by Senior Pei, the senior resumed her aloof demeanor, threatening to crack his skull if he spoke too much, with the exception when he was storytelling.

Zhao Douan gradually came to understand:

Pei Niannu's temperament was such that if pleased, she would grant him a small favor.

However, he did not get greedy for more Magic techniques, but chose to use the rare "instructional sessions" to spar with Pei Niannu to refine and improve his martial arts skills

— After the female sorcerer deliberately lowered her power, she finally stopped killing him instantly.

Before long, no one brought up Gao Lian's case anymore. Zhao Douan, aside from daily storytelling and training, made great strides in the Divine Chapter Realm.

He was tasked with overseeing the investigation into the Kuangfu Society and its rebels, seeking a breakthrough.

He had not forgotten his assigned task to capture Zhuang Xiaocheng, and seeing that it was already deep autumn, he decided to put forth more effort in this area.

"The court cannot passively endure the rebels' provocations any longer. We should strike proactively!"

Zhao Douan declared during a meeting at the hall entrance.

He pondered internally whether he could completely dismantle the Kuangfu Society's intelligence network in the Capital and achieve his KPI for the year in advance.

...

...

"Swoosh—"

In the morning, on the Zhao Mansion's martial training ground, Zhao Douan whirled a bamboo stick in his hand, cutting through the air with a sharp whistle.

With a thud, the dark-colored bamboo stick slipped from his hand like a sharp javelin thrown by a general on the battlefield, piercing through the target standing at the base of the wall, chillingly accurate.

"Excellent!"

Nearby, several maids cheered and clapped, holding basins and towels, rushing forward to wipe the sweat off Zhao Douan who was practicing martial arts early in the morning, their emotional value and service going off the charts.

This was something he had learned from the ostentation of Zhenbao's cultivation in the Imperial Palace.

Well... it wasn't that he was indulging in luxury, but as the future Imperial Consort, he should adapt to the life in the palace ahead of time!

Zhao Douan spread his arms, closing his eyes and letting the morning sun bathe his bare upper body.

While practicing, he wore only long pants and cloth shoes, his upper body's sleek, well-built muscles glistening with sweat, shining brilliantly.

This made the Zhao Mansion maids envious, daring to pinch him while wiping, thinking no wonder His Majesty fancied their young master — who wouldn't be covetous?

Whenever this scene unfolded, the head maid, Miantao, would glare and turn back to scold the freshly recruited servants to maintain decorum.

The most common phrase on Miantao's lips was:

"You all came at a good time. If you had joined a year ago and dared to be so bold, the young master would have made sure you regretted it."