The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 144 - 128, Your Majesty, the leader of the rebels has been executed this morning.

"Your Majesty, the Shadow Guard spies are scattered across Jianghu, sending messages to the Capital, and it is inevitable that there will be delays during the journey. I’m afraid that Gao Li has already infiltrated the city."

Mo Chou said with a grave expression.

Xu Zhenguan’s delicate green fingers moved and tossed the secret letter on the table lightly nodded her head, and said,

"Do you think they will stir up trouble anytime soon?"

The First Lady-in-Waiting responded with an "En" and pondered aloud,

"With the New Leader taking charge, they are bound to make a move. Gao Li... back then, he was prideful but defeated by Ma Yan. Now he returns precisely when the two from Iron Ruler Pass have been captured—fear that..."

Xu Zhenguan’s brows furrowed as she said,

"You’re worried that the Kuangfu Society might target Ma Yan... No, given Ma Yan’s cultivation, he would be a tough nut to crack. So, it must be that they’re trying to trouble the whole Imperial Court, or perhaps targeting Zhao Douan."

At this, a thought struck the Emperor of Great Yu.

She silently decided to call for Ma Yan to summon the Little Forbidden Army to the palace later and personally give him a few pointers.

But merely reminding him was not enough to ensure safety; perhaps she should also give him a "protective talisman" for good measure...

Times had changed; the pretty boy of the past held no value for the rebels to target.

But after the "internal traitor" incident, Zhao Douan was inevitably marked by those with ulterior motives.

At this moment, suddenly a eunuch scurried in and reported,

"Your Majesty, Lord Zhao seeks an audience outside."

So soon?

Xu Zhenguan was a bit surprised but pleasantly nodded her head,

"Let him come in."

...

Shortly after.

Guided by the eunuch, Zhao Douan re-entered the Imperial Study.

One becomes accustomed after the first and second visits; by the third and fourth, you feel right at home... While Zhao Douan was far from sharing the Emperor’s bed, he no longer felt the nerves of an audience with Her Majesty.

"This subject greets Your Majesty."

Zhao Douan stepped across the threshold with composure.

Raising his head, he saw the white-robed Empress sitting behind the broad desk, her thick black hair cascading down her back, with "light bulb" Big Ice Block standing beside her.

Xu Zhenguan watched him with a playful smile and teased,

"I had just ordered Ma Yan to find you, and here you are. When did you learn such impressive Qinggong?"

No... you have no idea what I’ve been through... Although Zhao Douan appeared calm, the truth was he’d just had a brush with death, and it’s false to say he wasn’t frightened.

He had been holding on by a thread from the long street to Meridian Gate.

Only now, upon seeing one of the "four immortals" of the modern world, the white-robed Empress, did his tense heartstrings finally begin to relax.

He let out a deep breath and laughed,

"Lord Ma Yan instructed me yesterday that Your Majesty had already made arrangements. It is then I knew of Your Majesty’s deep favor. I have nothing to repay Your Majesty with, so I came to the palace early this morning to express my gratitude."

Eh... telling the whole truth is simply out of question.

He can’t just honestly reply that he was worried and wanted to see how that scoundrel, Marquis Xiajiang, would die, so he came early in the morning to enjoy the show, can he?

Secretary Zhao’s EQ couldn’t possibly be that low!

Listening to him, Xu Zhenguan felt pleased.

No one truly enjoys "silent sacrifice."

Human nature ultimately desires one’s good deeds for others to be recognized and positively acknowledged.

She shook her head with a laugh,

"Mo Zhaorong says you’re quite adept at flowery talk; it seems she was right."

You’re talking about me behind my back again... Zhao Douan glanced at the ’light bulb,’ finding Big Ice Block seemingly focused inward, pretending not to hear.

After the pleasantries, they got down to business.

However, Xu Zhenguan did not bring up Princess Yunyang first but threw the secret letter on the table to him,

"You come at just the right time, there’s something to discuss with you. Take a look; a new leader of the Kuangfu Society has infiltrated the Capital. You’ll have to be careful."

Zhao Douan subconsciously took it and skimmed the document, his expression turning very peculiar.

Xu Zhenguan said with a gravitas,

"You must have heard of Gao Li, he had quite the reputation back then and was even praised by the late Emperor. Even though he retreated to Jianghu after his defeat, he should not be underestimated…"

Zhao Douan’s expression became even more peculiar as he saw the Empress had not finished talking, it was awkward to interrupt, so he held back his words.

Xu Zhenguan pondered aloud,

"Now that he has infiltrated the Capital, and with your recent fame and several thwartings of their plots, he may well target you."

It’s not just might be, it’s already happened... Zhao Douan opened his mouth wanting to speak,

"I would think there’s not so much to it—"

Beside him,

The silent Mo Chou suddenly spoke, her voice possessing an androgynous beauty that always left people feeling like they were witnessing a woman disguised as a man, the "First Lady-in-Waiting" said somberly,

"Nothing to worry about? Mr. Zhao, don’t be complacent, having been blinded by recent victories. Remember, there’s always someone better, and skies beyond skies.

The lessons you learned from the rebel Zhuang Xiaocheng should be profound enough. Even just leading a sub-branch, anyone from the Kuangfu Society is no ordinary opponent."

It’s not... one by one, can’t you let me finish a sentence...

Zhao Douan was both amused and frustrated, and he bowed,

"Your Majesty, the reason for my visit is to report an incident involving this new leader."

Both Xu Zhenguan and Mo Chou were caught off guard, wondering if he already knew about the situation.

Well, it’s possible.

The Shadow Guard’s messages were limited by distance and inevitably slower. It wouldn’t be surprising if Lihua Hall had noticed something.

But what Zhao Douan said next completely unsettled both women.

He bowed and said,

"In fact, this morning on my way from home to the Imperial Palace, I happened to be ambushed by Gao Li. Fortunately, I was prepared and narrowly escaped with my life, turning the tables on him.

The swordsman Gao Li has been executed, his body already sent to the Imperial Court, and the Cold Frost blade he carried has also been brought into the palace as evidence.

Right now, it is stored near the main entrance of my sleeping quarters, and should Your Majesty wish to see it, you can have someone fetch it for examination."

Silence.

For a moment, the Imperial Study was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Mo Chou looked up in shock, her eyes wide, staring at Zhao Douan, suspecting she had misheard.

Gao Li was supposed to assassinate Zhao Douan, but got assassinated instead?

The New Leader of the sect, on his first assignment, managed to get himself killed?

And Zhao Douan, the "target of assassination," is standing here fine and dandy, not a wound on him, not even a scratch on his skin.

How could this be believed?

Behind a desk laden with bright yellow silk, a brush holder, an ink stone, and stacks of memorials like small hills,

Xu Zhenguan was also stunned, staring silently at Zhao Douan.

The breathtaking Empress, with brows like distant hills tinged with the hue of wisteria and eyes like ripples on autumn water, showed a moment of confusion over her ice-clear and snow-white complexion, in those ink-black, beautiful eyes.

What did she hear?

Did Zhao Douan, a mere mortal of Middle Grade, really defeat the once famous swordsman who shook the Capital with his reputation?

She had every reason to doubt, as the mere existence of this incident challenged all common sense.

Perhaps on previous occasions, when Zhao Douan entered the palace to report on case progress, the Empress underestimated him, and was repeatedly surprised.

But this time, it seemed a bit too preposterous.

Xu Zhenguan’s gaze involuntarily fell on the urgent memorial on her desk that came from the distant Jianghu overnight, rapidly delivered at the expense of significant manpower and resources.

That very memorial, steaming hot and fresh off the press – how could it suddenly become outdated...

"You...repeat that," Xu Zhenguan asked emotionlessly.

"Yes..."

Zhao Douan had no choice but to painstakingly recount the process in detail, not omitting any information.

Except for the origin of the "Imperial Talisman" –

—he simply said it was a talisman given by Jin Jian to repay a favor and lend assistance.

A while later.

After hearing the entire process, the two women slowly regained their composure.

So that’s how it was, just like that.

Even though they now knew the whole story, the matter still seemed surreal, yet the certainty in his tone and the presence of witnesses and evidence meant it couldn’t be a lie.

"So, Gao Li is dead. The Capital’s Kuangfu Society has lost its leader once again," Xu Zhenguan seemed to mumble to herself.

Then, without waiting for Zhao Douan’s response, she said in an indistinct tone:

"The rebels of the Kuangfu Society, do they now dare to assassinate a courtier on my watch?"

After the initial astonishment, the Empress’s fair complexion now had anger writ upon it.

In fact, although the rebels had been fighting the Empress for two years, they hadn’t resorted to assassination very often before this.

Especially in the Capital.

For one, assassination acts easily expose oneself; with so many powerful figures in the Capital, any significant level of cultivation and combat would be quickly detected.

It was akin to inflicting a thousand damage upon the enemy while suffering eight hundred oneself.

Secondly, assassinating ordinary officials wasn’t very significant, and for important officials like Yuann Li and others, either they had strong bodyguards or life-saving methods, making it difficult.

Of course, there was another more important reason.

What the Kuangfu Society wanted wasn’t to overthrow Great Yu; they just wanted to seize power.

If the competent officials were assassinated, Great Yu’s ruling system would collapse, which would be more harmful than beneficial for the Kuangfu Society.

Moreover, acts of assassination would surely make every official feel threatened and view the Kuangfu Society with hostility... So, the rebels’ main strategy towards the court was "infiltration," gradually corroding and winning people over.

They aimed to shake the Empress’s authority as a secondary plan, inciting various palace factions against the "Imperial Faction."

Perhaps it was because the Empress had not only failed to fall in the past two years but had also become increasingly secure in her position, which led to the Kuangfu Society’s actions growing more radical.

This led to the recent incident when Zhuang Xiaocheng put himself in harm’s way, attempting to tackle Ma Yan’s "scheme."

But that time, they lured their targets outside the city to act; this time, they had gone as far as attacking the Empress’s favorite within the city walls.

It was a significant provocation.

"Mo Chou." Xu Zhenguan suddenly turned cold.

"At your service," Mo Zhaorong replied.

Xu Zhenguan stated indifferently:

"First, order the Capital Camp to strictly review the recent entry records into the city, to scrutinize all suspicious persons, not missing any clues, and no excuses about the vast number of newcomers or the difficulty to distinguish due to the mixed population – I only want results."

"Second, order the leaders of the imperial guard, including the Imperial Guard, Thousand Cows Guard... including the Imperial Court’s six main guards, to dig three feet into the ground starting today. Did the people Gao Li brought in act alone, or have the others indeed left no trace behind?"

"Third, tell Ma Yan to hang Gao Li’s body from the city gate tower. I want to see if those self-proclaimed righteous, brash members of the Kuangfu Society have the guts to come out and reclaim the corpse of their leader."

"Fourth, send orders to the Shadow Guards of the Nine Roads and Eighteen Prefectures dispersed in the Jianghu to behead all known rebels, leaving none!"

Murderous intent was in the air!!

The four imperial edicts were each more ferocious and reeked more strongly of murderous intent than the last.

Zhao Douan was stunned.

In that moment, he seemed to see the Third Imperial Princess during the Xuan Sect’s coup, with sword in hand sweeping through thousands, blood flowing like rivers, and heads rolling.

"Your Majesty, this..."

Mo Chou’s complexion changed as well, she hurriedly advised:

"Conducting searches and arrests is acceptable, but hanging a corpse at the city gate... Wouldn’t such an act fall right into the rebels’ trap? They have been spreading rumors all along, trying to paint you as a tyrant; this would only play into their hands, potentially harming Your Majesty’s reputation. As for the beheadings... Weren’t you planning to win over and turn the rebels? You have said before, not all within the rebels are beyond redemption, just as Zhuang Xiaocheng can seduce and corrupt court officials, so can we allure members of the Kuangfu Society... If you now execute them all, would that not waste previous efforts?"

She was worried that the Empress’ judgment was clouded by emotion, leading her to make an irrational decision.

Zhao Douan also spoke up to advise:

"Your Majesty, please calm down, this matter requires further consideration before action."

However, Xu Zhenguan shook her head.

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She stood up and walked to the window, letting the lake breeze lift her hair, her eyes clear and composed, she said calmly:

"I have not been clouded by anger; I have just come to understand a few things.

I used to worry about my reputation, which restrained my actions. But in truth, some people will indeed become more demanding if given an inch. Just like those hypocrites who talk about benevolence and morality, their bellies full of deceit and sin.

They come up with all sorts of rules that a benevolent ruler should follow, yet they themselves never abide by them.

Since they don’t play by the rules, there is no reason for me to either."

After a pause, the Empress of Great Yu suddenly smiled, looking towards the two of them, she softly said:

"Do you think that Zhuang Xiaocheng and his ilk really believe that I... am incapable of wielding the sword?"