The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 308 - 271. Zhao Douan Steps into the Divine Realm (Seeking monthly ticket support at the beginning of the month!)

In the sleeping palace, Xu Junling, whose features were sweet, paused momentarily before laughing and saying,

"Would Imperial Sister not know?"

Xu Zhenguan's demeanor was as calm as water, her gaze weighted with meaning as she looked at her and spoke,

"If the sovereign knew everything under the heavens, governing the country would be simple."

Xu Junling's expression turned a bit awkward, and she changed the subject by saying,

"Then what does Imperial Sister think? Who will win this magical duel?"

Xu Zhenguan still shook her head, with an air that no matter how persistently you asked, she would not clearly state her position,

"Who can be certain about that?"

The Little Princess felt helpless.

Several years ago, when she entered the Capital, she had formed a relationship with Xu Zhenguan, who was then the Third Imperial Princess.

Back then, the impression she had was that her sister was full of brilliant thoughts, and they enjoyed their conversations greatly.

Meeting again now, although their affection seemed deep on the surface, in the end... things were different.

"Sister has some opinions,"

Xu Junling could only attempt to use herself as bait. Seeing the Empress look over, she took on the appearance of a military strategist and analyzed,

"Imperial Sister, as the Emperor of the Great Yu Dynasty, should prioritize the interests of the court above all else. The best outcome, of course, is to maintain a balance between the two forces.

However, if we were to speak of favoritism, the magicians of the Heavenly Master Mansion have always swept only the snow before their own door, and the Old Heavenly Master, although strong, rarely intervenes in the mortal world.

Yet the Divine Dragon Temple is not a place of utter tranquility—the abbot, Master Xuan Yin, even though he has been in retreat every day, not stepping out of the Buddhist Temple for years, as long as Zu Ting in the Western Regions Buddhism exists, the Buddhist establishment within our Great Yu Dynasty will always harbor the desire to compete for orthodoxy with Buddhism from the Western Regions.

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I've heard that Bian Ji has good relations with the powers in the Capital and Buddhist temples are found throughout the Great Yu Dynasty... As to who is superior between Xuan Yin and Heavenly Master Zhang, it's hard to say.

But looking at the current situation, the lineage of the Divine Dragon Temple is indeed flourishing. If they win again this time, their influence will be further enhanced, which I fear might be detrimental to the dynasty."

Her words were clear and directly revealed the Empress's stance.

Xu Zhenguan just smiled in response.

With a look of indulgent affection, she glanced at her cousin, who was frantically probing in front of her, and said lightly,

"I have heard teachings from Heavenly Master Zhang that the truly strong only focus on themselves. I would rather wish that our Imperial Family's Martial God lineage could return to its former glory."

Yet another change of topic.

Xu Junling felt a sense of futility, as though she was punching cotton, and she sighed,

"Imperial Sister speaks truly, but in these years, our Xu family has only produced one genius.

Looking at the Royal Family, let alone contending with Buddhism and Taoism, there is not a single person who could be recognized by the Founder's Divine Sword and worthy to wield the Divine Sword.

As for the Tributors, not to mention them... Only Zhao Douan has a considerable reputation, but he, too, is not formidable in cultivation."

Xu Zhenguan smiled, placing a chess piece:

"Is that so."

She knew well in advance about the amusing incident where her cousin had tested Zhao Douan and ended up being counter-mocked.

Xu Junling asked curiously,

"Speaking of which, these days, I haven't seen any trace of Zhao Douan. Hasn't he been coming to the palace to accompany Imperial Sister?"

Xu Zhenguan said indifferently, "He's been resting at home."

"Oh... In a couple of days, it will be the day of the magical duel. Will Imperial Sister go to watch?"

"We'll see."

The duel between Buddhism and Taoism lasted three days.

An hour later, having probed a multitude but discovered nothing, the Commandery Princess left disappointed.

The Empress's slender fingers brushed over the chessboard, and the black and white pieces cascaded down like a waterfall, each returning to the chess box.

She stood up, her thoughts inevitably turning to Zhao Douan,

"I wonder if you can break through before the end of the duel."

...

...

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

The eagerly anticipated Buddhist Taoist duel commenced on the third day.

On that day, the streets of the Capital were empty.

The Empress of Great Yu, Heavenly Master Zhang Yan Yi, Master Xuan Yin...

The three "Heavenly Human Realm" powerhouses made an exceptionally rare appearance together.

Although they only observed the "opening ceremony" and left the site of the duel without lingering, their presence still sparked endless discussions among the people.

This illustrated the grandeur of the tradition of the duel.

The Empress and her two companions might have left, but the stronghold of powerful figures from the Heavenly Master Mansion and Divine Dragon Temple remained at the scene.

Officials of the court had even set aside their governmental affairs, representing the court to stay and observe.

The momentum was massive, indescribable.

That evening, the first day came to an end, and the city lights did not go out even at midnight.

Yet among the officials who should have been present, Zhao Douan was noticeably absent.

The next day, the three from the Heavenly Human Realm did not show up again, and the number of onlookers decreased, but the crowd was still bustling.

Zhao Douan remained missing.

In the blink of an eye, the third day arrived, which was also the day of the final battle.

Perhaps fittingly, last night an autumn rain fell, only ceasing by dawn, leaving the skies still gloomy and overcast.

...

Early in the morning, at Zhao Mansion.

The old steward wrapped in a windbreaker summoned two house servants and headed towards the study.

According to routine, at this hour every day, he would bring breakfast for the eldest son and new drawing paper, then clear the room of the piles of drawn-on sheets.

However, today was different.

"Eldest son?"

When the old steward arrived at the door of the study, he was suddenly stunned because he found the door unexpectedly ajar,

Instead of being tightly closed.

He cautiously pushed open the door only to widen his eyes in surprise, as the usually cluttered study with no place to set foot was now immaculately clean.

All the items were neatly and properly placed.

Zhao Douan, who usually looked disheveled and dirty, had at some point groomed and dressed himself, restoring his handsome appearance and was standing at the desk, cleaning the inkstone.

"Uncle Zhao, you've come."

Upon hearing a sound, Zhao Douan turned his head with a serene smile.

The old steward was taken aback.

For some reason, in this moment, he felt that the young master in front of him was different.

"You… What is this…" He stammered as he spoke.

"Oh," Zhao Douan smiled, "My retreat has ended. I woke up early, so I tidied up a bit."

"Ended…"

The old steward was advanced in years and a bit slow to react, he said subconsciously:

"Then the new paper for painting..."

Zhao Douan shook his head, "No need. Put it back."

Immediately after, he seemed to remember something, and asked amicably:

"Is my aunt and Paner at home? Or did they go to watch the magic duel? If I'm not mistaken, today is the last day."

The old steward replied reflexively:

"Indeed, it is the last day. The lady and young miss were worried about the eldest son, so they have not gone to see it."

"I see," Zhao Douan drew out the sound, his lips curling into a radiant smile:

"Then go prepare the carriage. Bring my aunt and Paner, and let's go have a look together. It'd be a pity to miss such a rare excitement that happens only once in many years."

In that moment, the old steward suddenly snapped out of his daze.

While nodding repeatedly, he excitedly ran to bring "good news to the mater," accompanied by joyous shouts of "The young master has come out!"

——The Eldest Son, who had been mad for nearly half a month, was finally normal again!

Zhao Douan couldn't help but laugh and cry as he watched the old steward running off and the entire Zhao family that he had disturbed.

He shook his head.

Zhao Douan walked out of the study and stood by the corridor pillar.

Facing him was the cool autumn air, the overnight rain dripped intermittently, and even now, droplets still fell from the rooftiles above.

In the courtyard, the leaves of several ginkgo trees had mostly withered away.

Zhao Douan fell silent for a moment and then gently stretched out his hand, flicking a finger.

A droplet rolling down from the eaves rippled gently, drifting beyond the porch, causing the surrounding raindrops to coalesce in a string.

In the distance,

Wet golden ginkgo leaves twirled down from the branches and were lifted by this string of raindrops, bouncing several times in mid-air, and somehow, landed in the palm of Zhao Douan.

Mysterious, unspeakably wondrous.

Having traversed numerous months, Zhao Douan today entered the Divine Chapter Realm.