The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 76 - 73. People of the world have misunderstood Zhao Jun for a long time.

```

Zhao Douan?

Inside the room, hearing this name, Yuann Li was stunned, then furrowed his brow,

"The envoy from White Horse Hall?"

With outsiders present, Yuann Li deliberately pretended not to be familiar.

"Yes. He claimed to be doing Your Majesty’s business, has urgent matters, and requests to see Mr. Yuan." The servant replied.

That gigolo of the Empress seeking an audience? And claiming to be here on orders?

The officials present were astonished, extremely surprised.

Yuann Li also furrowed his brows deeply, pondering for a while, then said, "Bring him to the flower hall."

Then he stood up and said to everyone, "I will return shortly."

The officials responded quickly. Once he left, they started discussing curiously.

Given Mr. Yuan’s status, he should not engage with such a notorious man.

The fact that he went to see him personally must be for "Your Majesty," which is not surprising.

...

"What did he say he was here for?"

In the corridor, the hem of Yuann Li’s robe swayed as he asked.

The trusted aide, who had been outside the gates of the Imperial City that day to invite Zhao Douan into the carriage, said,

"I don’t know. He came alone on horseback, with someone tied to his saddle, but the person’s head was wrapped in clothes, mouth gagged, outerwear stripped away, so I don’t know who it is."

What he just said, "came by imperial order," was a random lie, an excuse to deceive the officials inside.

Yuann Li was startled, secretly thinking, could this idle piece really have stirred something up?

There was a slight surprise, but not enough to get excited.

After all, the entire Pure Stream Party had been stirring for a long time, and the pieces of evidence they brought never satisfied him.

Zhao Douan was young and weak, just a few days had passed, too short a time.

Even if there was progress, it was likely just some slight mischief, possibly not even obtained but just some clues, then he came to claim credit.

"Ultimately still too young, eager for success."

Yuann Li shook his head, not believing that Zhao Douan had made significant gains.

This judgment was based on reason, yet he still decided to meet and commend him as encouragement for future efforts.

In the flower hall.

Zhao Douan had not been sitting long before he saw a familiar figure appear outside the door, and he immediately stood up,

"This official greets Mr. Yuan."

Yuann Li smiled like a spring breeze and joked,

"Visiting at night, you don’t want me to sleep well."

Zhao Douan said seriously,

"Who doesn’t know that Mr. Yuan rises early and stays up late for Great Yu, never resting? This official also looks up to and follows such virtues."

Yuann Li waved and chuckled, "Stop with the flattery, speak, what brings you here tonight?"

They took their seats as host and guest and moved on to the main topic.

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Zhao Douan gravely said,

"After I received Mr. Yuan’s favor last time, I was fortunate to take part in the ’Topple Pei’ case. Now that several days have passed, I have heard that the court is in great upheaval, so I took the liberty to inquire if there has been any breakthrough?"

These words were somewhat brash, but Yuann Li harbored no doubts about his subordinate and did not conceal anything,

"Just missing the east wind."

"Mr. Yuan hasn’t found substantial evidence?"

"Pei Kaizhi’s golden body is solid, and apart from a strong cut, it’s difficult to deal with him." He responded implicitly.

So even you can’t do it... Zhao Douan mocked inwardly.

However, he understood that it wasn’t because the Pure Stream Party was incapable. They had already tackled the toughest part. He merely inherited the original owner’s squandered "legacy" and reaped the rewards:

"Is a strong cut not feasible?"

Having watched many historical dramas, in Zhao Douan’s impression, the Emperor wielded power to dismiss ministers with a mere wave of his hand, easily and without resistance.

Yuann Li couldn’t help but laugh and cry, "If Your Majesty had been reigning for thirty years, then maybe. But it’s been less than three years."

If she had ruled for thirty years, I fear I would be powerless, unable to stand... Zhao Douan mockingly thought, then said,

"This time, this official has managed to get hold of some evidence, which might be useful."

Yuann Li was not at all surprised and feigned amazement,

"So quickly, you found something? Not bad, young people are indeed swift and decisive."

A competent superior must understand how to provide positive feedback to subordinates. This is the skill of managing people. The Imperial Censor was adept at this.

You could make it a bit more obvious. If you don’t believe I can provide something substantial, just say so... Zhao Douan thought to himself but maintained a calm demeanor,

"It’s just a fluke, and the evidence I obtained surely doesn’t compare to that of Mr. Yuan’s esteemed officials. I present it with trepidation for fear of being laughed at by Mr. Yuan."

Yuann Li smiled faintly, thinking this kid always has a bag full of nice words, already finding an excuse for himself.

He lifted his hand to raise the teacup, speaking casually,

"Just speak."

He didn’t mind hearing it, even if it was useless or overlapped with the existing evidence.

However, in the next second, he heard Zhao Douan calmly say,

"The evidence I have obtained is of Pei Kaizhi abusing his power for personal gain, interfering with the imperial examination, and exam fraud charges!"

Interfering with the imperial examination... fraud charges...

The hand holding the tea cup suddenly froze, and after a moment of silence, this Green-robed Imperial Censor slowly looked up, his deep eyes slightly blank,

"What?"

Zhao Douan helplessly repeated it once more.

He hadn’t misheard... Yuann Li’s expression visibly turned more grave, and his fingers holding the porcelain cup involuntarily tightened,

"Do you know what you are saying? Such a major matter requires concrete evidence to count. Mere suspicion or conjecture is entirely inadequate."

Zhao Douan said,

"This official has brought the witness Lv Liang to the mansion. The Imperial Censor Lv is willing to testify in person that his imperial examination was influenced by his father-in-law’s power. Moreover, he has evidence he’d be willing to present to Mr. Yuan."

Lv Liang in the mansion?

The person he brought tied, was it Lv Liang?

Yuann Li was stunned, his face suddenly changing color, and he said sternly,

"Do you realize that testimony obtained through coercion and threat is not reliable!"

His tone was severe.

In his view, Zhao Douan was very likely to have used force, kidnapped Lv Liang, and coerced him into testifying, which fit the persona of the Empress’s gigolo.

But what use is such an accusation?

Reckless! Foolish!

For the first time, he doubted his judgment of character, but just as anger surged, this Pure Stream Party Leader suddenly calmed down, staring at Zhao Douan’s calm face suspiciously,

"Not coerced?"

"Certainly not," Zhao Douan smiled, "it’s a stratagem."

Yuann Li’s eyes slightly brightened, his body leaning forward, "Explain clearly!"

"Yes!"

Zhao Douan unhurriedly described how he obtained the clues, devised a plan, used Pei Siniang as the breakthrough to gain a conversation with Pei Kaizhi.

Through Pei Wulang, he coerced and pressured Pei Kaizhi to abandon his son-in-law.

"I knew well, with Pei Kaizhi’s cunning and ruthlessness, he would either feign compliance, demote first and then retrieve Lv Liang,

or he would root them out completely... Lv Liang and his father-in-law have long been at odds, distrustful of each other, so I used this point and, with Pei Siniang as a setup, sent an assassin with a false death row execution to feign a cover-up...

After experiencing this, Lv Liang knew there was no retreat. To save his life, his only path was to side with Mr. Yuan."

Zhao Douan smiled and said,

"Even if he later realized he had been trapped, from the moment I took him through the Ministry of Justice and into the Yuan Mansion, Lv Liang had completely lost the ’Li Party’s’ trust, unable to return...

This is how conspiracy turns into strategy, one false step leads to another, he’s left with no retreat, forced to join us in taking down his father-in-law."

Silence.

In the flower hall, there was a moment of quiet, Yuann Li remained silent for a long time.

The look he gave Zhao Douan was as if he was observing a fine specimen, a fox with glistening fur.

He suddenly exclaimed, "The world has misunderstood you for too long."

...

...

Pei Mansion.

In the study, the lights were blazing.

Pei Kaizhi, with graying hair and advanced in age, spent a sleepless night.

Even after taking a Calming Pill from the Medicine Hall, his eyelids twitched wildly, feeling something was about to happen.

"Someone!" Pei Kaizhi paced the room for a long time, calling a servant,

"Go check the Ministry of Justice’s prison, why hasn’t anyone reported back yet."

"Yes!" The servant in brown complied and left immediately, not daring to delay a moment.

Returning during the day, Pei Kaizhi had broken the legs of two household servants, seemingly to vent his anger. The entire Pei Mansion was as silent as a chilled cicada.

However, before he could leave the mansion, he saw the Chief of the Ministry of Justice rushing over, covered in sweat,

"Quick! Take me to see the Vice Minister!"

Moments later, Pei Kaizhi, donned in a single robe, met the panting Chief in the study. The old man’s eyes were gloomy, sensing something amiss,

"What’s happened?"

The Chief of the Ministry of Justice wailed,

"A great problem, that Zhao Douan drugged us with knock-out incense, then took advantage of the moment to kidnap the Imperial Censor Lv, surely harboring wicked intentions!"

Pei Kaizhi felt a sudden ringing in his head, his heart sinking to the bottom,

"We’ve been outwitted..."

```