The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 77 - 74, chess player above

"Mr. Yuan praises me too highly."

Inside the flower hall, Zhao Douan heard this evaluation and was pleasantly shocked, "It’s all due to luck."

The leader of the "Clean Stream Faction" who held sole control of the Imperial Court of Supervision shook his head:

"Fate, you say? It wasn’t luck."

Beneath his seemingly calm face was an irresistible surprise and admiration.

Were Zhao Douan’s achievements really just a matter of luck?

At first glance, to deal with Vice Minister Pei, there happened to be some dirt on Wulang presented on a platter, an overly convenient coincidence.

But upon closer reflection, had it not been for Zhao Douan spending a year tarnishing his reputation to be truly accepted by the circle of the dissolute,

how could he have had the chance to encounter Pei Wulang?

To be trusted by the other party?

He laid the groundwork for more than a year before he obtained what appeared to be an easily acquired hold over the man. Could this really be attributed to luck?

Of course, what truly impressed Yuan Li was Zhao Douan’s complete set of "strategies of division."

What seemed simple was, in fact, akin to dancing on the edge of a knife.

A slight mistake in acting, a show of weakness, fooling Pei Kaizhi - should any of this fail, it would all be for naught.

But he managed it, and in just a few days, unbeknownst to anyone, he bit down viciously on Pei Kaizhi, leaving him bleeding profusely.

Especially Zhao Douan’s last move, turning his "concealed scheme" into an "open strategy," suited the taste of this powerful official even more.

After all, deceitful tricks can’t stand the light of day.

Only those adept at overt strategies possess the quality necessary for a top-tier player.

Unbeknownst to himself, Yuan Li had, to some extent, already placed Zhao Douan on the same plane as him as a "player."

Player or pawn, only one word apart, yet the difference between them was like heaven and earth.

And what he hadn’t foreseen was that this casual move he’d made on a whim would just a few days later bring such a generous gift.

"Where is Lv Liang?" Yuan Li asked.

"He has been taken into custody by the steward of my residence."

"Very well," Yuan Li stood up and paced the flower hall, appearing to contemplate. After a moment, he said:

"I will handle the subsequent affairs, you go back and rest assured while you wait for the outcome. Should Pei Kaizhi trouble you, I will shield you.

If all goes well, in the next few days, there might be some excitement worth watching. Once the dust settles, I will personally take you to request commendation from His Majesty."

Up to this point, Empress Xu Zhenguan was still unaware of these matters.

"I rely entirely on Mr. Yuan’s decisions."

Zhao Douan rose and clasped his hands in thanks, not worried that the Imperial Censor would usurp his credit.

As for the upcoming struggles, his rank was too low; haphazardly getting involved would be nothing short of seeking death.

This was a fight reserved for the true major figures, and he did not want to die – it was best to keep a low profile.

There was no more idle talk between the two; Yuan Li left to see Lv Liang.

After Zhao Douan left the Yuan Mansion, he did not leave immediately but waited on the distant rooftops.

Before long, he saw officials streaming out in a swarm, full of killing intent, diverging in all directions.

"Yawn."

Zhao Douan stretched lazily, leaped from the roof, and like falling leaves, he gently landed on the back of his horse, giving the horse’s rump a pat:

"Home, to sleep!"

...

The next morning, after Zhao Douan went to the government office, he heard two pieces of news.

First, someone unexpectedly saw Pei Kaizhi apparently visiting Li Yanfu late last night.

Second, Lv Liang was missing, and those involved were tight-lipped.

Pei Kaizhi hadn’t caused him any trouble; he wasn’t sure if Yuan Li had blocked it or if the man was too preoccupied with his own problems.

In the following days, a significant incident occurred at the court.

One morning, the missing Lv Liang suddenly appeared at the imperial court and, in the Golden Throne Hall, denounced his "former father-in-law," Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice Pei Kaizhi, for crimes including examination fraud, corruption, murder, and ten other charges.

He also presented a pile of documentary evidence as thick as a book.

Instantly, it caused a sensation throughout the court. Pei Kaizhi rebutted on the spot, Li Yanfu sternly questioned the evidence, and Yuan Li supported his subordinate, the Imperial Censor.

Empress Xu Zhenguan was incensed, ordering the temporary arrest of Pei Kaizhi and twelve other involved parties.

She commanded Yuan Li to lead the investigation, with Ma Yan carrying it out and the Ministry of Justice supervising the review of this decade-old case.

Officials in the Capital were either trembling or sitting back as spectators.

The early morning court sessions in the next few days were full of drama.

Headed by Li Yanfu, the "Li Party" began a counterattack, questioning the authenticity of the evidence and airing the dirty laundry of their political enemies.

In a single day, the scandal about Lv Liang spread through every street and alley of the Capital, and the carefully constructed image of the "star Imperial Censor" collapsed.

Everyone called out to beat the rat as it crossed the street.

The next day, twenty-one Imperial Censors from the Imperial Court of Supervision jointly submitted a letter of impeachment. The momentum was enormous, a relentless onslaught that turned the morning court session into a battlefield between the two sides.

Li Yanfu and Yuan Li personally entered the fray, the students of the Imperial College abandoned their studies, and in the major literary clubs and taverns, debated state affairs fervently.

There were verbal sparring matches and incessant arguments.

"Brother, right now, even in the Teaching Bureau where you’re surrounded and embraced on all sides, the talk isn’t about poetry, artistry, or the beauty of nature, but about the great drama of ’father-in-law versus son-in-law,’ which is truly spectacular."

With a short and skinny stature, a sleazy appearance, and a folding fan tucked crookedly into the silk ribbon on the back of his neck, Qin Qiu marveled with a tsk-tsk.

He squatted awkwardly, propping his face at the top of a staircase with a twisted posture.

This was an abandoned watchtower.

During wartime, it was used for the imperial guard to keep watch, offering a good view that overlooked a large area of the neighborhood.

Outside the watchtower, a wooden staircase spiraled upward.

Qin Qiu looked up with a sycophantic smile, his small eyes gazing up at Zhao Douan, who leaned against the railing above.

Zhao Douan held half a watermelon, scooping it as he ate, occasionally spitting out seeds.

Watermelon seeds fell on Qin Qiu’s face, leaving marks that resembled freckles.

"Is that so?" he responded nonchalantly.

In his field of view were expanses of blue-tiled rooftops.

Under the sunlight, they reflected a deep blue, like a sea.

It reminded him of Jiang Wen’s movie "Evil Cannot Overwhelm Justice," with Peng Yuyan cycling on the rooftops of Beiping looking for women.

"Yes, indeed," Qin Qiu said with a sycophantic grin,

"Even Wang You and the third young master of the Dong family are paying attention to the matter."

Zhao Douan knew that the two he mentioned were the most famous among the dissipated young nobles of the Capital.

The former was the son of the Minister of Rites, and the Wang family was among the most prominent and reputable families of Great Yu.

The latter was the grandson of the current "Grandmaster Dong," extremely domineering, and considered the number one profligate in the Capital circles.

Fearless of heaven and earth, he only listened to his elder brother "Grandmaster Dong."

The number one libertine of the previous generation was the current "Young Grandmaster," the son of Prime Minister Li Yanfu.

However, the Young Grandmaster had long since retreated from the young nobles’ circle and now was a key figure in the "Li Party."

"Oh, what of it?"

Zhao Douan ate his watermelon, squinting his eyes as his gaze drifted toward the end of the contiguous rooftops, towards the highest "watchtower" close to the Imperial Palace.

It was also an edifice second in height only to the Heavenly Master Mansion’s "Big Bell Tower."

He thought: standing there, one might overlook half the Capital.

"Ah, this..."

Qin Qiu was at a loss for words and laughed dryly,

"That’s just something I mentioned to you, brother. I heard that things are about to be settled, and perhaps by tomorrow’s early court, Your Majesty will make the final decision."

Zhao Douan said indifferently,

"Is it the kind of strife among party politics and top-tier personages on the court that we can be part of?"

Qin Qiu nodded frantically, expressing a hint of envy,

"I wonder when we will be able to get into that circle."

But what he didn’t know was that the same Zhao Douan who was eating melon and watching the drama overhead, was the one who made the first move in this big event that swept through the entire officialdom.

Zhao Douan spat out the watermelon seeds and casually put the half watermelon on Qin Qiu’s head, leaping down:

"I’m going back to the government office."

With the watermelon on his head and his face covered in bright red juice, Qin Qiu muttered,

"You want to make progress, brother, but there’s no need to rush."

…

On his way to the White Horse Hall, Zhao Douan bought two jars of osmanthus wine and a large pack of meat and vegetables.

He had already learned that the Old Director had come to find him and left disappointed, probably misunderstanding something.

He wasn’t going to explain before things were settled, to avoid complications.

But since the long-standing turmoil would come to an end tomorrow morning,

he wouldn’t mind finding someone to eat and wait with, to share in the joy that no one else knew, awaiting the rewards at tomorrow’s visit to the palace—assuming that the "cut-down Pei" operation was a success.

It had been a long time since he saw the Empress, and he missed her somewhat.

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

However, when Zhao Douan, smiling and carrying the wine and food, entered the back of the government office as the sun began to set, he was immediately greeted with a bundle of scrolls thrown at him by Sun Lianying:

"Get out!"

…

A transitional chapter. Tomorrow’s visit to the palace, speaking of which, such transition chapters tend to slow the rhythm, which is not conducive to binge-reading, but I quite like them... And then, thank you all for the praise yesterday; I took a look at the follow-up reads today, and they have started to rise again…