The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 83 - 80, The Trickster God Opens His Eyes

"The most beautiful scenery... is it not you?" Zhao Douan swallowed the earthy words of affection and followed Xu Zhenguan out of "Yangxin Hall."

Outside the hall, the imperial carriage awaited, with dozens of palace attendants and eunuchs in attendance.

Six purebred horses stood ready, the dragon carriage adorned with gold, silver, jade, and gems, exuding nobility.

He had once thought that Yuann Li’s carriage was grand, but only today did he realize how modest it was by comparison.

On the night of the full moon.

In the southwest corner of the Imperial Palace in the Capital, a squad of Jinyi Captains was on patrol.

Leading them was the Imperial Court’s Hundred Officer Zhou Cang.

As members of the imperial guard, the Jinyi, known as Kings Yan, were also responsible for the defense of the Capital, patrolling by day and by night.

The night was tranquil, the only sound being the clashing of armor plates in their march.

"Boss, that watchtower up ahead is so tall."

A newly appointed government officer behind Zhou Cang looked forward with curiosity. Though this area was outside the Imperial Palace, it was still within the jurisdiction of the government offices, rarely approached by common folk.

Zhou Cang rested his hand on the hilt of his sword and squinted at the dark tower looming ahead in the night, saying,

"That is the ’Emperor Tower,’ the largest and tallest one built when constructing watchtowers in the Capital.

In times of war, its purpose was to convey messages to the palace and serve as a lookout over the Capital. After the warfare ceased, the numerous watchtowers of the Capital were abandoned and repurposed.

In the past, during the Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival, when the North Square was open, the people would gather, and the Saint would reside above, sharing the joy with the commoners.

However, after the North Square closed, it came to resemble forbidden ground, rarely used except for maintenance by the government office."

His words had barely fallen when the pitch-black "Emperor Tower" suddenly began to light up, one section at a time.

From the bottom, lanterns were lit one by one until even the top was illuminated.

Zhou Cang: "..."

The young Jinyi asked, "Boss, didn’t you say it’s rarely used?"

Zhou Cang’s expression changed, "Turn back the same way, the streets up ahead need not be patrolled."

"Why?"

"Unless you wish to startle the royal procession," Zhou Cang huffed and scolded,

"Since the Saint ascended the throne, she would occasionally climb the tower to admire the moon. When the Saint goes on a procession, a curfew is set for several miles around, and non-participants must withdraw."

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but look back at the high tower. There was something he did not say:

In the past, when the Empress ascended the tower, only half the lanterns would be lit.

Tonight, all were bright. Could it be that someone else besides the Empress would ascend the tower?

But under the entire sky, who would have such an honor?

At the base of the Emperor Tower.

The majestic dragon carriage slowly halted.

Xu Zhenguan led Zhao Douan to step down, and the waiting eunuchs respectfully offered warm towels to wipe away the dust.

Beneath the "Number One Watchtower," hundreds of Palace Attendants awaited with heads bowed, the ancient, octagonal, wind chime-shaped tower filled with traces of the years, its red lanterns glowing brilliantly.

"Awaiting Your Majesty, the Royal Dining Room has already sent the evening meal to the top floor, which is now at its most favorable time," a palace attendant reported respectfully.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the surrounding area is under curfew, and the Imperial Guard is stationed all around to ensure no disturbances," a guard stepped forward to inform.

Xu Zhenguan nodded, and all the Palace Attendants dispersed, standing with heads bowed in the distance.

Throughout, no one even dared to lift their heads to cast a glance at the two of them.

"Quite unexpected?" the Empress of Great Yu suddenly asked with a soft laugh.

Zhao Douan honestly replied,

"Indeed. Unexpected to come here, and unexpected that the Saint would leave the palace just to dine, yet it is with such grandeur."

Xu Zhenguan, graceful and composed:

"When you reach a certain position, you will find that people of the World are all benevolent, and every door will open itself before you."

Zhao Douan pondered.

The Empress began to ascend the tower.

With the night breeze gently blowing, her white clothes also fluttered, emitting a faint body fragrance.

Zhao Douan followed closely behind, ascending the spiraling staircase.

Gazing into the distance, as he rose, the vista of the Capital broadened.

Thousands of household lights shone like stars on the ground, but for Zhao Douan, accustomed to the light pollution of modern cities for many years, this nightscape seemed rather meager.

"Is this the night view of the Capital, that Your Majesty wished to show me?"

As Xu Zhenguan passed by each lantern, her profile was cast in an orange glow, like warm jade, and when away from the lanterns, it shone bright and white in the darkness.

Without even looking at him, she said, "Disappointed?"

"I dare not," he replied.

"Then let it be, and indeed, this is not the real scenery."

As she spoke, Xu Zhenguan continued to ascend, her delicate jade fingers flicked lightly.

A streak of golden light emerged from the crystal-clear tips of her fingers and entered the brow of Zhao Douan:

"Look again in this way."

Zhao Douan, caught off guard, felt a piercing pain in his eyes, followed by a flowing sense of coolness.

When he opened his eyes again, astounded, he discovered that the world had been unveiled, like lifting a light gauze, revealing its true other side.

In the distance, above a market square, a huge and illusory building ship slowly drifted.

Its shape resembled a sycee, its cabin filled with mountains of gold, silver, jade artifacts, gemstones, and copper coins; on its tall mast, there hung a giant sail painted with a colossal smiling face.

To the left and right of the building ship, there were golden boys and jade maidens carrying bamboo baskets, continuously scattering silver notes.

"That is the deity ’Wealth God’, attended by the ’Scattering Wealth Boys’," Xu Zhenguan calmly explained.

Zhao Douan moved his line of sight toward the direction of the "Grand Bell Tower" of the Heavenly Master Mansion.

The night sky was dyed a shade of azure, casting wide and majestic ripples.

Countless peculiar and mysterious shapes of "deities" surrounded the azure sky, buoyantly drifting in a dazed state.

Corresponding in the far distance was the direction of the Divine Dragon Temple.

A pale golden Buddha Light tore through the nighttime sky, and within it one could vaguely make out a colossal "Buddha’s Head," floating above, its compassionate gaze overlooking the mortal world.

"Heavenly Master Mansion compiles the catalog of deities, where its practicing priests draw forth numerous deities to congregate and hover without dispersion," Xu Zhenguan said.

After pausing for a moment, he continued,

"As for that majestic Buddha’s Head, it is the main deity ’World Honored One’ worshiped by Divine Dragon Temple, symbolizing ’wisdom’. Do not look too much; with insufficient cultivation, if you force yourself to observe the World Honored One, you will be filled with wisdom. At best you’ll feel dizzy, at worst you’ll become silly, and if you’re in the middle, you’ll sever your worldly desires and no longer crave the red dust."

Severance… Zhao Douan instantly averted his gaze, deciding not to look that way anymore.

Is the Capital’s night always this bustling?

When ordinary people close their doors to return home, the world seems to belong to the deities.

Zhao Douan was greatly shocked and asked out of curiosity,

"I can somewhat understand that priests and magicians practice and attract the presence of deities, but what about the Wealth God above the market square and those other deities scattered around?"

In his field of vision, besides the "Heavenly Master Mansion" and "Divine Dragon Temple," there were deities suspended in the air in each direction of the whole Capital, only much dimmer and smaller by comparison.

"The collective thoughts of mortals also nurture deities," the Empress succinctly explained.

So, every household in the market worships the Wealth God, and their thoughts gather to manifest it… Zhao Douan suddenly realized.

His gaze caught sight of the direction of the "Eight Directions Theater," where there were also dim deities above it.

Hmm, a group of actors, worshipping what kind of deity? Curious.

"This subject noticed that many houses also seem to have radiance?"

"That would be the ’house god’ worshiped by the people. A powerful house god forms its own realm. If a strong person enters without care, they might also break their lance."

"This subject once fought with a magician from Prince Jing Mansion and saw ’Marquis of Wind’; I heard there is also a ’rain master’?"

"When heavy rain falls, if you open the Heavenly Eye, you can see the ’rain master’ moving clouds and distributing rain among them. If your martial arts are strong enough, you could clap your hands and extinguish the ’rain master’, dispersing the clouds and stopping the rain.

In the past, the Grand Ancestor Emperor’s martial arts reached the heavens. During a major drought in the northwest and continuous heavy rain in the south, the court’s dispatched magicians were ineffective. The Grand Ancestor Emperor, in a fit of rage, personally went to the south, capturing three hundred ’rain masters’ within the dense clouds and escorted them to the vast lands of the northwest.

Along the way, clouds stretched for thousands of miles, forming a spectacle to behold."

Xu Zhenguan shared this secret tale.

Southern-to-northern water diversion… Zhao Douan’s mind wandered.

Suddenly, he thought, yet the historical records still mentioned years of calamities.

It appears that extraordinary methods might have a price and cannot be easily used.

At this moment, the coolness inside his pupils dissipated, and the night sky returned to normal.

Serene and peaceful, with lights like stars, the mysterious and strange sights were no longer to be seen.

The monarch and his subject also arrived at the lookout tower.

Within a ring of railings was a flat rooftop, and on a low table in the center lay a feast prepared by the Imperial Kitchen.

There were also dark wine jars, arranged in rows, numbering in the dozens.

Here the strikingly beautiful Empress sat cross-legged, her three thousand strands of black hair fluttering in the night breeze, her icy white skin and otherworldly beauty surpassing countless mortal women.

"What are you still standing there for?"

With a flick of Xu Zhenguan’s sleeve and a "whoosh" sound, a heavy jar of osmanthus wine landed in Zhao Douan’s arms.

He suddenly understood where the Old Director got such fine wine from.

Xu Zhenguan’s lips curled up, her beautiful eyes teasing,

"Boy, serve the wine."

...

Meanwhile,

At the Eight Directions Theater, the lights were bright.

A grand play had just ended, the actors retreated backstage, their applause still audible through the curtain.

The actor picked out by Pei Siniang, who played the "young male lead," had removed his stage costume, sweat beading on his forehead.

"Wu Ling, you worked hard tonight." The theater’s troupe leader came over, giving a thumbs-up, his emerald ring dazzling,

"This play was extraordinary, there’s a patron who wishes to meet you."

The young male lead named Wu Ling appeared frail:

"I feel somewhat unwell, I fear I won’t be able to meet with anyone."

The troupe leader looked troubled but ultimately steeled his face and said,

"Then you go rest, don’t catch a cold and ruin your voice."

Wu Ling thanked him and made his way through the crowd to the quiet bedroom at the back of the theater. Once he was away from the crowd, his expression instantly turned fierce, and he unfolded a slip of paper from the palm of his hand:

"Zhao Douan is still in the palace, he may return home tonight, a chance to intercept and assassinate."

Wu Ling narrowed his eyes and burned the paper in a lantern.

Then, from a bamboo box beneath the bed, he took out a rolled-up painting and hung it on the wall to display.

In the painting was a deity donned in colorful clothes, wearing a pure white mask.

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Wu Ling bowed three times, "I call upon the Theater God!"

The rigid Theater God in the painting suddenly opened its eyes.