The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 94 - 91. What he lost was just a pair of legs, but what I almost lost was my face (please subscribe!)

Zhao Douan walked out of Lihua Hall alone, lifting his feet to board the carriage of the "Female Prime Minister."

"Is everything arranged?" Mo Chou was closing her eyes in meditation, but she opened them to look up.

"Just laid down a few rules," Zhao Douan said with a smile.

"Why do it this way?" Mo Chou cut to the chase, "I mean, using Li Lang as a warning."

Zhao Douan replied indifferently,

"Just to show power. He has the biggest background and presented himself on our doorstep; there’s no reason not to ’kill the chicken to scare the monkey.’"

Mo Chou stared at him, frowning:

"With your intelligence, there are better ways to establish authority and stabilize your position. At the very least, just having me appear by your side would suffice; even if Li Lang is foolish, he wouldn’t publicly disrespect His Majesty in my presence.

Yet, you intentionally asked me to wait outside, indicating that you deliberately distanced me, already planning to make an example out of someone—Li Lang just happened to be the target."

Her outright statement of his tactics left Zhao Douan’s demeanor unchanged; he smiled and said:

"And what of it? Isn’t this exactly why Mr. Yuan and His Majesty sent me? Why does Mo Zhaorong even ask knowingly?"

Mo Chou spoke calmly, "State your thoughts."

Zhao Douan leaned back lazily against the cushion, sighed softly, and said:

"Isn’t it clear?

Lihua Hall gathers all the corruption of the government office. Lord Ma is bound by human feelings or perhaps leaving a way out; either way, it’s difficult for him to personally take action. The best method is to send an outsider to reform."

"This outsider must have no ties with the old forces of the Imperial Court, and must not fear offending people, daring to do so. I happen to be the perfect candidate."

"By all logic, on my first day in office, Lord Ma should have personally handled it, but instead, he chose to absolve himself of visibility. Why?

Because if he aided me, in the eyes of everyone, I would become the knife executing Lord Ma’s will, and my actions would be seen as his directives, rendering my arrival as an ’outsider’ meaningless."

"That’s why, Lord Ma had to sever ties with me; I could only solely represent the will of His Majesty...

Yes, that’s the real reason His Majesty sent you here—to support me, as your presence by my side declares to everyone."

Zhao Douan talked freely.

Observing the expression of the female official, he continued:

"As for Li Lang, heh... would the Emperor not know that Princess Yunyang’s son is here?

He knows, yet from beginning to end, he never reminded me, including you, Mo Zhaorong. Isn’t his intent clear enough?

It is simply letting me take action freely, even using me to punish this incompetent fool. I merely follow the hint and obey the orders."

With these words laid out, even Mo Chou’s stern visage slightly softened.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freёnovelkiss.com.

As someone close to the Emperor, she had heard about Zhao Douan’s cunning and ruthlessness over the past two months.

She knew well that he was personally recommended by Mr. Yuan.

Certainly, this wasn’t something achievable just with a handsome face appealing to the Empress.

But hearing is false; seeing is believing.

At this moment, Zhao Douan, with just a hint of information, had guessed nearly everything, including her assigned task.

Even though she disliked it, she had to admit he was capable.

It’s just a pity... talented but unprincipled.

Even if one has a good brain and keen tactics, with poor character and pretentious dominance...

In the end, he is still despicable.

Mo Chou said coldly:

"Even if tacitly allowing you to discipline him, there should be limits. Today, you punished him publicly by breaking his legs. Even if Princess Yunyang can seek pills from the Divine Dragon Temple for healing, that was still too much."

Zhao Douan’s lips curled up slightly, speaking in a deep tone:

"That’s exactly why I asked you to wait outside, otherwise, if Zhaorong were present, wouldn’t that have made things awkward?"

Mo Chou’s chest heaved with stifled laughter, nearly amused by anger:

"Should I thank you for being considerate then?"

"No need for thanks, as ’thank you’ is too trivial. I prefer tangible gifts," Zhao Douan shamelessly stated.

He then sighed softly, with a sincere look:

"It’s also hard for me. If I merely made a small gesture, not punishing severely or harshly, what would have been the point? Would those of Jinyi respect and fear me? They would still think I bully the weak and fear the strong.

Now, I dare say, at least openly, these people wouldn’t dare provoke me, which has an immediate effect. As for the cost, it’s merely Mr. Li’s legs."

Zhao Douan looked wronged:

"He lost just a pair of legs, but I almost lost face!"

Inside the carriage.

The statement from the female Prime Minister shocked her, leaving her speechless for a moment.

Zhao Douan then added with a smile:

"Moreover, later Zhaorong can retrieve a pill from the Imperial Palace’s treasury to send over, just say it’s a reward from His Majesty.

I’ll pretend I’m unaware. In this way, I play the villain, and a bit of royal affection can be somewhat restored.

It’s fine, after all, Mr. Li only cursed me once; I’ve hit him, vented my anger, and it’s not like I need to cripple him for his crime."

Mo Chou closed her eyes, took a deep breath to suppress her emotions.

She realized that she had greatly underestimated Zhao Douan’s shamelessness and cunning.

She opened her eyes as if looking at a madman:

"Are you truly not afraid of Princess Yunyang’s retaliation? Even though she’s married off and no longer considered part of the Royal Family by rites, the power she can wield is still not to be underestimated."

Zhao Douan fell silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said:

"From the moment I pointed the sword at Li Yanfu to save my own life, I was deeply in debt.

I dare to offend the current Prime Minister of the Huai River region, the Pei Family, am I afraid of a deposed princess? From when I started on this path, there was no turning back."

Mo Chou was momentarily stunned.

At that moment, a beam of summer sunshine pierced through the slit in the curtain of the cart, highlighting Zhao Douan’s eyes.

His eyes were piercingly bright.

Mo Chou fell silent for a moment and waved her hand to dismiss everyone:

"Leave now, I must return to the palace and report this matter to His Majesty."

"I couldn’t agree more," Zhao Douan said with a smile as he stepped out of the carriage.

As he watched the discreet and restrained carriage drive away, his expression grew suspicious.

Logically, given his recent behavior, Xu Zhenguan and Yuan Li should have noticed the discrepancies with the rumors about him and realized the oddity.

They might have guessed that he was deliberately sullying his own reputation.

Yet Mo Zhaorong, also a favorite close to the Emperor, continued to steadfastly view him as an enemy, thinking of him as a hypocritical villain, which was somewhat strange.

"Being praised as ’the female Prime Minister,’ although it’s just an exaggerated, empty title from the rumors and is incomparable to the real Prime Minister, at least indicates that she is not stupid."

"Is it because her wit is only average? Has she gained her current status only because of her many years of loyalty to the Empress? That might explain why she hasn’t noticed, but that possibility seems slim..."

"Or is there some other unknown reason behind her deep prejudice against my original master, making it impossible for her to change her mind...?"

After pondering for a long time and finding no answers, Zhao Douan simply didn’t bother to think further.

She was just a palace maid, after all; he didn’t care about her opinion.

As long as the Empress trusted him, let Mo Chou think whatever she wanted.

"Someone, prepare the carriage."

Zhao Douan turned around, instructing the clerks in the office.

Time was needed to spread the news of his asserting authority.

He had no intention of staying to preside over the office today nor to mingle with his colleagues; instead, he planned to spend some time arranging his next steps.

He had not forgotten his secret mission to root out the "mole" hidden within the Imperial Court.

"That’s the situation."

Inside the Governor Hall, Zhou Cang finished reporting the news he had heard.

Within the room.

Lord Ma, the senior eunuch, paced with his hands behind his back, his face unable to hide his excitement.

Beating Li Lang... Mo Chou taking a stand... being thrown into the Imperial Prison... setting three rules...

In less than an hour after Zhao Douan’s appointment, he had executed a full set of combining strikes, leaving everyone unable to react in time.

Just moments ago, Lord Ma thought about intervening to mediate once Zhao Douan could no longer cope—helping him yet avoiding giving others a handle to criticize him.

Yet, he hadn’t expected things to progress so rapidly.

Moreover, Mo Zhaorong’s accompanying presence was also something he had not anticipated.

After slight reflection, he understood the Emperor’s intentions.

Ultimately, he did not want to involve himself... Therefore, as Lord, it was best for him to remain "unseen" when it came to matters concerning Lihua Hall.

"I understand," Lord Ma stopped walking, pondered for a moment, and asked:

"How is the mood at Lihua Hall now?"

Zhou Cang replied:

"The effect of asserting his authority has been excellent; those troublemakers have all submitted, and for at least the next few days, they will temporarily be obedient. After setting the rules, Mr. Zhao left the government office; his destination is unknown."

That kid sure left quickly... Lord Ma stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze on the wind chimes under the eaves:

"But it is only temporary—fearing authority but not harboring loyalty is no long-term solution."

Lihua Hall Jin Yi now, fearing Zhao Douan, were temporarily compliant.

But to tame a group of wild horses, a whip alone is insufficient.

If Zhao Douan genuinely wanted to bring these people over to his side, he must win over their hearts.

"My subordinate believes that with Master Zhao’s abilities and wisdom, he might be able to accomplish this," Zhou Cang suggested after thinking.

Lord Ma glanced at him and smiled, saying:

"Convinced by just one joint operation to catch a spy from Prince Jing Mansion? You should know, leading men, the art of military command, and using position to bully others or play schemes are worlds apart.

His past achievements mostly involved meticulous observation, finding opportunities, and manipulating people, deception, taking advantage of circumstances... and he is proficient at these, but this situation is different.

To genuinely earn the deep respect and allegiance of a group of obstinate martial artists, one cannot rely on crafty maneuvers. Therefore, many civil officials adept in strategy fail miserably in the military because they can’t earn the soldiers’ affection and trust.

On the contrary, the most effective way to win over soldiers is through personal charisma, yet this is where his reputation sorely tarnishes him...

Moreover, the people of Lihua Hall are not easily fooled soldiers but cunning individuals, and even I find it difficult to win their hearts."

Saying so, Lord Ma also furrowed his brows, feeling the challenge.

He began to think about how he could assist Zhao Douan.

But the few methods he thought of all required his personal involvement.

Unfortunately, the Empress had almost explicitly instructed him not to interfere with Lihua Hall.

At that moment, even with his vast experience as "King Yanluo," he couldn’t come up with a good solution.

After pondering deeply for a moment, Lord Ma rubbed his temples, then a thought suddenly struck him:

If direct assistance was unworkable, perhaps he could change his approach.

However, he feared using excessive force might backfire... After weighing his options, Lord Ma finally spoke:

"Send the order—summon the nine major department heads of Jinyi to the Governor Hall to discuss matters."

He paused briefly, then added:

"Those not within the government office need not come."

Thus, the eight Jinyi chiefs gathered, but Zhao Douan was conspicuously absent.