The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 654 Reunion of Siblings (Seeking Guaranteed Monthly Tickets at the Beginning of the Month)
"Your Majesty." Zhao Du'an stood at the door of the study, slightly taken aback.

Unlike previous meetings where the Empress exuded a rational and dignified aura, Xu Zhenguan saw a hint of sadness in her eyes.

He took a deep breath, turned around and closed the door first, then tentatively said:
"I heard that His Majesty returned this morning and went to see Minister Sun."

The "seeing" here refers to seeing a corpse.

Given the many trials and tribulations the Empress has experienced, there are few things left that could cause her sorrow.

Sun Lianying's death is one example.

"Yes." Xu Zhenguan nodded slightly, his expression relatively calm.
"I heard he left on the day I set off on the expedition?"

Zhao Du'an nodded and said:

"Grand Tutor Dong said that Minister Sun originally wouldn't have been able to hold out until then, but perhaps he held on hoping to see the internal strife in Yu end, so..."

He began to recount the last time he saw Sun Lianying before her death, the words they spoke, the cleaning of the Empress's former residence, and reminiscing about the past.

Xu Zhenguan listened quietly until he finished speaking, then she sighed softly and said something without warning:

"I wonder when Mo Chou will be able to return."

Of the two servants who were closest to the Empress since childhood, one died, and now only Consort Mo remains.

After saying that, she shook her head and said self-deprecatingly:
"I almost forgot, when the Liao people from the south invaded, she was supervising the army in the south. Even after the remnants of Prince Jing's mansion were quelled, she would still have to stay there for a long time."

Zhao Du'an said tactfully:

"If everything goes smoothly, it probably won't be too long."

Xu Zhenguan didn't understand, taking it as a consolation, and smiled, regaining his rational and calm imperial demeanor.

"Don't worry, I've seen so many people come and go along the way, I'm used to it. By the way, you've come at the right time. Yesterday I vaguely felt the earth and sky shaking in the direction of Yunfu. Do you know what happened? Has the operation against DJI been launched again?"

This is the real reason why she made time to come back even while she was on the road.

Only four days after his western expedition, Xu Zhenguan rationally did not believe that the search for the key would make any breakthrough progress.

Therefore, her greater concern was whether the Great Laba would invade the territory.

Only a being of this level of power could create a commotion that she could vaguely sense even from thousands of miles away.

Meeting the Empress's bright gaze, Zhao Du'an hesitated for a moment before slowly saying:
"It's a long story..."

Xu Zhenguan walked to the chair and sat down, gesturing for him to sit as well, and said calmly:
"I have plenty of time. Let's see how long your words last."

"You might have sat down too early..." Zhao Du'an muttered to himself, then decided to speak frankly.

"That's right. Actually, I just returned to the capital, and I've already received the key."

The Empress's jade-like hand had just picked up the blue-and-white porcelain cup from the table covered with bright yellow silk when her wrist trembled slightly...

She looked over abruptly, a hint of surprise in her beautiful eyes, and she stood up abruptly:

"What did you say?"

See, I told you you sat down too early! Zhao Du'an had no choice but to patiently explain:

"Actually, on the day His Majesty embarked on his western expedition, I, along with Zhang Tianshi and his disciples, entered the vast territory through a secret door beneath the Imperial Ancestral Temple..."

Then, he recounted in detail how they had run into the barbarian and killed him.

They devised a plan, with Zhang Yan leading Da Laba away. The three of them successfully infiltrated the Laba Garden and eventually encountered Tuoba Weizhi, recounting their experience.

As he spoke, he took out the two "jade balls" from the Taixu Scroll and presented them to the Empress as if they were treasures.

After the Empress had also looked through the images recorded inside the two jade spheres, she was still deeply shocked, even though she had prepared herself mentally.

"So that's how it is... Da Laba was actually a god created by the Qi Kingdom..."

"Did the founding emperor inherit the 'legacy' of the Liao people back then? And for hundreds of years, successive emperors have appointed people to go there?"

Xu Zhenguan was deeply shocked; this secret was not even recorded in Emperor Taizu's notes.

However, upon careful reflection, she realized that while perusing Emperor Taizu's notes during this period, she had also encountered some difficult-to-understand and ambiguous sentences. Now, combined with this old incident, the subtle lamentations in the notes suddenly became clear.

Zhao Du'an nodded:
"Xu Jianwen somehow learned of this secret and replaced the Liao people chieftain with Song Zhi, which led to the Liao people's northward migration."

The Empress was briefly stunned, then paced around the room, seemingly processing the news.

After a moment she stopped, looked at him, and said approvingly:

"This intelligence is very important. I couldn't understand why the Liao people launched their attack before, but now that I know it was Jianwen who was behind it, it's much better than being completely clueless."

She frowned again:

"However, this will probably make the Liao people even more difficult to deal with."

Even if the Great Laba cannot easily invade, the combination of the powerful Liao people and Xu Jianwen, the guide, will cause astonishing damage.

She bit her lip, thinking about how to deal with the situation next.

But Zhao Du'an's next words caused the Empress to briefly lose her composure once again.

“Actually… the Liao people have already withdrawn their troops,” Zhao Du’an said tactfully.

"After escaping from the Great Frontier, I incidentally aided Zhao Shixiong, borrowed Zhang Tianshi as my weapon, killed the formidable warrior Poyun, the traitor Qi Yuchun, and captured many generals..."

He then recounted this part as well.

"..." Xu Zhenguan's eyes widened slightly, his gaze unfriendly, and he asked suspiciously:

"Are you trying to make me happy?"

Zhao Du'an was both amused and exasperated: "Your Majesty, am I such a frivolous person?"

The Empress nodded earnestly: "Yes!"

This guy loves to flirt!

"..." His reputation has been damaged, his reputation has been damaged... Zhao Du'an took a deep breath and tried his best to appear sincere:

"I have never joked about important matters, have I?"

That's true... Xu Zhenguan finally nodded with some doubt, and then felt a sense of unreality.

He had only been gone for four days, and the Liao people had already retreated... Even though he was already familiar with Zhao Du'an's abilities and knew he was quick, this time it was far too fast...

Zhao Du'an then played his trump card:

"There is one more thing... In that battle, I successfully captured Xu Jianwen. Now Jianwen is in the palace, awaiting Your Majesty's judgment."

This time, the Empress truly lost her composure.

Xu Jianwen! He's been caught and brought back?!
Xu Zhenguan, breathing rapidly, stepped forward and said urgently:
"Really? He's in the palace?"

Zhao Du'an nodded and said in a deep voice:
"Does Your Majesty wish to see me now?" After a moment of silence, the Empress nodded.

……

……

Zhao Du'an walked out of the room, leaving Xu Zhenguan alone in the study, his mind in turmoil.

Even though she already knew that Jian Wen was still alive, she still couldn't help but feel emotional when she actually met him again.

But she was no longer the Third Princess she once was.

When Zhao Du'an led Tuoba Weizhi over, the Empress had already resumed her cold and dignified demeanor.

"You are Tuoba Weizhi?"

Xu Zhenguan looked down at the dark-skinned priestess, his eyes filled with a strange light.

Tuoba Weizhi bowed respectfully: "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Seeing the being who appeared to be the reincarnation of the Crown Prince of Qi, standing before him in the form of a woman, even Xu Zhenguan, who was used to all sorts of things, still felt a little unreal.

She nodded, said nothing more, and simply stated:
Where is the brief document?

Zhao Du'an gestured, and Tuoba Weizhi threw the black cloth bag in his hand on the ground, untied the bag, and a man with his eyes closed, like a "vegetative person," rolled out.

His eyebrows and eyes bear some resemblance to those of the Empress, and his brows are furrowed even in his sleep.

Second brother... "King Wen" Jianwen... is it really you... Xu Zhenguan's eyes were filled with complex emotions.

Zhao Du'an sighed softly, waved his hand, signaling Tuoba Weizhi to leave first, and then said:
"Your Majesty, shall I wait outside?"

"No need." Xu Zhenguan took a deep breath to calm himself, and then said:
"You stay."

Tuoba Weizhi pursed his lips and went out alone again.

After the door closed, the swastika symbol lit up again between Zhao Du'an's eyebrows, releasing the spell that had sealed his five senses.

Xu Jianwen took a deep breath, as if he had just emerged from a long nightmare from the dark seabed!
He suddenly opened his eyes, his hands flailed instinctively, and he felt dizzy and disoriented, unsure of where he was.

She only vaguely remembered being caught up by Zhao Du'an, and then she lost all awareness of the outside world.

Suddenly, he heard a faint voice:

"Brother, long time no see."

The words "Royal Brother" were enunciated with extreme force, devoid of emotion, only coldness and hidden hatred.

Xu Jianwen was stunned for a moment. His blurry vision gradually cleared, and he saw his third sister looking down at him from a high place... no, it should be the Empress of Yu Kingdom.

He also saw Zhao, who made his teeth itch, standing next to the Empress.

In an instant, Xu Jianwen understood everything. He fell silent, and after a moment, he raised his head again, his face calm, even with a slight smile, as if he still wanted to maintain his dignity.
"Third sister, it seems I have lost this round."

The Imperial Study was completely silent.

The two half-siblings stared at each other, and at that moment, Zhao Du'an, as a spectator, felt as if the air itself had frozen.

After several years, they met again.

How will family members who are already sworn enemies meet again?
Xu Zhenguan was filled with mixed feelings. After learning that Jianwen was not dead, she had imagined countless times what she would say if they met again in the future. Would she condemn him for killing his brother and father?
Cold-blooded fratricide?

Or should we mock and ridicule them, belittling their countless schemes that ultimately come to nothing? Or should we suppress them by force, resorting to countless forms of punishment?
But when the moment actually came, Xu Zhenguan found that her heart was completely unmoved. All that anger and hatred she felt was empty, and she couldn't even muster the thought of bringing up those old stories again.

After the weight lifted from her shoulders, all she wanted was for this "family member" in front of her to disappear.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Xu Jianwen asked with a slight smile.

"The victor is king, the loser is villain. Now that I'm in your hands, don't you want to say something?"

Zhao Du'an smacked his lips and said:
"If you laugh again, believe me, I'll slap you."

"..." Xu Jianwen's smile faded.

Xu Zhenguan took a deep breath, closed his eyes, then opened them again, and said in a cold tone:
"why."

She was finally able to ask the question face-to-face:

Why did you do all that in the first place?

Why launch the Xuanmen Coup? Why kill brothers? Why must this country collapse and the people suffer?

Xu Jianwen asked calmly, "Do you really want an answer?"

"Speak." The Empress closed her eyes.

At this moment, a hint of mockery finally appeared in Xu Jianwen's eyes, though it was unclear whether it was self-mockery or ridicule of the Empress:

"My dear sister, are you truly foolish, or do you already know the answer in your heart but insist on telling me? Why? Why am I unwilling to be a carefree prince and insist on seizing power?"

You should ask our deceased father for that answer!

"The old emperor?" Zhao Du'an asked in surprise.

Xu Jianwen's eyes were full of mockery, as if he realized that death was imminent and all his plans would come to naught. He displayed the demeanor of a villain on his deathbed.
"The Great Yu Dynasty has lasted for six hundred years. Even though the national treasury was depleted and local powerful families were numerous, the imperial power remained stable and unshakable during the reign of our father."

He was certainly not a wise ruler, but he was certainly a master of political maneuvering. Let me ask you this: if Father intended to smoothly pass power to the Crown Prince, whether I had ambition or not, how could I possibly have been able to launch a coup d'état?

Xu Jianwen said self-deprecatingly:

"No! I can't! I have no military merits, no official title, no background I was born with, and I don't even have outstanding talent in cultivation. How could I dare to plot? How could I possibly plot?"
Yet I still gained a large following and many admirers. When I raised my arms and called out, everyone from Grand Tutor Zhuang to Qi Yuchun was willing to do a business deal with me that would cost them their lives. Why?
Isn't it all because of our beloved father's deliberate indulgence?!

He said with a cold laugh:
"In the past few years, who in the capital couldn't see that Father Emperor was deliberately letting me build my own faction, deliberately letting me grow up, and deliberately letting me oppose the Crown Prince?"

Can't you see it? Or is someone else unable to see it? Everyone understands!
According to ancestral rules, once the crown prince grows up, he should gradually take over some of the power and ascend the throne when his father grows old.

But his father might not be willing. He only wanted to be an emperor supported by the whole world, and he was most afraid of someone defying his authority and taking away his power!

But what is the Crown Prince doing? He's putting on the act of a benevolent ruler, winning people over everywhere, even a lowly eunuch like Ma Yan… Is Father Emperor truly happy to see all this?

Xu Jianwen shook his head and said disdainfully:
"He was unwilling. So he supported me, openly and secretly, and even conveyed the idea of ​​wanting to depose the crown prince and favor me, the second son. What could I do?"
I have no choice but to do as he wishes and fight the Crown Prince, so that my father won't worry about his son becoming too powerful and forcibly seizing his power!

"But did he ever care whether I lived or died?" Xu Jianwen sneered, his eyes filled with resentment.
"I was used as a tool by him to compete with the Crown Prince for many years. Before he passed away, he still wanted to pass the throne to the Crown Prince. Would he take the opportunity to get rid of me so that the Crown Prince could inherit the throne smoothly?"

"Fine, even if he still has a shred of mercy in his heart and grants me a fiefdom, sending this King Wen far away, what about the Crown Prince? Would he truly trust me? Would he let me go?!"

Xu Jianwen's eyes were icy cold. At this moment, although he slumped helplessly on the ground, looking up at the Empress, he seemed to be the emperor sitting on the dragon throne, indifferent and resolute.
"So, Third Sister, why do you insist on asking me for an answer? Can't you see through these principles?"

From the moment my father put me in the spotlight, from the moment I first rode with Grand Tutor Zhuang when I was a teenager and hinted at this principle to him, there was no turning back.

"Only one of us can live, the Crown Prince or I. Why should I be the one to die?!"

(End of this chapter)