After failing the imperial examination, he began to wield immense power after entering the palace!

Cao Mo shook his head, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

"Now that Consort Xie has intervened, the Ministry of Justice prison is now an impregnable fortress. It will be difficult to kill Zhang Xuan inside."

"However, on the day of the court assembly, Zhang Xuan will be escorted from the Ministry of Justice prison to the palace, and that will be our opportunity."

"Tell the White Tiger Hall to take action during the escort. We absolutely cannot let Zhang Xuan stand alive in the imperial court."

"Otherwise, there will be one more person speaking recklessly in front of His Majesty."

Wu Zheng's heart tightened, and he clasped his hands and bowed.

"Yes! I'll arrange it right away!"

……

Chengqian Palace, sleeping quarters.

Consort Xie leaned against the soft couch, her nightgown collar slightly open, revealing a section of her fair collarbone and a deep shadow.

Li Fan recounted the events of the day from beginning to end.

"Your Majesty, the only pity is that the people from the White Tiger Hall seemed to have noticed it beforehand. By the time the Imperial Guards arrived, they had all run away."

After listening, Leng Shuangqiu's eyes flashed with undisguised surprise.

She couldn't help but glance at Li Fan a few more times. This young man, who seemed useless this morning, had managed to win over Zhang Xuan after just one trip?

She had to admit that she had really misjudged the situation this time...

Consort Xie was also somewhat surprised.

She had originally sent Li Fan out of the palace on business, but in her heart she actually regretted it somewhat.

Even if a poor, mediocre scholar has some cleverness, he has no experience in the imperial court. If he messes things up, he might alert the enemy.

But in the blink of an eye, this person actually handled things perfectly, and even implicated Cao Mo as well.

"The assassins escaped, but why did you send Zhang Xuan to accuse Cao Mo? Are you holding a grudge against him for throwing you in jail?"

Leng Shuangqiu's eyelids twitched.

The Empress hates deception the most. If this boy dares to hide anything, the consequences will be unpredictable.

Li Fan felt a chill run down his spine, knowing this was a test.

Without hesitation, he raised his head and met Consort Xie's cold eyes with an open and honest gaze.

"This servant will not lie to Your Majesty, but it was indeed a matter of settling a personal score while on official business."

"But now we have a legitimate opportunity to take down Cao Mo, the Prefect of Jingzhao, eliminate the Empress's support, and strengthen the Empress's power."

"This servant thinks it's acceptable to do it."

Consort Xie looked at the young man who had so openly revealed his thoughts, and a hint of satisfaction flashed in her eyes.

She doesn't dislike subordinates who have selfish motives; on the contrary, she finds someone without selfish motives uncontrollable.

As long as it doesn't interfere with her affairs, she even allows her subordinates to use her influence to seek revenge.

"This will not be repeated."

Four words, light and airy, yet they gave Li Fan a sense of certainty.

He knew the other party didn't care about such a small matter at all, but instead, his eyes flashed, and he pressed his advantage.

"Your Majesty, I have one more trick up my sleeve that can completely crush Cao Mo and Liu Zhengsheng."

Consort Xie became interested.

She leaned forward slightly, and her collar slipped down a little.

Those two full, white mounds squeezed out a deep cleavage, which shimmered so brightly in the candlelight that it made one dizzy.

"explain."

Li Fan lowered his eyes, avoiding looking at the expanse of white, and spoke in a calm tone.

"Please, Your Majesty, do your utmost to protect Zhang Xuan's life these next two days."

"The Empress would never allow Zhang Xuan to stand alive and speak recklessly in the court, so they are very likely to silence him on the way."

"If they make a move, Your Highness should have people lying in ambush nearby to catch them red-handed."

"With these assassins testifying in court, the damage will be even greater."

Consort Xie's eyes lit up, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

"But what if the Empress's men didn't go to silence them?"

Li Fan raised his head, his face looking completely harmless.

"Then please have Your Majesty find a group of assassins to frame me."

Consort Xie paused for a moment, then chuckled softly.

She initially thought Li Fan was just a little clever, but now it seems that this is not cleverness at all, but rather ruthlessness and cruelty.

She could bring herself to frame someone, but this poor, pedantic scholar dared to do it without batting an eye; his audacity far exceeded her expectations.

"I'm leaving this matter to you."

"I will give you three hundred Imperial Guards, who will be at your command."

"At the court assembly the day after tomorrow, I want to see Zhang Xuan standing safely in the court, meeting His Majesty."

So he's already in command of troops?

Li Fan took a deep breath and respectfully kowtowed:

"Yes, Your Majesty, we will never let you down."

Leng Shuangqiu's beautiful eyes sparkled.

How did a lowly eunuch, who had only been in the palace for less than a day, gain the Empress's trust and even become a commander of troops?

She vaguely realized that the better Li Fan performed, the greater his chance of getting into the Empress's bed and becoming her lover who would use him to conceive...

Consort Xie was fairly satisfied with Li Fan's performance.

She leaned back lazily on the soft couch, one jade-like foot sticking out from under her nightgown, her toes touching the footstool, her posture languid and nonchalant.

"Is there anything you want? Don't say you don't want anything."

"If I want to give it to you, you must have it."

His tone was domineering and left no room for refusal.

After these two encounters, Li Fan realized that she was a woman who was both opinionated and domineering.

Refusing her will only upset her.

"Your Highness, this servant wishes to learn martial arts. May Eunuch Hai teach this servant some?"

Consort Xie raised an eyebrow.

She didn't think Li Fan would amount to anything by practicing martial arts.

At my age, my muscles and bones are all set, what kind of skill can I possibly develop?

However, this is not an excessive request.

"Shuangqiu, go and fetch a Nine-Flower Jade Dew Pill for him."

"Then take him to see Eunuch Hai and have him learn the most superior mental cultivation method."

Leng Shuangqiu accepted the order.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Li Fan kowtowed again: "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

He got up and followed Leng Shuangqiu out.

A palace maid entered to pour tea for Consort Xie and whispered, "Your Highness, we just received news that Prince Wei intends to marry Miss Xiao."

"It is said that Minister Xiao has already given his consent, and the two families are preparing to discuss the wedding date."

The King of Wei was the younger brother of the King of Chu.

Because the Chu emperor had no son, many people in the court and the public were privately discussing the possibility of making him the crown prince.

Now that the King of Wei wants to marry the eldest daughter of the Xiao family of Lanling, he is trying to win over the Xiao family.

The Xiao family has always been headed by the Xie family.

"It seems that the Xiao family feels that my ship is unstable and wants to find another partner as soon as possible."

Consort Xie's voice was soft, yet it carried a chilling aura.

"The King of Wei wants to take my woman; it's not that simple."

"Tell me, what kind of husband should I find for Ningxiang? And while I'm at it, give the Xiao family a warning?"

……

outside the temple.

Leng Shuangqiu led Li Fan to the corridor, took out a jade bottle from her sleeve, and poured out a round and translucent pill.

"This is the Nine-Flower Jade Dew Pill. Taking it will improve your bones and muscles."

"It takes an ordinary person one to three years to break through to the ninth rank after laying a solid foundation."

"But taking it will give you a solid foundation and help you reach the ninth rank in one fell swoop, without any drawbacks whatsoever."

Li Fan's eyes lit up, and he took the pill and swallowed it without hesitation.

In an instant, a warm current burst forth from my abdomen, surging into my limbs and bones, as if countless streams were flowing through my meridians.

He felt as if some shackles within his body had been broken, and from this moment on, he officially became a ninth-rank martial artist!

"Bang!"

Li Fan punched a tree next to him, his fist sinking half an inch into the trunk, sending wood chips flying.

This punch was several times more powerful than the previous one.

Is this the power of a ninth-rank official?

Leng Shuangqiu's eyes narrowed.

Judging from the power fluctuations of that punch, it was at least comparable to the peak of the eighth rank.

If this gets out, all the young geniuses in the martial arts world will be green with envy.

The Pure Yang Constitution truly lives up to its name.

Unfortunately, he started practicing martial arts too late, making it difficult for him to achieve great success.

Just then.

Grandpa Hai walked over with his hands behind his back.

He never expected that in just one day, this thing, which he considered less than an ant, would actually catch the eye of the Empress.

Not only did he reach the ninth rank in martial arts, but the Empress herself also asked him to teach this scoundrel martial arts.

"Hehe, Xiao Gaozi, you're really something."

"Next time, should we call you 'Master'?"