The First Lackey Under The Empress

“Found the evidence?”

In the hall, Zhao Douan, who was dozing in the grand master's chair, suddenly sat up, his drowsiness disappearing.

Zhang Han shook his head and said, “To be precise, it’s the location of the evidence.”

Beside him, Haitang turned around and walked back to the desk.

In the center of the mountain of old books, the lamp oil was almost exhausted, with only a bean-sized flame flickering.

“Zhang Han and I searched all night and finally locked onto the two most likely pieces of evidence to nail Zhou Cheng.”

Haitang handed him two yellowed pieces of paper:

“One is named Zhang Zhu, who was a judge under Xue Lin back then. The proposal for the late Emperor's judgment was made by him. He was also implicated back then and later demoted and sent back to his hometown.”

“The second is a descendant of Minister Pan, who was falsely accused of deceiving the emperor in the Censorate back then.

These two people, the former should still be alive and was a witness to the events, while the latter is trying to overturn the case and has used Minister Pan's connections to copy and take away many of the case files from that time.”

Haitang said excitedly:

“According to our arguments, as long as we can get one of these two key pieces of evidence, combined with other scattered evidence, it is possible to restart the investigation of this old case. If we can get both pieces of evidence, it will be enough to prove that Zhou Cheng is not clean.”

Zhao Douan didn't understand the intricacies of investigation and law, but he trusted the professional qualities of his two colleagues, and a smile appeared on his face:

“Well done!”

One night.

It only took one night to make a breakthrough, and this speed was terrifying.

Of course, if Yuan Li hadn't helped, they didn't know how much time it would have taken.

“However, the only regret is that these two key witnesses are not in the capital.”

Zhang Han frowned:

“Fortunately, it's not too far. One is in Luan County, west of the capital. The other is to the north, at the border of Tieguan Road. If we set off now, and everything goes smoothly, it will take half a month to go back and forth.”

Haitang suddenly shook her head. The mistress of Shuixian Hall took a long stride, walked to the table, took out a map and spread it out, estimating quickly:

“What you said is the normal travel time. If it is a martial artist, riding a fast horse from the army, traveling day and night, it can be reduced to at least seven days.”

Seven days for a thousand miles?

Zhao Douan pondered slightly and said:

“With so many files and related information gathered, it can't be concealed no matter how careful we are. Half a month is too long. Even if Duke Yuan covers it up, Zhou Cheng's spies will have enough time to react. Once he is prepared, it will be difficult to handle.”

Haitang nodded, agreeing with this view:

“In that case, we don't have much time left.

In this way, Shuixian Hall has a case in the direction of Luan County. It was originally handed over to the centurions below to handle. Since this is the case… I will take a trip, using the business trip as a cover, leaving the team alone, which can shorten the time to the greatest extent.”

So active? Zhao Douan looked at her in surprise.

He vaguely guessed that, at this point, Haitang was not just assisting him in completing the Empress's mission.

Perhaps, seeking justice for the Xue family and the wronged souls of the Zhengtong era was her true purpose.

Sitting in the position of Jisi and still so full of justice? Oh, right, she doesn't seem to have climbed up from the bottom… Second generations who have not experienced the cruelty of the workplace are always more likely to maintain kindness…

Speaking of which, which family is behind Haitang? It seems that no one has ever mentioned it, it seems quite mysterious…

Zhao Douan said with admiration:

“That's great, but the Tieguan Road route is still missing someone trustworthy.”

After speaking, the two stared at Zhang Han tacitly, without saying a word, just staring straight at him.

“…” Zhang Han's poker face twitched slightly, and he sighed helplessly:

“Okay, I'll go get the other piece of evidence.”

Perfect!

Zhao Douan clapped his hands and smiled:

“Zhao has the assistance of Wolong and Fengchu today, and great things can be accomplished.”

What is this allusion? Zhang Han didn't understand.

Who are you calling a chick? Haitang raised her eyebrows.

The three then discussed the details. In order to save time, "Wolong" and "Fengchu" left separately and returned to their respective halls.

Preparing to leave the city under the pretext of going on a business trip to handle a case.

Zhao Douan, alone, draped in a coat, picked up the extinguished candlestick, pushed the door and walked into the courtyard.

At this moment, the sky was blue, and the horizon was faintly white. On the big pear tree in the courtyard, the pears were gradually ripening.

Perhaps, in a few days, everyone in the hall can feast on them.

…

“Wake up, you lazy pig, stop sleeping.”

Zhao Douan walked to the duty room next door and saw the newbie female Jinyi sleeping on the table. He helplessly called out softly.

“Ah!”

Qian Kerou woke up with a jolt, stood up in a panic, half of her round face full of collagen had a red mark, and there was still crystal saliva flowing from the corner of her mouth:

“D… Sir!”

Zhao Douan, wearing a coat, embraced the black iron candlestick: “Go to my room to sleep.”

Qian Kerou acted as a doorman last night, constantly opening the door for the Yuan Mansion's servants, and her head was drooping at this moment:

“Oh!”

“Wait,” Zhao Douan remembered something:

“I asked you to send someone to find Qin Qiu, haven't you brought him here yet?”

Qian Kerou shook her head blankly, indicating no.

Zhao Douan frowned, feeling uneasy. Could it be that Qin Qiu was messing around outside last night and didn't go home? That's why he couldn't be found?

At this time, footsteps came from outside the cold Pear Blossom Hall. A follower under Qian Kerou's command came in with a tired face and said unexpectedly:

“Sir? You came so early?”

I never left… Zhao Douan was expressionless.

Qian Kerou's eyes lit up: “Where is the person I ordered you to find? The Jisi wants to see him.”

The follower said with a bitter face:

“Sir, your subordinate went to the Qin family following that address and learned that Qin Qiu was not there. His family said that they didn't know where he was messing around. He didn't return home all night the day before yesterday, and only told me a few possible places.”

Your subordinate, mindful of the matters you instructed, didn't dare delay and simply visited each of the places the Qin family mentioned for amusement.

In the end, I only discovered that Qin Qiu spent the night before last at the Jiaofang Division, but left yesterday morning. As for where he went, the women of the Jiaofang Division didn't know…

I thought, in this vast capital, it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack, so I simply returned to the Qin family to wait. But I waited until late into the night without seeing him, so I had no choice but to return and report.

He's disappeared?

Zhao Du'an's heart sank, and a sense of unease quietly intensified. He took a silver ingot from his money bag and tossed it over:

"You've worked hard. Go and rest."

The attendant was overjoyed and thanked him before leaving.

"My lord, are you in a hurry to find him?" Qian Kerou asked softly, seeing his brow furrowed.

Zhao Du'an waved his hand, not offering an explanation. He tossed the candlestick to the little secretary and returned alone to the hall piled high with documents.

Given Qin Qiu's personality, spending his days mingling with various纨绔子弟, it wouldn't be considered unusual for him to be missing for two days.

But at this critical juncture, Zhao Du'an wouldn't overlook anything amiss.

He reached into his robes and took out the storage treasure, the 'Taixu Painting Scroll'. With a gentle shake, a simple jade mirror fell out, none other than the 'Fengyue Baojian'.

Zhao Du'an held the mirror's surface, silently recalling Qin Qiu's appearance in his mind.

The mirror's surface rippled, and gradually, a scene appeared in the mirror.

It was a dim prison. In the firelight, Qin Qiu was beaten black and blue, his silk clothes stained with blood, clinging to the bars and gently tapping.

"He's in prison?"

Zhao Du'an was stunned. He tried to zoom out on the image, and gradually, through the landmarks, he recognized it as the prison of the Dali Temple!

Dali Temple… Qin Qiu…

As these two keywords surfaced, Zhao Du'an's expression suddenly darkened, realizing something was wrong:

"Qin Qiu has always been smooth and personable, and he has attached himself to many powerful figures. How could he have entered the Dali Temple silently? Especially at this critical juncture, could it be…"

In Zhao Du'an's mind, many clues raced about, giving rise to a bad premonition.

He lowered his eyes and observed the magic mirror for a moment, estimating that the internal magic power could still support one more glimpse.

He pondered briefly, abandoning the idea of peering at Zhou Cheng, and instead, he tried his best to recall the face of 'Wang Shan' that had appeared in his memory.

The scene within the mirror shattered and slowly rippled again, forming a new scene.

The purpose of his glimpse this time wasn't to determine Wang Shan's state, but to stimulate his brain by 'seeing' the other party, activating related dormant memories.

After about ten breaths, a new image appeared in the mirror:

Inside a bedroom, on a silk-covered bed, a man and a woman were fast asleep.

The man was about forty or fifty years old, seemingly afflicted with albinism, with only a few pale whiskers on his chin. He was fat, with ordinary features.

At this moment, he was sprawled out like a fat pig, lying on his back, embracing a fair-skinned beauty.

It was a pretty concubine, who was now encircling the middle-aged man with her arms, sleeping soundly, seemingly exhausted. There were spots of candle wax and whip marks on her body.

And the messy bedding told of last night's frenzy.

Zhao Du'an ignored the small leather whip and other tools discarded by the window, staring intently at the middle-aged man's face, his mind beginning to throb, and bits of memory surfaced.

Wang Residence…

Qin Qiu and himself…

Wang Shan…

Beautiful woman… bedroom…

Boom!

It was as if glass shattered in his mind, and streams of memories poured out, vivid and clear. Zhao Du'an closed his eyes to 'observe', his expression uncertain.

In the small mirror in his hand, the image slowly shattered.

After a long while, Zhao Du'an opened his eyelids, exhaled deeply, looked at the pile of documents on the table, and suddenly chuckled softly, muttering to himself:

"So that's how you're playing it…"

After a little thought, Zhao Du'an eliminated several response plans that had surfaced in his mind.

Finally, he took out the silver painting scroll again, placed the copper mirror back inside, and then pulled out a stick of yellow incense.

It was the communication device Jin Jian had left him to summon himself.

"It's not dawn yet, he shouldn't be asleep yet…"

Zhao Du'an got up, lit the yellow incense with a fire starter, and secured it on the table.

The incense tip was fiery red and bright, as if burning a hole in the night, with wisps of green smoke swirling, rising straight up, through the beams, the roof ridge…

Suddenly, the wind rose, and the green smoke trembled violently.

The air twisted, and a young goddess official, wearing a black divine official robe, with a delicate face, slightly curled hair ends, and scattered eyes, slowly emerged.

She lowered her eyes to stare at him, expressionless, with morning grumpiness, seemingly demanding an explanation.

Zhao Du'an looked up at the girl floating above the mountain of documents and smiled slightly.

…

The sky gradually brightened, and along with the arrival of the Jinyi 'going to work', the Zhaoyu Yamen also became lively.

"Didn't you sleep last night?"

When Hou Renmeng, Shen Juan, and Old Zheng stepped into the Pear Blossom Hall, they were startled to see Qian Kerou holding the 'check-in book'.

"I did sleep… *yawn*…"

Qian Kerou's eyelids were drooping. Just as she was about to answer, she suddenly heard the door of the tightly closed hall behind her being pushed open from the inside.

Zhao Du'an, wearing official robes and full of energy, walked out with his hands behind his back.

"My lord!" The four hurriedly bowed in salute.

Zhao Du'an's gaze swept over his subordinates, and a dangerous arc appeared at the corner of his mouth:

"Go have breakfast first. When all the brothers have arrived, follow me."

Qian Kerou was puzzled: "Do what?"

Zhao Du'an revealed his white teeth and uttered two words:

"Arrest people!"