The First Lackey Under The Empress

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Da da da…

On the wide streets of the capital, Xue Shence led a group of military officers, attracting countless gazes as they entered the city.

In the past, military officers rarely wore armor in public, let alone swaggered through the streets like this today?

As Xue Shence followed the letter Zhao Du'an had given him, approaching the residence of the Hengwang Shizi (Prince Heng's Heir), he finally slowly began to explain the general situation, lest this group of people be confused later.

"The Hengwang Shizi detained Zhao Qianshi's (Attache Zhao) people?"

The military officers exchanged glances, instinctively wanting to retreat.

They didn't want to wade into this muddy water, but they forcibly restrained themselves.

The intent of the Grand Commandant leading them here was too obvious – to support Zhao Du'an and show the outside world that the military officer group stood together.

Whoever dared to leave at this time would be clearly courting death.

"Lord Zhao will surely be grateful to know you are helping him in this way," said Shi Meng, the commander of the Shenji Camp, earnestly.

Xue Shence shook his head and said:

"This trip is not only to help him, but also to help the Hengwang Shizi, but ultimately, it is to relieve His Majesty's worries."

These words were worth pondering. Although Shi Meng appeared rough, he was meticulous. After a little thought, he suddenly understood:

With Zhao Du'an's past temper, going to demand people would easily lead to conflict. Although Xu Zudi's identity was noble, this was, after all, the capital, not Qingzhou Dao.

If Zhao Du'an was truly angered, the one to suffer would definitely be this Shizi.

Zhao Du'an's past "achievements" had already proven that he was someone who dared to poke a hole in the sky and beat anyone.

But Xu Zudi was, after all, the Empress's brother. If this matter blew up, the one with a headache would still be the Empress.

Therefore, Xue Shence bringing people along could control the situation within a certain range, allowing small matters to be resolved rather than escalating into major events. This was to relieve His Majesty's worries.

Shi Meng looked at him with admiration and said, "You are still the most thoughtful, Lord. If Zhao Qianshi knew…"

Xue Shence smiled and said:

"Of course he knows, otherwise why would he go alone first, letting us provide support from behind? It's nothing more than giving him some time to make a fuss and talk things over. Our Qianshi still has some fire in his belly and wants to vent it."

If Zhao Du'an wanted to resolve the problem peacefully, the best choice would be to visit together with Xue Shence.

Xu Zudi dared to provoke Zhao Du'an, but he wouldn't dare to offend Xue Shence.

The former was just a favorite by the Empress's side, and was opposed to the Eight Princes in terms of stance, so he wasn't afraid to offend him.

But the military merit group represented by Xue Shence was an object that even the Eight Princes wanted to win over.

"Zhao Du'an going in alone to make a fuss is to save face. We following behind is to control the situation. It's like on a stage, there must always be someone to play the red face and someone to play the white face. Shi Meng, you are skilled in governing the army, but you should learn from him in the way of scheming and planning," Xue Shence said lightly.

At this time, the group of generals had arrived outside the gate of the residence.

The injured guards had already been carried away, and new people had been sent to stand guard. Seeing a group of generals approaching in a mighty manner, their faces immediately changed.

…

…

"Ah! !"

Inside the hall, as Zhao Du'an rotated his wrist, throwing the flying knife towards the Hengwang Shizi, the sharp scream of the beautiful maid echoed in the room.

Accompanied by Li Lang's wide eyes and Madam Xiao's stunned expression.

Whoosh!

Even Xu Zudi was stunned, as if he had not expected Zhao Du'an to suddenly attack.

At this distance, he had no time to react at all. In his pupils, only the tip of the knife was enlarging!

However, in the second before Zhao Du'an acted, the old man who had been standing quietly in the corner of the room stepped out.

In an instant, he shielded Xu Zudi like lightning. The old man, whose hands reached past his knees, leaned his body slightly forward, and two iron-like fingers of his right hand probed out.

In a flash of lightning, he actually used two fingers to clamp the flying knife!

"Ding! !"

The rough knuckles collided with the blade, actually sparking. The flying knife, carrying enormous force and almost pulling out afterimages, was forcibly stopped by the old man, with the blade only a hair's breadth away from the old man's furrowed brow.

"You dare, you impudent brat!"

The old man's deep eyes revealed indifference. He rotated his wrist, reflecting the frantically struggling flying knife, trying to break free, like a shooting star towards Zhao Du'an's face!

The speed was even faster than when it came!

"Buzz! ! !"

The Golden Crow Flying Knife, as if possessing spirituality, frantically adjusted its direction in the air to avoid accidentally hurting its master, skimming past Zhao Du'an's ear, narrowly missing and raising a strand of hair.

With a "bang", it shattered a jade ornament behind, creating a terrifying momentum.

"Master, be careful!" Hou Renmeng belatedly realized and wanted to draw his sword and step forward to block the approaching old man.

But he saw that the silent old man had already approached Zhao Du'an within a foot in an instant, and a cannon-like fist thrust out, carrying wind and thunder, as if to punch through Zhao Du'an.

However, Zhao Du'an was still calm and composed, neither dodging nor avoiding.

The old man raised his eyebrows slightly, seeming surprised. Just as he was about to retract some of his strength, in the next second, he only felt a Qi force locking onto him, making his hair stand on end, as if taking another step forward would lead to a violent death.

Danger!

The old man forcibly retreated violently at the cost of internal injuries. In the blink of an eye, he flashed back in front of Xu Zudi.

In the next second, that wisp of unparalleled sharp Qi force dissipated, and Zhao Du'an's eyes showed a hint of disappointment.

He heard a large number of messy footsteps coming from outside the house, as well as Xue Shence's high-pitched and loud voice:

"Shizi, Xue is taking the liberty of visiting, please forgive me for the disturbance."

Xue Shence is here!

At this moment, Hou Renmeng took the lead in showing a relieved expression, his palms already soaked with sweat.

The rest of the people in the room had just barely recovered their senses.

Everything that had just happened was too fast. The entire exchange and withdrawal were completed in the blink of an eye.

Even cultivators would have difficulty reacting if they weren't careful, let alone mortals?

"Ah—"

Only now did Li Lang belatedly cry out, nearly falling backward, his face ashen with fright.

Madam Xiao slowly regained her senses. At first, she looked at Zhao Du'an in astonishment, then her attention was drawn to the voices outside, making her even more surprised.

Xu Zudi came back to his senses, his back already soaked in a layer of cold sweat. A surge of anger suddenly welled up in his heart.

He was both shocked and furious, never expecting this pretty boy surnamed Zhao to be so audacious.

But just as this anger surged to his heart, it was forcibly suppressed by a group of armored generals striding into the main hall!

"Secretary Xue?" Xu Zudi's expression stiffened. "Why are you here?"

Xue Shence seemed oblivious to the tense atmosphere in the room, laughing loudly as he said:

"Today was the military's autumn drill, and we held a banquet with the generals. On the way back to the city, Inspector Zhao hurriedly took his leave and ran off, so we had no choice but to follow. We didn't expect it was a prior engagement with His Highness the Prince. Eh, what's going on here...?"

Zhao Du'an looked apologetic:

"I am truly sorry for the discourtesy. There was a minor incident here, which has caused you all to make a trip. I had a slight misunderstanding with the Prince, which has already been resolved."

Ah, this... Wasn't it you, sir, who told people to follow behind...? Hou Renmeng muttered in his heart but didn't dare to speak.

He lamented how even a group of military generals could be such drama queens. Where was the straightforwardness of military men, so different from the scheming of civil officials?

The human heart is not what it used to be...

"Haha, what Commissioner Zhao says is true. It was all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding," Xu Zudi said, his expression changing several times, finally forcing out a laugh. "It's already been cleared up."

Xue Shence smiled and said, "That's good. Any day will do, but since we're here, it's been a long time since I've seen His Highness the Prince. How about we have a simple meal together?"

Xu Zudi smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind offer, Lord Xue, but unfortunately, I have another appointment and cannot attend the banquet. Perhaps another day?"

Xue Shence looked regretful but didn't continue to press the invitation. Instead, he turned to look at Zhao Du'an.

Zhao Du'an also smiled at Xu Zudi and said:

"Your Highness, the Prince, then I shall take my leave first? As for my few good-for-nothing subordinates..."

"Commissioner Zhao, please do as you wish," Xu Zudi said, gritting his teeth and forcing a smile.

In this situation, a peaceful resolution was the most dignified outcome. Continuing the conflict would only result in him suffering a loss.

"Thank you," Zhao Du'an cupped his fist and gave Hou Renmeng a look. The latter drew his saber and cut the ropes binding the three Jinyi guards on the ground.

Although they had been beaten badly, they were still able to walk. They immediately kept their mouths shut and followed along.

The two sides bid farewell, and the large group left the residence in a grand manner.

They came quickly and left even faster. In the blink of an eye, only a scene of wreckage remained.

...

After seeing everyone off, the smile on Xu Zudi's face, as he stood at the gate, gradually disappeared, replaced by a gloomy expression.

His hand, hanging at his sleeve, clenched until his knuckles cracked. He breathed heavily, staring intently at Zhao, who was far away.

What does it mean to swallow blood and broken teeth? In today's conflict, not only did he fail to gain any advantage, but he was also put in check.

He could only swallow his anger and hold back.

"Your Highness, I..." The old man opened his mouth, wanting to explain.

However, Xu Zudi shook his head, interrupting him:

"It's alright. That Xue Shence has a reputation as a military god, and he is indeed not easy to provoke. You did the right thing by withdrawing in time. It was my miscalculation. I didn't expect Xue Shence to follow us here."

"Cousin, this... are we just going to let him run off like that?" At this moment, Li Lang couldn't help but say. He felt somewhat aggrieved. He originally thought he could use his cousin's hand to avenge himself today, but he didn't gain anything in the end.

Xu Zudi also found this useless纨绔 cousin quite a headache. He sighed and comforted him:

"You should go back first. Revenge isn't something to be rushed. I'll talk to the Emperor about my aunt's matter later when I enter the palace."

Li Lang opened his mouth but could only walk away dejectedly.

"Your Highness, this Zhao Du'an is not simple. He could have come with Secretary Xue. Instead, he performed a show in the hall, helping us win over the people's hearts," Madam Xiao said calmly at this time, having already taken the apple out of her mouth.

Her focus was on another point.

The officials of Lihua Hall are indeed generally arrogant and domineering, especially those at the bottom.

It was already a well-known gathering place for troublemakers, and with Zhao Du'an as a banner of support, it was difficult for Zhao Du'an to control them before. Forcibly restraining them would definitely cause dissatisfaction among his subordinates and lose "popular support."

But today's incident gave him an excellent excuse. It can be imagined that Zhao Du'an will definitely use this opportunity to rectify discipline after returning today.

And he deliberately damaged his own reputation in front of his three subordinates, taking the initiative to "humbly" offer a wine apology to the Prince.

With this attitude, the hearts of the three subordinates were completely won over. After returning, no matter how Zhao Du'an punishes them, they will not harbor resentment, only feel ashamed and blame themselves.

And it will also serve as a model and example, both allowing Lihua Hall to complete a round of rectification and avoiding much resentment.

The art of controlling subordinates is exactly what this means.

"I don't need you to remind me," Xu Zudi said, increasingly displeased. As if venting, he placed his large hand on Madam Xiao's plump, upturned buttocks, kneading and pinching them, sneering:

"Let's put him aside for now and wait to watch the show. Heh, he has been in the city for several days. If there are no accidents, that Master Zhengyang should also be making trouble. Maybe there will be results today. I want to see how my imperial sister, our Emperor, will deal with it."

Madam Xiao lowered her eyes, her pupils like the East Lake of Qingzhou, without the slightest ripple.