The First Lackey Under The Empress

"Princess, this is the place."

Beside the carriage, a tall female warrior with her hair braided into loose plaits and rough, reddish skin, scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes.

After confirming it was safe, she helped the princess out of the carriage.

Princess Wenzhu, a woman in her forties with a gentle demeanor, was dressed rather plainly today, with no jewelry adorning her person.

Her shoes crunched on the snow as she gazed towards the charity tent at the end of the road, her eyes squinting against the sunlight.

"As you instructed, we purchased coal to distribute to the people here," the female warrior said softly.

"It hasn't passed through the hands of the yamen clerks."

"Mm."

Princess Wenzhu nodded gently, her eyes filled with pity as she looked at the thin, ragged, and emaciated poor people in front of the tent.

"This year's snow is heavy, and I've heard that prices in the city have soared in the past few days.

If people in the capital are struggling so much, I can't imagine how difficult it must be in poorer areas."

The female warrior grumbled, "Everyone says the capital is a model city, but I think it's not as good as the Western Regions."

Princess Wenzhu shook her head and sighed, speaking fairly, "Although the Western Regions are remote, the population is much smaller.

Governing a tribe is naturally much simpler and easier than governing a dynasty.

However, compared to the winter in the capital in my memory, it is indeed more difficult now, probably due to the empty state treasury."

The loyal female warrior said, "That's what those officials say, and they also say that next year, the silver earned from the market opening will fill the national treasury, and everything will improve."

Market opening…

The gentle princess pursed her red lips.

She had heard this word so often in recent months that her ears were calloused, including the items related to 'market opening' in the trade talks with the imperial court next year.

"It is said that the Yu Kingdom's new policies and the market opening were all facilitated by that Zhao Du'an," the female warrior said.

Princess Wenzhu shook her head and said faintly, "Just gilding the lily.

How could a military officer from the forbidden army infantry be able to lead such a major event?

This shows how much His Majesty dotes on this treacherous subject."

From the moment she entered the city, Princess Wenzhu began to inquire about the Empress's lover from various channels.

As various pieces of information converged, Princess Wenzhu only felt absurdity.

Leaving aside the things related to eliminating treacherous officials that outsiders don't know much about.

Just the public achievements: the limelight in the Buddhist and Taoist competition, the promotion of the Divine Mechanism Camp's new firearms research and development, the achievements in the Taicang case and the Lake Pavilion market opening, the planning of the new policies, defeating the Zhengyang School… and so on.

If it were just one or two things, it would be reasonable.

But when so many achievements are gathered on one person in just over half a year, it is too absurd for Princess Wenzhu, who is not personally involved.

Based on common sense, Wenzhu became more and more convinced that the Empress was too fond of this lover, and in order to help him gild the lily, she tried to make Zhao Du'an take credit for every major event.

Only then does all of this make sense.

In fact, Princess Wenzhu's view is the truth that normal people would subconsciously imagine.

Even today, in the streets of the capital, the debate over which of Zhao Du'an's achievements are real and which are gilded has never stopped.

After all, even the Empress, who fully knows every detail, feels incredible every time she recalls what Zhao Du'an has done this year.

Not to mention outsiders?

Wenzhu already had a preconceived prejudice against Zhao Du'an.

The more information she learned, the more firmly the impression of him as a "treacherous official who bewitched the monarch" became ingrained in her mind.

And the more worried she became.

In recent days, she had entered the palace several times and had several deep talks with the Empress.

As a married aunt, Wenzhu knew her limits and did not rush to say anything, but only talked about family affection, small talk, and subtle hints.

However, the trust in Zhao Du'an, that treacherous villain, revealed by Xu Zhenguan in the conversation, and the hint of affection that was hidden very well but still captured by her, made her very worried.

Wenzhu also thought about meeting Zhao Du'an, taking the Empress's face and, as an elder, exposing the hypocrisy of this "youngster" who bewitched her niece.

Unfortunately…

Zhao Du'an used the excuse of being seriously injured and recuperating to close his doors to guests and completely disappeared.

She hasn't found a chance yet.

"Princess, I heard that in previous years, if there was severe cold, the monks of Shenlong Temple would distribute alms to the poor in the city, but this year, due to the 'Buddhist ban,' they have disappeared," the female warrior said with some emotion.

Princess Wenzhu was silent for a moment, then sighed softly.

Regarding the "Buddhist ban," the position of the Western Regions was mixed with joy and worry.

The joy was that Shenlong Temple was weakened, and the worry was whether this meant that the overall influence of Buddhism was declining?

However…

These were all things that the "Holy Monk" and others had to consider.

Wenzhu didn't want to participate.

From her personal point of view, she had no ill feelings towards Shenlong Temple.

Because even if it was for the sake of believers, the monks of Shenlong Temple did provide disaster relief and alms.

It was much better than Zhao Du'an, who relied on his power to do evil and had a terrible reputation.

He probably couldn't even see the suffering under the Emperor's feet.

Princess Wenzhu exhaled a puff of white air and said, "Let's go over there too."

Hearing this, the other attendants beside the carriage hurriedly carried a few wooden boxes behind the princess.

The person distributing coal in this shed was a Yu country person recruited by the Western Regions.

Seeing the princess was about to salute, Wenzhu raised her hand to stop him.

She opened a spot at the corner of the shed and opened a wooden box, which was filled with steaming cornbread buns wrapped in thick cotton quilts.

She ordered that only children were allowed to receive them.

"Buns!"

The crowd was in an uproar, and the line became a little chaotic.

Fortunately, the female warrior maintained order with her men, and soon a group of poor children came to receive the buns, carrying baskets filled with black coal.

Princess Wenzhu did not avoid it and personally distributed the food with her well-maintained hands.

The people did not know her identity and only thought she was a female member of a wealthy and benevolent family in the city, saying auspicious words such as "Madam, good fortune, live a long life."

Her eyes were gentle.

She saw a skinny little girl, about waist-high and five or six years old, laboriously lifting a basket of coal with bamboo-like arms.

Because she was too short, she had to stare at it with her head as she came to the shed table.

Wenzhu frowned, wondering why such a young child was out here.

A Yu servant beside her explained in a low voice, "The child's mother is sick and there is no one else at home.

It is said that she has not been able to burn anything for many days and has been going out to pick up donkey dung to burn…"

Princess Wenzhu felt a pang of sadness.

Her white and tender hands caressed the little girl's dirty face with love, but frightened the latter, who took several steps back, almost dropping the basket in her hand.

"Alas."

Princess Wenzhu sighed and took a few extra buns and put them in the basket, secretly stuffing a string of coins into the coal.

She watched the little girl endure her hunger, hug the buns in her arms, and run towards home.

The beautiful woman, who was known as the "Holy Maiden" and "Divine Mother" in the Western Regions, had a sad look in her eyes, handed over the distribution work to others, and walked out, calling on a few attendants.

"Princess, are we going back now?" the female warrior asked.

Wenzhu shook her head and said, "Go to the nearby pharmacy and buy some medicine for colds."

The female warrior and other guards looked at her with reverence, protecting the princess they respected as they walked towards the shop two streets away.

But not long after the group walked out, they heard shouts, cries, and pleas coming from an alley!

"What's going on?"

Princess Wenzhu felt uneasy. She moved her lotus-like steps and approached the alley, her vision suddenly opening up.

In this main street alley, several hoodlums dressed as gang members were waiting, having seemingly been lying in wait.

They were intercepting the poor people who had received relief and were walking back.

These ruffians were unlike ordinary thugs. They wore similar blue cotton clothes with a red flower embroidered on their shoulders. Each was burly and carried a stick, their faces ruddy and expressions fierce.

They were members of the Red Flower Society, the largest gang in the capital.

At this moment, under the command of the leading thug, a group of ruffians were beating and robbing those of their coal and steamed buns.

The frail women and old men were beaten into huddled masses, wailing and begging for mercy.

A five or six-year-old girl tried to slip away from the corner, but a tall ruffian kicked her with a big foot, sending her flying a distance with a cry of "Ah!".

The bamboo basket in her hand fell to the ground.

The steamed buns, already somewhat cold, rolled all over the place, and the black coal scattered on the white snowy ground.

"Haha, you little brat, still trying to run? Didn't you understand what Grandpa told you to hand over?"

The burly ruffian sneered, picked up a steamed bun from the ground, took a bite, and laughed, "Still warm."

Another thin, tall ruffian with sharp eyes picked up a string of coins from the ground in surprise:

"Brother Wen, this little brat has money in her basket!"

The leading ruffian, who had been sitting back with his arms crossed, his eyes lit up and he turned to look at the little girl who had just gotten up:

"It must be from those out-of-towners distributing coal. Search her and see if she's hiding any more on her!"

The dirty, skinny little girl barely managed to get up, her expression blank, as if she had been frightened silly. Her eyes were fixed on the steamed buns, and she let out a low whimper.

The ruffian, rushing over with his big feet, seemingly didn't see it at all, trying to strip her clothes off to find money.

"Princess! These people deserve to die!"

The tall female warrior, who had caught a glimpse of this scene from afar, was filled with uncontrollable rage. Her right hand had already reached into the hem of her robe, gripping the hilt of her curved saber.

Another warrior held her back and reminded her quickly in a low voice, "This is Yu Country!"

The unspoken implication was that as a member of the Western Regions delegation, drawing a blade in the capital of Yu Country, even to beat up a few thugs, could very likely escalate into a "diplomatic incident."

Which could be blown out of proportion by certain people.

Princess Wenzhu had already opened her mouth: "Go and drive these…"

However, before she could finish her sentence, everyone suddenly heard a sharp sound of something cutting through the air!

Almost instinctively, the female warrior who was about to pounce immediately returned to defend, and several Western Regions warriors surrounded the princess!

Then, they noticed that a stone the size of a chicken egg had whistled like a cannonball from the other direction of the street and smashed straight into the alley.

In a flash, it struck the chest of the burly man.

"Ah!!"

Unsurprisingly, the man bent over like a shrimp, his facial features twisted and ferocious. Accompanied by splattering saliva, he tilted his head back and fell heavily to the ground.

The back of his head slammed onto the hard ground with a thud, and he fainted. A stream of blood spurted from his chest as the stone embedded itself in his abdomen!

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh, whoosh!"

Immediately afterwards, two more figures plunged into the alley, dressed as servants: Hou Renmeng and Shen Juan!

The two martial artists did not use their cultivation, only their fist and foot skills. In the blink of an eye, they beat the group of gang members to the ground.

"Ah… we are Red Flower…"

The leader, "Brother Wen," only managed to stammer out half a sentence when he heard a young master who had walked over from somewhere near the alley say indifferently, "Slap him."

"Yes, Young Master!"

Hou Renmeng grinned fiercely and swung his palm in a wide arc.

"Brother Wen" was slapped so hard that he spun one hundred and eighty degrees in place, his vision went black, his right cheek swelled high, and he fell to the ground with a thud, then knelt down and begged for mercy familiarly.

"Young Master, spare me… spare me…"

Shen Juan silently added a kick, knocking him down with a thud.

Zhao Du'an, disguised, with his exquisite boots, stepped on the dirty snow in the alley. Qian Kerou, disguised as a maid, squatted down beside him, checked the little girl's injuries, breathed a sigh of relief, and nodded to her master:

"She's fine."

Zhao Du'an expressionlessly said, "Mm," and said, "You can all leave."

At this time, the group of poor people huddled on the ground woke up as if from a dream, and kowtowed one after another:

"Thank you, Young Master!"

Then, not daring to linger, they quickly picked up their baskets and fled.

Qian Kerou squatted down and, with two colleagues, helped the little girl pick up the scattered coal.

All of this happened extremely quickly. By the time Zhao Du'an turned back with a cold face, he was looking at Princess Wenzhu, who was slowly walking over with several Western Regions warriors.

His first impression was one of slight amazement!

Zhao Du'an had originally thought that the forty-year-old princess, especially one who lived in a place like the Western Regions, must have aged long ago.

But the Princess Wenzhu in front of him looked much better than he had expected. She was gentle yet dignified. Although her skin was indeed not as delicate as that of the noble ladies in the capital and was somewhat rough,

the almost "saintly" or "motherly" aura about her, in a religious sense, combined with the exotic charm she had acquired from her long stay in the Western Regions, gave her a kind of bearing that the noble ladies in the capital could not match.

If compared to Yunyang of the same generation,

Princess Yunyang was purely well-maintained, with light traces of time.

Princess Wenzhu, however, had allowed age to settle into a different kind of temperament, reminiscent of mare's milk wine or Western Regions butter tea.

At the same time, Princess Wenzhu was also curiously sizing up the unfamiliar young master in front of her.

Although his appearance could only be considered ordinary and it was clear that he came from a wealthy family, his every move was completely different from that of the pampered noble sons or wealthy merchants.

He had the gentleness of a scholar, but his every move also revealed a decisive and fierce aura.

More importantly, there was also an indescribable aura of a superior who had long held power.

"We are foreign merchants nearby who are providing relief to the people. We heard the commotion here and came to take a look."

Princess Wenzhu smiled softly and took the initiative to reveal her identity after letting the guards lower their guard.

Zhao Du'an blinked and cupped his fist in return, introducing himself:

"My surname is Lin, and my given name is Ke. I am from the capital. I was passing by this place and heard the cries, so I came here."

"Young Master Lin acted righteously, it can be seen that there are many heroes in the capital." Princess Wenzhu smiled gently.

She was not a pretentious person. Because she had been in the Western Regions for a long time, she did not like the group of scholars in the capital. Instead, she quite admired the chivalrous talents like Young Master Lin in front of her.

Moreover, if it weren't for this Young Master Lin, even if she were a princess, it would be a bit troublesome if the Western Regions people used force in the capital and were targeted by someone with ulterior motives.

Zhao Du'an felt quite strange in his heart. This was very different from the scene he had expected when meeting Zhenbao's aunt.

Mainly, he didn't expect to encounter this kind of thing… It was a godsend opportunity.

"Madam is too kind. It is rare for everyone to have a heart for relief, but these ruffians have ruined the reputation of my Great Yu capital, which is really hateful."

Zhao Du'an spoke righteously, playing the image of a chivalrous young master.

Changing the subject, he said with a serious expression:

"However, Madam, although your kindness is good, I have something to say that I must say. It is not appropriate for Madam to distribute charcoal on the street like this. Good deeds are not done this way."

Thank you to book friend: Zhang Xiubiao for the 500 coin reward!