The First Lackey Under The Empress

"Prefect Luan, take a closer look, who exactly am I?"

Inside the Jin Fu Inn, Zhao Du'an removed his mask, revealing his handsome face.

The Binhai Dao Prefect, Luan Cheng, was first stunned, then his pupils dilated in shock. He took two steps back, almost falling, subconsciously raising his hand and pointing at the smiling Zhao, stuttering:

"Zhao... Zhao Shaobao?!"

The newly promoted Junior Guardian of the Prince, a third-rank official, the Empress's favored subject, Zhao Du'an!

Luan Cheng had never met him, but he had seen Zhao Du'an's portrait many times.

The most recent time was in the court gazette sent from the capital some time ago, which recorded the information about Zhao Du'an being granted the title of Shaobao. Seeing the many imperial soldiers and officers at this moment, he already had a hidden guess and immediately recognized his identity.

"It seems your eyes haven't gone blind yet," Zhao Du'an said indifferently.

Luan Cheng's mind was in chaos, almost crashing. As the prefect, he didn't know about the existence of this team. How could he not be surprised?

In his shock, his body reacted before his brain. He stumbled forward a few steps, shook his sleeves, and made a cupped fist salute:

"This humble official, Luan Cheng, greets Shaobao Zhao."

The constable, Zhang Jian, who had been clutching his sore but not seriously injured chest, walked over, also lowering his gaze in surprise.

And those constables and government runners who were already trembling in fear, not knowing who took the lead, knelt down in a flurry, shouting:

"Shaobao!"

As if afraid of being a step late and being remembered by this rumored powerful and vindictive nobleman, who would find an excuse to punish them.

Zhao Du'an calmly scanned the group for a moment before saying nonchalantly:

"You may rise."

He then turned and walked towards the house, leaving a sentence behind:

"Prefect Luan, let's talk in detail inside. The rest of you guard outside. Before I come out, no one is allowed to leave."

"Yes, sir!"

The Pear Blossom Hall Embroidered Uniform Guards grinned, guarding the group of deflated local officials and runners like prisoners.

After the main hall door of the inn was closed, Gongshu Tianyuan and others gathered under the eaves, bored and whispering.

"What do you think is going on?"

Gongshu Tianyuan looked curious, taking the lead in starting the topic.

Lang Shiba and Ji Yue were silent background characters, only acting, not talking, and didn't respond at all.

Jin Jian was dozing off.

The scholar and Hongye, two shadow guards, were not familiar with everyone and didn't want to speak.

Haitang, with a row of flying knives hanging from her waist and a teardrop mole decorating the corner of her eye, crossed her arms and glanced at everyone:

"Didn't Shaobao Zhao just say it?"

Gongshu Tianyuan was surprised: "Big sister, are you talking about what Brother Zhao mentioned just now, that the enemy is cunning?"

Big sister... The corner of Haitang's mouth twitched, and she said helplessly:

"Isn't it obvious? But there's no point in guessing randomly. Everything will be clear when he finishes interrogating that prefect."

About an incense stick later.

The door creaked open, and Prefect Luan Cheng smiled at Zhao Du'an, covered in sweat.

"Lord Luan, we are both colleagues, let's just forget about these misunderstandings. You can take your people back to the county office first. If there's anything else, I'll look for you," Zhao Du'an said with a smile.

Luan Cheng forced a smile: "Shaobao Zhao, rest assured, this official will order the matter today to be kept secret and strictly prohibit any leaks."

Zhao Du'an smiled, but didn't say anything. With such a commotion, it was useless to talk about blocking the news.

In other words, after such a commotion, Zhao Du'an's "private visit" team was forcibly exposed to the sun as soon as they entered the city.

After Prefect Luan led a group of government runners away in disgrace, Haitang finally looked at him, her heroic eyes full of curiosity: "You just let him go like that? That's not like you."

Not like me... How bad is my image in your eyes...? Zhao Du'an complained, shook his head, and sighed as he looked at the distant sky:

"We are all colleagues, and besides, he was also used. As the prefect, Luan Cheng has a standing task of arresting rebellious parties.

Some time ago, suspicious Jianghu people from outside the prefecture appeared in the jurisdiction of the prefecture city and were arrested by the constables. After interrogation, it was learned that they were peripheral members of the Kuangfu Society, and false information was obtained from them. That is, a group of rebellious parties will appear in the Jin Fu Inn.

That's why Luan Cheng led a group of government runners and personally ran over. Heh, he's a hands-on official."

Haitang frowned:

"It's too coincidental, and the targeting is too obvious. Could it be that the rebellious party actively sent false information?"

Zhao Du'an sighed:

"It seems so, and the person who can do this is most likely Zhuang Xiaocheng."

Zhang Han walked over and asked doubtfully:

"But what's the purpose? What's the purpose of doing this? The rebellious party should know that this won't cause us substantial harm."

Zhao Du'an calmly said two words: "Provocation."

After a pause, he looked around at the pairs of eyes around him and said seriously:

"Zhuang Xiaocheng, that old thief, is deliberately declaring war on me, telling me that he already knows of my arrival.

Heh heh, originally I thought we were in the dark, and we could use spies to expose Zhuang Xiaocheng, but now this old thief's move has made us in the open and him in the dark."

What open, what dark... Several simple warriors and warlocks were confused and felt that it was unfathomable, but they didn't want to show that they didn't understand.

So they nodded tacitly, pretending to understand everything.

Zhang Han was still puzzled:

"Do you mean that Zhuang Xiaocheng knew our whereabouts in advance? Then, could he have already run away? And then mocked us once?"

Before Zhao Du'an could answer, Haitang, who was good at solving cases, suddenly spoke:

"No, definitely not. Zhuang Xiaocheng is not that kind of boring person. Moreover, judging from the information provided by Luan Cheng, the Kuangfu Society's arrangement of false information doesn't seem like a temporary decision, but more like it's being done with ease.

I even suspect that the clue that the headquarters is in Fengcheng may have been deliberately released by the enemy, with the purpose of luring us here."

Zhao Du'an, who had already confirmed through the Fengyue Baojian that the old thief was still in this area, nodded, his eyes sharp:

"If I guess correctly, this old thief is being forced into a corner. He's using himself as bait to fight me face to face and decide life and death. Heh... Don't you think this style and method is very similar to Zhuang Laoze's when he was in the capital?"

Last year, Zhuang Xiaocheng was in the capital, and he used himself as bait to try to lure Ma Yan into the carefully arranged bamboo forest in the southern suburbs to assassinate him.

It was accidentally broken by Zhao Du'an.

Today, the old thief is repeating his old tricks, but he has greater courage, using Fengcheng as a trap and the survival of the Kuangfu Society as a bet, inviting Zhao Du'an to fight.

"Then what are you going to do next? We've already been exposed, are we still going to contact the spies?" Haitang asked.

Zhao Du'an shook his head.

Zhuang Xiaocheng must know the existence of the spies, he just doesn't know who the spy is.

Now, if Wu Ling, Yun Xi, and others are rashly used, they will only be exposed in advance.

But if the spies are not contacted, how can the location of the Kuangfu Society's headquarters be found when everyone is exposed?

"Things have become interesting. Zhuang Xiaocheng wants to play a game of chess with me in the open, then I'll follow his wishes, but I want to see if he has the courage."

Zhao Du'an suddenly said:

"Brother Gongshu, before entering the city, you said that the Taoist priest from Zixiao Palace is very powerful locally, right? Then this person is very suspected of knowing that the rebellious party is hiding, but not reporting it, right?"

Gongshu Tianyuan was stunned, and a bad feeling arose in his heart.

Zhao Du'an laughed arrogantly and said coldly:

"Even a three-year-old child knows that if you don't know the way, you have to ask someone. Since you can't hide your identity, then make a big fuss. Scholar, Hongye, send a signal and ask the army to enter the city in advance."

The two gold medal shadow guards looked at each other, both showing shock.

The former responded, walked to the courtyard, took out a bamboo tube from his arms, and lit it towards the sky.

"咻咻！！"

A ball of red light, like a star, shot straight into the sky, staying bright and undiminished in the high sky for a long time, clearly visible for ten miles around.

...

...

As a county town, the city gate of Fengcheng is not very high.

The surface is full of the vicissitudes of time, and the traces of hundreds of years of wind and rain.

The government runners guarding the city gate were originally just low-level clerks. However, today they have been replaced by public servants from the county government.

And each one stood upright, not daring to relax in the slightest, only because when the prefect opened the city gate at dawn, he frightened the night watchmen.

Later, when the public servants from the county government arrived, they learned that there were rebellious parties in the city.

This frightened a group of clerks, fearing that they would be pushed out by the county magistrate to take the blame and bear the crime of not guarding strictly. Otherwise, how could the rebellious parties have swaggered into the city?

However, the frightened clerks did not wait for the prefect, nor did they see the rebellious parties, but only saw a touch of red rising in the city, which lasted for a long time.

About two hours later, in the afternoon, a rumbling sound faintly came from the ground outside the city.

"Soldiers! A large number of soldiers!"

The clerk on the city head exclaimed, his hands trembling as he held the crenellations, his eyes wide, and he saw dark cavalry on the horizon rushing like a torrent of steel.

The people entering the city along the way fled in panic.

Before long, a cavalry troop riding warhorses, clad in armor, wielding spears, and with sabers hanging from their saddles, arrived at the city gate.

The leader was a burly general, twice as wide as an ordinary man, and his mount was exceptionally strong.

The general's face was covered in橫肉(excess fat), he probably weighed several hundred斤(jin, a unit of weight), and he held a war hammer in each hand, connected by chains.

“Yuan Ji, Deputy General of the Binhai Military Prefecture, is here to provide reinforcements by order! Open the main gate at once!”

The burly general with the war hammers roared.

The county town's city gate had a main gate and a small gate.

Normally, only the small gate was opened for the common people's carts and horses to enter.

Now that a large army was entering the city, the small gate was difficult to pass through.

The clerk on the city wall was trembling with fear, as he had never seen such a scene before.

The yamen runner guarding the gate on behalf of the county magistrate braced himself and stepped forward, cupping his fist in salute:

“General, the magistrate has not notified us of any…”

“Nonsense! Delaying the adults' affairs, even crushing you to death wouldn't be enough to compensate!”

Deputy General Yuan Ji's tiger eyes widened, and the hundreds of斤(jin, a unit of weight) of armored mountain of flesh trembled on horseback.

His large hands gripped chains as thick as a baby's arm, swinging the war hammers into windmills, whirling with a whooshing sound, stirring up a gale.

One hammer was thrown, the heavy hammer leaving an afterimage brushed past the yamen runner's body, and like a cannonball, it pulled the chain and slammed heavily into the city gate.

“Boom!”

The city gate was instantly blasted open in the center, creating a large hole, and with the force of inertia, it swung open to both sides!

The city gate was wide open!

The county yamen runner and the city gate clerk swallowed their saliva in unison, their legs weakened, and they watched helplessly as the army roared into the city.

As if watching a train speeding wildly into a tunnel, the group looked at each other in dismay:

“The prefect doesn't have the authority to mobilize troops, does he? This general calls someone 'adult' and says he's 'under orders'... Could it be that some important figure has arrived in the city? An official even bigger than the prefect?”

“We're finished. How could our little Feng County alarm such a big shot? Could it be that the rebel leader is here?”

…

The large influx of cavalry into the city immediately caused a city-wide sensation.

When the news reached the county yamen and fell into Luan Cheng's ears, even with the prefect's composure, he couldn't help but suddenly stand up, his expression changing drastically.

“What did you say? General Yuan Ji has entered the city? Where is he?”

Inside the county yamen, Zhang Jian, the constable who came to report, had a complicated expression:

“They said they went to the Jin Fu Inn.”

Luan Cheng, with his hands behind his back, paced back and forth in the room.

Zhang Jian, who had only suffered minor injuries thanks to Lang Shibal's restraint, hesitated:

“Sir, it seems to be the work of that Zhao Shaobao. What is he here for?”

Luan Cheng stopped, glanced at the black-faced guard with the twin sabers, sat down heavily, and sighed:

“He's here for the rebels. The bandit leader Zhuang Xiaocheng may be in Feng County.”

Zhang Jian was shocked: “Is that so… Then we were…”

Luan Cheng, who looked like a middle-aged scholar, shook his head and said bitterly:

“This official fears that he was used by the rebels as a pawn to attack Zhao Shaobao.

Forget it, this matter is no longer important. The key is that Zhao Shaobao is now ordering the army to enter the city, which I fear is not good.”

Zhang Jian asked strangely: “Why?”

Luan Cheng said seriously:

“Zhuang Xiaocheng was once a grand tutor and imperial teacher, what kind of person was he? After Jian Wen's death, he escorted Jian Wen's widow and young son into the Jianghu, creating a huge Kuangfu Society. How can such a person and means be easy to deal with?

Zhao Shaobao entered the city in disguise before, but was instantly exposed, he has already lost the first move. Now, rashly summoning the army into the city is even more revealing. Isn't it even more disadvantageous to reveal the trump cards first? How can this game of chess be played?”

Zhang Jian thought for a moment and said:

“It is said that this Zhao Shaobao is very talented. Although his reputation is not good, he has repeatedly defeated the rebels.”

Luan Cheng smiled bitterly:

“This official does not doubt Zhao Shaobao's methods, but this official is more clear that he is only a young man in his twenties.

In the past, in the capital, he had the advantage of geographical convenience and popular support, so it was naturally easier to deal with the rebels. Now that he has come to Feng County, his opponent has also become an old fox like Zhuang Xiaocheng…”

He shook his head, obviously not optimistic:

“After all, he is too young, and young people are full of vigor. How can he fight against an old fox?”

After thinking about it, he gritted his teeth and stood up:

“This official will go to the Jin Fu Inn to talk to him.”

Immediately, the prefect led a few guards and went straight to the Jin Fu Inn, but when he arrived, he did not see the government troops who had entered the city.

Inside the Jin Fu Inn, the sickly scholar came out, covering his mouth and nose with a handkerchief:

“Cough cough cough, Prefect, you're late.

Lord Zhao ordered me to stay and wait for you, saying that if you come, I should tell you to go back and rest, and respond to all changes with constancy.”

Luan Cheng was stunned:

“Where did Zhao Shaobao go? And what about those soldiers?”

The pale-faced scholar smiled and said:

“Lord Zhao took the troops out of the city, saying that he wanted to see the night view of the Zixiao Palace before dark.”

Zixiao Palace… the cultivation dojo of the Zishan Taoist Lu Zhengchun…

The local “Great Immortal” on the famous mountain, who is respected by hundreds of thousands of people in Feng County, has an extremely high reputation.

He is an old immortal-level figure with a renowned name throughout the entire Jianghu, and even in the nine Dao and eighteen prefectures of the Yu Kingdom.

“Not good!”

Luan Cheng's face changed suddenly, his lips trembled, and he vaguely guessed Zhao Dou'an's thoughts.

…

…

The Zixiao Palace is located on a famous mountain of the same name north of Feng County.

It is said that it was named because someone saw Nine Heavens Divine Lightning descending on the mountain thousands of years ago.

It is one of the famous mountains and rivers in Binhai Dao, gathering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Although it is far inferior to the “Luo Mountain” built towards the south, it is known for its steepness and sharpness, like a long sword facing the sky, trying to pierce the sky.

Zhao Dou'an and his party, riding fast horses from the army, only arrived at the foot of this Zixiao Mountain near dusk.

“It is said that the Zixiao Palace receives the earth's glow, and every night, a strange glow penetrates the ground from the top of the mountain, illuminating the entire Taoist temple, which is extremely magnificent.

Many famous people who pass by here have to make a special trip to the Taoist temple to burn incense, talk and make friends with the Zishan Taoist, and stay overnight to witness the wonder of the earth's glow.”

At the foot of the mountain.

The female constable Haitang reined in her horse and looked up at the Taoist temple on the mountain, which was almost the size of a palace, and said with some longing.

Gongshu Tianyuan curled his lips and proudly raised his chin:

“The place where my Tianshi Mansion is located is the center of the earth's veins.

The mere earth's glow is just a spectacle, nothing more than fooling ignorant people.”

I know, you can't blow it enough… Zhao Dou'an squinted and said:

“Since it's so good, why did the late emperor bestow it on this wild Taoist?”

Haitang shook her head:

“I don't know about that. Maybe it was a reward for offering treasures.

However, the most famous thing about this Zishan Taoist Lu Zhengchun is his 'Furnace Forging Sword' method.

Ordinary Taoists refine pills with a pill furnace and forge swords with a fire pool, but he takes a different approach and uses the pill furnace to forge flying swords using the method of refining pills.

It is said that it takes at least forty-nine days to forge a flying sword, and the flying sword that comes out is like a pill, with upper, middle, and lower grades.

High-grade flying swords have a slight spirituality when they are born. He has occupied the Zixiao Palace Taoist temple for many years and raised a large group of swordsmen as disciples, which is also the foundation for him to establish himself in the Jianghu without relying on the Tianshi Mansion Taoist tradition.”

Zhao Dou'an smiled:

“This official has never seen the Taoist sect's treasure, the flying sword.

I only have a Golden Crow Flying Knife, so I might as well see which one is stronger.”

After speaking, he raised his right hand and waved forward. Behind him, a large group of iron cavalry led by Yuan Ji silently advanced on the mountain road.

The steep mountain was not conducive to riding horses, but Lu Zhengchun spent a lot of money to open up a wide and gentle mountain road that allowed three carriages to run side by side, in order to facilitate pilgrims to climb the mountain.

It was dusk at this time, and there was not a single pilgrim on the mountain road.

Only a round of red sun hung in the sky, wantonly covering the group of iron cavalry with a scarlet light, as if shrouded in murderous aura.

Halfway up the mountain road, there was a large platform for people to rest, and several pavilions were built.

Zhao Dou'an led his people to this place, but he saw a large group of swordsmen wearing Taoist robes and carrying long swords lined up and waiting.

It seemed that they had long taken advantage of the terrain to mobilize and meet this group of soldiers, so they were waiting in advance.

Zhao Dou'an glanced at it, and there were hundreds of Taoists carrying sword boxes.

The leader of them was sitting cross-legged in the pavilion.

At this moment, the setting sun hit the pavilion, illuminating the face of this Taoist who was about thirty years old.

He held a whisk in his hand, tied his hair in a bun with a boxwood hairpin, and his Taoist robe was different from the others, presenting a white-purple color.

He was wearing a pair of slightly shabby hemp sandals on his feet.

At this moment, the Taoist suddenly raised his eyelids, flicked his whisk, and lightly stepped out of the pavilion, his eyes indifferently looking at Zhao Dou'an, who was leading the army.

“Halt, you who come!”

…

Misspelled words will be corrected later.