The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 212 - 187. Plotting Against Young Master
East City, the orphanage.
When Zhao Douan arrived at this low and dilapidated building, having rid himself of the smell of alcohol and carrying two boxes of pastries,
he could not help but recall the bright morning he had initially come to East City with Haitang and Zhang Han in search of the descendants of the Xue family.
"Ah, young master, you’re here again?"
At the gate of the courtyard, there was an old gatekeeper in a small room.
However, Zhao Douan knew that this gatekeeper, a dark-faced man missing a leg and apparently frail but inherently full of spirit, held another role as the director of the orphanage.
As a "charity hall" institution in the Capital, this building that sheltered many orphans had little to profit from.
The so-called director sounded prestigious but was actually on par with, or even lower than, a minor clerk.
Zhao Douan learned from his conversation with Wu, the aged director, that in his youth, he too had been a soldier, only in a lower position.
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He had served in the court’s border army in the southwest.
At that time, the famous Great General of the Great Yu Dynasty, known as "Skinny Tiger" – Zhao Shixiong, was his superior.
Unlike the pampered imperial guard of the Capital, the border army truly faced combat opportunities.
Whether fighting bandits or contending with "barbarians" beyond the borders of Great Yu, they always saw blood.
Old Wu had lost his leg in one fierce battle and even after it was reattached, he could no longer stay in the army.
Thus, he took the military merits he had accumulated and exchanged them for a barely marginal position related to the government office in the Capital.
If set in an era familiar to Zhao Douan, it would also count as arranging a post-military job within the system.
But upon joining, Old Wu soon realized he had been duped.
In the shabby orphanage, feeding the mouths of children who had lost their parents was a challenge; merely ensuring the kids had enough food, warmth, and could afford medicine when ill, trying to keep the yearly death toll low, was difficult.
Especially since the already meager funds disbursed by the court were severely docked by the time they reached him.
Even if Old Wu supplemented with his salary, it was barely enough to survive.
If it were any other retired soldier, they might quit or seek connections to switch to another livelihood.
Old Wu had initially planned to do so too, but like him, lacking parents from a young age, he repeatedly thought of leaving and yet was repeatedly stopped by those thin, beseeching eyes of the children.
He thought to himself to stay another year.
And so, after one year came another, and then three more years…
Until he had confusedly reached the present.
However, perhaps years of hardship had moved the heavens, for the orphanage’s days had improved a lot in recent years.
Every now and then, a beautiful girl with seemingly poor eyesight would bring money as a donation.
He knew that each time, the girl came alone, carrying a large bag filled with bundles of Silver Tael neatly wrapped in paper, and she would go from one orphanage to another without ever revealing her origins.
And in recent times, there was also this generous nobleman who would occasionally come to donate.
"Heh, I was just passing by; go ahead and distribute these to the children."
Zhao Douan’s expression was gentle, utterly different from his usual arrogant demeanor when dealing with court officials.
He handed over the pastries and from his sleeve, he slipped out two weighty ten-tael silver ingots.
For a significant figure, this amount was no more than the cost of a dish, yet it was enough to ensure the children of the orphanage could eat well for a month.
"The kindness of the young master, looking at your face, you are indeed a great benefactor; surely a family that accumulates good deeds will enjoy blessings,"
Old Wu complimented him with his limited literary phrases and hurriedly took out a small notebook, asking him to leave his name.
But Zhao Douan shook his head and declined, not even entering the gate, simply saying he was busy with other matters and leaving after giving the money.
This made Old Wu deeply moved:
Compared to those gentry and officials who would donate a few copper coins and seemed eager to have their names plastered all over the charity board, this girl and the young master were like two refreshing streams.
If he had known what the man he had just praised as a "good person" was infamous for in the Capital, he probably would have been shocked.
...
"Sir."
Far from the orphanage, inside a carriage.
When Zhao Douan stepped into the carriage, the round-faced little secretary who had stayed inside sweetly greeted him.
The look in her eyes was increasingly different.
"Do I have something on my face?" Zhao Douan lazily stretched his body, leaning on the soft cushion inside the carriage, and asked in return.
"Ah." Qian Kerou hemmed and hawed, shaking her head and mumbling:
"It’s just, I didn’t expect you to come to this kind of place."
Summer was almost over, and the Jinyi lady’s face was becoming rounder, like an apple.
"Seeking some peace of mind..." Zhao Douan said offhand:
"Ke Rou, you have to know, the more evil deeds one does, the more restless the heart gets. Doing some charity steadies it. I didn’t understand it before, but now I’ve come to realize it firsthand."
"..." Qian Kerou didn’t know how to respond at first, and after holding back for a long time she said:
"Sir, are you going to do something bad today?"
"Yes." Zhao Douan chuckled, raising his hand to lightly flip through the document in his hand about the "Young Master" Li Yinglong.
The document listed many of Li Yinglong’s weaknesses, among which his lustfulness was particularly outstanding, making Zhao Douan marvel and lament that the Capital knew how to play.
In his earlier years when Li Yinglong was part of the "Capital circle," he was fond of beauties and quite romantic.
Later, after leaving the "Capital circle," he no longer played the role of a dandy but became the Minister of Public Works - he still favored beauties... It just goes to show that even garbage people have their merits, such as consistent hobbies...
Of course, the Young Master’s taste in women was more sophisticated, uninterested in the Teaching Bureau, and he prioritized women not only for their looks but also for their style and temperament.
Women who could discuss history with him, have unique insights on the court, focus on a soul connection...
Of course, there were exceptions.
For instance, this "Sixth Madam" in the document seemed to have been recently acquired by Li Yinglong using some straightforward tactics, which made Zhao Douan frown.
He sensed something was off—given Li Yinglong’s taste and status, he shouldn’t have been so desperate.
In the past, the madams he took as concubines were almost always of clean and clear backgrounds, or at the very least, common women.
But this Sixth Madam was very peculiar, not only a lowborn courtesan but also previously married to a merchant.
And it was said that Li Yinglong was quite indulgent with her.
"There’s a big problem."
Zhao Douan intuitively felt that this could be a breakthrough to find trouble for Li Yinglong.
Currently, the entire Capital’s attention was focused on the tumultuous events at the court, watching this grand play.
Yet no one noticed that the long-absent Zhao Douan had already quietly drawn his knife, thrusting at the eminent Young Master.
"Think you can offend me and escape? Apparently, you’ve never heard of Yama Zhao, who swears vengeance."
Zhao Douan narrowed his eyes.
Of course, there was another purpose.
That was, if he could handle Li Yinglong, he could clearly give Zhenbao a significant boost, tilting the scales of the court’s battle fiercely in her favor.
"Hou, go to the Divine Dragon Temple," Zhao Douan said calmly.
His eyes filled with murderous intent.
The intelligence indicated that today, Sixth Madam Lady Lin, would visit the Divine Dragon Temple to offer incense.
