The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 214 - 189. The Old Emperor’s Widow

In the Buddhist Temple, the sandalwood smoke rising from the incense burner had become once again straight from disarray.

Zhao Douan clasped his hands together, facing the Buddha statue with the devotion of a believer.

However, the Golden Crow Flying Dagger, which had suddenly flown back and circled around him twice before disappearing into his sleeve, indicated that not all who worship Buddha are believers; some may be killers.

"Thump thump..." Lady Lin felt her heart pounding as if she could hear the dull thumping from within her chest.

She slowly withdrew her hand and turned her stiff body back, her face, elegant and beautiful like an egg-shaped, was filled with disbelief and shock.

"You..."

She finally confirmed that the man praying devoutly before her had long plotted this.

And he harbored ill intentions towards her.

Why?

She did not understand. Was it because of her beauty? The Capital was full of beauties, and although she believed she was not unattractive, she was, in fact, no match for the other five concubines of Li Yinglong...

Not to mention, compared to the rumored Empress, she was as a firefly to the bright moon.

"Sixth Madam need not worry, I am not a bad person."

Zhao Douan turned around slowly, still wearing a smile as if he had not just threatened her with a dagger.

However, this smile now looked exceptionally terrifying to Lady Lin. She stepped back twice more and said warily, "What exactly do you want to do? Behind me is Li Yinglong!"

In a moment of crisis, she chose to invoke a powerful name as a shield.

"Heh," Zhao Douan chuckled lightly, seemingly completely undaunted by the mention of Young Master, he casually approached her and slowly placed a well-proportioned hand on her shoulder, speaking softly,

"Using Li Yinglong to scare me? I am so frightened..."

Lady Lin dared not move, her body rigid.

She only felt the hand on her shoulder slowly lift.

His fingers, examining her as if she were merchandise, slowly slid across her cheek.

It felt to her as if a cold, venomous tongue was licking her, chilling her to the bone, as Zhao Douan’s voice echoed in her ears:

"Tsk, indeed soft and delicate skin.

But, I am still curious, besides this face, what charm do you possess that made Vice Minister Li use such crude and indecent methods to bring you into the mansion? Could you enlighten me, madam?"

Lady Lin painfully closed her eyes, tears slowly beginning to fall.

Her body slightly trembling, she had already anticipated the horrors that would follow.

She had not realized that the dissolute men of the Capital were all the same; this Zhao Douan was even more desperately lecherous to this degree.

To think he dared to molest her in the Divine Dragon Temple, in front of the sacred Buddhas.

Her voice trembling,

"This is a Buddhist Temple, are you not afraid of divine retribution..."

Zhao Douan raised an eyebrow, realizing she might have misunderstood his intentions as if he intended to violate her...

Well, it was indeed easy to be misinterpreted, but...

"Divine retribution?"

Zhao Douan scoffed:

"If praying to gods was useful, would you have ended up in such a predicament?"

He currently had a "demi-god" lying within his Qi Sea... naturally, he felt no reverence.

Lady Lin shivered, thinking of her fate, and tears cascaded down.

Mr. Zhao, kind-hearted, could not bear to see a woman weep. His actions were merely probes and psychological pressure.

Seeing his objective achieved, he snorted disdainfully, withdrew his hand, and walked slowly towards the altar, saying:

"Leaving is simple, just answer the question I asked earlier, and I will let you go. How about it? I can give you another chance, answer me: why did Vice Minister Li want to acquire you, and don’t say it’s because of your talent or beauty."

Lady Lin paused, then realized she might have misunderstood his intentions.

But why would he deliberately seek her out just to ask such a bizarre question?

Lady Lin hesitated, shaking her head,

"I do not know."

... Zhao Douan stopped, standing beside the altar in front of the Buddha, seemingly dissatisfied with the answer, he sighed lightly:

"It seems, Sixth Madam is unwilling to cooperate with me."

He paused, then said somewhat regretfully,

"What a pity, I originally thought of exchanging your husband’s life for you. It seems you have now sided with Vice Minister Li and do not wish for your implicated husband to come out alive."

Buzz!

Lady Lin, previously poised to escape, felt her mind buzz as if hammered.

She froze, then her eyes widened dramatically.

Tears forgotten, she incredulously moved forward a few steps:

"What did you say? My husband, he..."

Initially, when Li Yinglong had set his sights on her, she had some inkling but did not recognize who he was nor did she grasp the severity of the situation.

Until one night when government officers suddenly stormed into the inn, forcibly took her and her husband away and held them separately.

Since then, she had not been able to see her husband again.

In the end, it was Li Yinglong, who somehow obtained her geisha servant contract, who took her away.

Zhao Douan did not look at her; he nonchalantly took an apple from the altar and took a bite.

Then, pulling a document from his bosom, he casually tossed it to the ground, saying:

"This is about him, isn’t it?"

Lady Lin saw the paper fluttering down like snowflakes, hurriedly fell to her knees, and quickly picked up and perused the document.

On it, shockingly, was the trial result of her husband, merchant Hu Xuezhai, and related records.

Zhao Douan said,

"Hu Xuezhai, well, it is not a minor matter to be implicated with, but it’s quite normal for businessmen. Dealing with the government, one way or another, you end up with some leverage against you. If it were just some ordinary officials, it might pass, but with Li Yinglong taking action, sentencing him is simpler than simple.

No doubt you know, to some extent, that the person pulling the strings behind the scenes, parting you from others, is Vice Minister Li... Indeed, I have to admit, his methods are a bit brutal, but the process is clear, reasonable, and lawful. Even I can’t fault it...

Your husband, judging by the dates, should by now have been sent back to his homeland. According to his punishment, it’s far from a death sentence, but being sent to a labor camp in the quarries is unavoidable.

And in such places, it’s normal for a few to fall sick or die in accidents each year.

If I were Vice Minister Li, to completely crush your hopes, I could just subtly hint to the lower officials to send your cheap husband to the hidden depths of the Earthly Realm in a way that conforms to the law...

Tsk tsk, he really is a pitiful fellow, doing well in his business.

What he did, had no major faults, yet he thought that you, a woman of artistic background, ruined his life, which is truly..."

Before he could finish, Lady Lin, in plain clothes in the Buddhist Temple, was already clutching several sheets of paper, her voice choked with sobs.

Tears dripped continuously onto the paper.

There was joy in finally knowing about her husband’s situation, yet she was tormented by strong guilt and self-blame.

Nevertheless, she unexpectedly managed to control her sobbing.

Even deliberately lowering her voice, she tried to stabilize her emotions.

Raising her head, she looked up at the youth in embroidered attire, her eyes filled with hope:

"Mr. Zhao, you..."

Zhao Douan coldly looked down at the woman who was almost kneeling before him and said,

"I can help you get Hu Xuezhai out, save his life. Moreover, I can also help you escape, reuniting you with your husband."

Lady Lin stared at him, her oval face filled with disbelief.

Zhao Douan raised an eyebrow:

"Don’t believe I have that capability?"

Lady Lin quickly shook her head.

Though she didn’t know the full extent of Zhao Douan’s power, based on what she heard, she did not doubt that the man before her had the confidence to say so.

But...

"Sir, aren’t you afraid of Li Yinglong?" Lady Lin ventured to ask.

That’s the Li family after all, the son of Prime Minister Li Yanfu. She couldn’t believe that he would oppose Li Yinglong for her sake.

Zhao Douan said quietly:

"Otherwise, why do you think I came to find you?"

Lady Lin was stunned.

Zhao Douan said,

"I’ve been at odds with Li Yinglong for a while now. In other words, the enemy of my enemy is my friend..."

Seeing her confused expression, Zhao Douan didn’t bother explaining the complex entanglements in the court and simply said,

"In short, you just need to know that I have reasons to oppose Li Yinglong. I found you because I need your help with some matters."

Lady Lin was silent for a moment, suddenly as if making a decision:

"Do you want me to poison him? Kill him?"

"..."

Even with Zhao Douan’s Qi Cultivation Skill, he was taken aback, his gaze at the woman shifted.

How venomous indeed a woman’s heart can be... Not really, not really...

Zhao Douan did not wish to risk his life for revenge against Li Yinglong... To consider assassinating a Vice Minister, he surely didn’t know how to spell ’death’...

"I have a safer way that won’t put you at risk," Zhao Douan’s voice softened slightly, seeing that he achieved his goal, not provoking her further.

This woman is somewhat extreme...

"What do you want me to do for you to help me?"

Lady Lin knelt on the ground, her ten fingers tightly clutching those papers, her once-despairing eyes suddenly gleaming anew.

"First, answer the previous question," Zhao Douan said calmly.

Lady Lin was silent again, her demeanor no longer timid but unusually calm:

"Are you not deceiving me, sir?"

Zhao Douan chuckled:

"You may choose not to believe, not answer, or deceive me, even inform Li Yinglong against me... Or, you can do as I say, betting on my goodwill.

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Ultimately, whether to follow him or take a chance, the choice is yours. A person’s life is not in the hands of gods or Buddha; you make your own."

Lady Lin paused for a moment, then lifted her head, her mind made up.

She said,

"Li Yinglong forcibly took me as his concubine, probably because I resembled a former lover of his from the past. He told me so."

This answer was somewhat beyond his expectations.

Zhao Douan was startled, his expression odd:

"Who did he say you resemble?"

Lady Lin uttered a name: "Yuan Ru."

Yuan Ru... Zhao Douan’s face suddenly changed color; he knew this name...

If he recalled correctly, Yuan Ru was indeed the name of an Imperial Concubine, "Yuan Fei," conferred by the Old Emperor in the Imperial City.

Li Yinglong’s old lover was the Old Emperor’s conferred "Yuan Fei"?

Could this be any more sensational...

"Indeed, what a big... gossip!"