The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 239 - 211: Doorstep Family Networking (Requesting monthly tickets at the beginning of the month!)
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"Boom!"
A long sword covered in frost was suddenly thrown, piercing straight into the standing target, and the iron-covered dummy exploded into pieces.
Zhao Douan reached out, caught the hilt, and elegantly twirled the sword.
Standing in the small "Martial Arts Arena" in his courtyard, he faced the eastern sunrise of the late summer morning, exhaling deeply,
"A bit of something."
These past two days, he had devoted all his focus to absorbing the teachings of the Empress.
In his mind, he replayed them repeatedly, training over and over.
During the day, when he went to the government office, he didn’t handle cases, choosing instead to spar with the Masters from various halls, honing his skills in practical combat with these highly skilled Martial Artists.
His progress was rapid.
If not for the vast difference in level with Lord Ma Yan, Zhao Douan would have sought out his senior brother for some sparring.
In actual combat, the weaknesses the Empress had pointed out in him were gradually being addressed, and his strengths were continually being developed.
"I feel terrifyingly strong now, I urgently need an enemy to kill."
Zhao Douan tossed the scabbard to a family servant by the side, joyfully experiencing one of the three great illusions of life, "I can counter-kill."
"Da Lang, may I wipe your sweat?"
A maid named Mian Tao, who was by his stepmother’s side, ran up eagerly, holding a wet towel.
This maid was average in looks but had a full figure, was clever and capable.
The Zhao family, a modest household, had only a few maids and older servants.
Not long ago, Zhao Douan hired a few more to share the burden, and Mian Tao was promptly promoted to "head maid," gaining the opportunity to serve Da Lang.
"I’ll do it myself." Zhao Douan was self-reliant and casually said,
"Aren’t you going to help with the preparations?"
The maid Mian Tao looked at him with admiration,
"Da Lang brought in the chefs from Dingfeng Building, so there’s no need to prepare more. The lady is dressing up, and the young lady is accompanying her, they don’t need this servant."
They were discussing the visit of You Jinhua’s family, who were coming today at noon to be entertained at their home.
Yes, shortly after that family letter was sent, the You family arrived in the Capital.
And after settling in, they sent a visiting card, arranging to visit today.
In fact, within two hours of the You family entering the city, Zhao Douan had already learned of their whereabouts through the channels of the Imperial Court—
With his current status and position, it was merely a matter of words to secretly instruct the military officer at the city gate to send a message upon their entry.
In addition, Zhao Douan instructed his subordinates to conduct a simple investigation into the basic situation of these "relatives."
As his stepmother had said, the arrivals were indeed her second uncle’s family.
The leader was the head of the You branch in Xiping Road, You Zhande.
According to the information, he was also a High Grade Martial Artist...this was somewhat surprising to him.
But considering that, in the Great Yu Dynasty, families that could maintain stability often had either officials supporting them,
or were involved in "Cultivation," somewhat considering them part of the Jianghu forces, it wasn’t surprising.
Of course, You Zhande was not purely a Martial Artist; the main industry of the You family was still in merchant teams.
That is, relying on geographical advantages to conduct trade between the Western Regions and Great Yu.
Xiping Road was known for its rugged folk and a mix of Jianghu and commercial aura.
Also, due to the merchant team’s connections, they often interacted with the border army of the court’s western corridor, which eventually led to You Jinhua being married off to a returning soldier.
However, for this trip to the Capital, You Zhande didn’t bring many people.
Apart from a few household guards and disciples from the clan, close family accompanying him included his wife and young son.
This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
In terms of seniority, You Jinhua should call them aunt and cousin.
Moreover, intelligence indicated that they met a noble young master from Xiping Road on their way.
Since they were "strangers," his subordinates only conducted a simple inquiry without detailed information, and Zhao Douan didn’t pay much attention.
Zhao Douan commanded an investigation without ulterior motives, merely wanting to understand the situation.
Although in his mind, it would be considered merciful not to retaliate against such troublesome relatives,
since his stepmother remembered familial ties, Zhao Douan gave enough face to You Jinhua.
For this reception, he specifically instructed to bring the entire kitchen staff of a nearby famous restaurant to his home to handle the lunch feast.
The maid instantly felt that Da Lang was quite capable.
"All right, I don’t need to be served, you go check on those chefs. By the way, are the serving dishes and whatnot prepared?"
"Yes, when the Dong family came to apologize, they gave a set of valuable utensils, which is more than adequate."
The maid quickly replied, speaking proudly,
"What I mean is, given Da Lang’s current status, not going to the government office and staying home personally to receive them is already a huge privilege for them."
Her speech already bore a semblance of the demeanor of a head maid.
Zhao Douan, however, smiled and shook his head, saying with deep meaning,
"Outsiders may not acknowledge my status, perhaps they even look down on me."
Mian Tao hurriedly said,
"How could that be? Who in the Capital doesn’t know about Da Lang’s prowess?"
…
Meanwhile, the family of You Zhande awoke late today.
Traveling to the Capital from the distant Xiping Road, they had finally arrived.
You Zhande, possessing Martial Arts Cultivation, was fine, but his delicate wife and spoiled young son were exhausted.
Add to that the allure of the lively Capital, the jewel-adorned wife who had longed to visit the Capital dragged her son around for leisure, showing no concern for the visit.
They returned to the inn late last night and lazed in bed until late morning, yawning and slowly getting ready.
They took makeup more seriously than usual.
You Zhande urged them several times.
Finally, just before noon, the family rode out towards the Zhao family.
"Rush, rush, rush, you as an uncle are diligent, but your niece doesn’t know her place; instead of paying her respects, she requires us as elders to visit."
Inside the carriage,
The middle-aged woman, despite careful maintenance, still showed horizontal wrinkles on her neck and spoke sarcastically.
Adorned with jewelry on her head, neck, hands, and holding a mirror,
Her figure was elegant, showing wealth, and her eyes were steady. The head of the You family shook his head and advised,
"This is the Capital, not Xiping. I’ve inquired during these days; that Zhao Douan, from what I hear, isn’t an easy character."
The woman curled her lips and said,
"I know, isn’t he just an arrogant brat who gained favor suddenly and became domineering? What good relative can come from nouveau riche behavior?"
You Zhande stiffened his face and said,
"It’s exactly the young, temperamental ones who are difficult to deal with. Besides, I’ve heard that this person is probably not simple. He seemed to have been taken by the Ministry of Justice recently, then released, and only then did he quiet down. Before that, he moved freely in official circles."
Currently, outsiders’ impressions of Zhao Douan exist in several layers.
Only a very small group of people know and understand the numerous major deeds he did and his status in the heart of the Empress, mainly limited to the top echelon:
Yuann Li, Li Yanfu, Dong Xuan...those very few top bigwigs.
Even Li Yanfu didn’t hold much information.
Beyond that were the impressions of the numerous court officials and scholars.
Their perceptions were much weaker; issues like conflicts with Pei Kaizhi, Zhou Cheng, or the Princess were all merely rumors in official circles.
Like the recent conflict with the Young Master...hardly anyone knew he was the one behind it.
At best, people heard things such as,
"There might be a shadow of Yama Zhao behind this,"
which was mostly speculated as Zhao Douan being merely a heavy-handed officer working for the big bosses,
a pawn role.
And further out, leaving the fifth-rank and above official circles,
some lower-grade officials and ordinary citizens of the Capital knew very little.
Their impression remained on the level of Zhao Douan being an upstart who sold cattle, a profligate, arrogant gigolo...
In short, there were three words:
Information gap!
So, despite Zhao Douan rubbing shoulders with top bigwigs, for the overwhelming majority of the middle and lower layers...
Their grasp and assessment of Zhao Douan’s current energies and power were entirely outdated!
You Zhande, in Xiping Road, may have been somebody.
But in the Capital, the network he could access in such a short time was virtually negligible.
Given his standing, the highest-ranking official he might barely reach would only be at the level of a county magistrate...
Thus, You Zhande greatly underestimated his niece’s "stepson."
Yet, despite this, the mere "Imperial Decree Department Master"’s official identity was enough to earn his attention.
"In any case, even if he got his position through his looks, it was still a position under the reigning Emperor. The Zhao family might seem like ants to the high official bigwigs of the Great Yu court, but compared to our You family, they are major figures."
You Zhande spoke sternly, reminding his wife,
"Remember, we’re here to forge a connection.
If you don’t want to ruin things, put away that attitude, be more courteous once we enter the Zhao family, especially towards my niece. Don’t treat her as you did in the past.
Jinhua values old relationships. Once we gain her favor, why wouldn’t Zhao Douan agree to help us?
Zhao family’s man might have died, but Jinhua is now the matriarch of the Zhao family. No matter how arrogant Zhao Douan is outside, he should still listen to his elders at home."
The jeweled woman toyed with her ring indifferently,
"I know, you’ve said this a thousand times."
Next to them,
The young boy, fat like a pig, with a greasy face, murmured,
"Who knows what the Zhao family is like, whether it’s as grand as our home."
Soon, You Luer, the spoiled young master of the You family, got his answer.
When the carriage stopped and he saw the Zhao residence, located in a secluded area and appearing just like an ordinary house, the fat young boy couldn’t help but feel greatly disappointed, derisively saying,
"Dad, are we at the right place? Is this it? Didn’t you say they were big figures? Why is it not even comparable to our home?"
The shrewish woman also frowned, thinking that the rumors might have been exaggerated.
If Zhao Douan were truly favored, some grand figure, how could he live in such an ordinary residence?
It made sense, even the reigning Empress, if inclined to take a Gigolo, surely wouldn’t just take one; perhaps the Zhao family was merely one among many.
But she still warned her son not to speak out of turn.
You Zhande, too, silently evaluated, contemplating the rumors about Zhao Douan’s trial by the Ministry of Justice.
With complicated thoughts, the family carried several gifts brought out by the servants and knocked on the door.
Before long,
The old steward of the Zhao family personally came out to greet them warmly,
"The lady and young master have been waiting for a while, please follow me."
This old servant...didn’t know the rules, disregarded social hierarchy... the family’s brows furrowed increasingly.
Upon reaching the inner hall, they saw, at the entrance,
You Jinhua and her daughter, along with a tall, handsome young man, waiting.
…
Asking for the monthly vote of July’s minimum support.
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