The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 255 - 224, taking the Little Forbidden Army to see the Old Heavenly Master?

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"You... are Zhao Douan?"

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On the street.

The sunlight slowly sank into the ground, the remaining glow shone through the gaps in the buildings, illuminating the appearance of a group of people before his eyes.

Zhao Douan stood beside his horse, gaze slightly focused, scrutinizing the unfamiliar priest in front of him.

This person was not very old, seemingly about the same age as him, both in their twenties.

Slightly short and chubby, he was half a head shorter than Zhao, and the priest robe he wore did not seem remarkable at first glance.

But upon closer examination, it was subtly different from that of other priests.

The outlined threads were dark gold, not the silver-white of the others, similar to the Jin Jian.

However, this robe, which should represent a dignified status, worn on this young chubby man, seemed wrinkled and greasy.

Beyond that, the man had a thick bamboo tube slung across his back, tied at both ends with ropes, slanted across his body.

That slightly comical chubby face, with squinting small eyes, revealed a surprising clarity.

Which was quite incongruous with his appearance.

"I am, may I ask what matters the priests seek me for?" Zhao Douan nodded with a hint of caution.

He did not understand why these magicians summoned by the court were looking for him.

"Hehe, no need to be nervous, we have no other intentions, just that we have long heard of your reputation."

The chubby priest with the bamboo tube chuckled:

"Sister Jin Jian mentioned you to me, did you develop the Ice-making Skill?"

After saying this, he seemed to remember something, chuckling and adding:

"Almost forgot, my name is Gongshu Tianyuan, hehe, Jin Jian would call me Senior Brother Five."

Senior Brother Five?

Zhao Douan paused for a moment, his mind flashing with realization:

Under Heavenly Master Zhang’s six disciples, the last two were the current "Priest Zhu Dian" of the Heavenly Master Mansion.

A man and a woman, among them the fifth-ranked Priest Zhu Dian, was named Gongshu Tianyuan.

But he seldom left the Heavenly Master Mansion, and there was very little information about him in the outside world.

"So, it’s Heavenly Master’s disciple, Priest Zhu Dian, a well-known name indeed."

Zhao Douan revealed a smile, cordially extending his hand.

This confused Gongshu Tianyuan.

He paused and then, blinking his small eyes, felt a bit odd as he shook hands with Zhao Douan.

"Hehe, this is a greeting method I’ve heard of, known as a handshake."

Zhao Douan improvised, masking his reflexive action from a past life.

When people shake hands or applaud while listening to speeches, it’s ingrained deep within his marrow...

Gongshu Tianyuan suddenly understood.

The Great Yu was so vast, and strange customs were too numerous to count; he merely found it novel and not unexpected, laughing:

"Indeed, a man capable of contemplating the Ice-making Skill is truly learned.

Hehe, you might not know of me, but we have had a spiritual communication. The Ice-making Skill you gave to Jin Jian was arranged by me.

And those ’glasses’ you last sent her, the drawings, I looked at them too, quite... marvellous."

So it’s a business partner ah... Zhao Douan suddenly felt a connection.

He immediately struck up a warm conversation, which was his old line of work, easily making the chat enter a pleasant atmosphere.

He also learned that Gongshu Tianyuan has always stayed within the Heavenly Master Mansion, unconcerned with external affairs.

It was Zhao Douan’s two "inventions" that had caught his attention.

This time the court was recruiting aid for battle, Gongshu Tianyuan exceptionally left his seclusion.

His purpose was to see Zhao Douan with his own eyes and to get to know him.

Zhao Douan was also happy to establish new connections, after a good chat, he invited him to dine together.

Gongshu Tianyuan politely declined, saying he had to return to the Heavenly Master Mansion to report after his tasks were completed.

Only then did Zhao Douan leave with regret, claiming that if there was a chance, he would visit again.

...

As he watched him leave.

The silent priests standing behind like wooden poles began to speak, one after another:

"This Zhao Douan doesn’t look very special, but he speaks quite pleasantly, different from the rumors."

"He’s a man of the officialdom, slick on all sides, not surprising."

"But he does have a good appearance, no wonder Sister Jin Jian gets along with him... um, I mean, it’s just an appearance, not even a fraction as good as Senior Brother Gongshu."

"Right, the Ice-making Skill is just a small cleverness, discovered by luck; as for those ’glasses’, even more fantastical, only because Senior Brother Gongshu cares for his fellow disciples did he bother to contemplate them, surely they were easy for him."

A group of priests praised with their various opinions.

In the fiery red sunset, the chubby priest’s face was flushed, slightly embarrassed

—In front of his fellow disciples, he was too ashamed to say that he approached Zhao Douan with the intention to learn.

Making ice with saltpeter wasn’t significant; it was the glasses drawing that mattered... After Jin Jian gave it to him, the chubby boy went from doubt, to seriousness, to amazement, and then to bewildered confusion...

Grinding a crystal lens was nothing special in itself, and ordinary craftsmen would not think too much about it.

But the little chubby priest, who specialized in "Artisan God", had extraordinary vision.

Just from the drawing that Zhao Douan casually sketched, he sharply realized:

The person who drew these plans possessed some crucial knowledge of craftsmanship!

The so-called seeing the subtle and understanding the profound, glimpsing a spot and knowing the leopard... It was this principle.

The little chubby boy held that simple drawing for two full days.

The more he pondered, the deeper he felt the "principles" behind it were, maybe even as vast as the ocean!

He grew increasingly curious about the "Zhao Douan" his sister disciple spoke of.

But as someone concerned about his face, the little chubby boy couldn’t bring himself to ask for guidance in front of his brothers.

At the same time, as someone who considered himself a genius in the field of craftsmanship, Gongshu Tianyuan also had his pride.

He believed that he could understand the mysterious knowledge hidden behind those drawings by himself; he didn’t necessarily have to ask for guidance.

"Yes, I can do this myself! Tian Yuan, oh Tian Yuan, you are the King of Gu who rolled out of the many disciples in the Heavenly Master Mansion. You can’t lose face now. Buck up..."

He cheered himself up.

Gongshu Tianyuan waved his hand boldly and declared,

"Enough with the nonsense, follow me back to the mansion!"

The priests behind him chorused, "Yes!"

...

...

In the Imperial Palace, the Royal Study.

"... Tonight, the officials can finally have a good night’s sleep."

Eunuch Hai finished his report and a smile appeared on his face, feeling that he had regained a bit of the face he had lost.

Mo Chou’s face showed surprise, and she turned to look at the Empress,

"Congratulations to Your Majesty for resolving another concern."

After zoning out for a moment, Xu Zhenguan, whose face had not seen a smile for several days, slowly began to brighten.

Then, the first question she asked was,

"How did Zhao Douan know the location of the thieves?"

Eunuch Hai said,

"King Ma did not specify, but the gist is that the lad used his personal connections to seek help from the Heavenly Master Mansion."

Personal relationships... with Jin Jian?

Since when did this Little Forbidden Army soldier have such a good relationship with that girl Jin Jian?

Xu Zhenguan felt oddly jealous, like she was uncomfortable with her own lackey turning to lick someone else’s boots.

"Your Majesty?" Mo Chou saw that the Empress had suddenly become lost in thought and softly called out.

Xu Zhenguan came back to her senses and then showed a smile,

"Very good, extremely good. Eunuch Hai has worked hard this time. By eliminating this rebel, my heart is truly comforted."

Eunuch Hai looked at her strangely and said with a chuckle,

"This servant wouldn’t take credit from a junior. In the end, the main credit goes to that lad. He must have swallowed his pride to ask for help for Your Majesty’s sake."

Xu Zhenguan’s gaze softened, and she suddenly felt like seeing that Little Forbidden Army soldier.

But glancing at the time, she decided to postpone it.

After Eunuch Hai left, Xu Zhenguan immediately instructed Mo Chou to notify the court below, announcing the news that the rebel had been executed.

At the same time, she intended to turn the situation around and use it as evidence of the Kuangfu Society’s wrongdoing to announce to the world.

"This servant obeys the command," said Mo Chou.

Xu Zhenguan pondered for a moment, then added,

"I have not visited the Heavenly Master Mansion for a long time to see Heavenly Master Zhang. Arrange the journey for tomorrow. I shall make a visit."

The Empress was not doing this on a whim but rather being equitable.

A while back, during the Ullambana Festival, she attended the ceremony at the Divine Dragon Temple.

She had been meaning to visit the Heavenly Master Mansion and see Zhang Yan Yi, who had once advised the Third Imperial Princess and could be considered a "half-teacher" to her.

More importantly, she wanted to send a signal.

For any leader of an organization, as long as their position was high enough, the most crucial task was often not specific decision-making but constantly attending various activities and meeting various people.

This was the case both in the past and present, and across all cultures.

Conveniently, the Heavenly Master Mansion had made significant contributions to the capture of the rebels, providing a good opportunity for a visit.

"This servant follows Your Majesty’s orders," said Mo Chou.

Xu Zhenguan added another statement,

"Inform Zhao Douan to accompany me to the Heavenly Master Mansion tomorrow. Heh, showing him the true face of Heavenly Master Zhang will also be a reward for his merits."

Hm... she wanted to inquire about what exactly was going on between that Little Forbidden Army soldier and Jin Jian...

Mo Chou opened her mouth, jealousy rendering her at a loss for words,

"... Yes."

...

...

That very night.

A piece of news swept through the official circles of the Capital like a whirlwind.

#The rebel assassin has been executed at dusk!#

The news came out, like a huge rock smashing into a lake, drawing the attention of countless officials.

"Has the rebel truly been captured? Do we no longer need to worry about assassination?"

"It’s absolutely true. King Ma himself led the force from the nine halls, and more than ten priests assisted in the battle."

"Ha! The damned rebel got what he deserved. The nets of heaven are vast and inescapable!"

"It’s strange, how did they find him? Wasn’t it said that the rebel was extremely good at disguising?"

"There are rumors that it was Zhao Douan who took the risk by setting a trap, and they caught the fish at a tavern in South City... Many soldiers know about it."

Learning of the assassin’s execution, the oppressive atmosphere that had tensed the officials for days eased at once, and their expressions were filled with joy.

While cursing the rebel’s just demise, they reflected with relief that the court had proven its might.

And as the word spread that Zhao Douan might have lured the culprit out, many officials fell silent.

Recalling the various rumors about Zhao Douan that had circulated around the city these days, they experienced a flood of mixed emotions.

An official at the Teaching Bureau slammed down his cup and exclaimed,

"Although Zhao Douan is a despicable person, at least, in this matter, he has shown great responsibility."

A capable yet despicable person with a sense of duty...

This remark resonated with many officials.

Perhaps, for the Great Yu Dynasty, having such a subject wasn’t entirely a bad thing.

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Typo to be corrected later