The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 257 - 226. Arriving at the Heavenly Master Mansion
The following day, early in the morning.
Within the room, Zhao Douan stood before a full-length mirror, tidying up his appearance. Once his uniform was properly adjusted, he nodded in satisfaction.
"That will do."
Upon leaving his home, he didn’t take a carriage; instead, he rode his horse to the Imperial Palace.
After arriving at the Imperial City, he sent someone to announce his arrival. Not long after, the guard returned and said,
"Her Majesty will come out shortly. Please, Mr. Zhao, wait a moment."
Thus, Zhao Douan stood at the entrance of the Imperial City, waiting for nearly an entire hour before a grand procession of carriages emerged from the palace.
"I knew it—waiting for a woman to leave takes at least an hour to start..."
Zhao Douan sighed with a contained amusement.
Today’s visit to the Heavenly Master Mansion was not a grand event.
Therefore, the Emperor’s entourage was relatively small, perhaps only fifty or sixty people in all.
The carriage rolled out of the gate and then stopped. A palace maid relayed a message inviting "Mr. Zhao" to join in the carriage for an audience.
Sharing a carriage with the Empress was an immense honor bestowed upon any subject.
But for Zhao Douan, in just a few short months, this had already been his third experience.
...
...
"Your servant pays respects to Your Majesty!"
Zhao Douan climbed into the exceptionally spacious carriage and offered his respects with due earnestness—as a favored minister, it was crucial not to be arrogant, the more favored one was, the less they should presume in the presence of their leader.
"Sit, we are monarch and minister, no need for excessive courtesy."
The clear, cold voice, as if pearls falling on a silver plate, struck at one’s heart.
After expressing his thanks, Zhao Douan carefully raised his head and then his eyes lit up.
Today, the Empress had changed her attire, which was neither the regal dragon robe nor the usual garb worn in the palace, but rather, it leaned towards the attire of a Daoist cultivator.
White garb was layered beneath, and she was draped in a green robe, similar to that of a Daoist robe.
The lapels were open, revealing her hair—half cascading down her back, half coiled atop her head in a Daoist bun, casually secured with a jade hairpin.
With no trace of makeup, her naturally beautiful face glowed, making all other beautiful women lest they pale in comparison, mocking their own inferior rouge and powder.
A red cinnabar mark adorned her forehead, reminiscent of a sculpted jade deity.
The Empress, with eyes like autumn waters, spared him a glance, a slight curl to her lips, momentarily distracting Zhao Douan.
"Does my face have flowers on it?" asked Xu Zhenguan, with a mix of amusement and sarcasm.
Zhao Douan quickly realized his rudeness and replied with sincere adoration,
"Your Majesty puts all flowers to shame."
"...Heh," Xu Zhenguan felt that she should maintain a stern expression, but deep down she wasn’t really upset, and considering this man’s contributions from yesterday, she just hummed,
"Such a smooth talker."
Just a smooth talker? Zhao Douan blinked, realizing the Empress was in quite a good mood today.
That she didn’t scold him was quite unexpected...
Sitting on an embroidered cushion to one side in the carriage, Zhao Douan’s thoughts raced—he wondered if he should be more bold. It was always right for a man to take the initiative.
He then heard the Empress calmly speaking:
"Regarding yesterday’s events, I heard from Eunuch Hai. You played a significant role."
Zhao Douan hastily regained his focus, responding earnestly,
"Eunuch Hai overpraises me. I merely did what was required of me. It’s actually quite touching that Your Majesty secretly sent Eunuch Hai to ensure my safety. I am tearfully grateful and have nothing with which to repay such kindness except to dedicate my life to serving Your Majesty, to exert all my efforts until death, still fearing it would not be enough to repay Your Majesty’s grace."
Even Xu Zhenguan, who was used to flattery from her courtiers, found this a bit overwhelming.
With a slight turn of her head and a change in posture, she said reservedly,
"There is no need for such... I am merely curious as to how you knew the whereabouts of the culprit."
Here it comes!
She had to ask, and he thought he could evade it... How should he reply?
Telling the truth wouldn’t be wise. As the saying goes, a loyal subject does not serve two masters. Although my deal with Wang was purely business, one cannot prevent a woman from letting her thoughts run wild...
What if she thinks I’m playing both sides, engaging with both the Heavenly Master Mansion and the Royal Family? That would be disastrous... Zhao Douan’s mind whirled with thoughts.
Yet, his response came almost without hesitation,
"Mr. Zhao, I believe you enlisted the help of Priest Jin Jian."
Xu Zhenguan offered a wry smile, speaking as though teasing,
"Jin Jian agreed to help you? That’s not really following the rules, is it?"
Damn, this question is a trap... One wrong answer, and I lose everything... Zhao Douan’s mind raced, but his expression remained unchanged as he replied,
"Your Majesty, do you know that I have recently purchased a new residence?"
"I’ve heard a bit about it."
"Does Your Majesty know how I came upon such a large sum of money?"
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Xu Zhenguan half-closed her beautiful eyes, her tone casual, "I don’t like playing guessing games."
"..."
Zhao Douan confidently answered his own question:
"I commonly enjoy tinkering with small objects and recently stumbled upon a method for making ice. I sold the idea to Priest Jin Jian, and thus made a sizeable amount of silver, which enabled me to buy the residence, moving me somewhat closer to Your Majesty.
It was indeed through business dealings that Priest Jin Jian has become quite supportive of me..."
Xu Zhenguan listened quietly, fully aware of Zhao Douan’s business with the Heavenly Master Mansion.
Yet she felt very satisfied hearing his candid answer.
The Empress knew that Jin Jian had a fondness for money. Zhao Douan had helped her make a tidy profit; it was only logical and fair for the young girl to reciprocate his efforts.
She nodded slightly, a smile playing across her lips,
"The last time it was that floral perfume, and now you know how to make ice, you are indeed talented and inventive."
Phew... I’ve narrowly skirted past that lethal topic... Zhao Douan breathed a silent sigh of relief, and replied,
"These are merely minor diversions and trivial skills of mine, hardly worth mentioning."
Inspired, he took the initiative to steer the conversation in a new direction,
"The real credit for building up the business goes to Gongshu Tianyuan."
"Oh? Heavenly Master Zhang’s fifth disciple?"
Xu Zhenguan was indeed diverted by the new topic, her expression enlightening, "Ah, it’s him. No wonder."
Zhao Douan looked up, curiosity in his voice,
"Your Majesty is familiar with him?"
The Empress uttered an affirmative sound, realizing that her junior imperial guard knew little on the matter, and she casually explained,
"Gongshu Tianyuan is following the path of the ’Artisan God’, able to forge divine weapons and create suppressing magic artifacts. His talent is indeed extraordinary.
He’s often buried in his workshop, seldom venturing out...
Ah, the scroll you used before, which records sound and scenes, was crafted by his hand... but, he wasn’t the original inventor."
Holy shit... he made the spying scroll?
Zhao Douan was taken aback.
The Empress continued with a hint of melancholy:
"However, to make great achievements in this field is difficult; one must forge breakthrough artifacts to advance in cultivation. That’s why he’s particularly interested in your so-called ’ingenious diversions’.
Advancement may be hard, but if one day he truly steps into a higher realm, he would be considered a national treasure. Heh, a grandmaster who can create top-grade magic artifacts and divine weapons would be courted even by the Royal Family."
With that, she cast a meaningful glance at him, the message clear:
Being associated with him would be beneficial to you, without any drawbacks.
Is that so? That chubby lad could be a potential gold mine... Zhao Douan’s spirits lifted, and he said earnestly,
"Thank you for the advice, Your Majesty."
The corners of Xu Zhenguan’s mouth curled up. She had intended to say:
Even though Gongshu Tianyuan is a genius, he’s quite proud. Even if you tried to befriend him, he wouldn’t look your way.
After all, a ’technical talent’ like him only respects skill and has no interest in power or prestige, looking down on such things.
A simple ice-making technique is certainly not enough to make that disciple of the Heavenly Master take special notice of Zhao Douan.
However...
Nevermind, there’s no need to dampen a subordinate’s enthusiasm.
What the Empress didn’t know was that Zhao Douan had already, with just a simple optical diagram for glasses, kept the aloof heir of the Master working tirelessly, without sleep, for three days and nights, utterly exhausted.
"We’re approaching the Heavenly Master Mansion; follow me when we enter and choose your words wisely. If you’re lucky, you might get to see Heavenly Master Zhang today."
Xu Zhenguan looked up, her gaze stretching past the carriage to the grand entrance of the Heavenly Master Mansion ahead, speaking softly.
Heavenly Master Zhang? The living immortal of Great Yu?
Zhao Douan’s face was filled with anticipation.
