The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 258 - 227, please teach me, Lord

Conversations with the Empress were always brief.

Soon, the Royal carriage stopped in front of the Heavenly Master Mansion.

The visit had been announced earlier, and at the grand entrance of the main Daoist Temple, several elderly priests dressed in red-embroidered robes were already waiting with bowed heads.

Zhao Douan followed the Empress out of the carriage, taking his place in the entourage behind Xu Zhenguan, as a "retainer guard."

He did not stand out.

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"Congratulations to Your Majesty the Emperor, on gracing us with your presence..."

The leading Daoist with the square face held a horsetail whisk and respectfully bowed, with many priests following behind.

Xu Zhenguan smiled and nodded.

Years ago, when she was still an Imperial Princess, she had once stayed at the Heavenly Master Mansion, seeking guidance in cultivation from Heavenly Master Zhang.

Therefore, even though she was an Empress, today she wore the garb of Kun Dao.

After exchanging pleasantries, the group entered through the main gate.

It is worth mentioning that Zhao Douan’s last visit was through a side door led by a gatekeeping Daoist boy, and he had not passed through the direct path of the Heavenly Master Mansion’s main gate.

Today, courtesy of the Empress’s presence, he had the opportunity to witness the true face of this thousand-year-old Daoist Temple.

As they entered the main gate, a spacious plaza paved with white stone and inlaid with a large Taiji Bagua Map came into view.

Walking upon the Taiji Diagram, a sense of reverence naturally arose.

At this moment, on both sides of the plaza, many lower-level priests stood at a distance; too far to see clearly, yet each carried a treasure sword on their back, a sea of tassel waving from afar.

Beyond the main entrance, a gate resembling an arch stood tall.

Left and right sides bore pair of couplets... Xu Zhenguan looked up, uttering a soft exclamation, she read:

"Heaven moves with vigor, as the noble man ceaselessly strengthens himself... The Earth’s position is yielding, as the noble man carries all things with great virtue..."

Her gaze rose to see four giant characters across the top:

"Dao Follows Nature"

"Last time I visited, I remember it was not this."

Xu Zhenguan paused to appreciate it, a touch of surprise in her demeanor.

The leading elderly priest smiled and said,

"It was indeed changed recently, to encourage our young priests in their learning."

Xu Zhenguan nodded lightly, her brows relaxed:

"Compared to the old couplet, it indeed has a different aura. I wonder who composed it?"

The elderly priest shook his head: "I am not quite sure, but it was approved by the Heavenly Master."

Xu Zhenguan nodded again, then stared at the words on the arch for a few moments longer.

On first glance, it was striking. On closer inspection... the couplets were reasonable, but the key four characters on the horizontal board seemed a bit out of sync with the two couplets, as if they were clumsily put together.

Yet... there was some significant meaning hidden within.

But no one noticed the constipated look on Zhao Douan’s face, who stood behind the Empress, his mind feverishly criticizing:

"Oh Wang, just as I expected, you really are something. I thought you didn’t use my lines because there was no reward, but it turns out the arch has long been changed, and you dragged until I exchanged the Thousand Faces God..."

"Eh, now that I think about it, the Empress is here, but why don’t I see Wang among the receiving priests? Is it because his status isn’t high enough, or because he’s a ’casual official,’ not mingling in the crowd?"

Pondering to himself, the group passed through the second gate, and suddenly in front was the imposing Ancestor Master Hall with its flying eaves.

Zhao Douan had skirted from a distance and glanced at it once before, knowing that it housed the portraits of the past "Heavenly Masters" of the Heavenly Master Mansion.

Beyond the Ancestor Master Hall, standing like a towering giant, was a massive bell tower.

The bell tower was dim, with a sundial embedded on the wall facing them.

The sunlight hitting the sundial cast giant "hands" on the ground.

Above, atop the bell tower, was the "Yellow Bell," but unfortunately, it was too high and indistinct from the ground.

Zhao Douan looked at the weather-beaten bell tower, recalling the torrential rain on the day of his crossing, hearing the city’s bell toll.

It had come from this bell tower.

"Wait here, I will proceed to Heavenly Master Zhang’s residence," Xu Zhenguan instructed those behind her.

The bell tower, like a boundary, divided the Heavenly Master Mansion into inner and outer areas.

Zhao Douan noticed that even the leading, high-level priests halted their steps.

It seemed he couldn’t directly follow the Empress... No wonder she said whether they could meet the Heavenly Master depended on luck... Was it about waiting for summoning?

A bit disappointed, Zhao Douan felt this was a letdown, but the elderly priest smiled amiably and led them to a nearby hall to wait.

"Lord Zhao, please stay," suddenly one of the middle-aged priests stopped him, saying with a smile:

"Gongshu Priest, knowing of your arrival, asked me to invite you over for a chat."

Gongshu Priest? Jin Jian’s fifth brother?

That chubby god of artisans... Zhao Douan was somewhat interested but hesitated.

The priest smiled and reassured him:

"Lord need not worry, every time Her Majesty visits, she always spends at least an hour discussing Tao with the Heavenly Master. Moreover, should there be any changes, we will certainly find you and it will not cause any delay."

Oh, is that so... Zhao Douan happily nodded,

"Thank you for showing the way."

Zhenbao had said developing good relations with them was harmless, and Zhao Douan took that advice.

In the official circle, the more connections one has, the better.

...

...

"Ha ha, Lord Zhao, glad you could come. Just yesterday we spoke of getting together soon, and here we meet again today."

Zhao Douan was led to a courtyard.

There he saw at the door, wearing a crumpled dark-golden priest robe, the plump face with a slightly comical expression and tiny eyes squinting, Gongshu Tianyuan greeting him with a laugh.

However, Zhao Douan was taken aback—

because the young chubby priest looked haggard, his huge dark circles resembling a panda’s, his smile somewhat manic, and in his gaze the hint of fervor.

"Why trouble yourself, Priest Gongshu, to receive me personally?"

Zhao Douan took a subtle step back, yet was still forcibly shaken hands with, the contact feeling greasy, discreetly wiping his hand behind his back, he said with forced concern: