The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 356 - 304, Linfeng’s Counterattack in the Officialdom

What had Xu Zhenguan prepared for Zhao Douan's journey this time?

Besides the authority to mobilize troops, there was also the power to command the Royal Jianghu Shadow Guards in Linfeng.

This was not a conflict.

After all, strictly speaking, similar to Prince Jing's spies arranged in the Capital, the Royal Shadow Guards were likewise part of the military.

Therefore, when Zhao Douan encountered the Commandery Princess insisting on joining him during the journey, the method to send this news back to the Empress in the rear was to use the Shadow Guards' channel.

Similarly, Xu Junling was not aware that Mr. Zhao, before stepping into "Taicang Prefecture," had not only openly gathered the cavalry of the guards.

He had also secretly assembled a team of Shadow Guards, all of whom entered the Prefecture together.

And communicated via three copies of a Suppressing Object yellow paper that could convey messages.

However, the communication range of the yellow paper was limited.

Therefore, when the spy was far away from Taicang Prefecture, relay spies along the way were needed, in tandem with military-trained pigeons, to extend the communication distance.

"Flap flap..."

The grey pigeon flapped its wings, emitting a "coo coo coo" sound, its bright red claws ceaselessly stepping on that exceptionally fair hand.

Inside this ordinary residential courtyard.

The sickly-looking young man dressed as a scholar expressed helplessness, scattering the prepared feed on the ground; the pigeon immediately flapped over and pecked at the food.

The somewhat frail-looking scholar with unusually fair hands sat on a stone stool, unfolding a piece of paper to take a look.

Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves approached from outside and gradually slowed down.

The scholar, who was a Royal Shadow Guard, looked up, deftly stuffed the paper roll into his mouth, and moistened it with saliva.

Footsteps drew nearer.

And then, the dilapidated courtyard door was pushed open with one hand.

With a creak, a woman dressed in dusty Jianghu attire appeared at the gate.

She held the reins in one hand, wore a bamboo hat, a sword strapped to her back, and her face was mostly covered with a large bronze mask, with two sharp eyes visible through the holes.

"It's you."

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The pale and slightly sickly scholar coughed twice, covering his mouth as if he wanted to spit out the paper ball.

The masked woman stepped into the dilapidated courtyard, walked to the table, and tossed him her hip flask:

"If you can't swallow it, take a sip of water to help it down."

The frail scholar reluctantly said,

"You don't have to take care of me if you can't... Eh, why are you back so suddenly, did you find something?"

"Yes."

The masked woman sat down carelessly beside the stone table, reached into her bosom, and took out a palm-sized jade mirror. On the reverse, the words "Fengyue Treasure Mirror" were inscribed in ancient script.

It was indeed the spoils of war seized by Zhao Douan from the Kuangfu Society rebels before.

She also took out a crumpled piece of paper, spread it open on the table, revealing a portrait of the missing County Magistrate Wang Chusheng.

"I found this man. As for the other, Mr. Song, I haven't found him yet."

As one of the Gold Shadow Guards of Linfeng, exceedingly skilled in intelligence work, the "scholar" perked up and eagerly asked,

"Where is he?"

"The mirror shows, hidden in a Daoist Temple in the mountains, with a white arch."

The scholar's eyes lit up, and he said with a smile,

"White Cloud Temple, it must be this place. This thief is indeed as Tributor Zhao had speculated; if not dead, he wouldn't escape too far, yet also much closer than I had anticipated.

Ha-ha, Tributor Zhao's mirror is indeed useful, except that even when infused with Mana, it can't be constantly open.

If he's not in the Prefecture, not in the County, and we don't know which direction he went, we can only half-guess and use the cumbersome method of searching each territory with the mirror.

Your news has come just in time; Tributor Zhao just sent a message, asking about this matter."

The masked woman showed little emotion and asked calmly,

"When do we act?"

The scholar pondered briefly,

"Sooner is better than later. But to be completely certain, we need to gather the others."

The masked woman shook her head,

"By the time they arrive, it will be too late. I alone am enough."

Saying so, she stood up, stepped out of the courtyard, and the scholar did not stop her.

The masked woman mounted her horse and headed straight out of the town, continuing towards the southeast.

Due to the difficult roads, it was only at dusk that she finally arrived at the foot of a quiet and desolate mountain.

Leaving the horse tied at the mountain's base.

The Shadow Guard, wearing a bamboo hat and carrying a long sword, walked up the winding stone steps, passed the white arch, and a small Daoist Temple appeared halfway up the mountain.

Atop the plaque, the three characters for "White Cloud Temple" stood out prominently in the fading sunset.

The masked woman knocked on the door of the Daoist Temple.

A young Taoist opened the door and was startled by her appearance:

"Who are you looking for, heroine?"

The armored woman said, "Wang Chusheng."

The young Taoist looked puzzled:

"There is no such clergy in the temple. Hey, hey hey... why are you barging in?!"

The armored woman brushed past the Taoist, barging straight into the Daoist Temple, only to be greeted by the glint of a cold blade, striking like a venomous serpent from the shadows!

Yet, as if she had anticipated this, she let out a cold laugh and dodged to the side.

She let the fine chill of the blade graze past her, its edge still tainted with a ghostly green.

"Clang—"

The armored woman sank down on one knee and, taking advantage of the momentum, drew her long sword from her back. The sword light flickered, and her overwhelming presence exploded like thunder.

Moments later, a martial artist's corpse lay on the ground.

She twisted her wrist, and fresh blood spurted onto the ground from the tip of her sword, leaving behind a bright red trail.

Behind her, the shrill cries of the Taoist echoed as the Royal Shadow Guard audaciously stepped into the temple's inner chambers.

There, dressed as a Taoist with a small cap fitted to his head and a plump face matching the portraits, a middle-aged man looked panicked, attempting to flee through the back door.

The armored woman hurled her sword, and with a whining sound, it pinned to the back door, the hilt still quivering!

The missing County Magistrate of Taicang, Wang Chusheng, paled and collapsed with a thud.

Moments later, the armored woman walked out of White Cloud Temple, single-handedly carrying the bound Wang Chusheng.

Just as the crows flew by, the daylight began to fade.

"Who are you?!"

Wang Chusheng suppressed his fear and asked with a trembling voice.

The armored woman ignored him. When she reached the foot of the mountain, she saw the scholar who had been waiting there.

"Ahem," the scholar smiled and glanced at the county magistrate:

"Confirmed without error, we'll interrogate him first, but according to Mr. Zhao's latest instructions, I'm afraid we'll have to wait a bit longer before we send him on to the imperial envoy."

"Wait for what?" the armored woman asked, puzzled.

The scholar held his sleeves and looked out towards the dusky western mountains:

"Who knows the thoughts of the important figures in court? Maybe they're waiting for the right opportunity."

...

...

Taicang Prefecture.

Three ministers had been suspended, and that night, the unrest in the city was not yet evident.

However, over the following few days, the atmosphere within the Prefecture grew increasingly tense, as if a storm was brewing.

Zhao Douan returned to the posthouse and began a sham of busywork, investigating some of the clues left by Wang Chusheng, as well as some pieces of evidence provided by Mr. Song.

It was as if he had entered work mode.

Meanwhile, a rumor began to quietly circulate within the Prefecture, claiming:

The imperial envoy was unable to find Wang Chusheng and, in a bid to curry favor and report back to His Majesty, planned to drag down all officials who had dealings with Wang Chusheng, branding them as accomplices.

A sweeping guilt by association.

The rumor spread rapidly on its own momentum and within a flash, sunk the hearts of officials at all levels in Taicang Prefecture.

As Sun Xiaozhun had said, the unwritten rule of officials is to keep up appearances.

Wang Chusheng, as the magistrate of a county, held no lowly status locally.

Especially since he was also the Mine Supervisor, his power was not comparable to that of an ordinary county magistrate.

During his term, countless colleagues had interactions with him.

Hospitalities exchanged, somewhat shady deals were inevitable.

If only the "mine silver" were being investigated, it wouldn't be too bad as few of these officials were involved.

But if the imperial envoy intended to enforce guilt by association, no one could feel at ease.

Compounding the issue was Zhao Douan's history in the Capital, where anecdotes about him arresting over fifty officials to earn merits had started to spread.

Under the burgeoning reputation of "Yama Zhao," everyone felt threatened.

Not only the officials but also intellectuals, wealthy families, and merchants in the city followed suit.

Within just a couple of days, the entire Prefecture plunged into profound unease.

By the third day, organized groups of commoners were showing up at the government offices and the posthouse, pleading and protesting on behalf of Governor Sun and others, their outcry intensifying.

Inside the posthouse.

"Mr. Zhao, can you still sit idle?"

Xu Junling, with her skirt fluttering, entered the inner courtyard of the posthouse, unable to resist saying:

"Listen, there are so many commoners outside making a ruckus, pleading on behalf of others, tsk tsk, those soldiers of yours seem to be of no use, aren't you going to send them out to suppress the crowd?"

Zhao Douan, dressed in civilian clothes and holding a book, was leisurely reading. On hearing this, he looked up and smiled:

"The west mountain brings a refreshing breeze in the morning, why would I envy the daily pleasantries?"