The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 368 - 313, verbal sparring

Dark Gold Mask... Bronze Mask... Do the two have some connection?

Zhao Douan couldn't help but fall deep into thought, although a Gold Shadow Guard of no renown hardly seemed likely to be connected with the Great Yu Grand Ancestor's "circle of friends".

But... the inheritance of cultivation indeed truly exists.

"If the female sorcerer in armor really was a master from an historical and genuinely existing tradition, then it makes sense that her descendants would retain similar characteristics and traditions."

Zhao Douan stroked his chin, feeling a bit restless.

It was like being stuck in a game, unable to progress, habitually seeking a strategy guide.

Though there were elements lacking caution, being instantly defeated upon appearance indicated a significant gap between himself and the female sorcerer.

And being battered unilaterally was of no benefit to cultivation, at this point, if one could find the female sorcerer's inheritance based on this clue and understand it, then facing her again, one's chances would greatly improve...

"Well, there's no rush, I'll go to the government office tomorrow and ask Little Ma, he has experience."

Zhao Douan made up his mind, yet couldn't help feeling a bit aggrieved:

"Xu's design simply isn't reasonable; what kind of logic allows someone just entering the Divine Chapters to encounter such a formidable opponent? It's downright hellish difficulty."

Shaking his head, Zhao Douan felt a jolt of fatigue surge through him and immediately fell asleep.

...

A quiet night passed, and dawn arrived.

When the sky was still dim, ministers hurrying to court had already gathered at the Meridian Gate Square outside the Taihe Palace.

Usually, the ministers arrived early, then napped or gathered in small groups to talk.

But today, the atmosphere was distinctly different, many eyes were turned towards Imperial Censor Chen Hong, accompanied by murmuring whispers.

Indeed, after the previous afternoon and night's fermenting, the issue with Taicang Prefecture had spread.

"Once Your Majesty inquires, just respond truthfully; if there's an emergency, don't speak recklessly," Yuan Li, keeping his hands in his sleeves, stood beside Chen Hong and whispered without turning his gaze.

Imperial Censor Chen quickly nodded, showing he understood, naturally aware of the importance of this morning's court session having been appointed as Zhao Douan's deputy.

Yuan Li nodded, then turned his head to look outside the gate.

At that moment, the imposing and irascible "King Yan" Ma Yan entered.

The Imperial Court and the other major government offices were at odds, and Ma Yan, who usually kept to himself in court appearances, was no different today.

The two exchanged glances and nodded to each other, then continued to wait.

After a while, Li Yanfu arrived late.

The aged Prime Minister of Great Yu carried an expressionless face, differing from his usual sleepy demeanor; today, his spine seemed somewhat straighter.

Behind him followed several members of the Li Party, all wearing serious expressions. Upon seeing people from the Imperial Court of Supervision, their glances sparked in the air as if igniting flint.

"Clang—"

The bell sounded, and the officials entered the court.

As the ministers stood firm in the Golden Throne Hall, the Empress in a dragon robe and wearing a beaded crown advanced to her throne with an increasingly commanding aura.

A eunuch ran through the protocol alongside, asking if anyone wished to make a report.

Imperial Censor Chen Hong stepped sideways, moved forward, holding a memorial in his hands, and announced loudly:

"Your Majesty, the investigation of the corruption case at Taicang Silver Mine is complete; the accused officer, Gao Lian, was escorted to the capital yesterday..."

As a deputy, he represented Zhao Douan in court today.

Though the news had already spread, the ministers were still shocked by Chen Hong's complete account, causing some disturbance in the hall.

Xu Zhenguan, sitting on the throne regally, said indifferently:

"The Governor of Linfeng dared to commit numerous crimes, treating the court's majesty as nothing, what do my ministers think?"

Setting the tone with the first sentence, he asked for their viewpoints with the next.

Normally, with a case like this, once the Empress had spoken, the ministers would follow her lead, calling for severe punishment, to which she would nod in agreement.

However, as soon as she finished speaking, Li Yanfu stepped forward, cleared his throat, and said:

"This old servant believes, this matter is of great magnitude, concerning the innocence of a governor, it should be carefully reviewed; perhaps summon officials from Taicang to the capital, confirm the correctness before making a judgment."

Coming forward himself?

The officials present were shocked; typically, when a controversy arises, it's customary to have an official from one's faction speak first, providing a legitimate basis for questioning and leaving room for maneuver.

But this time, Li Yanfu was the first to express his stance, indicating a certain attitude.

"Hehe, the Prime Minister is experienced and prudent, the idea of re-examining isn't wrong, yet this term 'innocence' seems inappropriate," Yuan Li stepped forward with a laugh, confronting his old opponent directly and spoke confidently:

"Lord Zhao's recent investigation in Taicang has cracked this major case; with witnesses, testimonies, and evidence all prepared, there is no doubt left, Gao Lian is already a criminal, undeserving of this term.

As for reviewing, our Imperial Court of Supervision carefully examined the evidence yesterday, exactly as stated in the memorial, consistently clear, hence, there is no need to delay further; punishment should be swiftly meted out to declare to all under heaven the solemnity of national law."

You're thinking of reviewing and re-examining?

No problem, I've already reviewed it for you.

Li Yanfu looked up at Yuan Qingyi and said,

"Investigating a case requires avoiding any conflict of interest. This trip to Taicang including Imperial Censor Chen and an investigation by the Imperial Court of Supervision—how could it be valid? Moreover, within the so-called evidence, is there a confession of guilt from Gao Lian? If not, there is doubt. How can a governor be denied the right to defend himself and be convicted just like that?"

You're saying that your investigation is sufficient? Do you even understand avoiding conflict of interest?

Yuann Li sneered and said,

"The Prime Minister's statement is wrong. In the trip to Taicang, Chen Hong was only the deputy, so what conflict of interest does my Imperial Court of Supervision have? Besides, I heard that the Prime Minister and Zhao Douan do not get along and harbor personal grudges. Could it be that the Prime Minister is questioning this case only because Zhao Douan solved it?

It surely can't be because you're trying to protect Gao Lian, who is also from the Jiangnan gentry, and a fellow townsman, right?"

These words were quite harsh.

Foll𝑜w current novℯls on ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm.

Li Yanfu hadn't said anything yet when a member of the Li Party from behind him burst out, cursing Yuann Li for fabricating lies and framing a court official.

From the Imperial Court of Supervision's side, an Imperial Censor jumped in, fiercely counterattacking, condemning Li Yanfu for avenging personal grievances and obstructing Zhao Douan's achievements.

For a moment, the Golden Throne Hall was filled with noise.

The two factions were distinctly divided.

The Li Party's strategy was to "drag out" the process, hoping to prolong the judicial proceedings and ideally make a few more trips to Taicang for evidence gathering to secure enough procedural time, and then figure out a way to rescue the person involved.

The Imperial Court of Supervision, on the other hand, advocated for a swift execution, emphasizing the importance of speed in military affairs.

Eventually, the Empress mediated between the two stances and ordered lightly,

"This case will be reviewed by the Three Agencies; it must be clarified within ten days."

…

Imperial Court, Governor Hall.

"So, the result we fought for in the early court session is to first send the person to the Ministry of Justice's imprisonment, and then a review by the Three Agencies?" Zhao Douan asked in surprise, holding a pastry in his hand.

Inside the "conference room" traditionally used for Nine Halls' meetings.

After the court session, Lord Duan Ma Yan returned to the government office and took his seat at the head of the room.

Inside the hall, besides Zhao Douan, there were Zhang Han and Haitang, who came to inquire.

Zhao Douan, early this morning, had hurried to the government office and swiftly handled the accumulated trivial matters of Lihua Hall from recent days.

Upon learning that Ma Yan had returned from dispersing the court, he ran over to gather news.

"Yes, deciding a governor's guilt, even if you bring back evidence, according to the national laws, must be reviewed again in the capital; otherwise, any imperial envoy could easily fabricate wrongful cases."

Ma Yan explained, "Therefore, Mr. Yuan's goal is neither to obstruct the re-review nor to bypass the Three Agencies' review but to avoid procedural delays. Otherwise, a case taking half a year or even a year to resolve is not unprecedented."

Brother Xun had said something similar, the gist being that the people of our nation prefer compromise—if they want to open a window, they would rather talk about breaking the whole house to make it better… Zhao Douan nodded in understanding.

Beside him, Haitang couldn't help saying,

"So, what will Li Yanfu do? Will he continue trying to delay, or what? Pei Kaizhi from the Ministry of Justice has been dismissed, and Zhou Cheng from the Ministry of Justice as well… They won't be able to lead the review, will they?"

Ma Yan nodded and then shook his head, saying,

"It indeed is quite difficult for Li Yanfu to lead, almost impossible, but that doesn't mean they can't do anything, never underestimate the foundations of the 'Li Party.'

When His Majesty removed Pei and Zhou, Li Yanfu didn't put in his utmost effort to protect them; this was both a tactical retreat and a step forward by sacrificing the larger for the essential core...

Don't think that the so-called Li Party relies only on a few pillar-like ministers; what makes the Li Party a concern for His Majesty is not the presence of several high officials but rather the entangled middle and lower levels of numerous officials from Jiangnan gentry backgrounds!

Like in the Ministry of Justice, even though Pei Kaizhi is down, there are still many officials from the Li Party inside who might seem unimportant, but the real work is done by these people."

So, the subtext was that although the Li Party seemed to have a few significant members gone and had indeed been significantly weakened, their foundation was still intact.

Li Yanfu's consenting to sacrifice highlights that Pei Kaizhi and Zhou Cheng's dismissal was not fatal.

Zhao Douan was taken aback, noting this point.

Consecutive victories made him start to demystify Li Yanfu, even underestimating him... which could be a misconception.

Never underestimate an enemy at any time!

"Alright, you all go back first. If there are any changes, I will seek you out," Ma Yan said.

"Yes," Zhang Han and Haitang stood up to leave.

However, Zhao Douan stayed back, putting on a smile and rubbing his hands together, "That, um, Brother..."

Ma Yan glanced at him, saying indifferently, "Just say what you need to say."

Geez, truly a bad-tempered loner, even though my favor with him has deepened, he still doesn't sugarcoat his words with me... interesting character... Zhao Douan responded with a smile,

"I wanted to ask about cultivation, um, I've finally started on the 'Six Chapters Scripture,' and then I came across that ancient female sorcerer in red clothes, using a balance beam to smash people's skulls… You've also followed the path of cultivating as a Martial God, you must have encountered this before, so I wanted to ask, how do you deal with her?"

Ma Yan at first listened seriously, ready to give cultivation advice, but upon hearing the latter part, he couldn't help but pause,

"Red-clad female sorcerer? What female sorcerer?"