The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 372 - 316, the witness is dead

Zhao Douan, in his past life, once came across a psychological phenomenon called the "Shanlu Zude Complex," named after the protagonist of "One Thousand and One Nights":

The Emperor summoned a young girl to his palace every night, only to kill her the following day.

To stop the killings, the Prime Minister's daughter, Shanlu Zude, voluntarily entered the palace. She told the Emperor a story every night, pausing at a critical juncture, and thus, the Emperor, eager to hear what came next, could only spare her life.

The next night, she would continue the story, pausing again... This went on for one thousand and one nights, eventually moving the Emperor to abandon the slaughter.

At this moment, Zhao Douan adopted the same strategy.

Considering that every cultivator dreams of becoming immortal, and choosing lengthy epics where obvious allusions like Journey to the West were inappropriate, he ultimately picked this one.

Though he could not recall the original text, he remembered the general plot.

Even if he forgot parts, he could fabricate a section using his extensive reading experience... After all, catering to their taste should be sufficient.

"...To hear what happens next, stay tuned for the next installment."

After finishing a segment, Zhao Douan opened his eyes and indeed saw the Jinyi female sorcerer, dressed in golden armor, sitting on the eave above him, as if watching a performance.

Their eyes met.

Pei Niannu was jolted out of the story, her gaze chilly as she stared at him, her voice intermittent, "Con... tinue..."

Communication was indeed possible!

Zhao Douan's heart lifted, and he smiled and bowed, saying, "Senior, please permit this junior to continue the tale later. I am here because I want to…"

Pei Niannu sneered, and a beam of light suddenly shot out from the balance scale floating beside her.

"Pfft!"

Zhao Douan was pierced through the brow, his body stiffened, and he fell rigidly as he was kicked out of the Six Chapters Scripture, only hearing her say at the last moment:

"Come back... next time."

—

"Phew..." Inside the courtyard of the White Horse Hall, Zhao Douan suddenly woke up, his forehead dotted with sweat, cursing in his heart:

"This isn't what we agreed on; why so violent? Even the step of locking me in a dark room was skipped? Oh, right, she probably knows she can't lock me up..."

"What's wrong?" At that time, the Old Director came back after finishing his work, curiously asking.

"Nothing, just a nightmare," Zhao Douan said helplessly.

Considering that this method was effective, he decided to persistently try it again.

The reason she didn't take the bait might be because the story was too short and not engaging enough, like only reading a few chapters of a novel; breaking off wouldn't provoke a strong reaction.

But after immersing in a few hundred thousand words and then being cut off, the impact could be extraordinary... provided he wasn't smashed to death by the angry senior...

Zhao Douan silently summed up his experience.

"No more talk, I must take my leave."

He got up and hurried home, planning to write extensively to accumulate enough material to quickly complete the strategy.

"… Fidgety."

Sun Lianying opened his mouth, helplessly shaking his head with hands behind his back, thinking of the osmanthus wine Zhao Douan still owed him.

…

In the following days, changes in the court indeed followed as Sun Lianying had expected.

The Jiangnan gentry began to lobby incessantly, and the trial at the Three Agencies gradually turned into a stalemate.

On the third day, there suddenly emerged a bombshell alleging that Wang Chusheng had long harbored resentment against Gao Lian because of a certain issue, and there were several questionable points in the evidence provided.

It was clear what was implied: they believed Wang Chusheng was fabricating evidence to frame the governor.

On the fourth day, new doubts about the case arose, this time concerning the whistle-blower, "Mr. Song."

There were questions about how Mr. Song had managed to obtain so much evidence and why his disappearance was so mysterious; his motive for denouncing was momentarily puzzling.

On the fifth day, rumors began to subtly question "imperial envoy" Zhao Douan.

Some brought forth evidence suggesting that after Zhao Douan arrived at Taicang Prefecture, he attempted to bribe local officials like Gao Lian without success.

Therefore, the failed briber Zhao Douan was suspected of lashing out in retaliation…

Once this news broke, the Capital was in an uproar.

Especially after several verifications confirmed the allegations, many who originally insisted on a conviction began to waver.

They started to reevaluate the "evidence" brought back by Zhao Douan.

Inside the Imperial College, the doubting students increased, while those who berated Gao Lian gradually diminished.

Under a peculiar atmosphere and some people's behind-the-scenes push, public opinion managed to flip within a few days.

Voices supporting Gao Lian began to emerge.

"How could this be? How can they distort fact and fiction like this?"

Inside Lihua Hall, the young secretary Qian Kerou angrily slapped a Capital residence report on the table, her cherubic face flushed with anger.

Hou Renmeng, with crossed arms, and Shen Juan, staring with dark circles under his eyes, also looked displeased.

"What's the matter? So angry?" Zhao Douan smiled as he picked up the residence report, glanced at it, and said, "Just this, and you can't take it?"

Qian Kerou's eyes were reddening with anger:

"We released the bribery information to deceive them; how could they twist it into a tale of retaliation? With the favor you currently enjoy from His Majesty, would you really need to do such a thing for mere flattery? These people are simply... simply..."

"Irrational," Hou Renmeng finished the sentence for her.

"Exactly!"

Several Jinyi Captains who had initially accompanied him to Taicang Prefecture were also filled with righteous indignation, feeling slandered.

However, Zhao Douan remained calm, smiling as he put down the residence report, saying:

"Human words are to be dreaded; I am not. If mere slander could harm me, could I still be alive today?"

Just a little of life's trials...

Shen Juan couldn't help saying, "Sir, you may disregard rumors, but I'm afraid if this trend in public opinion continues, convicting Gao Lian will be difficult. Won't the Li Party have even more of an excuse to attempt a retrial?"

Zhao Douan calmly replied:

"Remember, the real battlefield of a strategic game is never these public opinions. Well, not to say they aren't important, but rather, they are never decisive. If His Majesty wants him dead, and all Li Yanfu has are these tactics, at best he can delay the inevitable, but the outcome remains unchanged. Be at ease, everyone, go about your business."

The gathered Jinyi Captains then dispersed.

Though he said this, at noon, Zhao Douan still made a trip to the Imperial Court of Supervision to find Chen Hong and inquire about the situation.

In the guest lounge.

"The situation isn't good," said Imperial Censor Chen with silver teeth, having a bitter smile on his face. After not seeing him for several days, this deputy to the imperial envoy seemed much more fatigued.

Zhao Douan squinted his eyes in surprise, saying,

"Is it because of those supporting voices? Or the rumors in the markets?"

Chen Hong shook his head and said quietly,

"Mr. Zhao may not know—today, urgent state documents from various provinces were sent to the Capital, particularly from Jiancheng Road, Huai River, and Linfeng Road, which mainly comprise petitions from local officials pleading on behalf of Gao Lian.

Yes, concerning Linfeng Road, it's mostly officials from Linfeng Prefecture submitting them. There's nothing from Taicang Prefecture, and besides, Inspector Liu Ji has requested to retire and return to his hometown... The emphasis isn't on that, but on the local officials' pleas. You know what this signifies."

Zhao Douan's expression grew solemn, "Such a thing has happened?"

He had thought that lobbying by the Southern gentry had already stretched the limits in terms of evidence, but he hadn't expected local officials to collectively petition... This significance was entirely different.

The Empress could disregard the words of the Capital's officials, but she couldn't ignore the petitions from the local officials.

The former were right under her nose, while the latter were out of reach.

Chen Hong sighed, "Moreover, today's joint trial also didn't go well. Gao Lian vehemently denied the slanders in court, and the evidence provided by Wang Chusheng was indeed found to have flaws."

Zhao Douan frowned and said, "Before we returned to the Capital, we had already verified it once. Although not all the crimes committed by Gao Lian were confirmed, several important ones had clear, solid evidence."

Chen Hong said bitterly,

"Although that's true, unfortunately not everything Wang Chusheng said was watertight. Some accusations indeed lacked sufficient evidence, or the clues were destroyed, or he exaggerated, or he acted on Gao Lian's behalf without knowing the whole picture...

After the issues were raised, Li Yanfu's people adamantly argued that if many were false, how could other pieces of evidence be proven true? They demanded a re-verification.

With the Southern gentry operating this way, I fear the evidence in our favor will gradually decrease.

Moreover, right now Li Yanfu is deliberately trying to steer this matter towards the rebels, proclaiming that slandering Gao Lian as forcing infighting within the court is a conspiracy by the rebels and should not be fulfilled."

Saying this, he shook his head, then perked up, saying,

"However, Mr. Yuan also told us just now that we currently hold two advantages. One is that Her Majesty set a deadline of ten days; as long as we survive this period, Li Yanfu won't be able to turn the tables in the remaining days and control will still be in our hands.

Secondly, as long as County Magistrate Wang Chusheng is here, Li Yanfu can't distort the truth beyond him."

Zhao Douan nodded, feeling slightly reassured.

But a sense of foreboding inexplicably clouded his heart, heavy and ominous.

He felt things would not go smoothly.

However, this matter wasn't within his authority, so he could only leave it to Chen Hong and others to maneuver.

...

At night, at Zhao Residence.

In the bedroom, after Zhao Douan had finished washing up, he entered meditation once more.

He appeared outside a dilapidated temple.

These past few days, his entire focus had been on conquering Pei Niannu, entering "Six Chapters Scripture" punctually every day to tell stories to the golden-armored woman.

As the plot progressed, deepening with each session, even though he was always killed by the scales, he clearly felt that Pei Niannu's hostility and coldness were diminishing.

It was like continuously heating a block of ice, where persistence would lead to change.

This time, as Zhao Douan stood in the courtyard, finishing a climactic part of the story and leaving a thread for what followed,

he opened his eyes, ready to accept death resolutely, thinking: Come then, I'm ready.

However, the expected pain did not arrive.

The bride-dressed sorcerer sitting on the roof eaves was lost in thought, seemingly still captivated by the cultivation story and unable to extricate herself.

Though her faceplate hid her expression, revealing only a small part of her fair chin, Zhao Douan inferred from the slight shaking of her legs,

"She's thrilled by it…"

Indeed, moments later, having vented the build-up of the story over several days and feeling exhilarated, Pei Niannu lowered her eyes, looking down at Zhao Douan and kindly refrained from killing him. Instead, she nodded slightly, saying,

"…Not bad…"

Although the world of cultivation described in the story greatly differed from reality, seeming like a mundane person's conception of a cultivation method, Pei Niannu still found it immensely enjoyable.

It was better than any story she had ever heard.

"As... a reward..."

Before Zhao Douan could express his gratitude, Pei Niannu uttered two more words.

Then, she raised a finger and pointed at Zhao Douan's forehead.

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A streak of white flame suddenly shot into Zhao Douan's forehead!

Accompanied by a burning sensation, at that moment, Zhao Douan felt as if a torrent had exploded in his mind.

He was not unfamiliar with this; Old Xu had given him a similar experience while teaching him martial skills, but it was nowhere near as brute and forceful...

"This technique... is called 'Spirit Flame'... it can burn others' Divine Souls... leaving no mark on the body... searing from within, like flaying torture, especially harsh on men, harmful and useless... for women, though painful, it has benefits."

The voice came in intermittent bursts in his mind.

"Reward... next time, continue."

After transmitting the technique, Pei Niannu's balancing scales flew out like a Flying Sword.

Puff!

...

Zhao Douan bolted upright on his bed, staring blankly as he opened his palm, where a white flame faintly emerged and then extinguished.

"A Divine Chapter Realm technique... As a martial artist, I can use this technique fueled by Martial Artist Qi…"

Excitement sparkled in Zhao Douan's eyes as he finally grasped his first Divine Chapter Realm technique.

"Senior Pei is quite generous... I've found the correct approach to 'Six Chapters Scripture'..."

Just as Zhao Douan was about to try out his new skill, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside, along with a knocking sound:

"Knock knock, Young Master, someone outside is looking for you, calling himself Imperial Censor Chen."

Imperial Censor Chen?

What is he doing at my house so late at night...

Zhao Douan hesitated for a moment, then slipped on his shoes, threw on an overcoat, and, dragging his slightly weary body, went outside. There, under the night sky, he saw Chen Hong waiting at the doorstep with an extremely troubled expression.

"Imperial Censor Chen, what has happened?" Zhao Douan felt a sinking feeling in his heart.

Chen Hong looked at him, his lips moved, and he uttered the words: "Wang Chusheng is dead!"