The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 441 - 364, Your servant requests to go to battle (5000 words)
Since ancient times, when the words of mortal emperors were as precious as gold, Xu Zhenguan's seemingly joking remark was not a joke.
When the news that "Your Majesty plans to stay at the mansion tonight" spread, the mother and daughter, who had run to the courtyard twice for quiet, were stunned.
First came bewilderment, then nervousness, apprehension, and a hint of ... unease.
"We're not prepared at all. I'm not sure if Your Majesty can stay in the main room temporarily made available..." as the mistress of the house, You Jinhua found herself in a dilemma.
Logically, the grand presence of the emperor should stay in the most honorable room of the estate, which is the master's bedroom, but that too didn't seem suitable.
As for the guest rooms, the Zhao family naturally had more than one, but how could an emperor stay in a guest room?
"No need for such trouble, I shall stay in Mr. Zhao's courtyard for a short while," Xu Zhenguan said with a smile, offering a decision.
This statement startled the mother and daughter again, and they exchanged glances, an odd kind of speculation filling their eyes.
"Ahem, my courtyard has two rooms, I'll have clean bedding sent over," Zhao Douan offered a solution.
His demeanor in front of the empress was habitually extravagant and humble, an outward display of a sycophant, but in reality, both the sovereign and minister knew it wasn't the truth.
How could Mr. Zhao, who was so adept in handling affairs outside, truly be someone who would be spineless before a beautiful woman?
And how could the dignified empress not recognize the bits of performance from her minister?
Adults often saw through things without mentioning them, and many times the interactions between the two adhered merely to a mutual understanding.
Like when the empress said she wanted to stay, it was undoubtedly ambiguous, but Zhao Douan, in contrast, became much more proper, arranging things appropriately without fantasizing about any bed-play scenarios.
...
Soon, the room was cleaned, and Xu Zhenguan went to the courtyard separated by the ornamental gate where Zhao Douan was.
"Your Majesty," Zhao Douan said, holding a lamp, knocking on the antique-style door.
He saw the empress dressed in white standing in his bedroom, looking over a pile of casually written calligraphy and drawings on his desk with interest:
"The room next door is ready. Um, if you wish to bathe, shall I have the servants move the bathing tub over?"
Xu Zhenguan automatically ignored the latter part of his suggestion regarding bathing and picked up a piece of paper with her delicate fingers, looking at the black-on-white scribbles written on it, such as:
"In the dying sickness, I startled and sat up, chatting merrily for another year," "Though the old woman is weak, the waves shake Yueyang City," "I laughed heartily looking up to the sky, no one knew it was for the lychees that came"... and the like, with an exceedingly odd expression.
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She could see that each sentence in isolation was quite good, but when pieced together, they were quite incongruous.
When she saw the two lines, "I disrobe with the general, assuredly warm under the hibiscus canopy for a spring night," she turned her eyes not kindly and said lightly:
"Is this a new work of Mr. Zhao?"
Danger... danger... danger...
Zhao Douan took a deep breath and walked over with a smile, with a calm demeanor:
"Just some casual scribbling while practicing calligraphy, Your Majesty makes fun of me."
Saying this, he swiftly collected the crooked poems, pretending nothing happened.
"Hmph."
Xu Zhenguan was in a good mood today and was too lazy to argue with this meritorious minister, so she said nothing.
Zhao Douan silently organized his writing utensils and said:
"If rumors get out that Your Majesty did not return to the palace tonight, people outside will start talking again."
Xu Zhenguan indifferently replied:
"If I cared about a few gossips, I wouldn't have been able to sit steady on this dragon throne."
Pausing for a moment, she smiled: "Moreover, some rumors, do you care?"
Zhao Douan smiled wryly; why did the empress deliberately stay with the Zhao family tonight? Was it really out of concern for Bodhi launching a backtracking spear?
Perhaps there was that factor, but the core reason was not so.
In his view, Zhenbao was deliberately making a show of it.
It was imaginable that as long as tonight passed, tomorrow in the capital, the rumors about Zhao Douan being "the boy toy" would be solidified once again, though the truly powerful ministers knew that boy toy was just fake.
And the empress staying tonight was releasing an extremely important signal:
Zhao Douan truly had entered the list of potential future spouses for the empress.
This signal was crucial, extremely important.
After all, the title of favored minister was not exclusive... Mo Zhaorong was a favored minister, Sun Lianying as well... Or did anyone truly think that a mere Supervisor of White Horse Hall could summon people from the Heavenly Master Mansion and the Divine Dragon Temple that easily?
Sun Lianying actually served as the "window" communicating between the empress and the two major cultivation forces.
So, whether it was favored minister or a red person, it wasn't the only one.
But a boy toy was different.
Since Xu Zhenguan had ascended the throne, she had not ever been involved with any man. Zhao Douan was the only one.
If the empress eventually truly managed to stabilize her throne, she would have to have her own bloodline to succeed her for descendants, although, according to ceremonial law, adopting from a royal branch remained more proper.
But... what if?
In this unpredictable world, if Zhao Douan truly became the "empress's husband" in the future and bore children with her, he would immediately become "the foreign relative"...
While it was far into the future, it was not unreasonable for some to associate these things.
In short, this would certainly elevate Zhao Douan's, and indeed the entire Zhao family's, standing within the Great Yu Dynasty once more.
Not a visible promotion or reward, but this kind of invisible "reward" would undoubtedly augment Zhao Douan's power a notch higher.
"Let's discuss today's aftermath."
Xu Zhenguan broke the silence and earnestly said:
"After today, you too will have antagonized Mu Prince."
"And Prince Heng, Xu Zudi probably resents me as well." Zhao Douan smiled.
"Just because of Princess Yunyang? Or because of your conflict with him?" Xu Zhenguan asked curiously.
Zhao Douan shook his head earnestly and said, "Because of the Xiao family."
?
The empress was stunned for a moment.
It was only then that Zhao Douan took his time to calmly recount the secret support he received from Mrs. Xiao.
