The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 498 - 389, The Joy of the Boudoir (5k)

The first snow of the third year of Tianfeng came a bit earlier than in previous years.

The Empress, after vindictively pinching Zhao Douan for a while, finally huffed in annoyance and stormed off.

Zhao Douan spent that night in the Imperial Palace. After a night's sleep, his injuries had gradually stabilized under the effect of the palace medicine.

But the full-force strike from Da Jing Master was not so easily dismissed.

The next day, Zhao Douan was carried back to his home in a sedan chair.

With a stroke of her pen, the Empress not only pushed the agreement to capture Zhuang Xiaocheng to after the New Year but also granted him a long medical leave.

Meanwhile, the court's series of "Buddhist suppression" operations went on vigorously. Accompanied by the early snowfall, they added a chilly touch to the winter.

...

In the blink of an eye, several days passed, with the snow stopping and falling intermittently, eventually becoming continuous without a break.

At the Capital's docks, an official ship from the south braved the wind and waves, slowly entering the port.

On deck,

Eunuch Hai stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the distant majestic city walls, his face seeming to have aged a few more years:

"Send the order to tidy up, and prepare to enter the city."

Behind him, female detective Haitang sounded low-spirited as she acknowledged with an "Mhm," but didn't move. Instead, she asked mournfully,

"After we land... how do we report?"

Eunuch Hai fell silent for a moment, then forced a smile:

"That's not for you to worry about. First, we'll send you back to the government office, then I will enter the palace to plead guilty to Her Majesty."

"But..." Haitang's voice sounded as if her nose were blocked, and she was somewhat choked up.

Eunuch Hai extended his hand and patted her shoulder, then turned back to see that the atmosphere among the rest on the ship's deck was exceedingly gloomy, even tinged with a trace of fear.

The socially anxious Ji Yue and the drunkard Lang Shiba nervously stood by the cabin door, wanting to flee but not daring to.

Hou Renmeng, Shen Juan, and the others from Lihua Hall Jin Yi looked as if they were in mourning.

The elite soldiers of the imperial guard also hung their heads, showing no joy of a triumphant return.

That day, after Zhao Douan was assassinated, Eunuch Hai and the others fought against Da Jing Master, unexpectedly gaining the upper hand. But as Da Jing Monk was determined to flee, he finally managed to escape at the cost of injury.

In their haste to find Zhao Douan, they had no time to entangle with him, but after searching around the docks, they found no trace of Mr. Zhao.

Only a pool of human-shaped blood on the ground.

"Was Mr. Zhao turned to ash?"

That was the thought of the group at the time, but such an idea was too absurd and was quickly dismissed by them.

Not to mention Da Jing Master, even a powerhouse from the Heavenly Human Realm couldn't simply evaporate a person.

After much thought, the most likely possibility was "kidnapping," similar to how a female sorcerer had previously kidnapped and taken Zhao Douan away at Yansuo Lake.

Some suspected that Da Jing Monk had used some spell when he struck to remove Zhao Douan's critically injured body.

This was a relatively reasonable guess, but no matter how they searched, they found no trace and eventually could only continue north to report back to the Capital.

Regardless of whether Zhao Douan was killed on the spot or kidnapped, his fate was probably not much better.

Throughout the journey, the ship's atmosphere was heavy and oppressive. Everyone had been ordered to protect Zhao Douan, and this result had befallen them; they knew that once they returned, they would inevitably be severely punished.

But under Eunuch Hai's supervision, no one dared to run...

"Alright, the disappearance of Zhao Douan is my responsibility, not yours. Once we enter the palace later, I will plead guilty to Her Majesty myself and not implicate you," Eunuch Hai said calmly.

At that moment, the official ship reached the shore.

The group disembarked and entered the city gates smoothly, then silently walked along the Capital's main thoroughfare, now dressed in silver and white snow.

No one was in the mood to appreciate the snowy scenery.

Before entering the palace, they first passed by the Imperial Court office. Eunuch Hai took a few steps to prepare to send Haitang and the others back first.

As the group reached the gates of the Imperial Court from a distance, the gatekeepers were alerted and sent word inside. Upon learning of their arrival, King Ma sitting in the Governor Hall put down his hot tea and came out to greet them with a smile on his face.

"Ha ha, Mr. Hai, you are finally back. Why didn't you notify us in advance?"

The thin-faced and cold-tempered King Ma uncharacteristically showed a warm smile. He glanced around curiously and asked, "Didn't Zhao Douan come with you?" freewebnσvel.cѳm

As a Lord, King Ma certainly knew that Zhao Douan had already returned to the Capital.

His words implied that he thought Zhao Douan would have been the first to greet them and then come together.

But when these words hit the ears of the group, they took on a completely different meaning.

"Lord..." Suddenly, there was a sobbing sound from within the crowd. It was a few members of the Lihua Hall Jin Yi, who upon seeing King Ma had red-rimmed eyes, and even someone as tough as Hou Renmeng showed a glimmer of tears.

King Ma was momentarily confused: "What's... what's going on?"

At the crucial moment, Daffodil Hall Master Haitang bit her lip, stepped forward, hung her head, her eyes slightly reddened, and choked up:

"Lord, I... we have failed the Empress's grace, unable to protect Mr. Zhao... Zhao Douan, he... might already be dead!"

On hearing this, the group from Lihua Hall Jin Yi fell to their knees en masse, in a posture pleading for punishment.

The soldiers of the imperial guard watching behind were a bit panicked and also knelt down confusedly.

They said, "Please, Lord, punish us!"

King Ma's expression stiffened, then his eyes gradually became strange. He looked at the devastated Shen Juan and others, then at the silent Eunuch Hai, as well as Ji Yue and Lang Shiba trying hard to reduce their presence...

"Don't you know?" King Ma tried to suppress the instinctive reaction of laughing out loud on his serious face.

"Know what?" Haitang was bewildered.

King Ma said seriously:

"Zhao Douan, some days ago, has already returned to the Capital. Although he was injured, he was treated in time, and currently, he's recuperating... He's not dead, nor is he missing."