The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 548 - 411, Lord, how about you and I team up for the second time? (5k)_2

"I heard that it was because when you were out, your wife was..."

Lang Shiba stared at the wine jar without speaking. Suddenly, he covered his weathered face with his hands, chained together, and sat on the ground, his back hunched.

A once prominent martial artist from the Worldly Realm, a former assistant general in the military, now helplessly covered his face, his shoulders gently shaking.

After a long while, he slowly lifted his head, regaining his composure:

"That's right, it was Cao Mao's son who did it."

Zhao Douan was stunned!

So, it was Cao Mao's son who violated Lang Shiba's wife?

So, Lang Shiba, in his anger, killed Cao and defected from the camp, prompting Duke Cao to dispatch troops to hunt him down madly?

"Be careful what you say. Do you have proof?" Zhao Douan stared at him.

Lang Shiba, having regained his composure, scoffed sarcastically:

"Many people know, they just pretend not to."

Zhao Douan shook his head, "That's not right. If you really had a deadly feud with Cao Mao, why would the Crown Prince have wanted to save you at the beginning?"

Lang Shiba, perhaps feeling he was going to die anyway, no longer bothered to hide anything, and picked up the wine jar again, saying:

"Mr. Zhao, you haven't been an official for long and are unaware of many past incidents. But if you inquire around, you'll know that the Crown Prince was already dissatisfied with Cao Mao.

The Crown Prince was willing to save me and nurture me in secret, merely hoping that once he ascended the throne, when the timing was right, he would have me come out and accuse Cao Mao.

Ha, Cao Mao has entrenched himself in Jubei City for many years, and the dirty deeds under his command are countless. Indulging his son is just one of the minor matters. In my years in the army, I controlled much more.

Yet even so, the Crown Prince still favored me; it's just a pity I couldn't repay him."

Accuse Cao Mao?

I see... as the saying goes, "New king, new officials." The Crown Prince's ascension would surely entail a bureaucratic reshuffle...

If the Crown Prince intended to trim Cao's power, that made sense... However, the world is unpredictable, who would have thought that the Crown Prince wouldn't live to ascend the throne, suffering a stab in the back by his own brother...

In a few years, the situation had turned upside down... of course, all this presupposes this fellow is telling the truth, but this is not hard to verify; it belongs to the category of lies easily exposed.

As for Cao Mao, relying on his status as a duke, he manipulates the facts, and the entire court willingly turns a blind eye, pretending ignorance...

Still the saying goes, a mere warrior compared to a powerful duke, even a three-year-old can tell which is more significant.

Silence.

The cell fell into silence, the only sound being that of Lang Shiba drinking and eating by himself.

Duke Tang was still waiting outside, and Zhao Douan didn't linger any longer knowing the causes and consequences. He stood up, starting to speak but then hesitated.

Lang Shiba seemed to understand what he wanted to say and smiled:

"Leave quickly, sir, this matter doesn't concern you, and don't let this meal provoke Cao Mao's wrath because of me."

No... I've already caused enough trouble... Zhao Douan said:

"Is there any message you want me to carry out?"

Lang Shiba paused for a moment, then shook his head.

He had no relatives or friends left, and if speaking of acquaintances, there was only Ji Yue, though their relationship was mostly as prison mates, not particularly deep.

From this, it seemed that after his execution, there might not even be anyone to claim his body.

Zhao Douan sighed, signaled for the jailer to come in and lock the door, then turned and walked out.

...

Upon reaching the surface, he saw Vice Minister Huang waiting eagerly.

"Mr. Zhao, have you finished your business?" Vice Minister Huang smiled.

Zhao Douan nodded, "Where is the Duke?"

Vice Minister Huang replied, "Duke Tang said he was waiting outside for you; Vice General Cao has already left, probably to report to Duke Cao."

Zhao Douan nodded, unconcerned.

He had long since adopted the role of a solitary officer, with debts not weighing him down.

With his status, just a bit of ranting wouldn't provoke Cao Mao to start a war over this trivial matter, not to mention this was the Capital, Yama Zhao's territory.

Cao Mao might have soldiers and be a duke without troops; Zhao Douan couldn't bother to care about him.

"Mr. Zhao..." Seeing his indifferent demeanor, Vice Minister Huang hesitated, wanting to speak but then stopping, and eventually said:

"We serve at the same court, and prudence in our interactions is advised. However, I still want to caution you, even if you aren't afraid of Duke Cao, there's no need to strain the relationship too much."

Zhao Douan calmly replied:

"Lang Shiba was once my bodyguard, and according to military rules, when a subordinate of a general is captured, it's essential to clarify the reasons. Otherwise, if word spreads that a general can't protect his own people, how can he command respect?"

"This..." Vice Minister Huang was at a loss for words, at last, he managed to say:

"He was just a warrior after all."

Clearly, the Vice Minister from the Ministry of Justice also knew some of the inside story.

In his view, why fuss over an unrecognized, shady warrior?

Not to mention Mr. Zhao and Lang Shiba were just "acquaintances," and even the Emperor, who took this person from the Crown Prince to groom him as a palace warrior, didn't make a fuss about it?

Why bother?

Zhao Douan smiled and said:

"I appreciate your good intentions, Vice Minister. Rest assured, I am aware of what's at hand."

Vice Minister Huang finally smiled, his allegiance to the Imperial Faction aligning with Zhao Douan, both keen to maintain good relations.

After bidding farewell to Vice Minister Huang, Zhao Douan stepped out of the main jail entrance and indeed saw a carriage stopped by the roadside.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and the congenial Duke Tang chuckled:

"Is everything settled?"

Zhao Douan walked over and respectfully thanked him, while Duke Tang casually said:

"A small matter. Duke Cao and I have always been at odds, we simply can't see eye to eye, so I just helped out as a favor. Hehe, but it seems you still have things to do? I won't keep you any longer."

Zhao Douan, feeling somewhat ashamed, replied, "Once I've handled my current tasks, I will personally visit you."

Duke Tang laughed heartily: "Very well, I await you at home."