The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 554 - 414. The Capital is Mr. Zhao’s territory (New month, asking for monthly tickets)_3

Therefore, His Majesty hopes that tomorrow morning, Duke, you will attend court to explain in person, so as to quell the dispute."

Cao Mao was not surprised, even having a smug feeling of having guessed correctly, and casually said: freeωebnovēl.c૦m

"Your Majesty, I will attend court tomorrow."

As he predicted, it was nothing more than facing off against the officials in court; as long as he slightly expressed respect for the Empress, letting her save face, and gave a non-harmful tap, the matter would be over.

"A woman claiming the throne, what kind of courage can she have? It's nothing but palace intrigue brought to the court."

Cao Mao used the spiritual victory method, but inexplicably felt a sense of unease — was that Empress really just limited to these tactics?

However, thinking of the Northern Border Army firmly in his hands, his mind settled once again.

...

...

That evening, a cold snap swept through the Capital, and the temperature suddenly dropped.

Since the Western Regions Mission left the city, the once clear sky was again covered with dark clouds, and in the second half of the night, goose feather-sized snowflakes began to fall gently.

Morning.

When Zhao Douan opened the door, he was greeted by snowflakes swirling like paper scraps under the pale sky.

In the courtyard, the house servants were already sweeping with their brooms.

Zhao Pan had surprisingly gotten up, but judging by her shivering, she was probably awakened by the cold.

She and her Pekingese dog were huddled by the stove, warming their hands (and paws).

With eyes as bright as clear autumn water, she looked longingly outside, and upon seeing Zhao Douan approaching, the girl happily exclaimed:

"Big brother, the snow is so heavy, by the afternoon we should be able to build snowmen."

Well, this little girl was already pondering what kind of snowmen to build... The previous round of snow, though falling intermittently for a long time, wasn't thick.

Zhao Douan recalled the network geniuses from his past life, each building snowmen in dazzling styles, like sculpting them into dragons—how cool was that...

"Hurry and close the door, aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"

You Jinhua, leading several maids, carried trays and walked in from outside.

Goose feather snowflakes settled onto the elegant woman's coiled hair, creating a stark black and white contrast.

"Oh." The girl disappointedly closed the door, and the room's temperature gradually began to rise. Zhao Douan shook his head and smiled, chatting leisurely with his family at the dining table.

You Jinhua excitedly reported to him about the amount of New Year goods they had purchased.

"The New Year is almost here, I wonder what this year's New Year's Eve lantern festival will be like," said the beautiful stepmother, full of anticipation.

In the Great Yu dynasty, New Year's Eve was a major holiday, with people braving the cold winds to attend the lantern festival.

Of course, it wouldn't be cold on New Year's Eve; even in harsh weather, the great priests at the Heavenly Master Mansion would intervene to alter the celestial phenomena — this was among the rare occasions when the priests would interfere with the weather, aside from major natural disasters.

Unfortunately, in the past two years, due to the impact of the Xuanmen Coup, the atmosphere in the Capital was subdued and deteriorated, greatly reducing the festive spirit, and the New Year's Eve lantern festival was almost nonexistent in name.

This year, with the Empress's regime gradually stabilizing, there were signs of recovery.

Zhao Douan, however, appeared a bit distracted.

After the meal.

He changed into his official attire, picked up the Cold Frost Sword, and left the government office. Little Wang, the coachman, was already waiting outside.

"Big brother seems to have a lot on his mind today, leaving for the office quite early," Zhao Pan murmured curiously, holding her Pekingese.

Wrapped in a thick fur coat that concealed her voluptuous figure, You Jinhua said:

"Men always have important matters to attend to. It's enough for the women to manage the household."

Zhao Pan twitched the corner of her mouth, understanding but not accepting her mother's feudalistic statement.

...

In winter, the morning court session was delayed significantly, and by the time Zhao Douan left, it was not yet time for court.

However, he estimated that the officials were already gradually heading towards the Meridian Gate.

He did not plan to go to the Golden Throne Hall today, because he had more important matters to attend to, or rather, in his plan with Yuann Li, the impeachment at the Golden Throne Hall was only the first half.

Handled by Yuann Li.

And what Zhao Douan was to manage was the second half.

"Sir, are we waiting here?"

Little Wang parked the carriage at an intersection and asked.

Zhao Douan pulled open the curtain, nodded, and didn't lower the curtain, just quietly watched the goose feather snow falling outside.

By now, the whole street was blanketed in white, with far fewer pedestrians than usual.

Yesterday, the Astronomical Observatory posted a notice predicting heavy snow today, though the hour was set for the afternoon, and for now, it was not too heavy.

So, in a world with the Divine and Magic, the weather forecasts were indeed more accurate than in the previous life...

"Drive!"

Suddenly, a carriage approached from the opposite street, stopping at the intersection. The curtain was lifted, revealing the faces of brother and sister Tang Ping and Tang Zhao.

"Mr. Zhao!" Tang Ping jumped down from the carriage and walked to this side of the carriage, bowing and giving the salute of a subordinate to a superior.

Tang Zhao was less willing, following along but merely nodded.

Zhao Douan didn't disembark; smiling through the window, he asked:

"How is the preparation?"

Young Master Tang Ping patted his chest hard, indicating that the things were inside, his eyes seeming to contain a flicker of flame, an excitement and thrill of participating in a major event:

"Already done properly, my father also asked me to convey that the talks with the nobility have concluded."

Zhao Douan nodded, smiling:

"Thank you for your hard work. Court is about to start soon, you should quickly enter the palace, don't miss the timing."

Rouge Horse Tang Zhao blinked, not carrying her horse lance today, instead wearing a thick red cloak, and curiously asked:

"Aren't you coming along?"

Zhao Douan waved his hand, smiling: "I'll wait for you outside."

Somewhat puzzled... The tan-skinned Tang Zhao murmured something, turned, and together with her brother, boarded the carriage heading straight for the Imperial Palace.

Zhao Douan watched their departure, lowered the curtain, leaned back against the soft cushion of the carriage, closed his eyes, and calmly said:

"Let's go, to the next station."

...

Typographical errors are fixed first, corrections to follow.