The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 541: Identity Exposed, It Turns Out You Are Zhao Duan! (5k)

The same night, in the capital, in the imperial palace.

In the Empress' bedroom.

Xu Zhenguan sat cross-legged on the bed, his long legs like a white python exposed to the air unscrupulously.

"Huh——" She opened her eyes, ending her meditation for the night, with a frown on her face.

"Still not?"

During this period, she would find time to practice in "The World", but what puzzled her was that the "chapter" disappeared.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find the other person. That encounter was like a dream that could not be continued.

"Why? Have I still not reached the conditions to open this scroll for cultivation? The last time a chapter appeared, it was only opened by chance because the 'disaster star' passed through the sky?"

"But I can't reproduce the disaster star... No, it shouldn't be like this. I must have overlooked something. The appearance of a chapter must meet some special conditions. Therefore, it only happened that one time, and everything returned to the original state after that."

Xu Zhenguan frowned and began to recall what was different about the last time the chapter appeared.

After thinking about it, apart from the arrival of the "disaster star", if there is anything special, it would only be the sudden return of Zhao Duan...

"Your Majesty?" Suddenly, the voice of a female official came from outside the bedroom.

The empress finished her thoughts and looked through the light curtains hanging down from the compartment at the figure reflected in the door:
"What's the matter?"

The female official said, "Mr. Ma sent a memorial to the palace. It should have been placed in the study, but Your Majesty had previously instructed that if there were any memorials, they should be delivered even at midnight, so..."

Xu Zhenguan became serious. He took the two white and smooth long legs off the quilt and put them on the ground. He stepped over the curtain with his shoes on, walked to the door, and opened it with both hands.

"His Majesty……"

The female official lowered her head and presented the letter with both hands.

Xu Zhenguan took it, opened it and read it, anger slowly appeared in his eyes, and sneered:

"What a bunch of traitors!"

There are several clues on the fold, involving some officials in the court who are suspected of colluding with the rebel king.

Most of them are officials under the "Qingliu Party".

After Li Yanfu's downfall, Li's party was liquidated and the court was reshuffled. Yuan Li's Qingliu Party was little affected.

But how could such a large Qingliu Party lack ministers who collude with rebels?
Xu Zhenguan had previously sent Ma Yan to conduct a secret investigation, and now there are some clues.

But this group of people hid very deeply, and Ma Yan had only touched the tip of the iceberg.

"I understand. Tell Ma Yan and everything will remain the same." The empress suppressed her anger, folded the letter with a "snap", and gave the order calmly.

The clues on the fold were just two or three cats, big and small, and catching them hastily would only alert the snakes. Therefore, she ordered Ma Yan to continue the secret investigation.

"Unfortunately, most of the officials in the court are untrustworthy. Ma Yan is loyal but not cunning enough. The detectives in the imperial court, such as Haitang, are good at investigating cases, but they lack the wisdom to weigh and deal with the complex situations in the court."

The empress sighed softly and looked towards the south.

If that little imperial guard were here, such things would be as easy for him as eating and drinking, right?

……

……

"What did you come to my place for before?"

Zhao Duan's eyes suddenly became dangerous. He had a smile on his face, but his muscles were tense under his robe. If there was anything abnormal about the girl in front of him, he wouldn't mind killing her.

Du Shishi was unaware of the danger approaching and said unhappily:
"You paid and ate at my house. But you didn't come back tonight. I reheated your meal twice. You asked me why I came to see you?"

Zhao Duan: “…”

The tense atmosphere suddenly eased, and he smiled: "I was out drinking today, which delayed the time."

Du Shishi stared at him unkindly:
"It's curfew at night. It doesn't matter if you are brave enough to run around. But if it involves my family, don't blame me for kicking you out."

After saying this, the girl, unaware that she had been through the gates of hell, turned around and walked away with her small lantern.

After washing his feet, Zhao Duan wiped them clean with a rag and read for a while in the room. When it was very late at night, he blew out the lamp.

The room suddenly became dark. A shadow flowed in from the window, stood up in the corner, and condensed into a human figure.

"What's the situation?" Zhao Duan asked calmly.

Song Jinxi said:

"Reporting to the Lord, everything went smoothly. We hunted down five ordinary military supervisors tonight and escaped unscathed. Hongye and the scholar were also very rigorous in their work and left no traces."

Zhao Duan said calmly:

"It's meaningless. From today on, Zhao Shixiong will definitely conduct a city-wide manhunt. The Yexiang Sect can't escape. You must cut off your connection with the Yexiang Sect tonight."

Song Jinxi nodded: "As you command. Sir, what is the next task?"

Zhao Duan took out the two prepared letters from his pocket and handed them to him:
"The first letter has been sealed. Give it to Feng Xiaolian and ask him to fulfill his deal with me. The second letter is open, and it contains your next mission."

After a pause, he said:
"According to normal logic, we will lie dormant and hide after the assassination. But I want to do the opposite. Zhao Shixiong? Is he good at fighting? Is he also very powerful in cultivation? I want to test his weight and see who will win."

Song Jinxi's heart moved and he felt a little excited. He didn't know Zhao Duan's specific plan, but he realized that "King Zhao" had already begun to plot against people.

No... Perhaps, from the moment he stepped into Yongjia City, Zhao Shixiong had fallen into the chess game of his master.

……

The next morning.

cloudy day.

The entire city seemed to be shrouded in an atmosphere of uneasiness.

At the Du family's dining table, when Zhao Duan was having breakfast with the landlord's family, he found that the couple looked worried.

"What happened?" Zhao Duan asked curiously.

The downtrodden middle-aged Du Ruhui sighed and explained:
"I heard rumors this morning that an important figure died in the city last night. In the middle of the night, Yunfu soldiers were marching through the streets. It seems that a master from the imperial court is lurking in the city."

He sighed. Although he had great ambitions, as a weak scholar, he was unable to fight against the general trend and just wanted to survive and protect his family.

The unrest in the city was undoubtedly something he did not want to see.

Du's wife also changed her usual tough look, unable to hide her nervousness, looking at the cowardly husband whom she looked down upon:

"Then what should we do about our family? Will we be affected?"

Du Ruhui frowned and said:

"We have enough food at home. Stay at home and don't go out. Our house is close to government offices, so even if there are rebels, they are unlikely to act recklessly."

He then said to Zhao Duan, "Young Master, if you don't have something important to do, it's best not to go out."

Zhao Duan nodded: "Thank you for the reminder. I will not go out today either."

Du Xiaobao ate his meal heartlessly. The girl sitting next to him looked at him from time to time but said nothing.

At noon that day, the news that the officers and soldiers were searching house by house spread from the neighbors.

It is said that the Lower Town was searched first. Today, the streets are full of rebels. I am afraid that there are tens of thousands of people searching. At this rate, it will soon be the Upper Town's turn.

As expected, around dusk, Zhao Duan once again crossed the fence between the two houses and had dinner at Du's house.

"Bang, bang, bang!" There was a banging sound at the gate, and someone shouted arrogantly:

"The government troops are searching for spies. Open the door and check the room!"

Inside the hall, five people were stunned at the same time.

The fierce wife Du had a strong sense of uneasiness on her face and looked at her husband nervously:

"master……"

Du Ruhui stood up calmly, and without any trace of his henpecked image, he said to his wife:
"Take my daughter and Xiaobao to the bedroom."

Zhao Duan stood up and walked towards the house he rented.

Du Ruhui glanced at him and said:
"You are my tenant, I will interrogate you anyway."

That’s right… Zhao Duan stopped.

Du Ruhui took a step forward to unlock the bolt and pulled open the gate. Outside was a group of about ten rebels, all wearing leather armor and with steel knives hanging from their waists.

The one in the lead was arrogant, had triangular eyes, and looked like a minor flag officer from the looks of his clothes.

"Hello, General. What happened?" Du Ruhui smiled politely.

The flag officer had a cold face and said unhappily, "Screening for spies, why are there only two people? Come on, find them all!"

The soldiers behind him rushed in like wolves and tigers.

Du Ruhui's face changed, and he hurriedly took out a purse and handed it over:
"I am a good friend of Sun Zhubu of the government office... Poetry and literature are passed down in our family, and there are absolutely no spies."

The flag officer glanced at him, took the money bag, and snorted coldly:

"Don't try that. This time the higher-ups have issued a death order, and no one can do anything about it."

Soon, Du's wife and two children were also brought out.

When the young flag officer saw Du Shishi, his triangular eyes lit up and became a little straight.

Du Ruhui hurriedly took out his household registration book to prove his identity.

"Well...what's wrong with you?" The small flag officer flipped through the booklet and stared at Zhao Duan condescendingly.

"I am a tenant of the Du family, and I rent the yard next door." Zhao Duan looked nervous and handed over the pass with both hands:
"This is my identity as a young student..."

The flag officer's face turned cold, he threw the pass down, stepped on it, and waved his hand, saying:

"There's an order from above that all young men who are not locals are to be taken back for investigation and taken away!"

Immediately, soldiers came from the left and right to control Zhao Duan.

The flag officer stroked his chin, smiled, and said:
"He is your tenant, and someone else needs to be examined together with you. That person should be you." He pointed at Du Shishi.

Du Ruhui's face changed drastically, and he stepped forward hurriedly: "I am the head of the household, I can go..."

But the rebel soldiers rushed forward forcefully and dragged Du Shishi out.

"Let my daughter go!" The fierce wife Du was anxious and stepped forward to stop him, but was kicked to the ground by the flag officer.

Du Xiaobao was so frightened that his round face turned red. He screamed and rushed towards the other party. What kind of threat could a naughty child who was only as tall as the rebel's waist pose?
Seeing the flag officer grinning and about to draw his sword, Du Ruhui rushed over, pulled Du Xiaobao back, and forced a smile:
"The child is rude... Sir, please don't take it to heart..."

The small flag officer looked at him jokingly, laughed, put away his knife and waved his hand, and a group of people pressed Zhao Duan and Du Shishi away.

After the people left, the smile on Du Ruhui's face gradually disappeared. He clenched his hands tightly, and his nails almost dug into his flesh.

"Master...my daughter..." Du's wife climbed up despite the pain.

Du Ruhui turned around and said expressionlessly:
"Hide at home with Xiaobao, and don't open the door to anyone. If anyone tries to break in again, go hide at Aunt Li's house!"

After saying this, he raised his head and smiled bitterly. He resigned early to avoid disaster, but in the end he couldn't escape it.

Du Ruhui went back to the house and took out the only silver left in the house. After thinking for a while, he took a knife from the kitchen and put it on his body. With a gloomy face, he walked out of the yard and went straight to the government office.

He had to immediately find someone to smooth things over and get his daughter out in time, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.

……

The sun is setting, and there is much less smoke from cooking fires in the city tonight.

This group of rebels took Zhao Duan with them, searched several alleys, captured three people, gathered them together, and returned to the government office in the city center, trying to escort them back to their mission.

Zhao Duan, with his hands tied with rubber bands, was walking on the street. He saw that the city was full of a murderous atmosphere, and other teams were also escorting some people.

Most of them are young men, but there are also some women.

Obviously, Zhao Shixiong was searching not only Zhao Duan, but also other shadow guards.

No... this scale of arrest can't really catch me, but it is to investigate us, forcing the court spies in the city to reveal their tracks and put them in a passive state of escape...

Zhao Duan pondered secretly, turned his head to look at Du Shishi beside him, and whispered:

"You don't seem scared?"

Du Shishi's hands were also tied, and several people were tied up with ropes, like grasshoppers on a rope.

The girl's pretty face was cold, her eyes slightly chilly, staring at the flag officer swaggering in front of her, and said softly:

"Give me ten taels of silver and I'll take you away safely."

Zhao Duan looked at her in surprise:
"Are you crazy? This is a group of soldiers. There are more around, ready to come at any time. But your greed for money reminds me of an old friend... Well, she was also a girl, younger than you, and she was very reliable for doing things for money."

Du Shishi didn't listen to his nagging and whispered:

"I'm also very reliable. If you don't agree, the price will go up later."

She knew very well what would be waiting for her once she was taken into the military camp, so she had to escape on the road.

Zhao Duan nodded and said, "Okay, deal."

At this time, no other teams could be seen on the surrounding streets, only this one was walking.

Du Shishi suddenly cried out "Ouch" and fell to the ground. Several rebels turned their heads and saw the girl with tears in her eyes, biting her lips, sitting on the ground, looking at them pitifully, with a shy and timid voice that made people want to pity her:
"Master, I...want to..."

...Good acting... Zhao Duan silently gave a thumbs up.

"What are you thinking about?" The little flag officer's heart melted, and he bent down and approached with a smile.

Du Shishi's bound hands suddenly pulled the cloth belt!

"Clang!"

The rag blocking an old little bell hidden under the hem of her dress was torn off, and the bell made a dull sound in the evening light.

“Dang! Dang! Dang!!!”

The bell rang on its own, and the strange sound spread out a circle of ripples, covering an area of ​​three feet around.

Du Shishi said with disgust: "Untie the rope."

The ten rebels had lifeless eyes and were in a daze, as if they were hypnotized, and they actually untied her ropes.

Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment and realized that this was the method used by the wild sorcerer girl. The bell around her waist seemed to be able to affect people's minds.

He also pretended to be confused and did not move.

"Untie him too." Du Shishi regained his freedom. He rubbed his red wrists and gave an order to release Zhao Duan as well.

Then he said, "All of you will forget that we ever existed and won't even remember catching us."

After giving the order, the girl pressed the shaking old square bell with one hand and grabbed Zhao Duan and ran to a nearby alley.

As long as they can make this group of people forget that they caught them, they can avoid this danger.

However, just as the two were about to escape, a cold voice suddenly sounded:

"I actually caught a small fish."

Du Shishi looked in shock, only to see a black-faced military officer in armor and armed with sharp weapons appear on the roof of a nearby house.

The military officer had a piece of talisman stuck on his body, which was flashing constantly to resist the hypnosis of the sound waves.

"Clang!" The black-faced military officer drew his sword from its sheath, bent his waist and knees, jumped high, and chopped down with the long sword, killing Du Shishi!

Du Shishi tried to dodge in fear, but found that for some reason, he couldn't move!
Even if you try your best to activate the bell, you can't affect the other party!

An ambush? No...

Fear and despair finally appeared in Du Shishi's eyes!
She once thought she was very powerful, but it was not until she actually faced the masters in the army that she realized the gap between wild sorcerers and court military officers!
At this moment, Zhao Duan, who she was holding with one hand, no longer had a "dazed" look in his eyes. He glanced coldly at the officer who was rushing towards him.

His right hand lightly spread out five fingers and pressed out calmly.

"boom!"

With a dull thud, Zhao Duan pressed down the officer's breastplate with one hand, and the hard breastplate sank instantly!
The officer's body also "bent" like a period, and with the sound of "crackling" bones breaking, this mortal warrior was beaten to death by Zhao Duan's palm.

When the body fell, there was still confusion in his eyes!

"The bell is great, but its response time is too poor. If I were you, I would hypnotize the soldiers behind me to resist."

Zhao Duan made a casual comment, turned around, made a hand gesture, and an illusory flame sprang up from his brow.

The rebels, including the flag officer, who was still in a hypnotic state, had their internal organs ignited by white flames. They died with blood gushing out of all their orifices without even a scream.

This was a magic technique that Pei Niannu had taught him, and he hadn't used it for a long time.

"You are..." Du Shishi looked at him in shock, and his brain went into a state of shutdown for a short time.

"Let me introduce myself again. My name is Zhao Duan." Zhao Duan removed his disguise, restored his original appearance, smiled at her, and said:

"I'm sorry, you've been affected after all. But even if I'm not here, they're here, and you'll get into trouble sooner or later if you keep hiding.

I have a suggestion for you. Go home immediately, take Lao Du and the others, and go to the Baihe Teahouse in the north of the city as a family. If you can arrive safely, someone will arrange for you to leave the city and go to Linfeng.

The court is in great need of people. Your father is a good man with something in his belly. Sun Xiaozhun should like him. "

After saying that, Zhao Duan walked towards the government office. At this moment, the last ray of sunlight fell from the horizon.

Another dark night has arrived in Yongjia City.

Zhao Duan...is that the famous Zhao Duan?

The treacherous...favored minister beside the emperor? !

How could I have lived under the same roof with such an important person for these days?

Du Shishi stood blankly at the street corner, looking at Zhao Duan's figure about to disappear in the darkness, and suddenly reminded loudly:
"That's a military camp over there! It's dangerous!"

Zhao Duan didn't look back, just waved.

Military camp?

He was going to the military camp.

"I originally planned to take advantage of the situation and get caught, throw him into prison, and then do something else... But it doesn't matter now... Heh, Zhao Shixiong, can you imagine that I have no intention of continuing to lurk in the city, and killing the military supervisor is just a prelude to muddying the waters? And the real action will be tonight?"

Zhao Duan let his right hand hang at his waist, the sword slid into his palm, and he casually killed a small group of rebels who were coming towards him.

The night has come, and there is wind tonight, and the wind brings the smell of blood.

Zhao Duan jumped onto a roof ridge and stood on the eaves with his sword. The dark clouds above his head split open, revealing a bright moon.

He looked toward the government office in the distance, and toward the Yongjia River in the north further away.

"At this time, Yuan Feng, Lang Shiba, Ji Yue and others should also lead their troops to cross the river and attack here."

"And Song Jinxi, Shusheng, Hongye and the others should also take advantage of the chaos to release those imprisoned people who are loyal to the court."

"The gang members of Yexiangmen who are controlled will set fire to the fire."

"but me……"

Zhao Duan moved through the night like a ghost, and finally jumped into a room on the second floor of a closed shop.

He did not light the lamp, but took out the silver scroll and shook it gently.

A shabby little door panel suddenly expanded and became larger. It was inlaid with animal-shaped copper rings, rivets, and a pattern of burning lilac flowers painted in gold paint.

【Two Life Gate】

Zhao Duan recalled the name of this door panel weight.

He obtained this talisman from the treasure house of Guhuo Zhenren. He didn't pay much attention to it at the time and just felt it was strange.

After some research, I found out that as long as you walk through the door, no matter where you go within a certain period of time, you can instantly return to your original place.

Because it was too precious and could only be used a few times, he was reluctant to use it when he killed Wang Qi.

At this moment, Zhao Duan pushed open the "Two Life Doors" and stepped over!
(End of this chapter)