The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 7 Politicians are born actors
"Apology? Bribery is more like it."

After a brief moment of daze, the old supervisor with gray hair and sunken eyes said in a cold voice.

The disappointment in his eyes grew stronger.

In his opinion, Zhao Duan's behavior was undoubtedly insincere. He knew that he had caused a big trouble this time, so he tried to bribe him, which was a common practice in official circles.

The innocent little imperial guards were eventually corrupted by the big dye vat of officialdom, becoming despicable and no longer what they used to be.

"Take it away! This is a fine thing, but we are not worthy of it." The old supervisor waved his hand to drive the man away.

However, Zhao Duan's next sentence really surprised him.

"You misunderstood. This folding fan is stolen property presented to me by me." Zhao Duan said shockingly.

The old supervisor frowned: "What do you mean?"

Zhao Duan said calmly:
"Some time ago, the Ning'an County Magistrate, who was acting as a broker, found me and promised me a generous gift, asking me to help reduce the sentence of an official detained by the Ministry of Justice..."

He immediately told the whole story truthfully.

This was the purpose of his meeting the other party tonight.

In the original owner's memory, the old eunuch in front of him was the empress's true confidant, and was a direct descendant who had followed her since the time of the Third Princess.

After taking charge of the Baima Prison, although he was extremely low-key and had a weak presence, he was actually an ear and a pair of eyes planted in the yamen by the empress.

He highly suspected that the old eunuch was one of the few people who knew that he was not the empress's "male favorite".

The emergence of Zhang Changshuo added many variables.

Zhao Duan could only respond hastily and chose to report what he was going to do in advance.

In this way, as long as he "registers" in advance, if Zhang Changshuo wants to make a fuss about this matter later, his power will be greatly reduced.

You want to tell on me?
Oh, I reported myself in advance.

"... Because I have been slow to respond to him, Wang Xian invited me to meet him today to discuss the matter." Zhao Duan paused and said:
"I promised him."

Inside the room, the oil lamp burned quietly, and the light gradually dimmed.

The old eunuch in his loose robe had no expression on his face throughout the whole process:
"You want to find out who's behind Wang Xian through him?"

As people grow older, they become more intelligent; when wise people talk, there is no need for nonsense.

"Yes."

The old supervisor sat up straighter, and Zhao Duan quickly lit the lamp for him.

The lights are back on.

...The old supervisor glanced at him, sat back in his armchair, and said:
"You want to make amends for your crimes? To offset the trouble you've caused? To survive this impeachment?"

Without waiting for his answer, the old man shook his head and said sarcastically:

"It's too late. Not to mention that you have made many enemies in the past, your identity alone makes it easy for you to attract disasters."

These words are very subtle. With the original owner's IQ, he would not be able to understand the deeper meaning.

But Zhao Duan had already thought of this when he left the palace in the afternoon, and he felt like he was facing a formidable enemy.

For the real big shots in the temple, they would not be jealous of a pretty boy who sold his beauty, just like Prime Minister Li Yanfu, who was too lazy to even look at him.

But that doesn't mean the bigwigs won't target him.

As he was familiar with in history, in certain dynasties, it was not uncommon for groups of civil servants to impeach the emperor's concubines, appoint crown princes, and elevate the emperor's family affairs to the safety of the world.

Is it because of hatred? Not necessarily.

It may also be to check and balance the imperial power.

The game between court officials and the empress usually does not lead to a falling out, but rather a confrontation over a chess piece.

Zhao Duan is very suitable to be a chess piece.

Powerful officials like Li Yanfu did not mind taking this opportunity to depose Zhao Duan. In this way, it would be equivalent to winning a small victory in the confrontation.

The old supervisor had long seen through this, so he repeatedly warned the original master to keep a low profile.

But good words cannot persuade a damned ghost.

"I know," Zhao Duan laughed at himself, "but we have to do something."

The old supervisor looked at him, shook his head and said:

"Even if you can do something great and catch those people, this is not enough. The fact that they're asking for help from you shows that the person behind the scenes isn't that powerful."

I'm heartbroken, old friend...

Zhao Duan's eyes dimmed, and after a moment of silence, he said:
"Even so, I still want to investigate. Just as a token of my gratitude for your care."

He forced a smile:

"After all, I am also a member of the government. Even if I can't change anything, if I have made contributions, you, sir, will also have a share. I have caused a lot of trouble in the prison, so this is a small reward."

The old supervisor was startled and a little dazed.

Zhao Duan finished speaking, turned around and walked away, counting one, two, three in his mind. "Wait."

The old man's complicated voice came from behind:
"The fan, take it away."

Zhao Duan never looked back:
"It's hot, I'll keep it to fan you."

After saying this, he disappeared into the darkness outside the door.

In the quiet house, only the elderly man was left, silently watching his disappearing figure. After a long while, he sighed softly:

"If you had done this earlier, you wouldn't be in this situation today."

Immediately, he raised his hand and pushed aside an account book on the table, revealing two letters hidden underneath.

The letter on the left was sent from the palace, in which the emperor asked him about his evaluation of Zhao Duan.

On the right was a letter he had just written, with eight words on it:

Arrogant and notorious.

After a moment of silence, the old supervisor tore up the memorial and threw it away. He then took out a blank memorial and wrote a new comment:

"If a prodigal son returns, he may be forgiven."

……

……

It was late at night, and the imperial guards were patrolling on the city walls surrounding the imperial palace.

The Yangxin Hall, where the empress lived, was also brightly lit.

In the corridor, a palace maid walked forward in small steps, carrying a tray filled with lotus seed soup cooked in the imperial kitchen. When she arrived outside the imperial study.

Just then I saw a figure walking towards me.

"Your servant greets Mo Zhaorong." The little palace maid stopped and saluted.

The young female official who was honored as "Zhao Rong" and in charge of the Six Shangs and held the rank of the fifth rank said "Yes" and took the tray:

"Let me do it."

After saying that, the young female official knocked on the door.

In the imperial study room.

Dressed in white formal clothes, the graceful and elegant Empress Xu Zhenguan of Dayu was handling government affairs at her desk.

In the candlelight, her crystal clear skin was covered with the luster of ivory and warm jade.

Her thin black eyebrows were slightly frowned, with a hint of barely perceptible fatigue.

"Your Majesty," the young female official placed the lotus seed soup on the table and called softly.

Xu Zhenguan then looked up and said in surprise:
"Why are you the one delivering it?"

"I bumped into him when I came here," the young female official handed over the spoon with her bare hands, looked at the pile of memorials, and said distressedly:
"Your Majesty, why bother yourself so much? You will never be able to finish it all."

Xu Zhenguan poured the soup into his mouth and drank it for a while, and his fatigue was slightly relieved.

Turning his head to look at the most respected female official in the palace, who was known as the "female prime minister" in the court and the public, he smiled helplessly:
"I don't want to rest, but I don't know how many people in this world are watching me. Since this year, disasters have occurred frequently in various states, and the mess left by my father and my second brother must also be dealt with...

There are internal and external troubles, and if something is not done well, they will blame it on me, a woman."

Outsiders only saw the Korean side of Xu Zhenguang, who ascended the throne as emperor as the winner of the "Xuanmen Coup".

But only those around her know how much pressure she has been under in the past two years since she ascended the throne.

The previous emperor left behind an empty treasury.

The second prince's coup d'état involved the replacement of a large number of ministers, causing instability in the court and leaving behind remnants to stir up trouble behind the scenes.

The various "princes" who were granted the nine circuits and eighteen prefectures of Dayu were watching covetously.

The major cultivation forces are waiting for an opportunity to take action...

The Queen of Dayu looked around and saw that the dynasty, which seemed to be thriving, was actually fraught with crises.

However, there are only a few trusted confidants under his command who are truly capable of making important contributions.

"Let's not talk about this anymore," Xu Zhenguan swallowed the lotus seed soup, resisted the urge to suck his slender fingers, put down the porcelain bowl, and said with a smile:
"You came so late, you wouldn't just come to persuade me to rest."

The young female official took out a letter from her sleeve:
"The White Horse Supervisor just sent someone to deliver this review of Zhao Duan."

He... A handsome face appeared in Xu Zhenguan's mind. Putting aside his character, Zhao Duan's appearance was indeed impeccable.

"What does the supervisor say?"

"I have not yet opened it, Your Majesty, please open it yourself."

At this moment, Xu Zhen looked at the memorial in front of him and suddenly hesitated.

(End of this chapter)