The Empress's No.1 Lackey

"Yes, Young Master!"

The old man in plain robes at the hall entrance was momentarily stunned before moving to act.

However, the swordsman beside him took the initiative, saying,

"Chopping bamboo is a menial task. There's no need to trouble Master Lv. I'll handle it."

As he spoke, the straight sword from his waist was already unsheathed, and he strode towards the outside.

Upon hearing this, the elderly scholar's countenance changed. He cherished the ink bamboo nearly as dearly as his own children. How could he endure letting this brute chop it down?

He immediately rose intending to stop him.

"Don't bother showing the way yourself, old scholar. And there's the matter of those youths who bumped into me earlier—it's not yet settled.

Tell me, who would feel more gratifying to cut down? Them or the bamboo grove?"

Zhao Douan spoke with a smile.

In his words, killing seemed as trivial as eating or drinking.

It was the inherent indifference of the privileged youth toward ordinary people.

Mr. Song staggered.

He didn't know whether this enigmatic young man would truly dare to slaughter the people on the estate.

But he knew, to have Lv Qingfeng bend and willingly serve, the young man must be an extremely powerful figure.

Hearing his official speech, he might even be the child of a great noble from the court.

Though his status in Taicang County was high, Mr. Song, who had seen the real powerhouse figures, knew that his mere "scholar" title was no more than an ant in the eyes of Capital elites.

In other words,

Even if the other party did kill Little Wu and the others, as long as they fabricated a crime, they could easily remain unscathed.

And relative to human life, cutting down the ink bamboo was even more inconsequential.

"This young master, Miss!"

The nearly fifty-year-old scholar's voice was almost pleading.

Instinctively, he sought mercy from Xu Junling, a woman:

"This humble old man dares not deceive you two. If the young master wishes for anything, take whatever you want from the estate. But Mr. Song really has no relations with my Song family..."

He said, on the brink of falling to his knees.

Xu Junling, who had been tranquilly watching the scene unfold, was also somewhat uncertain of Zhao Douan's intentions at this point.

Her eyes sought him, about to speak yet hesitating.

Then she froze.

Zhao Douan's expression was utterly calm, his eyes held an almost emotionless scrutiny as if probing the old scholar's heart.

It wasn't until the swordsman was about to leave the courtyard that Zhao Douan finally spoke up:

"Come back."

Then, the icy indifference on his face dissipated, transforming into a warm spring breeze as he gently helped Mr. Song to his feet.

"This... Young Master..."

The nearly collapsing old scholar this time was genuinely bewildered.

Xu Junling pursed her lips in a smile, her lovely face showing a sincere smile:

"Old Sir, please take a seat. He was just joking with you."

A joke?

The old scholar, feeling as if he had returned from hell to the mortal world, couldn't bring himself to believe it.

Zhao Douan personally helped him to sit down.

Then, no longer in his earlier languid pose, he sat up straight and said with a smile:

"Let's get reacquainted. Master Lv, since you know Mr. Song, you explain."

Lv Qingfeng stood at the threshold and, upon hearing this, chuckled:

"The gentleman seated before you is none other than the imperial envoy sent by the Empress to investigate in Taicang, the White Horse Governor from the Capital Imperial Office Pear Blossom Hall Master of the Divine Mechanism Camp fourth-rank Commander, an external scholar from Xiuwen Pavilion, the Tributor from the Imperial Family, the victor of this year's Buddhist Tao competition, the highly esteemed Zhao Douan—Mr. Zhao."

After rattling off this long list of titles in one breath, he looked at Mr. Song, whose face had turned to shock.

He looked incredulously at the noble young man before him:

"You... You are Imperial Commissioner Zhao?"

Living in the countryside, yet frequently interacting with the scholars of the Prefecture, Mr. Song was no stranger to Zhao Douan, who had risen to fame in just half a year.

He knew this man to be a favored and ruthless minister at the Empress's side, reputedly feared by all as Yama Zhao.

Handsome... arrogant... the features matched!

Zhao Douan spoke gently:

"Is there a second Zhao Douan in the world?"

"No... It's not that..."

Mr. Song was a bit incoherent:

"I heard... the imperial envoy entered the Prefecture yesterday... I had no idea..."

Zhao Douan reached into his robe and pulled out a sealed letter, as well as the imperial envoy's official appointment papers, placing them lightly on the tea table:

"Mr. Song mentioned in his letter that he had entrusted you with all the evidence of corruption. I had just arrived for duty yesterday and found that both Mr. Song and Taicang County Magistrate Wang Chusheng had mysteriously disappeared. Fearing hidden sabotage, I came incognito. I apologize for having offended you in testing you earlier."

A test?

If only you had said so earlier... the old scholar's face still harbored lingering fear.

Trembling, he picked up the sealed letter from the table, recognizing the handwriting of his kin, and his heart believed.

Zhao Douan also felt helpless.

He dared not let the "false imperial envoy" come, fearing that making a grand scene would leak information prematurely and lead to unforeseen incidents.

Yet a private visit made it difficult to ascertain his identity.

And it was impossible to be sure whether the Tribute Essayist from the Capital was trustworthy.

This directly affected the credibility of the incriminating evidence in his possession.

After the Imperial Court Pear Blossom Hall Essayist went missing, the senior essayist who held the evidence must have felt uneasy and afraid.

If the Tribute Essayist was indeed cautioning the court, even under threat, he would not easily divulge the truth.

This was because once the evidence fell into the hands of someone other than the imperial envoy, the entire Song family could potentially face a deadly threat of silence.

On the contrary, if there was something amiss with the Tribute Essayist, faced with a threat, he might well display a different reaction.

At this moment, having verified the handwriting of the secret letter, and with many features matching,

the Tribute Essayist no longer hesitated and got up from his seat.

Moments later, he brought in a tightly sealed box, the size of a jewelry chest, and placed it on the tea table:

"Imperial Commissioner, please look, this object is sealed with clay, unopened, and I am also unaware of the exact contents inside."

Zhao Douan opened the well-sealed box and saw a thick stack of documents stuffed to the brim.

"What did the Imperial Office Pear Blossom Hall Essayist say?" asked Zhao Douan.

The old essayist replied,

"He said that he had long noticed something amiss with the Taicang County Magistrate and had secretly taken many actions, even placing informants within the Mining Tax Collection Department. After secretly investigating for a long time, he had intended to collect the evidence and present it to the Taicang Lord Prefect Sun Xiaozhun.

But the more he investigated, the more he realized that the situation was not simple and also unexpectedly discovered that Wang Chusheng had many accomplices...

He said that, upon digging deeper, he discovered an incredible matter and dared not report it to the local officials anymore.

Moreover, he said that he might have been watched, didn't dare to delay further, and decided to report the matter secretly to the Capital, to present it to Mr. Yuan at court..."

As the old essayist spoke, his voice involuntarily lowered, grave and anxious:

"After learning of this matter, I preferred not to get involved, fearful of implicating my family, but then I thought of showing loyalty to Your Majesty..."

Zhao Douan glanced at him:

"It couldn't be that the secret letter first wrote to place the object with you, and only after the letter was sent to the Capital did the Imperial Office Pear Blossom Hall Essayist then come to find you.

That way, even if you didn't want to help him, you couldn't.

Because if you refused, when the imperial envoy from the Capital arrives to ask you for the evidence and you say you don't have it... that would truly be a disaster."

The old essayist had nothing to say in return, falling silent as if in agreement.

Xu Junling was greatly surprised, her beautiful eyes looking towards Zhao Douan in astonishment:

"How did you know all this? Is it written in the letter too?"

"Oh, it's not written in the letter; it's just my guess," Zhao Douan casually replied as he picked up the topmost document from the box:

"Because if I were the Imperial Office Pear Blossom Hall Essayist, I would definitely do this."

Xu Junling: "..."

Tribute Essayist: "..."

At this time, Zhao Douan had already unfolded the paper in his hands, his heart racing with excitement.

Since the Imperial Office Pear Blossom Hall Essayist said he had found Wang Chusheng's accomplices, these pieces of evidence must mention them.

And as each character came into view, Zhao Douan's pupils suddenly constricted.

...

...

On the other side.

As Zhao Douan and his party invaded the Song family compound,

Near the Taicang Silver Mine, within a supervisory yamen office.

The Taicang County Chief, who had been stationed there of late, was startled awake by the voice of an Archivist from the county government outside.

"What's happened now? What's all the panic?"

In the yamen room, the slim Eighth-rank County Chief with a mustache and a somewhat rogue-like aura furrowed his brows.

As Wang Chusheng's second-in-command, with the County Magistrate gone missing, the County Chief temporarily stood in, assuming the Magistrate's authority.

These past days, the County Chief, who also bore the surname Wang, had been undergoing an agonizing ordeal.

Unable to eat or sleep well, often startled awake in dreams, he would break out in a cold sweat.

His most oft-repeated lament was:

"What sins have I committed? Following Governor Sun to serve here in Taicang for just one year, and before I had even settled in, I face this mess. I, an Eighth-rank County Chief, have to shoulder a Seventh-rank position; why is my fate so bitter..."

At this moment, the woken County Chief Wang, with dark circles under his eyes, stared at the entering Archivist.

The latter hurriedly said:

"County Chief, this is bad. Some miners saw suspicious strangers loitering near the mine; they say two horse carriages, with a young man and woman, accompanied by several servants, were pointing and gesturing towards us from near the silver mine...

Tell me, at this critical juncture, which family's young master or miss would be so crazy as to come here to loiter?

It's not even a good view here... The Lord Prefect has ordered that if any suspicious persons are found, they must be reported to you."

The County Chief's drowsiness vanished on the spot.

He stared intently at his subordinate, demanding details:

"Where did they go? How long ago was it?"

"They said they headed towards the Song family compound, not more than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense."

The Song family compound... The rogue-like County Chief Wang thought for a moment and said in a deep voice:

"In that case, you hurry to the county government and tell the arrest officer to lead a fast squad to the Song family compound. If they find that group, find a pretext to bring them back to the county government!"

The Archivist was startled: "To arrest them directly?"

"Nonsense. At this critical moment, we can't afford any mishaps! The imperial envoy might be in the Prefecture right now, and they could inspect anytime, so we absolutely cannot have any issues! Just bring them in!"

"But those people look rich and noble..."

"Hah, no matter how noble, are they just not noblemen? Do they rank higher than the Lord Prefect or the imperial envoy?"

Pausing for a moment, County Chief Wang stroked his mustache, his small eyes shining with cunning:

"When you give the orders, be vague about it. If we offend anyone, can't we just blame the underlings? What does that have to do with you and me?"