The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 244: List of "VIPs

Silence!

Quiet!

With Zhao Douan kicking out with both feet and sending You Zhande flying with a palm, a brief silence fell over the Zhao family courtyard, followed immediately by a burst of exclamations.

Zhao Pan was stunned, the beautiful young girl stopped in her tracks, followed closely by a panting head maid.

She had just rushed back to see that annoying fat man and the middle-aged woman being kicked out, crashing to the ground.

More astonished than anything else, she then felt a delayed sense of relief.

She felt as though a fire of frustration within her chest had finally been vented.

"Big brother..."

Zhao Pan’s clear eyes turned to the doorway where her brother was slowly emerging, a feeling of reassurance spontaneously arising within her.

You Jinhua’s reaction was slower by half a beat; although she had completely severed ties with them, she hadn’t expected her stepson to act so decisively.

Seeing the mother and son duo lying unconscious in the courtyard, her face turned pale:

"Big brother, they..."

Zhao Douan smiled warmly:

"Don’t worry, it’s alright; they just received a small punishment."

Even to spare his aunt’s feelings, he couldn’t possibly kill a family here.

What seemed like terrifying kicks were actually executed with skillful control.

The Empress’s devilish training had paid off significantly.

In the past, even with the family heritage, Zhao Douan wouldn’t have been able to defeat You Zhande so effortlessly with just his martial skills.

"Cough, cough..."

In the courtyard, You Zhande was almost kneeling on the ground, thanks to the palm strike.

Now, as he stood up, he felt his internal energies were in disarray, coughing violently, his eyes filled with horror.

According to the "information" he had, Zhao family’s eldest son should have been nothing more than a low-quality mortal...

Yet, the moment they crossed hands, he had no power to resist.

Could it be he had reached the Martial Arts Divine Chapter Realm?

You Zhande was shaken to the core, his martial spirit instantly cooled.

He sobered up, losing any desire to fight further.

But Zhao Douan had already leisurely walked down the steps, slowly rotating his wrist, his gaze cold:

"Attacking a court-appointed officer, looks like Mr. You would like to have a taste of the Imperial Prison food, hmm?"

You Zhande had mixed feelings but ultimately bowed his head, recognizing his defeat briskly:

"Mr. You was merely overexcited for a moment, it wasn’t intentional..."

Saying so, he turned towards You Jinhua with a pleading look.

You Jinhua hesitated and then silently turned her head away.

Seeing this, Zhao Douan sighed softly, his face showing impatience:

"Considering my aunt’s feelings, leave three thousand silver, then get lost."

This time You Zhande did not haggle; he reached into his robes and actually pulled out three thousand silver notes on the spot, respectfully handing them over.

He had come to the Capital to expand some business connections and had brought quite a lot of silver with him.

Three thousand silver was a substantial sum, but for a clan that had been established locally for many years, it was still within an acceptable range.

So clean-cut?

No wonder the court was so impoverished, these large and small families surely hoarded so much silver... wealthy beyond measure...

This is exactly why the new policies were necessary... Zhao Douan thought to himself and signaled with his eyes.

Nearby, the maid Miantao stepped forward and took the silver note.

In the distance.

The old steward of the Zhao family also came forward with the house servants, carrying the gifts brought by the You family, which were thrown out as Zhao Douan had instructed.

You Zhande, capable of bending and bouncing back, did not resist any further and walked off with his unconscious wife and son.

It made Zhao Douan see him in a new light.

The farce was over.

Leaving only a mess behind.

"Mother, don’t be sad for these people; it’s not worth it."

Zhao Pan stepped forward and embraced the beautiful woman, comforting her tenderly.

You Jinhua managed a weak smile, her eyes full of desolation and chill:

"It’s okay, mother understands."

From then on, her heart no longer had a place for her family; she devoted herself entirely to her two children.

Seeing this, Zhao Douan wanted to offer some words of comfort but didn’t know where to begin.

Instead, it was You Jinhua who adjusted her emotions and took the initiative to summon the maid to tidy up the room.

…

Once everyone had left, Zhao Pan suddenly came over and said:

"Big brother, you knew all along, right?"

"What?" Zhao Douan curiously asked.

The young girl with her meticulously done makeup and black hair trailing behind her looked up at him seriously and said softly:

"You deliberately allowed them to be presumptuous.

You must have known these people were here to seek connections. During the meal, you had countless opportunities, countless means to show them your strength...

No, you didn’t even need to meet them in person; a simple hint about your high status would have been enough for the You family to realize it...

In doing so, they wouldn’t have behaved this way; they would have been obsequious and played the role of good relatives. But you didn’t."

Zhao Pan seemed to have seen through everything:

"So you were unusually obedient and gentle before to mislead them... wait, did you deliberately bring out this set of utensils knowing they wouldn’t believe?"

Zhao Douan looked at her in surprise and smiled.

He neither admitted nor denied.

Yes, it was all intentional, and there was even more to it.

In fact, Zhao Douan had already secretly ordered someone to watch the You family a few days ago.

He even deliberately let it be known that after his review by the Ministry of Justice, he would keep a low profile.

And he cut off several of You Zhande’s attempts to gather information.

That’s why he told Miaotao in the morning that the other party might not know his identity, which was the very reason.

If one were to speak of an information cocoon, then after the You family arrived in the Capital, he had thrown them into such a cocoon.

"Why?"

Zhao Pan asked eagerly, her curiosity overflowing.

Unable to withstand his sister’s thirst for knowledge, Zhao Douan reluctantly explained,

"Previously, I had someone check into this You Zhande and gathered some information. Hmm, this family is not easy to deal with. Over the years, they have committed acts like murder and arson more than once; in short, they are not good people.

Your mother has a soft temperament and is easily bullied. If she gets involved with the You family, it would not be good."

Zhao Pan suddenly realized,

"So you deliberately did this to expose their true nature?"

Zhao Douan smiled,

"A mere bumpkin from the countryside, I could easily crush them utterly with a flick of my hand. However, they are still your mother’s relatives, and blood is thicker than water, so I went through all this trouble.

Only by letting your mother see their true colors completely will she give up on them.

Otherwise, for a few insignificant people, why would your brother bother to put so much effort and play along with them?"

Normally, the people he schemed against at least had connections to important court figures.

He truly had no interest in people from small, rural families.

Hearing all this, Zhao Pan’s eyes lit up, and she suddenly cooed,

"Big brother, I don’t want to learn martial arts anymore. Can you teach me these strategies instead?"

Damn, his sister was gradually developing a scheming side... Zhao Douan lazily yawned and, taking out a house deed from his sleeve, stuffed it into the girl’s garment, chiding with a smile,

"Scram. Why would a girl like you play with such sinister schemes? Go and learn music, chess, calligraphy, and painting instead. This is a new house I bought in the inner city; take it and have your mother keep it safe. We’ll prepare to move in a few days."

With that, he strode outside.

Leaving the girl staring blankly at the house deed, worth tens of thousands of silver, stuffed into her garment at her chest, her mind crashing—

When did her brother buy a house?

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...

Outside the Zhao family home.

After Zhao Douan walked out, he stood at the threshold and waited for a while. Shortly after, a government officer from Lihua Hall approached, greeted him with folded hands, and said,

"My lord."

"Mm," Zhao Douan answered, as if he had expected this, "Have they left?"

"Yes, someone else is following them. I am here awaiting your orders."

Zhao Douan nodded, his expression cold,

"Keep an eye on them for now. If they behave, leave them be. If they cause any trouble, handle it if possible. If it’s beyond you, then come and report to me."

"At your command!" The officer quietly disappeared, a master of Qinggong.

Naturally, the ones Zhao Douan asked his subordinate to watch were You Zhande and his family.

"I hope you behave and don’t cause trouble."

Zhao Douan murmured under his breath, lazily stretched, and went back inside to rest.

He didn’t want to waste any more energy on these minor figures.

...

On the other side.

The carriage rattled along.

Inside the carriage, You Zhande carefully checked the condition of his wife and son, sighing in relief.

Although they had been knocked unconscious, they hadn’t suffered any internal injuries, only minor external bruises and scrapes.

As they gradually came to, the mother and son realized their situation, the pudgy youth’s face turned pale, too scared to make a sound.

Madame You was also sufficiently frightened but unwillingly said,

"So we just let him swindle us out of three thousand silver?"

Annoyed, You Zhande responded,

"What else? Do you want to end up in the Imperial Prison?"

Madame You shrank her neck, both fearful and angry, regretting that their stealth had backfired,

"So what do we do now? Go home?"

You Zhande, with a stern face, shook his head,

"Go home? That would really mean we came for nothing. The path with the Zhao surname isn’t viable, but there are other paths. We still have some silver left, enough to find other connections."

He pulled out a list from his pocket, which notably contained some officials’ names.

In the recent days, upon hearing the court was opening markets, You Zhande sharply realized that for his family to thrive, they needed to get on board early.

He had someone gather information, resulting in this list.

The names were of officials he could reach at his level, who might help him secure a "royal merchant" status.

"Zhao Douan... Heh, today’s grudge, let’s note it down for now. There will be plenty of opportunities to ’repay’ him in the future."

You Zhande’s gaze turned icy,

"The priority isn’t to contend with him but to become a royal merchant and connect with big shots in the court.

Without this Zhao, the Capital will still function, and we can still seek other influential figures... Besides, Zhao Douan’s status might not be as high as imagined. Even if we had pleased him, it wouldn’t have been useful."

Madame You nodded,

"I’ll follow your lead, my lord. By the way, didn’t that noble young master say, if we encounter trouble in the Capital, we could seek his help? He mentioned his family has extensive connections throughout the Capital."

The "young master" she referred to was a young aristocrat they had become acquainted with on their way to the Capital.

After entering the city, they parted, but each left their address.

You Zhande pondered for a moment and said,

"Real scions of major noble families are all cunning foxes. Unless it’s a last resort, it’s best not to rely on them for affairs. Let’s proceed according to this list first."

"Alright." Madame You craned her neck, looking at the first name on the list:

"Chief of the Ministry of Personnel, Feng Ju..."

...

Typographical errors to be corrected later.