The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 268 - 236. Zhao Douan’s Revenge

Though Mo Chou tried to conceal her curiosity, in the end, she said nothing and took the carriage back to the palace to report.

She knew, Your Majesty must be waiting for the news of Zhao Douan’s first day in office.

Not just the Empress, in fact, more people were concerned about today’s news than many would imagine.

After all, Zhao Douan’s every word and deed, to some extent, represented the will of the Emperor of Great Yu.

"Mr. Xue, what do we do next?" Qian Kerou watched the carriage depart and asked in a low voice.

Hou Renmeng also appeared eager to start: "Where should we begin our investigation?"

Zhao Douan stretched languidly, looking indolent as he walked towards the military camp:

"Investigate what? I came to Divine Machine Camp to mark time and gild my reputation; I have no other intentions. Keep your mouths tight. Besides, there’s a banquet in our honor we mustn’t snub."

Qian Kerou and Hou Renmeng exchanged glances and bowed:

"Yes."

They always felt that Duan was scheming again.

...

Privy Council.

In the imposing office belonging to the Secretariat Envoy,

"wearing a second-rank military general’s lion robe, his complexion fair and a beard adorning his chin, the ’Divine General’ of Great Yu, Xue Shence, held a wooden stick with a fine handle and a flat round end.

He pushed a solid black chess piece on the square "chessboard" in front of him forward by one space.

This was a unique chess-like game of the Great Yu Dynasty called "Double Six."

Unlike the literati’s fondness for Go, this world’s Double Six chess originated from military formation layouts.

As such, it was favored by military generals.

At this moment, sitting opposite Xue Shence, engaged in the game, was a second-rank official in his fifties with a thin build.

He was the Chief of the Privy Council, who managed clerical work and was second only to the Secretariat Envoy.

"Mr. Xue, you’re in a mood for leisure today if you have time to play Double Six with me. Is there some good news?"

The middle-aged Chief spoke leisurely, his eyes fixed on the chessboard.

Even during the game, Xue Shence sat up straight and, shaking his head, responded:

"What good news could there be? Don’t you know me? When I am anxious, I play chess to calm my mind. It’s your turn."

The middle-aged Chief threw the dice, examined the number, and used the wooden stick to move a red chess piece forward, saying:

"Worried? Could it be because of Zhao Douan’s appointment today?"

Xue Shence’s gaze was serene, seemingly distracted as he played chess, and he said with self-deprecation:

"Why ask when you already know, Mr. Wang? Today, who knows how many in the capital are watching our excitement... Hah, a fourth-rank Master taking up his post has stirred so many hearts."

Mr. Wang remained silent.

Both men understood that it was not Zhao Douan that those in the capital were watching, but rather the Empress’s moves.

Unlike when Zhao Douan had gone to the Imperial Court, when no one cared,

this time, not only the upper echelons of the military generals group were on high alert,

even the literati factions like the "Li Party," "Clean Stream Party," and the "Imperial Faction" were gleefully observing from the sidelines.

The Empress had finished dealing with the literati and began to turn her gaze toward military generals... This was a truth everyone knew but tacitly avoided mentioning.

"Didn’t Mr. Xue give the orders already? Though Shi Meng may appear crude, he indeed is insightful. I’m sure he will arrange everything appropriately," Mr. Wang reassured.

In fact, was it just Divine Mechanism Camp?

Even the Commanders of "Capital Camp" like the Five Army Camp and the Three Thousand Camp - all had been individually instructed by the Privy Council led by Xue Shence.

The requirement was one:

During this sensitive period, avoid provoking Yama Zhao at all costs. Everything else can be dealt with after his commissioned service is over!

However, Xue Shence shook his head, picked up the dice, his heart filled with unease.

"Thud thud thud..."

At that moment, footsteps approached in the courtyard, and a low-ranking military officer rushed to the hall to report:

"Reporting to the Secretariat Envoy and the Chief of the Privy Council, the Commander of Divine Machine Camp sent a message."

The two in the middle of their chess game lifted their heads and said in unison:

"Speak!"

"Yes!" The military officer relayed the situation in full.

But they had only heard half of it, and already the two playing chess felt their hearts sink.

What they feared had happened despite countless warnings; an issue had arisen.

After hearing the remaining half, Xue Shence and Mr. Wang exchanged a silent glance.

With their ranks, they were not concerned with the extent of Zhao Douan’s cultivation.

What concerned them was the signal sent by Zhao Douan’s act of "calling a stag a horse."

"The newcomer means trouble," Mr. Wang sighed softly.

"I’ve heard that Zhao Douan is not simple, and today I’ve seen his reputation is well deserved... This understated move not only resolved a difficult situation but also declared his status...

The Young Master who troubled him is probably going to suffer, heh, he’s bound to be used as a pawn to establish authority."

Xue Shence waved his hand, ordering the soldiers to leave, and with a cold snort, said discontentedly:

"Let him suffer at the hands of the Zhaos. It’ll do him good to taste some bitterness, relying on the background of the Duke, he’s been too comfortable in the military. He dares to ignore Shi Meng’s words, this time, he’ll learn a lesson, and the Duke won’t have a word to complain."

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This outcome was slightly better than he had expected.

There was a mishap, but the situation wasn’t too bad.

Even if Zhao Douan wanted to make an issue of it, he would have to consider the Duke.

The key was...

As long as it cannot be traced back to the Privy Council, things are still fine.

Mr. Wang also breathed a sigh of relief, chuckling:

"What do you think Zhao Douan will do to establish his authority? I suspect those rowdy youngsters won’t escape a flogging."

Xue Shence said indifferently:

"It would be good to give them a beating. We couldn’t do it before, but Zhao isn’t afraid of offending people, so let’s use his hand."

With that, he nonchalantly threw the dice down, and it rolled to a stop, showing the highest number "six."

From beginning to end, what they could imagine as Zhao Douan’s "retaliation" was nothing more than a flogging.

After all... that was the future Duke.

He was not one of the common noble scions or prodigal sons to be compared with.

Imperial Palace, in the Imperial Study.

Xu Zhenguan stood with his hands behind his back, by the window, having just listened to Mo Chou’s account.

"So, with just a single arrow, he secured his standing?"

The Emperor of Great Yu, dressed in snowy white and her hair cascading like a waterfall, listened with keen interest and asked softly.

Mo Chou stood with her head bowed and let out a resigned nod:

"While his methods... may be a bit unconventional, those thousands of soldiers truly grew to respect and fear him, and even the proud and fierce men of the Divine Mechanism Camp outwardly showed their allegiance."

"You should learn from him," Xu Zhenguan turned around, a trace of amusement on her flawless face:

"Many people know the methods to establish authority in the military, but not many can actually do it well."

I’m not as shameless as he is... Mo Chou grumbled inwardly, presenting the list filled with names:

"He also wrote this, saying that it’s time for Your Majesty to fulfill your promise."

Xu Zhenguan’s phoenix eyes shimmered, and with a wave of her hand, the list fell into her slender, jade-like fingers.

Silence, for a moment.

"Is this all he said?"

"This is all."

"…I understand," the Empress picked up her pen, drafted a simple letter, and tossed it to her, "Go and handle this."

Mo Chou was baffled, unsure of the meaning, and glanced down at the letter, her face registering shock. She looked at the Empress with eyes wide and mouth agape, as if to say something.

"Don’t ask questions, just go and do it."

"…Your servant obeys."

After Mo Chou had left.

A sigh unique to the Empress, both deep and resigned, echoed through the Imperial Study:

"You really... don’t let me rest easy."

...

...

Divine Mechanism Camp.

Today, the military camp was destined for unrest.

Following the morning drill, the news of the "Young Master" clashing with the newcomer "Master Zhao" spread throughout the entire Divine Mechanism Camp.

And swiftly reached the fellow camps of the "Five Armies" and "Three Thousand," both part of the Capital Camp.

Countless soldiers eagerly discussed it.

Three hot topics emerged.

The first was about Zhao Douan’s level of cultivation—just how high was it?

His grace in drawing the bow one-handed had indeed left a deep impression on the soldiers.

The second was a whisper regarding "pointing at a deer and calling it a horse," along with the reason why the Young Master had stormed off in a huff.

However, this was only discussed in private.

As for the third…

Bam, bam, bam!

The barracks door was knocked on.

Tang Ping, studying military texts inside, called out for the visitor to enter.

The door opened.

A group of over a dozen young and low-ranking military officers crowded in, looking indignant:

"Young Master, you can keep your cool? Everyone’s talking on the outside, saying that Zhao’s overshadowed you, and some are even saying…"

"Oh, saying what?"

Tang Ping wasn’t wearing his armor at the moment, just an ordinary military uniform, with his hair simply tied up, but the sharpness of his features remained clear.

One officer spoke with anger:

"They say… Zhao asked for our names, he’s certain to seek retaliation."

Others chimed in, all talking at once:

"That Zhao is vengeful and petty by nature; he has retaliated against anyone who’s ever crossed him…"

"This petty man, earlier on the drill ground, it was all to set a trap for you!"

"That’s right! It was all on purpose! He probably wanted to make an example out of us to assert his authority from the start!"

They already knew about Zhao Douan’s feat of breaking the target with one arm.

Shock gave way not to shame, but to even greater anger.

They believed that Zhao Douan clearly had the skill for martial display, but deliberately acted the fool to exploit his power, making a mockery of them in an effort to establish his authority.

Tang Ping maintained a composed demeanor, responding coolly as he surveyed the crowd:

"Afraid of him, are you?"

The officers were taken aback, shaking their heads in unison:

"We afraid? Of him?"

"That’s right! If we were cowards, we wouldn’t have ignored him with you."

"We just think, after all, he’s our superior. If he deliberately causes trouble… won’t the brothers simply suffer in silence?"

Tang Ping set the military text aside, gestured dismissively with his hand, and coldly retorted:

"We demanded he demonstrate martial skills, following the military tradition, without overstepping bounds or violating military regulations.

I would like to see what regulation he has to punish us.

Rest assured, if he thinks of touching any of you, he’d have to strip me of my official robe first. Otherwise, it’s wishful thinking!"

The officers were heartened.

With their backgrounds, they couldn’t afford to offend Zhao Douan.

But as long as the Young Master was willing to stand up for them, there was nothing to fear.

No matter how powerful that Zhao was, he couldn’t possibly touch the future Duke.

At that moment, however, there came the sound of hurried footsteps from outside.

Then, the door burst open.

A group of some twenty armored men, wearing distinctive official robes, suddenly appeared.

It was the dreaded Military Law Department!

The leading officer, expressionless, swept his gaze over the crowd, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly:

"Good, everyone’s here. All of you inside, listen up. By the command of our superior, all of you are hereby dismissed and expelled from the Capital Camp with immediate effect!"