The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 369 - 314. The Chief of Staff blocks the road, reviewing the files, the origins of the female sorcerer

Zhao Douan was startled, "It's that... wait a minute."

He suddenly realized something, and his expression subtly changed,

"Senior brother, when you cultivated the 'Six Chapters Scripture,' what did you encounter? Or rather... what does one ordinarily see?"

Ma Yan's slender donkey face remained calm as he looked at him, seemingly guessing something as well, and slowly said,

"The so-called 'Six Chapters Scripture' is a scroll where the Grand Ancestor Emperor painted some strong martial artists. The successors of the Martial God's legacy can enter it to spar with and even learn from them.

Don't look at me with that kind of expression. The Grand Ancestor Emperor created the legacy by drawing from the strengths of many, and given how open-minded the Grand Ancestor Emperor was, he naturally wouldn't mind these false pretenses...

As far as I know, the second painting indeed depicts more than one real martial artist from history. Normally speaking, when you enter, you first encounter a battlefield military general in a field of combat, where you spar and learn.

If you're clever enough, you can obtain some Magic Door techniques from him.

Hmm... After you defeat this military general, then you can meet others, for instance, I know there's a monk and even martial artists from Jianghu... However, it's not necessary to meet everyone in order to advance.

When I was cultivating in the palace, I received guidance saying it was much better to thoroughly learn the abilities of one person in the painting than to bite off more than you can chew... As for the female Magician in red you described, I've never heard of her."

Ah, this... What's with the feeling of unlocking a hidden quest... Zhao Douan was taken aback, "Is that... really the case?"

Ma Yan looked at him deeply, hinting at something,

"At least, that's what I know. You can also ask Mr. Hai for confirmation to see if such a person exists."

As the knife of the Empress, the stern eunuch didn't know Zhao Douan was harboring the "Dragon Essence," but he guessed that Zhao had some secrets.

Adult socializing is all about knowing when to stop.

"...I understand," Zhao Douan said thoughtfully and bowed to take his leave.

A few steps out, he heard a reminder from King Ma from behind,

"By the way, the deeper you go into the Grand Ancestor's paintings, the higher the spiritual quality of the characters. Unlike the first Martial God Map, the ancients in the second Six Chapters Scripture, although drawn, can converse to some extent. It's quite odd.

Therefore, it's not always necessary to fight. If you gain their approval, the benefits could be even greater... I once heard that someone was favored by a character from the painting and during a moment of danger, by envisioning them they appeared in the real world... Of course, that's just a rumor, and I've never seen it myself."

...

Lihua Hall.

Zhao Douan returned to the hall entrance, feeling more excitement than apprehension.

He suspected that if the strong figures depicted in the Six Chapters Scripture were arranged from weakest to strongest, then the woman in golden armor he met was one of the latter.

"That would also explain why she was so much stronger than me, why I had no chance to resist... Being beaten instantly means there's a huge gap between us, and I couldn't learn anything at all..."

Zhao Douan pondered and planned to visit the Imperial Court in the afternoon, starting with the armored female Shadow Guard to probe for information.

However, he didn't have much leisure time before a group of unwanted visitors arrived outside the hall.

"Mr. Zhao, we are ordered to verify the details of Gao Lian's case," a stranger from the Ministry of Justice holding documents entered Lihua Hall and said.

"Hasn't the suspect already been transferred?" Zhao Douan offhandedly said.

The official from the Ministry of Justice replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "After all, you are the chief official, so..."

"Fine, ask then," Zhao Douan said, waving his hand and responding to the inquiries from the official from the Ministry of Justice one by one.

In the end, he asked out of curiosity, "How long will it take for Gao Lian to be convicted?"

The official from the Ministry of Justice hesitated and said, "Once everything is clear, a verdict will be made."

A non-answer... alright, I won't make it difficult for you... Zhao Douan felt disinterested.

After people from the Ministry of Justice left, those from the Ministry of Justice arrived close behind, also to inquire about the case.

Due to the dispute with the Ministry of Justice, these people were particularly tense and much more polite than the previous visitors, and Zhao Douan, somewhat annoyed, cooperated again.

The questions asked were the same, and the responses were just as bureaucratic.

"It's getting interesting," Zhao Douan rubbed his chin, discerning something from the ambiguous attitudes of these two groups.

Thankfully, with Chen Hong at the Imperial Court of Supervision, no one was sent to bother him.

...

Noon.

Zhao Douan called Haitang and other colleagues to a restaurant in the city for food and drink

— The Imperial Court's food was notoriously bad, whoever could afford it would eat out.

During the meal, through the screen and bamboo curtains, they could hear many discussions in the restaurant about the Gao Lian case.

Clearly, the case of the Taicang Silver Mine had already spread wide.

The patrons were not very interested in the corruption itself but were very intrigued by the life and death of a governor, the power struggle it implied, and the undercurrents in the court.

Each was giving their expert opinion, analyzing quite authoritatively.

"How did the news spread so fast? How come the public is already discussing it?" Haitang was startled, muttering in confusion.

Zhao Douan, with a glass in his hand, hinted, "I'm afraid someone is fanning the flames."

"You mean..." Haitang paused, the female detective was a master at solving cases, but was somewhat naive when it came to higher-level struggles and schemes.

Zhao Douan shook his head and did not explain further. Even in this feudal era, many games were still played using public opinion to exert pressure and guide the narrative.

"Public opinion" could have an amazing effect at critical junctures of some contests.

The people in Taicang Prefecture knew how to incite the public to beg for mercy and pressure themselves, and of course, the important figures in the capital wouldn't neglect this tactic.

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After eating, Zhao Douan let his colleagues return to the government office first, while he walked alone in the streets and alleys, quietly gauging the sentiment at a more grassroots level.