Chapter 77: Your Majesty, the vanguard of the battle is the White Horse Zhao Envoy

Pei Kaizhi was so angry that he vomited blood?

This was something that had never happened even in the Golden Palace, when he was at his most inappropriate.

For a moment, the faces of the officials in the distance were filled with excitement, and countless eyes fell on the "Empress's lover" who had a bad reputation but had nothing to do with them.

I couldn't help but wonder what Zhao Duan said.

Why was Pei Kaizhi so angry? There was a story behind it, this was everyone's first thought.

Unfortunately, due to the distance, no one else could hear the conversation except Ma Yan.

"The Holy Saint has ordered that Pei Kaizhi, the former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, be imprisoned immediately."

Ma Yan stepped forward, lowered his thick hand bones, picked up the old minister who was as thin as a chicken egg with one hand, and shouted to all the officials.

Then he looked at Zhao Duan deeply, turned around and left out of the Meridian Gate.

This scene was like the King of Hell coming into the mortal world and taking away the souls.

This is bound to leave a deep psychological shadow on a large number of officials.

…

All the officials dispersed one after another, until only Yuan Li and Zhao Duan were left in the square.

"Come with me."

The elegant and handsome chess player smiled, turned around to greet him, and walked towards the empress's bedroom.

Aren’t you going to the Golden Palace... Zhao Duan was reluctant to leave. He was quite curious and wondered what the similarities and differences were between the real feudal dynasty and the one he bought tickets to visit in his previous life.

"What did you say to him just now?" Yuan Qingyi asked curiously.

"Ah, this," Zhao Duan was a little embarrassed, and was too embarrassed to say that he had just made a joke, so he said:

"That old thief refused to change his ways. I tried to persuade him gently, but I didn't expect him to be so angry and not listen to my advice."

“…” Yuan Li was speechless.

With his wisdom, he could guess what Zhao Duan said.

Being young and full of vigor, but also taking pleasure in revenge, that's the way it should be.

Young people should be wise and courageous. If they are always calm and cautious like a rotting mummy in a dye vat, what kind of young people are they?

What does it mean?

After winning a game with great effort, it feels refreshing to tease and mock your opponent on the public screen, even if it’s not appropriate.

It really suits my temperament... The Imperial Censor, who had disobeyed etiquette since his youth, was greatly relieved and said with a smile:

"If I were twenty years old and in your place, I would humiliate this old bald villain. Why be so polite?"

Zhao Duan bowed his hands, showing his agreement, and regarded him as a fellow traveler.

The morning mist gradually dissipated.

Zhao Duan asked, "So, did we win big this time, or just a small one? What's next for Pei Kaizhi? What about the Pei family? What about Lu Liang?"

Yuan Li is full of energy:

"It's a great victory! Your Majesty's plan for this killing was well-deserved. Although Li Yanfu fought hard, we were victorious in the end. Pei Kaizhi's case of cheating in the imperial examination has been proven, and he is now imprisoned, awaiting execution in the autumn. However..."

As he spoke, he looked strange:

"He was already in poor health and relied on medicinal soups to recuperate. You made him faint today, and I'm afraid he won't make it to the Autumn Slash."

Zhao Duan looked innocent, he really didn't mean it.

Yuan Li added:

"As for Lu Liang, he was supposed to be given a lighter sentence because he took the initiative to report the crime. However, due to the falling out, Pei Kaizhi revealed a lot of evidence against him... and he was ultimately exiled to Lingnan."

Lingnan is thousands of miles away from the capital... Considering the death rate of exiles, even if Lao Lu survives to reach Lingnan, he will probably be half dead... Zhao Duan was silent.

Well, the premise is that the Huaishui Pei family doesn't send someone to kill him halfway to vent their anger.

At this moment, although he was the winner, Zhao Duan also witnessed the cruelty of the temple struggle in such a bloody way for the first time.

Pei Kaizhi said that the fate of chess pieces is beyond human control, but Zhao Duan feels that the losing player is equally miserable.

If he wants to live comfortably until death in this cruel world, he must hold on tightly to the empress's long, white and slippery legs, and then kick to death all those who do wrong.

Well, at least that’s how it should be before he becomes a martial artist and can control his own destiny.

Before they knew it, they arrived outside the imperial study.

"I will go and report to His Majesty and claim your merit. Please wait outside." Yuan Li said, and then smiled, "His Majesty still doesn't know about your contribution."

At this moment, Zhao Duan saw mischief and expectation on the face of this old fox.

You didn't deliberately hide the news until now just to scare her, did you?... You're such a powerful minister, yet you still have such bad tastes. Isn't that going to ruin your image?...

Zhao Duan was too tired to complain and just lowered his head and waited.

…

…

Xu Zhenguan was in a very good mood today.

In the past few days, the court was filled with swords and guns, and the air was filled with smoke. She seemed to be just sitting high on the dragon throne, watching the situation.

But as one of the chess players behind the scenes, how could she not be anxious?

If they lose, not only will they lose a great opportunity, but their momentum, which has been growing steadily since the empress ascended the throne, will also be severely undermined.

This made countless enemies who were watching her openly and secretly become restless and realize that the empress could be bullied.

Fortunately, we won a great victory in the end.

After Xu Zhenguan left the court, he walked back to his bedroom with light steps and the corners of his mouth raised and never let go.

At this moment, she seemed to have just taken off the coat of "emperor", revealing the cheerful smile that a young woman should have.

First, he took off his dragon robe and changed into white casual clothes.

Thus, the majestic and graceful empress turned into a cold and otherworldly fairy.

Xu Zhenguan took a shortcut and went to the imperial study.

The war is over, and it is time to review the situation with Yuan Li and reward him according to his merits.

"I…congratulate Your Majesty!"

When Xu Zhenguan stepped into the imperial study, Yuan Qingyi had been waiting for a long time and stood up and shouted.

The Queen of Dayu said with a smile:

"Mr. Yuan, please excuse the formalities. This is a great victory, and Mr. Yuan has made great contributions. I would like to congratulate you and share your joy."

The king and his ministers smiled at each other.

The imperial study was filled with a happy atmosphere.

The two sat down and first reviewed the situation briefly, discussing the follow-up, including the reaction of the Huaishui Pei family and Li Yanfu's next move.

Then, Yuan Li suddenly said:

"Your Majesty, an interesting thing happened after the court was dismissed."

"Oh?" Xu Zhenguan's eyes showed curiosity.

Yuan Li said, "Before leaving the Meridian Gate, Ma Yan was ordered to come and take Pei Kaizhi away, accompanied by Zhao Duan. He happened to run into the distraught Pei Kaizhi."

"Zhao Duan entered the palace?" Xu Zhenguan was slightly surprised.

She hadn't been summoned recently, so she didn't know why the "little imperial guards" appeared at the Meridian Gate.

Hmm, accompanying Ma Yan, could it be that he is here to watch the fun... The empress didn't think much about it.

This big drama in the court attracted the attention of the entire capital. It made sense that Zhao Duan was curious and wanted to join in the fun by relying on his relationship with Ma Yan.

Yuan Li smiled and nodded. "Then, both sides blocked the road. Zhao Duan exchanged a few words with Pei Kaizhi, and he was so angry that he vomited blood on the spot and fainted in the square."

"Is this really true?" The Queen of Dayu was stunned and couldn't help but shook her head and laughed:

"Pei Kaizhi has truly lost his composure. The once august and majestic minister is now angry with a mere white horse messenger."

Xu Zhenguan sighed slightly, then became curious:

"What did he say to make the former minister lose his composure like this?"

Yuan Li's smile is weird:

"He only said a few words of comfort. However, I believe that Minister Pei's loss of composure had less to do with his words and more to do with Envoy Zhao himself."

At this time, Xu Zhenguan finally noticed something was wrong. A strange color flashed across her clear eyes as she slowly said:

"What does Lord Yuan want to say? Don't try to tempt me."

Zhao Duan? Pei Kaizhi?

How could two people who have nothing to do with each other be connected?

Yuan Li smiled and said:

"I will report that the first person to strike the blow in the battle of 'Beheading Pei' was none other than the White Horse Commander, the envoy, Zhao Duan."

Thanks to: Jiangdongrenren for the 1500-coin reward, Li Shipu for 100 coins, and Yiqijuecheng for the 100-coin reward!

(End of this chapter)