Chapter 20: The Second Year of Tianfeng, First Conversation with the Empress in the Bedroom
“Here…”
As the empress spoke, Zhao Duan came back to his senses and sat down at the table below.
I found that the dishes had been set out in front of me.
Just as the female official had said, there were no servants in the room.
"Do it yourself." Xu Zhenguan said casually. As he spoke, he put down his spoon and picked up his chopsticks to pick up the food. His eating movements were quick and elegant.
Huh? Oh!
It means that I can pick up my chopsticks myself... Zhao Duan didn't have breakfast and was hungry now. Facing a large table full of delicacies, his appetite was whetted, so he simply started eating.
The empress did not seem to have the habit of talking while eating. She was very focused while eating and moved her chopsticks very quickly.
So many ingredients were stuffed into her small mouth without her noticing.
Her appetite far exceeds that of an ordinary woman... It's probably because of her martial arts training, which consumes a lot of energy... No wonder she doesn't want anyone to serve her... Zhao Duan guessed.
Oh, it’s okay that my status is lower than yours, but I can’t be a tall and strong man and not be able to eat as much as you... Zhao Duan’s manly desire to win came up, and he secretly competed with her.
He thought to himself, even if the empress would find out that he was not the original owner, he still wanted to have a good meal before he died.
For a moment, the only sounds in the room were the king and his minister, who were eating in silence.
Well, the third day of the journey.
New achievement awarded: [Empress's Dining Partner]
…
About a quarter of an hour later, the two of them put down their chopsticks almost at the same time. Xu Zhenguan wiped his mouth with a piece of silk and asked:
"Are you full?"
"yes."
“How does it taste?”
"It's okay." Zhao Duan gave an objective judgment.
The cooking skills in the imperial kitchen are top-notch and the ingredients are delicious, but the taste buds, which have been educated by the technology and hard work of the previous life, are extremely picky.
Well... the emperor's food is just like this. When I get back, I'll think about how to extract MSG. Maybe it will have a miraculous effect on licking her...
After all, love mentor Zhang Ailing once said:
If you want to capture a man's (woman's) heart, you must first capture her stomach.
Zhao Duan's thoughts were in a mess.
Not bad? Xu Zhenguan was a little surprised.
But he just thought that the food was too light and not to his taste - as a master of cultivation, the empress had strict requirements on diet.
"Someone, take it down."
At a command, the palace servants waiting outside the door removed the leftovers and served the two of them with brewed tribute tea.
The female official closed the door sensibly, and for a moment, only the emperor and his minister were left in the "tea room".
Zhao Duan's heart tightened, and he realized that it was time to get down to business.
As expected, the Empress spoke with shocking words:
"You forced Feng Ju to write that letter of accusation, to implicate Li Yanfu, didn't you?"
Seeing through things like seeing through fire, the intelligence of the ancients really shouldn't be underestimated... Zhao Duan sighed secretly. Fortunately, he had already prepared several contingency plans for this meeting. He immediately stood up and apologized:
"Your Majesty has a keen eye. Chief Feng was indeed coerced by this humble minister."
This kind of thing cannot be concealed. If you find Feng Ju and ask him, you will get the answer, so you must not lie.
"Is he willing to be persecuted by you?"
"I used your Majesty's name to force him to submit, but from beginning to end, I did not mention your Majesty at all. It was just that Feng Ju made a wrong association... I am guilty!"
"Why do you do this?"
"Seeking life. After learning about 'changing rice to mulberry', I presumptuously speculated that Your Majesty might need it."
Xu Zhen looked at the man in front of him who lowered his head and reported.
Thinking back to three days ago, the other party happened to run into him and Li Yanfu discussing state affairs. Unexpectedly, they used this as a breakthrough opportunity. Such cleverness...
Her eyes flickered, and she didn't continue the topic, but changed the subject:
"Zhang Changshuo wants to impeach you today. Did you know in advance?"
Zhao Duan said:
"I've noticed it a long time ago, but I don't know how exactly they will report it."
He really knew... Xu Zhenguan became interested and said:
"Tell me more carefully."
"Yes." Zhao Duan immediately arranged his men to keep an eye on Wang Xian, but accidentally saw the whereabouts of Zhang Changshuo's men, and then reported the matter to the Baima Supervisor.
He also described in detail how he invited Feng Ju, tricked him into defecting, and then went to the Ministry of Justice to work, deceiving Zhang Changshuo and making him think he had caught him.
"So, you deliberately wanted to trick him?" Xu Zhenguan asked.
"Yes," Zhao Duan said without hesitation, "He wants to kill me, so of course I won't be polite to him."
After a pause, he confessed again:
"I have concealed nothing about the events that took place. To ensure the smooth progress of my plan, I boldly invoked the authority of Heaven. This crime is unforgivable. Please, Saint, punish me!"
Xu Zhenguan didn't say anything, but his eyes revealed a hint of admiration.
Although, with her wisdom, she had already guessed it, but now she heard Zhao Duan's complete and detailed description of the whole process, she still couldn't help but be amazed.
Having committed such a serious crime and faced a life-threatening situation, he relied only on his slight insight into the struggles in the court and the identity of a "masked concubine" to bully others.
Complete this series of operations in just two days.
And succeeded in changing her mind.
This intelligence and ability alone surpasses too many people in this temple.
Xu Zhenguan even thought that if the other person were in his place, even if it was him, it would be difficult for him to do better than the other person.
The little imperial guard that I picked at random because of his looks actually had such talent?
Really?
She was a little suspicious.
"Are these your own ideas, or did someone instruct you to do this? For example, the White Horse Supervisor?" Xu Zhenguan suddenly asked.
Zhao Duan said:
"The Supervisor has been very kind to me and has taken great care of me. However, I did this all on my own, without any guidance from anyone."
This is easy to verify. Just send someone to ask the supervisor. Zhao Duan cannot and could not lie.
Xu Zhenguan frowned, becoming more and more surprised and confused.
There was no one else involved, which means it was all the work of the person in front of me?
But after all, this is in stark contrast to Zhao Duan's usual performance and reputation.
When something is abnormal, there must be something wrong.
As the ruler of a country, she must be suspicious of anything unusual.
"Raise your head!" Xu Zhenguan suddenly spoke in a commanding tone.
Zhao Duan looked up in confusion and met the empress's gaze. The next second, he was stunned.
The aura in the room suddenly changed, as if an invisible pressure emanated from the woman in front of him, covering the sky and the earth like a tsunami.
In an instant, Zhao Duan felt like a lone boat on the raging sea, as if he would be smashed to pieces by the waves in the next moment.
This body is trembling almost instinctively!
It’s not the effect of “official authority”, but the power of magic!
At this moment, the empress's white clothes moved without wind, her long black hair was suddenly covered with a layer of glow, and a seal was faintly shining between her eyebrows.
Everything in the room was swallowed up, and it seemed as if she was the only one in the world.
In Xu Zhenguan's beautiful eyes, there was a pure golden light flowing like thunder, emitting a breathtaking power.
“Heavenly might…”
Zhao Duan felt as if he was trapped in a void, and he could clearly feel that this body was trembling with fear.
What's more, his fierce gaze seemed to penetrate every corner of his body, and no ghost could escape.
She was spying on him!
…
PS: The chapter was originally titled [Interrogation], but after watching some short videos, I was brainwashed by “1974, the first free fighting in Southeast Asia…”
(End of this chapter)
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