Chapter 21: Loyal Zhao Duan
The magnificent power of heaven.
At this moment, Zhao Duan clearly realized:
Under that power, no living creature could resist and could only crawl.
But for some reason, he could clearly feel that his consciousness was not affected at all.
It was as if his soul was immune to the spells of this world.
"Is this the power of cultivation in this world?"
"The Empress of Dayu is indeed a cultivator... But, in the original owner's memory, didn't the Empress follow the path of martial arts?"
"Wait, quickly gather your thoughts and don't show any strangeness!"
Zhao Duan's thoughts raced as he tried his best to keep his soul within his body.
After an unknown amount of time, the gaze that had swept across his entire body was retracted, the invisible pressure suddenly disappeared, and all the strange phenomena subsided.
"Hu..." Zhao Duan gasped for breath like a fish coming ashore, and the scenery in his vision returned to normal:
He was still sitting at the round table. The eyes of the empress opposite him had returned to black and white, and the wind around him had disappeared.
It was as if everything that happened just now was an illusion.
"Your Majesty..." Zhao Duan asked with lingering fear.
Xu Zhenguan took a sip from the green jade teacup, his face calm and his heart steady as he lied:
"I heard that you were attacked by a mysterious sorcerer when you were capturing Zhuang Xiaocheng. I'm worried that your spirit might have hidden dangers, so I'll help you investigate."
I don't believe you... You are clearly testing my body... Zhao Duan said nervously:
"What was the result?"
"No problem," Xu Zhenguan said, paused, and added:
"Although there are some injuries, I have helped you heal them."
She had indeed suspected that Zhao Duan in front of her was affected by magic.
For example, some sorcerers have the power to "bewitch people's minds."
It can achieve a hypnotic effect.
The recipient will subconsciously follow the caster's orders without knowing it.
It even changes people's perception of things. There have been two vicious incidents in history:
A certain sorcerer deceived the people of a certain area, turning the sexual intercourse between men and women into a daily ritual...
Another one is even more outrageous:
All the people in a small town were bewitched, their gender identities were reversed, and a collective psychological transformation occurred...
However, after her inspection just now, although Zhao Duan's soul had indeed suffered some impact, it was within a reasonable range and was not affected by any similar "bewitching" ability.
With the empress's cultivation level, even the old Taoist priest from the Taoist Temple or Master Xuanyin could not hide their magic from her eyes.
"So, it was really his own idea, without any guidance from others..."
Xu Zhenguan held the tea bowl, his doubts growing instead of diminishing.
Did they treat me? No wonder I feel so much better. It seems time travel still has its perks. At least I don't have to worry about my origins being exposed.
Zhao Duan's heart suddenly settled down, knowing that he had passed the test of magic.
I got through the hardest part.
…
…
"I'm curious."
Finally, Xu Zhenguan stopped thinking and stared at the handsome man in front of him with his bright eyes and asked:
"From what I understand, the abilities you demonstrated today are vastly different from those previously rumored. I demand an explanation."
Here we come!
Zhao Duan was cheered up, and it was time for the performance segment he was good at.
He was silent for a moment, then he said as if lost in reminiscence:
"A year ago, I was fortunate to be recommended by Your Majesty and was given an important position as the White Horse Envoy.
From being an unknown foot soldier in the Imperial Guards, to becoming a so-called "celebrity" in front of His Majesty in the eyes of outsiders, this is truly the result of ten lifetimes of cultivation..."
Xu Zhenguan did not interrupt him and waited quietly for what was to come.
Zhao Duan looked at her carefully and said:
"But later, rumors and gossip gradually spread throughout the court and the public, involving me and Your Majesty... At first, I thought they were just groundless rumors and nothing to worry about. However, as the rumors intensified, the palace never dealt with them.
Even... Your Majesty seems to treat me a little differently than other colleagues."
Xu Zhenguan remained calm and did not take it as an offense:
"Go on."
Zhao Duan took a breath and said seriously:
"I know my own limitations, and there is nothing rumored about me and Your Majesty. Yet, Your Majesty's attitude seems to be... as if he is allowing this rumor to spread!
I am greatly perplexed, and having no one to talk to, I have no choice but to ponder it myself."
"I would like to make a bold assumption: if this was indeed done intentionally by Your Majesty, what was the purpose?
I am just a small soldier, what is so special about me? After thinking about it, I can only come up with one possibility.
Xu Zhenguan asked curiously, "What's possible?"
"Bait!" Zhao Duan said aloud.
"At that time, Your Majesty had just ascended the throne, and the government was not stable. There were countless people secretly harboring ulterior motives, some with ties to the rebels, others with their own interests at stake, who would always seek to harm Your Majesty.
However, Your Majesty is extremely powerful and resides in the Imperial Palace, so even if you want to harm him, it would be difficult to do so."
"So, if we can place a bait outside the palace, perhaps we can lure someone into taking the bait."
"I am a mere foot soldier, with very little cunning and only a good appearance. I am a perfect bait. If you spread the word, I will be favored by Your Majesty. And if you can put me in an office like the White Horse Prison...
If someone in the dark is paying attention, they might use me as a breakthrough point, whether it's to gather intelligence or to incite rebellion... I am the best candidate in the open."
Xu Zhenguan's eyes became brighter:
"Go on."
Zhao Duan took a deep breath and said:
"After guessing this possibility, I began to wonder what I could do to relieve Your Majesty's worries and perfectly complete this mission. I believe the person in the dark is very cautious. I want to lure them into the trap and make sure they drop their guard against me."
Xu Zhenguan seemed to understand something:
"So, you've changed your personality?"
"Yes!" Zhao Duan said:
“So, I followed the example of the ancients, pretending to be favored by the emperor, and became arrogant and domineering. I associated with the dandy young men in the capital, and tarnished my reputation.
I also deliberately broke with the supervisor who had been kind to me... This way, people would think I was a foolish, arrogant, heartless, and beautiful 'male concubine'...
This will allow those who intend to harm Your Majesty to lower their guard and dare to approach me, revealing their true colors!"
After a pause, he looked regretful:
"It's a pity. I don't know if it's because I didn't do my job well, or if the traitors are too cautious. Over the past year, I've mostly been able to lure in unimportant scum like Feng Ju and Wang Xian. As for the truly treacherous and evil people, they haven't been able to take the bait."
Very powerful!
Zhao Duan's words were full of loyalty and righteousness.
It perfectly shows the sincere character of Feiyangyang, a man who is blessed by heaven and loyal to the emperor, who would rather defile himself and bear the infamy of the world than share the worries of the saint.
This was also the most reasonable version he came up with after thinking about it last night to explain the changes in his personality.
Zhao Duan never thought that he could truly and perfectly integrate into the original owner.
Even Zhu Kui could notice his changes after just a few days of brief contact, so how could he deceive the empress's discerning eyes?
Therefore, when he realized that his identity as a "masked mistress" was extremely strange.
It was also learned that the original owner had been appreciated by the supervisor and was once a good young man, but after being contaminated by fame, wealth and power, he came up with this excuse.
This set of statements can perfectly explain why Zhao Duan's mind and methods are inconsistent with the rumors.
As for whether or not it was really the empress who deliberately threw out the bait for fishing, it doesn’t matter!
As long as you can justify yourself, you win.
In the tea room.
After listening to Zhao Duan's heartfelt speech, Xu Zhenguan, the Queen of Dayu, was stunned for a moment, and when she looked at him again, her eyes were different.
(End of this chapter)
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