Chapter 3: Survival from Death
How to please your boss and be a caring and loyal dog?
The first thing is to understand the master's temperament.
But in the original owner's memory, he did not have a deep understanding of the empress's character, and his mind was full of pornographic garbage.
Zhao Duan could only guess on his own and test carefully. For example, the question the empress just asked revealed a hint of her fear of the masters of the Xuanmen.
Since ancient times, unless the difference between imperial power and religious power is huge, it has always been difficult for them to coexist harmoniously. I think Dayu is no exception.
The meaning of this sentence copied by Zhao Duan can be translated as: Governing a large country is like frying a small fish. If you use the "Tao" to govern the world, ghosts and gods will have no effect.
The "Tao" here refers to the Tao of the saints.
And the emperor is a saint.
He is playing a very high-level flattery.
Next to the desk.
"Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish..." Xu Zhenguan pondered the sentence for a moment, then said, "That doesn't sound like what you would say."
Zhao Duan said calmly, "Reform and relief are not something that the Prime Minister would propose."
Xu Zhenguan smiled, the majesty on his face turned gentle, and his phoenix eyes curved slightly downwards.
In an instant, the ancient and quaint palaces became bright.
Zhao Duan exhaled silently, the bet was right!
It seems that the Queen of Dayu really doesn't like people who practice cultivation to interfere in the secular world.
Although Xu Zhenguan appreciated this sentence, she was not too surprised. After all, she was a female emperor who was well-read and had great knowledge. She was more of a little surprised by this "rumored boyfriend"... but that was all.
"Tell me, what brings you to the palace to see me?" She changed the subject lightly and placed the pen in the recess of the jade pen holder.
Zhao Duan's heart suddenly lifted, he put down the inkstone, bowed and apologized:
"Your Majesty, I, your humble servant, report to you..."
He described the whole incident in detail without embellishing himself too much.
As the most powerful woman in Dayu, she wouldn't be so stupid as not to conduct an investigation.
The room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
After Zhao Duan finished his memorial, he lowered his head and waited for the empress's decision.
He was not sure how much effect his temporary increase in favorability would have.
Do your best and leave the rest to fate.
He even predicted several of the Empress's reactions and made corresponding plans.
However, the imagined wrath of thunder did not arrive. Xu Zhenguan said calmly, "Is that all?"
“…Yes, Your Majesty, I…”
"Leave," Xu Zhenguan said, "I am tired."
Zhao Duan's heart sank suddenly as he heard the subtle change in the empress's voice.
The few smiles and appreciation have been replaced by coldness and alienation.
"Aren't you leaving yet?" Seeing that he didn't move, the empress's voice became deep.
"I...will take my leave." Zhao Duan bowed and left. When he finally closed the door, he caught a glimpse of a beautiful woman in white clothes and black hair looking out the window with her hands behind her back.
There is a lake outside the window, with rippling water.
I don't know what Xu Zhenguan was thinking.
Not long.
There were footsteps outside the door, accompanied by the palace people's respectful title of "Zhao Rong", and then the sound of the door creaking open.
Immediately, the calm and capable voice of another young female official sounded:
"Your Majesty, the Imperial Household Supervisor Ma Yan and the Censor of the Metropolitan Censorate are waiting outside to impeach Zhao Duan of the White Horse Prison, accusing him of secretly releasing the rebel Zhuang Xiaocheng and possibly colluding with him..."
"knew."
"How to deal with it?"
"What do you think?"
"If it were anyone else... we could interrogate him according to the law. However, Zhao Duan is a chess piece chosen by Your Majesty. I dare not make a judgment on your own."
Xu Zhenguan sighed, "It's just a casual move, nothing serious. I heard he has a bad reputation."
The female official said coldly:
"This is terrible. I heard that this person, relying on rumors, is running rampant in the capital, acting recklessly and wantonly. He is uneducated and notorious, causing widespread resentment among the people..."
The numerous crimes made the Empress's head buzz...
After the female official finished her complaint, she said:
"This is especially damaging to Your Majesty's reputation. This time, letting the rebels go free, regardless of whether they are colluding or not, all officials in the court will do their utmost to impeach them. I'm afraid that only executing them will not be enough to appease the anger."
The implication is that useless people should be killed.
However, Xu Zhenguan hesitated for a rare moment. The impression Zhao Duan had just left on her emerged in her mind, and she felt that it was different from the rumors.
It was probably just a disguise in front of me... It seems that he deserves to be killed even more.
but……
"Send someone to find the Supervisor of the White Horse Prison and ask him about his evaluation of Zhao Duan, whether the rumors in the streets are true, and whether he still has value. If... he is really useless, then hand him over to the imperial court for disposal." Xu Zhenguan's words were golden.
"yes."
…
…
On the other side, Zhao Duan walked out of the palace with an ugly expression on his face.
The Empress did not give a clear answer, which he thought was a bad signal.
It's like a gate knife hanging high in the air, no one knows when it will fall.
"Next, the people from the imperial court, and even the officials in the imperial court who have long harbored resentment towards me, will surely flock to me. And since I'm not a true lover, I can't influence his side... This is going to be a disaster."
"The Empress's attitude has made it clear that she has no strong intention to favor me. The situation in the Dayu court is complicated. As the Empress's gigolo, I may very well become a pawn in the court's attempts to curb the emperor's power."
"Even if the charges cannot be proven, I cannot bear the torture and interrogation if I am arrested."
Zhao Duan didn't dare to gamble on how much his actions just now could influence the empress's decision.
You must find a way to save yourself!
As long as the gate knife has not really fallen, there is still a chance to struggle!
Zhao Duan thought calmly and tried to change his thinking.
When ordinary people face false accusations, their typical approach is to prove their innocence and appeal for justice to gain sympathy.
But this is not the real logic of how the world works.
Through brief contact, Zhao Duan believed that the Queen of Dayu was a smart person and would most likely be able to determine that he was not colluding with the enemy.
This can also be seen from the other party's performance just now.
The biggest reason for killing himself was to quell the impeachment of the officials, and at most to vent his anger.
From the emperor's perspective:
"As long as the value I provide is greater than the value I can gain by killing me, I can survive."
Zhao Duan's thoughts suddenly became clear. There were countless corrupt officials and treacherous ministers in history. The reason why the emperor did not eradicate them was largely because these people were more useful when they were alive.
Following the same logic, as long as he can demonstrate enough value before the switch falls, and he does not cross the red line, there is hope for a comeback.
Capture Zhuang Xiaocheng? Unrealistic.
Then there is only one way left.
"Make amends for my sins." Zhao Duan got into the carriage, having already made up his mind. He could not depend his life or death on the whim of a big shot in the upper echelons.
Must try to do something.
But how could he achieve enough merit in such a short period of time? Zhao Duan was at a loss.
"Sir, are you going back to the government office?" asked the coachman.
Zhao Duan's heart moved, and he said in a deep voice:
"Back. Immediately, right now!"
…
…
The Baima Supervisory Office is located not far from the imperial city.
As a newly established government office, its internal structure was simple, with one "Sijian" being an old eunuch sent from the palace.
It is said that the old eunuch once served the third princess and was considered a direct descendant of the empress.
In addition, there are many "envoys" in the prison, and their ranks are equal, with no high or low. The emperor will entrust any temporary tasks to the envoys.
This official position was created by Emperor Taizu, the founding emperor of Dayu.
It is said that one day, Taizu wanted to eat fresh lychees, so he appointed a "lychee envoy" to find a way to send lychees from Lingnan to the capital.
Because they worked for the royal family and enjoyed privileges, it was considered a lucrative job with much money to be made, so many high-ranking officials took advantage of the situation and tried to get people in.
However, the Empress attached great importance to appearance when appointing envoys, and only good-looking ones could enter. Therefore, it was rumored that the Baima Prison was the Empress's reserve harem for male favorites.
After Zhao Duan got off the car and entered the yamen, he casually ordered the servants to feed the horses and wash the car, and went straight to his own office.
"Zhu Kui?" He shouted loudly, the name of his trusted black-clad official.
It was the ugly and ferocious official who held him and shook him when he woke up in the bamboo forest.
I remember that he used to work in the government office and was an experienced official.
However, what greeted him was not the flattering smile of the black-clad official.
Instead, it was a man in his thirties, with a handsome appearance, a delicate mustache and thin lips, sitting in the duty room and drinking tea.
The latter slowly put down the tea bowl, smiling:
"Envoy Zhao, I heard something happened to you? Congratulations."
…
P.S.: Thanks to the insider boss for the 20,000 yuan reward! Thanks to the beautiful Huang'er and old book friend Li Shipu for the reward and support~
(End of this chapter)
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