The Empress's No.1 Lackey

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At noon, the rain cleared.

As the "daytime curfew" was lifted, the citizens of the Capital emerged from their homes. The shops opened in an orderly fashion, and the cobblestone streets of the city bustled with pedestrians.

The previously dormant city seemed wound tight like a spring, renewing its vitality.

"Hyah! Hyah!"

On Vermilion Bird Street, a carriage charged wildly, the sound of hooves like thunder. Pedestrians scattered in fear, desperate to get out of the way.

Inside the carriage, Zhao Douan leaned back against a soft cushioned seat, gazing at the quaint ancient city through the fluttering curtains, dispelling his last trace of doubt,

"This isn't the world of Truman."

The evidence for his judgment not only lay in the overwhelming sense of reality but also more importantly in the vastly different body and the chaotic, fragmented memories in his mind.

In his previous life, born as a small-town scholar, he struggled and managed to pass the civil service exams. He walked the path of a secretary and rose quickly by aligning himself with the right people, becoming the envy of others.

Yet beneath the glamorous exterior, he was cautious and walked on thin ice.

His lowly background left him lacking the confidence to squander power; he bent his back in servitude, ultimately dying of exhaustion due to late-night overtime work.

Little did he expect, upon opening his eyes again, to become an ancient powerful official, achieving instant success.

...

As for his current identity, it was somewhat delicate.

The Great Yu dynasty had unified the Central Plains and had been established for a long time. The previous Old Emperor was muddleheaded and incompetent. After his passing, the internal strife among his descendants led to the so-called "Xuanmen Coup."

The victor was the Third Imperial Princess, now the current Saint, a rare female ruler in history.

The original owner of the body was a mere soldier in the imperial guard, who switched allegiances during the coup, betting on the Female Emperor and being promoted. Because of his handsome looks and flattering skills, he grew increasingly favored.

After the Female Emperor ascended the throne, she established the "White Horse Hall" to handle her private matters.

The original owner held the position of "Envoy" within it.

Due to handling the Saint's matters, the White Horse Envoy was not under the jurisdiction of the six ministries but could freely enter the Imperial Palace and even temporarily deploy small groups of the imperial guard, wielding significant power.

Among the many envoys, the original owner was rumored to be the Female Emperor's own "Gigolo," garnering the attention of the Capital's officialdom.

It was imaginable that once a small soldier in the imperial guard gained power, he would inevitably become wanton and unruly.

For the past year, the original owner developed an arrogant, extravagant lifestyle, carousing and mingling with high-ranking officials and nobles, behaving despicably and making many enemies.

His reputation was extremely poor.

He was a standard example of a villain in power.

Yet he wasn't without merits.

The original owner was acutely aware that his power stemmed from the Female Emperor, so he was exceptionally diligent in catering to her preferences.

After the "Xuanmen Coup," the Second Prince's faction was defeated, fleeing and hiding in the shadows to contend with the Female Emperor, a significant threat. The Jinyi Guard was tasked with capturing the rebels in the Capital.

The original owner, eager to win favor with the Female Emperor, secretly bribed the Jinyi Guard's informants to intercept intelligence. Unexpectedly, he obtained a lead a few days ago,

A suspected high-ranking member of the insurgents was hiding in the Capital.

Upon pursuing it, he indeed found something. The original owner, eager to claim credit, disregarded the Jinyi Guard's plan to "let the long line catch the big fish" and urgently mobilized the imperial guard to seize someone.

Thus leading to the previous scene.

As for the truth of the coup, the original owner, being a direct witness, had a substantial say. From what he observed, it was indeed the Second Prince who initiated the coup, fratricide first, while the Female Emperor intervened later.

The rhetoric of the old Grand Tutor was fabricated, a narrative devised to defame the Female Emperor.

Zhao Douan cared little about this; he only concerned himself with his predicament.

For the original owner's series of baffling actions, Zhao Douan had only two words:

"Stupid!"

"That Zhuang Xiaocheng, although a ruthless and deceitful scholar, wasn't wrong about one thing: getting carried away with pride is the nature of a petty person. Even without today's incident, 'I' wouldn't be able to be arrogant for long."

"The royal court isn't a place to be muddled like this."

"If I caught the person, it would be fine. But they escaped, while the government officers were maliciously obstructed by 'me,' and the Jinyi Guard, in order to prove their innocence, would undoubtedly do everything to pin the blame on me..."

"I've also offended so many people; they'll surely kick me when I'm down..."

To secretly release rebels!

Such a serious crime, if confirmed, meant he was finished!

This was an executable offense.

Even without evidence, just suspicion alone would mean he couldn't keep his official robe.

Considering the original owner's villainous penchant for misdeeds, once stripped of his official status, life would be worse than death.

After all, this was an ancient feudal society, not a law-governed one...

...

Inside the carriage.

Zhao Douan's forehead broke out in cold sweat, a chill creeping up his spine as he racked his brain for a solution,

"Escape? No, within the Capital, it's impossible to flee..."

"Family help? This dynasty isn't under the Zhao lineage but the Xu, nor does the original owner belong to a prestigious family..."

"Turn to the original owner's friends for aid? Ha, those fickle friends, it's a blessing if they don't stab you in the back."

"Seduce by looks, using the status of a male pet or Gigolo, to win the Female Emperor's trust?"

This seemed to be the most reliable method, also the reason why the black-clad officer suggested he enter the palace.

But with the original owner's memories, Zhao Douan knew that he had never even touched the Female Emperor!

Even in the past year, their private meetings had been few and far between.

At most, there was some ambiguity, or more accurately speaking, the original owner always felt that the Female Emperor was interested in him!

This wasn't merely wishful thinking. There were three pieces of evidence:

First, the original owner was handsome, and the Female Emperor had praised him many times.

Second, the Female Emperor permitted the original owner to enter and exit the palace and treated him differently compared to other envoys of the White Horse Hall.

Third, and most importantly, the rumor about the male protagonist being the Female Emperor's Gigolo had been circulating for a year, and given the Female Emperor's network, she would have known about it immediately.

Yet, the Female Emperor had never denied it!

Instead, she tacitly allowed it!

This was quite intriguing.

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