The Empress's No.1 Lackey

Those who disliked you, like the people from Xiping Road and Prince Hejian, might have deliberately sent misleading messages to the border, fueling the conflict between you and Tang Ping, thereby stirring mistrust between Duke Tang and Your Majesty...

In any case, I had already sent someone earlier to inform them that you would be going to greet them today. It is always better to clarify matters in person rather than ignoring them. Do you still think you have not made enough enemies?"

Zhao Douan realized that his senior brother was looking out for him and innocently said,

"I didn't say I wouldn't go."

After chatting leisurely for a while and noticing the time was about right, Ma Yan and Zhao Douan rode their horses straight to the outside of the West City Gate.

At this moment, a group of civil and military officials had already taken their positions.

A large crowd stood in the cold wind, chatting casually while waiting for the Duke's entourage.

However, everyone strained their eyes looking into the distance, and after waiting for a long time, as the sun rose higher and the appointed hour had long passed, there was still no sign of the entourage on the official road.

"Could there have been an accident on the road, delaying their journey?" someone speculated, "Or was there a mistake with the delivery of the time?"

Ma Yan also furrowed his brows, and just then, behind the crowd at the city gate, an official rode up breathlessly and dismounted, gesturing to everyone,

"Do not wait any longer; the Duke's party has already entered the city through the North Gate and has now gone back to the Duke Mansion!"

Many officials were stunned, confused, and some even showed displeasure,

"The letter stated they would enter through the West Gate; why change the route suddenly? Are they making a mockery of us by having us wait in the cold?"

The official hesitated, carefully looking at Zhao Douan in the crowd, and explained,

"It seems that, knowing General Zhao was coming to greet him, the Duke thought..."

Everyone fell silent, and the atmosphere turned strange.

Zhao Douan, appearing nonchalant, was taken aback for a moment before smiling, "Thought what?"

The official's forehead glistened with sweat as he stammered, "Thought to change the route."

Ma Yan's expression turned grim, and then feeling a headache coming on, he perceived the strange shift in the atmosphere and coughed lightly,

"In that case, let's return to the city and visit the Duke at the Duke Mansion."

The officials exchanged looks, tacitly avoiding any mention of the earlier conversation, and agreed,

"That's good."

Neither Zhao Douan nor Duke Tang wished to provoke trouble without cause.

Zhao Douan glanced at Ma Yan and smiled,

"Let the Lord take the officials over; I'd better not go, lest I displease the Duke."

Ma Yan took a deep breath, pulled him aside, and said,

"It seems the situation is more troublesome than anticipated; I will explain to Duke Tang on your behalf later. You go back to the government office and wait for my message; do not go anywhere rashly."

Zhao Douan smiled brightly,

"Lord, what are you saying? When have I ever been unaware of the bigger picture? Don't worry, it's just a misunderstanding; I'll wait for the Lord at the government office and not go anywhere."

Ma Yan's gaunt face twitched slightly, somehow finding Zhao Douan's overly cheerful demeanor a bit unsettling. He fell silent a moment before saying,

"There's no need for such formality when it's just us."

...

This unexpected turn of events caught everyone off guard.

The group turned back towards the city, with Ma Yan leading a group of officials who harbored grievances yet dared not show it, heading straight for Duke Zhen Guo Mansion.

Zhao Douan rode back to the Imperial Court alone, lost in thought,

Although he had been prepared that the protective Duke Tang might be upset about the Young Master, he had thought his current reputation, along with the favor of the Empress, would at least ensure that Duke Tang's outward behavior was not too harsh.

But it seemed things were a tad worse than expected.

However, contrary to what others worried, Zhao Douan knew well that his poor relationship with Tang Ping had been resolved long ago on that very night when he had personally invited Tang Ping back to the Divine Mechanism Camp.

This reconciliation was only known to the two of them; outsiders were unaware, including Ma Yan who still thought Zhao Douan had reinstated Tang Ping due to the Empress's orders.

After that, Zhao Douan's infrequent visits to the Divine Mechanism Camp had also been interpreted as mutual dislike with the Young Master.

But Zhao Douan felt like saying: You're all overthinking it...

So, in his view, the situation was not so complicated. All it would take was for Duke Tang to return home, summon Tang Ping, explain the matter between father and son, and their slight misunderstanding would be cleared.

Although everyone thought Yama Zhao would bear a grudge, the real Mr. Zhao was a man with a wide heart.

Shaking his head, Zhao Douan dismissed these thoughts and didn't take them to heart; however, just as he turned onto the street leading to the Imperial Court, he saw a familiar figure in a hurry, leading a horse out.

"Sir? You're back!"

Holding the horse, Hou Renmeng paused, seeming anxious, "I was just about to leave the city to find you."

Zhao Douan looked surprised, "What's the matter?"

Hou Renmeng spoke quickly,

"You should quickly check the hall; a fierce-looking woman came by, didn't give her name but seemed powerful and full of military air, looking for you, sir. Qian Kerou said you weren't in, but she insisted on waiting. Zheng thought the visitor seemed hostile and sent me out to find you."

Zhao Douan's expression turned curious, "She didn't identify herself? Then how did she enter the government office?"

The Imperial Court wasn't a place anyone could just walk into.

Hou Renmeng said, "She had an Assistant General's waist card."

"Take me there." Zhao Douan dismounted and followed Hou directly to Lihua Hall.

As they entered the courtyard, they saw Zheng Laojiu and Shen Juan gathered with a group of Jinyi, all perking up when they saw him arrive: