Chapter 20: The Second Year of Tianfeng, First Conversation with the Empress in the Palace "Here..." As the empress spoke, Zhao Duan came back to his senses and sat down at the table below. I found that the dishes and chopsticks were already set 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 the spoon and picked up the chopsticks to pick up the food. His eating movements were swift and elegant. ah? oh! It means that I can pick up my chopsticks myself... Zhao Duan didn't have breakfast and was hungry now. Facing a table full of delicious food, his appetite was whetted, so he just 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 is much larger than that of an ordinary woman... maybe it's 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 seven-foot-tall 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, 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. Well, the third day of the journey. Won a new achievement: [The Empress's Dinner Partner] …… About a quarter of an hour later, the two put down their chopsticks at almost the same time. Xu Zhenguan wiped his mouth with a piece of silk and asked: "I am 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 Eileen Chang once said: If you want to capture a man's (woman's) heart, you must first capture her stomach. Zhang Ailing also said: The path to a woman's soul is... Zhao Duan's thoughts were in a mess. Still okay? 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 spiritual practice, the empress had strict requirements on diet. "Someone, withdraw."
At a command, the palace servants waiting outside the door removed the leftovers and served the two of them the brewed tribute tea. The female official sensibly closed the door, 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 accuse Li Yanfu, didn't you?" Seeing through things like seeing fire, the intelligence of the ancients really should not be underestimated... Zhao Duan sighed secretly. Fortunately, he had already prepared several plans for this meeting. He immediately stood up and apologized: "Your Majesty has a keen eye. It is true that Chief Feng was threatened by me." This kind of thing cannot be concealed. If I find Feng Ju and ask him, I will get the truth. So I absolutely cannot lie. "Is he willing to be persecuted by you?" "I used your Majesty's name to make him 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 want to do this?” "Please live. After I learned 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 back. He remembered that three days ago, the man happened to run into him and Li Yanfu discussing state affairs. Unexpectedly, he would use this as a breakthrough. This cleverness... Her eyes flickered, and she did not continue the topic, but changed the subject: "Zhang Changshuo wants to impeach you today. Did you know in advance?" Zhao Duan said: “I’ve already noticed it, but I don’t know how it will be reported.” He really knew...Xu Zhenguan became interested and said: "Tell me carefully." "Yes." Zhao Duan immediately arranged his people 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 Division Supervisor. He also described in detail how he invited Feng Ju, tricked him into defecting, and then went to the Ministry of Justice to do 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 not concealed anything about the incident. In order to ensure the smooth progress of the plan, I dared to pretend to be the power of heaven. My crime is unforgivable. Please punish me, Saint!" 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 his identity as a "fake lover" to bully others. Complete this series of operations in just two days. And succeeded in changing her mind. This level of intelligence and ability alone surpasses too many people in this temple.
Xu Zhenguan even thought that if the situation were reversed, 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 randomly 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 so? For example, the White Horse Supervisor?" Xu Zhenguan suddenly asked. Zhao Duan said: "The supervisor has been very kind to me and has taken good care of me. However, I did this all by myself and did not receive any advice 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 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. There must be a demon in the abnormal situation. 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 eyes. 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 fluttered without wind, her long black hair was suddenly covered with a layer of glow, and a seal was faintly flashing 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 sharp gaze seemed to penetrate every corner of his body, and no ghost could escape. She was spying on him! …… ps: The chapter was originally called [Interrogation], but after watching short videos, I was brainwashed by "In 1974, the first free fighting in Southeast Asia..." Thanks to the support of 500 coins from Huanger Beast~ (End of this chapter)