As the Empress spoke, Zhao Douan came to his senses and took a seat at the lower end of the table.
He noticed that bowls and chopsticks were already set before him.
In the room, just as the female official had said, there were no servants attending.
"Serve yourself," Xu Zhenguan remarked casually. As he spoke, he put down the spoon and elegantly picked up food with his chopsticks, his eating movements swift yet graceful.
It meant that I had to use the chopsticks myself... Zhao Douan hadn't had breakfast and was now hungry, facing a table full of exquisite delicacies, his appetite was aroused, and he began eating heartily.
The Empress seemed to have no habit of talking while eating and was fully focused on her meal, her chopsticks flying.
So many ingredients disappeared into her small mouth without a moment's pause.
Her appetite far surpassed that of ordinary women... Probably due to her martial arts training and cultivation, which required a lot of energy... No wonder she didn't need anyone to serve her... Zhao Douan speculated.
Hah, it's one thing for your status to be lower, but as a man of seven feet, I can't let my appetite lose to you... Zhao Douan's competitive nature as a man emerged, secretly competing with her.
He thought that even if the Empress later saw through that he was not the original person, he would still have a full meal before dying.
For a while, the only sound in the room was the two of them eating heartily.
Well, it's the third day after traveling through time.
Earned a new achievement: [The Empress's Meal Companion]
About a quarter of an hour later, the two almost simultaneously put down their chopsticks. Xu Zhenguan wiped his mouth with a silk cloth and asked,
"Passable," Zhao Douan gave an objective judgment.
The culinary skills of the Imperial Kitchen were top-notch, and the ingredients were fresh, but his taste buds, trained by the technology and flavors of his previous life, were quite picky.
Hmm... The food of the Emperor is just so-so, maybe I'll think about how to refine some MSG when I get back, maybe it will work wonders for pleasing her...
After all, love guru Zhang Ailing once said,
To capture a man's (or woman's) heart, one must first capture her stomach.
Zhang Ailing also said that the way to a woman's soul is...
Zhao Douan's thoughts drifted.
Passable? Xu Zhenguan was slightly surprised.
But he only thought it was because the food was too bland and didn't suit his taste — the Empress, being a high-level practitioner, had strict requirements for her diet.
"Servants, clear the table."
At the command, the palace attendants waiting outside cleared away the leftovers and then brought them freshly brewed tribute tea.
The female official sensibly closed the door, and for a moment, only the sovereign and minister remained in the "tea room."
Zhao Douan's heart tightened as he realized it was time to discuss serious matters.
Sure enough, the Empress opened with astonishing words,
"The accusation report by Feng Ju, was it coerced by you, making him frame Li Yanfu?"
Clear and insightful, indeed, the intelligence of the ancients should not be underestimated... Zhao Douan silently sighed, but fortunately, he had prepared several contingency plans for this meeting. Immediately, he stood up and confessed,
"Your Majesty, your insight is like a torch. Chief Feng was indeed coerced by me."
Such a matter couldn't be hidden. Just asking Feng Ju would verify it, so lying was out of the question.
"He was willing to be coerced by you?"
"I borrowed Your Majesty's name to make him comply, but throughout, I never mentioned Your Majesty's name. It was Feng Ju's mistaken association... I am guilty!"
"Why did you do this?"
"To survive. After I learned about 'changing to mulberry from rice,' I presumptuously guessed that Your Majesty needed it."
Xu Zhenguan looked at the man in front of him, who was reporting with his head lowered.
Remembering three days ago, when he happened to run into her discussing state affairs with Li Yanfu, she hadn't expected for it to be used as a breakthrough point, this sharpness...
Her eyes flickered slightly and, without continuing on this topic, she shifted the subject,
"Today, Zhang Changshuo wants to impeach you, were you aware?"
"I had long been aware, but didn't know exactly how he would report it."
So he did know... Xu Zhenguan's interest was piqued, and she said,
"Yes." Zhao Douan immediately recounted how he had arranged for someone to keep an eye on Wang Xian but unexpectedly discovered the movements of Zhang Changshuo's subordinates, later reporting it to the White Horse Bureau Director.
And subsequently inviting Feng Ju, persuading and turning him, then how he incorporated the Ministry of Justice's plans, luring Zhang Changshuo to take the bait, making him believe he had grasped incriminating evidence against him, was meticulously explained.
"So, you deliberately set him up?" Xu Zhenguan asked.
"Yes," Zhao Douan did not shy away, "he wanted to put me to death, so I certainly would not be courteous to him."
After a pause, he confessed again,
"I have not concealed any details of the events. During the process, to ensure the plan's success, I dared to falsely use imperial power, an unforgivable crime, and request the Saint to mete out punishment!"
Xu Zhenguan said nothing, but her eyes revealed a hint of admiration.
Although, with her wisdom, she had suspected it, hearing Zhao Douan recount the entire process in detail still left her amazed.
Committing such a major offense, facing a life-and-death situation, yet relying solely on his insight into court intrigues and the guise of a "fake gigolo," leveraging imperial prestige.
Completing this series of maneuvers within merely two days.
And successfully changing her mind.
Just this wit and capability far exceeded many in this temple's halls.
Xu Zhenguan even thought, if their positions were reversed, even she might find it difficult to perform better than him.
Was the "agreeable" Little Forbidden Army she had casually chosen for his looks truly so talented?
She was somewhat doubtful.
"Were these ideas all your own, or did someone advise you, like the White Horse Bureau Director?" Xu Zhenguan suddenly asked.
"The Supervisor has shown me kindness and care. However, this matter was indeed done by me alone, without anyone else's advice."
This could be easily verified, simply by asking the Supervisor. Zhao Douan could not and would not lie.
Xu Zhenguan furrowed her brow, increasingly suspicious and uncertain.
Without interference from others, all this was the work of the man before her?
Yet all this starkly contrasted with Zhao Douan's usual behavior and reputation.
There must be something to such anomalies.
As a ruler, she had to view all irregularities with suspicion.
"Raise your head!" Xu Zhenguan suddenly commanded.
Zhao Douan, puzzled, looked up and met the Empress's gaze. In the next second, he froze.
Immediately, the atmosphere in the room shifted dramatically, as if an invisible pressure emanated from the woman before him, overwhelming and thunderous like a tsunami.
In an instant, Zhao Douan felt like a lone boat on a raging sea, as if the next moment he'd be smashed by the waves into pieces.
This body trembled almost instinctively!
It wasn't the power of "officialdom," but the power of magic!
At this moment, the Empress's white robe fluttered without wind, her long black hair suddenly covered by a brilliant glow, and a seal seemed to flicker faintly at her brow.
Everything in the room was devoured, and in the world, it seemed there was only her.
In Xu Zhenguan's beautiful eyes flowed pure golden, lightning-like streams of light, exuding a mesmerizing power.
Zhao Douan felt as if he were trapped in a void, clearly aware that this body was trembling in fear.
A piercing gaze seemed to penetrate every corner of his body, allowing no specter to hide.
PS: Initially, the chapter was titled [Interrogation], but I got brainwashed by the short video "In 1974, the first time in Southeast Asia fighting free combat was..."