The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 1167 - 631: Healing the Empress (Part 2)

However, though this move spared him from serious injury, the power of the Dragon Essence slightly exceeded the limit that the Life and Death Puppet could bear. At this moment, his insides were empty, without a trace of Qi Mechanism, completely drained, as weak as an ordinary mortal.

Right now, the lower half of his body was naked, submerged in the water, not daring to come ashore at all...

Seeing him in such a feeble state, the Empress found his humor amidst it all both infuriating and amusing. Her worries were mostly eased, yet the thought of Zhao Douan, at such a crucial moment, willing to use a "do-or-die" tactic to deliver a severe blow to Prince Jing, still made her feel fearful. Her eyes bore a trace of grievance: "Why were you so reckless? Why fight with such force? You could have just entangled him, waited for me to defeat that Wu Xiankui, and then resolve Xu Wen... Why use this life-risking method? If... if the Life and Death Puppet failed, wouldn’t it have been... wouldn’t it have been..."

Zhao Douan smiled and said, "Your Majesty said that thing worked, so I believed it could be used."

The Empress was taken aback, biting her lip in silence, the emotions in her eyes indescribable to outsiders.

"Ahem, Your Majesty, just letting that Wu Xiankui go like that?" Zhao Douan coughed, reminding her of the many others present, and changed the topic.

Xu Zhenguan said calmly, "Do you think killing someone from the Heavenly Human Realm is so easy? It was already fortunate that I could seriously injure him and sever one of his arms. However, given this, he won’t dare to show himself for at least half a year."

This sentence was filled with immense confidence.

Zhao Douan felt a bit of regret, but he also knew that killing a Heavenly Human was somewhat audacious. Moreover, with a Xuan Yin eyeing them, Zhenbao couldn’t really risk everything or suffer serious injury just to kill Wu Xiankui, which would be unwise.

He could only jot Wu Xiankui down for later, dealing with him after advancing to the Heavenly Human.

"Alright, put on some clothes first." The Empress’s Divine Thought swept beneath the water, her face slightly flushed. With a flick of her sleeve, a gust of wind blew a silver scroll out of the lake, tossing it to Zhao Douan.

She then made a gesture with her hand, causing the nearby water vapor to form a veil of white mist around their bodies.

Moments later.

The white mist dispersed, and the Empress, supporting Zhao Douan, who had changed into new clothes, flew back to the half-ruined banquet hall.

Zhao Douan retrieved the Chasing Saber, and the two of them looked towards Prince Chen and his wife, who were kneeling on the ground, accepting their punishment, along with a large group of guests.

"Since Prince Chen is willing to surrender, in consideration of his ties to the Imperial Family, I grant him clemency. However, effective immediately, Prince Chen is stripped of his title, and all military power under his mansion will be transferred to the Divine Mechanism Camp for temporary management. Prince Chen and his wife are confined to their mansion, awaiting my further decisions."

The voice of the Empress resonated.

Prince Chen and his wife felt a heaviness in their hearts, understanding that they would not receive the same treatment as Prince Huai’an, who had defected earlier. However, hearing the Empress’s words, they realized it would not end in execution, and they immediately bowed in gratitude: "The guilty subjects thank you for your mercy."

At this moment, the Empress’s gaze turned to Chai Keqiao and the others, who were dragged ashore by Gongshu Tianyuan and his group with their Qi Sea broken. She said indifferently, "Qingshan Martial Artists, having committed crimes by force, are to be detained by Song Jinxi and transported to the Capital, awaiting judgment."

Song Jinxi and the other Tributors quickly saluted: "The servants obey your will!"

At this time, the warship of the Divine Mechanism Camp also slowly docked, and Commander Shi Meng leapt ashore, dropping to one knee to pay respects: "Your subject greets Your Majesty!"

The Empress responded with a nod, saying coolly: "Effective immediately, Commander Shi is to take charge of the Coastal Marine soldiers, organize them swiftly, and then lead the Coastal soldiers to join forces with Hu Ting’s forces to encircle and suppress the Jiancheng Rebel Army and capture Xu Jinglong and other remaining rebels."

Prince Jing was dead, but there remained a Princely Heir not present and a group of rebel leaders.

However, with Prince Jing dead, Coastal surrendering, and the experts of Qingshan incapacitated, the quelling of the Jiancheng Road rebellion was almost a foregone conclusion, without any difficulty.

Shi Meng was still in a dream-like daze, unable to believe that Prince Jing was dead just like that.

And all of this happened within just two months of Zhao Douan’s arrival at the Eastern Front.

It seemed like a fantasy.

"Your humble subject, accepts the decree!" Shi Meng clasped his fists.

The Empress nodded, finally turning to Princess Consort Lu Yan’er, who was approaching with Prince Jing’s body.

Lu Yan’er dropped Xu Wen’s body on the ground, bowing to the Empress: "Martial World Magician Lu Yan’er, greets Your Majesty."

The Empress nodded gently, her eyes filled with a hint of warmth, and said with a smile: "Mr. Zhao has already spoken to me about you before. Rest assured, for the great merits you’ve accomplished today, not only will I not hold you accountable for your actions in Jiancheng Road, but I will also bestow a reward."

Lu Yan’er turned her head to Zhao Douan. From under the silver faceplate, came an earnest voice: "This commoner only wishes for the governor to fulfill his promise." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

She wished to meet Senior Pei and seek to continue the lineage of that legacy.

Zhao Douan nodded and said: "What I promised, I will not go back on. However, having just experienced a battle, I am indeed too weak at the moment and cannot immediately summon Senior Pei to meet with you. How about I rest for a few days to recover my cultivation?"

Though a bit anxious, Lu Yan’er had no choice but to agree: "Then I will wait a few days."

At this moment, Xu Zhenguan unexpectedly said: "With matters here concluded, I must take Mr. Zhao back to the Capital immediately. If you are in a rush, you can come to the Capital yourself."

Zhao Douan was momentarily surprised, a bit taken aback.

The Empress explained: "The commotion from the battle here was too great, and though miles apart, both Xuan Yin and the Western Regions Dharma King would certainly sense it. Therefore, I must immediately return to the Capital to ensure Buddhists don’t launch a surprise attack."

I understand the reasoning, but why bring me along... Zhao Douan was about to speak but then suddenly realized:

He had just used the Dragon Essence in the battle, and now he was extremely feeble... a prime target indeed, like a piece of Tang Seng’s flesh. If left behind, who knows what accident might happen, and the Dragon Essence is a significant matter, intolerable to lose... besides...