Chapter 953: Chapter 953

After sending off the female assassin, Zhao Douan also withdrew and left. By the time he returned to Taicang Prefecture city, the sky was already getting light. Song Jinxi and his party returned to the prefecture city even earlier.

When the eastern sun leaped above the horizon, the Capital Camp army orderly retreated.

In the government office, Zhao Douan met with Sun Xiaozhun, Yuan Feng, and others. The night battle was a feint, and no significant achievements were expected.

When Sun and Yuan saw Zhao Douan return safely, rescue a group of officials, and learn that some supervisors were killed, they showed signs of happiness.

"Governor, what a brilliant strategy, only a few days of infiltration and such a big accomplishment. Zhao Shixiong must be troubled," Sun Xiaozhun praised with a smile.

Yuan Feng also said seriously, "Now the main battlefield is on the Eastern Front, led by Minister Xue. We continue to harass here, distracting the Yunfu Army’s energy, which is helpful to the war situation."

The two did not know that Zhao Douan’s real purpose in this infiltration was to implement the first step of the "sow discord" plan.

Zhao Douan couldn’t tell outsiders about it.

Therefore, he just smiled and commended the soldiers for their hard work, ordered to hold Linfeng to guard against Zhao Shixiong’s sneak attack, then had a simple meal, and fell into bed right after, as fatigue washed over him like a tide.

About two hours later, Zhao Douan woke up, glanced at the sky outside, and quickly began to visualize and breathe.

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In the Capital, inside the Imperial Palace.

"Getting more and more skilled." Zhao Douan stepped out from the wall painting again, his expression light and his mood quite joyful.

Despite setbacks, the goal of the Yongjia journey was achieved, bringing them closer to the "recapturing Huai River within three months" objective.

"Time to report back now, Zhenbao must be worried after so long without news."

Thinking this, he was about to float outside when he saw the light coming through the doors and windows, the sky already bright.

Inside the closed room, a note was pasted:

"After exiting this door, just wait, I will come over."

The handwriting was not as delicate as that of a typical woman but rather displayed grandeur.

Zhao Douan was taken aback, was this a note left by Zhenbao for him? He attempted to pass through the door panel, and then the sound of wind chimes rang overhead.

Looking up, he saw under the four-story pavilion eaves, there was a red wind chime.

It seemed to move on its own as if influenced by the "soul body."

Zhao Douan curiously waited for a short while; it was bright daylight, with the autumn sky clear and crisp. Soon, a ray of golden light crossed the palace wall from the direction of Yangxin Hall.

As the golden light faded, a figure in a white long dress slowly emerged.

"Subject, fortunately not failing the mission, has successfully brought back the imprisoned officials safely," Zhao Douan reported respectfully.

He knew what the Empress wanted to hear.

Xu Zhenguan stood steadily in the four-story pavilion, not focusing on what he said but instead examining Zhao Douan, ensuring his Divine Soul was full, and expression at ease, she finally showed relief.

Her slightly weary eyes showed joy again, confirming:

"Are you safely returned?"

She seemed not too concerned about whether the mission succeeded or not.

Zhao Douan nodded with a smile and briefly recounted his experiences after returning the previous night. Since nothing notable happened, he quickly finished his account.

Upon learning that Zhao Douan successfully returned to Taicang Prefecture city, this infiltration action marked an end, and the Empress finally relaxed and nodded: "That’s good."

Zhao Douan curiously pointed to the red wind chime overhead: "What is this?"

Xu Zhenguan responded with an "oh," her tone casual: "Found a small Magic Artifact from the palace Weapon Vault, there’s a pair of them. It senses the approach of a Divine Soul and will shake. I’ve put the other one in the study, so when you return, I can quickly notice. It will help avoid wasting time in emergencies."

She didn’t mention that she had been waiting here until nearly dawn the previous night.

Because she had to attend the court session, she had to leave. Fortunately, Eunuch Hai rummaged around and found this thing.

Good lord... is this a doorbell? Or an alarm? In the future, sneaking back will surely get me caught, won’t it... Zhao Douan complained inwardly, wondering how this Great Yu Dynasty was both backward and advanced simultaneously...

Xu Zhenguan steadied her mind and asked, "What do you plan to do next?"

She did not forget that last evening during a conversation, the Little Forbidden Army had hinted that the Yongjia infiltration was just the first step of the sowing discord plan.

Zhao Douan contemplated for a moment and said: "Reporting to Your Majesty, I already have ideas for the subsequent plan and will start arranging it over these few days. However, this time, I’ll assign it to my subordinates, and I will remain stationed in Taicang Prefecture city for a considerable period, not running around anymore."

The decision wasn’t made because the shadow of Zhao Shixiong nearly killing him.

Instead, it was because strategies could only work once, not twice; in a short time, it would be too difficult for Zhao Douan to infiltrate the rebel army’s lair again.

There would be too many eyes watching him.

However, his inability to move freely does not mean he cannot influence the Yu Country’s situation.

The sowing discord plan had already been set in motion, and the intelligence carried by Nie Yurong was his first bullet shot at Xu Jingtang.

To achieve great accomplishments, haste makes waste; he needs to let the bullet fly a while.

"That would be best!" Xu Zhenguan let out a relieved breath, smiling: "So, in the coming days, you should be able to frequently return to the Capital, or even have your soul body stationed in the Capital often."

But why are you so happy... after all, in my soul body state, I can’t even drool on you... Zhao Douan looked at her warily: "Does Your Majesty have any orders?"

Xu Zhenguan suddenly gazed at him with depth and said: "Indeed, there is something. Recently, I’ve repeatedly tried entering ’Human World’ but have found that I can no longer encounter that guide ’Zhang Hui’... I’ve thought it over and believe my previous judgment might have been wrong. What actually caused changes in the Human World might not be the Disaster Star, but... you."