The Empress's No.1 Lackey

Chapter 1053 - 583: Identity Revealed (Part 2)

All in one breath.

When the two of them came out again, they each had a paper cup in their hands.

Zhao Douan took out a thin straw, stabbed it in with a "pop," took a sip, and his brow relaxed... Before crossing over, late at night after getting off work, sometimes when he was tired, he would order a cup, a taste he hadn’t had in a long time.

Xu Zhenguan imitated his actions, put the straw in her mouth and took a gentle sip, then wrinkled her brow, spat it out, and coldly said: "Bitter."

Unexpectedly a bit cute.

Zhao Douan laughed, regaining some initiative. He smiled and explained: "Only by enduring the bitterness can one stand above others."

Xu Zhenguan sneered: "How can enduring bitterness make one stand above others?"

Zhao Douan was rendered silent.

Both walked along the street formed by bright billboards, each holding a cup of coffee, when Zhao Douan suddenly asked: "Why is Miss Xu so obsessed with poetry?"

He felt Zhenbao seemed off tonight and decided to probe her.

Xu Zhenguan spit out the straw, looked at the sky polluted by city lights, unable to see stars and moon, and softly said: "My... fiancé wrote a poem, it’s very good."

"Oh? Can I hear more?"

"When will the bright moon appear..." The Empress recited the Mid-Autumn poem, then asked: "What do you think?"

Zhao Douan expressed admiration: "Though I’m not well-versed in ancient poetry, I can tell this poem is excellent. It’s a shame ancient poetry is in decline; otherwise, just this one could make him famous worldwide. I didn’t expect Miss Xu’s fiancé to be a literary talent with such profound ancient literary skills. He must be an outstanding person, right?"

Xu Zhenguan glanced sideways at "Zhang Hui" exaggerating, feeling surprised. She nodded meaningfully and said: "Indeed, he is a very outstanding person, and quite famous. Have you heard of Zhao Douan?"

Zhao Douan shook his head: "I haven’t."

Xu Zhenguan nodded, took another sip of coffee, and suddenly asked again: "What about Su Shi? Gao Shi?"

"Of course, these names are thunderous..." Zhao Douan instinctively nodded, halfway through speaking, he abruptly stopped, suddenly halted his steps, turning his head with uncertainty to look at Zhenbao.

The Empress also stopped, night wind blowing her hair, the collar of her shirt revealing her delicate collarbones, half her face shadowed lightly by the streetlight’s glow.

Xu Zhenguan turned her head back, her bright eyes meeting Zhao Douan’s, her face no longer feigning innocence, but showing a hint of profound expression: "Su Shi’s Water Melody, I had someone investigate, and they said it’s a Song Dynasty poem, many years old... quite a coincidence, right? Mr. Zhao...?"

Mr. Zhao...?

Her voice was very soft.

But in Zhao Douan’s ears, it was like a thunderclap, instantly exploding his brain into countless turbulent chaotic thoughts.

She... knew...

When did she find out?

Who found this poem for her?

Zhao Douan stood still, only feeling a tingling sensation rush from his soles to his scalp.

His scalp tingled, yet he still tried to maintain calm, trying to show a puzzled expression: "Miss Xu, what are you saying? I don’t quite understand..."

Talent for feigning ignorance activated.

Xu Zhenguan laughed, she really laughed, with some warmth, yet with an indescribable coldness: "Mr. Zhao, do I need to be more explicit? Those poems, firearms, edicts, Wang Yangming... I only recently figured it out. No wonder only when you and I enter the Human World together does ’Zhang Hui’ appear. Last time I didn’t hide but revealed I am not of this world and you weren’t surprised at all..."

Zhao Douan’s heart sank little by little, finally realizing the Empress wasn’t bluffing.

The two stood silently face-to-face, streetlights stretching their shadows on the ground to great lengths, while afar online car-hailing vehicles zoomed by, and further away skyscrapers and bars remained brightly lit.

Silent for a long time.

Zhao Douan squeezed the coffee cup in his hand until it was crushed, letting half a cup of coffee spill onto the ground.

Then, Zhang Hui calmly faced the bright eyes of the Empress of Great Yu, slightly smiled, spread his arms, and said:

"Since Your Majesty has seen through, it’s pointless for me to pretend any longer."

"So..."

"I won’t pretend, I’m laying it bare."

"Your Majesty, welcome to my world."

...

...

Welcome to my world...

Xu Zhenguan listened to the words, looking at the urban youth across with arms spread, watching familiar expression and demeanor appear on that somewhat unfamiliar face.

She bit her red lips, slender fingers also squeezed the coffee cup, letting the warm liquid inside spill out and soak the fair crevices between her fingers.

In fact, even when entering the Human World this time, she wasn’t completely sure.

So she talked idly with Zhang Hui for quite a while, made many tests, and it was through these targeted tests that she gradually confirmed Zhang Hui’s identity.

And finally, until this moment when Zhao Douan acknowledged it verbally, she put an end to her doubts completely.

Zhang Hui is Zhao Douan.

Zhao Douan is Zhang Hui.

This is not the key...

The key is, Zhang Hui existed in this world long ago, even had a home, an identity, a past in this mysterious painting’s "native."

Yet the other knowledge Zhao Douan brought to the Great Yu dynasty’s past that defied logic all originated from this fragmented painting world.

What exactly is going on?

Zhao Douan entered the Human World long ago? No... this doesn’t make sense either.

He’s a painting person? This is even more incredible.

At this moment, the Empress got her answer, but was filled with even greater bewilderment.

Silent for a long time.

She finally moved her red lips to ask her greatest doubt: "Who are you, exactly?"

Zhao Douan remained silent.

He had to admit when the Empress uncovered his identity, he had a moment of panic, for crossing over was his biggest secret, never revealed to anyone.

However, the tension lasted only fleetingly, as he quickly regained his calm.

Because long ago, he anticipated this day when he learned the Human World was the world he was familiar with, he knew someday the Empress would find traces of his literary plagiarism in this world.

Even if he didn’t plagiarize Water Melody... it wouldn’t affect the final outcome.

Just this day came earlier than expected.

And clearly, from the Empress’s stance, she wasn’t concerned where those helpful to Great Yu dynasty’s knowledge truly originated, her concern lied only with her "Imperial Consort’s" background.

Zhao Douan faced the Empress’s piercing eyes, gave a bitter smile, and spread his hands: "This question is a long story..."

"Then make it short," Xu Zhenguan interrupted, calmly said, "If it can’t be said here, we’ll speak outside."

Seeing Zhao Douan silent.

Xu Zhenguan stared at him complexly and said: "I’ve always been puzzled why you changed so much over these two years, ever since you let Zhuang Xiaocheng go, showcasing your talents and achievements within just two years... indeed astonishing and glorious. But the more brilliant you seem, the less I understand."

She seemed to be talking to herself: "I’ve investigated you. From childhood to the year before last, all those years showed practically nothing extraordinary, which is inherently unusual. Even if you claimed being misunderstood by people in the Capital as a wastrel was intentional disguise... fine, it makes sense, but a person with nothing notable for the first twenty years suddenly possesses such profound thoughts and exceptional talents, how do you explain that?"

She continued: "I was very perplexed, until discovering the Dragon Essence within you, I thought I found an explanation, yet even that explanation doesn’t make sense why the Grand Ancestor Emperor’s legacy chose you... But now, I’ve somewhat figured it out."

Xu Zhenguan stared at him, eyes unblinking and dropping the squeezed coffee cup as well, tightly interlocking her fingers: "So, who are you exactly?"

Zhao Douan, confronted with the Empress’s barrage of questions, calmly gave his answer: "I am Zhang Hui, also Zhao Douan."

Pausing, he spoke reflectively: "To be precise, in the Southern Suburb Bamboo Forest of the Capital, Kuangfu Society’s Ren Kun saved Zhuang Xiaocheng from afar, knocked me out, before I only had Zhao Douan’s memory, but upon waking that day, my mind held Zhang Hui’s memory too."

Zhao Douan pointed overhead, calmly said: "In Zhang Hui’s memory, he lived in this world."

——

ps: Not pretending anymore, laying it bare... To prevent some readers from finding the soul-crossing concept unacceptable, here’s a slight reveal - the protagonist isn’t soul-crossing... Of course, Yu Country is certainly not Earth... This book’s setting is definitely different from "Joy of Life"...