Dugong

Chapter 132 The Admiral Returns to the Palace
Return to the government office.

Severed limbs and remains were scattered everywhere, and the stench of blood was pungent.

Zhao Lian directed his soldiers to clean up and wash the ground, and arranged for doctors to treat the wounded. When he saw Eunuch An enter, he quickly went up to report.

"My lord, in this battle, seven hundred traitors were killed and more than sixteen hundred were wounded or killed."

"Provide compensation according to regulations."

Li Ping'an frowned slightly. He had received intelligence beforehand and lured the enemy out of their hiding place to launch an attack, yet the casualties were so heavy.

No wonder the imperial court restricts the number of disciples in gangs; if there are too many people practicing martial arts, the country will be harder to govern.

He then ordered, "The young master shall lead two thousand men to plunder the Snow Mountain Sect. Xiao Chenzi shall lead two thousand men to disperse the salt gangs in other territories."

Anyone who dares to resist will be punished for treason!

The Salt Gang was similar to the Gelao and the Canal Gang, bound by industry and region, each electing its own leader and head, without any central command, but outwardly claiming that all Salt Gang members were one family.

Those who used to shout slogans gained advantages, but now they are suffering the consequences.

"As ordered."

Zhao Lian and Xiao Chenzi bowed and accepted the order, then each mustered their men and set off.

While speaking.

Prefect Xie and a group of officials rushed over and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Lord An was safe and sound.

If an imperial envoy dies in a government office, no matter how powerful their backing, they will be exiled or beheaded at best.

Li Ping'an sat in the yamen hall and coldly rebuked, "Lord Xie, the bandits under your jurisdiction are rampant. They even dared to gather a crowd to attack the yamen. I will report this to His Majesty in a truthful manner!"

"My lord, I admit my guilt."

Prefect Xie looked bitter, knowing he wouldn't be getting a promotion for the next few years.

Li Ping'an lowered his gaze, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, as he pondered killing the man surnamed Xie now and framing the traitor.

Thousands have died; one more won't make a difference.

Prefect Xie felt the chilling killing intent, and immediately broke out in a cold sweat, his legs went weak, and he barely managed to stay upright.

Li Ping'an tapped his fingers on the desk for a moment, then suppressed his murderous intent. After all, he was the head of a prefecture, and killing an innocent person would displease His Majesty.

"Eunuch Xia, hang the traitor's corpse outside the city and let everyone see the consequences of provoking us!"

……

a few days later.

Lunar New Year's eve.

For the first time in ten years, Li Ping'an spent the New Year outside the palace, and he hosted a grand banquet for his officials and soldiers.

Inviting guests and distributing wages.

The two thousand soldiers of the Beijing Garrison were all eating with grease on their faces. Now they only recognized Eunuch An and wouldn't listen to a word of anyone else's orders.

The first month.

Salt transport officials from various regions sent people to Taizhou City to report last year's accounts to Li Ping'an and collect this year's salt coupons.

Of course, as a sign of respect, they sent over many antiques and paintings that they had amassed.

That's the beauty of power!

Li Ping'an only needs to reveal his thoughts slightly, and the officials below him who want to advance will do everything in their power to help them.

"Unfortunately, they are all mortal objects; innate inheritance is something that can only be encountered by chance."

Early March.

Xiao Chenzi and Zhao Lian led their troops back to the prefectural city to arrest more than a thousand members of the rebel clan and confiscated land, gold, silver and other valuables worth two million taels.

Having witnessed the wealth of aristocratic families, he found the savings of江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the underworld or江湖义气, a code of honor) gangs beneath his notice.

Li Ping'an instructed that, as was customary, the funds should be returned to the imperial treasury.

Xiao Chenzi reported: "Godfather, our family only raided the East China Sea Salt Gang. The others either changed their appearance or scattered like birds and fish."

"That's good."

Li Ping'an nodded and said, "Xiao Chenzi, keep a close eye on things. Our family will not allow any gangs to exist in the salt industry, neither now nor in the future."

"My child obeys."

When Xiao Chenzi received his new job, he couldn't help but show a happy expression. Our family will gradually take Xiao Yuzi's place.

Zhao Lian asked, "Sir, when do you plan to return to the capital?"

Li Ping'an said, "The case has been investigated, the traitor has been caught, and we will set off in mid-March."

Zhao Lian asked, "When you left the capital, you had two thousand men. Now you have more than five thousand under your command. What should you do with the extra men?"

Li Ping'an had already planned for this: "Each of the three major salt fields will be assigned a thousand soldiers. The salt transport office has plenty of money, so supporting a thousand soldiers will be a piece of cake."

Having troops at his disposal is essential to ensuring the stability of the salt transport office. Furthermore, the salt fields are all manned by Li Ping'an's soldiers, which can prevent the imperial court from coveting salt taxes and sending officials to seize power.

If the soldiers at the salt fields can't be mobilized and the salt coupons can't be redeemed for salt, then the official becomes a mere figurehead.

……

The fourth year of Yongning.

Mid-April.

The sky is clear and the wind is gentle and gentle.

More than a hundred riders entered the capital through the south gate, galloping wildly and causing chaos, until they finally reined in their horses outside the Donghua Gate.

Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, the red walls and green tiles shimmered on the water.

Li Ping'an gazed at the familiar palace and murmured, "Our family is finally back!"

Although Jiangnan is beautiful, it is still a foreign land.

In mid-March, he led his troops north from Taizhou City, marching day and night for thousands of miles, and finally returned before the Empress Dowager gave birth.

Li Ping'an dismounted and said, "Come back to the palace with me."

The eunuchs on duty at the gate knelt and kowtowed, daring not to obstruct him in any way. Although Eunuch An was not in the palace, his fearsome reputation had not diminished in the slightest.

The execution of a thousand-year-old clan according to their family genealogy, which shocked both the imperial palace and the outside world, was truly astonishing.

Originally, Eunuch Hai planned to take advantage of the emptiness of the Imperial Horse Stables to send a few trusted confidants in, but after hearing this news, he decided not to waste his godson's life.

at this time.

Outside the Imperial Horse Stables duty room.

Dozens of eunuchs, young and old, knelt in two rows, craning their necks and looking on expectantly. When they saw Eunuch An, they all kowtowed and shouted in unison.

"Greetings, Godfather, Admiral!"

More than ten children were moved to tears, while the officials of the three prisons stood solemnly and loyally.

Li Ping'an's gaze swept over the crowd, all of whom were familiar faces. Several officials had fallen from grace in the past year, but the vacancies remained.

"Get up, all of you. We've been away for over a year. Has anything happened at the Third Prison?"

Everyone shook their heads, but Xiao Yuzi, the adopted son, flattered him, saying, "Thanks to Your Excellency's prestige, our Imperial Horse Stable is no less powerful than the Directorate of Ceremonial."

Peng Gonggong said, "It's just that there have been more and more impeachments these days."

"It doesn't matter."

Li Ping'an didn't care about this at all. The power of the eunuchs was entirely in the Emperor's hands. The complaints from the outer court were insignificant. In fact, it would be a bad thing if they were gone.

"Bring us all the official documents and accounts from the three prisons this year. We're going to do a spot check. Anyone who dares to cheat or shirk their duties should hurry up and burn incense and pray for good fortune!"

Upon hearing this, most of the eunuchs remained expressionless, while a few showed signs of panic in their eyes.

Even when Eunuch An was alive, there was no shortage of corruption and abuse of power. It would be rare for a eunuch not to be greedy for money or abuse his power when he was gone.

A single day's official documents would fill a thick stack, and a year's worth would fill an entire box.

Li Ping'an said, "Eunuch Xia, Xiao Chenzi, you two take a few people and check everything. If there are no major problems, sign it out, and we'll do a spot check and verification."

The two exchanged a glance, then bowed and accepted the order.

Eunuch Xia was an old eunuch from the previous emperor's time, while Xiao Chenzi was a young eunuch. The old man faction and the adopted son faction have never been on the same page.

Let alone colluding to sign a document to deceive each other, they would rather each other expose the other.

At this time.

A familiar voice came: "Eunuch An, it's been a long time."

"Has Eunuch Yuan been promoted again?"

Li Ping'an examined the official robe worn by Eunuch Yuan. It was also crimson, but the embroidered patch had changed from a peacock to a golden pheasant.

According to palace custom, the second rank is that of a military commander.

Eunuch Yuan's smile was always gentle and bright. He cupped his hands towards the direction of the inner palace and said, "I am grateful for His Majesty's grace and will temporarily serve as the supervisor of the Imperial Seals and Ribbons."

Li Ping'an cupped his hands and said, "Congratulations! We'll send you a gift later."

"Joy and rejoice together!"

Eunuch Yuan changed the subject, speaking with a half-smile.

"Eunuch An is in charge of the salt transport office, which means he controls the imperial treasury. What is our little bit of power compared to that?"

Li Ping'an said, "Whether you have power or not, you are all serving His Majesty. We collect salt taxes while you hold the imperial seal. There is no difference in rank."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, some genuine and some feigned, Eunuch Yuan finally revealed his true intentions.

"Eunuch An, His Majesty summons you to Qiluan Palace for a talk!"

(End of this chapter)