Dugong

Chapter 32 Cannibalism
There are no secrets in the palace.

What Emperor Wude said in Zhaoyang Palace soon spread throughout the inner and outer courts.

This kind of thing cannot be avoided. There were too many eunuchs and palace maids who heard it on the spot, so it is difficult to find out who leaked the news.

This was also what Emperor Wude intended, using his every move to remotely control and influence the direction of the court.

The golden words of promise made Zhaoyang Palace even more imposing.

A few days later, following Admiral Leng of the Imperial Horse Supervisor, Admiral Zhao of the Shrine Supervisor openly broke with his ancestor and declared that there was a "mountain vulture" in the palace!
The words were extremely vicious, almost saying that the ancestors were plotting rebellion.

The ancestor had dozens of adopted sons under his command, all of whom held important positions in the palace. After hearing about this, they were very excited, and some even wanted to risk their lives to fight Admiral Zhao to the death.

"Doing things this way is exactly what they want, solidifying our reputation as a mountain eagle."

Four or five eunuchs supported the old ancestor's obese body and he stood up from the armchair with difficulty, his eyes sweeping over his godchildren and grandchildren kneeling in front of him.

"We have been following His Majesty since he entered the palace. For over forty years, we have remained faithful, not through schemes or calculations, but through loyalty!"

The old ancestor said in a deep voice, "If Your Majesty is truly interested in Zhaoyang Palace, not only will our family not stop you, but we will wholeheartedly support you, even if we die without a burial place in the future."

The godsons looked at each other, unable to grasp the deeper meaning of their ancestor's words.

However, after the news came out from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the eunuchs and palace maids who had been wavering and waiting to see which way the wind would blow, all moved towards the Zhaoyang Palace.

Li Ping'an also had this idea, but he knew too much and had no choice.

If Princess Yuan gets evidence of poisoning and cries to Emperor Wude, all those involved in the case will be executed, even if they are only slightly involved.

This concerns the inheritance of the dragon heir, and severe punishment must be imposed to serve as a warning to others.

This day.

Midnight.

Three snoring sounds were heard one after another in the room. Li Ping'an suddenly opened his eyes and floated up from the bed silently.

When passing by Xiao Zhenzi's bed, a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

The true energy flows to the fingertips, and with just a light tap, the small vibrator can be sent to reincarnation.

"Who in this palace doesn't follow the tide? He's just going with the flow. He has nothing to do with us, so how can he be considered a traitor?"

Li Ping'an's figure was vague and disappeared into the night.

The Ghost King Sect is considered an evil sect in the martial arts world. Most of its disciples hide during the day and come out at night. The sect's unique martial art, Zhengli Wuying, becomes several times more powerful at night.

Li Ping'an transformed into a shadow, jumping and shuttled freely in the shadows of the palace walls and attics, and no one could detect his whereabouts.

On the way, they met the twelfth prince's procession returning to the palace, surrounded by more than twenty eunuchs and palace maids.

If they had met in the past, Li Ping'an would have kowtowed and bowed from afar, but tonight he hid in the shadows. Perhaps he was confident in his martial arts skills, or perhaps he had been feeling bored recently, or perhaps he had met so many noble people that the fear in his heart had long since faded away.

He stood straight, without bowing, and watched the procession pass by with cold eyes.

"This tastes good..."

Li Ping'an smacked his lips, as if he had eaten a few white flour buns, savored the taste, and continued to rush towards the Tribute Department.

After a while.

The shadow hung upside down on the eaves, listening quietly to the movements inside the house.

Mr. Lu was sleeping soundly, breathing evenly, and seemed to be completely unaware.

Li Ping'an guessed that the old eunuch was probably pretending to be asleep. After all, he was not the only one secretly following him, there were at least three other eunuchs hiding nearby.

It may come from the Shangshenjian or from somewhere else.

An official position that is within reach, or the lucrative tribute department, is enough to make many people take risks.

Li Ping'an was just keeping an eye on Eunuch Lu as a side job. He was more concerned about keeping an eye on his colleagues and waiting for them to find evidence so that he could snatch it away.

"We don't know how to search or investigate, but it's okay if someone knows how to do it!"

Dawn.

Li Ping'an felt a little sleepy and was about to return to his residence to wash, change clothes, pay his respects to his godfather, and catch up on some sleep during the day.

Suddenly I heard a "crash" sound.

The eunuch lurking on the roof finally couldn't hold back anymore. He lifted up two bricks and tiles, and suddenly shrank in weight, and crawled into the house like a water snake.

After a few breaths, the crackling sounds of fighting rang out one after another. Eunuch Lu laughed strangely: "You little brat dares to mess with us? You don't know your place. I'll feed you to the dogs!"

Li Ping'an shrugged his shoulders, and while the night was still going on, he used his lightness skills to quietly leave.

Everything in the world happens once and for all.

Perhaps the temptation of official positions was too great, or they could not resist the urging of their superiors, but eunuchs died at the hands of Eunuch Lu for five consecutive days.

The old eunuch has practiced the Lotus Sutra for decades, and his true energy has reached the peak of ordinary talent.

Eunuchs died tragically or disappeared one after another. Li Ping'an thought that the Ministry of Internal Affairs would investigate and take the opportunity to search for evidence, but no one cared, as if the dead were any random person.

The deep and dark imperial palace swallowed everything silently.

After half a month of continuous surveillance, Li Ping'an still didn't get the chance. His godfather had urged him several times, and his tone became more urgent each time.

"Xiao Anzi, the Princess Yuan will be due in just over a month!"

……

This day.

Li Pingan continued to watch as usual, wondering whether he should conduct the search himself.

"My Qi is far more profound than my peers, but I can't tell how much difference there is between me and those old eunuchs. I can use Eunuch Lu to test my strength!"

It is dawn again, the time when people are most relaxed.

While Li Ping'an was hesitating, he saw a young eunuch coming to the door and knocking on it with a series of "dududu" sounds.

Eunuch Lu, who seemed to be sleeping soundly, suddenly opened his eyes.

"Who?"

"Godfather, it's me."

"who are you?"

"My family."

Eunuch Lu heard the familiar voice and matched the secret code, then he stood up, opened the door, and let the young eunuch in.

"The situation in the palace has been tense lately. Didn't you say we shouldn't contact each other?"

The young eunuch bowed repeatedly and said with a bitter face, "Eunuch Lu, you don't know that the outer court is almost in chaos over the issue of appointing a crown prince. Today, in front of Your Majesty, the two deputy ministers started fighting."

"Oh? How do you fight?"

Eunuch Lu raised his eyebrows. Back then, he was well-versed in poetry and literature, and was determined to pass the imperial examination to revive his family, become a high-ranking official, and return to his roots in glory.

Later, he had no choice but to enter the palace and become a eunuch, but he was always interested in official anecdotes, especially the interesting stories of the cabinet ministers that he had always dreamed of.

The young eunuch gestured excitedly, "Mr. Zeng was the first to strike. He kicked Mr. Liu. Mr. Liu was not convinced and rolled up his sleeves to punch him back..."

Eunuch Lu was so engrossed in listening that he didn't notice the young eunuch was within two feet of him. When he heard the two elders fighting and rolling around in the Golden Palace, he couldn't help but laugh strangely.

"If my family were to become prime minister, we would be invincible in the court!"

"Eunuch Lu is right."

The young eunuch fished out a letter from his bosom. "My family is unsure whether the news from the palace is true or not. I need your confirmation. Does Your Majesty prefer Kunning Palace or Zhaoyang Palace?"

Eunuch Lu took the envelope and said, "Of course it's Zhao..."

The words have not yet fallen.

The thin envelope burst open with a bang, and a cloud of white mist entered Eunuch Lu's body through his mouth and nose.

The young eunuch had a humble smile on his face, and his hands suddenly turned into colorful colors. While Eunuch Lu was in shock from the poisoning, he pressed his palms on his chest.

"why?"

Eunuch Lu screamed and circulated his true energy to dissolve the poison.

"My family said..."

The young eunuch quickly retreated, not daring to fight with Eunuch Lu. He only needed to wait for a moment to eliminate the hidden danger for the family.

"You're useless!"

(End of this chapter)