Dugong

Chapter 42: The Hero
"Prefect Qian is brilliant!"

Li Ping'an praised and admired them, but in his heart he cursed these officials for being so corrupt that they had studied their entire lives and had only been thinking about how to flatter the emperor.

Fortunately, I am an official now!

Kang Yagang sighed and said, "It's difficult to be an official. Not only do you have to be clean and honest, govern the country and keep the people safe, but you also have to understand the emperor's will. If you are not careful, your family will be ruined."

Li Ping'an smiled but said nothing. On the way here, Xiao Yuzi had said that Qian Fuyin's nickname in Lingnan was "The Sky is Three Feet High".

Because the land was exploited so severely, many southern barbarian tribes were forced to rebel.

The Zhennan Army sent troops to massacre countless people, destroying their families and exterminating countless families. When it came to Prefect Qian's turn, it was no good.

Kang Yagang's family knew their own affairs, so he didn't want to continue to flatter them. He took out a stack of banknotes from his sleeve and put them on the table: "These are the hard work fees for Eunuch An."

Li Ping'an didn't need to count the money he received. There were at least twenty of them, which was two thousand taels of silver. He immediately showed a satisfied smile.

"Prefect Qian is very generous. Our family will definitely take care of it."

Kang Yagang bowed and said, "Thank you for your help, Eunuch An. I will take my leave."

Li Ping'an gave a wink, and Xiao Yuzi understood and sent Kang Yagang out. After a while, he came back, closed the door, and said in a low voice.

"Godfather, this guy sent me such a valuable gift, he definitely has bad intentions!"

Generally speaking, if you change the position of the tribute and write a few flattering words, three to five hundred taels of silver are enough, and two thousand taels can even pass off inferior goods as good ones.

Li Pingan ordered: "Go and find out if anything happened to Prefect Qian."

Once you are caught, you don’t have to do anything anymore, and of course the money will not be returned.

Little Yuzi was quite familiar with the officials at the Imperial Examination Hall. After a short stroll, he returned with a report: "Godfather, it's rumored that the newly appointed Minister of Personnel, Yang Shangshu, has created the position of Inspector General to secretly visit the chief officials of various prefectures and counties to prevent cheating in the examinations!"

Li Pingan laughed strangely and said, "So, Prefect Qian is in trouble this time?"

Little Yuzi said, "Putting your hopes on auspicious signs is like seeking medical help in a desperate situation. Nine out of ten times, you're doomed. Godfather, do you still want to do this?"

"We still have to do it. Who knows, Mr. Qian might even get promoted!"

Li Pingan pondered for a moment, "But we must be careful not to be implicated. Remember to dust off the jade tortoise shell. Be careful when exaggerating in the account books. Don't use words like auspicious or heaven-sent."

"My child understands."

Little Yuzi felt that his godfather was more and more unfathomable, as he was so careful in doing things at such a young age.

Prefect Qian was brought down, but he was not affected by any false auspicious signs and luckily escaped the disaster. Nothing could be faulted about what he did.

……

Not a few days.

The inspector's news reached the palace.

There was no way to know what the nobles thought, but the eunuchs all gloated over the misfortune of others, because most of them came from poor backgrounds and were happy to see the officials in trouble.

Corrupt officials like Qian Fuyin racked their brains to find ways to get in.

The Tribute Department was one of the few areas connecting the inner and outer courts, attracting many corrupt officials to seek personal gain. Li Ping'an took the opportunity to make a large sum of money.

One-third was given to his subordinates, 30% was given to his godfather, and the remaining 40% was more than 5,000 taels.

"If we replace them all with high-quality paddy fields, there would be at least several hundred acres, which would be enough for our family to have enough food and drink for several lifetimes."

Li Ping'an began to think about leaving the palace, finding a place to hide his identity, hiring a dozen long-term workers, and becoming a free and easy small landlord.

If you stay away from dangerous places and avoid any conspiracy or intrigue, you will definitely live longer than in the palace.

"It's just that we can't bear to let go..."

After Li Ping'an put on the official robe and gained power, he was no longer the cow or horse that only thought about eating and sleeping and looked like a human.

Only those who have desires beyond survival can be considered alive.

"So, whoever dares to stop me from becoming an official, or prevents me from becoming an official, will be the mortal enemy who kills my parents!" A fierce look flashed in Li Ping'an's eyes, and he circulated his true energy, turning into green smoke and disappearing into the night.

End of June.

Around the hour of Yin, dark clouds covered the moon.

The eunuchs guarding the storehouse were all drowsy and leaned against the wall to rest. The palace had been peaceful for many years, and guarding the door had become an extremely boring job.

suddenly.

A figure shuttled along the wall, jumped onto the roof, lifted a few tiles and got inside.

He skillfully found the shelf where donkey-hide gelatin and bird's nest were stored, took out a glass bottle from his arms, which contained a colorless and transparent liquid, and dropped a drop on a few of them.

The medicinal liquid quickly absorbed into the tribute without emitting any odor.

The figure also found tributes such as snow frog and Poria cocos paste, and casually mixed the medicinal liquid into a few of them.

After the work was done, the figure left without hesitation.

After a while.

Li Ping'an came down from the beam and took away the tribute that was dripped with unknown medicine. He would find an opportunity to replace it with normal tribute tomorrow.

You can't tell Xiao Yuzi to do this kind of thing. He's too smart and might notice something's wrong.

The next day.

Li Ping'an used the excuse of heartache to ask Xiao Beizi to call the doctor from the Imperial Hospital for diagnosis.

Medical officers are reserve imperial physicians and do not have an official rank. They gain experience by treating eunuchs and palace maids, and can be promoted to imperial physicians after years of experience or meritorious service.

Doctor Lu, who was on duty, came to the Tribute Department with a medicine box on his back, bowed and took Li Ping'an's pulse.

"Eunuch An, your pulse is steady and strong, you don't seem to have any heart disease."

Li Pingan's Qi flowed to his cheeks and forehead, his skin flushed and burning. He pretended to be weak and said, "Mr. Lu, please don't make a mistake. I have a severe pain in my heart."

Doctor Lu frowned and hesitated for a moment before saying, "My medical skills are inherited from my family. My father is quite famous in the martial arts world and would never make a mistake in taking a pulse."

Li Pingan asked curiously, "Who is Mr. Lu's father, a master in the martial arts world?"

Doctor Lu said proudly, "My father is nicknamed Yan Wang Di. His medical skills are so mysterious that he can extend the life of a dying person by three quarters of an hour."

Li Pingan was surprised and asked, "Your father is so famous, why is Doctor Lu relegated to being a minor official in the Imperial Hospital?"

"Learn the arts of civil and military arts, and sell them to the imperial family."

Doctor Lu said, "My father has been wandering the Jianghu for over thirty years. He suggests that I serve the imperial court. Even if I can only be a ninth-rank official, it would be much more stable and prestigious than wandering the Jianghu."

Li Pingan asked doubtfully, "We understand peace and stability, but where does the prestige come from?"

There are many minor officials in the Imperial Medical Bureau, who are ordered around by the nobles in the palace. Compared with the eunuchs, they only have a few more subordinates, and they cannot have the prestige of those who roam the world.

Doctor Lu laughed and said, "Eunuch An has never been in the martial arts world, so he takes it too seriously. He also easily practices advanced magical skills and takes the palace too lightly."

Li Pingan said, "When we were away, I heard a storyteller tell about the Northwest Golden Sword Hero who fought against violence and harmed the people. He had friends all over the thirty-six prefectures. Wherever he went, he ate meat and drank wine with big bowls. He was much more impressive than some county magistrate."

Doctor Lu confirmed that Eunuch An was in good health, packed up his medicine box, and started chatting and preaching.

"I've never heard of this great hero with the golden sword. My father once treated a great hero from Jiangnan and discovered that he and a notorious bandit leader had the same strange disease."

Li Pingan raised his eyebrows: "Maybe he is just an isolated case."

Doctor Lu shook his head and said, "When Eunuch An ventures into the martial arts world, he'll surely discover that this is commonplace. Heroes are no match for corrupt officials. The latter at least manage some matters and manage to maintain order."

"What's the name of the hero you're talking about?"

"Moyun Palm, Dong Ling!"

(End of this chapter)