Dugong

Chapter 46 Not trustworthy
Imperial Household Department.

Duty room.

Eunuch Niu flipped through the account books with one hand and clattered on the abacus with the other, calculating how much gold and silver had come in last month.

No matter how big the storm in the palace is, it will not affect his ability to make money.

"Thirteen thousand five hundred taels, thirty percent less than last month. How can I make up for it?"

Eunuch Niu pondered for a moment, then took out a book from his sleeve, which recorded how much silver each of his godsons had embezzled.

"Little seedling, the total amount of embezzlement you've done is 70,000 taels, which is enough to make up for the shortfall in May or June. I've chosen you. In my next life, I'll even take you in as my godson..."

Eunuch Niu was thinking about how to kill the young seedling without leaving any trace.

Xiao Miaozi served as the director of the Guangchu Division under the Imperial Household Department. As a eunuch of a certain rank, he could not be beaten to death at will like the younger eunuchs.

It is really difficult to kill the adopted son to get the money without hurting the feelings of other adopted sons.

At this time.

The eunuch on duty at the door announced, "Your Excellency, the head of the Imperial Kitchen and Tribute Department, Eunuch An, wishes to see you."

Eunuch Niu stroked his beard, with a strange look in his eyes. There is indeed no shortage of smart people in this world, and perhaps his godson's life could be saved.

"Please come in, Eunuch An."

Li Ping'an walked in familiarly, opened the bag on his back and put it on the table. Inside were silver bills of various denominations.

Eunuch Niu smiled and said, "As expected of an official, Eunuch An is much more generous than before."

Li Ping'an came to the Imperial Household Department to exchange gold, and also sent silver home several times, each time it was around a few hundred taels.

"Eunuch Niu is joking. This money is our filial piety to you."

"As the saying goes, no reward without merit, our family dares not take money from others casually."

While Eunuch Niu said this, he had already started counting the silver bills. Having been in contact with gold and silver for many years, he could estimate the number with just a glance.

The minimum is 17,000 or 18,000 taels, and the maximum is 20,0

Li Pingan bowed and said, "If you take money from others and help them get rid of disasters, then it would be a merit. My family needs your help."

Eunuch Niu said without raising his eyelids: "Tell me about it."

Li Pingan said, "We have heard that silver can buy life, so we thought of leaving the silver with you. If my life is in danger one day, please help me, Eunuch Niu."

Eunuch Niu asked, "Why don't you go look for Admiral Liu?"

Li Pingan had already thought of an excuse on the way here, and flattered the horse: "Everyone in the palace knows that Eunuch Niu is sincere. When someone dies, they will return the silver. Only if you accept this silver, our family will feel at ease."

Eunuch Niu was quite pleased, his beard twitching. "Although it's a lie, I'm glad to hear it. I'll take the silver."

Li Ping'an breathed a sigh of relief. He had collected a large bag of banknotes from the Tribute Bureau yesterday and had been thinking all night about where to send them.

First of all, let’s rule out godfather and godgrandfather. The relationship is already very close, so there is no need to add icing on the cake.

Next, Admiral Ma and Admiral Zhao considered joining Princess Yuan, but they quickly rejected the idea. Princess Yuan had no sons under her command, so they were not a long-term supporter after all.

After searching for the twelve supervisors of the Imperial Household Department several times, he found that the most suitable one was Eunuch Niu.

Unlike other admirals, Eunuch Niu neither stood on the side of the Queen nor the Empress, and had a weak relationship with the ancestors, yet he was able to sit firmly in the position of Admiral of the Imperial Household for more than 20 years.

Moreover, the gold and silver acceptance business is unique in the palace.

Based on this analysis, Eunuch Niu’s following is unusual.

Li Ping'an left three thousand taels of silver for the coffin, and gave all the rest of the silver to Eunuch Niu, hoping that he could survive the storm in the near future.

Eunuch Niu counted out the banknotes and said with satisfaction, "Not bad, quite sincere, worthy of our family's shameless request."

Li Pingan bowed and said, "Thank you, Eunuch Niu."

It turns out that money is the most practical thing in the palace. It can buy steamed buns and land on weekdays, and can even buy lives at critical moments.

Then he felt sorry for the banknotes and thousands of acres of land he had embezzled. He didn't know how long it would take to get them back.

After bidding farewell to Eunuch Niu, he returned to the office of the Tribute Department.

As soon as he entered the room, he saw little Yuzi pacing back and forth, accompanied by pale-faced little Mengzi and little Dezi. They all gathered around him when they saw Li Pingan come in. "Godfather, something terrible has happened! Grandpa has been arrested by the Pacification Bureau!"

……

Emperor Wude reigned for forty-three years, and his accumulated power needs no elaboration.

The day before, Concubine Yuan had a miscarriage, the day after, Eunuch Sun was arrested, and the day after that, Admiral Liu was imprisoned.

The palace was shrouded in a cloud of fear, and the eunuchs watched and speculated whether the old ancestor, who had served His Majesty for decades, could escape the disaster.

As a result, within a few days, the commander of the Imperial Household Department was replaced by Commander Leng of the Imperial Horse Department.

When Eunuch Chu lost his position as the Supervisor of Ceremonies, his position as the Chief Commander of the Twelve Supervisory Offices became a joke, and he was only one step away from complete downfall.

……

Tribute Department.

Li Ping'an has been living in fear these days, fearing that the Pacification Office or the Internal Affairs Office will come to arrest him.

After the godfather and godfather were imprisoned, their related godchildren and godsons were implicated in treason and were thrown into prison one after another.

Someone tried to resist and was beaten to death on the spot.

Among them, the oldest and strongest eunuch Jin defeated the arresting eunuchs by fighting alone against ten eunuchs, but he only escaped a hundred feet and met an old eunuch head-on. He died in a very miserable way.

Li Ping'an asked someone to find out, and found out that no matter whether one was involved in treason or not, there would always be a suitable charge against him in the imperial prison.

Just the charge of bribery is something that no eunuch can escape.

A few days passed.

Among Admiral Liu's godsons and grandchildren, only a few are still working in the palace, and Li Ping'an is one of them.

"Fortunately, our family had foresight, and Eunuch Niu really kept his promise..."

Li Ping'an was secretly rejoicing when the door of the master's room was slammed open. He frowned and was about to scold Xiao Beizi, but when he looked up, he saw an acquaintance entering the room.

Xiao Dengzi, a classmate of Neiwu Hall, was assigned to work in the Imperial Stables.

At this time, he should be called Eunuch Deng. He was wearing a brand new official robe embroidered with a quail, and his rank was higher than Li Ping'an.

"Eunuch An, long time no see."

Li Pingan didn't know the other party's intention, so he smiled and said, "Eunuch Deng is so charming and handsome that he impressed us."

"Oh, Eunuch An actually knows how to use allusions."

Eunuch Deng said sarcastically, "I remember that Eunuch An couldn't recognize a few words, and his handwriting was uglier than a dog's crawl."

Li Ping'an's face suddenly turned cold. So what if he was one level higher in rank? As long as he was not his immediate superior, there was no need to take it too seriously.

"Why is Eunuch Deng coming to our house to fart?"

"You here? Not any time soon."

Eunuch Deng pulled a note from his sleeve, stamped with the seal of the Imperial Household Department's governor. "The Cold Palace needs a gatekeeper. We think Eunuch An is suitable. Hurry and pack up your belongings and move in."

"Guarding the cold palace?"

Li Ping'an frowned, and his true energy involuntarily overflowed from his fingertips, condensing into colorless and intangible sword-shaped energy. With a wave of his hand, he could penetrate Eunuch Deng's head.

Eunuch Deng laughed strangely and said, "Eunuch An, are you going to disobey the Imperial Household Department's order? If you do, it won't be our family that comes back next time."

Li Ping'an tried his best to suppress his anger and bowed to take the transfer order.

After Eunuch Deng left, Li Ping'an hurried to the Imperial Household Department, reported, pushed the door open, and asked Eunuch Niu with a gloomy face.

"Admiral, why don't you keep your word?"

"We have done our best. You are the only one who has broken your promise."

Eunuch Niu stopped counting the money and said with a disdainful glance.

"You took their money, and when you became rich, you didn't even bother to help them. Now it's their turn to take revenge. Our family values ​​credit above all else, so naturally, we have nothing to say!"

(End of this chapter)