Dugong

Chapter 58 Killing Thieves at Night
Anyone who has lost weight knows that it's hard to lose weight but easy to gain it back.

Eunuch Chu spent most of the year losing weight, but after receiving a word of sympathy from Emperor Wu De, he gained weight again after eating sweets and meat for more than two months.

The obese body slumped on the recliner, creaking as if it would break at any moment.

Li Pingan said worriedly, "Grandpa, since His Majesty asked you to wait for an opportunity, you should take care of your body and take good care of yourself."

"Not only do we have to stay alive and wait, but we also have to keep His Majesty thinking about us. Otherwise, no matter how deep the friendship is, it will be forgotten after waiting for too long!"

Eunuch Chu instructed, "I'll teach you a lesson. If you just keep your mouth open and don't move, you won't be able to catch a white steamed bun even if it falls from the sky."

There is definitely more than just Eunuch Chu waiting in the palace. For example, there is Eunuch Xia, the former eunuch in charge of the imperial tomb who was implicated in the Yuan Fei case and demoted to guard the imperial mausoleum, and the former eunuch in charge of the Eastern Palace who is also staying in the imperial mausoleum.

Or maybe it's an old eunuch who is not well-known but secretly a close confidant of His Majesty.

"Grandson will remember grandpa's teachings!"

The longer Li Ping'an stayed with Eunuch Chu, the more insignificant he felt. He had once obtained an official position by relying on his intelligence, but in the eyes of the big man, he was just a lucky little guy.

So, I observed more carefully and imitated more meticulously.

The foolish imitate the smart, the smart imitate the powerful, and the influence permeates layer by layer.

The longer the eunuchs in the palace live, the more similar their temperaments, ways of speaking, doing things, and methods they use become. This is probably one of the reasons.

In the blink of an eye, it is New Year's Eve again.

Emperor Wude issued an order for grand celebration and invited all officials and nobles to the palace for a banquet.

The palace was immediately decorated with lights and thousands of glazed lanterns hung on the eaves, making the snow glow crimson.

The Xingqing Palace was brightly lit, and eunuchs and palace maids were walking back and forth carrying various imperial meals and gilded braziers.

Emperor Wu De sat at the top of the table in his casual attire, drinking with the royal family, officials and nobles who had come to the banquet. He ordered Eunuch Leng to beat the drum and lead the game of "passing oranges to compose poems".

Kumquats are passed around the table, and when the drums stop, the person holding the kumquat is asked to compose a poem to suit the occasion.

It was a good thing that the kumquat fell into the hands of civil officials. They were all well-educated and could write a congratulatory poem like Happy New Year and Prosperity to the country with just a little thought.

For example, the words of Lu Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, "Spring is always here, and the sun is shining brightly in the sky," drew applause from the whole room.

Emperor Wu De clapped his hands and exclaimed in praise, "Lord Lu is indeed a man of poetry and literature. With this beautiful line, perhaps people will still be talking about today's banquet thousands of years from now."

Minister Lu was humble: "I am a humble official with ordinary talent and learning. I was able to come up with this beautiful sentence after seeing your Majesty's holy face. I dare not take credit for it!"

The historians and painters who were recording the banquet scene wrote furiously to record this scene of harmony between the emperor and his ministers.

When the kumquats were passed to the generals, the rough guys couldn't help scratching their heads.

Yang Rui, the Marquis of Linqing, who was still somewhat knowledgeable, wrote with difficulty, "Your Majesty drinks loudly, even more heartily than I, Yang," which caused the whole room to burst into laughter.

Most of the other generals accepted the punishment and started to practice sword fighting and wrestling with their bare chests. Some of them even ate the kumquats whole and spread their hands, ignoring me.

In any case, Emperor Wu De was not angry and enjoyed himself with all the officials and nobles.

When playing "Passing Oranges to Make Poems" for a while, the generals were so frustrated by their losses that they started clamoring for a different way to play, such as throwing pots.

If you place the wine pot more than ten feet away, no matter how hard a civil official tries, it will be difficult to throw it, but a military general with exquisite and powerful true energy can easily win.

The hustle and bustle arrived at midnight.

Outside the hall, dozens of fireworks shot up into the sky with earth-shaking roars. Seven large characters "Long Live the Dragon" appeared in the night sky, like a golden dragon across the sky.

All the civil and military nobles in the hall kowtowed and shouted "Long live the emperor".

……

The bustling bustle of Xingqing Palace had no impact on the quiet and desolate Cold Palace. Li Ping'an used his Nine Yang Finger Strength to warm the bed and waited for the empress to go to bed. He stood by the bed, waiting to hear a steady snore before bowing and leaving the palace.

Eunuch Chu was lying in a rocking chair, looking at the crescent moon in the sky, wondering what he was thinking.

Li Pingan bowed and said, "Grandpa, I will go to the imperial kitchen to get some food."

The grandfather and grandson depend on each other in the cold palace. Having a banquet on New Year's Eve is both a habit and a comfort to relax their tense mood.

Eunuch Chu said, "Bring some more wine. His Majesty is in a good mood today, and we're going to get drunk."

Li Ping'an nodded in agreement and jumped out of the palace wall. As he fell, he turned into a dim shadow and merged into the shadow at the base of the wall.

He was very familiar with the way to the imperial kitchen and had stolen food quite a lot in the past two years.

Passing by Xingqing Palace, Li Pingan heard a noisy sound from afar. He looked up and a bit of envy appeared in his eyes.

"When our family makes it big in the future, we will also participate in the New Year's Eve banquet, not just be a eunuch serving dishes!"

After a while.

Li Ping'an came to the imperial kitchen, where there were fewer people than usual.

All the eunuchs with some connections went to Xingqing Palace to work and show off, or gathered with eunuchs they were familiar with to celebrate the New Year. The rest were just a few random people leaning against the wall and dozing off.

"Tsk tsk, much more casual than when we were working as clerks!"

Li Ping'an skillfully crawled in through the window, walked to the stove in three or two steps, and was about to open the pot to take out the reserved meal.

When a banquet was held in the palace, the imperial chef would prepare one or two extra tables. If there was a mistake, such as someone falling while serving food, someone could be sent to replace him immediately.

I looked up and saw a black figure holding a porcelain bottle of Jade Elixir and gulping it down.

At the same time, this person saw Li Pingan coming from behind, and they looked at each other in stunned expression for a moment. The latter reacted quickly, flicking his ten fingers to release several streams of sword-shaped true energy.

The Nine Yang Finger Force is the Medicine King Sect's unique massage and healing skill, and it is also a fighting technique.

If a doctor in the martial arts world has low martial arts skills, how can he ask for gold and silver from martial artists? How dare he deliberately withhold medical fees? This doctor knows a little bit of fighting!
"What a cruel little eunuch!"

The figure cursed and stuffed the porcelain bottle into his arms. Jade Divine Soul is such a rare and precious ingredient, let alone how to prepare it. Few people in the world have seen it with their own eyes.

He pushed his palms horizontally, and the true energy swept through, extinguishing the sword energy.

When Li Ping'an heard the deep and rough voice, he realized that this person was not a eunuch, and most likely not an official or a noble, so he scolded in a shrill voice.

"Who are these thieves who dare to steal from the palace?"

The first time he encountered a thief outside the palace, not knowing how strong the other party was, Li Ping'an mobilized all the true energy in his dantian, covering his body with it to form a half-inch thick barrier.

At the same time, he used the technique of standing upright and invisible, blending into the darkness and getting behind the thief in an instant.

The true energy gathered in the index finger and silently pointed to the Mingmen acupoint.

The figure's spine suddenly felt cold, and he instinctively threw himself forward with his Qi protecting his back. However, it was too late. He only felt a terrifying Qi surge like a mountain and a sea, and with a bang, it knocked him several feet away.

The Nine Yang Finger Force is good at breaking qi and penetrating armor. The hot true qi penetrates layers of defense, crushes the thief's vital points, and spreads destruction along the meridians.

"what--"

The figure screamed, his lower body went limp, and he fell to the ground.

Li Ping'an was not too busy to interrogate and investigate, as that was the job of the Pacification Office and the Imperial Guards. He looked cold and ruthless, and his figure flashed up to the thief and stomped his head to pieces.

(End of this chapter)