Dugong

Chapter 102 A Yellow Robe

King of England.

The seventh son of the late emperor, whose mother, Consort De, has been promoted to Dowager Consort.

Li Ping'an led his eunuchs, along with officials from the capital and soldiers from the Five Cities Garrison, to surround the Prince's Mansion, strictly prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving.

The gates of the Prince's Palace were tightly shut, and no gatekeepers or guards came out to reprimand anyone.

"Heh heh heh, it seems His Highness the King of England has realized he's made a mistake!"

Li Ping'an stood outside the mansion gate on his black horse, Wuzhui, and instructed, "Xiao Yuzi, go knock on the gate. Eunuch Xia, go back to the palace and inform Consort De."

Consort De came from a family of founding nobles. A few days ago, she arranged for her grand-nephew to work in the Beijing Garrison. Since they were from the same lineage, they should have communicated with each other.

Boom boom boom!
Xiao Yuzi circulated his true energy to his hands, leaving three palm prints on the vermilion gate.

soon.

The gates of the mansion slowly opened, and Prince Zhao Hui, leading a group of his subordinates, greeted them with a smile and cupped his hands: "I have long heard of Eunuch An's esteemed name."

Li Ping'an, mounted on his horse, looked down at Zhao Hui, saying in a sarcastic tone, "Back in the palace, I kowtowed to this guy countless times."

"Your Highness is too kind. I am merely His Majesty's dog, unworthy of such a title. Today, I have been ordered to your residence to investigate a treason case!"

Zhao Hui was obese, and it was very uncomfortable for him to speak with his head tilted back. Normally, he would have scolded him sternly, saying that a mere eunuch dared to act arrogantly in front of him.

Now, forcing a smile, he said, "Eunuch An, I am utterly loyal to His Majesty and would never dare to conspire with that man surnamed Leng."

Li Ping'an asked, "Commander Yuan has sealed off the capital city and its surroundings, and no news has been sent out. How did Your Highness know about Leng's rebellion?"

Zhao Hui looked around; with so many people around, it was difficult to say anything.

"Eunuch An, may I come into the manor for a talk?"

Li Ping'an dismounted and waved, saying, "Your Highness, please."

"Please, Eunuch An."

Zhao Hui instructed the servants in his mansion to treat the envoy from the palace well, and hurriedly led the way to the main hall of the Prince's mansion.

The two took their seats and dismissed those around them.

Zhao Hui personally poured tea for Li Ping'an and explained with a bitter face.

“Eunuch An, last night a eunuch came to my residence, saying that he was the adopted son of the man surnamed Leng, and that his adoptive father had already started a rebellion. He wanted me to go to the palace immediately to stabilize the overall situation of the country!”

Li Ping'an raised an eyebrow: "So Your Highness went to wait outside the palace?"

"This……"

Zhao Hui was at a loss for words. Deep down, he did intend to take advantage of the chaos and perhaps even seize the throne.

Seeing that Xiao Jiu, whom he once looked down upon, had won praise from the court and the public and was destined to become a great ruler, how could he not feel jealous?

Zhao Hui thought, "I can do it too!"

Li Ping'an said quietly, "Is Your Highness worried about His Majesty's safety and led troops to rescue him?"

"Yeah!"

Zhao Hui nodded repeatedly: "Seeing that the palace is peaceful and stable, I must be grateful for His Majesty's great fortune in punishing the traitors. So I led my troops back to the palace."

Li Ping'an asked, "I believe in Your Highness's loyalty, but if you go to the palace and say it, will His Majesty believe you?"

"..."

If Zhao Hui put himself in the emperor's shoes, regardless of whether the emperor truly coveted the throne or was faking a rescue, he would definitely kill a great many people.

"Please, Eunuch An, save me! I will surely be rewarded handsomely in the future!"

"Your Highness, we have no choice but to bring you to the palace today."

Li Ping'an said, "However, out of respect for the Dowager Consort De, we will search your residence for half an hour."

"Thank you very much, Eunuch An."

Zhao Hui understood the meaning behind the words: he had half an hour to seek help everywhere, at least to save his life. Even if he lost the throne, he would still be rich and powerful.

Li Ping'an called Xiao Yuzi in and instructed him, "Take men and search the Prince's mansion thoroughly. Don't miss any corner. Make a big commotion."

Little Yu asked, "Godfather, where have we gotten into this mess?"

“I heard that one of your brothers lost money at the casino and then led the Beijing garrison officers to smash it up…” Li Ping’an looked at Zhao Hui, who was directing the servants, and asked, “Your Highness doesn’t mind if I make a scene, does he?”

Zhao Hui waved his hand and said, "Eunuch An, please make a scene. We must search every nook and cranny and smash everything up as much as possible."

Xiao Yuzi knelt down with a thud, drenched in sweat from fright, and kowtowed repeatedly: "Godfather, I know my crime. I will send that cousin to prison as soon as possible."

Li Ping'an took a sip of tea: "Just send it to the countryside. Your brother is like our nephew. There's no need to be too harsh on him."

"Your son thanks his godfather for his forgiveness."

Xiao Yu kowtowed repeatedly, bright red blood seeping from his forehead and flowing down his eye sockets. Without wiping it away, he bowed and went out to carry out his business.

Soon.

A chaotic commotion arose outside. The eunuchs from the Imperial Horse Administration meticulously searched the Prince's mansion, tearing open everything from bird nests under the eaves to rat holes at the base of the walls.

The women in the household screamed in terror at the sight.

Li Ping'an sat leisurely in the main hall, sipping tea and waiting for news from the palace. He looked at Zhao Hui, who was pacing back and forth and covered in sweat, and comforted him.

"Your Highness, all my men are eunuchs. They might only cause a few screech noises during a search, but it would be a real problem if the Garrison Commander came!"

Zhao Hui cupped his hands and said, "I will forever remember Eunuch An's kindness."

Wait a moment.

Li Ping'an estimated that things were almost done, so he went out to check on the search progress and called Xiao Yuzi over to ask him a question.

"Is everything done?"

"done."

Xiao Yuzi whispered, "Taking advantage of the chaos of the search, I hid a yellow robe in a crack in the study, but it didn't quite fit the King's size."

Li Ping'an nodded and said, "It doesn't matter if it doesn't fit. If it's too small, it means we've been planning this all along; if it's too big, it's for future preparations."

Little Yu asked, "Godfather, I think the King of England doesn't have the guts to rebel."

"That's why we need to make arrangements in advance."

Li Ping'an said, "Little Yu, as servants, we need to consider our masters at all times. What if His Majesty wants to punish the Prince of Ying as a warning to others?"

"Thanks for the tip, godfather."

Xiao Yuzi suddenly realized that the yellow robe was prepared for His Majesty. If he wasn't punished, it would be as if it didn't exist; if he was to be punished, it would be justifiable.

Less than half an hour had passed.

Eunuch Xia came out of the palace and reported: "Your Excellency, Consort De went to Cining Palace to plead with the Empress Dowager to intercede with His Majesty and spare Prince Ying's life. Prince Chu, Prince Qin, and others kowtowed outside the palace to beg for forgiveness. It is said that they all received messages from Leng's adopted son."

"Tsk tsk, that guy surnamed Leng really has a good plan!"

Li Ping'an had already sent people to investigate and found that, in order to avoid suspicion, Eunuch Leng had never been close to any prince.

Last night, he risked his life to assassinate the emperor and rebel. To ensure that the throne would be secure after his success, he sent a message to all the former emperor's sons, luring them into the palace with the promise of the throne.

The King of Chu and his entourage kept the gates of their residence tightly shut. Although they did not issue any warnings, this could be considered a sign of their loyalty.

Only the King of England couldn't resist his greed and, hoping for a lucky break, took a stroll outside the palace gates.

Li Ping'an asked, "Is there any news about Eunuch Wei from the palace?"

"No."

Eunuch Xia said, "He is most likely not in the palace. Otherwise, with such a major event, he would definitely be by His Majesty's side at all times."

"How did the man surnamed Leng know about Eunuch Wei's whereabouts?"

Li Ping'an frowned slightly. He had personally witnessed Eunuch Wei's strength, and Eunuch Yu was no match for him.

It was clearly Eunuch Leng who devised the plan to transfer Eunuch Wei away; otherwise, rebelling would have meant certain death.

While speaking.

Zhao Hui came over beaming and said, "Eunuch An, I confess my guilt. Quickly escort me to the palace to see the Emperor."

"His Majesty is truly a benevolent ruler!"

Li Ping'an gave a wink, and Xiao Yuzi quietly withdrew, waiting for an opportunity to take the yellow robe away.

(End of this chapter)