Dugong

Chapter 107: Filial Piety is Commendable
Li Ping'an did not entirely believe in the theory of the primordial embryo.

Eunuch Wei was a man with masculine features; his appearance and demeanor were not at all muddled, which at least proves that there is more than one path to innate talent.

Moreover, despite his extraordinary talent, Zhou Gonggong had not achieved the Innate Realm after decades of arduous cultivation.

Li Ping'an did not believe he could master the "Secret Records," nor did he want to become a weirdo who was sometimes male and sometimes female, even if he was a eunuch who was neither male nor female.

The fact that eunuchs sought out partners, adopted sons, and kept concubines clearly showed that their thoughts were still those of men.

“Our family isn’t like Eunuch Zhou, who’s obsessed with martial arts. He’s more interested in getting promoted and making money than innate talent…”

Li Ping'an put the cultivation technique into his sleeve and studied it when he had a spare moment. He then returned to Cining Palace surrounded by more than a dozen eunuchs.

They were aggressive and domineering.

On the way, they encountered the Empress's carriage and hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed.

Empress He gestured to the imperial carriage and said with a smile, "Eunuch An has been working hard these past few days, eliminating traitors in the palace. There's no need for such formalities."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I feel no hardship in serving Your Majesty."

A strange light flashed in Li Ping'an's eyes. He and Empress He were not exactly on good terms. He had deliberately made things difficult for the Imperial Uncle before, trying to force him to go to Cining Palace to pay his respects.

Empress He nodded slightly: "That's very good. His Majesty must be working very hard. Eunuch An will have to share the burden."

After saying this, the phoenix carriage continued on its way and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Li Ping'an slowly stood up and whispered, "Have Xiao Pengzi check which palace His Majesty has been spending the night in recently."

Xiao Yu bowed and accepted the order, then quickly went to his post as the palace supervisor.

Inside Cining Palace.

Li Ping'an chatted with Empress Dowager Zhou, talking about interesting things in the palace, this palace and that palace, which is what old people like to hear.

At the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), he would help her change clothes and go to bed, staying by her bedside until she fell asleep.

He got up silently and left, going to the east wing room to greet Eunuch Rong, who was sitting by the window.

The two men, one inside and one outside, one near and one far, kept a close watch on the Empress Dowager's palace.

Li Ping'an asked, "Has there been any movement in the palace recently?"

"Because of Eunuch An's fierce power, everything seemed calm."

As he spoke, Eunuch Rong's gaze remained fixed on the palace, observing not only the Empress Dowager but also the actions of the eunuchs and palace maids.

"Yesterday we caught a little eunuch spying on Cining Palace. We thought he was a spy from Ciqing Palace, but we never expected him to come from Qiluan Palace."

Li Ping'an frowned and asked, "Consort Hui of Qiluan Palace?"

After His Majesty ascended the throne, he selected consorts according to the law to fill the various palaces of the harem. Consort Hui of Qiluan Palace was one of them. She came from the Lu family, a prominent family in Jiangnan. It was rumored that she was related to His Majesty by ancestral lineage and was a distant cousin.

"When Eunuch An took charge of the three directorates, there were rumors in the palace that the Imperial Horse Administration was a minor Directorate of Ceremonial, so it was inevitable that some concubines would try to investigate and win him over."

Eunuch Rong reminded him, "His Majesty is in good health; let's wait and see."

"Just send them away casually."

Li Ping'an summoned Xiao Yuzi: "Has the matter been investigated thoroughly?"

Xiao Yuzi knelt on the ground and replied, "My lord, Eunuch Peng said that His Majesty has been staying at Qiluan Palace every night for the past seven days."

Li Ping'an was slightly taken aback: "When did Consort Hui become so favored?"

Xiao Yuzi glanced at Eunuch Rong, and Li Ping'an waved his hand and said, "Xiao Rongzi is as close to us as a brother, so please speak freely."

Xiao Yuzi said, "Eunuch Peng carefully questioned the eunuchs on duty, but they did not notice anything unusual about Qiluan Palace. However, according to the eunuchs who were sweeping nearby, they saw the imperial physician go in twice."

"Imperial doctor!"

Li Ping'an and Eunuch Rong exchanged a glance, sharing the same thought.

Perhaps, there is good news in Qiluan Palace!
……

a few days later.

Royal study room.

"Your Majesty, I have investigated the treason case thoroughly. All the eunuchs involved have been eliminated, and the officials in the outer court have been arrested by the capital's government and the garrison command."

Li Ping'an knelt before the imperial desk, presenting the memorial with both hands. Eunuch Hai glared venomously at Eunuch An; people had been dying in the palace every day recently, including his newly adopted son.

For some reason, Eunuch Leng's register had two extra pages, filled with newly appointed officials of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Emperor Yongning took the memorial and glanced at it casually; it was not much different from what the secret agents of the Zhenfu Division had reported.

"Three million taels of embezzled funds turned into two million six hundred thousand. Xiao Anzi always knows when to advance and retreat, and he always knows what he's doing!"

Emperor Yongning was well aware that all the eunuchs in the palace were corrupt.

It's impossible to completely eradicate the problem; the key is to maintain a proper balance. If someone doesn't know the severity of the offense and recklessly tries to make money, there will naturally be ways to punish them.

The memorial reported that more than 5,000 people from outside the court were involved in the case, most of whom were relatives of eunuchs and merchants who colluded to make money.

Emperor Yongning ordered, "To behead them all would be against the will of Heaven; let them be exiled to the Northwest instead."

"The slaves obey the order."

Li Ping'an kowtowed and accepted the order. He understood the meaning behind His Majesty's words: exile to Lingnan meant death, while exile to the Northwest meant execution of the bandit leader.

As for exile to the northern frontier, this dynasty has never done so.

Emperor Yongning closed the memorial and said with a smile, "You've done a good job investigating Xiao Anzi's case. What reward would you like?"

Li Ping'an kowtowed and said, "This servant is already deeply grateful for the position of the Three Supervisors, and dares not ask for anything more."

"In that case..."

Emperor Yongning changed the subject: "I heard that my fifth brother opened a business and is doing quite well?"

"Your Majesty, Shunxing Trading Company is indeed owned by the Fifth Prince, and it supplies saddles and fodder to the Imperial Horse Stables."

Li Ping'an dared not conceal anything and said in detail: "Recently, this servant has been in charge of the Inner Palace and has been discussing the repair of the imperial mausoleum with the Ministry of Works. After hearing about this, the Fifth Prince was willing to take on the task of opening up the mountain and paving the road, offering all the profits of his business for free."

Emperor Yongning said with satisfaction, "Fifth Brother is a bit dissolute, but he is very filial."

Li Ping'an kowtowed but did not respond. Some things are better left unsaid. Eunuchs can try to understand His Majesty's thoughts, but they must not say them aloud.

Moreover, who in the palace doesn't know whether the Fifth Prince is filial or not?

Emperor Yongning pondered for a moment and then instructed, "Xiao Haizi, draft an edict: Fifth Brother's filial piety is commendable. Restore the title of Prince of Qi and select a date for him to take up his fief."

"According to the order."

Hai Gonggong's face twitched incessantly; he wished he could drag everyone related to An Gonggong to the execution ground and behead them.

Li Ping'an's eyes were filled with tears: "This servant will take her leave now and inform the Empress Dowager of the good news."

"Go."

Emperor Yongning waved his hand, seemingly casually saying, "The case still needs to be investigated; there might still be traitors hiding deep within."

Li Ping'an was startled and kowtowed to accept the order.

"The slaves obey the order."

He bowed and left the Imperial Study, his back soaked with sweat. His Majesty had rambled on for a long time, but none of it made sense until the last half sentence.

The young servant Liangzi, who was on duty at the door, whispered, "Eunuch An, His Majesty threw down his imperial pen in anger yesterday. I glanced at it and it should be a memorial from Jiangnan."

Li Ping'an asked in surprise, "How could Eunuch Liang distinguish such a distant place?"

Xiao Liangzi said smugly, "We can't see the words on the memorials, but we have a way of knowing which one it is."

Li Ping'an didn't inquire further, and quickly stuffed two silver notes into his hand.

"Thank you for your hard work, Eunuch Liang."

Xiao Liangzi skillfully tucked the item into his sleeve: "Don't worry, Eunuch An, we don't care about Xiao Haizi's arrogant attitude. You will definitely be able to take his place!"

"I take your good wishes as a sign."

Li Ping'an cupped his hands in greeting, walked away, and then glanced back at Xiao Liangzi. This fellow had no official position but was well-informed; who was he working for?

"Who's trying to instigate a conflict between our family and Eunuch Hai..."

(End of this chapter)