Dugong

Chapter 108 Overseeing the Officials
Imperial Horse Stables.

Li Ping'an pondered for a moment without finding a solution, then ordered all his adopted sons and old eunuchs to be summoned. With many people involved, they could all think of a solution and try to figure out the emperor's thoughts together.

Eunuch Xia said, "His Majesty wants you to continue investigating the traitors, which is obviously a pretext to arrest disobedient eunuchs and officials."

Li Ping'an nodded slightly; everyone understood what he meant.

"Congratulations, Godfather, on gaining His Majesty's favor once again!"

First, Eunuch Fei flattered him, then reminded him, "It's alright to investigate the inner court; no matter how many people die, it doesn't count as human life. But the officials in the outer court are difficult to deal with; His Majesty has never beheaded them since he ascended the throne."

Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, the greatest punishment you have given to officials has been exile. As a result, your reputation as a benevolent ruler has spread throughout the court and the country.

It's difficult to gain a good reputation by simply reducing taxes and exempting people from corvée labor, since ordinary people at the bottom of society have no voice.

"Little Fei is right."

Li Ping'an frowned slightly. The case had been investigated, but the person hadn't died, which meant that the problem hadn't been eradicated.

The incident of being robbed by bandits during exile cannot happen every time, otherwise it would be an insult to His Majesty.

When a benevolent ruler governs the world, where do so many bandits come from?
Xiao Yu bowed and said, "Your Majesty thought the rebels you were referring to were those from Cining Palace and the north. After all, the Cold Rebellion rose to power by relying on Consort Zhang, and it's hard to say there won't be any repercussions later."

Li Pingan turned to ask, "Has that matter been investigated thoroughly?"

Eunuch Xia replied, "We sent someone to infiltrate the Zhenfu Division to review the files and discovered that there were traces of barbarians in the capital not long before Leng Ni's rebellion."

"Barbarians..."

Li Ping'an looked up and gazed northward. Since the King of Zhenbei destroyed the Wolf King's Golden Tent, he had gradually forgotten the ferocity and brutality of the barbarians.

When "foreigners" occasionally appeared in the capital, they would be bullied by the locals, such as having to squat outside to eat, or being verbally abused and beaten for various reasons.

"Little Yu, I'm leaving this matter to you."

Li Ping'an instructed, "Spend money to hire idle thugs from the capital to keep a close eye on all the foreign tribes, both openly and secretly. They must write down who they see and what they say!"

Xiao Yuzi's face lit up with joy. This was a very powerful task, and he quickly bowed to accept the order.

"As for the northern frontier..."

Li Ping'an looked at all the eunuchs, and they immediately lowered their heads and shrank back, clearly unwilling to go to the northern frontier to serve.

The Prince of Zhenbei is already obedient to orders but not to summons, so His Majesty has no choice but to compromise. He might even be forced to commit suicide the day after he takes up his post.

"Do you remember that the Shuofeng Hall and the Black Sand Gang are gangs from the north?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, the Shuofeng Gang is based in Shuofang County, Xuanfu Prefecture. Established twelve years ago, the gang is known for its ruthless and vicious methods. The Black Sand Gang was originally a band of outlaws, but after being wiped out by the border army, they changed their identity and established a gang in Gumu County, Yanfu Prefecture..."

As expected of someone who had served as the Grand Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Eunuch Xia had done his homework beforehand, remembering the background of the young hero of the Capital Garrison clearly. After giving a detailed introduction, he spoke.

"If you can help the two gangs grow stronger, it's hard to say you'll be able to find out the secrets of the Prince of Zhenbei, but at least you'll be able to grasp the general situation in the Northern Frontier."

"very good."

Li Ping'an said with satisfaction, "Tomorrow I'll meet the two young heroes at my home. If they are obedient and sensible, official positions and money will not be a problem."

Xiao Yuzi said, "Godfather, the Miaoshou Sect also likes to steal, so they might be able to get documents and letters from the north."

Li Ping'an instructed, "Send these thieves to Anfu on their mission. This way, each of the three prefectures in the Northern Frontier will have spies, preventing internal strife when the Prince of Zhenbei's army gathers!"

The eunuchs bowed and accepted the order. Some envied Xiao Yuzi for getting a new job and tried to curry favor with him, while others thought about flattering Eunuch Xia, whose reputation as the former chief scribe was well-deserved.

Inside the Imperial Study, Li Ping'an tried to decipher the Emperor's thoughts, while the eunuchs in the Imperial Stables also tried to decipher his thoughts.

"Eunuch Xia, official documents will be dealt with tonight. I'll go and deliver the good news to the Empress Dowager first!"

After all the matters were discussed and concluded, Li Ping'an got up to leave, still preoccupied with the troubles involving the Prince of Qi.

If it's not handled properly, it could lead to a major disaster.

At this moment, an old eunuch stepped forward and said, "Your Excellency, I have a different opinion."

"What does Eunuch Peng have to say?"

Li Ping'an recognized the old eunuch's identity; he had been Chu Gonggong's adopted son and served as the chief eunuch accompanying the emperor, but was later demoted to the laundry department to wash clothes for several years.

Now serving as an inspector in the Directorate of Palace Attendants, he inspects various royal palaces under construction. Although he is only a minor official of the eighth rank, he is quite lucrative.

Eunuch Peng took a deep breath, stepped past Xiao Yuzi and Eunuch Fei, and was only half a step behind Eunuch Xia. He said in a deep voice.

"In my opinion, His Majesty's words implied dissatisfaction with the Zhenfu Division!"

Li Ping'an raised an eyebrow and sat down again: "Peng Gonggong, please explain in detail. We are all relatives, so there is no need to hold back in your words."

Eunuch Peng explained, "This time, the rebellion of the Cold Rebels not only rendered the Zhenfu Division useless, but also almost ruined a major event because of the traces of the barbarians."

Even if the Garrison Command has a thousand reasons to shirk responsibility, it will be difficult to eliminate the resentment. Your Majesty needs a new Garrison Command to supervise officials and the people!

Upon hearing this, the eunuchs were first startled, then their faces lit up with joy, and they all looked at the governor with eager eyes.

Li Ping'an lowered his gaze, tapping his fingers on the armrest of the armchair before abruptly stopping.

"His Majesty only allows us to investigate traitors, not to monitor the entire country. However... there may be traitors plotting rebellion anywhere, whether in the martial world or the imperial court!"
"Eunuch Peng, you will temporarily assume the post of Investigator of the Rebellion. This position has no rank or grade. Are you willing to accept it?"

"Thank you, Admiral!"

With tears in his eyes, Eunuch Peng knelt down and kowtowed, his forehead hitting the ground with a loud thud.

Li Ping'an instructed: "Focus on collecting information on the opinions of officials and common people inside and outside the capital, whether through eavesdropping or hearsay, as well as remnants of the previous dynasty, evil sacrifices and licentious practices, etc. Do not arrest them for the time being, but report to His Majesty."

Eunuch Peng pressed his head to the ground and said, "This servant understands."

Li Ping'an personally helped Eunuch Peng up and said kindly, "Do your job well. Who knows, once the Investigator of Rebellion has a rank, he might be no less capable than the Chief Inspector of the Inner Palace."

Eunuch Peng, moved to tears, said, "Our family will always be the Governor's lackeys."

"Don't call us lackeys, we're all relatives."

Li Ping'an and Eunuch Peng exchanged a few insincere words, then the young eunuchs led the way, followed by their adopted sons and old eunuchs, and they left the Imperial Horse Stable in a grand procession.

On the way, Xiao Yu asked in a low voice, "Godfather, why was such an important task as investigating traitors assigned to Eunuch Peng?"

Li Pingan glanced at him and asked, "Who do you think should be given this task?"

Xiao Yuzi said, "My dozen or so brothers are all loyal to our godfather, like Eunuch Fei."

"You scoundrel, you're too cowardly to do anything yourself, yet you try to harm others."

Li Ping'an sternly rebuked them, not minding the fierce infighting among his adopted sons. If they truly became good brothers, he would find a reason to kill them.

Xiao Yu bowed repeatedly in apology: "Godfather, you are wise. We believe that we should keep the investigation of the traitors in our hands."

As for the deaths of a few close associates before the job is done, that's no big deal.

“Eunuch Peng is trying to figure out the Emperor’s intentions and is attempting to gain some control over the supervisory power as a eunuch. If he makes a mistake, it will be a crime that leads to the confiscation of his property and the extermination of his entire family. Our family cannot be allowed to get involved in this at all.”

Li Ping'an knew how difficult it was; not only did the officials in the outer court impeach him, but the Zhenfu Division alone would launch a vicious attack.

Sometimes, even when the emperor's will is correctly guessed, the outcome can still be tragic.

"Let Eunuch Peng go ahead and scout ahead. If he really manages to make the position of Inspector Cha too powerful, we have plenty of ways to take back the power!"

"Godfather, what if he does something that's neither too big nor too small?"

"Then send him down to take care of our godfather. Eunuch Peng is a smart man; once he's chosen this path, he has to see it through to the end for our family..."

"Your son thanks you for your guidance, Godfather!"

(End of this chapter)