Dugong

Chapter 122 The Leader of the Taoist Sect
Li Guangjun was horrified. He was well-versed in the historical records and biographies of various dynasties and had never heard of a method of arresting people based on family genealogy.

"How dare a eunuch act like this?"

Li Ping'an glanced at the fellow and then ordered, "Pass down the order: anyone who harbors the Li family thieves will be treated as an accomplice in treason. Anyone who voluntarily hands over the thieves will be rewarded with a hundred acres of land!"

Guanyun County can seize 300,000 mu of farmland, and it is believed that many people will be willing to exchange their Li clan members for farmland.

Li Guangjun's vision went black, but fortunately, the young man next to him helped him up in time, preventing him from falling on the spot. He gasped for breath several times.

"Eunuch An, why go too far? My Li family has been able to survive for a thousand years and endure through three dynasties. The depth of our foundation is beyond your comprehension!"

"Is there any backup plan?"

Li Ping'an stroked his clean-shaven chin and said coldly, "I'll be waiting in the yamen. Use whatever means you have."

After saying this, Eunuch Xia waved his hand, and led his men to tie up the Li clan members and hang them on the flagpole outside the yamen to flutter in the wind.

The villagers in the county town, who were secretly watching, saw their high-ranking clan elder hanging and swaying like a dead dog, and their awe gradually crumbled and dissipated.

Thinking back to the mansion he lived in, he realized that it was a good thing that the Li family had been wiped out.

……

The Li family's ancestral home was burned to the ground, and the county government office next door suffered a lot of damage, with a thick layer of black ash falling on it.

The clerks and servants knelt at the door, respectfully welcoming Eunuch An into the house.

Li Ping'an walked into the main gate of the front office and saw Magistrate Guan Yun, who had hanged himself. His tongue was sticking out and his eyes were wide open, making him look quite terrifying.

Eunuch Xia explained, "This fellow's surname is Li, and his given name is Li Jin. He is a member of a collateral branch of the Li family and passed the imperial examination in the twelfth year of the Wude era."

"Drag him out and bury him."

Li Ping'an had seen many dead people and never felt that haunted houses were taboo. Sitting in the armchair, he saw a case file that had recently been closed.

The case likely involves a victim suing the steward, Sun Rui, for forcibly taking his daughter as a concubine, and being beaten when she tried to resist.

County Magistrate Li Jin wrote a ten-character note: "Upon investigation, there was no forced marriage; the false accusation warrants ten strokes of the cane."

"Eunuch Xia, burn this fellow and scatter his ashes." Li Ping'an was always fair and would not discriminate against any member of the Li clan.

About an hour later.

Zhao Lian came to the yamen to report: "Sir, the soldiers have been regrouped and returned to their posts. A total of 539 people were killed or wounded, including 72 from the Beijing garrison."

Li Ping'an said, "The dead will be compensated with two hundred taels for funeral expenses, the injured with one hundred taels for medicine, and the living with fifty taels as a reward."

Two hundred taels is no small sum. Although it's just for His Majesty's one meal, it can buy twenty acres of good land in the countryside.

The poor family received this funeral allowance and was transformed into a wealthy farmer who never had to worry about food or drink.

Zhao Lian said, "Sir, I sent men to investigate. The soldiers have looted at least a hundred taels, and some lucky ones have gotten several hundred taels. There is no need for further rewards."

"It doesn't matter."

Li Ping'an said, "What was stolen is stolen, what was rewarded is rewarded. It's only a few tens of thousands of taels of silver. We should give the soldiers soup while we eat meat."

"As ordered."

Zhao Lian's admiration grew stronger. Perhaps Eunuch An didn't know how to deploy troops and his command of sieges was just a chaotic rush, but as long as he was willing to pay wages, he could raise proud and fierce soldiers who knew how to fight.

When the news spread, thunderous cheers erupted outside the government office.

At this time, anyone who dared to say a bad word about Eunuch An would be punished, at best with broken limbs, and at worst with being hacked to death.

By evening.

The eunuchs arrived at the front office and bowed to Eunuch An. Li Ping'an inquired about the progress of the mission one by one: "Eunuch Xia, how much of the stolen silver has been recovered?"

"Currently, seven million taels of silver have been recovered, along with 450,000 mu of farmland, over sixty manors in various prefectures, twenty-one wharves, twelve mines, more than ten thousand pieces of antiques and paintings, and over one hundred thousand volumes of books..."

Eunuch Xia took out a scroll from his sleeve, read aloud the properties under the Li family's name, and finally explained, "This is only the Li family's property; there are also the private properties of each branch of the family, which are probably too numerous to count!"

Li Ping'an said, "Even if it's countless, we still have to count it. The imperial treasury is so empty that mice can run around in it. His Majesty has not built a new palace in the three years since he ascended the throne. It pains me to see this!"

Eunuch Xia continued, "My lord, soldiers discovered a hidden compartment in the wall and found a genealogy book of five families' marriage ties inside..."

Li Ping'an interrupted, "We've never heard of this thing before; it must have been burned to ashes in the fire."

Eunuch Xia understood and bowed to accept the order.

Li Ping'an asked, "Eunuch Kang, how is the interrogation going?"

Eunuch Kang stepped forward and said, "The Li family members have confessed that they were instructed by their clan leader, Li Guangjun, to hire salt gang experts to assassinate Prince Qi and the imperial envoy."

Li Ping'an nodded in satisfaction: "The officials of the prefecture and the members of the Li clan have all confessed, and the evidence is irrefutable. Only the salt gang has not yet been brought to justice."

The Salt Gang, or more accurately the Three Prefectures Salt Gang, was led by the "Snow Dragon King." He colluded with powerful families and government officials, relied on exorbitant profits to win over many martial arts masters, and boasted nine thousand followers.

Of course, this is just a claim; most of them are just thugs hanging around the Salt Gang's name. The real, daring, and hardworking disciples number at most four or five hundred.

Zhao Lian volunteered, saying, "My lord, I am willing to lead three thousand soldiers to suppress the Salt Gang rebels."

"This matter is not urgent. What is more important right now is to capture the Li clan members."

Li Ping'an wasn't in a hurry to wipe out the Salt Gang; leaving one of the murderers alive would allow him to continue investigating the case: "Everyone listed in the family genealogy must be accounted for."

Xiao Chenzi, who was in charge of the matter, reported: "Godfather, the Li family genealogy has a total of more than 2,700 people. More than 500 were burned or killed today. 200 of them were in the capital, and several others were in other prefectures."

"Clean up Songjiang Prefecture, and deal with the other areas later."

Li Ping'an asked a few more questions, such as weapons and provisions, battle merit statistics, and the movement of the garrison troops. By the time all matters were dealt with, it was already late at night.

In the evening, after going to bed, the young servant helped him change his clothes and go to sleep.

Li Ping'an waved his hand and said, "Young man, you don't need to stay here today. Go back to your room and rest."

The young man's face turned pale instantly, and he knelt down with a thud: "This servant has failed in her duty, please punish me, Your Excellency."

Li Ping'an said, "We need to go into seclusion to practice our skills for a few days. You go outside and guard the door. No one is allowed to come in."

Having been ordered around by Eunuch An, the young man immediately stopped crying and started laughing. He kowtowed several times, bowed, and left through the door.

at this time.

The house was empty. Li Ping'an used his "Standing Still Without Shadow" technique to easily pass through several layers of protection and disappear into the night.

About a hundred miles west of Guanyun County, there is a mountain called Sanqing, which is the source of the Dayong Taoist sect.

According to Taoist scriptures, Zhang Tianshi comprehended the supreme Dharma from this point on, built the Sanqing Temple overnight, and ascended to heaven after preaching for a hundred days.

After several dynasties, Sanqing Temple remained the leading Taoist temple in Jiangnan, on par with Baiyun Temple, which was repeatedly honored near the capital.

The truth of the legend from a thousand years ago is impossible to verify, but Zhang Tianshi is universally recognized as a master of innate cultivation.

Li Ping'an's purpose in coming to Jiangnan is twofold: first, to investigate a murder case to gain merit and make money; and second, to secretly investigate the secrets of the Innate Realm.

"His Majesty has treated us well, but there are some things we must be prepared for!"

Li Ping'an was unwilling to follow his godfather's blind loyalty and die of illness in the cold palace, nor was he willing to rebel like Eunuch Leng, resulting in the confiscation of his family's property and the extermination of his clan. The only one who truly stood firm in the palace was Eunuch Wei.

Only by becoming a Grandmaster of the Primordial Realm can one escape slavery!
(End of this chapter)