Dugong

Chapter 123 Escorting to the Capital

Sanqing Temple.

Over the millennia, it has been continuously expanded, covering hundreds of acres. From the "Sanqing Ancestral Temple" plaque at the foot of the mountain to the "Celestial Master's Lecture Hall" at the top, the pavilions and floors stand tall and majestic.

The temple has 1,500 disciples, making it one of only two sects under the rule of Dayong with more than a thousand disciples; the other is the Vajra Temple, the leading Buddhist temple.

Other sects, whenever they have more than a thousand formal disciples, will inexplicably suffer misfortune, such as the sudden death of the sect leader or the annihilation of true disciples.

Rumors circulated that Buddhism and Taoism were maintaining their positions and suppressing dissent, while others said it was the imperial court secretly persecuting them to prevent the sects from growing too powerful and affecting its rule.

Li Ping'an preferred the latter, after all, Eunuch Chu had said that the old eunuchs in the palace were ordered to handle matters of the martial arts world.

"Before the founding emperor raised his army, he gathered more than a thousand disciples by virtue of his title as the Sword God. The dynasty used this to establish its rule, so naturally it will guard against it with all its might!"

While pondering, I passed through more than a dozen palaces and arrived at the Sutra Repository on the east side of the Celestial Master Hall.

The hall is three stories high, with flying eaves and brackets, covered with green tiles, and copper bells hanging from the eaves, which tinkle when the night wind blows.

Above the vermilion gate hangs a plaque with gold lettering that reads "Unity of Taoism and Martial Arts," the strokes of which are ethereal and natural, as if written by a hermit in the mountains.

A young Taoist boy stood guard at the entrance, sitting on the stone steps and dozing off against a pillar.

Li Ping'an carefully observed for a moment, looked around several times, and, finding no other guards, leaped up to the second floor and squeezed through the window crack.

Dozens of rows of ebony bookshelves stand neatly in the pavilion, reaching all the way to the top of the building. They are filled with scriptures and books, including many rare ancient books such as tortoise shells, bamboo slips, leather scrolls, and brocade.

Some ancient books bear sword marks, palm prints, and even bloodstains, likely remnants of battles fought by masters.

Li Ping'an casually flipped through a few books and found that most of them were Taoist classics, with few martial arts techniques.

"We have plenty of time to look through them one by one!"

The library was completely silent except for the occasional rustling of pages turning.

Until dawn.

The morning sun woke the young Taoist boy at the door, who stretched comfortably and strolled over to report to the steward.

"Chang'an was peaceful last night!"

A few days later.

During the day, Li Ping'an inquired about the progress of his mission and casually wrote letters to chat with the Empress Dowager. He had to serve her well in the palace, and he had to keep an eye on her even more once he left.

That evening, I went to the Sanqing Temple to peruse ancient books. Although I did not discover the secrets of innate wisdom, I did find many insights into martial arts from the ancient sages.

When martial arts cultivation reaches the level of Eunuch An, ordinary manuals and techniques are no longer useful. Instead, seemingly unrelated insights can broaden one's horizons and increase one's strength.

For example, a Taoist named Guiyuanzi practiced the Sanqing Temple's protective technique, "Taiqing Xuangang," and after achieving mastery, his body was surrounded by a true qi shield.

In terms of defensive capabilities, it is far inferior to "Indestructible Vajra" and does not have the effect of internal strengthening or boosting power.

However, after decades of dedicated study and practice, Gui Yuanzi mastered the Ninefold Profound Qi, which, once unleashed, provides layer upon layer of protective true qi, with one layer breaking through only to be followed by another.

The drawback is that the consumption of true energy increases ninefold, which is even more excessive than the Vajra Indestructible.

Guiyuanzi devoted the latter half of his life to reducing the consumption of true qi, but unfortunately the effect was not good and it failed to become a universal cultivation method.

"Our family may not have much else, but we have inexhaustible true energy!"

Li Ping'an memorized the Ninefold True Qi Techniques and studied them whenever he had free time. Relying on his vast and boundless true qi, he was able to unleash the Threefold True Qi Technique in just half a month.

……

Kyoto.

Royal study room.

Emperor Yongning's expression shifted as he read the memorial sent back by Xiao Anzi, sometimes showing shock, sometimes great joy.

An emperor's mind should be such that he does not show his anger on his face, nor does he express his likes and dislikes.

However, the news of "the destruction of a thousand-year-old family" was truly too shocking. You must know that the Li family rose to prominence three dynasties ago, while at that time the ancestors of the Zhao family were farming in some remote mountain village.

After Emperor Taizu of the Dayong Dynasty ascended the throne, he compiled a family genealogy to claim kinship, tracing back at most to Zhao Wuji, the founding prime minister of the previous dynasty.

If I go any further, nobody will believe me. "I overestimated this thousand-year-old family..."

Emperor Yongning suddenly realized why his father had described the aristocratic families as "mere parasites, easily wiped out," and why the Li family couldn't even withstand five thousand soldiers.

The Great Yong Dynasty had 500,000 border troops and a million soldiers from the capital and prefectures. If they were to march south, they would wipe out powerful clans as easily as plowing a field.

The extermination of the Li clan over a thousand years unlocked the invisible shackles in Emperor Yongning's heart.

Noble families are nothing but commoners!
"However, Xiao Anzi's actions were too cruel, setting fires and committing a crime against nature."

Emperor Yongning put down the memorial and looked through the attached ledger of the seized items. It was two or three inches thick and several hundred pages long, with over a hundred categories of stolen goods alone.

At the end of the page, it says the value: 55 million taels, equivalent to the annual income of the tenth year of the Da Yong reign.

According to Xiao Anzi's annotation, they arrested about a hundred pawnshop owners and business accountants, and it took them three days and three nights to calculate the approximate value, with an estimated fluctuation of no more than five million taels.

Emperor Yongning slammed the account book shut, glanced around, and all the eunuchs and palace maids bowed their heads, discreetly tucking the book into their sleeves.

"Two years ago, I was worried about 500,000 taels of military pay. Xiao Anzi confiscated my property and investigated corruption, which made up for the urgent need."

Now that the nation has gained another ten years' worth of revenue, the national treasury is full, and I can quickly reduce taxes and provide disaster relief, lightening the burden of corvée labor.

Xiao Anzi is truly my lucky star!

Emperor Yongning suppressed his inner joy, regained his calm demeanor, and ordered, "Xiao Haizi, summon Gong Jing."

Hai Gonggong bowed and accepted the order, a glint of jealousy and greed flashing in his eyes.

Just now, when Emperor Yongning was looking through the account books, Eunuch Hai secretly glanced at them. The unbelievable amount was enough to make even a small oversight equal to all of his savings.

"Given Xiao Anzi's greed, he must have easily pocketed several million taels of silver. Wouldn't it be too much for him to handle?"

Soon.

Commander Gong Jing of the Zhenfu Division kowtowed nine times and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

Emperor Yongning asked, "Has the case of the imperial envoy been investigated thoroughly? Who exactly was responsible?"

"Your Majesty, after extensive investigation, I have made some progress."

Gong Jing replied, "Before Lord Shen was murdered, he had contact with a salt merchant surnamed Cao. Not long after, this man moved his entire family to the north. According to information sent back by spies from the northern frontier, Cao's relative by marriage was Kong Yan, the Earl of Renyuan and General of Guangyang, who served under the Prince of Zhenbei."

A fierce glint flashed in Emperor Yongning's eyes as he coldly said, "Heh, it's the north again!"

Upon hearing this, Gong Jing breathed a sigh of relief; his position as commander should be secure.

Previously, the emperor was completely unaware of Leng Ni's rebellion, and was so enraged that he almost lost his position. This time, when investigating the case of the imperial envoy, he used a clever approach on the advice of his confidants.

It is true that the Cao family had contact with the imperial envoy, that the whole family fled to the northern frontier, and that they were indeed related by marriage to the Kong family, the Earl of Renyuan.

Did the Cao family or the Northern Frontier poison the imperial envoy?

Hard to say!

After a moment's thought, Gong Jing said, "Your Majesty, I have already dispatched hundreds of spies to the north to keep a close eye on the movements of the border troops."

"not enough."

Emperor Yongning waved his hand and said, "I will allocate funds to you to establish the Northern Affairs Office, which will be in charge of matters concerning the northern frontier."

Gong Jing's face lit up with joy, and he kowtowed, saying, "As you command."

Emperor Yongning then instructed: "Xiao Anzi, capture the key criminals who plotted to murder the Prince of Qi and the Imperial Envoy, and send someone to escort them back to the capital."

Gong Jing asked in surprise, "The Cao family has been captured?"

Bang!
Emperor Yongning picked up an inkstone and smashed it on Gong Jing's forehead. If it weren't for the fact that this fool was loyal and somewhat easy to use, he would have been dragged out and beaten to death long ago.

"It's not the Cao family, it's the Li family."

Which Li family?

"There was only one Li family in Jiangnan, but there won't be any more..."

(End of this chapter)