Dugong

Chapter 138 The Struggle for Power
In this world, it's easy to force people to rebel.

By mobilizing the forces of the Imperial Horse Administration both outside the pass and in the capital, and employing a few clever schemes, Eunuch Yue forced the Fuwei Escort Agency to become a true rebel.

When the guards arrived, several of the constables were already dead, and the others, whether injured or not, were lying on the ground groaning in pain.

Upon seeing Eunuch Yue arrive, Zao Tou scrambled over.

"My lord, arrest the traitors at once!"

Chief镖头 Zhang's face was pale; even if he had suffered a great injustice, there was no way to refute it now.

With a slight upturn of his lips, Eunuch Yue spoke, his fingers delicately pointing to the ground.

“Arrest the traitors and interrogate them severely. They dare to plot a rebellion in the capital. They must have powerful backers and accomplices.”

The black-clad guards rushed forward to arrest the man, but the bodyguards tried to gather a crowd to resist.

Eunuch Yue sneered, his figure shifted rapidly, and his five fingers transformed into claws that swept across the heads of several bodyguards, leaving five bloody holes.

"Those who rebel against the imperial court will be killed without mercy!"

"As ordered."

Among the guards were also martial arts experts, who were disciples of sects such as the Heavenly Sword Sect, the Black Sand Gang, and the Hidden Sword Manor before joining the government. They could easily deal with ordinary soldiers.

After a while.

All the rebels were captured and brought to justice, their hands and feet bound together, and they were escorted to the Anti-Rebel Office in a swaggering manner through the streets and alleys.

Pedestrians and ordinary people on the street all avoided it like the plague.

"Jie Jie Jie..."

Eunuch Yue chuckled smugly. He had been an unknown figure in the palace for most of his life, and now he finally had the chance to act arrogantly and domineeringly.

Eunuch An had instructed that the first mission of the Investigation Division must be renowned throughout the capital.

A bad reputation is still a reputation!

Arrogant and domineering, they were halfway there when they encountered Xue, the commander of the Southern City Garrison, who led dozens of strongmen and surrounded Eunuch Yue and his entourage.

"Eunuch Yue, why didn't you inform me beforehand? Why are you handling a case in the southern part of the city?"

"You got a problem with that, kid?"

Eunuch Yue snorted coldly and bowed towards the direction of the palace.

"I'm under orders to investigate the traitor. The case is urgent. If I tell you that the thief escaped, will I be implicated?"

Commander Xue's breath hitched; he dared not agree rashly.

Who knows, if another thief rebels again, this old eunuch might inform them and then deliberately let them go, using the opportunity to frame them.

Thieves can be caught anytime, but dissidents must be eliminated as soon as possible.

Before Xue Qianhu could speak again, Eunuch Yue waved his hand and said, "Follow me. Anyone who dares to block the way will be treated as an accomplice to the rebels."

The black-clad guards responded in unison and immediately drew their weapons.

Upon seeing this, the blue-robed strongman quickly took two steps back.

The Zhenfu Division has been established for over a century, and its soldiers are no longer as elite as they once were; many are now just people with connections who are just there to get by.

They might bully ordinary people on a regular basis, but they never dare to fight to the death.

Commander Xue watched helplessly as Eunuch Yue left, gripping the hilt of his goose-feather sword tightly, but ultimately dared not draw his sword to stop him. He turned and berated his strongmen.

"You bunch of good-for-nothings..."

The strongmen listened to the reprimand with their heads bowed and eyes lowered, secretly cursing the entire Zhenfu Division for being useless.

During the reign of the late emperor, things were fine. Commander Chang was highly skilled in martial arts and had shrewd and decisive methods. The power of the Zhenfu Division was comparable to that of the Inner Palace Division.

The new Commander Gong can't even make money!
If the higher-ups don't spend more money, the lower-ups won't work hard.

The few elite warriors among them exchanged glances and conceived the idea of ​​switching sides to investigate the traitor.

Rumor has it that Commander An is generous and extravagant, and often throws money around.

For example, the soldiers from the Beijing garrison who followed the army south all bought houses and land upon their return, becoming wealthy men who had no worries about food and drink.

In addition, countless others were promoted and received higher salaries!

Upon returning to the Imperial Horse Stables, Eunuch Yue immediately toned down his arrogant demeanor outside the palace, reverting to his usual hunched-over posture, and greeted the young servant at the gate with a smile.

"Eunuch Lang, we heard you enjoy snacks, so we specially brought you a portion of Eight Treasures Cake from Guishunzhai." "Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Eunuch Yue."

The young man took the oil paper package; it felt heavy in his hand, clearly containing more than just pastries. He smiled and tucked it into his sleeve.

“Eunuch An has been reading medical books and studying the Huang-Lao health preservation techniques lately. Eunuch Yue can take a look when he has time.”

"Thank you for your guidance, Eunuch Lang!"

Eunuch Yue bowed and thanked him, secretly thinking about inviting a few renowned doctors from the martial arts world to give lectures, always keeping in mind Eunuch An's preferences.

As for exclusive secret recipes and things like "never to be passed on to outsiders," these were no big deal to Eunuch Yue. He had plenty of ways to make the divine doctor obedient.

Disobeying orders makes you a traitor.

After the young man announced the news, Eunuch Yue bowed and entered the duty room.

He slid down to his knees and knelt before Eunuch An, kowtowing and saying, "This humble servant, Xiao Yuezi, greets Commander An."

Eunuch An held many important positions, and his subordinates had different titles depending on their rank. For example, the eunuchs in the Cining Palace were called the Chief Eunuch, and the eunuchs in the Inner Palace were called the Supervisors.

Since Eunuch Yue was in charge of investigating rebellions, he was naturally called Commander.

Li Ping'an was processing official documents and asked without looking up, "How's the matter going?"

"The evidence was irrefutable, and the suspects were caught red-handed on the spot."

Eunuch Yue replied, "The rebels killed three government officials and seriously injured nine others. They have been imprisoned in the government office dungeon and are being interrogated by Eunuch Kang personally."

Eunuch Kang handed over the job of the castration room to his godson, and promoted him to the prison warden of the Investigation Bureau. He was moved from one execution ground to another, truly loving what he did.

Li Ping'an nodded in satisfaction and then asked, "What was the reaction from the Garrison Command?"

"The commander of the Southern City blocked our way halfway, and a group of strongmen surrounded our yamen gate, shouting and yelling for a long time, but in the end they didn't dare to make a move."

Eunuch Yue said disdainfully, "The officials of the Zhenfu Division have been living a peaceful life for too long. They have long lost the momentum they had when they followed Emperor Taizu to conquer the world. They are timid and cowardly, more like eunuchs than we are."

Li Ping'an said, "Power must be fought for; if you don't dare to fight for it, no one will give way to you."

The authority of the Investigation and Investigation Division originally belonged to the Zhenfu Division. Since they took something from others for nothing, they shouldn't expect to get along peacefully; they must fight, rob, and seize it.

However, Eunuch Yue heard a different meaning in his words. He realized that although he had been tolerant and amiable in the past and seemed to live a peaceful life, he had never been as happy as he was now.

"This humble servant will follow the Commander's instructions and strive to be the best in the future."

Li Ping'an raised his eyelids and looked at Eunuch Yue properly for the first time. This fellow was quite obedient and understood what he was saying. After thinking for a moment, he said...

"Young Master Yue, keep a close eye on the movements of the Zhenfu Division. Don't make any mistakes. I will mention your contributions in the memorial to the throne."

Eunuch An was willing to promote obedient subordinates for two reasons: first, loyalty was more important than ability; and second, to maintain the flow and change of officials under his command.

To prevent a godfather from wanting to become a godson after being a godson for too long, or an official from wanting to rise in rank after being an official for too long.

"Thank you for your guidance, Commander!"

Eunuch Yue kowtowed repeatedly, and seeing that Eunuch An continued to review official documents, he dared not disturb him too much, so he left the duty room kneeling.

……

The fourth year of Yongning.

April.

The office of the Investigation and Rebellion Bureau was officially established.

June.

The imperial envoy Yue, who was in charge of investigating treason in Kyoto, captured the rebels. After the evidence was conclusive and the three judicial departments verified the case, he was sentenced to immediate execution.

More than a thousand people were implicated and were all exiled to Lingnan.

No official or nobleman had any objection to the case, and even though they knew that the Fuwei Escort Agency had been wronged, no official wrote a petition to seek justice.

Those who smuggle salt and kill government officials must be severely punished without exception.

Only Commander Gong of the Zhenfu Division repeatedly impeached the authorities, claiming that the Investigation Division had overstepped its authority and framed the suspects.

This case is insignificant in historical records, probably only mentioned in ten or so words, or at most two or three lines.

The most documented case is the Investigation and Rebellion Division, which officially entered the historical stage of the Great Yong Dynasty.

Historically known as the Eastern Depot.

(End of this chapter)