Dugong

Chapter 69 One vs. Two
Zhao Yan, temple name Shizong, posthumous title Wu.

The emperor reigned for forty-seven years, conquering the south and the north, destroying thirty-six kingdoms. All barbarian tribes submitted, and the world was unified. His military prowess was unprecedented in history.

In his later years, he became resolute and strict in enforcing the law.

Entrusting one's orphan to another on one's deathbed and choosing a benevolent heir demonstrates an understanding of the rise and fall of dynasties.

—Recorded in the Annals of Emperor Yongwu in the History of Yong.

Emperor Yongwu was suspicious by nature, and his killings were excessive. He waged war for thirty years, depleting the wealth accumulated by the Yong Dynasty over a century.

—Recorded in the "Duzhi Kao".

Emperor Yongwu, Zhao Yan, was a tyrant who relentlessly waged wars.

—Recorded in the "Golden Wolf Legacy".

Emperor Yongwu beheaded the Baiyue shaman king, burned 360 totems, and changed the worship of Yan and Huang. The sounds of the "Odes" and "Hymns" were heard in Lingnan.

—Recorded in the "Illustrated Gazetteer of Southern Xinjiang".

Emperor Yongwu destroyed countless countries and committed countless massacres.

When the Great Yue Kingdom fell, the city was massacred for three days. Women were forced into prostitution and men were enslaved. Although trade routes remained open, bones lay exposed in the wilderness, and the land was deserted for miles.

— Recorded in "Hu Shang's Notes".

Emperor Yongwu built the Temple of the God of Fire, recruited many alchemists, and consumed minerals and metals in his quest for immortality, but to no avail.

—Recorded in "The Secret Techniques of Huang-Lao".

……

Li Ping'an, living in the present day, neither knows nor cares about the evaluation of Emperor Wude in later generations. At this moment, he is busy taking care of the funeral arrangements for Eunuch Chu.

The Palace Attendant dispatched two lowly eunuchs to the Cold Palace to collect the remains of Eunuch Chu.

Li Ping'an, being very polite, slipped two silver notes into his hand: "Please arrange a fine coffin and bury him in a separate plot of land. In the future, when our family has the opportunity to leave the palace, we will personally carve a stele and build a tomb for our ancestor."

One of the eunuchs sneered, "What is this fatso? Eunuch Leng is our ancestor!"

This young eunuch had only been in the palace for two years and had never witnessed the former grandeur of Eunuch Chu. He looked at the bruised and bloated corpse with disgust and found it difficult to feel any awe.

Li Ping'an did not refute or argue, but silently memorized the little eunuch's appearance and added two more silver notes.

"Thank you both for your hard work."

"That's pretty much it."

The young eunuchs snatched the silver notes, one of them carrying Eunuch Chu's head and the other lifting his legs, dragging the corpse's arms along the ground.

The once powerful ancestor met the same fate as Xiao Zhongzi, Xiao Junzi, Xiao Liangzi, Xiao Zhuozi, and others.

"Grandpa, you're finally free!"

Li Ping'an watched the two figures leave, as if he could see his own fate.

No matter how high you climb in the palace eunuchs, when your lifespan ends, you will eventually be carried away and buried in the Palace Eunuchs' Tomb.

Composing myself, I went to the main hall.

The Empress, unusually, did not recite scriptures, but sighed and said, "I... should now call myself 'Aijia' (哀家). I still remember the first time I saw Xiao Chuzi, he was chubby and very lovable."

Li Ping'an comforted her, saying, "Your Majesty, please accept my condolences. His Majesty has passed away, and the palace still needs you to take charge of the overall situation."

After Emperor Wude passed away, the Empress became the most honored person in the palace in name only. If she could be honored as Empress Dowager in the future, her status would be even higher.

The Empress turned her prayer beads: "If I were Consort Yuan, I would definitely send someone to the Cold Palace to eliminate her completely now that His Majesty is no longer suppressing the palace."

Li Ping'an bowed and said, "Grandpa made arrangements before his death, and he will surely protect the Empress."

The Empress sighed, "When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out; all grudges vanish. Little Anzi, would you risk your life to keep your promise for a dead person?"

"They will risk their lives for their future."

Li Ping'an patted his chest and pledged his loyalty: "Your Majesty, this servant will protect you day and night. Anyone who dares to assassinate you will have to step over our corpses first!"

The Empress promised, "Little Anzi, if I can leave the Cold Palace, I will certainly not treat you unfairly."

Li Ping'an believed this. The Empress might have some old subordinates, but after a few years, how many of them were truly reliable and trustworthy?

If you seize the opportunity, you will surely soar to great heights!
Of course, there's no need to force things if they can't be done. After all, as the Four Books and Five Classics say, "Follow the will of Heaven and respond to the needs of the people; it's better to seize the opportunity than to be wise."

Li Ping'an is now well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics, and will not easily speak of betrayal or deception, but will instead find suitable classic quotes from the books.

"The sages were truly wise; they always had a legitimate reason for whatever they did." It was evening.

A young eunuch carrying a food box entered the Cold Palace. Li Ping'an, seeing that he was a stranger, casually asked, "Where is Xiao Wuzi who brought the food earlier?"

The young eunuch replied, "Little Wu has a stomachache today, so it's my turn to be on duty."

"The one who delivered the food earlier wasn't Xiao Wuzi..."

Before Li Ping'an finished speaking, he had already grabbed the little eunuch by the neck, and poured his intense true energy into his internal organs, which then flowed into his dantian along his meridians.

With a soft "poof," the dantian shattered into pieces.

The little eunuch, who had been struggling and pleading, suddenly became ferocious and venomous, cursing with bared teeth and claws: "I'll be waiting for you down there."

A cripple who has lost all his martial arts skills lives a life worse than death in the palace.

Li Ping'an opened the food box and shoved a white flour bun into the little eunuch's mouth: "Our family can't stand anyone wasting white flour buns. I'll make sure you die with a full stomach and be reborn into a good family in your next life."

The young eunuch choked until his face turned red, and soon he bled from all seven orifices and died from the poison.

Li Ping'an casually tossed the corpse outside the palace and sneered, "Zhaoyang Palace is really impatient; it can't even wait a day."

A little thought makes it clear that the two sides are sworn enemies, each having killed their own children and grandchildren.

He leaped and landed on the roof of the main hall. With his eyes and ears open, no movement could escape Li Ping'an's notice.

As midnight approached, the moon rose high in the sky.

A distant rumbling sound could be faintly heard, clearly indicating that someone was fighting.

Eunuch Chu had been in charge of the Inner Palace Office for decades, and countless eunuchs had benefited from his favors. Even if Eleven was willing to keep his word and help, he would still be a powerful force.

suddenly.

An old eunuch in gray robes appeared at the base of the wall.

Li Ping'an's eyes were sharp as knives, his aura locked on, as he looked up at the gates of the Cold Palace.

The white-haired old woman, leaning on a tall cane, pushed open the palace gate and looked at the empress who was chanting scriptures and praying to Buddha in the main hall.

"If praying to gods and Buddhas were effective, there would be no sorrow or suffering in the world!"

Li Ping'an shouted sternly, "How dare you assassinate the Empress! Aren't you afraid of having your entire family executed?"

The old eunuch remained silent, while the old nanny said indifferently, "Since I've come here, I have no intention of leaving alive."

"Then... die!"

Li Ping'an circulated his true energy, transforming into a phantom. His figure flashed like a ghost to the top of the old woman's head, and he stomped down in mid-air, aiming straight for her crown.

"The young man has great courage."

The old woman's cane, weighing hundreds of pounds, was swung with the lightness of a lamp wick, yet it swept across Li Ping'an's legs with immense force.

clang--

The sound of the collision was like thunder, deafening.

The terrifying force shattered Li Ping'an's trouser leg, revealing golden, flowing muscles and bones, as if cast from metal.

"What a perfect stance that leaves no shadow! What an indestructible body!"

The old eunuch watching from the sidelines suddenly narrowed his eyes and rushed towards the main hall. He was not there to fight; he only needed to kill the empress to complete his mission.

"How brave!"

Li Ping'an roared, the thunderous sound echoing for miles, and his figure suddenly dissipated into green smoke. When he reappeared, his palms were already imprinted on the old eunuch's back.

Two loud bangs followed, and the clothes on the back of the garment were torn apart.

The moonlight shone on his bare back, giving it a faint golden glow. The old eunuch ripped his tattered clothes in the back and said, "I think I know a thing or two about indestructible armor!"

at the same time.

The old woman charged in, swinging her cane, the wind howling as she did so.

Facing attacks from both sides, Li Ping'an took a deep breath and circulated his true energy in his dantian to its limit. His muscles and bones crackled and popped, and his thin body swelled up as if inflated, growing half a foot taller out of thin air.

It then vanished as a phantom, and a strange laugh rang in the old woman's ears.

"Hehehe, I only used 30% of my true energy just now!"

(End of this chapter)