Dugong

Chapter 80

It's approaching noon.

When Li Ping'an arrived at the Imperial Horse Stable, he was followed by two eunuchs, one middle-aged and one old.

Xiao Yuzi needs no introduction; he's the first adopted son under my command.

The eldest was Eunuch Xia, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial during the reign of the late emperor. He was demoted for his involvement in the case of the imperial concubine's offspring and spent several years guarding the imperial mausoleum.

Li Ping'an invited him out by the Empress Dowager's decree, and his attitude was quite respectful: "Eunuch Xia, you are a senior in the palace. In the future, we will need your guidance."

"Don't worry, Eunuch An, we will do our best."

Eunuch Xia stepped back half a step and bowed in reply. Having worked in the palace for many years, he naturally knew the rules and would never take advantage of his seniority just because of a few polite words from Eunuch An.

Li Ping'an entered the duty room, where a group of eunuchs had been waiting for him for a long time.

"Greetings, Admiral."

"Didn't I say yesterday that we're all family, no need for formalities?"

Li Ping'an waved for everyone to sit down and introduced them: "Eunuch Xia used to work in the Directorate of Ceremonial, and is currently in charge of the Horse Training Office. Eunuch Yu is my adopted son, and is currently in charge of the Saddle Warehouse."

The positions of the Palace Attendants required passing both civil and military examinations, so they were temporarily assigned to these posts. They would be officially appointed after passing the examinations.

Everyone understood that Eunuch An was promoting his trusted confidants, and they all stood up to greet him, saying, "Greetings, Eunuch Xia and Eunuch Yu."

Eunuch Xia, who had held an important position in the Directorate of Ceremonial, returned the greeting with composure.

Xiao Yuzi was a little excited as he was taking office for the first time. While returning the greeting, he secretly observed the sitting posture of his colleagues.

He sat with half his buttocks on the chair, his right hand on his knee, his legs together, his body leaning slightly forward as if facing an abyss, ready at any moment to kneel down to reply or stand up to obey orders.

Li Ping'an looked around and his gaze fell on Eunuch Ji.

"Is there any progress in the investigation into corruption?"

Eunuch Ji replied, "I have already sent someone to report the case and received a reply from Prefect Qian of the capital, who promised to personally supervise the arrest and interrogation. We will not be shortchanged by a single tael of silver."

The Imperial Horse Administration did not have the authority to investigate cases and arrest people; it had to go through the capital government or the Garrison Command.

The Zhenfu Division wielded power no less than the Inner Palace Attendants Division, and those handling its affairs would demand excessive benefits. The capital government was far inferior, and dared not offend the Imperial Horse Administration in the slightest.

Li Ping'an asked, "What is Prefect Qian's background? Is his handling of cases reliable?"

Eunuch Ji replied, "Prefect Qian was originally an official in Lingnan. During the reign of the late emperor, he was promoted to Prefect of the capital for his meritorious service in presenting auspicious omens. He is quite disciplined in his conduct."

"It turned out to be him."

Li Ping'an secretly admired the late emperor's shrewdness. He seemed obsessed with auspicious omens, but in reality, he knew that Prefect Qian was a sycophant, so he promoted him in name only and demoted him by transferring him to the position of Prefect of the Capital.

This is no good official position. You'll be surrounded by grandmothers, aunts, and other relatives. If you're not careful, you could lose your job.

"We can't let Magistrate Qian handle cases without any evidence. The gold, silver, jewelry, and other physical assets cannot be touched. One-tenth of the confiscated houses and fields should be allocated to the capital government!"

Eunuch Ji bowed and said, "Yes, sir."

The eunuch Gao, who was standing nearby, asked for instructions: "What should be done with He Yong's wives and concubines?"

Li Ping'an looked to his left: "Eunuch Xia, what do you think we should do?"

After a moment's thought, Eunuch Xia bowed and replied.

"If we follow the precedent set during the reign of the late emperor, we would naturally eliminate the threat completely. However, His Majesty is benevolent and magnanimous, so perhaps a lighter sentence of exile to Lingnan could be imposed!"

……

a few days later.

He Yong of the Qing Si Trading Company and his clansmen were all arrested and imprisoned.

After three days and three nights of interrogation by experienced interrogators in the capital, He Yong confessed to falsifying accounts through the Qing Si Trading Company and embezzling funds from the Imperial Horse Administration.

The exact number is yet to be verified.

……

This day.

Imperial Horse Stables.

Li Ping'an flipped through the ledgers on both sides. One ledger recorded gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, while the other contained deeds to houses, shops and fields. Below each item of property was the equivalent amount in silver.

"It's truly shocking! A mere horse doctor colluded with Eunuch Tao of the outer stable, Eunuch Liu of the saddle warehouse, and Eunuch He of the horse training office, and embezzled a staggering 300,000 taels of silver in just twenty years."

Li Ping'an tucked the land register into his sleeve, then after thinking for a moment, tore off half of it and added it to the gold and silver register.

"Let's say it's 450,000 taels, plus what was confiscated from Liu and He, making it a round number of 500,000 taels. This is all the people's hard-earned money..."

Seeing Eunuch An's worried and concerned appearance, everyone immediately knelt down and shouted, "Admiral, please be wise and clear-headed!"

At this moment.

A young eunuch walked into the duty room and looked at the people in the Imperial Horse Administration with their faces covered and sobbing in surprise. Anyone who didn't know better would think that his godfather had died.

"Your Majesty's oral order..."

Li Ping'an quickly wiped the tears from his eyes and skillfully slid down to his father-in-law to receive the imperial decree.

"Issuing Xiao Anzi, the supervisor of the Imperial Horse Administration, to go to the Imperial Study immediately to report back."

"The slaves obey the order."

Li Ping'an turned around and gave a wink, signaling Eunuch Xia and the others to quickly convert half of the farmland and houses into cash, even if they had to pay out of their own pockets first and then sell them slowly later.

As Li Ping'an stepped out of the Imperial Stables, he lagged half a step behind the imperial eunuch who was delivering the imperial decree and respectfully inquired.

"Eunuch Hai, may I ask what His Majesty has summoned me for?"

"You recognize our house?"

Hai Gonggong carefully examined Li Ping'an and vaguely remembered him. Calculating their ages, he figured they had probably met in the Inner Martial Arts Hall or the kitchen.

"Who in the palace doesn't know that Eunuch Hai was His Majesty's chief attendant during his time as a prince, and will one day become the head of the Inner Palace Attendants Bureau? I regret not meeting you sooner and have long admired you!"

Li Ping'an repeatedly flattered and fawned, saying that Eunuch Hai was no longer the little Hai Zi who was bullied by everyone back then. He was now one of the most popular people in the palace and could very well become the new generation's "Eunuch Chu".

Back then, the Ninth Prince was weak and cowardly, and had little power. No eunuch was willing to serve him. Only Xiao Haizi, who shared the same plight, devoted himself wholeheartedly and unexpectedly gained merit in supporting the emperor.

Hai Gonggong said calmly, "I dare not accept such praise from the old ancestor. Eunuch Leng is highly regarded by His Majesty."

Although their voices were flat and even, Li Ping'an still discerned the underlying meaning: Eunuch Sun always said "no need for formalities," and Eunuch Hai always referred to "ancestor."

"Eunuch Leng's fame was only temporary; how could he compare to Eunuch Hai's merit in supporting the emperor? Throughout history, every patriarch in the palace has been His Majesty's close companion!"

Upon hearing this, Grandpa Hai's lips unconsciously curled into a smile.

"You flatter me, Eunuch An. Your methods are indeed remarkable. You have only been in office for a short time and you have already uncovered a major corruption case."

Li Ping'an took out a silver note from his sleeve and skillfully stuffed it into Eunuch Hai's hand: "I am risking offending Eunuch Leng to carry out my duties and investigate cases for His Majesty. I hope Eunuch Hai will put in a good word for me."

When Eunuch Hai realized there was only one silver note, he was about to get angry and change his expression, but when he saw the face value of the silver note, he immediately smiled.

“Eunuch An is truly loyal to the emperor and devoted to the country. I will explain your difficulties to His Majesty.”

Eunuch Hai was happy to stir up trouble for Eunuch Leng in front of His Majesty over anything that could upset him. No matter how high your position or how powerful you are, you can't withstand the accumulation of slander and gossip over time.

The two walked briskly and arrived outside the Imperial Study as they spoke.

Eunuch Hai entered the study to report that Eunuch An from the Imperial Horse Administration was requesting an audience, and soon heard His Majesty's calm and steady voice.

"Come in."

"This servant, Xiao Anzi, greets Your Majesty!"

As Li Ping'an stepped across the threshold, he leaned forward, his legs bent, and he seemed to be sliding forward on his knees. When he finished speaking, he was kneeling right in front of His Majesty.

They kowtowed three times and bowed nine times, shouting, "Long live the Emperor!"

"Be flat."

Emperor Yongning smiled. In his early years, he didn't care about being shouted "Long live the Emperor!" and privately joked with his mother that there was no one in the world who could live ten thousand years, which always earned him a scolding.

Now it sounds exceptionally pleasant, and even "long live" doesn't seem like enough.

I wish I could live forever, not because I'm obsessed with the illusory path of immortality, but so that I could have more years to govern the world and serve the country and its people!

(End of this chapter)