After failing the imperial examination, he began to wield immense power after entering the palace!

Everyone looked at each other.

At the scene, no one dared to move.

Or perhaps...

Li Fan's gaze slowly swept across the entire room, like a brush sweeping over every face.

"Do you believe that His Majesty's decree is unworthy of appearing in the Eastern Depot?"

"Thump, thump, thump..."

In an instant, the sounds of people kneeling rose and fell.

Nearly a hundred agents from the Eastern Depot knelt down in unison, their heads bowed so low they wished they could bury them in the ground.

"Your subordinate greets Your Excellency the Admiral!"

"Please forgive me, Admiral..."

"Phew~"

Chen Tie let out a long sigh of relief, and his grip on the knife loosened slightly.

He knew that Li Fan's first act as the new official had already begun.

At least, we can hold our ground at the Eastern Depot today.

The dozen or so Imperial Guards exchanged glances, their initial apprehension fading considerably, replaced by an indescribable light.

This father-in-law is ruthless, tough, and arrogant.

Following him might actually lead to success.

Just then.

A calm and unhurried voice came from behind the crowd:

"Oh dear, what are you all doing? Why are you all kneeling? Get up, get up."

The crowd automatically separated.

A middle-aged man dressed in a brocade robe strolled out.

He walked at a moderate pace, each step seemingly on a beat, exuding the sinister aura unique to old men from the Dongchang factory.

"Your subordinate greets Commander Xu."

The kneeling guards all bowed their heads.

Li Fan recognized the person.

This person was third on the list that Leng Shuangqiu gave him.

Xu Biao, a criminal officer in the Eastern Depot, was a confidant of Feng Bao. He had been operating in the Eastern Depot for many years and had a group of loyal henchmen under his command.

Xu Biao walked up to Li Fan, looked him up and down, a forced smile on his lips, and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"Your subordinate Xu Biao greets Admiral Gao."

"I apologize for failing to properly welcome Your Excellency upon your arrival."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the several men with broken legs on the ground. His smile remained unchanged, but his tone became more sarcastic.

"However, Admiral, from now on we're all on the same side."

"You injured one of your own people as soon as you arrived. If word gets out, isn't that a bad idea?"

Li Fan looked at Xu Biao and smiled.

The two smiles collided, one gentle and harmless, the other sinister, like two knives locked in a silent battle.

"One of our own?"

Li Fan repeated the three words, then laughed, as if he were listening to a joke.

"Commander Xu, you call this one of your own?"

He pointed to the few guards on the ground, his voice turning cold.

"A pack of ungrateful dogs that don't wag their tails when they see their owner; instead, they pounce on them and bite them indiscriminately."

"What's the point of keeping this kind of dog? It's just a disgrace to the Eastern Depot!"

Xu Biao's expression changed slightly.

Li Fan continued, "What does the Eastern Depot do? It's there to monitor the entire country and arrest treacherous officials on behalf of His Majesty."

"What the Eastern Depot wants is loyalty, competence, and knowledge of the rules."

"Not that kind of person, the kind who dares to stop the newly appointed admiral and even insult the officials personally appointed by His Majesty."

"Moreover, we were sent to the Eastern Depot by His Majesty, and our every word and action represents His Majesty."

"Your Majesty, you cannot tolerate the slightest grievance."

He looked at Xu Biao, his gaze as calm as a stagnant pool.

"Commander Xu, do you think His Majesty should suffer such injustice?"

Xu Biao's face froze completely.

His fair face turned pale and then red, his lips twitched, as if he wanted to say something in rebuttal, but the words stuck in his throat.

What could he say?

Does this mean His Majesty can endure injustice?

Does he dare?

That dog of a eunuch has a mouth sharper than a knife. In just three sentences, he can bring up His Majesty as a shield, and you can't touch him.

"Your Excellency is too kind. I had no such intention."

"Today's events were caused by these few ignorant servants who offended the Admiral."

"I will apologize to the Admiral on their behalf and then expel them from the Eastern Depot."

The Eastern Depot agents around them looked at this scene with completely different expressions.

This Xu Baihu, who usually acted arrogantly and was avoided by everyone, was forced to bow his head and apologize in front of the new admiral with just a few words.

This new admiral is not to be trifled with!

Chen Tie and the dozen or so Imperial Guards saw this and felt a huge weight lifted from their chests.

Eunuch Gao's move was a combination of establishing his authority through physical force, followed by invoking His Majesty's name to intimidate others, employing both soft and hard tactics to both subdue and attack.

Xu Biao was no match for his father-in-law.

Li Fan looked at Xu Biao, who was bowing and apologizing, his smile unchanged:

"Commander Xu, you're too kind. We're all on the same side, so let's not dwell on the past."

He paused, then suddenly asked, "Where is Chief Eunuch Feng? I've been here for ages, why haven't I seen him?"

Xu Biao straightened up, his face returning to its usual forced smile, and said calmly:

"The Supervisor is not here today; he has important business to attend to."

"Admiral Gao, I also have matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."

Then, he turned around and waved to the group of barbarians behind him, giving a casual order.

"You, come with me, I will take you to do your errands."

Li Fan's heart skipped a beat, and he casually asked, "What kind of job?"

Xu Biao paused, turned around, a slight smile playing on his lips, a barely perceptible hint of smugness flashing in his eyes:

"By order of Governor Feng, we are to search and confiscate the residences of the disgraced officials Cao Mo and Wu Zheng."

Feng Bao assigned the task of confiscating the two men's property to Xu Biao, his intentions not too obvious.

Cao Mo and Wu Zheng were arrested by you, Gao Jin, but the credit for confiscating their property belongs to me, Feng Bao.

Li Fan glanced at the faint hint of smugness on Xu Biao's lips and spoke calmly:

"Search our house? What a coincidence, we don't have anything else to do today. We'll go with you."

Xu Biao's smile froze on his face.

He didn't expect Li Fan to be so direct, without any hesitation, politeness, or giving him any leeway.

The money from confiscating property is enormous.

Gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, land deeds and real estate—any little bit of that would be enough to live on for three years.

Feng Bao assigned him this job so that he could make a quick buck.

But if Li Fan goes along and stands by watching, how can he make money?

"Admiral Gao."

Xu Biao forced a smile and tried to be as tactful as possible in his tone.

"Since this is your first time at the Eastern Depot, you should familiarize yourself with its administrative affairs first."

"Hmm, such a trivial matter as confiscating property can be handled by this subordinate."

"You should know that I have worked in the Eastern Depot for more than ten years. I am very familiar with this kind of thing and I will handle it perfectly. You don't need to worry about it."

"A small matter?"

Li Fan's eyes immediately turned cold.

"Commander Xu, tell me again, is confiscating property a trivial matter?"

Xu Biao was taken aback, realized he had said the wrong thing, and quickly tried to make amends.

"What I mean is, this kind of errand-running job..."

Li Fan interrupted him, his voice neither hurried nor slow.

"Searching their homes involves inventorying their valuables, making lists, and searching for evidence—none of which are trivial matters."

"Which one doesn't require my personal supervision?"

Xu Biao's lips twitched, as if he wanted to say something more.

"Admiral Gao, that's not what I meant. I was worried you were overworked..."

"not to mention."

Li Fan interrupted him again, this time with a hint of coldness in his voice.

"Cao Mo and Wu Zheng were chosen by our family."

"Their case was handled entirely by our family."

"Now that they're raiding our property, can we really justify not being there in person?"