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

The Cao residence.

The Imperial Guards and agents of the Eastern Depot filed in and turned the entire mansion upside down.

Although the warehouse did not contain much gold and silver jewelry, it was filled with countless silks, satins, antiques, and calligraphy and paintings.

These would be priceless if sold, far more valuable than gold and silver.

"Admiral Gao, the assets have been inventoried, totaling three thousand taels of gold, eighty thousand taels of silver, a quantity of jewelry, and thirty-seven land deeds and farmland properties..."

A low-ranking official from the Eastern Depot held the ledger and read it carefully.

Li Fan sat in the armchair in the main hall, legs crossed, holding a cup of tea in his hand, listening attentively.

"Well done, we'll put in a good word for you."

Xu Biao stood to the side, his gaze sweeping over the large boxes of gold and silver, his lips twitching slightly.

According to the old rules of the Eastern Depot, those who handled these valuables would have received at least 30%.

But this new admiral was as impenetrable as an iron barrel, and not a single grain of gold could be touched by him.

He was seething with hatred inside, but he still wore that forced, insincere smile on his face.

Just then.

Suddenly, a commotion arose from the direction of the warehouse.

"Let go! What right do you have to search me?"

"You're the thief, you son of a bitch! I'm a high-ranking official from the Eastern Depot, what's wrong with taking a few taels of silver from you?"

Li Fan frowned and put down his teacup.

"Let's go take a look."

Chen Tie clasped his hands in a fist salute, then turned and walked towards the warehouse.

He hadn't even reached the door when

They saw a burly foreign guard being pinned to the ground by two Imperial Guard soldiers, who were still cursing him.

The foreigner's belt was bulging, stuffed with several gold ingots.

Even his clothes were filled with silver, heavy and jingling as he walked.

"What happened?"

Chen Tie asked with a stern face.

A soldier from the Imperial Guard clasped his hands and said, "Captain Chen, this spies secretly slipped several gold ingots and silver into their clothes while we weren't looking, but I caught them red-handed."

The guard stuck out his neck, looking defiant:

"Caught my ass! I only had some loose silver in my pocket, which eye of mine saw any gold ingots?"

"Besides, isn't it perfectly reasonable to confiscate property and skim some profits? What right do you, an outsider in the Imperial Guard, have to interfere in the affairs of the Eastern Depot?"

He became increasingly arrogant as he spoke, and his voice grew louder and louder, as if he was deliberately trying to make a scene.

Soon, seven or eight guards gathered around upon hearing the noise.

They were all tall and burly, with embroidered spring knives at their waists. They stood in front of Chen Tie's two imperial guards with unfriendly eyes.

"What are you doing? Bullying your own people?"

"A mere squad leader dares to search the bodies of our Eastern Depot brothers?"

"This is the Eastern Depot, not your Imperial Guard's territory!"

Chen Tie's face darkened.

He had only two Imperial Guard brothers behind him, but the other side had seven or eight men surrounding him, and even more barbarians were walking towards them.

"Let him go!"

A weasel-faced guard shoved aside the Imperial Guard soldiers and reached out to grab the man who had stolen the silver.

"Smack!"

Chen Tie slapped him across the face, making him stagger.

"How dare you! You dare hit me?"

The foreigner covered his face, his eyes wide open.

Seven or eight guards surrounded them instantly, their blades flashing as they drew their embroidered spring knives, their cold light chilling the eye.

Chen Tie and two Imperial Guards stood back to back, gripping their sword hilts, veins bulging on their foreheads.

Three people were facing seven or eight opponents, and the other side was still adding more people.

If we drag this out any longer, we'll probably suffer losses.

"Bang!"

With a loud bang, the warehouse door was kicked open.

A gray figure strode in.

Li Fan stood with his hands behind his back, a faint smile playing on his handsome face as his gaze slowly swept across the entire room.

"It's so lively!"

The spies who were about to make their move froze, as if they had been struck by acupuncture.

Li Fan walked up to the thief who had stolen the silver, glanced down at his bulging belt, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"How much was hidden?"

The guard's face turned pale and then red, but he stubbornly insisted:

"No, not much... just a few taels of silver..."

Li Fan ripped open the man's belt.

"Splash!"

Seven or eight gold ingots and more than ten taels of silver rolled to the ground, jingling and sparkling on the blue brick floor.

Everyone present changed their expressions. What the hell was this, calling it a few taels of silver?

Li Fan squatted down, picked up a gold ingot, weighed it in his hand, and smiled.

"A gold ingot costs ten taels, and you stole eight. Adding this silver, it's quite a lot."

"But let me make this clear today: every tael of silver and every piece of gold confiscated from our property today must be registered, recorded, and handed over in full."

"Anyone who dares to hoard a single coin will have their hand chopped off."

His gaze slowly swept across the entire room, his voice not loud, but everyone could hear him clearly.

"I'll repeat myself again: without my orders, anyone who dares to hoard it will face the consequences!"

"Who has an opinion? Who objects?"

The barbarians lowered their heads, not daring to utter a sound.

Someone wanted to say something, but seeing the gold ingots on the ground, they swallowed their words.

Li Fan turned around and looked at Xu Biao.

"Commander Xu, your men aren't exactly known for their shady dealings."

Xu Biao's lips twitched, and he quickly forced a smile:

"Your Excellency is right. It is my fault for not disciplining them properly. I will certainly give them a good talking-to when I get back."

"lesson?"

Li Fan repeated it casually, then winked at Chen Tie.

"Guards, give this thief twenty strokes of the cane in public as a warning to others."

The guard's face turned deathly pale instantly, his knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground.

"Please spare me, Admiral! Please spare me, Admiral! I will never dare to do it again!"

"Twenty strokes! Execute now!"

Li Fan ignored his wails.

Chen Tie's two Imperial Guard brothers rushed up, pinned the spies to the ground, took out their batons, and began to beat them with them one after another.

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

The baton struck his back with a dull thud, and the barbarian's screams were heart-wrenching.

The surrounding spies all lowered their heads, their faces ashen, their fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

They were all from the Eastern Depot, used to being arrogant and domineering, and had never been so humiliated.

Seeing the admiral's cold face, no one dared to utter a sound.

After being beaten twenty times, the foreigner lay on the ground, his back a bloody mess, and he had already passed out.

Li Fan glanced around the room, his voice calm:

"Who else wants to try?"

There was a deathly silence; no one answered.

"Alright, continue ransacking the place."

After saying that, he turned and left.

The spies watched his retreating figure, gritting their teeth, but none of them dared to chase after him.

Xu Biao stood in the crowd, looking in the direction Li Fan had left, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He wasn't angry; on the contrary, he was secretly pleased with himself.

Confiscating property prevents people from making any profit, effectively cutting off everyone's path to wealth.

If you offend everyone, you'll end up as a lone commander.

"You think you're establishing your authority, but you're actually digging your own grave..."