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

Li Fan stood beside the box and personally handed out silver ingots to everyone.

"Yours, ten taels."

"Hmm, yours, fifteen taels."

"You did a good job today, here's an extra five taels of gold as a reward..."

He would glance at the face of each person he sent a message to.

Some people's hands trembled as they received the silver, some were so excited that their eyes turned red, and some stammered, "Thank you, Admiral."

A burly man with a fierce face took the silver, knelt down with a thud, and kowtowed heavily.

"My lord! I've worked in the Eastern Depot for six years, and I've never encountered a superior like you!"

"From this day forward, my life belongs to the Admiral!"

"Get up, get up."

Li Fan smiled and reached out to help him.

"We don't do that kneeling thing in our family. From now on, just stand and talk."

The foreigner stood up, clutching the silver, trembling with excitement.

Several guards nearby also expressed their opinions:

"Rest assured, Admiral, from now on, wherever you point, I'll go!"

"Anyone who dares to disrespect the Admiral, I will be the first to object!"

"Admiral, you're so kind..."

For a time, the scene was as lively as during the Chinese New Year.

The foreigners were all clutching their silver coins, their faces beaming with joy.

Seeing their joyful expressions, Li Fan's smile grew even gentler.

But in his eyes was a cold calculation.

Once this silver is distributed, it is no longer silver.

It's a chain.

It is the chain that binds these people's lives, one by one, to one's own hands.

Once you've received the money, you can board the ship.

Once you're on his ship, getting off? Not so easy.

After distributing the last ingot of silver, Li Fan dusted off his hands and looked around.

"Now that the money has been taken, I have a few more words to say."

The guards immediately quieted down and pricked up their ears.

Li Fan's smile faded slightly, and his voice became more subdued.

"About today's distribution of silver, once outside this door, if anyone dares to utter a single word..."

"At that point, we'll all be in the same boat."

"Those who embezzled together, divided the spoils together, were punished together, and died together."

"Did you understand?"

The guards shuddered.

The excitement from before vanished almost instantly, replaced by an indescribable sense of awe.

This admiral was all smiles when he handed over the silver, but the moment he turned around, he stabbed someone.

The difference between gentleness and cruelty is just a word.

"I understand!"

The crowd responded in unison, their voices so loud that they could be heard throughout the entire street.

"good."

Li Fan nodded in satisfaction, and a smile returned to his face.

"We trust you."

"From now on, if you work for us, I guarantee you'll live a life of luxury, get promoted, and make a fortune—you won't miss out on anything."

"But if anyone betrays our family..."

He didn't finish speaking, but just glanced down at Xu Biao's corpse on the ground.

That look was more effective than any threat.

The guards all shivered and nodded their heads like chickens pecking at rice.

"Your subordinate would never dare to betray the Admiral!"

"Anyone who dares to divulge even a single word will be the first to be chopped off by my men!"

"Yes! Everyone should keep an eye on each other..."

Li Fan smiled and waved his hand:

"Alright, alright, don't be so nervous."

"We're all brothers, why be so polite?"

"Move these boxes back to the Eastern Depot, put them in storage and file them up, not a single ounce less."

"yes!"

The guards responded in unison.

Everyone was full of energy, some carrying boxes, others pushing carts, their movements were many times more efficient than before.

The power of money is that simple and brutal.

Chen Tie stood aside and watched the whole scene from beginning to end.

He finally understood.

Why didn't the admiral allow his men to skim off the top on his first day in office?

Why was the person who stole the silver publicly flogged...?

It turns out that all of this was just a prelude.

First, establish authority and dispel any wishful thinking in anyone.

Then bestow favors and use real money to win people's hearts.

Finally, he locked it up, using the pretext of "colluding in corruption" to firmly bind everyone to his own boat.

One step after another, proceeding cautiously and methodically.

His political maneuvering was natural and effortless.

Chen Tie took a deep breath, stepped forward, and lowered his voice:

"Admiral Gao, I admire you greatly."

Li Fan turned his head, glanced at him, and smiled slightly.

"What do you admire?"

"The admiral only used a few chests of silver to transform these Eastern Depot agents from a disorganized mob into a unified force."

"I've never even heard of such a method, let alone seen it before."

"I am truly convinced now."

Li Fan patted him on the shoulder, speaking casually.

"What's silver worth?"

"Money can't buy loyalty, but it can buy temporary obedience."

"A moment of obedience is enough."

"Once they get used to listening to us, used to taking the money we give them, used to following us..."

"By then, even if we stop giving them money, they won't be able to escape."

"That's the power of habit."

Chen Tie was startled.

Looking at Li Fan's young and handsome face, he felt a mix of emotions.

This eunuch's grasp of human nature and understanding of power were even more profound than those old foxes who had been in the court for decades.

From today onwards, the Eastern Depot is likely to truly be in a period of upheaval.

Zhang Miaozhen stood not far away, her phoenix eyes filled with complex emotions.

This person killed someone, divided the loot, and then acted as if nothing had happened.

Is he cold-blooded, or does he see things too clearly?

"Admiral Gao, you killed Xu Biao today, and Feng Bao will certainly not let this go."

"Feng Bao had been operating the Eastern Depot for over a decade, and had many loyal followers."

"These spies have taken your money today and are temporarily loyal, but Xu Biao still has dozens of men under his command, and those men may not listen to you."

Li Fan walked in the setting sun, his gray official robe fluttering in the wind.

"If Feng Bao wants to deal with our family, there are only two options."

"On the surface, he can create obstacles for our family within the Eastern Depot and undermine our power."

"He could secretly send people to kill our family."

"But with Xu Biao dead today, his gang is leaderless and won't be able to cause any trouble in the short term."

"As for Feng Bao himself, we'll see when he comes back."

"Now that you're back, things will be much easier."

……

The back room of the Eastern Depot.

Feng Bao held a cup of Longjing tea, slowly blowing on the tea leaves floating on the surface, a confident smile on his lips.

"Minister Du, you can rest assured. That dog of a servant, Gao Jin, went with us to ransack the house today. No matter what he does, we have a way to deal with him."

Sitting opposite him was Du Jiang, the Minister of Works.

Du Jiang was not wearing his official robes today, but instead wore casual clothes that kept him in a low-key manner. However, the air of someone who had long held a high position still emanated from his very bones.

"Oh? What brilliant plan does Chief Supervisor Feng have?"