Dugong

Chapter 35: Responsible to the Superiors
Li Ping'an had doubted his whereabouts and handwriting, but he never thought that his godfather had no evidence and just concluded that he was playing tricks.

After pondering for a moment, I felt that it made sense.

Convicting people based on vested interests is simple, quick and gets to the point.

Li Pingan bowed and said, "Thank you for your advice, godfather. I have never taken the initiative to harm anyone. It was Xiao Liangzi and Xiao Junzi who provoked me first."

Eunuch Sun waved his hand and said, "It's okay. They are just two young eunuchs. The imperial kitchen has plenty of them."

Li Pingan truly realized the gap between himself and Eunuch Sun, so he suppressed his arrogance as a new official and humbly asked for advice.

"If my guess is wrong, wouldn't that be an injustice to my child?"

Eunuch Sun waved his hand again: "It's okay, he's just a small eunuch, there are plenty of them in the imperial kitchen."

Li Ping'an was stunned. After careful consideration, he realized that there was no difference between him and Xiao Junzi. If he died, he would die. His godfather could just wave his hand and take in ten or eight new godfathers.

"Godfather, isn't the way you do things excessive..."

"That's too cold, isn't it?"

Eunuch Sun said, "Eunuch An, when you become an official in the future, you must break away from the old rules and regulations, otherwise you won't be able to stay in office for long and won't be promoted!"

Li Pingan bowed to the ground and said, "Please teach me, godfather."

Eunuch Sun nodded and said, "First and foremost, don't treat eunuchs as human beings."

Li Pingan asked: "Then what should we do with them?"

Eunuch Sun said, "It could be a sword, a shield, an ox or a horse, or just a few numbers, but it's not a person."

Li Ping'an thought carefully and gained some understanding.

Ordinary eunuchs or servants can be used to kill enemies and harm people, and can be used to take the blame and scapegoat, and ordered to do the dirtiest and most tiring work, just like the tenants in Sun Baopi's family.

As for treating it as a number, Li Pingan found it difficult to understand.

Eunuch Sun continued, "The second rule is to understand the intentions of the superiors and be responsible for the source of the official position. Don't pay attention to others, it's a waste of energy."

Li Pingan took it very seriously and asked, pointing at his official robe.

"Godfather, who gave us this official position?"

Eunuch Sun bowed towards the Qinzheng Hall and said, "Under the heavens, all are subjects of the king. Any official position is bestowed by His Majesty, but..."

The tone changed: "I am just an eighth-rank official. There is no need to trouble Your Majesty. The ancestor can make the decision."

Li Pingan said: "Of course our family is loyal to our ancestor. He is our great-grandfather!"

"Hehehe, Eunuch An is still so smart."

Eunuch Sun laughed strangely a few times, and his expression quickly turned serious and gloomy: "Eunuch An, when you go to the tribute department, don't just think about making money, you also have to do the right thing for our ancestors!"

Li Ping'an had anticipated this: "We will quickly find out how the Zhang family is sending tribute and cut off the food supply to Zhaoyang Palace."

"Just check it out. The ancestor must give the order on when to stop eating."

Eunuch Sun nodded in satisfaction and pulled out a booklet from his sleeve. "This is Xiaoluzi's record of embezzlement. It includes all the eunuchs in the Tribute Department. Take it and use it. Take control of the situation as soon as possible!"

"Thank you, godfather."

Li Ping'an took the account book and flipped through it. He saw that the smallest amount of embezzled silver was over a thousand taels. It was indeed a lucrative area.

"Godfather, since you have this account book, why don't you have Grandpa Gan change the tribute department from top to bottom and directly cut off the Zhang family's access to the system?"

The Tribute Bureau was under the jurisdiction of the Shangshenjian and was under the full control of Admiral Liu. He could completely clean up the Tribute Bureau under the pretext of investigating corruption.

If key positions are replaced by their own people, Zhaoyang Palace will no longer be able to achieve anything.

Eunuch Sun explained, "The Tribute Department is relatively stable at the moment, and we shouldn't start a war unless it's necessary, so as not to affect the tribute from various places.

Secondly, the tribute department's profits are largely controlled by my godfather. A superficial investigation is pointless, and a deeper investigation will inevitably affect me!"

"I understand, son." Li Ping'an knew that his godfather was reminding him that, first, he must not affect the operation of the Tribute Bureau, and second, he must not let his godfather lose money.

Of course, there is also the profit share promised to the godfather.

……

Leaving the main office, I returned to my residence to pack my bags.

Li Ping'an was promoted to the head of the Tribute Department, so he naturally no longer had to serve meals, and he no longer had to live in a crowded room with ordinary eunuchs. He was given a room of his own.

He didn't have many personal belongings, just two sets of underwear and over two hundred taels of gold and silver.

There is no need to move the bedding and beds. Instead, new bedding will be distributed, with the coarse cloth cover replaced with a satin back, and the cotton inside is more and thicker.

In general, the treatment after becoming an official is completely different from before.

Li Ping'an knew that this was highlighting the power of officials. In the past, he would secretly curse corrupt officials, but now he enjoys everything happily.

If anyone dares to cut the salaries of officials, he will definitely jump out to oppose it!
"I haven't been back for a long time, and I still miss this place."

A familiar voice came, and I turned around to see Eunuch Yuan with his hands on his shoulders, wearing an official robe, and smiling as he reminisced about the past.

Li Pingan bowed and said, "Long time no see, Eunuch Yuan is still as elegant as ever."

"Each each other."

Eunuch Yuan took out a pearl from his sleeve and said, "When we heard that Eunuch An was promoted, we immediately rushed over to congratulate him. This South Pearl is our gift."

"Thank you very much."

Li Pingan took it without hesitation. The South Pearl, which was as big as a pigeon egg, was pure white, round and flawless. Even if one did not know much about antiques and rare treasures, one could tell at a glance that it was a top-notch item.

"Eunuch Yuan sent such a generous gift, I'm afraid it's not just for congratulations, right?"

Eunuch Yuan said, "We have lived and eaten together for months. We are brothers and close friends. What are these mere Nanzhu worth?"

Li Ping'an put the Nanzhu into his sleeve and was about to open his mouth to finalize the gift, but Eunuch Yuan seemed to know that he was thick-skinned and changed the subject.

"However, I do have a small matter, and I would like to ask for your help, Eunuch An."

Li Pingan raised his eyebrows and said, "Eunuch Yuan, please tell me what happened first."

"Eunuch An will be on duty at the Tribute Bureau, so he'll have to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys. Why not give those chickens to us and get some credit for it?"

As an inspecting eunuch, Eunuch Yuan seems to have great power, but in fact it is difficult for him to truly exercise it.

Any eunuch in the palace who dared to embezzle money on a large scale must have a deep background and powerful backers, and even an eighth-rank official could not investigate him.

Those small eunuchs who had no background or support were not qualified to embezzle money on a large scale, and at most they could use their power to make some money.

But Eunuch Yuan has to investigate corruption and crimes and accumulate merits in order to be promoted quickly.

"This matter..."

Li Ping'an was thinking about how to establish his authority when Eunuch Yuan, who was in charge of investigating corruption, came to his door. It was really like a pillow for a sleepy person, but he looked embarrassed.

"Godfather warned our family not to start a war after taking office. If it affects the tribute from various places, it is a serious crime punishable by beheading."

Eunuch Yuan said with a pained look, "If that's the case, then forget it."

The South Pearl was a reward from godfather Admiral Qiao. It is said to be the leftover rosary beads used by His Majesty for worshiping Buddha. It is worth a fortune and is a priceless treasure.

Li Pingan rubbed his fingers together and said, "Eunuch Yuan, what we mean is that one Nanzhu is not enough... you have to pay more!"

Eunuch Yuan's face froze: "Eunuch An, don't be greedy."

"We have always been fair in our work. This time, we are not investigating small fry, but the biggest corrupt officials in the Tribute Bureau!"

Li Ping'an took out a piece of paper and wrote a few words crookedly.

——The tribute silver noodles from Nanchang Prefecture, Eunuch Dong deliberately created losses and sold them to merchants at a price of ten taels per catty!
(End of this chapter)