Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 370 Let's go, let's compete for the official position!
"That's good!" Gao Hong walked around the desk, pulled him up, and then handed him a piece of jade: "Under the floor of Li Quan's bedroom, there is a hidden compartment where he usually stores confidential memorials. Before midnight, put this into that compartment and then put the compartment back in its original state."

The young eunuch took the jade and asked, "Where exactly is the hidden compartment located?"

"Below the third brick from the doorway from his bedside." Gao Hong instructed, "He is a light sleeper, so you must not make a move while he is asleep. He will lock the door immediately after he gets up. Therefore, the only opportunity is within the fifteen minutes he spends changing clothes and washing up."

The young eunuch tucked the jade into his robes: "Disciple understands!"

Gao Hong said in a deep breath, "You are a disciple I have always placed high hopes on. Don't let me down. After this is done, I will promote you to be my right-hand man."

"Thank you Master!"

The midnight air was still.

The clouds drift endlessly in the sky.

Shen Qingzhou lay on the roof beam, her eyes shining like stars.

The defenses at the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs were far less stringent than those at the palace. Moreover, he had been to this place many times before, and he was already lying in wait before the young eunuch even entered the room.

He arrived at the palace so timely the last time; any later and he wouldn't have been able to hear anything from the scene.

A creaking sound came from below, and the little eunuch stepped out of the door, looked around, and then walked towards the dormitory behind the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Shen Qingzhou gestured to He Qu, while he remained on the beam.

After sending the man away, Gao Hong packed up the scattered bundle again, held it in his hand, and walked out the door.

Eunuchs of Li Quan and Gao Hong's status naturally had their own private residences in the capital, but they usually lived in a row of dormitories behind the government office.

Since they took turns serving the emperor, they couldn't leave easily.

Shen Qingzhou followed Gao Hong toward the quarters, and He Qu returned, holding the jade that the little eunuch had previously handed him: "It belongs to His Highness the Crown Prince! I wonder how they obtained it!"

Shen Qingzhou glanced at it twice, then stuffed it back to him: "Take it first, let's go see what Gao Hong plans to do."

After saying that, he followed Gao Hong forward along the wall, and just as Gao Hong entered his small courtyard.

The room was already lit. After Gao Hong entered, he placed his bundle in the bedside cabinet, took a deep breath, blew out the light, and lay down on the bed fully clothed.

It was nearly midnight, and there was indeed little time left to sleep. However, it would be Li Quan's turn to be on duty after dawn, and he was sleeping fully clothed, clearly indicating that he would be getting up again soon.

Shen Qingzhou paused by the window for only three breaths before standing silently with her arms crossed.

The moon, hidden by thick clouds, shone brightly and dimmed repeatedly before finally sinking below the horizon in the west. Meanwhile, the sound of even snoring could be heard from inside the house.

Shen Qingzhou made a bracelet for He Qu, and He Qu then walked lightly to the bedside, lit a calming incense stick, and brought it to Gao Hong's nose.

The snoring grew deeper.

Shen Qingzhou opened the cupboard and took out a bundle.

The light from the luminous pearl faintly illuminated the contents of the bundle.

A stack of letters and files of varying thicknesses served as evidence between Li Quan and the Crown Prince. These included details of Li Quan's fervent requests for an heir apparent and the reasons behind his support for Prince Yu's ascension. Many of these were based on hearsay, but presenting them to the emperor on the throne was sufficient to achieve their goals.

Shen Qingzhou, clutching her bundle, glanced back at Gao Hong on the bed, then greeted He Qu, "Wait here for me a moment, I'll be right back!"

He Qu hurriedly asked, "How long will it take?"

"It's right next door, it won't be long!"

Shen Qingzhou took her bundle and went out. Li Quan's cell next door was also pitch black, but the little eunuch was still crouching in the shadows, careful not to alert him.

He went around to the back of Li Quan's house and knocked on the window.

"Who?!"

Li Quan was indeed alert and quickly issued an inquiry.

Shen Qingzhou knocked a few more times, and the window opened. Li Quan appeared inside with a lamp in hand, and was immediately stunned when he saw Shen Qingzhou's face!
Shen Qingzhou shushed him, blew out the lamp, and then swiftly slipped through the window.

"Young Master Shen..."

"Eunuch Li, please don't speak yet." Shen Qingzhou pulled him behind the screen, took out a luminous pearl, and used their shadows to block out excess light. With his other hand, he untied the bundle, revealing its contents. "This is what Gao Hong obtained from Yan Song that day. I wonder if you already have a plan?"

Li Quan was already shocked when he saw him, and now that he had clearly identified the items under his command, he was even more surprised and speechless!

"How did you acquire it, young master?"

Shen Chaozhou gestured with his chin toward the next room: "Gao Hong is planning to frame you. Not only did he produce these things, but he also stole His Highness the Crown Prince's jade. He plans to have someone planted next to you to frame you later."

Li Quan understood completely upon hearing this, and he tried his best to calm himself down: "Has the young master already thought of a solution for me?"

“I heard from my father that my father-in-law handed over a lot of evidence of the Yan family’s crimes to him that day, which shows that my father-in-law has secretly made a lot of gains over the years. I guess my father-in-law still has some such things on hand.”

Li Quan suddenly realized: "Of course there are! That day I only picked out the most important items to hand over to the Grand Commandant; there are many more that he doesn't need!"

"That works!"

Shen Qingzhou stood up.

……

Gao Hong had been in the palace for twenty years, serving the emperor for fifteen. From an unknown nobody to a powerful eunuch, his career was undeniably remarkable.

Having served the emperor for years and witnessed so many high-ranking officials fall into ruin, he naturally understood the saying that serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. It was precisely because he understood this that he gradually gained the emperor's trust and was able to transfer his current power and status from Li Quan.

Yesterday, he never expected that the emperor would suddenly expose his collusion with the Yan family, let alone that he would fly into a rage!
His years of experience had taught him that once the emperor chose to confront him, suppression was not far off.

He had come a long and difficult way, and of course he didn't want to give up all his previous efforts. He didn't want to have anything to do with the Yan family anymore. But when they sent people to meet him several times a day, he still couldn't refuse to come out.

As he said, the two sides were already in cahoots, and even if he withdrew halfway, the emperor had already grasped the facts, and he could not simply disappear.

Besides, he still harbored a sliver of hope. Years ago, when Li Quan, along with other officials, pressured the emperor to establish an heir, there were signs that he was about to resign. Yet, after all these years, he still firmly held the position of Grand Eunuch. Gao Hong was unwilling to accept this!

It wasn't until he met Yan Liang and heard what he had to say that he finally understood that he himself was also reluctant to part with the Yan family!

He also needs the Yan family's help!
The opportunity was right in front of him. Although the emperor hated the Yan family, he still allowed him to return to the cabinet. So why didn't he take the opportunity to bring Li Quan down first?

With Li Quan's arrival, the Yan family might have another chance to make a comeback.
As long as the Yan family doesn't fall, I will definitely not fall either!
So he made up his mind and didn't want to leave himself any room for maneuver!
"Master, wake up! The matter is settled!"

With something on his mind, he vaguely heard the eunuch calling him. Suddenly, his mind cleared, and when he opened his eyes, it was already bright daylight. The eunuch was right in front of him, looking excited: "Everything went smoothly from beginning to end, without a single mistake!"

"That's good!"

Gao Hong let out a long sigh of relief.

He immediately got up, took out his bundle, opened it to check it, then slung it over his shoulder and went out the door: "Let's go to the Qianqing Palace!"

(End of this chapter)