From street beggar to high-ranking official

On the way out of the martial arts academy, the young men who had not yet officially taken up their posts and had been in the palace for less than half a year all stared at Lu Li, and some even bowed down when they saw him from afar.

Along the way, they have certainly made a name for themselves.

Lu Li liked this feeling and enjoyed it even more. He walked on the palace wall walkway with a majestic air, and when he saw the Crown Prince's carriage in the distance, he would bow down and pay his respects.

Only after the procession had gone far away did Lu Li leisurely get up.

The Crown Prince was not exactly low-key in the inner palace; one could even say he had some ambition and aspirations. However, this heir apparent had never been involved in politics or overseeing the country. After all, the Great Qian Dynasty was at its peak, and it was known for its skillful management of the northern barbarians. Emperor Yongxi was still in his prime, and it was unknown how long the Crown Prince would remain in his position as heir apparent.

The Qianqing Palace was the residence of the emperor.

Emperor Yongxi rarely went to the Hall of Diligent Governance. He handled most of his government affairs and memorials in the Qianqing Palace. Crown Prince Li Sheng came to Emperor Yongxi's feet and bowed, saying, "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."

"Sit." Emperor Yongxi sat upright in front of his desk, throwing all the secret letters and folded documents into the trash can.

The Grand Eunuch Lü, who was also the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial and concurrently the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and the ancestor of all eunuchs inside and outside the palace, took out the secret memorials and letters one by one and threw them into the stove to burn them.

Li Sheng, who held the title of Crown Prince but not the real power, was filled with longing. His father, the Emperor, was in good health and had been in power for over twenty years. His control over the court and power had reached an outrageous level, and even Li Sheng could only sit on the sidelines and offer advice. His importance was even less than that of Eunuch Lü!

The vast majority of those envelopes and memorials were related to the imperial son-in-law Ouyang Luntai. The case of the imperial son-in-law was investigated in Sichuan and the north, and even some upright and impartial officials in the court slipped secret letters into the Eastern Palace.

The case of the imperial son-in-law has implicated too many people. This is not just pulling out a radish and bringing out the mud; it has startled the entire rat burrow!

It seems that these high-ranking officials are not entirely fair and impartial; of course, they can be impartial and incorruptible when it doesn't concern them personally.

"The people in the Zhenfu Division are getting slower and slower at gathering information. The memorials about embezzlement during the disaster relief efforts of 24 years ago are only now being presented to me," Emperor Yongxi said in a lukewarm tone.

Crown Prince Li Sheng listened carefully, while glancing slightly at Eunuch Lü. Eunuch Lü kept his eyes straight ahead, but nodded slightly at Emperor Yongxi's actions, which gave Li Sheng peace of mind.

"Father, the Left Garrison Commander may not have intercepted the letter. Although the Embroidered Uniform Guard has personnel all over the Great Qian Dynasty, communication itself is difficult. Judging by the time, the reports on the drought in various places will arrive in no time."

Li Sheng carefully considered his words, subconsciously thinking about his father's thoughts: "In my opinion, the Left Garrison Commander has not made any mistakes, but rather has done good deeds."

"Oh?" The nearly fifty-year-old Emperor Yongxi slightly raised his eyes to look at the Crown Prince: "Where has the merit been?"

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard had been constantly monitoring Ouyang Luntai's embezzlement. From Lingnan to Hanzhong, and then to Jingxiang, Ouyang Luntai had been very diligent in his work. However, after he was transferred to Chengdu Prefecture, his embezzlement became unstoppable..."

Emperor Yongxi leaned back slightly, the soft cloud-patterned cushion supporting his waist: "So it was the corruption in Shu that sparked his idea..."

This was an open secret among the court and the public. Embezzlement by the Tea and Horse Bureau had been repeatedly prohibited since the reign of Emperor Taizong. For more than a decade before that, it was still hidden in the dark and did not have such a great impact on the dumping of official tea. Considering the implementation of the decree, Emperor Yongxi also placed him under observation.

Unexpectedly, more than a decade later, Ouyang Luntai, the model of integrity sent by Emperor Yongxi, was imprisoned, and even a servant in his household was able to flaunt his status as the emperor's son-in-law in front of the Imperial Stables.

When the Imperial Horse Administration Supervisor, Eunuch Qian, was ordered to investigate corruption, the servant Zhou Bao's actions could be described as contempt for imperial authority.

The flow of power from the very beginning to individuals has become uncontrollable, even extending to the source of power itself.

"So, what are your thoughts on how to deal with Ouyang Luntai, Your Highness?" Emperor Yongxi tossed aside another memorial. Since Consort Wu became pregnant with the imperial heir, delicacies and auspicious omens have been appearing more and more frequently throughout the Great Qian Dynasty, as if the imperial heir was born with the dragon's fortune, and all living beings in the world had their eyes on it.

This was the case when the crown prince was born more than a decade ago, and it will be the same when the twenty-fourth prince is about to be born more than a decade later.

Emperor Yongxi had little interest in these sycophantic and flattering memorials; he would simply throw any memorial containing the words "auspicious omen" into the furnace and burn it to ashes.

Instead, he wanted to hear and see something else.

Eunuch Lü stood respectfully to the side like a wooden figure, not daring to give the Crown Prince the slightest hint. Eunuch Lü could offer a few words of advice on ordinary political affairs and decrees, but when it came to family matters, even if it was a deposed prince consort, a few words spoken carelessly could cost him the favor and trust of the Crown Prince.

Crown Prince Li Sheng lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then said, "Father, I believe that the investigation into the case of the Imperial Son-in-Law should stop at the level of the Governor-General and Provincial Governor."

"Why?" Emperor Yongxi asked briefly as always. He wanted advice, not flattery.

"If we go further up the chain, we can leave aside the ministers in the court for now, but we'll probably have a hard time dealing with the Duke of Shuo and the Duke of happy."

At the court meeting three months ago, civil and military officials offered their generous suggestions on the case of the imperial son-in-law. Among them, the Grand Secretary, the Second Grand Secretary, and many upright officials demanded a thorough investigation into the case. After all, Ouyang Luntai was originally a model of talent recommended by the upright officials, but now that the model has been corrupted and fallen, whether intentionally or unintentionally, eradicating corruption is the most important thing.

However, Duke Xi and Duke Shuo had different opinions on this.

The Duke of Shuo was naturally opposed to the civil officials in the court. He held half of the military power in the northern frontier, acted openly and honestly and was not good at being secretive, but he had a different opinion on the case of the imperial son-in-law.

The Duke of happy, who was in charge of the Imperial Clan Court, only touched on the subject in his memorial to Emperor Yongxi, the deeper meaning of which was self-evident.

Emperor Yongxi offered no comment on the Crown Prince's thoughts, only saying, "The Imperial Son-in-Law has already been deposed. The Duke of Xi's actions are hardly in accordance with the Emperor's wishes. How is Princess Zhaoyang doing these days?"

The prince consort was deposed, but Princess Zhaoyang remained unharmed. Perhaps it was because Duke Xi saw this that he supported Duke Shuo's idea.

Eunuch Lü immediately spoke up: "Her Highness the Princess has been frequently visiting the Duke of Xi recently and has also met with some scholars and literati, but the specifics are still unclear."

"Did the Crown Prince hear that?"

Crown Prince Li Sheng immediately rose and bowed, saying, "Your subject understands!"

......

Jingyang Palace.

Lu Li frowned at the gatekeeper in front of the palace: "What's wrong with you?"

The other person's complexion was not good. Despite the weather being in May or June, his robes were rather thick. Listening to the unusual heartbeat, Lu Li had a feeling that this guy was on drugs.

"Thank you for your concern, Eunuch Lu. I'm just experiencing some backlash from practicing my skills," the gatekeeper eunuch forced a smile.

"You'd better watch your step," Lu Li said, shaking his head.

Ten days later, the eunuch on duty at the Jingyang Palace gate died of illness.