From street beggar to high-ranking official

Chapter 74 Birds and Beasts Follow the Sound

Inside the Temperature Hall.

A group of musicians were playing the zither and the sheng, and the melodious sounds traveled over the screen to the front of the courtyard.

Consort Wu loved peace and quiet and did not want to see commoners coming and going. Therefore, Lu Li devised a plan to have palace maids and eunuchs bring in screens to block out the bell and drum musicians.

The capital city is hot and humid. Wentiao Hall is the palace where His Majesty escapes the summer heat. It is named so because the palace is cool all year round. It also serves as a place for rest and office work. However, the current Yongxi Emperor prefers to handle government affairs and memorials in the Imperial Study in Qianqing Palace. Wentiao Hall has been given to the concubines in the harem, while Qinzheng Hall has become a palace purely for holding court and discussing matters with civil and military officials.

As for keeping warm in winter, Emperor Yongxi would occasionally visit the Jiaofang Palace.

His Majesty's permission for Consort Wu and the prince to stay at Wentiao Palace demonstrates the importance he attaches to the matter.

"Your Majesty, tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival again. Would you like to take the Prince on a trip?" Lu Li bowed and asked in a low voice.

As the Mid-Autumn Festival approached, the mosquitoes and flies in the palace gradually disappeared, and there was no need to kill them. Lu Li's daily life became much easier, but this did not diminish Consort Wu's high regard for him. Lu Li handled all the important and minor matters in the palace, and he did not disappoint her trust. Whenever there was a major decision to be made, he would ask the Consort for her opinion in a low voice.

A few days ago, Lu Li had a conversation with his godfather and felt quite deeply that His Majesty's permission for the Empress to move into Wentiao Palace already showed how much he valued her. So, we can't treat Consort Wu as just a decoration, or as a Bodhisattva sitting high on a platform.

We must make the Empress feel valued and involved.

Of course, how long it would take for Consort Wu's casual remark to keep the servants busy was not something Lu Li needed to worry about.

Now, thanks to the Empress's favor and patronage, Lu Li has reached his current position. He is responsible for the source of his power, not for the servants under him.

"Of course I'll go." Consort Wu was in a great mood, and even changed the jade bracelet on her wrist: "A lone white rabbit, wandering east and west, clothes are not as good as new, and people are not as good as old."

The thought of showing off among her former sisters made Consort Wu even happier.

Back then, I was just a concubine at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. Now I am a high-ranking imperial concubine. With the passage of time, who will be favored and who will suffer in vain?

After hearing this, Lu Li became even more respectful. Even if he couldn't understand the true meaning, he still wanted to give the Empress plenty of emotional support. This was the essence of a true friend.

At this moment, the maid Jinlian led the wet nurse over with the prince in her arms. Consort Wu took the prince and looked at his chubby, tender face sleeping in the swaddling clothes. He was truly adorable.

Knowing it was inappropriate to disturb the Empress at this time, Lu Li bowed and retreated behind the screen, giving her a wink. The musicians immediately understood, and the originally languid music gradually became more soothing to prevent the music from fluctuating too much and startling the prince.

At that moment, birds chirped outside the hall.

When Lu Li looked outside, he saw that the Forestry Bureau had already sent people to bring in peacocks and parrots.

As soon as the parrot in the cage arrived, it called out to the infant prince in Consort Wu's arms: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."

The servants were terrified, and even Lu Li instinctively stepped forward to strangle the silly bird. Birds and beasts may not mean anything by their words, but listeners may take them to heart. If this silly bird's words were to leave Wen Tiao Palace and reach the ears of His Majesty and the Crown Prince, who knows what would happen?

But Lu Li was also the quickest to react. He glanced at Consort Wu's blushing face and immediately stepped forward to hold the birdcage, saying, "This parrot is quite good. It calls out 'Your Highness' as soon as it sees you. It truly is an auspicious bird."

Lu Li silently added a curse in his heart: What a menace!

"Indeed, who takes care of these birds?" Consort Wu was also reminded by Lu Li's words and turned to ask the female official of the Forestry Bureau.

The young female official from the Lin Yuan Bureau dared not hide anything and spilled out all the details, big and small. After so much training, she never expected that this silly bird would offend someone with her very first words.

"Water and fire have energy but no life, plants have life but no knowledge, and birds and beasts have knowledge but no righteousness. Why should you punish your servants for the words of a bird or beast?" A clear and beautiful female voice came.

All the palace servants immediately bowed, including Lu Li.

The person who arrived was none other than Consort Xian.

"Greetings, elder sister." Consort Wu tightened her embrace around the child. "But this parrot is spouting nonsense. Someone must be criticizing it. Humans have anger, life, knowledge, and righteousness. It is easiest to control ignorant birds and beasts."

Both came from families with a long tradition of scholarship. Consort Xian was of noble birth, being the eldest daughter of the Cui family, while Consort Wu came from a humble family. Even though she already had the title of Consort, her courtesy name was Ning, which was not as outstanding as Consort Xian's.

Even so, Consort Wu refuted Consort Xian's words with a Confucian classic: "Humans have breath, life, knowledge, and righteousness, therefore they are the most precious beings in the world."

Lu Li lowered his head, his eyes flashing, and understood the sharp exchange between the two imperial concubines. The classic dialogues were all from Xunzi. You should know that reading is not limited to reading the Four Books and Five Classics.

Animals follow their instincts and pursue their desires, while humans uphold propriety and righteousness to distinguish right from wrong and establish rules. Therefore, even if a parrot utters wild words, the servants who raise it should not be spared.

If it were just idle talk from the common people, it might be forgiven, but this is the strictly regulated inner palace, where any transgression could bring about irreparable disaster.

Consort Xian was not angry upon hearing this, nor did she display the arbitrarily killing servants that was rumored to exist. She simply smiled faintly and said, "What my sister says makes sense. In that case, then let her be expelled from the palace."

The two concubines strolled through the courtyard of Wendiao Palace. The parrot that had been talking incoherently had its beak tied, while the peacock that had been brought along was led by a female official from the Forestry Bureau, who followed closely behind.

Lu Li followed behind, inwardly cursing the people from the Forestry Bureau a thousand times over. Fortunately, he had eliminated the spies in time, and the men he brought to the Wen Diao Palace were all vetted and trustworthy. The parrot's wild words might not have spread from the Wen Diao Palace.

Get out.

However, there's no guarantee what will happen with Consort Xian, and it's also difficult for the Lin Yuan Bureau to take action.

"Let's investigate this another day and find out who's actually in charge of the Forestry Bureau."

Lu Li listened intently to the sounds ahead and overheard the two concubines chatting about interesting things happening in the palace.

Consort De mentioned that a servant had recently learned a new skill: breathing fire. Consort Wu, on the other hand, discussed the flowers, plants, birds, and animals that had recently appeared in the Wendiao Palace.

A flock of sparrows flew over the roof ridge. They seemed to be attracted by the grain food placed inside the Wendiao Palace, and they all flew down to the ground at the same time.

At this moment, the prince in Consort Wu's arms also laughed. The baby's laughter was not loud, but it still startled the sparrows. A circle of sparrows on the ground flew away and then landed, but they just circled around Consort Wu. They did not peck at the food, but just hopped around on the ground.

The peacock behind me shook its wings and actually swung its neck to spread its tail feathers, which were dazzling in the sunlight.

The parrot, which had been placed inside the hall, had somehow managed to untie the rope around its beak with its sharp claws and was still calling out repeatedly: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."