From street beggar to high-ranking official

Chapter 80 Bullying the Weak

"All life, death, honor, and disgrace in the palace originate from Your Majesty."

Lu Li had once heard a similar statement from his godfather, and at the time he thought it was just a way of dealing with people and doing things in the deep palace.

But today, with the words of the Duke of Zhou, I had a completely different feeling, as if a wise man had unveiled the veil covering the face of the ignorant.

This isn't just empty talk; it's the truth.

"What does Eunuch Zhou mean by this?" Lu Li also bowed and immediately asked after straightening up.

"There's nothing special about our family." Eunuch Zhou's body was hidden in the darkness of the main room. To him, this conversation tonight was no different from any other discussion in the past.

"Before, you were deliberately making sarcastic remarks about Consort Ning, but now that I'm here, you know to say it all stems from His Majesty." Lu Li seemed to have found a handle on her, and he chuckled maliciously, "Even when you're trying to pull a tiger's skin, you shouldn't do it like this, huh?"

Eunuch Zhou sighed inwardly, not expecting that his words had failed to intimidate the other party.

"So what? Our family still has the ability to survive in Jingxiangsi," said Eunuch Zhou.

The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs could assign themselves to other locations, such as the morgue of the Directorate of Palace Attendants, the kitchen of the Directorate of Imperial Cuisine, or even the Imperial Palace Supervisor of the Imperial Mausoleum.

Being assigned to the Palace Guard and placed in a den of thieves was, in itself, a kind of test.

Therefore, Eunuch Zhou was certain that Admiral Li would not save him directly. After all, he had just entered the Jingxiang Division and was immediately taken away by the Admiral, which was no different from directly slapping Eunuch Lü in the face.

You can only rely on yourself for everything.

Fortunately, our family isn't usually stingy, and judging from tonight's developments, there are definitely quite a few people willing to help us.

Even if it's just that eleven people are willing to step forward, that's still a formidable force.

Besides, if Eunuch Lu really decides to kill—hehehe, who knows who will be the one splattered with blood then?

Even though Eunuch Zhou had been in the palace for over a decade and had heard of Lu Li's astonishing achievement of winning first place in the martial arts exam, Lu Li was still only a newcomer who had been in the palace for two years.

Our family has been practicing the Sunflower Manual for over ten years and has also read various martial arts manuals. We do not believe that our internal strength is inferior to theirs.

Therefore, Eunuch Zhou was quite relaxed, and even had the idea of ​​watching Lu Li have fun.

Lu Li raised an eyebrow: "It seems that Eunuch Zhou is certain that we will strike hard."

"Isn't that so?" Eunuch Zhou said with a strange smile that seemed to see through everything. "Eunuch Lu is born with three evils in his destiny and has a fierce face. He can use his skills to disguise himself in front of Consort Ning, but don't think he can pretend to be a hero in front of us."

Upon hearing this, Lu Li shook his head and said, "Eunuch Zhou has truly misunderstood us."

A very bad feeling immediately arose in Zhou Gonggong's heart, and he asked immediately, "What exactly are you here for?!"

"My master is a seventh-rank official, and I intend to set an example by leading the eunuchs on night patrols. Surely Eunuch Zhou isn't going to report me?"

Lu Li's expression was strange.

He slowly stepped back and left the Jingxiang Sizhi room.

Zhou Gonggong wanted to chase after him, but he hesitated to step out from the doorway.

Having navigated the treacherous waters of officialdom for over a decade, he knew the palace rules as intimately as the lines on his palm. He knew that if he went after them, they would have something on him.

He hesitated at the door for a moment before finally returning to the darkness.

He believed he wouldn't die, but just needed to lie low for a while.

On the walkway outside the Jingxiang Division, Lu Li walked out with a gloomy face, and several eunuchs carrying large red lanterns immediately surrounded him.

"Eunuch Lu, aren't we going to make a move tonight?" a young eunuch asked.

They were all close confidants, and they all knew that if Eunuch Lu went there this time, there would most likely be bloodshed, but unexpectedly nothing happened.

"Use force? What force?" Lu Li scolded, "I'm not that stupid."

Being in the palace, caution was ingrained in Lu Li's bones. He had always taken the opportunity to kill people when they were unprepared and made thorough preparations. How could he possibly go empty-handed like tonight?

According to Lu Li's thinking, the best thing would be for him to choke to death while eating, go mad from practicing martial arts, or drink excrement to commit suicide in despair.

After entering the palace, Lu Liwei was cautious. Even if he had a trump card, he would try to avoid fighting if the odds of winning were slim.

He enjoys being in control of the situation and using every means to maximize his chances of winning. His favorite battles are those where he is certain of victory.

He would only risk a fierce battle when absolutely necessary, so what he often did was bully the weak, plunder resources, and constantly grow stronger. Once he was strong enough to surpass his opponents, he would come back to get revenge, which meant continuing to bully the weak.

There's nothing shameful about it. Those who actively challenge others and risk their lives to fight against powerful enemies in order to prove themselves are the real fools.

Eunuchs love to bully the weak, and their mentality is almost identical to that of Lu Li.

Deceiving subordinates and flattering superiors is an instinct of eunuchs.

After all, there's no need for a reason to bully you; you're weak enough that you deserve to be bullied.

"Eunuch Zhou is a veteran of the Imperial Household Department. If we were to really go all out and even have a chance of winning, do you think anyone would help us?"

"It definitely will," said Qian'er Xiaoxizi. "Before Xiao Luozi died, he gave all his wealth to Eunuch Zhao to protect himself. Eunuch Zhou has even more influence than Eunuch Zhao. If he really gives away his wealth, there are quite a few people willing to help him."

"So, even if Eunuch Zhou loses his rank and is demoted to the Jingxiang Division, we are still the weaker party?" Xiao Chizi felt it was somewhat unbelievable, yet also felt it was perfectly reasonable.

After more than a decade of navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom, how could he be so easily overthrown by a mere eunuch who had only been in the palace for two years?

Moreover, it wasn't Lu Li who overthrew Eunuch Zhou, but the even more powerful Eunuch Lü, who had controlled the inner palace for a longer period.

They were merely taking advantage of the situation.

"Fool." Lu Li gave up the idea of ​​taking Xiao Chizi as his godson. He used to think the other party was pleasing to the eye, but now he looked back and thought he was just a foolish and brave man.

Sometimes, what we fear most is not the scheming of a powerful enemy, but the sudden, foolish idea of ​​one's own ally.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chizi was terrified and could barely hold his lantern. He immediately fell to the ground and kowtowed, pleading, "Please, Eunuch Lu, enlighten me!"

The other eunuchs, especially Lu Li's adopted sons, gloated over Xiao Chizi's disgraceful behavior.

Lu Li was too lazy to explain further to Xiao Chizi.

Although Zhou Gonggong may seem powerful, this power is merely superficial and lacks any real foundation.

Relying on silver to save one's life will eventually run out, and the accumulated favors will also fade with time. Even if Zhou Gonggong can protect himself, it is only by relying on external things.

"Starting tonight, everyone must conduct thorough night patrols. If anyone is found out of the ordinary, arrest them on the spot!" Officer Lu shouted.

"Everyone, come with us!"

Lu Li, maintaining the Listening to the Waves method, began his night patrol.

Now, Lu Li's accumulation of this skill has become increasingly profound, and the foundation of the skill has been pushed to the third level, which can be heard within fifty feet of his body.

The scope of the surveillance has increased dramatically. Those eunuchs who wanted to protect Eunuch Zhou at night but were not from the Imperial Household Department could not escape Lu Li's ears.

That night, Lu Li led a group of eunuchs on a night patrol and successfully discovered unauthorized individuals loitering in the palace. He then escorted more than ten eunuchs to the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Eunuchs without proper registration or belonging to the night duty area who trespass into the palace at night will be punished two degrees more severely than the usual night curfew penalty, receiving 120 strokes of the cane and a six-month salary deduction. Their superiors will also be implicated.

Unfortunately, Lu Li did not find any poison or hidden weapons during the body search.

If this is true, the punishment should be hanging, to uphold the palace rules.

How can you, Eunuch Zhou, be so complacent about your own safety?

Now that you've entered our territory, we have plenty of ways to mess with you!