From street beggar to high-ranking official

Chapter 84 The Arrival of Consort De

The level of treatment can also be directed at others.

Since Eunuch Zhou could not be demoted any further, why not just elevate the people around him, like Li Lu?

People are not worried about scarcity, but about inequality.

Lu Li didn't actually understand this principle, but he had more or less grasped it. After all, back in the martial arts academy, he was content with just one more pancake than the other three eunuchs. Thinking about it this way, the other eunuchs must have felt the same way.

Of course, when faced with the fickle eunuch, Lu Li did not kill him on the spot. Instead, he gently helped him up, saying in a kind and gentle voice, "It is the greatest virtue to repent and turn back from the wrong path."

Regardless of whether the eunuch was a walking corpse or not, Lu Li absolutely did not want the latter scenario to happen.

Sure enough, after Lu Li took away a large number of eunuchs from the Incense Purification Department, the atmosphere among the remaining nearly half of the people who stayed in this stinking place changed.

Several of them even secretly glanced sideways, looking at Zhou Gonggong with resentment.

They needed someone to resent, but dared not resent Lu, the official who might have led them out of their misery. They only dared to resent Eunuch Zhou, who had lost power and was now relegated to the Jingxiang Division, even though this was their own choice from the beginning, their own choice to...

Eunuch Zhou stood together, but some psychologically disturbed eunuchs went back on their word and didn't even spare themselves.

Or this could be another form of double standards.

This is what it means for a eunuch to be cunning and unpredictable!

Grandpa Zhou remained seated in that old chair, maintaining his last shred of dignity, but everyone could see that the knuckles of his hands, resting on the armrests, had turned completely white, until the wooden armrests were utterly crushed into wood chips.

This forced attempt to maintain appearances convinced everyone that Eunuch Zhou had completely lost power, but everyone also felt it was only natural. Before he was dismissed, he was a fourth-rank eunuch, so of course everyone respected him the most. But now that he was without rank or position and had entered the Jingxiang Division, who did he think he was?

September 15th is a good day to meet with relatives and friends.

Another imperial concubine came to talk and exchange feelings with Consort Wu. It was Consort De who came.

Consort Wu came from a humble family, while Consort De came from a prominent family in Jiangnan. There was already a difference in their literary talent and upbringing. Even when Consort De came to Wentiao Palace as a guest, the conversation between the two noble ladies gradually fell under the control of Consort De.

Before Consort De was in Ning, their family backgrounds, literary talents, and treatment were already different. Even though Consort Wu was currently residing in Wentiao Palace, Consort De acted more like the master of this palace.

Lu Li served by her side, but could not help Consort Wu in any way. Unless given any instructions, the servants could not take the initiative to speak or pay attention to her. They could only bow their backs and slump their shoulders, ready to be ordered around by the noble lady at any time.

"Sister's words are indeed sobering," Consort Wu said, sitting in the main seat and patting her chest. "I just really didn't expect that the Cui family member would do such a thing."

Consort Wu had grown extremely disgusted with Consort Xian and did not even like to mention her name in private.

Now, when he speaks with Consort De, he can't help but say it, which shows that he really regards her as a close friend.

This wasn't because Consort Wu was truly that naive. Lu Li, who delivered the imperial gazette every ten days, naturally knew more inside information: with the birth of the imperial heir, Consort Wu's father, who held an official position in the court, was indeed given important responsibilities and courted, among others being the Li family of Jiangnan.

It is also the main lineage of Consort De.

Now that the two concubines have confided in each other, they might actually be able to stir up some trouble in the harem.

"My sister has been in the palace for quite some time now, so she must understand the importance of having someone under her command," Consort De admonished again. "It's precisely because Consort Xian has a supervisory official in charge of rites and propriety assisting her; otherwise, how could she be so arrogant in the palace?"

Consort De made no mention of how Consort Wu, before she was given a title, acted arrogantly in the harem simply because she was favored by the Emperor, and her unruly behavior was no less than that of Consort Xian.

"Sister's words really hit the nail on the head. Of all the people under me, only Xiao Lu is useful; the rest are mostly useless," Wu Fei said, revealing a hint of envy.

She knew that Consort De had the Imperial Horse Supervisor serving her, who was considered one of the top servants in the inner court. Initially, Consort Wu had a very bad attitude towards these eunuchs, and would often find a reason to throw them out of the palace to fend for themselves if she didn't like them.

It was only after Xiao Luzi entered the palace that Consort Wu gradually came to appreciate the benefits of being a eunuch.

Among all the concubines, only the Empress Dowager and the Empress had private seals and the real power to interfere in the inner palace under the patriarchal system. Although the other concubines were also of noble rank, they were ultimately subordinate to others. Therefore, if a concubine wanted to issue an order out of the palace, she would have to instruct the eunuchs and female officials under her command.

"Sister, you are well-read; what insight do you possess?" Consort Wu quickly inquired.

Consort De seemed to have known about a certain method all along. After a moment's thought, she said, "It seems that my sister has ruined her relationship with the Imperial Household Department, so it's not worth relying on. As for the Inner Palace Affairs Department, we might be able to win over the Palace Attendants Department and the Imperial Palace Administration Department. The other local government offices are more or less involved with other places, so it's not easy to negotiate with them."

Consort Wu was displeased, realizing that only the inferior dishes were left for her.

Even though she didn't care about the affairs of the servants, Consort Wu was aware of the relationships between the twelve bureaus, among which the Bureau of Direct Palace and the Bureau of Divine Palace were the poorest and most insignificant bureaus.

The Directorate of Palace Administration oversees the patrolling and sweeping of the inner court, while the Directorate of Divine Palace Administration manages the related sacrificial and maintenance affairs of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, altars, the Hall of Ancestral Worship, as well as Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries within the palace.

Outside the palace, there were also eunuchs from the Imperial Palace Administration guarding the imperial tombs and concubine cemeteries. The lowest-ranking eunuchs were those guarding the tombs of eunuchs and palace maids. But what use would Consort Wu have for eunuchs guarding the tombs?

After going back and forth, it seemed that he only had the position of Director of the Palace Guard left to choose from.

Seeing that Consort Wu's expression was displeased, Consort De said, "Sister, you don't need to be too ambitious. Don't you already have..."

"There are quite a few junior eunuchs in the Imperial Palace Guard; it's easy to win them over."

Consort Wu was somewhat tempted.

Lu Li felt uneasy.

Seeing that the situation was gradually maturing, Consort De added, "The Palace Attendants are a bit low-ranking, but at least they can still gather intelligence. You know, where in the Eastern and Western Six Palaces aren't there Palace Attendants on duty?"

These words sound like they offer many benefits, but the underlying meaning is that Consort Wu should make do with what she has.

"Is this all Fang'er and I are destined to receive?" Consort Wu was on the verge of tears. She looked at Consort De with tears in her eyes and said, "Sister, the Imperial Horse Administration is one of the most prestigious government offices in the harem. Why don't you bring some people with you to Wen Tiao Palace?"

Consort De nodded slightly. With the prince's status, the power to ride horses, and the support of the powerful families of Jiangnan, he would surely be able to defeat Consort Xian.