From street beggar to high-ranking official

Lu Li never imagined that he would undergo such a change.

Just a few days ago, he was the powerful head eunuch of Jingyang Palace, but now that the Imperial Horse Administration has sent people, his safety is immediately under great threat.

Lu Li was unaware that Consort Wu had harbored such thoughts long ago, but at that time she was alone in the palace and could only rely on His Majesty's favor. In addition, she was pregnant with the imperial heir and could not act rashly.

Now that Fang'er has been born safely and her health has almost fully recovered, she has encountered an unreasonable person like Consort Xian. Consort Wu's previously dormant thoughts have begun to stir again.

The seven orifices are the gateways to the mind.

As the eunuchs from the Imperial Horse Administration moved into Wentiao Palace, Consort Wu's expression became increasingly difficult to conceal. Originally, they had agreed to work together well and reward each other generously in the future, but gradually, Consort Wu grew increasingly displeased with Lu Li.

First, the seventh-rank official robe seemed too low-class, and having him by his side diminished his own dignity. Second, Lu Li's face was not pleasing to the eye, while the third-rank eunuch from the Imperial Horse Administration had red lips and white teeth, and was pleasing to the eye no matter how you looked at him.

Thus, the eunuch accompanying the emperor gradually changed from Lu Li to the Imperial Horse Administration eunuch named Little Beard.

Lu Li recognized the man with the small mustache; he was the godson of Eunuch Qian, the supervisor of the Imperial Horse Administration. Lu Li had met him a few times when he worked at the Imperial Horse Administration, but he remembered that the man was only a fifth-rank official at that time. Now that he had been promoted to the third rank, it was very likely that Eunuch Qian had done it on purpose.

Previously, Lu Li had noticed that the Imperial Horse Administration was trying to spy on them, but Lu Li stopped them. He thought he could continue to deal with them in this way, but he never expected that the Imperial Horse Administration would come openly.

However, Lu Li couldn't stop them, since this was an opinion discussed by Consort De and Consort Ning together.

Why should servants interfere with the decisions of noble people?

Some time ago, Lu Li reminded Consort Ning that the Imperial Supervisor Yi might be overstepping his bounds, and now this seemingly unacceptable accusation has landed on his own head.

Unfortunately, he couldn't dissuade her. Now that Consort Ning was overjoyed, if he took the initiative to come forward and draw attention, it was hard to say that he wouldn't anger Consort Ning and completely confirm the accusation of overstepping his bounds.

Many palace maids and eunuchs in Wentiao Palace noticed the subtle changes. Eunuch Lu still spent a lot of time in Wentiao Palace, but he spent less time with Consort Ning. He spent more time in the side halls and side rooms waiting for orders.

In the past, Consort Xian and Consort Ning fought each other, and in the end, Eunuch Zhou lost power; now that Consort De and Consort Ning have joined forces, Eunuch Lu may be about to revive the old ways of Eunuch Zhou.

......

Inside the duty room of the Imperial Palace.

"Godfather, we can't go on like this!" Xiao Chuanzi bowed and volunteered, "If this continues, we'll really have to go back to the Imperial Guard to sweep the streets!"

"Yes, godfather," Xiao Xizi echoed.

"Godfather, another group of eunuchs from the Imperial Horse Administration came to Wen Tiao Palace today."

"These people are squeezing out our living space."

"What's the rush?" Lu Li forced himself to remain calm, instead looking at the official documents in his hand.

Since the Imperial Horse Administration took over, my situation has become increasingly difficult. Not to mention the Wen Tiao Palace, even the Zhi Dian Jian has had a lot more trouble. A few days ago, people from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs came and summoned the supervisors to report back and reconcile the accounts for lamp supplies.

The message from Admiral Xie was that Lu Li should go.

The lamp and candle expenses of the Imperial Palace Administration Bureau have always been a mess. Of the lamp oil, candles, and charcoal consumed each year, 30% were actually used, 30% were embezzled by eunuchs at various levels, and the remaining 40% were given as tribute to the higher-ups.

Previously, this account was not under the jurisdiction of Li Lu, but it was a mess left behind by the previous seventh-rank eunuch after his death. Governor Xie deliberately pushed this mess onto him. To put it nicely, he was taking the blame for someone else; to put it bluntly, he was in cahoots with the scoundrels.

"Eunuch Xie has certainly made a good plan," Lu Li sneered. "He's even trying to pin the blame for the dead on us."

"Then what should we do?" Xiao Chuanzi asked anxiously. "The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs is always strict in its audits. If they really investigate, we might get into trouble."

Lu Li didn't take the matter to heart. After all, he could just spend money to smooth things over. His family was familiar with Xiao Jizi and was also a regular customer of Eunuch Qiao, so it wouldn't be difficult to get away with it.

What truly made Lu Li uneasy was this trend.

After dealing with Zhou Gonggong, his luck gradually declined. Even though Lu Li did not believe in fate, he still felt a sense of powerlessness in the face of this situation.

Lu Li left his seat and paced back and forth. He stopped and turned to order, "Tonight, go and fetch the private account book we prepared. Tomorrow, I'll go to the Directorate of Ceremonial and report back, directly blaming all the deficits on the dead."

The dead cannot defend themselves, and when Admiral Xie tried to use him as a shield, the clerk Lu took the knife and stabbed the dead man.

Even after his tragic death, the seventh-rank eunuch continued to serve his purpose, becoming the Pingzhang Eunuch. Lu Li naturally made the most of him, since he wasn't the only one who embezzled money; Lu Li did it too.

Wherever there was corruption, Lu Li would not let it go. Fortunately, with his godfather's guidance, Lu Li has not yet made a mistake in embezzling money.

Of course, this was also a hefty tuition fee; of the money he embezzled, seventy percent was converted into gold to give to his godfather.

Since it's rare to catch up with my godfather on ordinary days, this relationship needs to be maintained even more. No matter how many words of respect and flattery I say, they seem pale and powerless. Only gold and silver, though silent, can deeply touch people's hearts.

Xiao Chuanzi's eyes lit up upon hearing his godfather's instructions, and he quickly replied, "I'll go and do it right away!"

You should know that serving by Consort Ning's side is an opportunity to make money, but the essential duties of the Palace Attendant are the foundation of one's career.

The following day, Lu, through his connections and influence, passed the verification by the Directorate of Ceremonial.

A few more days passed.

Inside the Temperature Hall.

The incense and medicinal scents in the palace made people dizzy. Consort Ning held the crying 24th prince in her arms. The red gold hairpin with a hundred sons in her hair trembled slightly, and her pretty face was as cold as ice.

The steps were filled with trembling palace maids and eunuchs kneeling below. The vermilion board in the hand of the eunuch in charge of punishment was still stained with blood, left behind from the beating of a cleaning maid to death.

"Where's Xiao Lu? Come out here!"

The kneeling official, Lu, kowtowed heavily, his forehead pressed against the cold floor tiles, filled with fear and unease: "This servant deserves to die ten thousand times. I have disturbed the prince's peace. Please punish me, Your Majesty. I have no complaints whatsoever. However... this servant has a humble opinion, which I dare not fail to report to Your Majesty."

Out of consideration for their past relationship, Consort Ning allowed Lu Li to speak.

Lu Li didn't ramble on. Things were different now. It was obvious that someone was framing our family. It was probably Little Mustache, but Lu Li couldn't directly point it out.

Without concrete evidence, Consort Ning would only think that Lu Li was shirking responsibility.

"When I was waiting outside the palace just now, I smelled a bit of artemisia in the plants brought by the Imperial Household Department. Imperial Physician Zhang had instructed that His Highness the Prince is not yet fully grown and may have accidentally come into contact with the cold."

Imperial Physician Zhang arrived early and offered his advice: "Your Majesty, what Eunuch Lu said is quite accurate; His Highness the Prince has indeed caught a slight chill."