The most dissolute couple in the capital

Liu Lu accepted the task and walked briskly towards the front yard.

He was twenty-three years old this year. He had been serving Prince Liang since he was eight years old, as a personal eunuch assigned to Prince Liang by the Palace Attendants Department. At that time, Prince Liang was young and didn't have many people around him. He and Steward Sun were among the earliest batch.

However, despite both serving their masters, their fates were worlds apart.

Sun Fuhai was a senior and influential eunuch, the one who held absolute power in Prince Liang's courtyard when he was in the palace. Liu Lu, on the other hand, was just a lowly eunuch running errands, not even given the chance to be first in line to serve tea or water.

Sun Fuhai was adept at putting on a kind and benevolent facade in front of others, but behind their backs, he could easily embezzle the monthly allowances of junior eunuchs and steal other people's jobs to claim credit for his own.

Liu Lu remembered clearly that once he cooked a bowl of almond milk for the young prince, and the prince praised it as delicious. The next day, the job became Sun Fuhai's apprentice.

He went to argue, but Sun Fuhai patted him on the shoulder with a smile and said, "Little Lu, you're still young. You'll have plenty of opportunities to serve His Highness in the future. Why fight for credit for this bowl of porridge? Let your senior brothers have some credit; everyone will remember your kindness."

I'll remember your head.

Liu Lu has suffered losses over the years, but he has never mentioned it to His Highness.

Firstly, His Highness is carefree and doesn't care about the intricacies of his subordinates' affairs at all; secondly, he also has his concerns. Sun Fuhai has been operating in the palace for many years and has people above him to take care of him. As a lowly eunuch with no connections, he can't win a lawsuit and will only gain a reputation for stirring up trouble.

But now it's different.

With the establishment of the Prince of Liang's residence, he finally rose to the position of the Prince's most trusted attendant. Meanwhile, Sun Fuhai, as the head steward of the Prince's residence, increasingly extended his reach and grew ever more ambitious.

Liu Lu had personally witnessed Steward Sun going in and out of a shop in the East Market. The shop had a sign that read "Cloth Shop," but he didn't know if it actually sold cloth. However, Steward Sun always changed into casual clothes and was accompanied by a young and pretty woman.

Liu Lu turned the corner of the corridor and saw Steward Sun sitting in the flower hall of the front yard, drinking tea.

The early autumn sun still carried some warmth. Steward Sun was fanning himself with a folding fan made of Xiangfei bamboo. He was wearing a long robe of Hangzhou silk, with a piece of Hetian jade of decent quality hanging from his waist.

This outfit is more presentable than that of many minor officials in the capital.

Liu Lu inwardly scoffed, but on the surface he forced a smile and trotted over, "Steward Sun, busy?"

Sun Fuhai raised his eyelids and saw it was Liu Lu. He didn't show any displeasure and casually asked, holding his teacup, "What is it?"

"His Highness gave the order," Liu Lu said with a smile. "This year, we plan to renovate the greenhouse and purchase a batch of the finest chrysanthemums."

He handed over the note: "Especially these varieties, His Highness specifically instructed that they are extremely delicate and must be handled with utmost care."

Butler Sun paused for a moment while holding his fan.

"Chrysanthemums?" He frowned. "Why does Your Highness need to buy flowers? I've never asked this before."

Liu Lu shrugged, looking completely innocent. "How could I dare ask? Your Highness, you know perfectly well that just a few days ago you were saying you wanted to dig a pond in the courtyard to raise koi, and that you'd be bringing in fresh water from Lingnan. Chrysanthemums... compared to bringing in fresh water from Lingnan, this isn't anything special, is it?"

Butler Sun thought about it and agreed.

"Alright, I understand," Butler Sun replied casually, fanning himself again. "I'll have someone take care of it later."

Liu Lu smiled and took his leave, then turned and walked back.

The smile on his face vanished completely the moment he turned the corner of the moon gate.

As I walked to the inner courtyard corridor, Su Xin was already waiting there.

"Eunuch Liu." Su Xin curtsied and stepped aside to lead the way. "The Princess is waiting for you in the small study."

Liu Lu followed Su Xin into the small study.

Cui Qingyi was sitting on a low couch by the window, with a plate of candied plums beside her. She picked one up and ate it slowly.

"You're back?" She asked without looking up. "What did he say?"

"Since it's the master's order, Steward Sun naturally wouldn't dare to say anything more." Liu Lu paused, then boldly added, "However, Your Highness, this servant has something... I don't know if I should say it."

Cui Qingyi said slowly and deliberately, "If you had said something inappropriate, you wouldn't be standing here with me today. Speak."

"Yes." Liu Lu gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, "Steward Sun has acquired a house outside the mansion, right behind the cloth shop alley in the East Market. The house isn't large, but it's very well-maintained, with two courtyards and a small garden. I've been watching it for a long time... There's also a young woman living in that house."

Cui Qingyi paused slightly as she ate the plum.

A steward eunuch of a royal palace kept a concubine in a separate residence.

That's a serious crime.

Eunuchs were castrated before entering the palace, severing their ties to the imperial family and worldly affairs. They were "rootless people" who could only survive by relying on the imperial power and their masters for the rest of their lives.

The prohibition against palace eunuchs acquiring property and establishing families outside the palace was not only to prevent them from developing private property and ambition, but also to fundamentally sever their possibility of colluding with the outside world.

Once this crime is exposed, Sun Fuhai himself will have no chance of escaping punishment, and it may also implicate Li Chengjing.

This is probably why Liu Lu has never said it.

Cui Qingyi raised her eyes, her gaze landing on Liu Lu: "For such a matter that could cost you your head, instead of reporting it to His Highness, you've come to my inner court. Liu Lu, what are you plotting?"

Liu Lu froze, then knelt down with a thud: "Your Highness, please investigate! This servant does indeed harbor a personal grudge against Steward Sun, and I wish I could bring him down. But this servant also knows that Your Highness is a kind and compassionate person, and Steward Sun is an old man who has watched Your Highness grow up. If this servant were to directly report this matter to Your Highness, Steward Sun's weeping and kneeling might move Your Highness's heart, and you might let him off lightly. In that case, this servant would not only fail to remove this cancer, but would also die without a burial place!"

Cui Qingyi picked up her teacup and slowly took a sip.

Liu Lu was telling the truth. He wanted to use someone else to do his dirty work; his intentions were far from honorable, but in the world of fame and fortune, it was the most practical way to protect himself and climb the social ladder.

But she can't be a knife borrowed from someone else to kill.

Cui Qingyi said coldly, "Sun Fuhai has become incredibly audacious since leaving the palace to serve as a steward for a few years. But you knew about it and didn't report it, and you've been watching coldly for so long. Isn't that an accomplice in deceiving the emperor?"

Liu Lu's back was instantly soaked with cold sweat. "Your Highness..."

Cui Qingyi replied casually, "It's just about acquiring houses and people outside. Relying solely on deducting from the household's monthly allowances and reselling the master's rewards probably isn't enough, is it? He holds the power of purchasing for the Prince's mansion, and countless people outside are probably trying to profit from him, aren't they?"

"What does the princess mean?" Liu Lu asked cautiously.

"You only did this secretly to protect His Highness's safety and avoid alerting him, trying to find out if Sun Fuhai was using His Highness's name to do business, lend money at exorbitant interest rates, or have any improper dealings with people. Only after you've gathered this irrefutable evidence can you report back to His Highness. Don't you agree?"

Liu Lu knelt at the lower end, feeling cold sweat pouring down his back.

This new queen, despite her young age, possesses unfathomable cunning and scheming. With just a few words, she not only disguised his "concealment" as "loyalty to the queen," but also effortlessly placed a shackle on him that required him to obey her.

He was put on hold; if the investigation went well, it would be his future; if it went poorly, the princess could use the charge of "concealing information" to kill him at any time.

"This servant understands." Liu Lu bowed deeply, his forehead slamming heavily against the blue brick floor. "This servant will certainly investigate carefully in secret, without alerting the enemy, and will never betray the Princess's trust!"

Cui Qingyi looked at him, her expression softening again. She smiled and waved her hand, "Go. His Highness values ​​you the most. You'll be working in the front courtyard, so be sure to stay alert."

"Yes, this servant takes his leave."

Liu Lu walked backwards out of the inner courtyard, and only when he was hit by a cold wind did he realize that his undergarments were soaked through. He glanced back at the seemingly quiet and gentle little study, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and dared not show the slightest contempt for the new princess again.

The small study became quiet.

Su Xin brought over a cup of freshly brewed tea and asked softly, "Your Highness, is Liu Lu a reliable person?"

Cui Qingyi leaned against the pillow, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Whether he's reliable or not isn't important," she said lazily. "What's important is that he wants to rise to power, and to rise to power, he has to produce real results. If the investigation is good, it can uncover corrupt officials; if it's bad, it's just his incompetence. What does it have to do with me?"

Su Xin had followed her for many years and understood the meaning behind her words—Miss was certain that Steward Sun was doing something improper outside, and Liu Lu's investigation was just a formality.

"What about the greenhouse?" Su Xin asked again.

"That's another line." Cui Qingyi turned over. "Go and call Mother Lü here. I have something to tell her."