From street beggar to high-ranking official

Lu Li followed behind Xiao Qizi carrying a lantern. At the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), only the eunuchs of the Palace Administration Office were on duty, so they could walk freely.

"Little Lu, you'd better keep a close eye on things when you lead the patrol." Little Qi walked in the middle of the path. "It doesn't matter if the cleaning is neglected elsewhere, but the main imperial path cannot be neglected in the slightest. That is where His Majesty's imperial carriage goes, running straight through the inside and outside. We servants are not allowed to walk on it. We must walk on the blue brick paths on both sides of the imperial path the whole way. We can only enter and exit the imperial path area by turning sideways or crouching down. If we want to go through the palace gate, we must go through the side gate. We must never go through the middle gate."

Lu Li asked疑惑地问道, "Judging from Xiao Qi's words, how should we clean the area opposite the Imperial Road?"

"You are only allowed to cross quickly along the narrow side of the Danbi and Jinshui Bridge, and you must not make noise or chase each other. If you leave any filth behind, you will be fined, slapped or whipped thirty times; the worst punishments are..."

Xiao Qizi chuckled: "I once heard Eunuch Zhao say that when the former Director of the Imperial Horse Administration was investigated, the imperial horse that the prince was riding during a hunt suddenly foamed at the mouth and overturned the prince. That day, the prince knelt in front of the imperial road and begged His Majesty for mercy. However, with a sudden force, his forehead hit the blue-white stone of the imperial road and shattered. His Majesty was furious when he saw this. It was a great violation of etiquette and disrespect. He was punished for both crimes, and was sent to the imperial prison that very night. I have never seen that eunuch since."

When Lu Li first heard the words "Imperial Prison," he thought it was just an ordinary prison. However, after Xiao Qizi's explanation, which was both intimidating and frightening, his expression immediately changed.

Only when he heard the faint smile in Xiao Qizi's words did Lu Li raise an eyebrow: "Well, Xiao Qizi, you dare to bluff me."

Xiao Qizi laughed out loud, and then explained to Lu Li that ordinary eunuchs did not have the qualifications to enter the imperial prison. They were usually handed over to the Directorate of Ceremonial or handled internally by the various directorates. Only those who committed serious crimes such as those involving court politics, desecrating imperial power, or stealing important weapons would be sent to the imperial prison.

After Xiao Qizi explained, a question suddenly popped into Lu Li's mind: the Director of the Imperial Horse Administration was the chief eunuch in charge of the entire administration. Was he really imprisoned in the imperial prison because the horses fell ill and broke the stone bricks of the imperial road?

Lu Li wanted to ask, but he swallowed the words back down.

Listening and watching less is also a way of dealing with things for palace eunuchs. Lu Li didn't want to be accused of a huge crime and have to pay money just for asking the Imperial Horse Administration Supervisor about his crimes.

The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs had a reporting and review body, where eunuchs could be reported for any acts of disrespect, overstepping their authority, or dereliction of duty.

Even if the chances of such private chats being reported are extremely slim.

But little by little, it adds up, just like the ancient saying that Xiao Jizi often mentioned, "What kind of ant is it, a thousand miles away?"

......

After leading Lu Li through the general procedures, Xiao Qizi did not go to the imperial road, but instead dealt with a small area of ​​the official and palace staff's walkway and carriage road.

"Besides these areas, our main duties as inspectors are to check the water channels and underground passages, the palaces, pavilions and towers, and to confirm whether weeds and sand have been removed; to check whether the imperial road, the steps and the stone of the palace courtyards are damaged or covered in dust. We finish work and change shifts at Shenshi (3-5 PM)."

As Lu Li watched Xiao Qizi speak, he took out an account book and marked various places with circles and checkmarks: "So, it seems we need to submit the daily cleaning records to Eunuch Zhao when we hand over the shift?"

"That's natural." Xiao Qizi nodded. Seeing that Lu Li was not stupid, he didn't say anything more about such matters. He only reminded him, "In two days it will be the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. If we make even the slightest mistake during the Qixi Festival in the inner palace, we will be punished."

Lu Li nodded slightly, roughly confirming the specific affairs of the lower-level eunuchs in the Palace Attendant Bureau.

Due to different duties, they can be divided into cleaning, sweeping, odd jobs, guarding, and patrolling. Each position has a hierarchy. As soon as Lu Li entered the Palace Guard, he was on par with Zhao Gonggong's adopted son, which can be said to be a jump of two ranks. In addition, the lowest rank in the Palace Guard was his subordinate, the Incense Cleaning Division, who was responsible for emptying night incense and washing chamber pots.

If a newly arrived eunuch doesn't bribe his way in, he's very likely to be assigned to do such hard labor. If someone offends a superior, they're also very likely to be assigned to wash chamber pots.

Lu Li recalled the scene of his roll call at Yin Shi (3-5 AM) today, and it seemed that Xiao Chi, who came to the Palace Guard at the same time as him, was also sent to do this job.

But he had no intention of promoting his old acquaintances. Even though he could now control the promotion and demotion of eunuchs with a single word, Xiao Chizi didn't even give him half a tael of silver. Why should he care about him?

Instead of wasting time and energy on Xiao Chizi, it would be better to spend more time interacting with Zhao Gonggong's godsons like Xiao Qizi and to pay respects to his godfather, Chen Gonggong, every day.

This time, I followed Xiao Qizi around. After Lu Li got a general understanding, there was nothing more to do. He will be assigned to manage a specific area tomorrow.

Before dawn, at 3:45 AM, Lu Li was already waiting outside Eunuch Chen's duty room, bowing respectfully. He waited until approximately 7:00 AM, when the door creaked open, and Lu Li kowtowed repeatedly.

"Your son kowtows, wishing my godfather a thousand blessings and peace!"

"Hehehe, little Lu is so thoughtful. Our family doesn't follow such complicated rules. It's good that you haven't forgotten our family." Eunuch Chen smiled gently, showing great concern for his godson.

Lu Li kowtowed again: "I would never forget that I got a good job in the Palace Guard thanks to my godfather's prestige."

"Hmm~ Get up and speak, let me hear what good things Little Lu has done in the palace."

Lu Li immediately stood up, bowed, and walked to Eunuch Chen's side to explain in detail.

Eunuch Chen said he didn't care about the rules, but Lu Li cared even more about them—Eunuch Chen was the one who taught the rules, and forgetting the rules he taught was unfilial. Even when he kowtowed, he didn't use his inner energy to protect himself, but instead kowtowed solidly to the ground.

"Hmm~ That's pretty much what I was thinking. Little Lu, you should work hard in the palace from now on and not let me down." Eunuch Chen nodded.

"I will follow my godfather's teachings."

Lu Li bowed and agreed. He hesitated for a moment, and Eunuch Chen noticed that Lu Li wanted to say something but held back: "Ask whatever you want to ask. There's no need for such formalities between us."

"Godfather, please understand. I want to know which ungrateful person has forgotten your kindness. I will target them when I gain power in the future."

Lu Li bowed again, listening carefully to the implication. When Eunuch Chen said he hadn't forgotten our family, his tone became even more playful.

"That fellow is powerful, and we don't want to waste our godson's life for nothing." Eunuch Chen said in a strange tone, "Eunuch Lu, the Imperial Household Secretary, remember to avoid little Lu in the future."

"I understand," Lu Li said respectfully. "I'll secretly curse him a few more times every day, and I'll curse him to death sooner or later."

"Heh heh, you little rascal, if that little Lu had this kind of talent when he was our adopted son, we would have made him step on the threshold of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs no matter what." Eunuch Chen was amused by Lu Li's words, and then explained the cause and effect of the past.

That young Lu was originally just a minor member of a family in Zhuozhou. When Eunuch Chen saw his background, he used his influence to send him to the Imperial Household Department. However, not long after entering the Imperial Household Department, young Lu reported a case of corruption. After gaining power, he became the godfather of a new family. Later, in order to improve his own performance, he completely offended Eunuch Chen.

Eunuch Chen certainly didn't care about the betrayal of a godchild. Betrayal among eunuchs was commonplace. If he had betrayed others in the past, others would betray him in the future.

What angered Eunuch Chen was that after Xiao Luzi gained power and became Eunuch Lu, he initially pretended to be filial, but then used Eunuch Chen's godson as a performance indicator. He caught the eunuch stealing spices on the spot, and the two were punished for multiple crimes.

Even if the fire didn't reach Eunuch Chen, eunuchs are always petty, and Eunuch Lu's open slap in the face was tantamount to a public break.

Even if Eunuch Chen tries to send someone into the Imperial Household Department again, he will inevitably face all sorts of harassment and difficulties from Xiao Lu.