From street beggar to high-ranking official

Noon.

After Emperor Yongxi finished the sacrificial ceremony, he returned to the Qianqing Palace to handle state affairs and review memorials, leaving only Buddhist and Taoist rituals to continue throughout the day.

Everyone in the Imperial Palace breathed a sigh of relief.

At the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), Lu, an official, reported to the Palace Attendant's Records Office. After approval by the Directorate of Ceremonial, he was issued a waist token and talisman by the Directorate of Imperial Seals and went outside the palace with the Directorate of Palace Attendants.

The reason for leaving the palace was simple: to go with the eunuchs to the tomb of the eunuchs to burn paper money, and to return to the palace before dusk.

Logically speaking, this reason is hardly convincing, but nothing matters when it comes to money.

Following the eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department out of the Forbidden City, Lu Li stared blankly at the neat mansions outside the city, momentarily at a loss for what to do.

Having been in the palace for only half a year, it felt like a completely different world.

......

Zhongguanfen is located in the northwest of the capital. It is a secluded cemetery that feels eerie and unsettling even under the sun.

Walking on the repaired dirt road, Lu Li could occasionally hear the weeping and sobbing of eunuchs coming from both sides of the road.

Most of the tombs here don't have tombstones, at most just a mound of earth. Lu Li searched for a long time before finally finding a tomb with a tombstone.

The inscriptions carved on the stele have long been worn and blurred by wind, sun and rain, but the name, stained with ink, is still clearly visible to this day.

Lu Li didn't recognize this dead eunuch. He wouldn't have come here if it weren't necessary. He was only here to do something for Eunuch Chen.

Thinking it over, he carefully folded the bundle of yellow paper worth five taels of silver in his hand, lit a fire, and watched as the gleaming silver turned to ashes.

There are naturally funeral shops in the capital, but since we've come with the Imperial Household Department, we'll definitely have to spend money there. For example, we need incense sticks, yellow paper, silver ingots, and even paper replicas of carriages, houses, and beauties—the variety is overwhelming... and each item is more expensive than the last.

You have to spend this money, or you'll have to follow the rules. Otherwise, where would Li Shi have this kind of private space?

Regardless of whether the yellow paper had burned completely, Lu Li placed the envelope from his sleeve behind the stele and left on his own.

While waiting for the eunuch to return to the palace, Lu Li wandered around and looked at the tombs, which evoked memories of the past.

Sometimes when they were so hungry they couldn't stand it, their father would take them to some cemeteries and graves to find wild white rice. The father and son would first kowtow to the grave owners a few times, then casually throw the chopsticks stuck in the rice and start eating it with their hands.

Lu Li's kowtowing skills were honed through practicing on dead people.

However, things don't always go smoothly. Most graves only contain ashes, and the better spots are often taken by beggars and stray dogs.

Lu Li had been targeted by a stray dog ​​several times. Starving, he had to fight the dog for food meant for the dead. The memories of the howling and chasing were still vivid in his mind.

But later, the stray dog ​​was held down by its own father and stoned to death. Its desperate howls were just like those of a slave trader being beaten to death by a mob.

Lu Li, who had only been begging for a short time, was targeted by human traffickers. If it weren't for the discovery by several fellow villagers who were begging with him, he might have become a mute beggar at the bottom of the beggar gang long ago.

"I wonder where my father is now." Recalling this, Lu Li felt a sudden longing for his family.

He didn't dare ask his godfather how to find his biological father, as that would be suicidal and would only cause trouble for Eunuch Chen. He also didn't ask if the money he had stolen when he first entered the palace could be recovered.

Having been immersed in the palace environment, Lu Li was no longer the naive young man he once was.

Compared to those who sell their children, our father is a true man. If it weren't for that winter snow that killed people half a year ago, leaving him with no other choice but to enter the palace.

As for those who voluntarily enter the palace, they do exist, but Lu Li has not yet seen any.

Eunuchs have no descendants and cannot be buried in ancestral graves or temples. Moreover, eunuchs have no good reputation among the common people, and ordinary families would almost never send them to become eunuchs. Many of the young eunuchs in the palace were chosen from among the youngest children sold into the palace when their families could no longer make ends meet.

Most of those sold into the palace by their relatives were young men around the same age as Lu Li. After being exposed to the palace environment, even the most innocent minds had already been corrupted. Young eunuchs could not be tainted by family affection or women, so they could only covet money and power.

Thinking of this, Lu Li seemed to have gained a new understanding of the "Five Senses and Five Methods". Just like a eunuch, if he lacked something in a certain aspect, he would definitely make up for it in other aspects.

If one loses one's mouth and nose, one will strengthen one's eyes and ears; if one has no relatives or friends, one will crave money and power.

For a moment, Lu Li's mind was as clear as a mirror.

This is the time for spiritual practice.

"I think now is a good time." Without delay, Lu Li immediately sat cross-legged and began to practice the "Five Senses and Five Methods".

There is a saying about sudden enlightenment in cultivation. It is said that some Buddhists can achieve enlightenment in seven days and become Buddhas on the spot, while some Taoist cultivators can resolve their doubts and ascend to heaven in one day.

Lu Li found the term "sudden enlightenment" difficult to understand. He either understood it or he didn't. What was the meaning of sudden enlightenment?

It wasn't until it happened to him that Lu Li realized that the idea of ​​sudden enlightenment was not unfounded.

Before dusk, Lu Li returned to the palace, having already advanced the Listening to Waves technique he had learned to the second level.

Before the shift change at the Palace Guard, Lu Li held the account book and looked at the circled characters on it.

Lu Li inquired about each person's situation: whether someone was slacking off, whether someone was being perfunctory, what the situation was like at Yanxi Palace, and what the situation was like at Fengxian Hall.

Xiao Fuzi answered each question flawlessly, showing that she had truly put her heart into it.

Lu Li did not listen to Xiao Fuzi's side of the story. While listening to Xiao Fuzi's explanation, he used his skills to listen to the speed of Xiao Fuzi's breathing and the strength of her heartbeat.

If there were any concealment or errors, Xiao Fuzi's breathing and heartbeat would definitely be different.

Words can deceive, but these things cannot. The "Five Senses and Five Methods" states in the "Listening to the Waves and Ears" method: one can discern one's mood by observing breathing and pulse.

"Eunuch Lu, we checked carefully, there's no problem at all," Xiao Fuzi assured him.

Before leaving the palace, Lu Li instructed Xiao Fuzi to help him look after the area and sweep the grounds. Xiao Fuzi accepted the order and was naturally very careful. Moreover, this was his first taste of power, so he dared not slack off in the slightest.

Faced with Xiao Fuzi's assurance, Lu Li smiled warmly and said sincerely, "Xiao Fuzi is our classmate. In this deep palace, who else can we trust if not you? When we go out on official business, we still need Xiao Fuzi to take care of things back home."

Of course, Lu Li didn't completely trust Xiao Fuzi. There was no one in the palace he could rely on; they were all just using him.

Hearing Lu Li's heartfelt words, Xiao Fuzi trembled with excitement. "When we were in the martial arts school, I had my eye on Eunuch Lu. I always tried to curry favor with him and flatter him. Now that we've built a good working relationship, I've finally gained Eunuch Lu's trust."

If it weren't for the unspoken rule in the Inner Palace that non-officials could not be adopted as godfathers, Xiao Fuzi wouldn't mind showing his loyalty to Li Lu.

This is just the first step for Xiao Luzi. With this stepping stone, our family might just catch the eye of a certain father-in-law and be accepted as his godfather.

The two men had a warm and friendly atmosphere, like long-lost brothers, but they were secretly plotting something.

During the evening shift change, Lu Li closed his eyes and listened. He could clearly hear Xiao Qizi's breathing, and further away, he could hear the sounds of mice, insects, and other eunuchs sleeping and breathing.

Lu Li roughly estimated that the distance at which the sounds could be clearly distinguished was about ten zhang. Beyond that, the faint sounds would become distorted and indistinct. If there were walls blocking the way, the distance would have to be reduced further.

But that was enough for Lu Li. Putting aside everything else, eavesdropping on the little eunuchs' conversations was enough.

With this in mind, Lu Li stopped practicing his technique and instead plugged his ears with cotton and went to sleep peacefully.