From street beggar to high-ranking official

After returning to the palace, Lu Li did not have a peaceful life.

Xiao Luozi's behavior became increasingly outrageous. At first, he only placed dust in the corners of the palace walls, but later there was phlegm and filth on the walls, walkways, and railings.

At first, Lu Li didn't care. He just scolded and beat the cleaning eunuchs and even arrested two of them and sent them to the Incense Cleaning Department. But then he gradually realized that something was wrong and that Xiao Luozi had secretly harmed him. He tried to solve the problem but to little avail.

Noble people might not linger in these corners, but as long as these filths exist, they pose a risk to Lu Li.

The territory of the Eastern Six Palaces cannot be defended by one person alone. Even if more than fifty eunuchs are on guard at all times, Xiao Luozi's men can still seize the opportunity. Moreover, Lu Li cannot even confirm whether there is an internal traitor.

He tried eavesdropping, but with little success. Who would tell others they were a mole?

Scolding and urging won't solve the problem. If things go wrong in the long run, Eunuch Zhao will be disappointed and might even let Xiao Luozi take back control. At that time, my situation will become more and more passive.

With this in mind, Lu Li even considered going directly to their door.

The death of a low-ranking official or servant in the Inner Palace would not cause much of a stir, but if Xiao Luozi could be dealt with on the spot, the trouble would be resolved immediately.

For a moment, Lu Li felt a surge of murderous intent, but he quickly suppressed it.

Killing someone won't solve all the problems. Even if I really kill Xiao Luozi, I'll be directly slapping Eunuch Zhao in the face. At that time, I won't be facing Xiao Luozi's framing, but Eunuch Zhao's wrath.

"Little Luo, if you want to play, then we'll play with you to your heart's content." After thinking for a moment, Lu Li also came up with a plan.

A few days later, they arrived at the Eastern Palace territory.

Xiao Luozi heard from the eunuchs below that Xiao Luzi often walked towards the East Palace, seemingly just strolling around, and even greeted the cleaning eunuchs in a friendly manner.

"Has Xiao Lu changed his ways?" Xiao Luo raised an eyebrow. "I've disliked him for a long time. He's always showing off with the Fourth Prince's gifts, as if he's the only one in the entire Imperial Household Department who knows how to get things done."

"That's right, I've disliked that guy surnamed Lu for a long time. Why should he be allowed to manage your former territory, Eunuch Luo, without even becoming Eunuch Zhao's godfather?"

The young eunuch said indignantly, "I don't know where that Lu boy got his luck to receive a reward from the prince. He's always beating and scolding people, and he looks like a monster. He'll die in the palace sooner or later."

Xiao Luozi listened with a smile as the eunuch grumbled and cursed; the harsher the cursing, the more it showed that Lu Li was unpopular.

As they chatted, they discussed the possible tragic future of Lu Li, their words laced with disdain.

How can a poor boy from the countryside compare to our family's many years of experience in the palace?

Little did they know that in a deserted courtyard a dozen steps away, a pair of ears had overheard the entire conversation.

"As expected, it was Xiao Luozi who was causing trouble in the dark. But judging from the other person's voice, it seems to be Xiao Yuzi, the one we met back then."

At that time, Lu Li had just started practicing his martial arts when he caught Xiao Yu Zi, who was taking a nap in a secluded spot. It was also the first silver he earned while working, and Lu Li had a deep impression of it.

"Following this little jade might yield unexpected gains," Lu Li thought to himself, casually tossing aside the filth he had prepared beforehand.

In the following days, Lu Li, as usual, handed over the inspection duties to Xiao Fuzi, while he himself followed Xiao Yuzi, listening to the sounds of people throwing out the trash.

Xiao Yuzi, who was sweeping the walkway along the palace wall, was completely unaware that he was being followed. He simply finished cleaning his area, threw down the broom, and headed towards Yanxi Palace.

Taking advantage of the darkness, Lu Li followed behind, sometimes hiding in the courtyard, sometimes lurking around corners, without making a sound the whole time.

"We've been following her for days, and today we've finally made some progress." As Lu Li listened to the direction Xiao Yuzi's footsteps receded, he gradually formed a plan in his mind.

Lu Li followed from a distance, hoping to eventually track down some of Xiao Luo's former subordinates, but...

"Little Fuzi, how was your day?" Little Yuzi's voice rang out.

"You can rest assured that we'll handle things properly," Xiao Fuzi's voice rang out. "Since Eunuch Luo has promised us, we'll do our best. Xiao Luzi trusts us completely now. With our abilities, even if Xiao Luzi were to keep watch every day, he still wouldn't be able to find the traitor."

"Don't worry, when Eunuch Luo regains Eunuch Zhao's favor, he will definitely arrange a good job for you. Here, take this."

"Little Jade, this is too much!" Little Fu's voice was several decibels louder with surprise.

"He who takes money must do his bidding. Our Eunuch Luo is not the kind of stingy person who only makes the horse run but doesn't feed it."

The two eunuchs sneered at Lu Li's foolishness.

Lu Li listened quietly through the two walls, remaining silent despite their mockery, while a surge of murderous intent welled up within him.

He simply stayed where he was until the two finished their conversation and left.

That afternoon.

"Little Fuzi, come and chat with us." After a round of inspections, Lu Li said kindly to Little Fuzi who was following him. Just like before, the two found a secluded courtyard.

Not all areas of the imperial harem were inhabited; there were uninhabited palaces and small courtyards that were rarely visited.

There were some tables and chairs in the courtyard. Lu Li sat down first, and then Xiao Fuzi sat down opposite him.

"Little Fuzi, you know what's been going on these past few days. Do you have any good solutions?" Lu Li asked, taking out the account book.

"Eunuch Lu, we suspect there's a traitor within our household, but we can try to fight back," Xiao Fuzi said, her eyes darting around.

"Oh? Tell me about it," Lu Li said, surprised.

"I think it was Xiao Luozi who did this. The territory you are in charge of now originally belonged to Xiao Luozi. Perhaps he is holding a grudge and is secretly taking revenge. Before we find the traitor, let's take revenge first," Xiao Fuzi said.

Lu Li raised an eyebrow: "That's a good idea. We can't let only our family suffer losses. As for this matter..."

"Eunuch Lu, let us come," Xiao Fuzi said proactively.

Lu Li smiled slightly: "Little Fuzi is very thoughtful, but this directly offends Little Luozi. Aren't you afraid, Little Fuzi?"

"This is also to make Eunuch Lu trust our family more," Xiao Fuzi grinned.

"By the way, Xiao Fuzi, perhaps you could try to find out about the other colleagues; maybe the traitor is among them," Lu Li suddenly said.

"Eunuch Lu is wise." Xiao Fuzi's eyes darted around, thinking that he could use Lu Zi's prestige to frame those eunuchs who always looked down on him.

He was both highly valued by Eunuch Luo and able to benefit from Lu Zi's prestige. What kind of two birds with one stone are they?

"Little Fuzi, work hard, and we'll definitely help you when we become officials in the future," said Lu Li as he stood up.

Xiao Fuzi hurriedly stood up and said, "We will definitely focus on doing our job well."

"Alright, Xiao Fuzi, go out first. We can practice our skills here." Lu Li sat cross-legged in front of the house.

"Then I won't bother Eunuch Lu any longer." Xiao Fuzi left with light steps, but she had only taken a few steps when a gust of wind came from behind her.

A groin kick landed on Xiao Fuzi, the intense pain rendering her speechless. She could only kneel on the ground, screaming in agony.

He subconsciously turned around, circulating his inner energy before uttering, "Eunuch Lu, my family member was your classmate, we would never..."

"We don't have a classmate like you." Lu Li stepped forward and covered the other person's mouth and nose with a rag. Xiao Fuzi struggled, but Lu Li kicked him in the groin and he passed out. He was completely silent in the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.

Lu Li looked down and his murderous intent, which he had been suppressing for most of the day, finally dissipated. After finding the silver, he went to dispose of the body.

Xiao Fuzi was absent from roll call at Shenshi (3-5 PM) that day.

A few days later, the eunuch in charge of Xiao Luozi's shift became lax and negligent, and fallen leaves and dust often accumulated in the pavilions and courtyards. In particular, Xiao Yuzi was discovered by the supervising eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs to be sleeping in a secluded place.

Forty strokes of the cane, and a fine of four months' salary; Xiao Luozi, as the superior foreman, was also fined two months' salary.

Five days later, the eunuchs of the Imperial Palace Supervisory Office found a floating corpse in a water vat on the East Palace road. The corpse had drowned, and was swollen, with blood and pus filling the vat. It was a dark green color and the scene was horrific.