From street beggar to high-ranking official

Lu Li didn't care how Xiao Fuzi betrayed him. Perhaps it was because he didn't have a strong foothold in the palace guard, perhaps Xiao Fuzi wanted to have her cake and eat it too, or perhaps she was simply bribed with money. But no matter what, the person was already dead.

The case was closed by the Imperial Household Department and concluded that the death was an accidental drowning.

The fact that the culprit wasn't found was, of course, an accident.

Lu Li enjoyed a period of peace and quiet, while Xiao Luo Zi continued to do the same as always, launching sarcastic remarks about Yin and Yang whenever he encountered Lu Li.

Of course, he wouldn't tolerate the other party's behavior. Although he wasn't very knowledgeable, he still managed to hurl a string of sarcastic remarks at Xiao Luozi, making his face turn from green to red, then back to green again.

Will Xiao Luo curse? Of course he will. But he really can't defeat Lu Li in his area of ​​expertise.

Besides, Xiao Fuzi died in the area under my jurisdiction. The death itself wasn't the problem; the problem was where she died.

For this, Xiao Luozi received a scolding from Eunuch Zhao.

He originally wanted to explain to Eunuch Zhao, but Eunuch Zhao cut him off with one sentence: "Then you can report it to the Inner Palace Department for a second review."

Any junior eunuch can report suspicious cases. Evidence and confessions in unsolved cases are extremely difficult to review once they have been closed and filed. Not to mention Xiao Luozi, even Eunuch Zhao does not have this ability.

So many people die in the palace every year, so many schemes and plots against each other, so much corruption, misconduct and overstepping of boundaries. This needs to be reviewed and that needs to be re-examined, every case file needs to be reopened. How can we get any work done?

Besides, Xiao Fuzi isn't even an official; if Xiao Luozi were to say such a thing, he'd only make himself a laughingstock.

Eunuch Zhao was well aware of the conflict between Xiao Luo and Xiao Lu, but he had no intention of getting involved.

Xiao Luozi couldn't win because he was incompetent. Besides, Zhao Gonggong himself gave Lu Li the job, so why should I side with Xiao Luozi and help him reclaim the East Palace territory?

Struggle, struggle, fighting for favor. If the eunuchs and adopted sons below were all as close as brothers and joined forces, then it would be time for Eunuch Zhao to kill someone.

......

Lu bought the Four Books from Eunuch Zhao.

When Lu Li paid his respects to his godfather, he realized that he had missed an opportunity because he was not good at writing and could not write well.

So Lu Li read and wrote whenever he had free time, and at least his writing was no longer as messy as before.

He didn't understand the concepts of Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy and Liu Gongquan's style; he just practiced the regular characters from the Four Books.

"Why does this guy surnamed Kong or Meng talk so much?" Lu Li thought to himself as he practiced his calligraphy.

He could read, but not very well. He wondered why the ancient sages would shorten things so much when they could have explained them clearly in a few more words.

"What does 'clever words and flattering appearance, seldom associated with benevolence' mean?" Lu Li was dizzy from reading it. He recognized all the characters, but when put together, he couldn't quite grasp its true meaning.

Is it the fish's benevolence? But how can fish speak?

Lu Li had only studied the "Shuowen Jiezi" (Explaining Characters and Analyzing Words), a work by ancient sages. Even today, its interpretations are incomplete, so he realized that rote learning would not lead to any progress.

It should start with introductory books.

So Lu Li bought the Three Character Classic, the Hundred Family Surnames, and the Thousand Character Classic.

But new problems were soon discovered.

He had no teacher and no one to guide him.

I understand "At the beginning of life, people are inherently good", but what does "their natures are similar, but their habits are different" actually mean?

Even if we can't understand the "Shuowen Jiezi" (a classic Chinese dictionary), at least it teaches us what the character means. But what on earth are these primers? Can children who have just learned to read really understand them?

Lu Li exclaimed that this was outrageous and began to doubt whether he was cut out for studying or whether these so-called enlightenment books were actually prepared for students from aristocratic families who had teachers.

Is there really a way out for impoverished children with no other options but to study?

Lu Li thought about it carefully. He had heard of some poor children who studied hard from a young age and achieved great success, but he had never heard of a real farming family producing a top scholar.

Is it that we've never heard of it, or is it that we really don't know it?

Writing can be practiced diligently, but reading cannot. The palace did not prohibit eunuchs from reading, and even palace maids could read and write. However, apart from the martial arts academy, there was no proper place to teach servants to read and learn. Therefore, if they wanted to increase their knowledge, they could only spend money to ask others for help.

Most of the eunuchs in the palace were not good at studying; they would rather spend their time resting or cultivating themselves. Fortunately, Lu Li had his own connections.

"We need to consult our godfather," Lu Li thought to himself.

There's a reason why people go to Eunuch Zhao to buy books and to their godfather to read books.

Buying books is merely a transaction, a simple business deal, but seeking guidance and answers from teachers is a matter of gratitude and cannot be easily granted.

Even if it involves spending money to seek advice and classifying it as a transaction, the amount of money spent on this would be enormous.

I spent dozens of taels of silver to buy books from Eunuch Zhao, not to mention the Five Classics that I haven't even bought yet. If I were to seek knowledge, who knows how many questions I could ask for one tael of silver?

At the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), Lu Li sought advice from his godfather, Eunuch Chen.

Eunuch Chen was also happy to consult with Clerk Lu. In his view, one can only control others if one has desires; one can command others without asking for anything in return, and serve others only if one asks for something in return.

If you only ask your godson to do things without giving him any benefits, even the most loyal relationship will gradually break down.

This was the case for several of Eunuch Chen's adopted sons.

I was originally thinking of rewarding Xiao Lu with silver, but now it seems there's no need for that at all.

Eunuch Chen knew he was not as learned as Eunuch Ji, but teaching Lu Zi was still a piece of cake. Moreover, it would make it easier to control his godson, which was not a bad thing for him.

However, Eunuch Chen did more than just enlighten people. He bluntly stated that simply reading the Four Books and Five Classics and studying the "Great Qian Law" was not enough. The former was about how to conduct oneself and how to enforce the law, and after reading these, one still needed to study history.

Whether it is the previous dynasty or the current dynasty, it should all be examined.

To climb higher and more steadily in the palace, studying history is essential.

Martial artists who cultivate internal energy to strengthen their bodies are prone to irritability and anger. The books of sages and virtuous men can calm their minds, but palace eunuchs rarely read books, so the cultivation methods used by the eunuchs were changed.

Lu Li suddenly realized why the "Secret Garden Inner Landscape Manual" always talks about profound life principles.

At this point, he asked curiously, "Godfather, what kind of cultivation method did we practice when we entered the palace?"

Eunuch Chen's eyebrows twitched, and he shouted sternly, "The Sunflower Manual!"

……

"Little Lu," Eunuch Chen said slowly, drawing out the last syllable.

"What advice do you have for me, Godfather?" Lu Li bowed respectfully.

"Let's ask about the situation in the Imperial Household Department and see if Xiao Lu is doing well..." Eunuch Chen inquired about his godson's daily life.

Lu Li knew perfectly well what was going on, but he didn't hide anything and told Eunuch Chen everything that had happened in the palace.

From the moment Qi Zi prepared three-delicacy noodles for Lu Li, to the eunuchs offering him red envelopes, to the prince's reward, to later voluntarily slipping him silver to gather information about the palace, to finally falling out with Xiao Luo Zi and killing Xiao Fu Zi to redeem himself...

Having been officially on duty for over a month, the events surrounding Lu Li have been anything but dull.

"Godfather, there is something I don't understand," Lu Li asked after answering.

"speak."

So Lu Li asked why, despite receiving a reward from the Seventh Prince, the other eunuchs, aside from continuing to fawn over him, hadn't changed much. In fact, even Xiao Luo Zi dared to target him, and Xiao Fu Zi dared to betray him.

Everyone says that the princes are of immeasurable nobility, but why hasn't my surroundings changed much since I received a prince's reward?

He could understand Xiao Luozi's targeting, and he could come up with a suitable reason to explain Xiao Fuzi's betrayal, but why...?

Lu Li only knew how to scheme and plot, frame and murder, and did not yet understand the structure of power and the exchange of interests.

"Little Lu..."

"Godfather, please speak!"

"Your ability to think of this on your own is truly remarkable," said Eunuch Chen, speaking impartially.

"One should serve others without expecting anything in return, but one should serve others when one needs something in return." Eunuch Chen explained the implications: "The bloodline of the royal family is of course invaluable, and we servants should naturally kowtow and pay our respects. But you must understand that a local official is more powerful than a distant one. We servants are first and foremost responsible to our superiors."

Lu Li had been confused by what he heard so far, but the last sentence seemed to have unveiled his ignorance.

"A local official is more powerful than a distant one; they have to be accountable to their superiors... My family are Chen Gonggong's adopted sons, so we have to be responsible to Chen Gonggong; Xiao Luozi's superior is Zhao Gonggong, so he dares to confront me; Xiao Fuzi can use Xiao Luozi to change his allegiance, so he dares to betray me..."

But... what about the Seventh Prince?

Lu Li still expressed his confusion.

"A nobleman wouldn't care about pots and pans, especially since the Seventh Prince hasn't even been granted a title yet..."

With a solemn expression, Eunuch Chen bowed towards the direction of the Qianqing Palace, his posture meticulous, causing Lu Li to hurriedly kneel down in respect.

Since the godfather has already knelt down, there's no reason for the godson to continue standing.

"All power in the palace originates from His Majesty!"