From street beggar to high-ranking official

The next day, Lu Li got up at the sound of a rooster crowing.

The palace was already chilly in late autumn. I even brought a few cotton-padded coats with me when I left the palace. That day, a cold autumn rain fell. I wonder how many beggar children would freeze to death after such a rain.

However, the climate in Chengdu was pleasant, and a gray robe and an inner lining were enough to keep out the cold.

The most important thing to do today is to check the accounts.

Chengdu Prefecture had a Tea and Horse Bureau, where tea produced in the surrounding prefectures had to be gathered. It was also the tea distribution center of Sichuan.

Eunuch Qian brought the Ministry of Revenue's fish-scale register from the palace and compared it with the Tea and Horse Bureau's register one by one. These matters were naturally not up to Lu Li. Reading and writing were fine, but if it came to accounting, who knows what astronomical figures he would come up with.

Such troublesome matters were left to Qian Gonggong's adopted sons, while Lu Li continued to accompany Qian Gonggong and Prefect Wen to investigate the remaining in-kind tea tax.

When they set off, Eunuch Qian was chatting and laughing, joking and gossiping with his adopted sons. But the closer they got to the Prince Consort's residence, the worse his expression became.

Eunuch Qian remained silent, but his adopted sons could tell what he was thinking. One of them asked, "Excuse me, Prefect Wen, isn't this the way to the storeroom?"

Prefect Wen remained expressionless. He needed to be cautious with Eunuch Qian, but he wouldn't show any kindness to the other eunuchs: "That's right, it's in the direction of the Prince Consort's residence."

"Could it be that the Prince Consort is personally guarding the tribute tea to prevent it from being stolen by thieves?" a young eunuch teased.

"The Imperial Son-in-Law is loyal to the Emperor and devoted to the country, working tirelessly day and night without daring to make the slightest mistake. How could you laugh at him?" Prefect Wen said respectfully.

"Our family should follow suit," said Grandpa Qian with a forced smile.

Two high-ranking officials led the way in their carriages, followed by a dozen soldiers, making quite a grand spectacle as they paraded through the bustling city.

Lu Li was not qualified to ride in a carriage, but simply sat on a horse and let the strong horse follow him. He looked around at the shops along the street, but most of them avoided his gaze and dared not look him directly in the eye.

Looking at the people standing on the ground, Lu Li felt a strange sense of pride. Even though he couldn't even ride a horse, he stood up straighter.

His ashen eyes stared at the two carriages at the front, wondering when he would receive such treatment.

The Prince Consort's Mansion was located on the main road in the city, but there were hardly any people on the way. As for the bustling streets, no one dared to cause trouble or interfere.

After announcing his arrival at the mansion, Lu Li entered and immediately noticed that the atmosphere inside was completely different from that outside.

The common people outside avoided eye contact, but the servants and servants inside the mansion remained calm, even displaying a hint of disdain and mockery.

Even eunuchs from the eunuch faction have come to defile the Prince Consort's residence?

The eunuchs, of course, glared back without hesitation. They were united not only in their internal strife but also in their opposition to outsiders.

On one hand, they mocked those who were neither male nor female, neither yin nor yang, and on the other hand, they despised the rude behavior of the country servants; on one hand, they subtly mocked those who had no descendants and died without being able to enter their ancestral graves, and on the other hand, they ridiculed those who were illiterate and deserved to be at the bottom of society for life.

Lu Li was too lazy to pay attention to the servants in the mansion. He wasn't as psychologically disturbed as the old eunuchs. He had only met them once and would never see them again in his life, so what was there to be angry about? He just listened to the whispers around him.

"Are these people here to cause trouble?"

"Even the prefect has come; that eunuch in the red robe must be a high-ranking official."

"Tch, what high-ranking official can compare to the emperor's relatives? They still have to speak politely to each other when they meet."

The servants in the mansion had seen many high-ranking officials come and go. Even though they themselves were still from the bottom of society, they spoke without the timidity of ordinary people, and even their expressions were much better.

"Little Tiger, you and the other children wait outside. I'll go in and have a chat with Prince Consort Ouyang," said Eunuch Qian, who was walking in front.

The other eunuchs accepted the order, and Lu Li could not linger. Although he served Eunuch Qian, could he really be closer to him than the other adopted sons?

It was clear that Eunuch Qian wanted to discuss something privately with the Prince Consort, something that couldn't be known to outsiders, not even his godson.

A dozen or so eunuchs remained scattered in the courtyard. Some chatted idly in place, while others, unable to contain their impatience, began to wander around.

The eunuchs each had their own purposes, and Lu Li was no exception. He informed the steward of the mansion, who did not stop him and allowed Lu Li to leave.

Not far from the Prince Consort's residence, Lu Li turned a corner, and soon a young man carrying a bundle came out.

"Hey, what are you looking for, you rascal?" the man asked in a thick local accent.

The young eunuch, who was peering out from the street corner, was craning his neck to look this way. Hearing the man's question, he was taken aback, then dismissed him with a look of disdain: "Go away, go away, don't interfere with our important business."

"That's ridiculous." The man didn't want to talk to the other person anymore and left on his own.

The young eunuch followed them alone into the street corner, only to find that there were only alley entrances on the left and right sides.

"Damn it, where did that kid run off to?" the little eunuch cursed, and randomly picked a direction to chase after him.

......

"Luckily, we were prepared," the man thought to himself as he walked a short distance.

This man was none other than Lu Li. When he got up early in the morning, Lu Li casually took some old clothes from the post station and put them on underneath. He originally wanted to find a reason to leave, but unexpectedly, Eunuch Qian allowed him to move freely.

"We don't care about tea taxes or anything like that. We just need to follow our godfather's instructions," Lu Li thought to himself as he pulled out an envelope from his chest.

This letter is to be delivered to the local wealthy merchant families.

According to Eunuch Chen, the other party was the Zhou family, who had risen from street beggars to become merchants in Sichuan through meticulous shrewdness and hard work, eventually seizing an opportunity after living in poverty for three dynasties.

This is also one of the legendary tales of extraordinary people who solved the mystery of the womb.

The Zhou family owns vast tracts of fertile land for tea production, countless silkworms for weaving Shu brocade, and even has members serving as officials in the imperial court.

There's no need to elaborate on tea, but let's just talk about Shu brocade. The Shuowen Jiezi (a dictionary of Chinese characters) says: "Jin (锦) is a brocade with colorful patterns, composed of the radicals 'silk' and 'gold'." It is said that Shu brocade was so valuable in the imperial palace that it cost one silver coin per foot, one gold coin per pattern.

Lu Li registered his name and was quickly introduced inside.

The Zhou family's extravagance was no less than that of the Imperial Son-in-Law's mansion, with carved beams and painted rafters, extremely luxurious. Even though it could not be called a mansion in name, its scale did not exceed the bounds. However, in Lu Li's eyes, there was no difference.

Upon entering the Zhou family residence, Lu Li immediately encountered a young man.

The man's face was larger than his own, and what was particularly striking was that he carried an unsheathed sword on his back. Upon seeing Lu Li, he raised his eyebrows and snorted coldly through his nostrils.

Lu Li was baffled.

Eunuchs certainly don't have a good reputation, but I haven't revealed my identity as a eunuch yet, so why am I being treated so coldly?

"Master Zhou, Master Zhou, please calm down. The old man isn't that kind of person."

A butler rushed over from behind the young man, wanting to say something more, but was glared at by this Master Zhou and shut up.

Then, the man angrily walked straight out and left.

"Butler, what is this?" Lu Li asked curiously.

The middle-aged, experienced steward didn't show any disdain for Lu Li's peasant clothes. One should know that a steward of a prominent family was no less shrewd than a palace eunuch. Hearing Lu Li's accent, he roughly guessed what was going on and said with a pleasant expression:

"That's the eldest son of the Zhou family head. Instead of studying hard and practicing martial arts to pass the imperial examinations, he insisted on becoming a swordsman, which made the family head very angry."

This was already common knowledge in Chengdu Prefecture, so there was no harm in saying it. Besides, this man came from out of town, so he must have something important to do to enter the Zhou family's doorstep.

But... I heard from the head of the family that shouldn't the one who comes be a eunuch?

Lu Li had no opinion on the fact that the Zhou family head's son wanted to become a great hero. Gentry, farmers, and merchants were divided into different classes, and the Great Qian Dynasty did not prohibit the offspring of merchants from taking the imperial examinations; in fact, it greatly supported it.

Real farmers can't afford to read books!

The two continued their conversation.

The steward quickly established a rapport with Lu Li with just a few words, and Lu Li was happy to do the same, explaining his purpose.

"It's actually Eunuch Lu! My apologies for not recognizing you." The steward immediately bowed. Although he was puzzled as to why the man didn't look like a eunuch at all, since he had produced the letter of proof, he would assume that the man was an eunuch.