From street beggar to high-ranking official

"Little Lu did a good job." Eunuch Qian's smile remained unchanged, and he immediately ordered everyone to be arrested.

Wang Zhengqing continued to curse angrily, and Qian Gonggong and his son stepped forward to slap him. Wang Zhengqing was immediately speechless, only spitting out a few teeth.

The crowd dispersed, and Lu Li looked at the assassins who remained in place: "We still owe a great debt to the hero, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to act so quickly."

"It's alright." Su Ningqing, the leader, said in a muffled voice, "The Beggars' Gang has branches all over Daqian. In the future, Eunuch Lu must be careful when leaving the palace and the capital."

Lu Li naturally kept these words of concern in mind. Regardless of whether he would have another chance to leave the palace or travel this far again, he would not speak ill of the other party for mentioning such a thing.

The seventh day of the lunar month.

Ouyang Luntai was detained, but this time it wasn't just house arrest; he was actually imprisoned. After Lu Li finished recording the statements, he inquired about the matter with Eunuch Qian.

"Little Lu asked about Wang Zhengqing?" Eunuch Qian said cautiously, "Then let me tell Little Lu something: this matter will only end with the imperial son-in-law. You can rest assured about that; it's the order from above."

During the Yongxi reign, the administration was clean and efficient; where did all these corrupt officials come from?

Even if we were to investigate, it would be too late.

The imperial son-in-law, after all, had no real power, and no matter how much he embezzled, it was difficult to investigate him thoroughly. But the local officials, especially the governor of Sichuan, were the real big shots. They were the true local bullies. If Eunuch Qian dared to investigate the imperial son-in-law, he would not have confronted the governor and the viceroy without imperial orders.

Moreover, even if Eunuch Qian and the others don't make a move, someone else will. It's hard to say what will happen on the way back to the capital, but at least in Chengdu, everyone except the prince consort will die.

Lu Li understood immediately. If this person were allowed to return to the capital alive, the unrest would continue. However, the unrest was irrelevant to Lu Li. He only cared about his own affairs. He was on this mission to work for his godfather. Since his godfather and the Zhou family were on the same side, Lu Li would naturally side with the Zhou family.

Previously, Lu Li had inquired with Zhou Xinqi, the head of the Zhou family, and learned that Zhou Xinqi did indeed have a connection with Eunuch Chen back then. However, when asked for details, Zhou Xinqi avoided the topic, only saying that Eunuch Chen's power was comparable to that of Eunuch Qian.

Lu Li was greatly surprised after hearing this. Could it be that his godfather had also served as a second-rank admiral?

With the special permission of the eunuch, Wang Zhengqing was allowed into prison. His limbs were shackled and he couldn't move. Lu Li bowed slightly and asked in a low voice, "Ambassador Wang, if you could become a high-ranking official, what would you do?"

"Of course, it's about sweeping away the corruption in the local government and severely punishing local embezzlement and illegal activities. I will take down any corrupt officials who cause the people to be displaced!" Wang Zhengqing said in a powerful voice.

This person's resume has already been thoroughly investigated. If we disregard his service to the imperial son-in-law, he was indeed a good official who protected the people. Unfortunately, even an upright official cannot settle family disputes. Although Wang Zhengqing rose to the position of Tea and Horse Commissioner, he was unable to accomplish anything of great importance.

"What an honest official!" Lu Li said bitterly, "It's a pity you weren't born in our time."

If you, Wang Zhengqing, were an official in Qing County, why would our family have to be separated from our parents and become beggars? Do you still want to live and continue to protect the people?

Why should others enjoy the good things that our family didn't get to enjoy?!

Lu Li gave a wink, and the jailer immediately understood. Even if Lu Li hadn't come to convey Eunuch Qian's message, the governor's opinion would have arrived today.

That night, cries of agony filled the government office and prison. Wang Zhengqing committed suicide out of fear of punishment, leaving behind a suicide note written in blood.

The details of his death were made public the following day, and the public had many different opinions.

Some say Wang Zhengqing was a good official who was framed by corrupt officials and eunuchs; others say Wang Zhengqing was extremely hypocritical, having held office for so long, how come the tea tax didn't decrease year after year, but the number of beggars only increased.

Some people cheered that corrupt officials should be executed, saying that dying in prison was no worse than being beheaded in the marketplace. Perhaps they didn't care whether the dead were corrupt officials or not; officials collude and fight like dogs, and they were happy as long as an official died.

Among them were many commoners and scholars who were making comments. With February approaching, the imperial examinations for this year were about to begin, and some scholars had come to the prefecture and county offices early to prepare.

"In my opinion, none of these people are honest officials."

"If none of them are honest officials, then who are?"

"If I were to become an official, even just a lowly ninth-rank official, I would still be an upright and honest one!"

One of the boys looked at the official document, tightened his satchel, and headed towards the teahouse.

The teahouse had four large characters written in black and white on a white paper: "Do not discuss state affairs."

After drinking soup at the teahouse, the young man went to the pile of old books to find the books he needed.

The pile of old books contained many miscellaneous and idle books, mostly from the imperial son-in-law's collection. The precious ancient and rare editions had all been collected, leaving only this pile of books that were so hard they were barely enough to wipe one's bottom.

Ouyang Luntai was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), so he naturally had a great interest in reading. He also tried to cultivate some scholars in Chengdu Prefecture, hoping that if they really made a name for themselves, they could become his connections in the future.

However, the matter was dropped after Emperor Yongxi issued an edict and the Imperial Horse Administration came to investigate the taxes.

The boy searched through the pages and soon found a geomantic map tucked between the pages of the book.

A naive boy left his mountain village and arrived in the big city he had always longed for. Here, he saw the landscape of Chengdu Prefecture for the first time. The boy was very interested in it and couldn't wait to find out where his hometown was.

An old scholar, seeing the young man intently studying the map, asked curiously, "What are you doing worrying about these things, you little brat? Hurry up and prepare for your exam!"

"Sir, I'm not a little boy. I have a name too. My name is Liu Chong," the boy said earnestly.

Seeing the boy's rustic attire, the people around him said in a mocking tone, "Don't even mention your little mountain village, Chengdu Prefecture is just a tiny speck in the geomancy of the Great Qian Dynasty."

The boy ignored the outsiders' mockery and instead blurted out, "So the world is this big? How many people must be suffering?"

......

On the ninth day of the first lunar month, the eunuchs of the Imperial Horse Administration and the Embroidered Uniform Guard set off back to the capital.

Springtime brings relief from winter's chill, making waterways smooth. With the help of wind and water, they travel swiftly, returning to the palace to report for duty halfway through February.

Eunuch Qian's memorial reached the Emperor's ears directly. Emperor Yongxi was furious and, disregarding Princess Zhaoyang's pleas for mercy, demoted Ouyang Luntai to a commoner and imprisoned him. Officials in the court urged him to be executed, saying that he was a great scourge to the country and the people. The Duke of Shuo and the Duke of Xi advised him to reconsider. Faced with the dispute in the court, Emperor Yongxi kept his case to himself.

Within the territory of the Imperial Horse Stables, all the eunuchs, including Eunuch Qian, received rewards, as did the clerk Lu.

"...You, Lu Li, a eunuch under the Imperial Horse Administration, have served diligently day and night, and have rendered meritorious service in protecting the horses. Therefore, you are hereby specially promoted to the rank of Eighth-Rank Supervisory Eunuch, and are hereby ordered to return to your post in the Palace Guard, where you will strictly oversee the guarding, cleaning, furnishing, and lighting duties..."

The eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs finished reading the imperial edict.

Lu Li naturally wouldn't let the imperial eunuch return empty-handed. After giving him enough silver, the imperial eunuch, along with the other eunuchs from the Imperial Horse Administration, congratulated Lu Li.

"Little Lu, do you still recognize us?" the imperial eunuch asked with a smile.

Lu Li then looked up at the eunuch who had delivered the imperial decree, and they smiled at each other: "So it's Little Ji Zi!"

By this time, the beggar boy had been in the palace for a full year.