From street beggar to high-ranking official

The first thing Lu Li received was an official robe, which was different from his own gray robe.

He was dressed in a blue robe, the dark patterns on the collar and sleeves gleaming in the light, and the fabric felt smooth and comfortable to the touch.

He buried his face in his official robe and took a deep breath.

"Ah~!"

The official and power-related aura emanating from their robes was surprisingly captivating.

Forget about silver coins and banknotes; in Lu Li's eyes at this moment, this outfit was the real priceless treasure!

Apart from veteran eunuchs, most of the etiquette and rules in the palace were taught by Eunuch Chen. Therefore, there was a saying that "respect the robe first, then respect the person." Just by looking at their clothes, one could determine what rank a eunuch was or which noble person he was.

Now that he had put on the clothes, Lu Li realized that what he had said was true.

Wearing these clothes, everyone in our family has grown taller and stronger!

Lu Li attributed his physical growth to his official robes rather than his daily food, and kept looking down at himself, almost bursting out laughing.

On his way back to the Imperial Palace, a passing eunuch saw him and immediately kowtowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Excellency!"

The sound was loud and clear, like firecrackers welcoming Lu Li back to the palace.

"Next year, we don't need firecrackers for the Spring Festival. We just want all our godsons to kowtow to us!" Lu Li thought to himself happily as he strode back to his room to collect his necessities.

Once they obtained an official position, they no longer needed to sleep with the other eunuchs who had no rank or status. Instead, they would be arranged to live in a new room by themselves, and even their bedding would be replaced with new ones.

It's not the old linen and cotton quilt, but a bigger, newer, better, and warmer cotton quilt.

Even the waist tag has been replaced. Originally, it was an embedded wooden tag, but now it is made entirely of bronze. The lettering is the same as before, except that two more characters have been added to the back: Eighth Rank.

Hanging at the waist along with glass ornaments, it is as pleasing as the tinkling of jade pendants.

As is customary, eunuchs who return to the palace after official business can rest on the same day and do not need to take attendance. However, Lu Li could not wait even a day, and regardless of the fatigue of the journey, he went to the duty room of the palace supervisor at Shenshi (3-5 PM).

"Greetings, Eunuch Lu!"

The eunuchs in the Palace Attendant, whether they knew each other or not, kowtowed. News of their colleagues' promotions would spread within a day. To know about promotions, the order was first issued by the Directorate of Ceremonial, then transferred to various other departments before the individual was notified.

As long as you maintain a good relationship with the gatekeeper, you won't be behind on most information.

At this moment, Lu Li was extremely pleased with himself. Not only the other eunuchs, but even Zhao Gonggong's adopted son had to kowtow and pay his respects properly.

If it were any other eunuch, kowtowing and paying respects would be enough, but Eunuch Lu was different; he was an official standing above him.

Of the several adopted sons, Xiao Luo was the most terrified.

I had heard that Lu Zi had been sent to the Imperial Horse Administration to investigate tea taxes outside the palace. But since it involved the prince consort, it was not going to be easy. Everyone thought he was going to get into trouble. But Lu Zi returned to the palace safely and became a eunuch.

Lu Li's ashen eyes stared at the rows of upturned buttocks in front of him, wondering whether he should just slap Xiao Luozi to death on the spot.

Once the thought popped into his head, he couldn't stop it. The murderous intent in his heart gradually rose, and even Lu Li's hands were itching. He hadn't killed anyone for several months, and it was time to "bless" his hands with blood.

The kneeling eunuchs in front of him were somewhat uneasy. Lu Li silently recited the "Neijing Jue" mental technique in his mind, which gradually calmed his murderous intent.

"Get up, all of you," Lu Li said calmly.

The eunuchs breathed a sigh of relief and stood up one after another, staring at Lu Li's official robe as if it were a rare item, not knowing whether they were bowing to the robe or to Eunuch Lu himself.

Lu Li glanced at Xiao Luozi. He could kill this guy at any time, but not now.

Just like Xiao Fuzi back then, it doesn't matter if a person dies, but it does matter where they die. Killing someone on the spot would be unseemly. Our family are officials, not just country bumpkins who only talk about morality and not rules.

But... a show of force is still coming.

"After I go to the Imperial Horse Administration, will Xiao Luozi temporarily take over my original position?" Lu Li asked.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Luozi trembled, his heart filled with bitterness. He thought to himself, "As expected, it has come." He dared not delay and bowed, saying, "Yes, I am temporarily taking over the position of Eunuch Lu."

Lu Li inwardly lamented that Eunuch Chen hadn't sent any more people into the Palace Guard, otherwise he could have directly confronted him: "When I was on duty, wasn't it Xiao Yu Zi, who was under Xiao Luo Zi's command? I heard she received a beating from the Directorate of Ceremonial for poor performance and was temporarily filling in for me. I wonder if she's picked up that bad habit too?"

If the last syllable of a word is drawn out, and Xiao Luozi says a few wrong things, he'll get beaten up!

"I wouldn't dare." Little Luo was so frightened that he knelt down on the ground, his head hitting the blue bricks and drawing blood. His body was trembling like a leaf.

In the palace, every eunuch was adept at fawning and begging for favors.

Thanks to Eunuch Chen!

"Hmph~" Lu Li snorted, "This is not something that Xiao Luo can brush off with a few words. We need to see the attendance records."

Xiao Luo felt bitter. As long as he wanted to target someone, Eunuch Lu would always find a reason sooner or later. Now he could only hope that his godfather could say a few good words for him. He would give him whatever silver those words were worth, as it was better than losing his life.

He dared not give it directly to Lu Li, for fear of being caught and accused of bribing his superiors, and being beaten to death on the spot.

After showing off his power to Xiao Luozi, Lu Li went into the duty room. This time it was different from before. When officials of the same rank saw Eunuch Zhao, they did not need to kneel and bow. They could just greet each other. It wasn't until after roll call and all the eunuchs had left that Eunuch Zhao looked at Lu Li sitting next to him.

"I never imagined that Eunuch Lu would do such a great deed after leaving the palace. There are very few officials in the Inner Palace like Eunuch Lu who have become officials at such a young age." After saying that, he personally poured a cup of tea: "This is Eunuch Lu's celebratory tea."

Lu Li accepted the tea without hesitation, gulping it down despite its scalding heat: "Eunuch Zhao, how should we deal with our colleagues from now on?"

Being an official is not the same as being a godchild. Godchildren compete for favor and benefits, but being an official means getting things done.

"Specific matters are generally handled by Eunuch Xie. Of course, as the Director of the Palace Guard, Eunuch Xie is usually busy with official duties and only comes to report for duty about once every three days. Normally, it's fine, but he must be present every three days. In addition... before officially taking office, he still needs to pass the civil and military examinations, which takes about a day if things go smoothly. And Eunuch Xie will only be back to report for duty the day after tomorrow, so you can relax for another day tomorrow, Eunuch Lu."

After giving a brief suggestion, Lu Li did not stay long. He and Eunuch Zhao were not particularly close, and could only be considered acquaintances.

The next day at 3:45 AM, even though Lu Li had not paid his respects to the palace for a long time, he still waited in front of Eunuch Chen's door at the usual time.

He did not become complacent just because Eunuch Chen was of lower rank than him. The more Lu Li learned about Eunuch Chen, the more surprised he became by the depth of Eunuch Chen's background. At the same time, Lu Li was also puzzled as to why people as unfathomable as Eunuch Chen and Eunuch Ji would choose to stay at the Martial Arts Academy as a ninth-rank eunuch.

Zhou Tianqi of Chengdu Prefecture either didn't know the situation or was unwilling to talk about it, but as long as he was willing to spend money, there must be an old eunuch in the palace who was willing to speak.

At Chenshi (7-9 AM), Eunuch Chen looked at Xiao Luzi, who was guarding the courtyard, with surprise. Seeing that Xiao Luzi was still kowtowing and paying his respects properly, he said, "Xiao Luzi, you are very good."

"It's all thanks to my godfather's excellent guidance," Lu Li said enthusiastically. "Without my godfather's support, where would we be today?"

"Even without my help, you, Lu Zi, were born to be a eunuch," Eunuch Chen said, waving his hand. "There are many ruthless eunuchs in the palace, and countless others who know how to kowtow. But even on the second day of becoming an official, they are still willing to kowtow to lower-ranking eunuchs to pay their respects. Lu Zi, even without my help, you would have made it sooner or later."

"This is also a good skill taught by my godfather." Lu Li stepped forward and gently supported Eunuch Chen. Even though Eunuch Chen had not yet grown white hair and was very healthy, Eunuch Chen still accepted this filial piety very readily.

The godfather and godson exchanged a smile, and a strange, croaking laugh echoed from the courtyard, startling away a flock of swifts and sparrows.