From street beggar to high-ranking official

"Your Majesty, I have a letter to present. This letter must be opened by Your Majesty personally. The sealing wax is intact." Lu Li knelt down skillfully and kowtowed, holding the letter high above his head with both hands.

Eunuchs are not allowed to look directly at the concubines, and Lu Li kept his head down the whole time. Finally, he heard Consort Wu say, "Bring it here."

The letter was received by a trusted palace maid and placed on a brocade tray before being handed over to the concubine.

Lu Li waited quietly for Consort Wu to read the letter. Unlike before, this time Lu Li had actually opened and read the letter specifically for Consort Wu. He had only used a little connection to get sealing wax and an envelope from a junior eunuch in the Imperial Household Department.

Fortunately, the envelope sent to Consort Wu was not of high quality, and the shape and sealing wax pattern were easy to imitate. As for the contents of the letter, it was nothing more than a family matter concerning health, a safe delivery of the dragon prince, and a guarantee of the family's well-being.

The fact that she was carrying the emperor's child had an impact not only within the palace, but also in the court. People had already reached out to Consort Wu's family, as the imperial heir could bring prosperity to the entire clan.

As expected, Consort Wu was in a great mood after reading the letter, and even forgot about the unpleasant incident of a palace maid accidentally breaking a glass cup.

"Young eunuch, come up here and let me take a look at you," said Consort Wu.

According to the rules, a concubine of the first rank is not qualified to refer to herself as "this palace," but since Consort Wu now occupies a palace by herself, it is not inappropriate for her to call herself "this palace."

Lu Li kowtowed in response, bowed forward, and slightly raised his head, but only stared at the ground beneath his feet.

Looking directly at someone of high status is extremely disrespectful.

"She seems quite clever. Would you be willing to serve me from now on?" Consort Wu said casually.

Lu Li thought to himself, how could he have run into this trouble? He should have let Xiao Chuanzi test the waters this time. Before he could fully understand Consort Wu’s preferences, Lu Li did not want to go too deep. He originally thought that a letter from home would not annoy Consort Wu, but he did not expect such a change.

But the servant had no right to refuse. Lu Li was overjoyed, as if a silver-threaded steamed bun had been thrown at his head. He immediately knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Highness is of noble birth, and I am but a humble weed. To be able to serve Your Highness and obey your orders is worthwhile, even if I were to die right now!"

The surrounding palace maids and eunuchs all looked at Lu Li with mocking, wary, and pitiful eyes.

Some were forced into it, some wanted to climb the ladder, some were gloating, and some empathized.

Since it's a service, there's no such thing as leaving after delivering the message; after expressing loyalty, one stands in the corner ready to serve at any time.

Lu Li had served others before, but back then it was only to seek protection. Now it's different. If he really makes Consort Wu feel disgusted, let alone protection, he himself will probably suffer.

......

In the evening, Consort Wu ate her meal, which was prepared by the imperial physicians and the imperial kitchen. The meals included dishes such as crucian carp soup with cardamom, glutinous rice and donkey-hide gelatin porridge, and a pregnancy-preserving diet.

Lu Li stood guard in the corner. Consort Wu was now four months pregnant. She wasn't showing much, but she already had the emotional turmoil of a pregnant woman.

When he first arrived, he saw palace maids being punished. In the evening, he praised the food prepared by the Imperial Kitchen and also took a liking to the female physician who came with the Imperial Kitchen's food-serving eunuch.

"Your Majesty's blood and qi are concentrated during pregnancy to nourish the fetus, and the mother's body is often weak and her spirit is easily disturbed. Her daily routine must not be changed. The fetus's pulse is stable, and the prescription I have recently given has begun to take effect," the female doctor said after taking the pulse.

"Is there any other way to soothe the fetus and calm the mind?" Consort Wu grabbed the female physician's hand.

The female doctor almost trembled, but she still composed herself and said carefully, "My colleagues and I have discussed this extensively. Perhaps we can treat the acupoints, or we can have a servant in the palace who is skilled in this art treat it."

"Don't any of you female physicians know this method?" The concubine still held onto the physician's hand tightly. "You dare to even think about letting those servants touch my body?!"

"Your Majesty, please forgive me!" the female physician cried, trembling with fear. "The fetus is of utmost importance!"

"You're threatening me with my unborn child!" The concubine's eyebrows shot up, and ignoring the female physician's pleas, she uttered only one sentence:

"Drag it away!"

As usual, the eunuchs on either side held the female doctor down and began slapping her mouth. To prevent the screams from disturbing her, they directly pressed her acupoints to silence her, using their inner energy to seal her throat, so that she wouldn't make a sound.

He slapped one person repeatedly, knocking him unconscious.

The other eunuchs, including Lu Li, were all kneeling on the ground. If you were still standing, it would be obvious that you were trying to make Consort Wu dislike you, and then you would be next.

Servants were not allowed to eat before the noble ladies. Only after Consort Wu cleared away the meal could the eunuchs and palace maids have their turn. Even in Jingyang Palace, Lu Li's treatment was still different from that of others.

At 3:45 PM, Consort Wu went to bed early. Since she was pregnant, she could not wash herself as she pleased, so she could only wash up briefly and then rest early to ensure a safe pregnancy.

At this moment, Lu Li slowly walked away, and only after leaving the palace did he slowly exhale.

Although he was not ordered around, after watching for an afternoon, Lu Li also realized the danger of Jingyang Palace.

When a palace maid knocks over a glass cup and administers punishment, Lu Li thinks it's normal. But even a female doctor's words of concern can anger Consort Wu.

No wonder Consort Wu has gained the Emperor's favor and is pregnant with the Emperor's child; Jingyang Palace has never had a chief eunuch since then. No wonder all the talented ladies and concubines have moved out of Jingyang Palace.

There is a reason for all these signs.

On the road, they encountered a young eunuch on night patrol. Before Lu could even ask him a question, the three men immediately kowtowed and said, "Greetings, Eunuch Lu."

Lu Li nodded: "Who's in charge of roll call today?"

"Reporting to Eunuch Lu, it is Xiao Chuanzi."

"After you meet Xiaochuanzi, ask him to come to the duty room to find me."

After giving his instructions, Lu Li turned and left.

Last night, he personally patrolled the night to confirm the situation. After understanding the situation, Lu Li no longer had to deal with this tedious task, but instead began to cultivate the "Netherworld Inner Landscape Technique".

Lu Li had been practicing this technique for over a year and had memorized most of the words and phrases. He no longer needed to watch the technique slowly circulate; he could simply recite the mantra in his mind and sit cross-legged on the prayer mat in the duty room to circulate the energy through his body.

After cultivating to the dantian, Lu Li gained four or five more strands of true qi. As he examined himself, he felt more and more that he was approaching the threshold of the seventh rank. Perhaps there were similar chapters in the Hidden Martial Pavilion, but he would have to endure another six months before he could enter the Hidden Martial Pavilion again.

Perhaps we could ask our godfather, but everyone keeps secrets, and Lu Li is no exception. Asking our godson vaguely is the simplest way.

After another short while, Xiao Chuanzi arrived, knocked on the door to greet him, and upon entering, he bowed and knelt down from a distance of about ten feet away, sliding all the way to Lu Li's side.

"Godfather, this is today's roll call list." Xiao Chuanzi held the list above his head with both hands.

Lu Li was stunned. He had been pleasantly surprised when Xiao Chuanzi brought his head to him, and he had only felt danger when Consort Wu arbitrarily punished the servants, but now he was truly dumbfounded.

No, my godfather never taught me this!