From street beggar to high-ranking official

March 6th.

Lu Li remained standing in a corner of Jingyang Palace, coldly watching as a lowly eunuch from the Palace Guard, who was sweeping the floor, had his legs broken and was dragged out.

Even the rustling sound of sweeping could annoy Consort Wu, so the palace maids and eunuchs became even more cautious, using their inner energy to walk quietly and steadily.

Lu Li was naturally an expert in this field, and he also figured out one thing: although Consort Wu had said that she wanted him to serve her, she probably forgot about him after sleeping with her.

I'll probably only remember it after I send the letter tomorrow.

Therefore, during this period, Lu Li remained a nobody in Jingyang Palace. Consort Wu had her own personal maid, and most of her private matters were not handled by other palace maids and eunuchs, but they dared not resort to underhanded tactics.

Consort Wu's mood is unpredictable. Even if she succeeds in framing the maid, who knows whose side Consort Wu will ultimately be on?

You should know that the personal maid used this trick repeatedly and successfully, and one false accusation after another got the eunuchs kicked out of the palace.

The lighter punishments might involve a deduction of salary, while the heavier ones could result in execution.

If it weren't for Lu Li's official position, he probably wouldn't have escaped this fate either.

Jingyang Palace may seem like anyone can enter, but gaining the trust and favor of Consort Wu is extremely difficult; even Lu Li couldn't find a chance.

The empress disliked men getting close, but the presence of palace maids meant there was a possibility of them making mistakes. In Jingyang Palace, there were far more palace maids who were injured or disfigured than eunuchs.

Perhaps for this reason, the Twelve Directorates only had spies planted in their ranks, rather than the Grand Eunuch personally taking charge, and thus the position of Chief Eunuch remained vacant.

"If we can't find an opportunity, we'll just borrow the prestige of Jingyang Palace. Anyway, we have plenty of money, so we're not worried about not being able to make some." Lu Li lowered his eyes and looked at Consort Wu, who had just calmed down.

Servants are not allowed to look directly at nobles, but if they serve them for a long time, they will eventually get a glimpse of their faces. It must be said that Consort Wu is indeed naturally beautiful. Even though she can only wear loose-fitting robes and eye-catching brocades because of her pregnancy, and her hair is tied with a hairpin with a hundred sons, Consort Wu's face, which is slightly red because of her anger, still looks quite charming.

When Consort Wu touched her belly, she would always cover her hands with a brocade handkerchief, lest the gold bracelets touch her cold skin. When eating sour food, she would choose honey-soaked crabapple blossoms, served in a Longquan celadon lotus petal cup, with a hidden "many children" pattern engraved on the bottom of the cup. Every day at Shenshi (3-5 PM), she would lean against a warm couch by the window, basking in the sunlight on her lower back, saying that she was "absorbing yang to strengthen the Ren meridian," which was at the behest of the imperial physician.

Bathed in sunlight, adorned and dressed, her every gesture was natural and unadorned. Though she wore no makeup, she was still breathtakingly beautiful.

Lu Li was only seventeen years old. Although he was not interested in women, he knew that beautiful women were pleasing to the eye. He was secretly surprised that Consort Wu was favored by Emperor Yongxi, and there must be a reason for it.

He secretly speculated that it might also be related to Consort Wu's background. Many of the concubines in the palace came from prominent families. For example, Consort De came from a prominent family in Jiangnan, and Consort Xian was the eldest daughter of the Cui family before entering the palace.

Unlike most of the concubines, the Empress was different. Her surname was Murong, which was not considered a prominent family in the Great Qian Dynasty. She was the Emperor's first wife when he was still a prince, and her status was similar to that of Consort Wu.

However, the matter of the imperial son-in-law's affair has caused quite a stir. On several occasions, the servants on duty at night have seen that the lights in Qianqing Palace were not turned off at midnight, and His Majesty has not visited Jingyang Palace for many days.

In the evening, after her meal, Consort Wu read in her bedroom by the light of a whale oil candle.

The twelve whale oil candles illuminated the bedroom so brightly that one could thread a needle. Consort Wu read for a while before wearily putting the book down.

The imperial physician suggested that if the Empress did not allow the servants to touch her directly, she could read books by sages to calm her mind. Such books could also nourish the spirit and calm the mind. However, after reading for a while, Consort Wu became annoyed and had no choice but to look at the Emperor's handwriting framed on the wall of the room.

It wasn't that she couldn't bear to read it, but rather that she knew reading was almost useless.

Women entering the palace had nothing to do with reading books; it was all about appearance and competence. Even when selecting concubines, the primary considerations were whether they could abide by palace rules, whether their family background was clean and respectable, and whether they were well-educated and reasonable. These were bonuses, but not mandatory.

Did I gain Emperor Yongxi's favor because I had real talent and learning?

No, it all depends on Emperor Yongxi's preferences. For example, on the Mid-Autumn Festival that night, Consort Wu herself sat in a good position, which allowed Emperor Yongxi to enjoy the Rainbow Feather Dance while also highlighting the appearances of the other concubines.

For example, the Empress, or the Virtuous Consort.

But the Emperor's gaze eventually fell upon her, who had dressed up meticulously that night.

"Your Majesty, it's time to rest," said the personal maid as she approached.

Wu Bin nodded, took off her clothes and went to bed.

Whether a palace maid rises to prominence depends solely on whether she gains the favor of a noble person; whether a palace concubine stands out depends solely on whether she gains the emperor's favor.

Before the hour of Hai (9-11 PM), the Jingyang Palace closed its doors and turned off its lights, and all was quiet.

This time, Lu Li did not rush to leave, but continued to cultivate in the side hall.

Where you cultivate doesn't matter, right? Anyway, I'm not sleeping at night, so I can stay a little longer and check on the situation at Jingyang Palace.

Lu Li was comfortable, but the eunuchs and palace maids who stayed up all night to serve him suffered.

It was already March, but Emperor Yongxi had ordered that Consort Wu's pregnancy be ensured, so the fire in Jingyang Palace was still burning.

The heat seeped through the brick floor, and Consort Wu slept soundly, but the eunuchs and maids on duty were getting restless.

The palace rules are strict. Servants on duty for nobles are not allowed to sleep all night, and they are not even allowed to sit. Sitting and watching a noble is considered disrespectful. They have to stand all night and their bodies sway. Unless they are seventh-rank martial artists, they can only lean slightly against the wall to relieve the discomfort.

When excessive internal heat is combined with working late into the night, an imbalance of yin and yang is bound to lead to unexpected events.

A palace maid was leaning against the wall, nodding her head slightly, when suddenly she lost her balance and her head hit the wall with a soft thud.

Consort Wu, who had been sleeping peacefully, suddenly opened her eyes.

......

At the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), contrary to usual practice, Jingyang Palace lit its lamps.

The palace maid who made a mistake and made a sound knelt on the ground trembling, disturbing the noble lady's rest. Moreover, it involved the imperial heir, so it wouldn't be unreasonable to drag her away and kill her directly.

Consort Wu's maid, Qiu Rong, had a cold expression on her face. She had high hopes for the young palace maid in front of her and had even allowed her to frequently appear in front of Consort Wu. But tonight's incident had not only ruined the person she had carefully cultivated, but had also resulted in her own being scolded by the consort.

If I hadn't taken care of the Empress since she entered the palace, she probably wouldn't have had a good ending.

"Drag him away," Qiu Rong whispered.

"Sister...!" Before the little palace maid could finish her sentence, Lu Li, who had already left the side hall to return to his duty room, used his true energy to immediately step forward and grab the little palace maid by the neck.

The young palace maid was still flailing her hands, her survival instinct making her cling tightly to Lu Li's hand. However, Lu Li had already sealed her speech acupoints, and with her true energy blocking her, the young palace maid couldn't make a sound at all. Only then did several eunuchs who were often in charge of executions come forward to help with horrified expressions.

If this little palace maid were to actually shout out, not only would she be in trouble, but everyone else would suffer!

It wasn't that they didn't move, but that Lu Li was too fast. He took a few steps and was almost silent. Even Qiu Rong, who had a cold face, showed some goodwill towards Lu Li.

If he angered Consort Wu at this moment, he himself would not escape punishment.

If a servant fails in her duty and makes a mistake, the noble person will not ask for the reason or insist on fairness and justice. Such a noble person may exist, but she will never be Consort Wu!

It can be said that Lu Li's actions saved almost all the servants in Jingyang Palace.

Lu Li returned the gaze, but glanced out of the corner of his eye towards the direction of Consort Wu's bedroom.

He seemed to know how to win the Empress's favor.