From street beggar to high-ranking official

Chapter 52 Accepted Employment

"Your Majesty's health is of utmost importance," Lu Li comforted her.

Consort Wu was pregnant, and the grief of mother and child was unbearable. Even so, Consort Wu was still half-crying and half-weeping, wiping away every tear with a handkerchief to maintain her dignity.

After Qiu Rong died, she was taken to the palace maids' cemetery, which was located about twenty miles west of the palace. Consort Wu, remembering her past hardships, specially ordered that she be buried in a fragrant coffin.

Consort Wu was crying when she suddenly reached out and grabbed Lu Li's wrist. Her hand was fair and soft, but Lu Li was startled and hurriedly took a few steps back and began to kowtow.

"Little Lu, come forward!"

"This humble servant is but a lowly weed, and I fear I may disgrace Your Majesty's glory." Lu Li kowtowed again.

"I'm in charge here in Jingyang Palace, who dares to interfere?!"

Consort Wu raised her voice by three degrees, which startled Lu Li, who hurriedly stepped forward: "Your Majesty, please calm down. It's the height of summer, and excessive heat can easily cause an imbalance of yin and yang!"

The incident with the female doctor made Lu Li realize that he should not speak directly about the fetus in front of Consort Wu.

Seeing that Lu Li was obedient and sensible, Wu Pin finally calmed down from her crying. Lu Li listened to the baby's heartbeat and felt that the pulse was gradually stabilizing before he calmed down.

If the Empress's health is harmed because of a dead palace maid, Lu Li will leave the palace that very day to dig up Qiu Rong's grave!

They caused us trouble while they were alive, and now they can't even rest in peace after death. They really deserve to die!

"Little Lu, tell me, how exactly did Qiu Rong die?" Consort Wu asked.

"This servant truly does not know. I rarely had contact with Miss Qiu Rong. Most of the time, I was just waiting in the side room," Lu Li said truthfully. When Qiu Rong died, Lu Li was still practicing his martial arts in the side room.

"Little Lu is quite clever, spending all his time in the side room listening to orders?" Consort Wu glanced at him in surprise, and couldn't help but sigh that the training and development of female officials was indeed neglected, no wonder the highest rank they could achieve was only the fifth grade.

A servant who has achieved such success would probably have seized those opportunities to vie for favor long ago. Wasn't that how Qiu Rong rose to power? Women understand women best!

Consort Wu thought this way, completely forgetting that she herself was just like that, and being arrogant because of favor was no more dignified than a servant vying for favor.

"I don't have any useful people around me..." Consort Wu's mind gradually became active. No wonder several of her sisters in the palace not only had maids but also eunuchs serving them at all times. The ladies of the house, who came from families with a tradition of poetry and books, naturally remembered the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues. Their bodies and hair were given to them by their parents, and of the three unfilial acts, the greatest was having no descendants. Originally, Consort Wu looked down on these eunuchs who had lost their lineage, but now she found Xiao Luzi more and more pleasing to the eye.

Capable but not vying for favor, useful but low-key.

"Raise your head and let me see you," Consort Wu said calmly.

Lu Li's heart skipped a beat, but he still slowly straightened up and raised his head slightly. Even so, his gaze remained lowered, and he could only see the hem of Consort Wu's skirt and embroidered shoes.

"You're fairly good-looking, Little Lu. I have a task for you."

“Your Majesty, please speak!” Lu Li kowtowed again.

Consort Wu, who originally didn't care about the little eunuch, felt a slight tremor in her heart after seeing Lu Li kowtow. Qiu Rong rarely kowtowed like this when she was alive; at most, she would just bow.

"I demand that you find out who killed Qiu Rong!" Consort Wu said through gritted teeth.

"Was Miss Qiu Rong really murdered?!" Lu Li looked up in surprise, but then asked in confusion, "Your Majesty, may I ask if I may speak?"

""

"Speak." Consort Wu had already returned to her previous state, as if Jingyang Palace was still firmly in her grasp.

"Your Highness is favored and loved by His Majesty, why not let His Majesty investigate thoroughly?" Jingyang Palace has enough manpower, but compared with the Inner Palace Attendants Bureau, the Female Officials Bureau is still not enough.

Consort Wu looked at Lu Li, and the lingering doubt in her heart finally dissipated. A servant as sincere and honest as Lu Li would not have any ulterior motives.

Seeing that Lu Li was puzzled, Consort Wu did not say much, but simply said, "Just do it."

,

"This servant will obey Your Majesty's orders!" Lu Li kowtowed again, which greatly pleased Consort Wu.

"Alright, I need to rest now." Consort Wu looked tired. When Lu Li bowed and took his leave, she burst into tears again, until a palace maid named Jinlian came in.

As soon as the palace maid Jinlian entered the room, she saw the Empress weeping and hurriedly stepped forward, saying, "Your Majesty, your health is of utmost importance!"

After leaving Consort Wu's bedroom, Lu Li used his Listening to the Waves technique to keep his steps steady and even until he returned to his side room, at which point he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Godfather, have some tea." Little Steps had been waiting there for a while, bowing as he offered a cup of refreshing sweet tea.

Lu Li rubbed his face, and his once fairly decent face gradually returned to its original fierce appearance. The face-changing technique in "Five Senses and Five Methods" was still at the first level, but Lu Li felt that it was enough for now. Cultivating to the second level would not be very useful for growing scars and sores, and having a few more moles on the face might annoy the noble people.

He drank the sweet tea, and after a long while, he slowly said, "Your Majesty is truly... capricious."

Lu Li didn't dare say that the Empress's mood was becoming increasingly erratic; first she was crying over Qiu Rong's passing, and then she was able to calmly assign Lu Li tasks.

"Is it rare for Godfather to be so highly regarded by the Empress?" Xiao Buzi asked tentatively.

"I wouldn't call it 'highly valued'," Lu Li waved his hand. "The Empress always needs someone to take care of her, and besides me, there will be others."

""

Lu Li believed that Qiu Rong was not the end, and that Consort Wu might have another maidservant by her side, perhaps named Chun Rong or Xia Rong, but Lu Li didn't care what she was called.

As long as you are free from official duties, the scales of victory will only gradually tip in our favor.

Seeing her godfather's calm and composed expression, Xiaobuzi gritted her teeth and resolutely presented an account book with both hands: "Godfather, this is evidence of Xiaoshizi's embezzlement at the Imperial Household Department!"

Lu glanced at it casually and saw that it listed all sorts of delicacies and utensils, including sachets, brocades, and flowers, totaling five thousand taels of silver, almost equal to all of Lu's personal wealth.

"That's certainly a bit too greedy." Lu Li clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Is Xiao Buzi going to abandon his brothers and turn against each other?"

Xiao Buzi immediately kowtowed, his head hitting the ground and drawing blood: "Qian'er really can't stand Xiao Shizi's insatiable greed!"

""

Perhaps it was because he didn't share the profits with himself, or perhaps it was because he didn't fulfill his filial duty to Lu Li, but no matter how Lu Li asked, Xiao Bu would always have a good reason.

"Indeed, we've been a bit too greedy. We only have Xiao Shizi oversee the Imperial Household Department; we don't have the power to send him to work there," Lu Li said casually.

He didn't spell it out, but judging from Xiaobu's intelligence, he could probably figure out the hint.

Xiao Buzi immediately straightened up, and he suddenly understood what Yu's father was implying.

Yes, I only know that Xiao Shizi is making money in the Imperial Workshop, but where does the money come from?

Even if one is on duty at the Imperial Household Department, it's not the same as being an official, and the amount of silver one can embezzle would never be as much as that of a small-time official.

Xiao Buzi could only think of this much, but Lu Li thought much further ahead. He remembered that a while ago, a young eunuch from the Imperial Household Department had come to him and said that he would like to visit the Imperial Household Department when he had time.

Lu Li was busy working day and night and naturally didn't have much free time, so he sent Xiao Shizi to investigate. However, Xiao Shizi didn't send any news for a long time, which was unusual.

"Little Shizi is trying to climb the ranks," Lu Li said calmly.

Xiao Buzi was sweating profusely, thinking that another new name was about to be added to his godfather's register.

"Alright, we need to practice our skills. Xiaobuzi, go out first." Lu Li didn't care about his godson's reaction. He would deal with Xiaoshizi's matter later. He had other important things to do now.

After dismissing Qian'er until he was alone in the side room, Lu Li slowly spoke: "Palace maid Jinlian—"

"Your Majesty is not as shallow as she seems on the surface."