From street beggar to high-ranking official

Chapter 54 Mosquito Bites

"You dare to steal so much, kid?" Lu Li wanted to snatch all the silver notes at once, but it was best to ask about the source of the money.

"Qi-in, godfather, another family found us," Xiao Shizi stammered.

"Who?"

Yanxi Palace...

"Xiao Shizi walked out of the duty room unharmed, but as soon as he stepped out, he felt a chill again. There was no one outside the door. Those young eunuchs who had caught Eunuch Lu's eye and were seen as having the opportunity to become his new godson were all still there."

If Xiao Shizi is really kicked out by Eunuch Lu, she will be so ashamed and indignant that she will commit suicide that very night.

"What are you all looking at? You're already so ambitious before we're even dead?!" Koichi mustered his courage and shouted to drive them away. Only after everyone had completely left did he realize that his legs were trembling uncontrollably.

After calming down a bit, Xiao Shizi left with lingering fear. If she hadn't been used to carrying banknotes with her, she might not have been able to get past her godfather's hurdle. In the end, half a lifetime's worth of money would have gone down the drain.

After the sounds outside the door gradually faded away, Lu Li leisurely wrote Xiao Shizi's name on the list.

Six thousand taels of silver were earned so easily.

He gradually understood what his father meant when he taught him to treat eunuchs as numbers. In order to save their lives, the eunuchs would inevitably try to buy their lives with money. Each eunuch was like a piggy bank!

The father-in-law amassed wealth, while the adopted son spent money to save his life. The father-in-law had time to cultivate himself, while the adopted son patrolled all night. As a result, the rich got richer, the poor got poorer, the strong got stronger, and the weak got weaker.

"But we can't go too far. We'll just keep Xiao Shizi affiliated to the Imperial Household Department and harvest him from time to time like leeks." Lu Li thought to himself, but even though Xiao Shizi suddenly became so useful, Lu Li had no intention of removing Xiao Shizi's name from the list.

If you want to get off this list, you'll have to spend another three thousand taels of silver.

Each word is worth a thousand pieces of gold!

"But what about Yanxi Palace..." Lu Li was troubled when he thought of this.

Jingyang Palace gained prominence because Consort Wu was pregnant with the emperor's child, but the noble ladies of Yanxi Palace were not yet extinct. He couldn't figure out whether the contact between Yanxi Palace and Xiaoshizi was actually orchestrated by Eunuch Qian.

Our family can't afford to offend the Imperial Censor.

However, Lu Li's speculation was that there was none.

If that were true, the people from Yanxi Palace would not have been in contact with Xiao Shizi, but would have actively sought out Lu Li. After all, Lu Li not only entered and exited Jingyang Palace, but also had to enter and exit other palaces every ten days, and Yanxi Palace was one of them.

"We still need to go around and ask around. The Imperial Stables has many informants and a mixed bag of people. It's too passive for us to guard Jingyang Palace alone!" Lu Li thought that he would visit the Imperial Stables again later.

It was only then that Lu Li realized his godfather's scheme: Eunuch Chen had placed him in the Palace Attendant's Office to deliver messages, taking advantage of the Palace Attendant's rule that allowed him to stay overnight in the Forbidden City, making Lu Li's delivery of messages a routine matter.

The palace guards and the various palaces in the inner palace each had twelve informants, making it much easier to make contact.

The next day.

Lu Li remained at Jingyang Palace to await further instructions.

The Imperial Household Department delivered ice tribute before dawn every day; any later, the scorching sun at dawn would be enough for Consort Wu to kill someone.

"The sun is not like it used to be this year; it's so hot in May and June," said Yinhua, a palace maid who had just finished clearing away the breakfast.

"Yes, yes, not to mention outside, things are getting lively in Jingyang Palace too. Look at Jinlian's attitude these days, tsk!" said Xuekui, a palace maid who was clearing away the food with them.

Two palace maids were whispering amongst themselves when they bumped into Lu, the official, as they walked through the corridor.

"Greetings, Eunuch Lu," the two women said in unison.

"Who are you?" Lu Li really couldn't remember the names of these palace maids. Unlike the eunuchs who used nicknames like "we" or "our family," the palace maids were given flower names after entering the palace, such as Pear Blossom or Snow Plum. In any case, they were not human.

"Eunuch Lu, we're taking away the meal now," said the palace maid Xue Kui, pointing to the food box she was carrying.

But when she felt her companion poking her from behind with her little finger, Xuekui realized she had answered incorrectly and quickly added her name.

"How was Your Highness's breakfast?" Lu Li asked. Because he was on night duty, he usually did not go to Jingyang Palace in the morning, but would go back to rest first and come back before noon.

"Her Majesty has been in a good mood lately, but she's not eating as much as usual. It's so hot that it's making people lose their appetite," Yinhua said.

Lu Li was not on duty in the Imperial Kitchen, nor was he an imperial physician, so he couldn't offer any good advice on food. After briefly understanding the situation, he dismissed the two palace maids and wondered if he should ask Imperial Physician Zhang again.

It's okay if we don't understand, as long as someone else does.

At noon, Consort Wu enjoyed water chestnut cake and a box of shortbread.

Both delicacies are beyond the reach of ordinary families. Take the water chestnut cake, for example. According to my godfather Xiao Wuzi's explanation, just making water chestnut cake requires more than ten catties of water chestnuts. Grinding, sifting, drying, and steaming are all necessary processes, and only then can a plate of it be made.

As for the box of pastries, it carries on the tradition of the past and presents it today. The pastries are small enough for a concubine to eat them all in one bite without changing her demeanor.

Thanks to the fortune teller's analysis and the effective dietary supplements recommended by Imperial Physician Zhang, Consort Wu was in excellent physical and mental condition, and rewarded all the eunuchs and maids of Jingyang Palace with a piece of pastry each.

evening.

"Her Majesty was in a good mood, but in the evening a little more troubled appeared on her face." Lu Li, who was serving her, noticed that Consort Wu was in a bad mood.

After having her fortune told, Consort Wu developed the habit of taking nighttime strolls in the garden, mainly to admire the moon. However, in the hot weather of May and June, even in the palace, there were many mosquitoes and flies.

The palace maids and eunuchs waved their fans to send a gentle breeze to Consort Wu, but it was better than nothing. When the buzzing of mosquitoes filled her ears, Consort Wu lost her desire to go out at night and returned to her room to rest early.

Snapped!

Lu Li slapped away the mosquito that was biting him. Martial artists can temper their skin, flesh and internal organs by cultivating true qi, but they still couldn't prevent mosquito bites. If he was like this, then it goes without saying that Consort Wu, a woman, was even more vulnerable.

"These mugwort herbs and sachets are no good," Lu Li muttered.

The fragrance of the sachets could calm the nerves and repel mosquitoes. The Flower Garden Department, staffed by palace maids, cultivated night-blooming jasmine and mint in the palace. The empress's bedroom also had gauze curtains to keep mosquitoes away. Every night, the palace maids and eunuchs used lamps to lure away mosquitoes and flies. It can be said that the control of mosquitoes was taken to the extreme.

But even so, it's still only a temporary solution.

No matter how meticulous you are, annoying mosquitoes will always fly out from some hidden corner and bite you.

Bites are not scary, what's scary is being possessed by a plague god. Your Majesty's health is now more precious than gold.

"Fortunately, my hearing is exceptional." Lu Li used his skill to walk through the palace, and various sounds could be heard within a dozen feet, including the buzzing of mosquitoes startled by Lu Li.

In just one night, Lu Li killed more than two hundred mosquitoes, and the news reached Consort Wu's ears the next day.