From street beggar to high-ranking official

Chapter 55 One Scholar, One Warrior

Lu Li didn't need to flatter anyone; there would always be people in the palace who fawned over him. Sooner or later, this matter would reach the ears of the noble lady. Lu Li even hoped that Consort Wu would find out about this as late as possible.

However, since Consort Wu already knew, Lu Li didn't mind going along with it.

On this day, Consort Wu summoned Lu Li to her side.

"Little Lu, Jinlian said you have a knack for catching mosquitoes?" Consort Wu asked, playing with the exquisitely carved jade bracelet.

Lu Li bowed and said, "I dare not hide it from Your Majesty. When I was a child, there were too many mosquitoes at home. My elders were too tired from working in the fields, so I could only try my best to relieve their pressure by driving away the mosquitoes. I would take off all my clothes to attract the mosquitoes and fan them with a fan so that my parents could go to sleep first."

Of course, that's nonsense. Ordinary people would find mugwort and burn it before going to sleep to repel mosquitoes with the smoke. As for fanning to drive away mosquitoes, that's true.

A dark thought crossed his mind, but unexpectedly, it was the palace maid Jinlian who told the Empress about it, even though Lu Li himself had no intention of hiding it from her.

"Little Lu actually has such filial piety?" Consort Wu asked in surprise. "If he's so filial, why did he choose to enter the palace?"

Lu Li was taken aback for a moment. Hearing Consort Wu's curious tone, he couldn't figure out why she asked such a question and why she wanted to go to the palace. Who would want to go to the palace and be stabbed if they weren't starving or freezing to death?

Of course, if it were Lu Li now, and he were to return to the first month of the twenty-third year of Yongxi, he would also be willing to take that blow.

Lu Li was puzzled as to why Consort Wu would ask such a question, and Consort Wu was also puzzled as to why such a filial son would choose to cut off his own flesh to enter the palace. In Consort Wu's eyes, only disloyal and unfilial people would do such a thing.

Our bodies, hair, and skin are given to us by our parents; of the three unfilial acts, the greatest is having no offspring!

Lu Li quickly put together a statement that was similar to his own experience, but not as tragic; it was more about helplessness.

He didn't dare say that the landlords extorted money by borrowing rent, that slave traders abducted people on the way, that they fought with stray dogs for food, that they ate the dead, and that a group of dirty vagrants huddled together in a dilapidated temple to keep warm when it got cold.

With the Great Qian Dynasty flourishing day by day, where do all these tragic and hidden tragedies come from? The Empress is kind-hearted and cannot bear to hear the suffering of the poor.

"Since young Lu has such skills, let's not waste them. Can you kill the mosquitoes and flies in the courtyard every night?" Consort Wu asked, but Lu Li knew that he had no room to refuse.

Refusing might not matter in the moment, but offending the Empress will make things difficult in the future!

At the hour of You (5-7 PM), the sun sets in the west.

Lu Li wandered in the courtyard of Jingyang Palace. The Garden Department had sent over many ornamental potted plants, such as pomegranates, lilies, and daylilies, all of which symbolized many children and good fortune. The palace maids of Jingyang Palace spent a lot of time tending to the potted plants every day.

The Flower Garden is full of exotic flowers. Take the epiphyllum, for example. There is a saying that the epiphyllum blooms overnight in June. But as long as a noble person arranges to see it and wants to see it, the epiphyllum will bloom no matter what season or time you want.

It is said that when Emperor Yongxi ascended the throne, his wife, the Crown Princess, officially became the Empress. According to the rules of the Ministry of Rites, a grand ceremony was held to establish the Empress. On that day, all kinds of flowers bloomed. Not to mention the epiphyllum and plum blossoms, even the bamboo bloomed!

Lu Li's gaze swept over these valuable potted plants, and listening to the faint buzzing of mosquitoes, he quickly killed a large number of them.

It's impossible to catch them all by individual hunting alone. Even if Lu Li could wipe out the mosquitoes in an instant by waving his palm and attaching his true energy to his hand, the courtyard inside Jingyang Palace is not a small garden that is only a few feet wide.

The pavilions, terraces, rock formations, and flowing water were all present. Even though Lu Li was exceptionally talented and had reached the seventh rank, he had already exhausted most of his true energy.

Until Consort Wu stepped into the garden, there was not a single insect chirping in the surroundings.

"Little Lu is capable. From now on, you don't need to report when you come and go from Jingyang Palace." It was rare for Consort Wu to praise her servant like this. Night strolls in the garden had become a habit. After not going out for many days, she had even become quite rusty.

The Empress's words drew glances from the eunuchs and maids around her at Lu Li. Jingyang Palace was well-staffed, but there were many informants from all walks of life. For example, even Lu Li couldn't confirm which eunuch was behind that little eunuch. He could only make sure that the eunuch was from the Seal and Ribbon Bureau.

I believe that news about Lu Li will spread tomorrow.

In the evening, Consort Wu returned to her bedroom to rest. Lu Li naturally did not forget to remove mosquitoes from the palace, especially from the consort's bedroom. In the past, the consort would go to bed early, but tonight she even had time to have the palace maid Jinlian grind ink and paperweights to do a few strokes.

"Little Lu, what do you think of my technique?" Consort Wu asked for the first time.

Lu Li suppressed his excitement and took small steps forward to examine it. But how could a rough man like him utter any outstanding praise? Could he possibly praise the Empress for writing such auspicious and blessed calligraphy, wishing her many children and much happiness?

Everyone has their own expertise, and Lu Li is not an omnipotent person. He has only read most of the Four Books in a rough manner, and he is really not good at such things as pretentious culture.

On the contrary, Jinlian, who was always at his service, took the initiative to say: "Your Majesty's brushstrokes are calm and the ink is clear. You must have been referring to His Majesty's brushstrokes every day to achieve such results!"

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When Lu Li saw Jinlian approaching, he bowed and took a few steps back. He shouldn't make a fuss about things he couldn't do. He and Jinlian were now engaged in a subtle competition. Originally, Lu Li had the upper hand in the matter of killing mosquitoes, but now Jinlian had won the battle.

Especially after the last sentence was spoken, Lu Li's expression turned sour.

Jinlian usually seems low-key and inconspicuous, but today he took the initiative, and I never expected that his flattery skills would be no less than ours!

"I like what Jinlian said." Consort Wu's lips curled up slightly: "You two, one a scholar and the other a warrior, should help each other out and work hard."

""

"I will obey Your Majesty's orders. I will be loyal and dutiful and will not make any mistakes!" Lu Li replied immediately.

He vaguely sensed that the Empress's actions tonight were not entirely spontaneous, but with his own skill, he still couldn't quite fathom the deeper meaning behind them. He could only deduce that the struggle with Jinlian would likely continue for a long time to come.

Jinlian immediately echoed her sentiments. After speaking, Consort Wu was also tired, so she waved her hand to dismiss Lu Li and let Jinlian help her to bed.

The palace maids who had been waiting in the side room took turns bringing in hot water.

Lu Li bowed and took his leave. Jinlian and a group of palace maids helped Consort Wu wash and prepare herself before also taking their leave. In the quiet bedroom, only the night watch maid and the fragrance of lilies lingered in the corner.

Consort Wu closed her eyes, pondering matters, while her tired body gradually relaxed, becoming soothed, and she slowly drifted off to sleep.

"If it wasn't Xiao Luzi, and it wasn't Jinlian, then who killed Qiu Kui?"

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