Red Mansion and Crimson Pearl

Chapter 111 How to offend the whole harem with one sentence

"His name is Lu Changqing. Your Majesty calls him Little Luzi. He became famous because of that battle, and now all the palace maids and eunuchs call him Eunuch Changqing."

Aunt Meng held Lu Changqing tightly and refused to let go, causing Lu Changqing's face to turn red. He looked at Daiyu pitifully.

Daiyu laughed and invited Aunt Meng to sit with her, then asked someone to bring a stool for Lu Changqing.

Lu Changqing waved his hands desperately and said goodbye hurriedly: "Grandpa Tao has something else for me to do! I have to leave quickly!"

Seeing that he was so afraid of Aunt Meng, Daiyu had no choice but to signal Qingwen.

Qingwen hurriedly chased him out to see him off, stuffed two purses into his pocket and invited him to have tea: "If you don't take them, we will feel bad."

Lu Changqing was in a dilemma, so he had to accept it with a bitter face and leave.

When Qingwen came back, she asked Aunt Meng curiously, "I've heard that eunuchs in the palace are greedy for money. How come this young eunuch Lu is so honest? Is it so difficult to give him two purses?"

Aunt Meng laughed and told everyone:

"This little fellow was originally a criminal slave. There is an unwritten rule in the inner court that criminal slaves are not allowed to leave the palace and can only stay there to do menial work.

"Who knew that he had such good handwriting that the Yiting Bureau promoted him to be a copyist of books.

"In the palace, as you know, the big fish eat the small fish, and the small fish eat the shrimp. The credit belongs to others, but the tasks are distributed layer by layer, and they are all in the hands of these people.

"He was clever and quick, and he was assigned more and more tasks. Later, the Empress found out and sent him to Kunning Palace. He was favored by others, and gradually he took advantage of the power of others and offended many people.

"It was during that trip that he was sent by the Queen to go to the Jia family with Baoqin from Fengzao Palace to deliver the Ruyi and the token to you. When he was returning, someone was jealous and secretly reported him. It was originally just a matter of a few beatings and sending him back to the palace, but who knew that the Emperor would hear about it.

"The Emperor called the Emperor and Empress to reprimand them, saying that they did not follow the rules of their ancestors. The Empress was so frightened that she could only tremble. The Emperor defended them with a few words and presented the Emperor with the booklet that Xiao Luzi had copied in his early years.

“The Supreme Being thought the calligraphy was good, but he also felt that the child was frivolous and was a little undecided.

"You know something about His Majesty's temper. He is very mischievous. He called Xiao Luzi over and asked him how he would deal with him if he were the Queen.

"Who would have thought that little Luzi would say: The court has its own rules, he is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and has nothing to do with the Empress!"

Daiyu was stunned.

How could the eunuch in the inner court have nothing to do with the Empress?

But what Xiao Luzi said makes sense.

The Minister of the Imperial Household Department was a second-rank official of the imperial court, a close relative and important minister. All the internal and external affairs of the emperor's family were under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Department. The affairs of the harem were just one of the responsibilities of the Imperial Household Department's several branches.

Of course, there is also a management agency for all the eunuchs and maids in the palace, which is the Jingshifang. The chief eunuch here is often appointed by the empress or concubines whom the emperor values, with a blind eye.

But if you really want to be picky, the Jingshifang's immediate superior is the Imperial Household Department, and none of the women in the harem are qualified to interfere in its affairs!

At that moment, everyone in the room looked at each other.

This kid really offended the entire harem!

Only Xueyan frowned and asked, "So, this young eunuch Lu actually knows everything about the court system? If he takes advantage of a loophole, who can stop him?"

Aunt Meng was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "That's right! The emperor said so too! He was almost beaten to death on the spot! But your majesty felt sorry for his kung fu and saved him. He was beaten with forty boards and sent to the chief of the Tao family for treatment.

"How could Supervisor Tao have the time to take care of him? He just let his eldest disciple take care of him. As a result, he would say every day outside that he was Supervisor Tao's first disciple, and wherever he went, he would say 'our Grandpa Tao'."

Daiyu shook her head and laughed, "It's still a legend. But why is he so afraid of aunt?"

"The people in this palace are also divided into several factions. Obviously, there are three factions now." Aunt Meng held up three fingers. "The first is the head of the palace of Daming Palace, named Dai Quan. He was the eunuch who served as the chief eunuch of the emperor. He is equivalent to the current Tao Jian.

"He followed the Emperor through thick and thin, and was highly valued by him. He was also familiar with the dignitaries outside. Because he was only about fifty years old, the Emperor also asked the Emperor to treat him well, so until now, the position of the Dragon Guard, the inner court guard, is still in his hands.

"The second is our Tao Jian. He is your Majesty's confidant. But your Majesty doesn't care about anything else, and only lets Tao Jian keep the Palace Department firmly in his hands. The Qianqing Palace, Sizheng Hall, and Imperial Study, where your Majesty handles state affairs, are now impenetrable.

"The third one is Xia Shouzhong, who was promoted by the Empress. He is the chief eunuch of the Jingshifang. The affairs of the harem are actually in his hands now. He is a money-grubber. He disliked me because I didn't have money to give him.

"When Xiao Luzi followed the Empress, he was too wild. Xia Shouzhong asked him for filial piety, but he refused to give it to her and complained to the Empress. The Empress was using him, so she naturally reprimanded Xia Shouzhong.

"How could that Xia guy be so easy to deal with? I turned around and got him some croton seeds. That kid almost lost his life at night.

"I happened to be on duty in the prison, and I watched him soil the two pairs of pants he brought with him—"

Everyone subconsciously covered their faces.

Eeeeee

Disgusting!

But Aunt Meng was a doctor, so she didn't care at all. She laughed and said, "It was because I stopped his diarrhea with a needle and borrowed pants for him that he was able to save his life and face.

"So from then on, he was both afraid of me and respected me, and we had a very good relationship. Eunuch Tao and Eunuch Xia were the least compatible, so Eunuch Xia was obsessed with money, so Eunuch Tao did not allow his followers to accept gifts from outside, and anyone who violated the rules would be beaten to death!"

Daiyu smiled, clasped her hands together, and chanted a Buddhist chant. She also praised Aunt Meng: "She is worthy of being a medical expert. Saving lives is her first priority."

"It's just a good relationship." Aunt Meng finished the story, but she was still not satisfied. She took a sip of tea, turned around and asked Xiaohong energetically: "What do you think of that incident?"

Daiyu raised her eyebrows: "What else?"

The room fell silent instantly.

Xiao Hong took a half step forward and whispered, "The snow outside the city has just melted, and the road is very difficult to travel. Last night, Mr. Lian and his companions missed their place to stay, and after a few steps on the night road, the car overturned.

"The second wife broke her ribs. She rushed to town early in the morning to see a doctor, but she was seriously injured and could not be saved..."

Daiyu was stunned: "What did you say? The second wife is gone?"

"Yes."

Daiyu fell silent.

Seeing this, everyone looked at each other and quietly retreated.

Xiaohong didn't leave.

Daiyu looked up at her.

Xiaohong took another half step forward and whispered, "It was indeed an accident. The copper incense burner that the Second Madam insisted on bringing with her, with incense ash still burning inside, hit her chest.

“It happened that only one rib was broken, but it pierced the heart.

"Ni Er and his men arrived in the early morning, and by then the Second Madam had already been covered with a white cloth.

"But the Wang family seemed to not believe the news. They got the news at 7:00 pm, and then they rode out on horseback to deliver the message to Wang Ziteng at 9:00 pm.

"It has only been a while since the news was delivered to the palace. I am sure Concubine Jia has just learned about it."

Daiyu was stunned for a long time, and finally nodded slowly, holding the table, and slowly stood up: "Help me go to Miaoyu."