in2ebook Chapter 323 Leave Li Desheng Behind
Chapter 323 Leave Li Desheng Behind
Li Quan happily packed his things, preparing to head to Princess Jianping's residence to begin his new job. Before setting off, he made a special trip to Su Nuannuan and respectfully kowtowed to express his gratitude to her.
However, on the third day after Li Quan left, an unexpected visitor appeared at Cuiwei Palace. Li Desheng, an old man who had once served the late emperor, came to see Su Nuannuan.
"Your Majesty, Chief Steward Li requests an audience." Tingxue hurriedly entered the room and reported to Su Nuannuan.
Upon hearing that it was Li Desheng, Su Nuannuan's lips curled into a slight smile. She said softly, "Let him in."
A short while later, Li Desheng, led by Tingxue, entered the room, approached Su Nuannuan, bowed deeply, and said, "This servant greets the Noble Consort Zhuang."
Su Nuannuan sat upright on the small couch, looking at Li Desheng with a half-smile, and said slowly, "Chief Eunuch Li, what brings you here to me today? I heard you left the palace to retire?"
Li Desheng replied unhurriedly, "Your Highness, I am just a restless person. When I rest, I feel uneasy and like something is missing. Therefore, I have dared to come to Your Highness today to ask for your grace."
He seemed oblivious to Su Nuannuan's teasing words, focusing solely on expressing his purpose.
“Eunuch Li, you have served the late emperor in this palace for decades. It’s time for you to take a break,” Su Nuannuan gently advised.
Upon hearing this, Li Desheng hurriedly bowed and said in a flustered manner, "Your Highness is too kind. This servant is but a lowly person. It is only through the favor of the late Emperor and Your Highness that I have been able to live and work in this palace. Although this servant is now old and frail, I am still willing to serve Your Highness with utmost loyalty."
Su Nuannuan smiled slightly and continued, "Eunuch Li, you have worked hard for the late emperor for most of your life, and now it is time for you to enjoy your retirement. With your current status and position, you can live out your old age in peace."
Li Desheng shook his head repeatedly, and said with a bitter face, "Your Highness, I am a nobody. Although this house outside the palace is spacious, it is really boring for me to live alone here for a long time."
Seeing this, Su Nuannuan was slightly surprised and asked, "Oh? What are your plans, Eunuch Li?"
Li Desheng glanced at Su Nuannuan and said cautiously, "This servant dares to ask Your Highness for a favor, so that I may have something to do in your palace and keep myself busy."
After a moment's thought, Su Nuannuan smiled and said, "Eunuch Li, if you want to keep yourself busy, it's not difficult at all. You can go out and do business. With your years of experience and connections in the palace, you're sure to achieve something."
To everyone's surprise, upon hearing the word "business," Li Desheng was struck dumb, his face instantly turning more bitter than a bitter gourd. He hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Your Highness, please don't tease this servant. How could this servant have the ability to do business!"
Seeing his reaction, Su Nuannuan couldn't help but find it amusing, so she changed her posture and continued to ask, "If you don't want to do business, why don't you go to the Empress Dowager to ask for a favor?"
Upon seeing this, Li Desheng immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying in a trembling voice, "This servant deserves to die. I actually heard that the Imperial Concubine's Cuiwei Palace is short of a manager, so I dared to come here to beg the Imperial Concubine to have mercy and give me a chance to work in Cuiwei Palace so that I can have a livelihood."
Su Nuannuan looked at Li Desheng carefully for a while. Just when Li Desheng thought there was no hope, he heard Su Nuannuan say, "Since that's the case, you can stay here with me!"
"This servant thanks Your Highness for your grace." Li Desheng's face was full of joy, and his voice trembled with excitement. He quickly kowtowed to express his gratitude to Su Nuannuan.
Su Nuannuan smiled slightly and said softly, "Get up! From now on, you will be the steward of Cuiwei Palace, so you must do your job well." Her tone was gentle, but it carried an undeniable air of authority.
Upon hearing this, Li Desheng's smile widened even more. "This servant thanks Your Majesty for your kindness. This servant will certainly do my utmost and will never dare to slack off in the slightest!"
Su Nuannuan nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Jinse beside her and instructed, "Jinse, take Eunuch Li down to settle him in."
"Yes," Jinse replied, curtsied, and led Eunuch Li out of the palace.
As he followed Jinse, Eunuch Li greeted her, saying, "Miss Jinse, please take good care of me in the future." He then bowed respectfully.
However, Jinse stepped aside to avoid the gesture and quickly said, "Eunuch Li, you mustn't do this. We all serve Her Highness. If you do this, won't you be making this servant feel extremely embarrassed?"
Li Desheng then realized that his behavior was inappropriate, and he quickly bowed and apologized, saying, "It was my recklessness, I hope Miss Jinse will not take offense."
"Your Highness, why did you keep Eunuch Li here?" Tingxue asked with a puzzled look, seemingly very confused by Su Nuannuan's decision to keep Eunuch Li.
Su Nuannuan smiled slightly and explained softly, "Tingxue, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. If I don't keep him here now, the Emperor will definitely not let him go. After all, he knows about the absurd things between the late Emperor and Consort Qi, and failing to report what you know is a serious crime, as you should know."
She paused slightly, then continued, "The late emperor's sudden passing was partly due to my own schemes, but we also owe a great deal to him. If it weren't for him, how would Her Majesty the Empress Dowager have known that this was all a scheme set up by the late emperor? There are certainly flaws in Consort Qi's actions, but if Eunuch Li had been so vigilant, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager probably wouldn't have discovered the problem so easily."
After hearing this, Tingxue suddenly realized as if struck by lightning: "So that's how it is. That's why Eunuch Li rushed here to ask Your Majesty to take him in because he was afraid of being implicated after hearing that the Emperor had dealt with Consort Qi and her family."
Su Nuannuan nodded slightly in agreement: "That's right. Moreover, the Emperor didn't just punish Consort Qi; even the head of the Imperial Medical Academy couldn't escape the Emperor's punishment."
Her voice lowered slightly as she continued, "After all, the Emperor is the late Emperor's son, so it is only right that he avenges the late Emperor."
After listening, Tingxue nodded slightly, indicating her agreement with Su Nuannuan's point of view.
Su Nuannuan had always had an idea in her heart, which was to have Li Desheng serve as the steward eunuch in Cuiwei Palace.
However, she didn't want to appear too eager or proactive, lest he think she couldn't live without him. Therefore, she chose to wait patiently to see if a suitable opportunity would arise.
However, to her surprise, the Emperor's decisive action actually did her a great favor. Li Desheng actually took the initiative to come to her, which was undoubtedly a pleasant surprise and made Su Nuannuan very happy.
After all, this was entirely Li Desheng's own will, not something she actively sought out. This way, she wouldn't appear too eager, and she could still achieve her goal smoothly—a win-win situation.