Liu Tián Qǔ explained how she walked home after visiting Little Dumpling to see a gaunt, skinny, sickly-looking young boy lurking outside the front gate of her residence. She told them of how she tricked him into her residence to find out why he was loitering around her residence. She explained how the young boy requested to meet with Commander Jiang. She then told them of the very emotional meeting between the Commander and the boy.
The Grand Prince, Wang Fèn Yǒng and Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā listened very attentively. It was Wang Fèn Yǒng who asked, "What is the young boy's name?"
"Wēi Wò Yàn" Liu Tián Qǔ answered.
Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā had just taken a sip of tea when Wēi Wò Yàn's name dropped into the room like an exploding bomb. The teacup in Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā started shaking. Very gently, Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā lowed the rattling teacup to the table and sat it down on the table. Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā then hid her trembling hands in her lap under the table. Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā eyes snapped up to Liu Tián Qǔ and locked on Liu Tián Qǔ.
Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā lips started trembling. She was clearly trying to ask Liu Tián Qǔ something, but her lips couldn't seem to form words. It was the Grand Prince who seemed to know what his wife wanted to ask. The Grand Prince, who sat beside his wife, reached over under the table and took one of his wife's hands in his and held it. Looking over to Liu Tián Qǔ, he asked in a very emotion-filled voice. "Wēi Wò Yàn father Wēi Yǒng Měng is he alive?"
'What is this with this reaction? Don't tell me I jumped out of the pot and into the fire? What is going on here? Maybe I should have just talked to Wang Fèn Yǒng alone! Did I just make everything worse?' Liu Tián Qǔ was inwardly sweating bullets.
Outwardly she calmly said, "Yes, he is alive, but barely. According to Wēi Wò Yàn, he was hit by a poison arrow by the Chen Family Death Warriors. They seemed to have had a very rough time of it hiding in the mountains to escape the Chen Death Warriors. They searched far and high for doctors who could cure Wēi Yǒng Měng, but none of the doctors they hired seemed to know what Wēi Yǒng Měng was poisoned with." As Liu Tián Qǔ explained this, Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā eyes turned red, and tears began leaking from her eyes.
'Wait a minute! This is not the reaction of enemies! Are the Wangs friends with Wēi Yǒng Měng?! If so, then things are not as bad as I thought. Please be friends, not enemies! If they're friends, then I can use them as shields, and everything will be so much simpler!'
Very quickly, praying hard that they were not enemies, Liu Tián Qǔ began to tell them of the Mythical Beast Medicinal Pill she sent to Wēi Yǒng Měng. She also informed them that she sent Hòu Dao because she had yet to find a house doctor.
"A Mythical Beast Medicinal Pill?" Wang Fèn Yǒng gave her a sharp look. "Where did you get a Mythical Beast Medicinal Pill?"
"I won it in a bet," Liu Tián Qǔ lied.
"Then he should be fine." Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā exclaimed through her tears. She held her right hand over her pounding heart while the Grand Prince held her left hand. "The Mythical Beast Medicinal Pill should work." Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā said in excitement and relief before suddenly asking, "His mother, Lady Lin! Is she alive as well?"
"No, Elder Chen's Death Warrior's killed her according to what Wēi Wò Yàn told me," Liu Tián Qǔ said watching Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā shoulders slump.
"However, Wēi Wò Yàn told me that Jūn Zhōng Xīn and Měng Tiān Cái is alive," quickly informed Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā.
"What!" Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā exclaimed as she involuntarily exploded from her seat in excitement. "Zhōng Xīn and Tiān Cái are alive? Are you sure?" Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā could help but to question Liu Tián Qǔ again.
"Yes, I sent Commander Jiang to retrieve them. They should be on the way back as soon as Hòu Dao stabilize Wēi Yǒng Měng. They heard about the memorial that Elder Wang will be holding for the four martial families. They want to attend."
"Jiang, Jūn, Wēi, and Měng. They managed to survive! All four survived! Thank God they manage to survive. This is good. This is very good." Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā stood there, laughing and crying at the same time.
Liu Tián Qǔ inwardly let out a deep sigh of relief. Liu Tián Qǔ began to inwardly say prayers of thanks to all her ancestors, her predecessors' ancestor, and all the deities she previously prayed to.
Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā paused a moment, looking at Liu Tián Qǔ, Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā asked, "Who else? Who else has survived?"
Liu Tián Qǔ met Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā gaze and gently shook her head. Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā stared at Liu Tián Qǔ in shock before she plopped down into her seat. The Grand Prince, who was discreetly wiping tears from his eyes froze.
The Grand Prince looked up at Liu Tián Qǔ and said in a dark, grim voice, "We helped more than three hundred children of the four families escape. Only four have returned?"
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Both Liu Tián Qǔ and Wang Fèn Yǒng stared at the Grand Prince in shock. As if he could read her mind Wang Fèn Yǒng asked, "What do you mean you helped them to escape?"
The Grand Prince looked at Wang Fèn Yǒng and said, "Your mother, the Emperor, and I never believed the four martial families were guilty. Unfortunately, no matter how we tried to advocate their innocence. Once Imperial Father died, no one would listen to us. Your mother and the Emperor are deep thinkers. They immediately knew that something was wrong. However, we couldn't find any evidence to prove their innocence," the Grand Prince said with such sadness.
"All the evidence pointed towards their guilt. We were grieving deeply at the time. However, we didn't want to punish innocent people out of anger. Most of all, we didn't want to allow the real criminals to escape. Still, no matter what we said, no one would listen. The Emperor and I were finally able to convince Imperial Grandfather and the Dowager Queen, who was the Queen, during that time. We finally convinced them to let the youths and children of the Four Martial Families off," the Grand Prince began to explain.
"However, the Officials and Nobles didn't want to. So the Emperor, your mother, and I secretly held a meeting with the elders of the Four Martial Families. We agreed to help them get the youths and children out. The four families send out their best and brightest in the hopes that they can escape. It was unspoken knowledge that they would be hunted down. We knew that, however, we refused to sit back and do nothing. For a nobleman to take revenge, ten years is not too long. For eight long years, the Emperor kept searching and finally. Finally, we were able to catch the real killers of my Imperial Father and prove the innocence of the Four Martial Families," the Grand Prince said.
"Why did Elder Chen plot against them from the beginning?" Liu Tián Qǔ asked her curiosity was triggered.
"We were able to discover through interrogation that when Elder Chen tried to annihilate the Hàn Family, the Four Martial Families intervened." Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā answered.
"So then Elder Chen turned his sights on the Four Martial Families. He worked very hard to annihilate the four families. I am so glad he wasn't successful. After moving the Four Martial Families out of the way, he then turned around and almost annihilated the Hàn family anyway. Very few escaped. They all went into hiding to avoid being wiped out." Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā said in a grim voice.
"I don't understand. Why didn't anyone stop him?" Liu Tián Qǔ asked.
"First of all, when two families open feud against each other. By law, they are allowed to resolve their own differences and settle their grudges. The Chen and Hàn families cried feud against each other. So the law was prohibited from stepping in. The Four Martial Families got involved because I believe someone in one of the families was married to someone in the Hàn family. Elder Chen plotted against the Four Martial Families by framing them for causing a rebellion. Unfortunately, Imperial father in law died in the uprising." Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā said in a bitter, angry voice.
Liu Tián Qǔ, who was of the 21st Century, did not know about the Feud Laws of the Tolling Lands. Neither did her predecessor who grew up in confinement.
"He framed it on the Four Martial Families. Only now we were able to find evidence against him. So how were we supposed to stop him? Elder Chen was a devious, sneaky, vile sorry excuse of a human being." Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā cursed Elder Chen.
"He was skilled in riding the boundaries of the laws. When he broke the laws, he made sure no evidence against him could ever be found. He was very good at setting other people up to take the fall and killing with a borrowed knife. Although he was always suspected of things, no evidence could ever be found." Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā Informed Liu Tián Qǔ in a very bitter voice.
"I see," Liu Tián Qu nodded her understanding.
Liu Tián Qu though of one of her original reason for coming over and said, "I'm still looking for a house Doctor. I haven't found one yet. Is there someone you can recommend to help me look after Wēi Yǒng Měng until I can find one?"
"We have three house Doctors. We will send one over with you." Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā said.
"Thank you, Your Highness. As soon as I find a good Doctor, I will send your house Doctor back. Liu Tián Qu said. She felt very grateful towards the Wang Family. Liu Tián Qu also felt very relieved to know that the Emperor and Wang Family had such a good relationship with the returning four martial families. That put all her worry, fears, and unease to rest.
Liu Tián Qu Looked at the Lord, Lady, and Heir of Wang Royal Manor and asked, "I hope you don't consider me too rude or outrageous for overstepping my boundaries in asking this question. However, I am still going to ask anyway. Does the Emperor have any plans or intentions of restoring the lands of the Four Martial Families to them?" Liu Tián Qu asked.
The Grand Prince's face turned cold, and a neutral, expressionless look appeared on Lady's face. With sharp piercing eyes, the Grand Prince said in a cold voice, "You have overstepped your boundaries, Young Master Liu. Why do you ask?"
Liu Tián Qu met the Grand Prince's gaze. Liu Tián Qǔ allowed her true, sincere feelings to show. She showed the worry, fear, and stress that shadowed her footsteps on the way back to Wang Royal Manor, "I am a very blunt person, and I am used to speaking my mind, so I am going to come right out and say what is on my mind." Liu Tián Qǔ said.
"To be honest, I took the chance of overstepping my boundaries and gaining your displeasure because I am worried and a bit stressed." Liu Tián Qǔ saw shock ripple across the faces of the Grand Prince, and Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā. The last thing that the Lord and Lady of the manor was expecting was for the cunning Liu Tián Qǔ to be so blunt, plainspoken, and truthful. They were expecting Liu Tián Qǔ to use her sly tongue and speak in circles.
Liu Tián Qǔ knew what the Lord and Lady of the Manor were expecting. That was why she decided to use honesty, sincerity, and abrupt blunt plain-speaking instead. Liu Tián Qǔ looked at the reaction of the Grand Prince and Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā and inwardly nodded in satisfaction. She was pleased that she accomplished her goal. However, when she glanced at Wang Fèn Yǒng and saw a sparkle of humor in his eyes. Liu Tián Qǔ almost faltered.
"Worried?" Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā asked with a strange look in her eyes. "What is it you're worried and stressed about?"
Quickly Liu Tián Qǔ looked away from Wang Fèn Yǒng and regrouped. Liu Tián Qǔ looked over to Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā and allowed gloom to shroud her face, "I'm sure Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā understands the impact and political changes the return of the four martial families will bring about in the Tolling Lands," Liu Tián Qǔ, allowing complete distress to show on her face.