Before Wang Fèn Yǒng could even open his mouth to convey the seventh condition to the Emperor, the Grand Prince beat him to it. "The seventh condition is more land."
With a wide grin that stretched across his face, the Grand Prince quote the proverb that Liu Tián Qǔ had used, "According to Young Liu, a person has no idea how much rice and fuel cost until they become the head of a household." The more the Grand Prince spoke, the more vexed the Emperor grew.
"Young Liu had went on to say that later on, he will be responsible for feeding many mouths. So he felt that it was imperative to get farmland to help grow a bit of food to help him feed the mouths that he will be responsible for. Therefore Liu Tián Qǔ's fifth condition is that the Emperor grants him a large piece of fertile farming land to help feed his household." The Grand Prince repeated Liu Tián Qǔ's words to the emperor. He wanted to see if the Emperor would finally explode. The Grand Prince chuckled under his breath as he watched the Emperor.
The Emperor was breathing heavy as he glared at his older brother. His face was blood red, and he was trying his best to calm down. The Emperor knew that his older brother was deliberately teasing him, trying to see if he could provoke the emperor into exploding. The Emperor refused to give his older brother the satisfaction. So he held on to his emotion with all his might.
Elder Wang was also grinning at the Emperor. He decided to give the Emperor a poke to see if he could push him over the edge. "If anyone asked my opinion, then I would say it should be granted. It's obvious that Young Liu meditated on this as well. It's clear that he has the country in his heart. He understands that with a starving household, there is no way he could assist the Emperor."
At Elder Wang's blatant provocation, Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā tea flew out of her mouth. Wang Fèn Yǒng moved out of the way just in time to avoid getting a face full of tea that flew out of Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā's mouth.
The words of Elder Wang combined with the look on the Emperor's face made Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā lose her composure. Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā doubled over in laughter. Wang Fèn Yǒng rose from his seat and walked over to a cabinet where the cleaning cloths were stored. A faint smile quickly ghosted across his face as he walked over to the cabinet. He retrieved a cleaning cloth and went back over to where he was seated and began to wipe up the tea that flew out of his Imperial mother's mouth.
After he finished, he disposed of the cleaning cloth and also disposed of his cup of tea. Wang Fèn Yǒng then cleaned his hands. Then before being seated once more, Wang Fèn Yǒng retrieved a clean cup and poured himself a fresh cup of tea.
During this time, the Emperor finally managed to get a hold of his emotions. He no longer looked like a pressure cooker that was about to explode. With a baleful glare at Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā, Elder Wang, and the Grand Prince. The Emperor said, "Granted."
The emperor took a deep breath and prepared himself for more provocation before asking, "What is his final condition."
However, upon mention of Liu Tián Qǔ's final condition, the Grand Prince grew serious. The light mood in the room changed as the Grand Prince carefully explained Liu Tián Qǔ's final condition. The Emperor and Elder Wang gawked at the Grand Prince in shock as the Grand Prince finished explaining the final condition.
Elder Wang quickly came back to himself, "Good, Good, Very Good," Elder Wang exclaimed as he nodded with deep satisfaction. "I am pleased with Young Liu."
The Emperor was also pleased to hear Liu Tián Qǔ's final condition. The Emperor read deeply into the final condition. After understanding Liu Tián Qǔ's intention, the Emperor felt some of his irritation and vexation towards the Young Lord dimish.
The Emperor had upset the Young Lord greatly yesterday by commandeering his carriage. So today, the Young Lord had returned the favor by squeeze everything he could out of the Emperor, although the Emperor and the Young Lord seemed to be having a one-upmanship with each other. That was just on the surface of things.
Everyone understood what that final condition really meant. It was an unspoken alliance with the Imperial Family. It was Liu Tián Qǔ unofficial announcement to the Imperial Family that although Liu Tián Qǔ had no intention of involving herself in politics or vying for titles or position. However, if the Imperial Family had need of her, she would answer the call.
It was Wang Fèn Yǒng who truely understood that Liu Tián Qǔ was binding herself this close to the Imperial Family because she had already fallen in love with him. Wang Fèn Yǒng smiled inwardly as he thought of Liu Tián Qǔ protectiveness of him.
Wang Fèn Yǒng was lost so deeply in thought he failed to hear the Emperor agree to Liu Tián Qǔ's final demand. The discussion then turned towards Young Master Liu. However, Wang Fèn Yǒng was still lost in thought. He tried to recall all he knew of Liu Tián Qǔ from his first life.
Sadly he couldn't recall much other than the fact that she was the heiress of the Lu family. He also recalled several rumors that she mastermind the downfall of a powerful CEO who was the owner of a major international conglomerate who threatened her father. Other than that, Wang Fèn Yǒng really didn't know much about her. He only knew that much because after he offended her and she punched him in the face. His father called him on the carpet. His father had then hurried over to the Lu Family house to apologize on his behalf personally.
Apparently, everyone knew about Liu Tián Qǔ in the business world after she destroyed a powerful CEO and swallowed up everything that the CEO owned at such a young age. No one dared to offend her or mess with her. That was why the altercation he had with her became major news and ended up on the front cover of newspapers, even in other countries. That was also the reason why his father, who was also influential in his own right, rushed over to apologize for his son's behavior and compensated for it by helping CEO Lu sign a contract worth billions of dollars in Dubai.
'Ah,' Wang Fèn Yǒng thought to himself. 'So, even in her past life, she was always protective of the ones she loved.' Wang Fèn Yǒng heart felt warm. He was also very pleased with Liu Tián Qǔ.
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After discussing Liu Tián Qǔ for a while, the Elder then brought the conversation back to the Knell Stones. To everyone's surprise Elder Wang suddenly turned to Wang Fèn Yǒng and told him not to worry about talking to young Liu. Instead, Elder Wang said he was going to pay a visit to Young Liu personally.
Since Elder Wang decided to go, the Emperor decided he would disguise himself and go too. The Emperor also wanted to visit with his newly returned friends residing in Liu Residence. Soon everyone but the Lady of Wang Royal Manor agreed to go. There was a matter for her to take care of in her personal army, so Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā declined.
After agreeing on the time they would visit young master Liu, Elder Wang then commanded for everyone to bring back enough Knell stones to have some of them made into necklaces. Everyone in the immediate Imperial Family was to be issued one. The Elder then began to disclose secrets of the Knell Stones that were known only to the Imperial Family.
Imperial City; Liu Garden Residence
However, over in Liu garden residence. Liu Tián Qǔ couldn't decide whether or not she was pleased with the state of affairs and the events that took place in her brief absence.
After Commander Jiang questioned the young washer maiden, Housekeeper Gao and Butler Zhou had all the servants assembled. Keeping to the rules of the palace, Housekeeper Gao order the young washer maiden beaten to death. It was obvious that housekeeper Gao was killing the chicken to warn the monkey.
The punishment was carried out by a select team amongst the house guards that administered punishments. Liu Tián Qǔ had mixed feelings concerning this special team. She felt happy to know there was someone who would handle this kind of thing. She also felt mildly upset that there was a need for a special team like this in her residence.
Liu Tián Qǔ's sat around the desk in her study. Before her stood the housekeeper, Butler, and Zhou Yu, they filled Liu Tián Qǔ in on the events that took place during her short disappearance. Zhou Yu was proficient enough to sign most of what she wanted to convey to Liu Tián Qǔ. What she couldn't sign, she quickly jotted down for Liu Tián Qǔ to see. It pleased Liu Tián Qǔ to see Zhou Yu coming out of her shell. She looked a bit more confident in herself, and she made an effort to communicate more.
Earlier that morning, while being dragged to the residence Garrison. The young woman tried to discreetly dispose of a small pouch with a substance in it.
Housekeeper Gao and Zhou Yu, who followed behind, saw the young maids furtive actions. The maiden had slipped the pouch out of her sleeve and dropped it on the ground as she was being dragged away. Using the cover of her long skirt, the maiden attempted to kick the pouch off the pathway into the flowerbeds and bushes that lined the path she was being dragged down. However, she wasn't quite successful, and the small pouch stopped short of falling off the pathway.
Housekeeper Gao had retrieved the pouch the young maid tried to dispose of. She then continued to follow behind the young maid as the young maid was dragged down the pathway by the guards to the residence Garrison. In the Garrison housekeeper, Gao and Zhou had carefully searched the young maid and confiscated a small old dagger. The maid was then turned over to Commander Jiang for questioning.
Under Commander Jiang's method of questioning, the young maiden quickly confessed. The young maiden tried to get into the main kitchen because it was from the main kitchen that Liu Tián Qu's food was prepared and served. On the day of the unsealing of the city. Liu Tián Qu had given all the servants the day off. It was then the young maiden bought an aphrodisiac from an associate who had a sister who worked in a brothel.
Many days Liu Tián Qu would take her meal alone in her courtyard with no one to serve her. Zhou Yu was in training, and Sōng Hé Píng would be in class during that time. The maiden confessed that she had intended to slip the aphrodisiac into Liu Tián Qu meal during a time when she is eating alone. She then planned to present herself to Liu Tián Qu and allow herself to be taken advantage of while Liu Tián Qu was under the effects of the aphrodisiac.
'Humph, want to take advantage of a Eunuch. Good luck with that! I would have loved to see the look on her face when she realized I didn't have the equipment to take 'advantage' of her.' Liu Tián Qǔ thought darkly inwardly. 'Young maiden, you chose the wrong bed to try to climb into and the wrong person to use as a stepping stone to becoming a concubine.'
The pouch was taken to Doctor Ru, who quickly identified the substance in the pouch to be an aphrodisiac.
Liu Tián Qǔ was then informed that Commander Jiang had left to report the death of the young maiden, bury her body, and run an investigation on the maiden. After completing those tasks, the Commander would then go to complete the staffing of the house guards.
Silence reigned in the lounge as Liu Tián Qǔ sunk into deep contemplation. After thinking for a while. Liu Tián Qǔ decided that maybe it was a good thing she allowed Housekeeper Gao to handle the situation. Housekeeper Gao knew what she was doing, and she also knew how to carry out what needed to be done.
Liu Tián Qǔ was aware that a message needed to be sent to the weeds in her Garden Residence that had yet to be weeded out. It seems that Housekeeper Gao knew that as well and took action. Housekeeper Gao worked in the Imperial Palace for many years. There was no scheme or plot that she hadn't seen. She knew when to act when to play possum, and she also knew when to retreat.
Liu Tián Qǔ reached over and opened a drawer of her desk. She removed four drawings and held them out to the housekeeper. After the housekeeper accepted the drawings, Liu Tián Qǔ said, "Have these people removed from my residence by tomorrow evening." Liu Tián Qǔ reached into the drawer again and removed the slave contracts for the four people and passed them to the housekeeper as well. She then took a moment to explain why she wanted these four people removed from her residence immediately.
Liu Tián Qǔ had initially decided that she would slowly get rid of these people. She had originally decided to at least give them all a chance. She was going to remove them only after they did something to cause themselves to be removed. However, one spoiled it for all, since the young maiden proved Liu Tián Qǔ's theory to be correct. Liu Tián Qǔ decided to take no chances and remove them all immediately. These four people, along with the young maiden beaten to death, were the people that expressed alarming negative behavior when Liu Tián Qǔ announced that Hou Dou and her assistant would become Doctors.
If this were the 21st Century, Liu Tián Qǔ definitely wouldn't have gone things in this manner. However, in the ancient era that she was in, Liu Tián Qǔ decided not to keep any possible threats in her home. It made no sense to knowingly keep servants who she knew will later be a problem. There would be many other threats and dangers, presenting themselves to her soon. Why leave an unnecessary threat at her back or near her side. That was just asking for trouble. Why allow a cancer to grow? In this era, there were no Doctors skilled in removing cancer. So it was better not to give it room to grow.
"I will be sure to carry this out tomorrow, Young Master," the housekeeper nodded her understanding.
Liu Tián Qǔ then looked over to the Butler and said, "I want you to team up with Commander Jiang. I want every slave and servant in my resident to be investigated immediately. I'm aware that you were doing so in your free time. However, I want it to be expedited. This time the young maiden targeted me. What if the next person to be targeted is one of the guests? That would present too many problems. All possible threats must be eliminated. The Commander has been hiring people, so we now have the manpower to expediently get this done."
"I understand Young Master. I will discuss this with Commander Jiang before the end of the day." the butler said.