After giving the ministers, officials, and the nobles of high society black eyes for messing with her and destroying her timeline. Liu Tián Qǔ had no time to pay further attention to the struggles going on in the homes of the nobility and rich people in the Imperial City. She was focused on attending to the matters of her own home.
Over the next three days, Liu Tián Qǔ spent all her time in meetings with Kuo Shān Yì, the uncle of Manager Kuo and her new Construction Manager. Liu Tián Qǔ wanted to begin several projects immediately. There were four major projects and three minor projects she wanted to begin immediately.
There were also many other projects that they discussed that were sidelined projects. Those projects would only begin after the completion of the four major projects and three minor projects.
Several of the major sidelined project that Liu Tián Qǔ wanted to begin was indoor plumbing, a better dining area for the servants. She also wanted to build a big park in her Residence where everyone, both guests and servants, could go and relax. She had the space for it so why not?
Liu Tián Qǔ was determined to give her servants a better quality of life. She saw no reason not to. Liu Tián Qǔ had proved it in her previous life, the happier your employees were, the more productive they were, and the more loyal they were.
Therefore, she had the idea to incorporate the French culture of outdoor picnics and the American culture of outdoor BBQs into the lives of her servants. Once or twice a month, she wanted to have a big BBQ or a big picnic in the park. On that day, the servants would get a chance to just relax, eat, drink, and be merry.
In Liu Tián Qǔ's previous life, the history of slavery was a murky, filthy pool no one wanted to swim in. In just about every part of the world of her previous life, at one time or another, slavery existed. It existed in Africa, Europe, North America, South America, Australia, Canada, and throughout all of Asia. The history of many countries and dynasties were founded on the backs of slaves.
When Liu Tián Qǔ reincarnated to the Tolling Lands to find that, slavery was alive, and well, her first reaction was to buy some to help her get her Residence up and running. Although she purchased them, Liu Tián Qǔ didn't consider her slaves to be slaves. She thought of them more as employees and mentally labeled them as servants in her mind, not slaves.
At heart, Liu Tián Qǔ was a businesswoman. To her, slaves were resources to be utilized, but so were her employees in her past life.
Somewhere in her previous life, Liu Tián Qǔ recalled reading an article explaining why employees were a company's greatest resource. She had agreed wholeheartedly with the article.
The article had imparted that employees were the ones who got the job done. They knew how the company worked best. They knew what methodologies and tools helped them to get their job completed efficiently and effectively. A company could not be successful without productive employees. So, yes, employees were resources and very valuable resources at that.
Therefore, Liu Tián Qǔ had considered her employees her most precious and valuable resource and took pains to treat them well. Liu Tián Qǔ was determined to treat her slaves just as good as she treated her employees in her past life. Although slaves would manage her Residence, she saw no reason why they couldn't be treated as human beings.
Though Liu Tián Qǔ had hid it well, it had troubled Liu Tián Qǔ's spirit that a human being was beaten to death in her Residence. Though she understood the era she reincarnated into was different from the 21st Century, and that it had to be done for her survival. That didn't stop her from feeling wretched about the whole situation.
That was also what drove her to come up with the idea she used to give the nobility and officials of the Imperial court a slap. She had killed three birds with one stone.
She rewarded her servants in a way slaves had never been rewarded before in the Northern Lands, she sent the members of the nobility and the Imperial court a heavy slap, and she got satisfaction out of spitefully using Big Madam Chen's gold to reward the slaves.
Over the past few weeks, Liu Tián Qǔ had drew tons of designs and sketches of the plans she wanted to use for the renovations. Together she and Kuo Shān Yì poured over the many sketches, plans, and ideas and held many discussions concerning them.
When she wasn't with Kuo Shān Yì pouring over sketches, designs, and plans, Liu Tián Qǔ was with Wang Fèn Yǒng or Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā.
Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā took an extreme interest in Liu Tián Qǔ ideology in the treatment and betterment of slaves. Liu Tián Qǔevenings were spent discussing her treatment of her slaves over dinner at Wang Royal Manor with Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā, the Grand Prince and Wang Fèn Yǒng. Little Dumpling was still under confinement. His dinner was delivered to him in his courtyard.
After three consecutive days of discussion, Wang Royal Manor began implementing Liu Tián Qǔ's ideology of the treatment and betterment of slaves. Tutors were hired from the Imperial Academy to began teaching the slaves of Wang Royal Manor how to read, write, and do sums. Liu Tián Qǔ's idea of an annual review was also implemented. Wang Royal Manor slaves would also be given a wage.
The movement of Wang Royal Manor caused several members of Nobility to fashion after them. However, most of the nobles and prominent wealthy families of the Imperial City decided only to pay their slaves a small wage and promised them better treatment.
Many debates, meetings, and discussions were being held among the nobles and prominent wealthy families of high society about whether or not slaves should be allowed to buy their freedom and be taught to read, write and do sums.
Until now, only nobles, scholars, and the wealthy had been taught to read and write. Very few commoners knew how to read, so why were slaves being taught to read and write when not even commoners could. This caused many debates.
The biggest headaches of all was that the scholars were beginning to voice their opinions, and the commoners were starting to question why slaves were being taught to read. Commoners were of a higher class then slaves, so why weren't they also being given an opportunity.
The scholar was torn on this matter. Some were for the betterment of the slaves, and some were against it. Some of the scholars felt that every person should be afforded the opportunity of knowledge. This can lead to a better and more advanced country.
On the flip side of that coin, the scholars against it were of the opinion that many slaves were made slaves due reasons that were not deserving of reward.
Many slaves were made slaves due to treasonous family members. Some were criminals who were punished by being made into slaves. They listed numerous negative reasons on why people were turned into slaves.
The scholars against the betterment of slaves felt that these people should not be afforded any opportunities. They were being punished, so why were they being gifted with something as precious as knowledge. They didn't deserve it. Why were they being gifted with the opportunity to buy back their freedom? They were turned into slaves as punishment. What wages? They are being punished. Why do they need a wage?
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The debates amongst the scholars over this matter was beginning to heat up. However, this was the last thing that the nobles and prominent wealthy families of the Imperial City or wanted. They didn't want the Scholars to inciting the slaves. They were moving to quickly to quell the tempers of the slaves, and in most cases compromise with them to get things back to normal.
However, these matters didn't concern Liu Tián Qǔ at the moment. At the moment, she was concern with wrapping up things in her Residence with the special team of warriors the Elder Wang sent.
Wang Fèn Yǒng led the special team of warriors handpicked by Elder Wang to inspect Liu Tián Qǔ Garden Residence.
On the first day, an enormous empty vault was found in the Residence. This please Liu Tián Qǔ greatly. Liu Tián Qǔ had moved all the many rare, expensive, and priceless things she bought from the peddler from her chambers and stored them in a transporter on her wrist. Liu Tián Qǔ also removed the majority of the gold the Emperor gave her from her chambers and stored it in the transporter as well.
However, Liu Tián Qǔ didn't feel comfortable carry everything around on her wrist. If she lost the transporter by mistake, then she would suffer a considerable loss.
Liu Tián Qǔ also wanted to take the time to empty Big Madam Chen's treasure room and store everything into a transporter as well.
Now that the enormous vault was discovered in her Residence. All she had to do was have her new construction manager change the locks and upgrade the safety features on the vault. Then she could begin storing everything in the vault.
On the second day, not too far from where the Residence hospital was located, Wang Fèn Yǒng and the special team of warriors found the entrance to two underground tunnels and a hidden prison.
One of the tunnels led outside of the city. The other tunnel led to a building in the heart of the marketplace in the Imperial city. These tunnels left everyone perplexed. These tunnels were not shoddy tunnels that were built in a hurry.
After inspecting the tunnels, the Commander of the special team determined that the tunnel was slowly built over a period of approximately ten years.
The tunnels were extremely well crafted with cobblestone, and unlit torches were placed every fifteen to twenty paces. The tunnels were a replica of the tunnels that were discovered in Elder Chen's son, manor. The tunnels were big enough that a person could ride a horse through the tunnels.
When the Grand Prince and Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā were told of this, Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā had concluded that the only way the Chen Family could have completed the tunnels, specifically one that ran under Wang Royal Manor's land, was if they worked on the tunnel during the time, she Wang Fèn Yǒng, and the Grand Prince were away on a mission for the Emperor with the Wang Royal Manor Warriors. Very often they were all away at the same time with the Wang Royal Manor Warriors carrying out missions for the Emperor. That made sense to Liu Tián Qǔ.
What really pissed Liu Tián Qǔ off was the discovery of the prison. The prison also held a ghastly torture chamber. The prison was half full of dead bodies that had long decomposed. Most of the corpses had missing limbs. This gave testament to the cruel torture they died under. There was no way to determine who those people were. This made Liu Tián Qǔ really question Elder Chen's sanity.
Liu Tián Qǔ inwardly ranted in anger, 'Who in their right minds would sell their house, leaving a prison full of dead bodies under the house? Ah!? Plus, Elder Chen's real intention was to gift this Residence to Wang Fèn Yǒng. Did he think that it would go unnoticed?! What a good Elder Chen! No wonder he's dead! Then again, it's obvious he thought he was powerful enough to get away with anything. Maybe he thought he could use the tunnels to come in and out to clean up things. It's a good thing that he is dead. Had he remain alive, I see where he and I would have had to cross swords. This offense is unforgivable. There is no way I would have allowed him to get away with selling me a Residence with a prison full of decomposed corpses under it!'
For the third time that week, the happenings of Liu Residence shook the Imperial city. Messenger birds flew back and forth throughout the Imperial City carrying news of this new development. The thousands of messenger birds leaving the city carrying the news was noticed by many.
A massive crowd of people stood below the stairs outside of the opened gates of Liu Garden Residence as the Shadow Warriors assisted the Magistrate, Imperial City Investigative Bureau Guards, who investigated murders in removing the corpses for Liu Residence. The Imperial City Patrol Guards who were supervised by their Commander and several Coroners also assisted in removing over thirty-five decomposed corpses from the secret hidden prison in the Chen's old Residence.
At first, everyone was just too shellshocked. This event was like a thunderbolt from a clear sunny sky.
Elder Chen didn't even put the Emperor in his eye. Right in the Imperial City under the seat of the Emperor. Elder Chen built a secret hidden prison in his Residence where secret tortures and killings were carried out. This was a slap to the face of the Emperor and the Imperial Family.
Although it was a catastrophe for Liu Tián Qǔ, it was great news for the nobles and prominent wealthy families of the Imperial City, and all rich slave owners whether they were of nobility or not. The whole Tolling Land was watching the developing situation in the Imperial City with the slaves.
The silent, passive-aggressive resistance among the slaves had began to spread outward. In many cities, towns, and villages of the Tolling Lands, it was becoming the new trend amongst the slaves.
Therefore, the nobles and prominent wealthy families of the Imperial City decided to use the situation of the secret prison in Liu Residence to divert the attention of the people. They wanted to buy a bit more time to figure out how the situation should be handled without the intense spotlight that was focused on the situation. They also wanted to distract the commoners who were starting to question why they, too, couldn't be given an opportunity to learn how to read and write. As well as the scholars who were beginning to voice their opinion on the matter with the slaves.
So the nobles and prominent wealthy families of the Imperial City deliberately dramatize the situation of the hidden prison in the Chen Family old Residence to focus the attention of the people in the Imperial City on that matter.
As the bodies were being carried out, the continuously growing crowd began to become more and more angry. Many of the corpses had missing limbs. It was obvious from the many deceased remains that they were heavily tortured.
"Aiya, that Elder Chen was too insidious!"
"Who would have thought the Chen Family had such a dark side."
"Everyone knew Elder Chen was wicked. They just couldn't catch him."
"One death is not enough for that evil man. He needs to be brought back and killed again. Look at how many corpses are coming out? So far, we counted twenty-two corpses, and they are still bringing out more."
"Just how many people were the Chen Family torturing and killing?"
The massive crowd of people that gathered in front of the new Liu Residence was furious. If it was possible to drag the late Elder Chen back to life and kill him all over again, the people gathered outside of Liu Residence surely would have done it.
Wang Fèn Yǒng had given Liu Tián Qǔ a Wang Royal Manor guard's uniform to put on. Liu Tián Qǔ stood to the side with Wang Fèn Yǒng and allowed the Commander of the special team of warriors and the Grand Prince manage things.
The Grand Prince was in the palace meeting with the Emperor and the Imperial Commanders regarding the reorganization and retraining of the Armies of the Tolling Lands when word reached the Imperial Palace that many decomposed corpses were being carried out of Liu Garden Residence.
The Emperor immediately sent the Grand Prince to help Wang Fèn Yǒng manage the situation.
Liu Tián Qǔ struggled to force down her fury as she watched the Investigative Bureau Guards, Patrol Guards, and Shadow Warriors carrying out the dead bodies. She knew then that had Big Madam Chen or Elder Chen been alive. She would have gone after their lives.
This was not the first time, Liu Tián Qǔ felt the urge to kill someone. However, this was the first time she knew that she really would have carried it out.
When the intense negative emotions she was feeling caused a hidden darkness in her to stir, it scared her and helped her to calm down a bit.
Liu Tián Qǔ was raised with the belief that your home was sacred.
Your home was where you shared love with your family and raised the next generation of your bloodline. Your home was where you taught your children right from wrong. Your home was where you dreamed and planned for the future with your family. It was where you lived, shared meals with your loved ones, loved, laughed, cried, scolded, got scolded, fought, made up, and protected your family.
However, the sacred grounds where she wanted to build a life was macabrely tainted. Liu Tián Qǔ felt violated on the most profound level. The discovery hit too close to home, and Liu Tián Qǔ took it very personal.