The magistrate of the Imperial City and the Commander of the Investigative Bureau didn't have a good time of it at all. For many days on end, they were kept busy. They were lucky if they received three or four hours of sleep. The poor magistrate and the Commander of the Investigative Bureau almost had a nervous break down when they were summoned into the Imperial palace by the Emperor to give the Emperor an updated report on the events.
Never in the magistrate of the Imperial City whole career had he been summoned by the Emperor. Every day since the corpses were discovered, the magistrate curse the Lord of Liu Residence and the day Lord of Liu Residence appeared in the Imperial City.
Liu Tián Qǔ didn't know of the plight of the magistrate and the Commander of the Investigative Bureau but had she known she wouldn't have cared. She had no time to worry about their plight. Liu Tián Qǔ was torn in a hundred different directions. She had several situations of her own to oversee. On the third day, Jiang Tài Píng had found the land he wanted to build the Garrison on. Of course, it was in the same location that he built it in his past life.
The Garrison that Jiang Tài Píng had built in his past life was built less than a half days ride from the Imperial City on a fast traveling horse. The late Prime Minister Peng was one of the few high officials of the Imperial Court who were granted leave to build his Garrison within the prohibited zone of one thousand and thirty li of the Imperial City.
T/N: When referring to Li. The calculation of Ancient Chinese Li is being used. (Tang Dynasty Li Calculations specifically)
The Garrison overlooked the main roads leading from the east, south, and west of the Tolling Lands to the Imperial City. When Jiang Tài Píng went crazy in his past life, he effectively turned the Garrison into a blockade sealing off the Imperial City from the east, south, and west.
Natural barriers surrounded the place that Jiang Tài Píng wanted to build the Garrison. In his past life, after Jiang Tài Píng was captured and killed. The army he had built was annihilated at the expense of hundreds of thousands of lives. The Grand Prince had immediately taken over the Garrison. The Garrison had, later on, played a big role in keeping the Imperial City from being invading.
The Tolling Lands during that time were fight wars inwardly with Jiang Tài Píng, Jiang Tài Píng's army, and many corrupted officials. They were also fighting to beat back Josper and Leandore, who had invaded.
Josper and Leandore had simultaneously invaded from the south and east while the Tolling Lands were distracted fighting interior wars. Josper and Leandore had quickly pierced into the Tolling lands aiming for the Imperial City while the Tolling Lands was focused on putting out the many fires that were cropping up all over the place.
However, it was Jiang Tài Píng's almost impenetrable Garrison that played a major roll in blockaded the armies of Josper and Leandore from the Imperial City. Both armies were stalled at the Garrison until the armies of the Tolling Lands were able to beat them out of the Tolling Lands and back across their borders.
During that time, the armies of Josper had suddenly started to retreat, which helped the Tolling Lands greatly. Complete utter chaos was reigning in Josper. A major calamity shooked the core of Josper and threw it into turmoil. So the armies of Josper began to quickly retreat to go calm the storm in their own waters.
Since the land was within the prohibited zone of one thousand and thirty li of the Imperial City, Liu Tián Qǔ sent a special request through the Grand Prince to the Emperor to be granted the land. It took a couple of days for the approval to arrive.
While Liu Tián Qǔ waited for approval from the Emperor, she spent that time meeting and getting to know her warriors. On the sixth day, Jiang Tài Píng's martial brothers from the martial had also arrived.
When Liu Tián Qǔ met them, she profusely thanked her lucky stars for meeting and befriending Nickolas in her past life. Liu Tián Qǔ felt a weird sensation come over her at that moment. She felt as if the events of her past life were all preparation for her new life.
It was because of Nickolas in her past life that Liu Tián Qǔ was able to get used to the aura of natural born killers and men groomed to be killers. Before meeting Nickolas Liu, Tián Qǔ had been extremely sheltered. However, Nickolas exposed her to a life that not many ordinary people were ever exposed to.
Through Nickolas, Liu Tián Qǔ also met many of his friends that were legally groomed killers and the even more scary ones that were natural born killers. Most of the were military men that were not ordinary military men. They were the men who were trained to fight behind enemy lines. They were the men who fought the battles that never came to light.
Had Liu Tián Qǔ not met those men in her past life and even became acquaintances with some of them. Liu Tián Qǔ was afraid she would at the worst have run away upon meeting Jiang Tài Píng's martial brothers. The least being that she would have shown extreme nervousness and fear upon meeting. That would not have been a good thing at all.
One thing that Liu Tián Qǔ had learned in her past life was that, as a human being, when a person crossed a certain boundary, that person changed. Many times that person was not even aware that the change was noticeable to people who have learned to discern it. Just like when after boy or girl lose their virginity after having sex. They lost that inexplicable aura of puberty and innocence and adopted the aura of experience and adulthood.
The same could be said for a person who kills. Very few people can successfully disguise that inexplicable change that comes over a person after they willing or deliberately take a life. Even fewer people can hide the aura and change that come about them after killing more than once. Few are even aware that there is a change.
However, with Jiang Tài Píng's martial brothers' the scent of blood seemed to permeate the air surrounding them. Hide? What hide? They made no effort to hide that their crafts lie in killing. Although used to the aura of killers, Liu Tián Qǔ had to make a conscious effort not to recoil away from the men as Jiang Tài Píng introduced her to them.
These men were of the same breed of men that Nickolas and Wang Fèn Yǒng had turned into. However, their aura was already so thick, and they weren't even projecting. It made Liu Tián Qǔ question how many bodies they left in their wake. Liu Tián Qǔ new that the worse thing she could do was show her unease. Liu Tián Qǔ forcefully pushed all the unnecessary thoughts bombarding her mind to the back of her mind. She calmed her mind and allowed a small smile to bloom on her face before greeting the men.
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The first person Jiang Tài Píng introduced her to was Hēi Tài Yáng. Hēi Tài Yáng was a tall, slender man that moved with the same grace Liu Tián Qǔ noticed that Wang Fèn Yǒng did. However, Hēi Tài Yáng movements held a more raw predatory grace. Whereas Wang Fèn Yǒng hid and disguised himself more.
Hēi Tài Yáng greeted Liu Tián Qǔ with a smile but in his eyes remained a freezing ice-cold predatory look. Liu Tián Qǔ almost broke down in tears and cried her misfortune when Jiang Tài Píng introduce Hēi Tài Yáng as his first Deputy Commander.
Hēi Tài Yáng would be assisting Jiang Tài Píng in running the House Guards and supervising Liu Tián Qǔ's personal Shadow Warriors. This meant that Liu Tián Qǔ was going to quickly have to become comfortable around him because she would have to interact with him often.
Next Jiang Tài Píng introduced her to Hēi Tài Yáng brother Hēi Tài Yún. Hēi Tài Yún looked like a scary person who belonged in a maximum-security prison. He was a big muscular brute of a man who did bother to make a pretense of being an ordinary person.
An oppressive murderous aura emanated from him, and he moved with the same raw predatory grace as his brother. Liu Tián Qǔ felt her heart shake when she greeted him. She had to force herself to remain calm and steady. Liu Tián Qǔ almost collapsed from a mental break down when Jiang Tài Píng introduce Hēi Tài Yún as his second Deputy Commander. Hēi Tài Yáng would be assisting Jiang Tài Píng in running the army.
'Aiya Big Brother Jiang! What kind of guys did you bring me? Ah?! Why do they all look like criminals from the 'Most Wanted' list or criminals from a maximum-security prison awaited death row or something? Why do I feel like I am going to have to sleep with one eye open now?! Ah?! Big Brother Jiang, are you sure you're really helping me? Why do I feel more scared of the guys who are supposed to be helping me? Ah!? I feel more scared of them than I do the criminals and vulture they supposed be helping me to guard against?! Something is wrong here! This is not right!' Liu Tián Qǔ inwardly wailed.
Finally, Jiang Tài Píng introduced Liu Tián Qǔ to Jiān Yīn Àn. Jiān Yīn Àn was a tall, gorgeous man. He exuded a sophisticated cool, sleek aura that could be compared to James Bond. Liu Tián Qǔ was so happy to see a normal-looking person she almost ran over to shake his hand and treat him to a meal.
However, as Jiān Yīn Àn came closer and they exchange greetings. Liu Tián Qǔ realized that he also was not an ordinary person either. There was something off with his eyes. Liu Tián Qǔ couldn't exactly pin down what was wrong with them, but something wasn't right.
Jiang Tài Píng introduced Jiān Yīn Àn as the person that Jiang Tài Píng martial uncles and elders sent to watch over him. He would be in charge of Jiang Tài Píng's security.
Liu Tián Qǔ mentally gave up. Maybe there weren't any ordinary people in Jiang Tài Píng's circle in the Martial World. With an inward sigh, Liu Tián Qǔ decided to accept the men for who they were and quickly get to know them.
Two things had immediately become obvious to Liu Tián Qǔ. The first thing that Liu Tián Qǔ noticed was that the men were very protective of Jiang Tài Píng, but they deferred to him. The second thing Liu Tián Qǔ observed was that all of the house guards and the newly recruited members of the army Jiang Tài Píng was currently building for her, all looked at the three men with deep respect, difference, and even fear in their eyes.
So far, everyone that Jiang Tài Píng hired was of the Martial World. Many off these men were noticeably not ordinary men. However, their eyes held reverence and fear when looking at Jiang Tài Píng's martial brothers. This alone told Liu Tián Qǔ all she needed to know.
Along with the men were eight hundred warriors that were sent to watch over Jiang Tài Píng and one hundred specially trained men that were assigned as Liu Tián Qǔ's Shadow Warriors.
Jiang Tài Píng took the liberty of introducing Liu Tián Qǔ to one more person. He introduced her to a very young man named Xuè Yún.
Xuè Yún was the Captain of her Shadow Guards. He was a tall, slender man with an athletic build and broad shoulders dressed in black robes. He had a blank, expressionless look on his face and in his eyes. He spoke with a flat neutral voice as they exchange greetings.
There was something very odd about the Captain of the Shadow Warrior that made Liu Tián Qǔ wonder about it secretly for days. It took a while for Liu Tián Qǔ to figure out what was it about the new Captian that bothered her.
It was the absence of presence. Liu Tián Qǔ didn't feel his presence at all. She always felt Wang Fèn Yǒng presence. She felt Jiang Tài Píng's presence and his martial brother's presence. However, she didn't feel the presence of the Captain of her Shadow Guard.
The other thing was that he was very young to be the Captain of Shadow Guards. Xuè Yún was around Wang Fèn Yǒng's age. It made her wonder at what age did his training began.
After greeting the men Liu Tián Qǔ, Jiang Tài Píng, and his three martial brothers retired to the commanders' office. For three long hours, Liu Tián Qǔ discussed everything from how she wanted her residence to run, to the planning of the Garrison.
In this three-hour-long meeting, Liu Tián Qǔ felt strong respect for the men sprout up in her. She didn't try to hide it. She allowed it to shine in her eyes. Likewise, when the men saw the strong respect, Jiang Tài Píng treated her with, and how she and Jiang Tài Píng treated each other as brothers. The disregard for her that she saw in their eyes diminished.
For a long time, they discussed the planning phase of the Garrison. "Big Brother Tài Píng, as soon as you finish the planning and designing phase of the Garrison, immediately hire an army of craftsmen and begin the construction right away. I had breakfast with Big Brother Fèn Yǒng a few days ago. It just so happened that he mentioned that the Emperor is currently discussing where the forges for the Melded Ore should be built. Right now, we are in a race against time to begin our Garrison before the Emperor could begin building his forges."
Jiang Tài Píng nodded and said, "Now that my martial brothers are here, we will immediately begin designing and planning out the Garrison."
A thought hit Liu Tián Qǔ's mind, and she slapped her forehead in remembrance and shook her head and reprimanding herself for forgetting one of the most important things.
"What is is younger brother?" Jiang Tài Píng asked with a slight frown on his face.
Hēi Tài Yáng, Jiān Yīn Àn, and Hēi Tài Yún quietly sipped tea as they watched the interaction between Jiang Tài Píng and Liu Tián Qǔ.
"I forgot to mention the most important thing older brother," Liu Tián Qǔ blushed pink in embarrassment.
Jiang Tài Píng smiled wryly at the Young Lord and said, "The last time you said that to me, I suddenly became responsible for building a Garrison. What is this time?"
Liu Tián Qǔ blush deepened, and she tugged one of her earlobes in embarrassment, "Um... yeah, I forgot to tell you that I've decided to build a full Garrison city instead."
All four men dubiously looked at the young lord. Jiān Yīn Àn finally said with a raised eyebrow, "Young Master Liu, do you understand what your asking? I seriously doubt if the Emperor will allow you to build a garrison city on his front door. Not one garrison within one week's ride of the Imperial City is a Garrison City."
Liu Tián Qǔ was unaware of the cunning look that shone in her eyes as she met Jiān Yīn Àn and asked, "Is there a law expressly forbidding it?"
The men sat in silence for a moment or two, trying to think if there was a law forbidding it. Finally, Jiang Tài Píng said, "There is no law saying you cannot build a Garrison City."
With a smile showing all thirty-two teeth, Liu Tián Qǔ said, "It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission," quoting a U.S. Naval officer.
"Several days ago, I sat down with the Emperor and negotiated for a bigger army. When he permitted me to build a bigger army, I immediately told him I would build a bigger garrison to hold a bigger army. So I will."
The men sat in shock, with wide eyes they stared at the cunning shameless young lord who just swindled the Emperor of the Tolling Lands.