Just as Liu Tián Qǔ intended, by early evening, the whole Imperial City knew that the Queen had summoned the new Lord of Liu Residence to the Imperial Palace. However, instead of answering the Queens summons, the Lord of Liu Residence decided to go drown in his bathing pool and have been unconscious ever since then.

Around dinner tables, in restaurants, brothels, inns, wine houses, tea houses, and everywhere in between, gossip was rife in the Imperial city concerning the new Lord of Liu Residence once again.

However, there was a sharp disparity in the interpretation of the gossip that was carried out of Liu Residence by the craftsmen who were in the Residence when the Eunuch's arrived with the summons.

In a Wine Pavillion gathered around a craftsman, there stood over forty people listening to the craftsman as he recounted what he witnessed with his own eyes.

"So as I was about to hammer in the last nail suddenly the butler came running by screaming as if someone was chasing him to butcher him, 'Doctor Ru, where is the doctor? Doctor Ru come quickly, Master Liu was found collapsed in his bathing pool. Come quickly lest he die!'"

A sudden intense debate suddenly exploded around the craftsman. An elder suddenly pointed at the craftsman and began scolding him with a deep scowl on his face, "This person here! What kind of nonsense are you saying? Ah!? If you're going to tell the story the tell it right! What collapse in his bathing pool!? Tell the story right or scram!"

A middle-aged man agreed with the Elder, "How was he found collapsed in his bathing pool but didn't drown? Ah!?"

"Yes," another person said, "If he collapsed in the pool, shouldn't he be dead from drowning?"

The poor craftsman was getting attacked from all sides, "But that is what happened!" The poor craftsman tried to defend himself. "I was there! There is no need for me to lie! Too many people witnessed this event, so why should I lie?!"

Many people begin yelling over each other, some agreeing and some disagreeing. Finally, a young, richly dressed Young Master who stood in the back of the crowd stepped forward and said, "So are you trying to say that the Lord of Liu Residence pretended to drown, so he wouldn't have to answer the Queen's summons. Are you saying he deliberately sent the Queen a slap for summoning him?"

"I dare not!" the craftsman yelled and quickly jumped up from his seat as if the seat caught on fire and burned his buttocks. He pointed at the richly dressed Young Master and angrily shouted, "Young Master, I never said those words! My head cannot bear the weight of those words, so don't try to force them onto my head! I am just saying what I witnessed. I dare not lie! The Eunuchs were there too and witnessed it, so why would I lie."

The Elder suddenly asked, "The Enunchs? The Eunuchs witnessed the butler say that Master Liu drowned in his bathing pool?"

"Yes, the Enunchs witnessed it too, so why would I lie?!" The craftsman said once more, sitting down in his seat.

"So, what happened next?" The richly dressed Young Master asked.

However, the craftsman slyly picked up his empty cup and said, "Aiya, my throat is so dry, and my cup is empty.

Several people started yelling for the Wine Pavillion owner to bring over a pot of wine. Everyone impatiently waited as the Wine Pavilion owner hurried over with a pot of wine and refilled the craftsman cup.

After the cup of the craftsman was filled, and he took a gulp of wine. Only then did he continue, "When the Eunuchs heard the screams of the Bulter, it was obvious they were upset. When the doctor ran past to go check on the condition of Master Liu, the Enucnchs followed the doctor and also ran to go look."

Several people begin asking, "Did the Enunch's get to go in and verify that Lord Liu really drowned?"

"Did they allow the Eunuchs to go in?"

"What did the Eunuchs say was wrong with the Lord of Liu Residence?"

Suddenly the craftsman's face turned extremely sour, and he looked like he sucked on a lemon. The expression on his face made everyone more curious. The crowd began urging him to hurry up and tell them?

"I don't know what happened with the Eunuchs. I tried to do find out for myself. However, the Liu Residence House Guards wouldn't allow us to leave the construction area. So then I bribed not one," The sour face craftsman held up a hand and raised a finger in equivalence to each number he counted off. "Not two, not three, but four! I bribed four Liu Residence servants to go find out what happened. They took my bribe money and never returned. The craftsman's face was too sour, so no one thought he was lying. With such a sour look on his face, he must be telling the truth.

"Aiya, I heard that the slaves of Liu Garden Residence get paid a wage and that they even get paid gold just for being a servant of Liu Residence! Aren't they a bit too greedy to rob you of your money?" A young man who was a commoner asked.

"That right, I even saw some of the male slaves dressed better than nobles coming out of a brothel that I can not even afford to step foot in," a sour-faced middle-aged man who was also a commoner said.

"Never bribe a servant of Liu Residence. They are like money-hungry ghosts. All they know how to do is swallow down your money and disappear." The sour face craftsman said.

The subject then change to the greed and privileges of the servants of Liu Residence. That evening in the Imperial City, many craftsmen told the tale of what they witnessed in Liu Residence earlier that day.

In a tea house not too far away, another craftsman who was actually a spy for an influential noble family sat telling his version of the happenings he witnessed in Lie Residence earlier that day.

Unbeknownst to the people gathered around him, the spy was giving the order by his master to go out and spread everything he witnessed in Liu Residence that day.

The Craftsman took a long sip of tea before continuing to speak to the crowd that surrounded him, "I wonder if the Lord of Liu Residence was really lost in his own residence, there must be more to this matter."

"Lost? What do you mean lost? Speak more clearly," a richly-dressed nobleman said.

"That's what I mean!" The craftsman exclaimed. "How is it no one in the Residence knew the whereabouts of the Lord of Liu Residence? Not one servant?! Servants ran back and forth 'looking' for him for a long time and couldn't find him. Even the Eunuchs didn't believe that farce!"

An intense clamor of disbelief exploded around the craftsman.

"Wait. Wait just a minute," an retired elder who was a noble said as he held up a hand silencing the crowd. The Elder turned to the spy and asked, "So you're saying, that when the Eunuchs came with the decree from the Queen, summoning the Lord of Liu Residence to the Imperial Palace. Suddenly no one in the Residence was able to find him, and the Eunuchs expressed doubt that no could find Lord Liu?!"

"That's what I am saying!" The craftsman exclaimed, even he couldn't believe the boldness of the Lord of Liu Residence.

A debate broke out amongst the crowd as everyone begin expressing their opinions or views. Many people in the crowd looked at the craftsman dubiously, they doubted his words.

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Finally, with a face full of doubt, the Elder asked, "How are you so sure the Eunuchs though that it was a farce?"

In a bid to prove that he wasn't lying, the spy disguised as a craftsman began to carefully explain, "I was working on a Pavillion right near the meeting hall where the Eunuchs were waiting. First, the butler came running by yelling for the servants nearby to help him find Lord Liu. When that happened, the Eunuchs must have heard, because they came to the door of the meeting hall to look out and see what was going on. However, the butler never even stop to explain anything to the Eunuchs. He just kept on going. That was when the Eunuchs started to get upset. How could you disregard the people who came to deliver a decree from the Queen that way? That means you are disregarding the Queen as well!" The craftsman exclaimed.

There was absolute silence in the tea house as the spy disguised as a craftsman shook his head and continued to speak, "More servants begin running by 'looking' for the Lord of Liu Residence. Strangely, it seemed that no one could find him."

The craftsman looked into the crowd at several nobles and a few richly dressed people who were obviously members of prominent, influential families. He asked, "Now let me ask the nobles, and the members of prominent influential families, that are gathered here a question. When guests come to see you, and for some reason, you can't be found, do servants in your Manor run back and forth loudly, yelling for the Lord of the Manor in an attempt to 'find' you, making more noise than actually looking for you?"

The noblemen knowing looked at each other but didn't comment. They had already quickly surmised what was really going on. Instead of answering the craftsman, one of the noblemen asked, "Where did they find him?"

The craftsman took another sip of tea before saying, "A short while later, over thirty servants came running by along with the butler screaming very loudly for the doctor. They were shouting, 'Lord Liu was found collapsed in his bathing pool.' Shouldn't his courtyard had been the first place they checked before they ran all over the Residence 'looking' for him. This whole matter just seems fishy to me."

"Humph," one of the noblemen said with a sour look on his face.

"Heavens! So this means that Lord Liu went and drowned himself on purpose, so he didn't have to answer the Queens summons?!" A commoner asked

"Drowned? I doubt if he went as far as to drown himself. If he is already pretending, then why not just douse himself in water? Why go through the trouble of actually bothering to go climb into his bathing pool?" An elder replied in a sour tone of voice with a sour look on his face.

One nobleman chuckled lowly under his breath, he didn't comment, but his mirth spoke louder than any comment he could have made. He wasn't the only one in the crowd to find amusement in the actions of the bold Lord of Liu Residence.

Another nobleman asked, "What was the reaction of the Eunuchs when this happened?"

"They were enraged!" The spy answered. "The Eunuchs ran to go fight with the butler when the butler ran by once more with the doctor, but the butler ignored them and ran off with the doctor. So the Eunuchs ran off behind them to go investigate the truth of Lord Liu's condition."

Another elder leaned forward and asked, "Did the Eunuchs find out what was really going?"

The craftsman took a long sip of tea to wet his dry mouth. The whole crowd seemed to lean forward in anticipation as they waited for the craftsman to swallow the sip of tea.

Finally, the craftsman said, "I don't think so when the Eunuchs passed my work area as they left Liu Residence, they still had the decree. So I don't think they even got a chance to see Lord Liu much less to find out anything. They were completely livid when they left. They were threatening the butler, the doctor, and the house guard as the house guards escorted them out of the Residence."

The Elder gasped in shock, "The guards forced the Eunuchs that came with a decree from the Queen out of Liu Residence?!"

The craftsman's head bobbed up and down as he answered, "It looked that way to me. The Eunuchs were so angry they had lost all dignity and decorum. They were arguing and throwing threats around and yelling like fishermen's wives as they were being escorted from the Residence. It was utter chaos!" The craftsman exclaimed.

The spy disguised as a craftsman felt vindicated. Finally, no one was doubting his words or thinking that he was exaggerating or lying. Most importantly, he had completed his task of spreading what he witnessed in Liu Residence.

Silence reigned in the tea house for several moments as everyone gawked and gaped at each other and at the craftsman. They couldn't believe what they were hearing, nor could they believe the audacity of the Lord of Liu Residence.

"That Lord Liu is too bold! Too bold, I tell you!" an elder finally shouted with a red face.

"He didn't even give the Queen of the Tolling Lands any face!" A stunned commoner exclaimed.

A young noble smirked and said, "Face? He gave her face all right, a slap to the face."

"I mean, is this kind of thing allowed? Isn't this considered treasonous?" A befuddled commoner looked at the nobleman who stood next to him and asked.

"The Emperor already defended Lord Liu. So who, other than the Emperor, is going to go verify where or not he drowned in his bath? With many of the scions of the Noble families sitting in jail. Which noble, official, or minister would dare go pressure the king regarding this matter?" The nobleman answer the commoner's question with questions.

The commoner's eyes suddenly grew so wide. The nobleman thought they were going to burst out of his skull. The commoner gasped in deep shock and struggled to find his words. He finally managed to stutter," If...If the...the Emperor is protecting Lord Liu, but...but, the Queen is...I mean..um," the commoner dared not voice is suspicion. "Does...does that mean..." the commoner was too afraid to even finish that sentence.

An unnatural silence reigned in the tea house. Everyone knew what the commoner wanted to ask but dared not! He was trying to inquire on if the Emperor was protecting Lord Liu, but the Queen went to find trouble with Lord Liu, did that meant that the Emperor and the Queen were at war?

A retired Elder looked over to one of the noblemen who happened to be a minor official and diplomatically asked, "Have the Emperor made a move yet? Has he sent a summons to Lord Liu as well?"

The minor official shooked his head and replied, "No, the Emperor has been silent on this matter."

The Elder cocked an eyebrow and asked, "Is that so?"

"Yes, Elder," the minor noble replied.

A weird smirk formed on the lips of the Elder as the Elder looked over to the commoner who had asked the question and said, "Well, there you have it."

Everything one in the crowd looked at each other with wide eyes of shock and disbelief before pandemonium explode in the tea house.

In various restaurants, brothels, inns, wine houses, tea houses, and places of entertainment. Many scenes similar to these scenes played out all over the Imperial City.

As Liu Tián Qǔ intended, many craftsmen that were present in Liu Residence during the time that the summons from the Queen had arrived, all carried everything they witness out. They told many of all that they saw.

******************

Approximately an hour later, in the Meeting Hall of the Manor of a retired member of the Imperial court. A different scene played out. Long low tables filled the Meeting Hall. Ministers, officials, nobles, and retired elders sat at the tables that filled the meeting hall. The Meeting Hall was beyond full to capacity, forcing many of the younger nobles to have to squeeze into the back of the Meeting Hall to find a spot on the floor to sit.

A sober gloominess filled the atmosphere. The commoners may have considered the event that happened in Liu Residence to just be entertainment and gossip. However, the officials, ministers, and nobles understood the deeper ramifications behind the event.

Finally, a gloomy-looking general said, "I wonder with what courage the Queen decided to go pick a fight with the Lord of Liu Residence? The Peng Family and Chen Family are gone. So what backing does the Queen have?"

Another gloomy minor minister said, "Whatever backing she has now, she won't have for long, that much I can see?"

"Humph!" Another Minister said, "Even we nobles with power and backing decided to leave the Lord of Liu Residence be for now. So why did the Queen feel the need to go pick up a stone only to drop it on her own feet?"

Finally, a high official said, "It's obvious the Queen's move against Master Liu was a declaration of war even though the Queen lost badly this time. So that everyone knows, even though I don't plan on drowning in my bath. I will be following Master Liu's example of becoming sick starting tomorrow. My family has connections to the Yan family, but there is no way I am going to allow myself to be caught in the middle of a fight between a dragon and a tiger. I will be sending a memorandum to the Palace as soon as I return home."

Another high ranking official scoffed, "What fight between a dragon and a tiger?! The Queen has no backing. In order for her aimless struggle to be called a fight between a dragon and a tiger, she must first be on equal footing with the Emperor."

A puzzled official asked, "Could there be someone behind her pushing her to her death? The Queen is the type of person that will not give up until she reaches the Yellow River. However, for her to begin a war with no backing, she can't be that stu...uh...cough...naive, right?"

An older noble said, "Well, whether she reaches a river, pond, lake, the ocean or sea, I couldn't care less, as long as I'm not dragged into her useless struggles. I think I will be retiring to my country estate due to poor health until this blows over."

Sudden a commander who was in attendance laughed and said, "Aiya that Master Liu of Liu Residence indeed has a cunning mind. I would love to meet him. The Queen's face must be red from the heavy slap he sent her."

Several other officials laughed until another high minister of the court cut them off by saying, "That is not what concerns me. What concerns me is the silence of the Emperor. When it's all said and done, the Lord of Liu Residence didn't even try to give the Queen a bit of face. He didn't even try to use a believable excuse. Drowned? What drowned? If he drowned, why is he still breathing? Ah!? The Queen is still apart of the Imperial Family."