A retired Elder who was also a rival of the Minister that just spoke said scornfully, "Minister, what rock did you crawl from under? Apart of the Imperial Family!? The question is, for how long? Can't you read the signs? Chances are the Queen will be deposed before the year is out."

Several elders, ministers, and officials began shouting at the retired elder. No one wanted to be accused of the crime of treason or any other random crime because of the elder's words. Many schemers were present in the meeting. No one wanted to end up as cannon fodder in a scheme of one of the schemers present, just because they happened to be in the same room as the Elder when the treasonous words he said were spoken.

"Aiya Elder Cai, you can't just say anything that pops into your head." The minster yelled across at the elder.

Another retired elder shouted, "Elder Cai, if you want to plan your doom, please don't do it in my presence I'm not done living yet.

"This old man! You've been politics long enough to know what can be said and what should not be said," another elder said loudly with great displeasure as he pointed and shook his finger at Elder Cai.

Elder Cai stubbornly jutted his chin out and said, "I'm just saying what you all were thinking anyway."

A high ranking official eyed Elder Cai and said diplomatically, "Elder Cai no one knows the true heart or thoughts of another person. You are free to think whatever you want to think, but I asked you to keep such thought to yourself while in this gathering." The high ranking official gave Elder Cai a meaningful look and said, "Might I also remind Elder Cai that there are two of your family's scions sitting in jail right now. Be mindful of your words lest the consequences fall on their head."

"Humph," Elder Cai grunted with a deep scowl on his face, but he said nothing more.

A minor minister looked over to the minister that asked the question that started everything and said, "Minister, you've just arrived from the countryside, so maybe you don't know. The Emperor protected the Lord of Liu Residence in court already. The Lord of Liu Residence is friends with Wang Fèn Yǒng and Wang Royal Manor. There is also a rumor going around the Lord of Liu Residence is, in fact, a member of the Imperial Family, which I'm starting to believe more and more. Why do you think we backed away and decided to leave the Lord Liu along for now?"

The minor minister was starting to noticeably become upset as he explained. "My son is sitting in jail, my slaves are rebelling, and my wife is never home to take care of things. Instead, she goes to learn how to read and write at the Imperial Academy every day. That Lord of Liu Residence turned my life into a mess! Do you think I would just let him be after that if he didn't have the backing of the emperor?" The poor minor minster was red-faced, breathing heavy and deeply agitated by the time he finished explaining.

The atmosphere in the room turned very gloomy as the Minister, Officials, and Noblemen began grumbling their displeasure with the Lord of Liu Residence.

A young nobleman said with a sour face, "I couldn't take my slaves rebelling any more. I am now paying them a wage! Why do I have to pay my slaves a wage? Ah?! I bought them, and they are mine! Why do I have to pay them to do what I bought them to do in the first place?!"

A retired Elder waved his hands at the young nobleman and said, "It's better to pay them."

The retired Elder then began to explain his reasoning, "Minister Bo and Elder Ha were among the officials that began beaten their slaves to death to get them to stop rebelling. Mysteriously at night, their manors burned down." At the words of the retired Elder, an inaudible murmur rippled throughout the Meeting Hall.

"Already a total of twelve manors have burned down in the Imperial City. The most interesting thing is that none of the slaves were harmed in any of the fires. Elder Ha then had to turn around and sell the remainder of his slaves that didn't vanish into the night. Minister Bo put all his slaves to death that didn't escape. But that didn't bring back his manor. I heard he is now destitute because he lost everything in the fire. Just pay them a small wage, even I decided to offer my slaves a wage and better treatment." The retired Elder concluded.

Another elder nodded solemnly and said, "I've heard about those unfortunate events. I, too, had heard about the slaves of the burned manors that vanished overnight. I've heard that since their contracts burned in the manors that burned down, there is no proof that they were once slaves."

With a frown marring his face, a high ranking official spoke out, "All one has to do, is return to the slave house where you bought the slave. There you can obtain a copy of the transaction. What do you mean there is no proof that the escaped slaves are slaves, Elder?

With a cocked eyebrow, the Elder looked at the high ranking minister and said, " I guess you haven't heard how Elder Ha went to the slave houses where he bought his slaves to see if he could get a copy of the slave contracts that burned in his manor. Instead, the slave masters of the slave houses chased him away. The slave masters are fearful that the freed slaves would come to burn down their slave houses, so they refuse to give out copies of old slave contracts. They claimed that all the old contracts were already destroyed."

"Ah?!" The high ranking member exclaimed. With a look of deep astonishment, shock, and worry, the high ranking official couldn't help but voice aloud, "Things have come this far already?!"

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Finally, the oldest retired elder present surnamed Lai, who was also a brilliant scholar, spoke up and said, "Within the reign of the Emperor, expect slavery to be abolished. I will probably be gone by the time that happens. So, I will advise the younger generation to prepare for it" An unnatural silence blanket the Meeting Hall none dared to interrupt Elder Lai as he spoke into the unnatural silence. Elder Lai was famous for always accurately predicting the changes in currents and waves before the storm arrived.

"Instead of fighting with your slaves, I would encourage everyone to make them useful and bind them to your houses using their gratitude. Have none of you not notice that the emperor has been silent concerning this matter with the slaves? The Tolling Lands was built on slavery. Yet the Emperor has remained silent as the slaves have started to rebel? What does that tell you?"

At the council of the retired old Elder Lai, deep shock shooked the hearts of everyone gathered in the Meeting Hall, and the Elders, Officials, Nobles, and Ministers looked at each other in shock. They were all shocked speechless. No one dared to take Elder Lai light. Never had he been wrong. Of the many gathered in the Meeting Hall, the majority of them had at one time, or another sought the advice or counsel of Elder Lai.

Elder Lai observed every one gathered in the meeting hall, seeing the thoughts that were beginning to show in the eyes and faces of the men gathered in the meeting hall as they were coming out of their shock. Elder lai shook his head and said, "I see that many of you are now thinking to go fight with his majesty and are also thinking to began to suppressing and pressuring your slaves. I would advise you not to do so."

"Why," an official said in a loud voice, almost yelling. Although he respected Elder Lai greatly, he just couldn't take it anymore. "They are my property. I can do what I want with them. His majesty should be helping us to keep the Lord of Liu Residence in check and to stop this madness!"

Elder Lai took it upon himself to correct the official, "We are His Majesty's advisers and the guardians of the Tolling Lands. The fate of the Tolling Lands will depend on how the matter with the slaves is handled. If we can handle this situation properly, then that will help the Tolling Lands advance further than any other country in the Northern Lands. I agree with the Emperor in abolishing slavery." A clamorous ripple tore through the Meeting Hall at Elder Lai's confession. Elder Lai was known as a farseeing Elder. Yet he agreed with the Emperor. Why?!

Just about everyone in the meeting leaned forward, wanting to know why Elder Lai would think the foundation of the Tolling Lands needed to be changed.

"Do you want to know why?" Elder Lai looked around him at the attentive officials, ministers, nobles, and the other Elders gathered in the Meeting Hall.

"The Tolling Lands foundation is built on slavery. What if one day the slaves begin to rebel for true? What would happen to the Tolling Lands? We all are getting a minor taste of it now, and many of you cannot handle it. What if every slave in the Tolling rebelled at once for true? What would happen to the Tolling Lands?" Elder Lai asked the men gathered in the meeting hall who were tasked with guarding the country.

Silence reign in the Meeting Hall for almost three full minutes. First, horror and alarm had shook the hearts of everyone gathered in the meeting hall. When the horror eased, with great alarm, everyone began to truly think about what would happen if the foundation of the Tolling Lands was suddenly torn apart with no preparation. Not one person in the meeting hall wanted to see that happen.

Finally, a fearful minor minister said, "Aiya Elder Lai! There is no reason to be saying all these scary, gloomy things, Ah?! Things have been fine so far..."

Another Elder cut the minor minister off by said, "No, they are not fine! The Lord of Liu Residence already showed all the slaves of the Imperial City that they, too, can live like human beings. If we allow this to become a distraction now, by allowing the dissatisfaction of the slaves to grow, it will lead to greater consequences."

A high ranking official immediately agreed, "With the way things are now, how can we confidently fight an external threat without worry about internal threats? Ah?! We are preparing for war now, what would we do if our slaves choose to rebel as we face an external threat? What then?!"

A strange silence once more settle over the Meeting Hall as trepidation and unease filled the shaken men gathered in the Meeting Hall.

"Elder Lai," The same high ranking official broke the unnatural silence, "A moment ago you encouraged everyone to make their slaves useful and to bind the slaves using their gratitude. Will you please expound on that thought a bit more?"

Elder Lai met the gaze of the high ranking official and nodded before saying, "Many of you only saw the actions of the Lord of Liu Residence as a slap in the face. To me, it was a wake-up call. As we all know, slaves are the foundation of the Tolling Lands. What we must all realize if we haven't already is that, that in itself is a weakness."

Everyone in the Meeting Hall listened attentively to Elder Lai as he spoke. "Fixing this issue is not something that could be done overnight. Nevertheless, it is for us the guardians of Tolling Land to decide how this can be fixed, and we must start somewhere. Many of you are very angry with Lord Liu, and rightfully so. My first reaction was anger until I sat down and thought the matter through. That is neither here nor there. What I want to know is how many of you could see the wisdom in the actions of the Lord of Liu Residence?"

Elder Lai looked around at the perplexed and confused men that were gathered in the Meeting Hall. Just about all the officials, ministers, nobles, and retired elders were thinking,' What wisdom in his actions? Wasn't he just sending us a slap for using the disturbance at Liu Residence to try to pin him down and drag him before the Imperial court?

If Liu Tián Qǔ had been in attendance in the Meeting Hall, she would have been just as confused as the officials, ministers, nobles, and retired elders. She would have said, 'Elder Lai, you are totally overthinking things and giving me unwarranted praise. Okay? What wisdom to my actions?! All I wanted to do was send a slap and warning to the people that were bothering me. Since I was already planning to help the slaves of my residence to live a better life, I thought, why not help the commoners that I could help as well. But...When did I become Ji Gong, Ah?!'

A deeply perturb Elder Cai respectfully asked with a troubled look marring his face, "You mean there was more to what Lord Liu of Liu Residence did? He wasn't just causing trouble for us?"

A faint smile of admiration ghosted across Elder Lai's face, "I would say that he was killing two birds with one stone."

An audible murmur rippled through the men gathered in the Meet Hall, and several officials, ministers, and noblemen couldn't help but involuntarily give voice to the questions running through their hearts and minds.

"Elder Lai, are you saying the Lord Liu wasn't just blindly starting trouble but had an agenda?" Another Elder asked.