XH 193 - This miss, can you not destroy another person's property?
It was a day before the Second Prince's grand wedding and there was news even hotter than that! 《A Pair Of Genuine Eye》 pawn shop under Second Prince's name was actually selling information to Gu Dan country spread like a wildfire!
The one that daringly spoke out was a previous employee, sacked after discovering the truth! He could remain silent to keep his job, but he, with a heart full of devotion to the kingdom, proceed to protest and got sacked for his noble efforts.
But to everyone's horror, that previous employee was not only sacked, but also beaten up badly! He was lucky to survive and with strong will, dragged his battered body to the court to demand justice!
To this, no matter how much the citizens admired and trusted the Second Prince, they could not stand aside and watch the poor man, their fellow countryman, to suffer such great injustice!
Fortunately for Liu Chu Chu, after being disowned from Liu family, she was able to stay in the palace peacefully with Concubine He until the Second Prince officially carried her to enter his manor after the wedding ceremony. No busybody females dared to enter the palace just to question Liu Chu Chu about the rumors, especially when Imperial Concubine He had rejected all guests on Liu Chu Chu's behalf.
This incident quickly reached the Emperor's ears and he angrily summoned his second son to explain to him what had happened.
"Father Emperor, this son had gifted this property to Minister Chu for helping me out in the past. It had been three months since then and this son does not know what happened to it," Long Shan indifferently explained to the Emperor whose face was twisted in anger.
It was normal for higher class nobles to treat properties as a valuable gift to others and no one dared to comment whether it was ethical or not when the Emperor himself often gifted his talented ministers with lands or women.
"This son had successfully transferred the ownership of the property to Minister Chu. There should not be any mistakes during the process," Long Shan continued coldly. His tone was the same as telling everyone to stop wasting his time.
"Bring Minister Chu to me!" The Emperor bellowed angrily and his head eunuch quickly went to summon Minister Chu to enter the palace.
The Emperor could not let this issue to bring danger to the Guilin Kingdom! The four kingdoms viewed Gu Dan as enemy. If his kingdom was known to be working with Gu Dan, he feared there would be a war with againsts three kingdoms!
Once the real mastermind of this was unearthed, he will punish that person severely as a warning to others that dared to be a traitor to the Guilin Kingdom as well as declaring that he, the Guilin Emperor, would never join forces with Gu Dan!
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"Should she not gather good karma for the second half of her life?" Liu Bing questioned with unconcealed distaste as he watched the crime going on in broad daylight.
According to his teacher's words, women have two fates in their lifetime. One was their fate after birth and the second was their marriage life. The former was where their fate depended on their previous life's karma, and the latter was their hard work to secure a good marriage.
"I doubt Fifth Miss Liu believe in karma that much," Duke Heng said lightly, fanning himself with his folding fan under the sun. "This is her action to remove her obstacles."
Liu Bing stared at his teacher with a conflicted gaze. "This method is rather cruel." Especially when Miss Wan had only tried to get the Second Prince's favor, aiming to enter his household.
Duke Heng stared at the three suspicious men carrying the unconscious Miss Wan Ting into a shabby carriage. Her maid was knocked out and tossed to the side. It was clear that Miss Wan Ting was their sole target.
He had sent a few men to watch over Miss Wan Ting in case Liu Chu Chu decided to give her some trouble. When he received a note from his men, he immediately dropped everything and brought along his student to watch the play written by Liu Chu Chu.
"Teacher, do you plan to rescue her after figuring out their plan for her?" Liu Bing asked.
Duke Heng smiled meaningfully. "Don't you think that this could be a valuable lesson for Miss Wan to learn from?"
Liu Bing hesitated, but in the end decided not to speak. Whatever his teacher decided to do, Liu Bing knew that his teacher would not harm Miss Wan Ting.
The kidnappers drove the carriage away, and Duke Heng entered his carriage to follow them discreetly without losing them.
The kidnapper stopped the carriage at the backdoor of a prostitute house where a female prostitute opened the door and waved the kidnappers in with unconscious Miss Wan Ting.
"Miss Liu is rather merciless," Liu Bing said grimly as he peeked out of the window. "To think she would wish for Miss Wan to be completely ruined by forcing her to be a prostitute."
Duke Heng shakes his head. "Miss Liu must have prepared someone for Miss Wan Ting to be caught in bed with. Marriage is a more permanent solution to get rid of her rival."
If Liu Chu Chu indeed have the same plan ad Liu Bing said, Miss Wan Ting could still be rescued by Minister Wan from the prostitute house, and he has enough connections to cover the truth. Miss Wan Ting could overcome the trauma and counterattack Miss Liu. With enough preparations and power, Miss Wan Ting can still force herself to enter the Second Prince's household.
Liu Bing turned to look at his teacher, ready to receive any order from him. He guessed that they will secretly enter the prostitute house, for Duke Heng have a clean reputation of not indulging with sinful hobbies. Not to mention, if he was to enter using the main entrance, they would meet familiar faces of the ministers that frequently visited the pleasure house. Duke Heng would be stopped by them with the intention of playing together, as well as trying to get some blackmail material from the previous prime minister.
It would be chaotic.
Snapping his folding fan shut, Duke Heng said, "Miss Liu had her men use a knockout medicine on Miss Wan Ting. When will Miss Wan Ting wakes up?"
Liu Bing straighten his back, knowing that his teacher was quizzing him. "The kidnappers had poured the knockout medicine onto a napkin, enough for an adult man to remain unconscious for two hours."
"If the medicine was diluted until a quarter of the effect remained, how soon do you think Miss Wan Ting will wake up?"
"Only a quarter?" Liu Bing was taken aback. "The dosage had been strictly measured to a standard dose safe for consumption under a doctor's guidance. It was twenty years ago since then and no one could reduce or increase the dosage without failure to occur."
There were plenty of ingredients able to create knockout medicine, but their dosage and effect was too unpredictable. One could sleep for years and died, or one was able to sleep peacefully for one night. It was after long years of experiment that a group of doctors finally successfully conclude a measurement that always yield the same result. Since then, that measurement was the standard medication.
"Miss Liu was able to modify the dosage without harming anyone yet." Even if Duke Heng treated Liu Chu Chu as an enemy, he still respect her talent, from what his spy had told him about her accomplishment. "With that small amount of dose, within half an hour, Miss Wan Ting will regain consciousness, but her body will not be under her control until the medicine is completely gone."
Liu Bing was amazed at the new measurement, but he focused on the important matter. "Why would they give Miss Wan a smaller dosage? Do they want her to wake up earlier?"
"Does Miss Wan Ting have any admirer that frequent this establishment?" Duke Heng asked.
Liu Bing had been asked to investigate about Miss Wan Ting and could still remember about what he had found out. "The only one that match the condition is the second in command of the army, General Sun's youngest son, Sun Xiang. Could it be Miss Liu wants to give Miss Wan to Sun Xiang?"
The top rank ministers knew that the Second Prince and General Tang's relationship had turned sour but no one knew what had happened between them. Liu Bing wondered if the Second Prince wanted to rope General Sun to his side to replace General Tang.
"Dou Dou, how's the situation inside?" Duke Heng asked.
"Miss Wan was placed in a room. The 'Mother' of prostitutes is leading Sun Xiang to that room after telling him that there is a gift for him." A man answered from outside the carriage.
"Is she awake?"
"Yes. She is aware, but unable to move her body."
"Amazing, for Miss Liu to be able to modify the knockout medicine with this effect," Duke Heng marveled. "Let Miss Wan Ting hear enough before bringing her away."
"Yes." The shadow outside the carriage disappeared.
"Jin Jin, those men?" Duke Heng asked.
"Knocked out and tied up." Another man answered outside the carriage. "They are just ordinary hired thugs that does not know who hired them."
"Hand them over to Minister Wan for him to deal with. Tell him everything that they had done to his daughter."
"Now or later, Lord?"
Duke Heng mused, tapping his folding fan on his chin. "We can hand them over when we return Miss Wan. Tie them at the back of the carriage."
"Alright."
It does not take long for Dou Dou to return with Miss Wan Ting. Duke Heng's secret guards were enough to deal with the guards hired by the prostitute house.
With her body still being disobedient, Dou Dou placed Miss Wan Ting opposite Duke Heng, arranged her to sit upright. Liu Bing followed Dou Dou away, leaving them to have a private conversation.
Miss Wan Ting's hair was a little messy and empty of any accessories, but her clothing still remained intact. Her body language screamed of fear, but her gaze was as hostile as a cornered prey.
"Miss Wan, it's fortunate that I've ordered my men to keep an eye on you or else you will have to wed Sun Xiang regardless of how unwilling you are." Duke Heng eyed the younger girl seated opposite him. Even after such humiliation, her will was still strong.
"Wan Ting thank Duke Heng for saving my small life. But why would Prime Minister Heng keep an eye on me?" Wan Ting asked coldly, her confidence slowly returning when she could move her fingers, indicating that she will have the rest of her body under control soon.
"You have offended Fifth Miss Liu and Second Prince. Many knew that you will not end up well if you continue harassing the Second Prince."
"I have never harassed Second Prince!" Wan Ting snapped. "Is this what people are thinking of whenever I chatted with His Highness?"
"Merely chating? That's not so." Duke Heng eyed Miss Wan Ting with a piercing gaze. "You had endlessly acted like a noisy fly around the uninterested Second Prince, going as far as harming his intended. In everyone's eyes, you are a foolish and jealous girl seeking her own demise."
"How dare you say that without knowing me!" Wan Ting said angrily, raised her hand to slap him, disregarding his identity.
At that moment, the carriage abruptly stopped, unbalancing Wan Ting and saved her from doing something she would deeply regret later. The loud screeching of the horses frightened Wan Ting, her wide eyes darted around the interior of the carriage that had hidden outside from view.
"Liu Bing, protect Miss Wan," Duke Heng ordered as the smell of blood reaching his nose.
With a speed that a gentlemen that only read books would not possess, Liu Bing slipped in, grabbed Wan Ting and rolled out of the carriage before the interior split into two. The attacker did not halt the attack and relentlessly destroy the remaining of the carriage.
"This miss, can you not destroy another person's property?" Duke Heng scolded, using his folding fan to cover half of his face to protect himself from the dust. As a lower stage of the fourth rank cultivator, that violent assault failed to harm him.
"I won't hold a grudge if you agree to compensate my carriage but your current attire betrays your bearing of a shameless criminal that would flee without paying for your crimes."
The female in a tight, figure hugging attire glared at Duke Heng coldly, her hand clutching a green whip tightly. "Your carriage would not met its end if you had not interfered with our business. Hand over that girl."
"I was asked to protect this girl. I have to politely decline your uncultured demand."
The female's gaze turned colder, emitting killing intent. "Then don't blame me for sending you to hell!"
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