Chapter 8 - Turmoil At The Manor
The was an uproar in the Lao Manor's main courtyard the next day. Some servants ran out of the main courtyard in a hurry while others were peeking behind the wall with a curious look. Lory shook her head as she heard the commotion. Didn't they know the 'curiosity killed the cat' phrase? Then again, with no television and the net (Internet), these people were hungry for any kind of entertainment.
"Sister Luo, the Prime Minister wanted to kill the First Miss!" Cici suddenly grabbed Lory's hand. Her eyes bulged widely from shock.
Lory frowned. This was not the first time she heard a father wanting to kill or disown their child. Having many children should not make it normal for one to kill an offspring as if they were replaceable.
"Why...?" Lory asked. She was perplexed.
"It is because the First Miss stole the 'Red Dew Flower' pill," Cici enthusiastically said.
"What dew…?" Lory was baffled. He wanted to kill his daughter for a DEW?! Huh? That was new…
"Not Dew…" Cici corrected. "The Red Dew Flower pill is a fifth-grade pill. It is our Master's treasure. They say if you are at the Master Level cultivation, you can easily jump to the King's level by taking this pill. It can also cure a person like the First Miss who has a bad constitution, allowing her to cultivate."
Lory was still confused, "So… it's a good thing. What is he mad about…?"
"Sssttt… It is a treasured pill. How can our Master give it to an unwanted kid like the First Miss.
Our master just broke through to Master Level cultivation. He wanted to use the pill to raise his cultivation further, but the pill was gone. You can only imagine how furious Master is?"
"So why not buy that 'Dew' pill again?" Lory still didn't understand the way people thought in this world. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. She felt she still needed to learn more to understand what was considered common sense in this world.
"It is not easy to get that kind of pill. Very few alchemists can make this pill not mentioning the fact that alchemists are rare in this country – especially one who can make that pill. Then again, Our Master finding such an alchemist won't guarantee ownership as the pill is very expensive thus a treasure," Ci ci sighed. It seemed the First Miss was really gonna die this time.
Lory still did not understand why a parent would be reluctant to sacrifice such a menial thing for his daughter, his own flesh and blood. The Prime Minister was a crazy selfish man. It was no wonder all his children were a little demented – Lao Min Na was a little bit crazy in her own ways.
Lory turned away to leave. It was better to not get involved in such a situation. She would rather do her job like scrubbing the floor rather than get involved with such madness.
Everyone! Gather in the main hall!!" The housekeeper, Mu Han, shouted stunning them. Lory could only sigh. She didn't have a good feeling about this. However, she could only follow the other maids to the main hall. Girsha watched her from the tree. He also thought the situation was weird.
He called her through their telepathic connection [Lory I don't feel good about it….]
Lory sigh [Yeah, me too…]
They all arrived in the main hall. The elders sat right in the middle of the room while Prime Minister Lao and his wife Yang Wei Lan sat on the left side. They look angry.
Lao Min Na stood in the middle of the room with a cold and indifferent face. The concubines and the other children were spread on both the left and right sides of the room. Their eyes brimmed with expectation. They were looking forward to a good show.
All the servants stood in the corner with their eyes on the floor. They did this to avoid calling attention towards themselves. They knew anyone of them could easily be chosen as a scapegoat should the Master need one.
Fortunately, Lory's body was small enough to hide behind other servants yet still be able to watch the situation clearly without anyone noticing. Prime Minister Lao forced Lao Min Na to kneel and confess that she had stolen the 'pill' even though there was no solid proof.
"You wretched daughter! Confess your crime right now!!" Prime Minister points his finger at Lao Min Na with a flustered face. His hand was shaking from holding in his anger.
"Husband, please… don't be like this. It is not good for your health," Yang Wei Lan stroked his arms lovingly.
"Hump… Like mother like daughter ..." the old Madam harrumph in disdain.
"I will not admit doing something I have not done," Lao Min Na said calmly. Her face remained placid. "And what proof do you have to accuse me of doing such things? Is there anyone who saw me steal from the treasury room?"
"..." Everyone was silent. No one saw it. The allegation against Lao Min Na was led by Lao Fei Yan and Yang Wei Lan. Lory couldn't guess how they lead the Prime Minister to this conclusion.
One of them may have mentioned nonchalantly to him that his first daughter was looking healthy lately or implied something similar. Such words would automatically rouse the suspicion of the angry prime minister. The Prime Minister was probably a smart man, but he underestimated the heart of a woman's scorn.
"How could there be any witnesses? The guards were killed. Somebody must have killed them to cover their tracks!!" Yang Wei Lan's words seemed righteous, but she glanced at Lao Min Na with accusation.
"It is you. You must have killed them!!" The prime minister yelled at Lao Min Na.
Lao Min Na sneered, "You think a weak woman like me who barely knew martial arts and how to cultivate could kill your two best guards? If that so... then maybe, we really do have some problem here…"
Prime Minister Lao face turned from white to red. Lao Min Na was right. Her body was always weak making her unable to cultivate. This was another reason he hated his useless daughter. However, if she was not the one who stole the pill, then who did it? Was it an outsider? But his manor was well protected by guards and hidden guards.
There was no way someone could enter his manor without alerting them. The dead guards were the only ones who knew what happened.
Yang Wei Lan gritted her teeth impatiently. She had wanted to use this opportunity to get rid of Lao Min Na once for all. She really hated Lao Min Na who grew up to look like her mother. Yang Wei Lan hated that concubine.
The concubine was more beautiful and talented than her and Prime Minister Lao was once heads over heels in love with that woman. Lao Min Na had the same eyes and mouth. The girl was even more beautiful than her mother. The only difference between mother and daughter was their demeanor which was like night and day.
The housekeeper entered the room with an anxious face when everyone was contemplating. He whispered in the Prime Minister's ear whose eyes bulge. He took a deep breath then calmed himself and said in a nervous voice, "Tell them to enter right away."
"Husband, what's wrong?" Yang Wei Lan asked. She rarely saw him that nervous.
He coughed slight and said calmly, "The princes are coming…"