114 Grand Wedding (1/2)
”She literally slapped the taste out of that fat slob'smouth. Hahaha, it was amazing, you should have seen it.I doubt he'll be eating anything solid for the next six months.”
Fu Qian waved his arms around animatedly as he clumsily narrated the scene of Zhi Ruo floggingHong Zhang.
The stylish man was recounting the events of the prior day to Hartley who sat smiling on the second floor of his manor in a comfortable cushioned chair, the room was a large and open-planned lounge with a cozy fire place in the pillar at its center sending out flickers of yellow fire-light and warmth.
Sat close beside Hartley with an arm wrapped around his waist,Zhi Ruo blushed girlishly at the over-exaggerated way Fu Qian was acting but she didn't protest or mind too much.
At the other end of the room Qin Li sat with a smile plastered across his face, trying his best to suppress his laughter from bursting forth.
”Lady Ruo,” Fu Qian now had a serious look on his face after recounting the story, he walked over and dropped to one knee in a knight's salute. The flickering lights from the fire place highlighted his mature handsome features in yellow.
”I want you to take my daughter under your wings. I want her to be justlike you so I don't ever have to worry about any noble harassing her again, for this I will forever serve House Hartley with every last drop of blood within my veins. This I swear to you ma'lady.” Fu Qian looked reverently towards Zhi Ruo with a face full of anticipation.
Zhi Ruo looked at Hartley awkwardly, she didn't know how to respond to this request. She wasn't a teacher and at first she wasn't interested in cultivation like most other girls, if not for her mother's situation and Hartley pushing her, she would probably be just like his daughter.
Hartley laughed out at the bewildered look on Zhi Ruo's face... he too had no idea what to say. All he could do was shrug and say. ”It's up to her, if she truly wants to cultivate she can join the others.”
Two months went by quickly and the thaw of the spring was upon the capital. The relentless snows that had bombarded the region for the past months were now receding turning the frozen ground soft and into a quagmire of slushy mud.
As dawn broke over the capitalon a chilly spring morning, another piece of major news was doing the rounds in the aristocratic circles. Sir Lingwei had been relieved of his duties at Windsor Peak Castle with immediate effect. He had been ruthlessly axed by the pragmatic young prince.
He was to be replaced by Viscount Sanzu who had finally made it to the capital. People put one and one together and figured that this was because of the Viscount'skinship with the rising star of the Western Hills which led to him being favored by the prince.
Viscount Sanzu was immediatelyinstated as the chief administrator for the young prince, relegating Sir Lingwei to the obscurity of a common nobleman.
The days passed without incident in the western hills and the population of commoners in the region was increasing slowly.
Qin Li had informed Hartley that he had instructed Fu Qian to spread the word that the commoners from the flat lands could seek refuge in his territory. Hartley didn't care too much about it, his fief had expanded and there was a need for more man power. Hartley wouldn't bound himself to the unwritten rules of the nobles before him. If the people wanted to work for the betterment of the Western Hills then so be it. It was their choice as far as he was concerned.
People from the flat lands constantly sought refuge in Hartley's fief, word had spread that the standard of living for the common people there was like night and day compared to theflat lands.
They began to abandon the flat lands in droves as they searched for a better life and a better future for themselves and their family.
The increase in size of Hartley's fief meant that accommodating the influx of extra people wasn't too hard. They quickly built some temporary housing for the newcomers before a more permanent solution could be organized after the thaw.
Some went to work in the mines immediately while others joined the security team with a few days of training by Fu Qian, they were all eager to start earning a fair wage, and make an impression in the Western Hills.
Hartley was slowly learning as the population increased that he needed qualified people to delegate certain jobs to, like blacksmith, apothecary and someone who could train his troops. He wanted to first establish a quality fighting force of a few hundred before expanding his forces to be on par with other nobles.