Smiling like a devil, Zhi Ruo continued to harass the maid. "This Xiaojie doesn't go out much, tell me what other important matters is happening in the Liu Fu?"
Groaning, the maid supressed the urge to vomit everything she had consumed. "Th- ughh, the masters ha-had severe backpains just yesterday after dinner. Second and the third Xiaojie went out this morning to personally buy the medicine the doctor had prescribed."
"Go on."
"I heard," stuttering she continued. "I heard from the General Liu's butler, that the general's symptoms are much more severe than the rest of the masters. The general might not come to court this day. I also personally heard from the doctor when I accompanied the second concubine, that it was just due to the rapidly colder weather."
Zhi Ruo could not help but snicker to what she heard from the mouth of the maid. She knew that the doctor could barely discern the traces of poison, but did not disclose it fearing for his life.
Zhi Ruo did not take the doctor for a fool, what 'due to the cold weather' bullshit. It was due to the poison that she had put.
Seeing the dark smile hanging on Zhi Ruo's lips, the maid could do nothing but stay silent . After all she also had a problem she had to deal with, like the poison that she had consumed for one.
Snapping out of her reverie, Zhi Ruo stared at the maid who was clutching her stomach in fear. "Scram." Zhi Ruo said.
The maid did not need to be told twice as she stood up and took whatever she brought with her and ran for her life.
An hour had passed, and the air in front on Zhi Ruo wavered with the familiar aura of her butler. Ravel had returned, and on his hands were a box of food.
"I'm back master, did you wait long?" The butler smiled.
"No, I was stabilizing my foundations. I just broke through." Zhi Ruo lightly said. "Food?" She inquired.
"Yes, I brought it from a popular restaurant. I hope master likes it." Ravel opened the container and the smell of the food inside wafted around the entire courtyard.
"I'm not that picky don't worry." Zhi Ruo directly picked up the chopsticks that Ravel handed and ate the food. "Dont stare around too much, it's messy but this house had sheltered the past me for years." Chewing Zhi Ruo giggled at Ravel's upset face.
"The general is spiteful," shaking his head Ravel stated.
"It's the concubine that's spiteful, the general is neglectful." Zhi Ruo corrected.
He sighed, "What is master planning to do?" Ravel asked what Zhi Ruo's plans were. He was eager to help her get back on the Liu Fu.
"When my mother left the world, she passed her dowry to me, her child. But as I got older, that dowry didn't end up in my hands. But instead ended up on Liu Su Yang's clutches." Zhi Ruo chewed as she spoke.
"On the farthest wing of the Liu Fu, there stood a warehouse." She told Ravel. "That warehouse is guarded by the General's soldiers, it is where the riches of the Liu Fu is gathered. The Treasury of all the rewards that the general had earned throughout the years of wars he faught." Pointing at a direction with her chopsticks Zhi Ruo informed.
"Now, there is a fifty percent chance that the dowry that I was supposed to have is put there. But I don't know if the Liu Fu had already spent my dowry." Zhi Ruo said unsure.
"Then?" Ravel pressed on.
"Then we will steal- errr barrow all the treasures that's inside that warehouse. Dowry or not, we will loot all of the things thats inside." Laughing, Zhi Ruo handed the container back to Ravel who took it.
"I tried doing it the first night that I crossed over, but I was too weak and got almost discovered. But I don't need to worry about that now, because I got you." She stole a glance at Ravel who was deep in his thoughts.
"Might I suggest something?"
"Yes, of course."
"If we steal everything inside the Treasury, then the whole Liu Fu would collapse. Although we want that, I suggest we only steal the important stuff, leave some useless things behind. And set the warehouse on fire."
"I've always wanted to commit arson...."
"Pardon?"
"Continue."
"By the time the people rummage through the remains of the Treasury, they might get something intact, they might not." Ravel lightly smiled. "But wouldn't that ruin the moral of the soldiers? Knowing that they could've stopped the culprit? Well anyways, the amount of things that the fire would left behind would still be valuable. And it would still be enough to shoulder the Liu Fu for a few days."
"I see, so by the time that runs out. If they don't get another large income by the next three days, the Liu Fu would gradually fall into dept?"
"Yes, and that gambling house of the general would slowly fall. Since master already harvested all of the good stones in that establishment, when no good thing comes out of the stones for a few tries. No costumers would visit that gambling house."
"Leading no income from that establishment, but what about the other stores that the general has?"
"The largest income that the general gets is from that gambling house, they might get something from the other stores but the process would take long, and it would still fall short." Ravel pointed out.
"Alright, shall we go then?" Zhi Ruo stood up, agreeing to what Ravel had said. The black robe fluttered as she did so.
"Please lead the way"
Both of them wasted no time and headed straight to the direction of the Treasury. 50 meters from the warehouse, Ravel carried Zhi Ruo, and with a flash they broke through the warehouse without alerting anyone.
"When I passed through, I noticed that there was a barrier and a whistle alarm. I managed to break all of it before it all went out." Ravel informed Zhi Ruo.
"I noticed, theres three traps on the right and a pebble on the left side. Disabled the pebble first to break the array and destroy all the traps."
"Yes master."
With Zhi Ruo informing Ravel with the traps, and Ravel disabling them they finally made it to the center of the Treasury. All of the traps were destroyed the arrays broken and the valuable things stored away. The center of the warehouse laid numerous crystals, weapons, and armours. The walls of the warehouse were lined up with shelves.
And countless containers that are filled with huge amounts of pills, potions, herbs, and droughts. There were three doors that was yet to be opened. But before anything, Zhi Ruo stored all of the things into a replicating dimensions.
⟨ MP: 99/100→ 70/100 ⟩
Zhi Ruo went through the first door, and opened it. The place was filled with gold and crystals, there was also soul stones and numerous jewelries. Some of which are bursting with aura. Zhi Ruo took all of the things inside the room and only left a chest of gold.
"Master are you perhaps familiar with this insignia?" Ravel suddenly spoke to the side.
In his hands was a jade token with an familiar insignia, of 'Ye', when Ravel flipped the token the character of 'great clan' was seen. Zhi Ruo grasped the token, without any hesitation she bit her finger and let her blood drip on the center of the token.
"This is the token of my mother, this was supposed to be given to me the moment I learned how to talk." Zhi Ruo watched as the token glowed eeriely, "this has been bonded to me, whoever has the other token will know that I am alive. And when I die this token will break, and the other party will know that I'm dead."
"Then, is all of this your dowry master?" Seeing the token, Ravel asked Zhi Ruo.
"I don't know.." uncertainly, Zhi Ruo looked around the empty room. "This is just too little for a dowry of a daughter of the great clan." Seeing that everything, has been emptied out except for the chest of gold. Zhi Ruo went to the next room
This room was filled with countless high quality bolts of clothes, many luxurious clothes and more jewelry was piled up like a mountain.
"The Ye, insignia..." When Zhi Ruo flipped through the clothes, she found the insignia if the Ye clan on the back. "These are all supposed to be mine. Ravel pile all of the clothes, I'm taking all of these."
"Yes master."
Without question, Ravel followed Zhi Ruo's orders. The room was empty by the time the two left for the next room. The next room was full of scrolls, books, paper, and tablets.
"Gather them all." Within one command all of the things inside the room was already in Zhi Ruo's dimension.
⟨ MP: 73/100→ 20/100 ⟩
When the room was emptied out did Zhi Ruo heaved out a deep breath, her vision became blurry. But Ravel held her up in place, he didn't dare utter a word of complain.
"Shall we go master?"
"Transport me out of the premise, go back, and burn this warehouse down."
"Yes master."
Zhi Ruo perched upon a tree, as the warmth of the fire bellowed in the cold night. Shouts were heard the moment the warehouse was set ablaze. "Is it satisfactory?" She could hear Ravel mutter beside her, his hands on her back keeping the outside world know about their presence.
"Very," was Zhi Ruo's simple reply. She could see the panicked looks of the guards, and the stewards. "I just thought of something, seeing the Treasury of the general makes me wonder why it is so small."
'master in which part do you think that it is that small?' Ravel couldn't help but ask in his heart. Questioning how 'small is small', and how much, 'too much is too much', in the eyes of Zhi Ruo.
Nevertheless she continued. "Is the general that stupid to put all of his treasures in one place? In a very accessable place too."
'it would've been near impossible for others to break in though.' Ravel smiled wryly.
"I was thinking that the general has probably have other treasures hidden where only he could see, though judging from that character Liu Su Yang. If she found out it wouldn't be much of a secret anymore."
"It should be a family heirloom, or an ancient treasure only the head of the family would know." Ravel supplied. He carried Zhi Ruo, and happens back to her courtyard.
"But don't you think those are something we should definitely steal?" Zhi Ruo's feet touched the ground. And she asked.
"Doing so would be best, if master wants me to I can find it for you." Ravel gently smiled as he watched Zhi Ruo sit down on the entrance of the house.
"Nah, it's too troublesome. Something like that would definitely bring out bad luck or something. I saw it from a novel once." Came Zhi Ruo's lackadaisical answer.
"Master probably reads too much, but I do think in stealing those would probably bring more trouble for you master." Like a gentle bamboo, Ravel looked towards the smoke that was coming all the way from the warehouse.
"You think so?" Zhi Ruo could see the fire all the way from her courtyard. "What did you put on the fire anyways? Why doesn't it go out when people throw water on it? I saw a guy earlier and the water he threw didn't do shit."
"Oh it's just a little recipe I cooked, unless someone could figure it out by putting soil over the fire, or by freezing the entire premise. They won't be able to do much."
Zhi Ruo couldn't help but winced at the poor soul that was in charge of putting out the fire.
____________________________________________
(Ye Great clan residence)
An old man, opened his eyes. His wilted white beared shook as teardrops fell from his eyes. The jade token on his hands was glowing. "My grandchild! My grandchild is alive!" His body suddenly glowed. And his face changed from an old man to a middle aged man.
The hands that was holding the token was shaking. "My grandchild!" He shouted emotionally.
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