After Lan Shuang finished speaking, not only the young masters, but even the people who had been serving her were stunned and looked at her in surprise.
Meng Yu asked anxiously, "Prince, have you really thought it through? Don't leave anyone behind? Then our palace will be empty. Why don't you reconsider it?"
Without waiting for Lan Shuang to speak, Meng Yu quickly pointed at a few people and said to her, "This is your favorite Mr. Qiu——"
Young Master Qiu was the one wearing red clothes before. When he saw Lan Shuang looking at him, he immediately covered his face with a handkerchief in a wronged manner and threw her a wronged and seductive look.
Lan Shuang: “…”
"And this Mr. Su, you said he sings beautifully."
Lan Shuang narrowed her eyes. This was the lip balm mark left on her face just now.
"That Mr. Lian in white over there, you said he was three times sicker than Xi Shi, and he was the most pitiful."
"And this..."
Meng Yu named them one by one. At the end, Lan Shuang looked at her expressionlessly. Meng Yu's face flushed with anger and she couldn't help asking, "What...what happened?"
"Since you remember them so clearly, why don't you take them?"
The expressions of those young masters suddenly changed and they shook their heads hurriedly.
Meng Yu: "..."
Although, you don't have to be so obvious about your dislike, right?
"My Lord, do you really want me? I have always admired you and never had any second thoughts. I don't know how I have offended you. Why are you so heartless?"
The young men surrounded her, knelt on the ground, looked up at Lan Shuang with tears in their eyes, which made Lan Shuang feel uncomfortable all over.
She is used to equality between men and women and is not used to either side being superior to the other. This kind of social relationship is unhealthy.
Especially the men from Kun country, each one more charming and delicate than the other, and when they knelt on the ground, Lan Shuang felt very confused.
"Get up," Lan Shuang said helplessly, "It's not that you did anything wrong, but I'm getting married soon, and I have to leave a good impression on Zhengjun."
"Really? Although I haven't been to school, I know that a wife is the most respected by her husband. How could she dismiss her husband just to please the Lord?"
Several people clearly didn't believe it.
Lan Shuang reflected on it and realized that this excuse was indeed not very good.
Her silence made them even more sad, and they began to sob and wipe away their tears.
Lan Shuang was suddenly overwhelmed and she silently said sorry to Jiang Lusheng in her heart.
"Ahem—don't cry, I did lie just now."
The expressions of several young masters suddenly changed, and their faces showed "I knew it".
Lan Shuang: “…”
She ignored the looks and sighed before beginning, "In fact, it's that Second Young Master Jiang who is intolerant. He has a bad temper and likes to be jealous. If I don't dismiss the people in the mansion, he won't marry."
"How could he do this? As a man, isn't the most important thing to do the Three Obediences and Four Virtues? He should regard his wife as his heaven and his wife as his guide. Whatever his wife says is his destiny. How can he threaten her?"
"That's right. Besides, Your Highness is a prince of the current dynasty, how noble is he?! He's just a bastard son of a duke's mansion, neither the eldest nor the legitimate son, yet he's so pretentious. How can Your Highness tolerate this?"
"I can't help it. Who made me like him?" Lan Shuang spread her hands and said innocently, "A hero is hard to resist the temptation of beauty. I fell in love with him at first sight and am willing to accept his heart, so I can only let you down."
"Your Highness~~"
Seeing that several people were about to cry out again, Lan Shuang quickly stopped them. She stood up and said seriously, "This king is not negotiating with you. No matter what you say or how you argue, this king has made up his mind. I sent someone to redeem your indentures when you entered the palace. You are all innocent citizens now. There is no need to bow down to me anymore."
Several young masters looked at her in shock. Lan Shuang gave Meng Yu a look, and this time Meng Yu finally understood her train of thought. He ordered several guards to come forward and help the man up.
"Outside of Prince Rong's Mansion, few people know you. This prince will give you a sum of money to ensure that you will have food and clothing for the rest of your life. You can go wherever you want, stay in Kyoto or go abroad, get married or live on your own. This prince said he would not interfere, so he will not interfere."
Lan Shuang glanced over one by one, meeting their anxious gazes. She sighed, "You are all in your prime years. I wouldn't touch you if you stayed in Prince Rong's Mansion. Why waste your time in this small courtyard?"
She sighed and said, "Let's go."
The young masters were silent for a while, looking at each other.
Seeing that they had stopped howling, Lan Shuang waved and someone from the accounting office came forward with a box in his hands. Lan Shuang opened the lid and said, "Those of you who want to leave, come here to collect your money. I will give you half a day to think about it. If anyone still refuses to leave at night, don't blame me for being ruthless."
After saying that, she turned and left, leaving the whole yard as quiet as a chicken.
Meng Yu looked at her back, hesitating whether to follow her. Since the prince didn't say anything, it probably meant that there was no need.
She simply stayed to look after the young masters.
After waiting for a few seconds, someone suddenly came forward and said to the accountant, "I'm leaving."
Without a word, the accountant handed him a few banknotes. The young man's eyes lit up, and he turned around, knelt down and bowed deeply in the direction of Lan Shuang's courtyard, saying gratefully, "Ning Chen thanks His Majesty!"
After kowtowed three times, he put the banknotes in his arms and turned away.
When someone sets an example, others will follow suit.
Many people here came to the mansion for various reasons. Some of them sold themselves here because their families were really unable to make ends meet. They had no love or hate for Lan Shuang. Now that they had the opportunity to leave, they were so happy that they couldn't contain their gratitude to Lan Shuang.
With this money, the whole family will no longer starve.
Since we have to leave anyway, we might as well be more self-disciplined and everyone will be happy.
Soon more and more people came to collect their money.
Only a few young men who had a close relationship with Lan Shuang had not left. Meng Yu glanced at them. They hesitated for a while, but finally compromised.
In one afternoon, the entire backyard was empty. Some of the young men took their things away, while others did not. Looking around, the once bustling garden was left with only fallen flowers.
Meng Yu inexplicably felt a bit sad, and his face was gloomy when he went to report to Lan Shuang.
Lan Shuang glanced at her and thought there were still some stubborn residents, so she asked anxiously, "Who hasn't left?"
Meng Yu sniffed and said, "They're all gone."
"All gone? Not a single one left?" Lan Shuang raised her eyebrows.
Meng Yu nodded heavily.
"They're gone, so what's with that expression?" Lan Shuang was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. "Have you really developed feelings for them?"
I dare not respond to this! Meng Yu quickly said, "I dare not. I am just sentimental and cannot stand separation."
Lan Shuang: “…”
"Everyone has their own destiny. Their future isn't here. The sooner they go, the better. Why grieve?" She picked up a pearl and said, "I forgot to give him this box of things. You should go and deliver it to the Duke of England in person."
(End of this chapter)
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