Master Qian said with a cheerful smile, "Steward Old Zhu? I said we had ulterior motives. Then why don't you tell me what those motives are?"
"You want to take advantage of our weakness and seize my lord's estate. You're coveting my lord's castle and his vast fields."
"Hahaha, Steward Old Zhu, even if you are a frog at the bottom of a well, you must have heard of the Treasure Tree Clan. Besides, your lord's castle and estate look as if you've nearly run them into the ground. They're little more than empty shells. What do you think we could possibly want from them?"
Old Zhu's expression darkened. "You can make all the excuses you want, but someone has to believe you. I don't, and no one in our castle will believe your lies."
Master Qian laughed heartily. "Old Zhu, Old Zhu, it seems you've completely forgotten that you're just a servant. You keep claiming to speak for everyone in the castle. Where does that leave your lord? Or are you saying that you, Steward Old Zhu, are the one who calls the shots here? That you're the castle's true master?"
There was no doubt that his words struck at the heart of the matter.
They were also a serious breach of etiquette. He was clearly insinuating that Old Zhu was using his position as a servant to domineer over his master.
That was exactly what Cen Qi found most intolerable. Over the years, he had increasingly felt that Old Zhu was the one who called the shots in almost every matter in the castle. Though Cen Qi was the manor lord, whenever he tried to get involved in the details, he often felt powerless and had no idea where to begin.
In short, even someone as dull as