MWC – Chapter 178 On the Basic Skills of Eloquence

I AM DROPPING THIS NOVEL. IF ANYONE WANTS TO CONTINUE THEY CAN. IF POSSIBLE PLEASE SHARE THE LINK SO I CAN BINGE READ TOO.

In the soundproofed room, the atmosphere was tense. Zheng Zhongshi sat with a darkened face, refusing to speak.

“Mr. Zheng, the charges of kidnapping and destruction have put you in serious trouble. You may not yet realize the severity of the situation,” Manila advised earnestly, trying to reason with him.

Manila hoped Zheng would agree to a minimum settlement: $80,000 for the kidnapping charge and $30,000 for the abused racehorse’s owner. As for the third demand, Manila believed it could likely be negotiated away.

“I’d rather go to jail!” Zheng Zhongshi retorted angrily.

One of Manila’s assistants, standing nearby, sighed and explained, “Mr. Zheng, if the kidnapping charge is confirmed, which it likely will be, the other side could easily push for the prosecution to bring charges against you for destruction as well. You know Attorney Lu Qianxing—he’s an advisor to the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office. He even has his own independent unit authorized by them…”

“What?! He’s both a prosecutor and a lawyer? That’s like being both a player and a referee! How is that legal? Isn’t that judicial corruption?” Zheng Zhongshi sneered.

The assistant, an experienced third-tier senior litigator, could only smile bitterly.

Manila furrowed his brows and calmly responded, “Mr. Zheng, what you’re referring to is probably my polite exchange with Attorney Lu earlier, where we discussed meeting for tea. It’s a normal courtesy. However, if you’ve lost trust in me and my team, then perhaps it’s best for you to terminate our services.”

“Fine! Let’s do that!” Zheng snapped. Internally, he was relieved—Manila had brought it up himself, sparing Zheng from looking unreasonable by initiating the dismissal.

Manila nodded. “Understood, Mr. Zheng. We’ll send the final invoice to your rural residence.”

Zheng rolled his eyes. Why send it to the countryside? he thought. What a waste of time.

The assistant, no longer smiling, sternly added, “Mr. Zheng, if payment for our services is not made within three days of receiving the invoice, we will send a formal legal notice. Late fees will accrue daily thereafter. As per legal requirements, we’re informing you of this now.”

“Get out!” Zheng shouted, furious at their sudden change in demeanor. “You people! Do you even have a conscience? Turning your backs faster than flipping a page!”

The lawyers, one by one, packed up their bags and left with Manila.

“They all left? Zheng fired them?” Lu Ming was momentarily taken aback, then chuckled.

Tie Xiaojia, always quick on her feet, had immediately gone to gather intel from one of the departing lawyers. She now rushed back to report, grinning mischievously.

“Yes, Master Fifteen!” Tie Xiaojia stood respectfully. Though younger than her “Little Mistress,” she adhered strictly to etiquette.

Jennifer, carrying a stuffed doll and looking groggy, wandered into the study. Startled by the presence of an outsider, she froze for a moment.

The study had two entrances, one leading directly to the inner suite. Jennifer had come from there, thinking Lu Ming was still working. Realizing there was company, she gasped softly and hurried back to the bedroom in embarrassment, leaving one of her fluffy white slippers behind near the door.

Tie Xiaojia stared in shock. For a moment, a wild idea flashed through her mind—Could Master have imprisoned this little girl as a concubine? Preventing her from meeting anyone? She had read about such cases involving twisted men.

Shaking her head, Tie Xiaojia dismissed the thought. What nonsense. Doesn’t the Little Mistress go out to see her horse every day? Today’s just an exception; she slept in.

Lu Ming waved his hand. “Alright, off you go.”

Though unaware of his disciple’s fleeting suspicion that he was some perverted monster, Lu Ming could sense her embarrassment upon witnessing his young and timid official wife. Determined not to let the awkwardness linger, he maintained a calm expression. After all, as the saying goes: “If you don’t feel awkward, the awkwardness belongs to someone else.”

In Jennifer’s bedroom, she lay on the bed, clutching a soft white pillow, crying quietly. Hearing footsteps, she peeked up to see her husband enter. Embarrassed, she buried her face deeper into the pillow, sobbing even louder.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Ming asked, sitting beside her on the bed. Internally, he sighed. His childlike wife was usually fine, but her immature mindset often left him puzzled. Sometimes, what upset her was incomprehensible—like expecting candy to be sweet but finding it sour.

“I promise, I won’t let them into this part of the house again. And from now on, the study’s outer door will be the only one they use. How about that?” he said, rubbing his nose. Am I spoiling her too much? This is absurd.

“Not that… not that…” Jennifer shook her small face buried in the pillow vigorously, choking back sobs. “I… I didn’t realize it was already ten o’clock… I… I didn’t change clothes, and they saw me… I’m not a good girl, not a good wife…”

Lu Ming froze for a moment. Oh, so it was because her attire wasn’t proper, which didn’t align with the etiquette and upbringing she had always adhered to.

But hearing her cry so earnestly about being “not a good wife” inexplicably made him want to laugh.

“I… I don’t know what happened… I just slept until now…” Jennifer burrowed her little head deeper into the pillow, seemingly overwhelmed with shame.

Lu Ming coughed lightly. “That’s on me. I told Xiao Bi to turn off your alarm clock.” He couldn’t help but notice another admirable trait of the little girl: even though the alarm didn’t go off, she wouldn’t use it as an excuse.

The truth was, he had been staying here the past few days and saw how she got up at five in the morning, went to bed at eight in the evening, and cared for the horses every day. Ever since the horse had been injured, she must have been under significant mental strain. It had been nearly half a month. Yesterday, since the vet was scheduled to check on the horse today, he’d instructed the staff to turn off her alarm so she could have a good day’s rest.

“No, no…” Jennifer shook her head.

“It’s true. I told them to do it. Besides, you’ve been exhausted these past few days, and today Little Jenny was taken to the hospital for a check-up. There are people looking after it, so there’s no need for you to go. I wanted you to sleep in. What’s wrong? Can’t I even order you to sleep in?”

Jennifer lifted her head, her small face tear-streaked like a rain-soaked pear blossom. Between sobs, she asked, “Really?”

“Yes,” Lu Ming nodded earnestly.

“But… but…” Jennifer suddenly started crying again. “I… I just now…”

Lu Ming suppressed a wry smile and started rambling to comfort her. “That was our disciple. And what is a disciple? Like our child. If your own daughter sees you in your sleepwear, so what? Besides, she didn’t dare look at you closely, and that nightgown is perfectly presentable outside. It’s fine if your own daughter saw it for a moment.”

“Really?” Jennifer’s watery blue eyes brimmed with tears, her pitiful little expression tugging at the heartstrings. But at least her sobbing began to subside.

“But… but I was barefoot…” Jennifer lowered her head again.

“That’s fine. She didn’t see that!” Lu Ming reassured her. His gaze inadvertently drifted to her lace-trimmed pajama pants, revealing delicate, snow-white feet. Her toes, devoid of nail polish or adornment, were immaculately maintained—clean, flawless, and so tender they seemed almost translucent, with faint veins visible beneath the skin.

“Huh?” Upon closer inspection, he noticed a slight smudge of dirt on her soles, likely from running around barefoot. Though the room’s carpet and floors were spotless thanks to daily cleaning, her feet were so pristine that even the smallest speck stood out starkly.

Lu Ming reached out to brush away the speck with his fingers and asked with a smile, “Does it feel cold?” He worried she might cry again over her dirty feet.

As he held her delicate little foot, Lu Ming felt his heart race.

Jennifer let out a soft giggle, wiggling slightly upward. Then, suddenly, her eyes reddened again. She hugged his leg tightly, burying her face in his lap and sobbing softly.

Lu Ming quickly released her foot, gently cradling her in his arms. With a smile, he said, “Alright, don’t cry anymore. It’s my fault. I should’ve told you in advance.”

Jennifer shook her head, whispering through her tears, “Master cares for Jennifer… Jennifer knows. I… I just remembered my father. He treated me the same… with so much love…”

Lu Ming gently stroked her silky chocolate-brown hair, letting out a quiet sigh in his heart. Softly, he said, “In the future, if you feel wronged, just tell me. Think of me as your father.”

Jennifer nodded, clutching his leg even tighter. Her little face pressed firmly against his lap as she murmured, “Papa… baofu…”

Lu Ming paused, then quickly understood. Jennifer was speaking in Griffinny, where “Papa” was indeed an affectionate term for father. The word “baofu” sounded similar to “bāofu” in Mandarin, meaning “burden,” but in her language, it was a term of endearment for one’s husband—akin to “darling” or “hubby” from his previous life.

Papa and hubby? Lu Ming was momentarily speechless but couldn’t help smiling wryly.

Looking at the little girl clinging to his leg with such fervor, he thought she was probably just basking in the rare comfort of her husband’s arms. But he… well, he was struggling to remain composed.

Gently patting her shoulder, he cleared his throat. “Alright, time to get up. It’s breakfast time!”

“Okay…” Jennifer obediently let go of his leg, her compliance endearing. However, as she watched him walk away with a somewhat odd gait, she tilted her head in confusion, unable to understand.

That afternoon, on the third floor of City Hall, Lu Ming attended the bi-weekly municipal committee meeting. Since the establishment of the local council and municipal committee, this was only his second visit to City Hall.

The municipal committee meetings were held bi-weekly, while the local council convened monthly at the end of each month.

Additionally, there may be urgent matters that require temporary meetings.

The administrative officer sitting next to Lu Ming was still Li Zhongliang, who usually stayed in the municipal committee office to handle shifts.

There were no special matters to discuss today. The main topic was the potential proposals that the new parliament might put forward at the end of the month.

The Chief Commissioner and the four municipal commissioners could be seen as spokespersons selected by different political factions. Naturally, they had to be well-informed about their respective faction’s proposals, especially when it came to sensitive ones. During the roundtable discussions, they should try to reach an understanding to avoid forced confrontations and votes in the parliament.

Lu Ming discussed his hopes for the Northern District to pass an animal protection law. He planned to work closely with the legislative office and the legal department of the city hall to draft a proposal. Then, they would seek feedback from the public, utilizing surveys, phone interviews, and other forms of communication, ensuring that all citizens in Northern District had a chance to voice their opinions. The goal was to gather enough support to pass the bill with unanimous votes in the parliament three months later.

In his previous life, the first truly comprehensive Empire Animal Protection Act was passed in 1933 in Germany, which could be considered somewhat ironic.

As of now, there were already several regions within the Empire that had similar laws.

Thus, including Bucklow, none of the municipal commissioners voiced any objections.

After all, it was a law that symbolized human superiority, a way to boost local pride by showing that they were more civilized than regions without such laws.

“Recently, I was chatting with an old friend from the Department of Urban Development and Housing…” said Dong Wenquan, picking up his teacup for a sip. “I had an insight—we might have rushed the Rent Freeze Bill! It has dealt quite a blow to the real estate market, especially small investors. I heard some investors and property owners are teaming up to hire lawyers and sue the city hall. Shouldn’t we reconsider this bill?”

Dong Wenquan shook his head with a sigh, his face filled with concern.

The Rent Freeze Bill, officially known as the Temporary Freeze on Residential Rental Prices, temporarily froze the rental prices of residential properties, preventing landlords from raising rents for three years.

It was passed halfway through last year when the lawmakers were trying to fulfill their campaign promises to please voters ahead of the upcoming elections. They needed to leave a good impression, and naturally, the number of voters who wanted to see rent prices stabilize outnumbered those who wanted continuous rent hikes.

In Northern District and even East Sea, many people spend their whole lives renting. When factoring in the cost of living in East Sea and local habits, renting seemed more affordable for the lower-middle class.

Now, after a little over half a year, the bill, originally set for three years, was about to be abolished.

This is one of the biggest flaws of parliamentary politics: sometimes, temporary laws are treated almost frivolously, with everything revolving around the next election cycle.

Lu Ming looked at Dong Wenquan, knowing that he had a business partner who was also his largest political sponsor—a major property owner with an entire twelve-story apartment building.

Currently, East Sea’s economic structure resembled that of New York at the time. Around half of the apartment buildings were owned by companies and families as whole units, about 20% were government-owned, and the remaining 30% were privately owned by higher-income individuals.

The apartments rented out were mostly owned by the first two categories.

Whether municipal commissioners or regular lawmakers, they naturally had close ties with these real estate moguls.

Hearing Dong Wenquan’s words, Sherlock nodded first. “Yes, the rent freeze bill was indeed passed too hastily. It was an impulsive move by the lawmakers, motivated solely by the desire for votes.”

Gao Wangshi shrugged. “I have no objections.”

Bucklow smiled and looked at Lu Ming. “Qianxing, what do you think?”

Lu Ming smiled. In fact, he was also investing in real estate now and was preparing to take over the Reno Tower project.

Although Northern District was just a small satellite town in East Sea, abolishing the rent freeze law would certainly be good news for the entire East Sea real estate market.

Lu Ming thought for a moment. “Indeed, the bill had no real significance, and it interfered with the market in a heavy-handed way. Some property owners might join forces and sue us, and we’ll likely lose.”

Bucklow laughed. “If you say it like that, we’re practically guaranteed to lose.”

Everyone chuckled, as if a loss in court for the city hall would actually be a good thing.

Lu Ming took a sip of water, then continued thoughtfully, “However, I feel that our policies still need some continuity. We can’t be like children playing house. Since it’s a temporary bill with a set expiration, we should let it run its course for the full three years. If the opposing party takes the case to the High Court and the justices rule it unconstitutional, then we’ll have to abolish it. But it’s a different matter if the new parliament immediately repeals a law passed by the previous one—it would undermine the authority of our parliament. Moreover, not many of us have been replaced, and many of us voted in favor, didn’t we?”

Dong Wenquan’s smile gradually faded.

Bucklow, however, remained smiling and cast a deep glance at Dong Wenquan.

“Also, speaking of real estate, I have an idea,” Lu Ming mused. “We could encourage the public to band together, take out loans from banks, and build cooperative apartments. These cooperative apartments would have no private ownership rights; the investors would share ownership with the banks. If they can’t repay the loan, they would lose their shares. Without ownership, they can’t sell or rent out the property. The cost would be very low, and it wouldn’t be exploited by the real estate tycoons to build low-cost buildings for profit.”

What Lu Ming proposed was similar to the policies adopted by some of the Western megacities during the same period, which were effective in curbing the rise in rent prices.

Bucklow’s smile faded.

He oversaw the Business Bureau, which had the Department of Urban Development and Housing under its jurisdiction.

At the end of the day, he wanted to have control over the policies that directly affected the development of Northern District.

Gao Wangshi, watching the interaction, couldn’t help but smile, then remarked, “Lu Ming’s little ideas are always thought-provoking. Cooperative apartments, this concept is really good. If we promote it, it might even make the headlines. Our new policy in Northern District might even become popular throughout the whole region! By then, we’ll all benefit from it, just like Lu Ming.”

Lu Ming shot her a glare. She clearly enjoyed causing trouble.

Gao Wangshi continued smiling, even winking at him.

At this moment, Bucklow nodded. “Yes, Qianxing’s idea is good. We can invite experts to discuss its feasibility. As for Dong Wenquan’s suggestion to abolish the Freeze Law, I’m generally in agreement. However, the members of our party still need to explain it to your colleagues and communicate well. Hopefully, we can abolish this law by the end of the month. As you mentioned, even if we don’t abolish it, we will lose if it goes to court. Why waste public funds fighting a losing battle?”

He then prepared to adjourn the meeting.

However, Lu Ming shook his head. “I still stand by my opinion. I don’t agree with directly abolishing the law. If the parliament tries to force its repeal this month, I will persuade all the members who support me to vote against it.”

His expression was calm, but he did not shy away from meeting Bucklow’s gaze.

The atmosphere in the room instantly froze.

Li Zhongliang looked at Lu Ming with some surprise. Was this how municipal commissioner meetings went? It had been friendly and full of laughter, but suddenly sparks were flying. And their boss… was truly remarkable!

He had thought that at just nineteen, becoming a municipal commissioner was due to connections and luck, and that he himself had no real qualifications to be sitting there. It seemed like he would just pass time, gain experience, and after a few terms, he could become a senior politician with ten years of experience, eventually becoming a key figure in Northern District at around thirty.

That’s what other office officers had said. But now, it seemed their boss was completely different from their expectations.

This was nearly the first official municipal meeting; the previous one was just a meet-and-greet.

But in this first meeting where issues and bills were discussed, the boss suddenly declared the beginning of a battle, as if the war had just started.

At this moment, though sitting calmly, he represented a gradually forming political group behind him.

He was challenging Bucklow, the massive figure who had ruled Northern District for twenty years.

“Lu Qianxing…” Dong Wenquan started to speak, but Bucklow suddenly smiled and waved his hand. “Let’s leave it for next time. Over the next period, we’ll consult more with experts. We politicians must never pretend to know everything—it’s important to have a good team. Qianxing, I heard your team doesn’t have many economic experts? We can’t just act blindly. Every decision we make might impact the welfare of over 600,000 citizens in East Sea!”

Lu Ming smiled. “The economic experts in my company earn five-figure salaries, and they’re always whispering in my ear with all kinds of professional advice. But do you think they’re doing it for the development of my company? Or are they thinking about the welfare of 600,000 citizens in Northern District? Oh, Mr. Bucklow, the expert you often consult is actually part of my advisory team. He gets a little pocket money from me every month. Professionally speaking, he’s useless, but I keep him around because he’s good at deceiving the general public. I don’t want him in the papers spreading things I don’t want to hear. As for who he is, I’ll leave it at that.”

Bucklow’s face turned ashen. He was genuinely furious.

Li Zhongliang felt his heart racing, his mind spinning. If things escalated into a physical fight at this moment, it wouldn’t be surprising at all.

However, Mr. Bucklow’s attempt to subtly poke fun at his boss was somewhat amusing. When it came to eloquence, could anyone in the room match the skill of his boss?

“Ah, I’m hungry!” Gao Wangshi suddenly yawned, “And I’m tired, let’s wrap it up!” She gave a sweet laugh, adding, “Qianxing, let me treat you to a meal?”

Lu Ming couldn’t be bothered to respond and stood up to leave. Gao Wangshi quickly caught up with him, trying to make small talk while smiling.

He scolded her a few times, but she still trailed behind him, somewhat sulking.

Bucklow and the others watched this scene, frowning. What were these two doing? Was something wrong with them? What kind of place did they think this was?