When he got Old Tang's call, Qiu Tu was busy working away at Fang Tangtang.
In chaotic times, a single person's rise can lift everyone around them. Sometimes, hometown or contemporaries ties are the strongest bonds.
So, after Qiu Tu was promoted to chairman of the Dongye State parliament, his subordinates from Xinjie City started stepping onto bigger stages.
Among them, Qiu Tu purposely didn't promote the Five Elders or offer them any help—not even letting Fang Tangtang come to the state. He was testing the Five Elders.
The result surprised him a bit: the Five Elders performed better than he expected, much better.
The Five Elders didn't flaunt Qiu Tu's name to bully others, didn't shamelessly grovel for favors, nor secretly sought out Qiu Tu's confidants for benefits.
They simply raised Fang Tangtang's treatment to equal those of the five family heads, and after treating Fang Tangtang as "Empress Dowager," took good care of her.
