RCDSA 04

Chapter – 04

Yunhai Escort Agency

When Linlang returned to the mansion with a team of people, she found the Second Prince’s residence as empty as if it had been ransacked by thieves. Flustered, she rushed to find Xie Linchao:

“Your Highness, why have even the flowers and plants in the garden been uprooted? The marble paving stones have been pried up too? And that pond of ornamental fish you loved to feed…”

“Ahem, Uncle Wu is very dedicated.” Xie Linchao’s eyes instinctively darted downward, guilt written all over her face.

The two major stewards of the household were Linlang and Steward Wu. It was easy enough to fool everyone else, but to deceive these two loyal and responsible confidants, she could only exploit a gap in information—letting each assume the other had carried out the orders to strip the entire prince’s mansion clean.

“But this is too dedicated…” Linlang’s heart ached.

She had been with her mistress at the Second Prince’s mansion for twelve years now. This was her mistress’s home, and seeing it so “desecrated” was genuinely painful to witness.

Xie Linchao took the initiative to comfort her: “It’s fine. We’re leaving anyway, and who knows if we’ll ever have the chance to come back. This mansion will probably be granted to someone else soon enough. Leaving all those rare flowers and exotic plants behind would just be benefiting others, right? Much better to turn them into traveling expenses.”

At the mention of travel expenses, Linlang calmed down a bit.

Her mistress was right.

Rather than leave a perfectly good mansion to others, it was better they ransacked it first.

Though Linlang appeared more composed than Bizhu on the surface regarding the enfeoffment, it was impossible for her not to harbor resentment—and that resentment was directed squarely at Emperor Xuanhe.

Before the Empress Dowager passed, she had begged His Majesty to take extra care of Her Highness. Yet His Majesty had promised so earnestly back then, and now… sigh.

Linlang’s melancholy lasted only a moment before she swiftly turned to business, introducing the personnel she had brought to Xie Linchao: “Your Highness, this is Steward Li from the manor outside the capital, and his son, Junior Steward Li.”

“Steward Li is advanced in years and has trouble with his legs, making long journeys unsuitable. This servant took the liberty of requesting that Junior Steward Li accompany Your Highness to the fief, while Steward Li remains in the capital.”

The pair—clearly father and son—stepped forward and bowed to Xie Linchao:

“Li Wentai, along with my son Li Yuan, pay respects to Your Highness. May Your Highness enjoy peace and prosperity.”

“Following Your Highness’s orders, we have sought out craftsmen and physicians within the capital and nearby cities. Currently, we have found five families of carpenters, five families of blacksmiths, and two families of physicians willing to relocate their entire households to Shuo County. However, they do not wish to sign for only two or three years—they want at least a five-year contract. Additionally, the five cooks, ten accountants, and various other servants needed for the princely manor have been drawn from the estate and are all prepared.”

Steward Li presented a ledger. In addition to the roster of personnel for the enfeoffment procession, it contained detailed records of all purchased supplies: carriages and mule carts, grain and medicinal herbs, tents and cloth, pots and pans, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar…

Xie Linchao studied the two men. They both had honest, steady countenances. The younger Li Yuan appeared more nervous and flustered, but he was full of youthful vigor—quite promising.

“Since they want five years, five years it is. No more delays. After I reach my fief, Steward Li, you should continue recruiting carpenters, blacksmiths, and physicians—the more the better. But remember to maintain secrecy and investigate each person’s character and reputation thoroughly. Better to go without than to settle for the unworthy.”

Shuo County in Liangzhou was remote and generally low in productivity. If Xie Linchao wanted to manage her fief well, skilled personnel like carpenters, blacksmiths, and physicians would be essential—the more, the better.

“As for Junior Steward Li, we’ll follow Auntie’s arrangement. You’ll come with me to the fief and work there, serving temporarily as Uncle Wu’s deputy.”

The Li father and son acknowledged in unison and stepped back. Linlang then introduced the last man—a middle-aged fellow.

“Your Highness, this is Shopkeeper Feng of the Yunhai Escort Agency. The Yunhai Escort Agency was secretly established by the Marquis twenty years ago. To avoid drawing attention, there has been no contact over the years. The agency has since grown to have three thousand official escorts, all highly skilled in martial arts and experienced in the ways of the martial world.”

As the man drew near, Xie Linchao sensed a subtle quality about Shopkeeper Feng that set him apart from ordinary people.

This man had certainly seen blood—and plenty of it. His stance was solid and grounded; he was clearly a trained fighter.

Xie Linchao’s gaze sharpened. “Shopkeeper Feng came from the military?”

“Your Highness is correct!” Shopkeeper Feng swept his robe aside and knelt before Xie Linchao: “Former Yang Family Army Thousand-Man Commander Feng Xiao, paying respects to the young master.”

Xie Linchao’s expression flickered. “The Yang Family Army? You were once a soldier under my grandfather?”

The Great Qi dynasty had four marquisates established through military merit, each commanding one of the four border armies.

Among them, the army once held by the Loyal and Brave Marquis House was called the Yang Family Army, with a history dating back a hundred years to the founding emperor, having fought alongside him in campaigns across the realm.

However, six years ago, when the Loyal and Brave Marquis House had no successor, Xie Linchao’s grandfather relinquished military command and moved the entire family out of the capital. The entire Yang Family Army was disbanded, reorganized, and broken up into other military units.

From that point on, there was no longer a Yang Family Army in Great Qi, nor a Loyal and Brave Marquis House in the capital.

A trace of reminiscence flickered in Shopkeeper Feng’s eyes:

“This subordinate was once a member of the Yang Family Army, a soldier under the Marquis. That was the glory of my life.”

“Over the years, following the Marquis’s instructions, I have had the Yunhai Escort Agency take in countless nameless orphans, teaching them to read, practice martial arts, and run escort missions. They are unaware of the Loyal and Brave Marquis House’s existence; they only know there is a young master to whom they owe their loyalty. Additionally, after the Yang Family Army was disbanded, many retired veterans could not find work to support themselves. They were recommended and vetted by me before joining the Yunhai Escort Agency.”

Xie Linchao’s eyes deepened.

Three thousand escorts?

That perfectly matched the private troop quota for a prince of the first rank.

“Did my grandfather say anything else about what he wanted the Yunhai Escort Agency to do?”

Shopkeeper Feng: “The Marquis has not issued any instructions to us over these twenty years. He only told us to await the young master’s commands.”

Xie Linchao pondered for a few seconds. “Since you’re to follow my commands, from now on address me as ‘Master.'”

Though the surprise her grandfather had prepared for her came at just the right time, there could be no two masters in an army. Proper rules had to be established.

Shopkeeper Feng had long awaited this day and readily changed his address: “Yes, Master.”

Steward Wu had been gone so long without returning from the Imperial Guard barracks that Xie Linchao suspected something had gone wrong. She tapped her fingernails lightly on the banknote box.

“If the escort agency suddenly pulls out two thousand official escorts, will that affect daily operations?”

Shopkeeper Feng: “Your—Master, the agency’s daily escort operations can easily be handled by the remaining thousand official escorts. The number I mentioned earlier does not include four hundred support staff and six hundred apprentice escorts who have not yet completed their training. The entire agency numbers around four thousand people in total.”

Xie Linchao had her doubts.

Could an escort agency of such size really support so many people through escort services alone? The annual costs of housing orphans and providing them with brushes, ink, and education were already a considerable expense.

Not to mention maintaining the daily upkeep of three thousand official escorts—after all, the title of “escort” was just a cover. They were clearly private troops her grandfather had prepared for her in advance.

Steward Li spoke up to clarify: “Your Highness, the income from the Marquis’s remaining properties and shops—seventy percent of the annual profits have been invested into the Yunhai Escort Agency to cover its daily expenses.”

Xie Linchao paused in her tapping.

She had felt there was something missing from that five hundred thousand taels of silver… So it was the major income from all those properties and shops!

The original owner had been born of imperial blood. Though she lost her mother young and Emperor Xuanhe hardly seemed like a doting father, she had never lacked for money and grew up in luxury. She had little sensitivity to the flow of wealth, and since Linlang had always managed the external properties, Xie Linchao hadn’t noticed anything amiss at first.

“Shopkeeper Feng, detach two thousand escorts. Put five hundred into the enfeoffment procession, and have the remaining fifteen hundred split into three groups disguised as merchant caravans, following behind the procession. Once we reach the fief, we’ll regroup and incorporate them into my private troop quota.”

The Ministry of Revenue had slighted her, and the Imperial Guard barracks would likely offer nothing good—possibly even planted spies.

Since her grandfather had already arranged an escape route for her, Xie Linchao didn’t need to rely on the Imperial Guard. Besides, there was no law in Great Qi stating that a prince’s private troops could only be recruited from the Imperial Guard.

She couldn’t recruit people in the capital on short notice, so to avoid missing the deadline for enfeoffment, it was perfectly reasonable to take her time “slowly” recruiting after reaching the fief.

After meeting these three, Linlang called in the remaining ten people waiting outside for Xie Linchao to familiarize herself with their faces:

“Your Highness, they are all escorts from the Yunhai Escort Agency. For the time being before we leave the capital, let them be responsible for the mansion’s security, so you’ll have people to dispatch.”

Though Xie Linchao thought it unlikely anyone would be bored enough to attempt an assassination on a prince about to be enfeoffed, right under the emperor’s nose in the capital, having guards around certainly didn’t hurt.

“Ahem, the mansion is pretty much emptied out now. I’m afraid the brothers from the escort agency may have to rough it on cold kang beds.” Xie Linchao remembered her empty mansion—not even a bed board left—and looked embarrassed.

Shopkeeper Feng: “Rest assured, Master. Those of us in the escort business travel far and wide; sleeping out in the open is nothing new. Having even a single tile over our heads is plenty comfortable enough.”

The ten escort leaders naturally had no objections. On the contrary, they were excited.

They were staying in a prince’s mansion! Even if it was just sleeping on the floor for one night, it would be enough to brag about for a whole year back at the agency.

—

After the discussions concluded, Steward Li and Shopkeeper Feng left the Second Prince’s mansion. Linlang took the ten escort leaders to the front courtyard to arrange lodgings, while Junior Steward Li was kept behind by Xie Linchao.

“Junior Li, I’m entrusting you with a difficult task.”

Hearing this, Junior Steward Li’s expression turned solemn: “Your Highness, speak, and this subordinate will go through fire and water, without hesitation!”

He had heard this phrase from the schoolteacher in the classroom—it sounded very impressive. Junior Steward Li had long wanted to show off, and today he finally had the chance.

Junior Steward Li felt so cultured!

His Highness would surely deeply appreciate his unwavering loyalty!

Xie Linchao said gravely, “Help me take these three hundred and fifty thousand taels of banknotes—ah no, four hundred thousand taels—to the money exchange and convert them all into silver bullion, then store them at the property in Huan’nan Ward.”

Junior Steward Li took the stack of banknotes with a bewildered expression: Huh? That’s it?

Xie Linchao: “Remember, no third person must know about this. Absolute secrecy. Can you do it?”

“Yes! Rest assured, Your Highness!” Junior Steward Li thumped his chest in guarantee.