Chapter 497: Strata

On the second day of the first lunar month, the side gate of Chen Xin's mansion slowly opened. Several plainclothes guards emerged first, fanning out in an arc to observe the outside. Only after the outer perimeter guards signaled that it was safe did a black-clad guard return to the courtyard. Moments later, three identical four-wheeled carriages drove out, flanked by mounted guards in black uniforms.

Chen Xin's mansion lay on the east side of the parade ground in the Water City. A Company Commander's personal guard battalion was stationed inside the parade ground, and on the other side was the Civil Affairs Department compound, which also had its own guards, providing an outer layer of security for Chen Xin's mansion.

Even so, Chen Xin remained extremely cautious. As the backbone of Dengzhou Garrison, he had no shortage of enemies. Within Dengzhou and Laizhou alone, many local gentry, clans, and officials bore grudges against him, and remnants from places like Yanggu might also exist. Furthermore, the Jianzhou bandits' spies were fairly competent, and now the imperial court's secret police had to be added to the list. Therefore, the new deputy director of the Aide-de-Camp Office dared not be the least bit negligent. He was responsible for Chen Xin's security, including tasks such as food inspection, assassination prevention, poison prevention, and protecting his family.

For ordinary impromptu outings, only an escort detail was usually arranged, because such outings could not be predicted. Even if someone wanted to assassinate Chen Xin, they could not make thorough preparations in advance, and might not even be able to reach the ambush point ahead of time.

But today was Zhou Laifu's New Year gathering. Chen Xin had said early on that he would go, and quite a few people knew about it. In such cases, the route had to be planned in advance, plainclothes men from the Aide-de-Camp Office had to be sent ahead to key points like street intersections, and multiple alternative routes had to be prepared. Some routes were known only to the deputy director of the Aide-de-Camp Office. At the same time, contingency response and evacuation routes for emergencies also had to be arranged.

For this type of outing, three identical carriages would be dispatched simultaneously to confuse any potential assassins and thereby reduce the likelihood of Chen Xin being attacked. Thanks to the tight security of his guard detail, his safety had never been compromised.

Liu Minyou's residence was a bit further south, and his retinue was simpler: five or six bodyguards plus one four-wheeled carriage. The window of the last carriage opened, revealing Chen Xin's face. The two greeted each other, and the four carriages headed together toward the east side of the city.

Zhou Laifu's mansion was in the officials' district in the east of the city, a place the people of Dengzhou called Garrison Officials' Street, because it was where the civil and military officers of Dengzhou Garrison lived. When the Wendeng Battalion took control of Dengzhou, the officials inside the city had already been swept away, and many parts of the city had been burned to barren ground.

Originally, some Civil Affairs Department officials still lived inside the city. Later, after Dengzhou's imperial court institutions were restored, court officials also grew in number. Although there was no direct conflict between the two groups, those Civil Affairs Department officials always felt awkward, and gradually they all moved to the east side of the city, forming this area where Dengzhou Garrison officials congregated.

The four carriages, protected front and rear by the guard detail, arrived at Garrison Officials' Street in the east of the city. Zhou Laifu's house was in the middle. By this time, the main gate was already thronged with people; many who had come to offer New Year greetings had already arrived. Zhou Laifu was there receiving them, and some household servants and bodyguard-like men were maintaining order.

Chen Xin's carriage did not stop at the main gate but went directly to the side gate. The side gate was reserved for carriage access and had no steps or threshold. Although some ordinary officials might feel this was beneath their dignity, Chen Xin had no such psychological hang-ups.

Seeing this, Zhou Laifu hastily apologized to the others and ran alongside the carriage all the way there, overtaking it on the way and arriving at the side gate ahead of time to have the gatekeeper open it. The carriage stopped at the gate. The mounted uniformed guards secured the alley entrances at both ends. Several plainclothes guards entered the courtyard first, stood in the yard observing all directions, and then gave a hand signal. Only then did the carriages file in one after another.

Zhou Laifu waited with a smile for the carriage door to open. It turned out Chen Xin was in the last carriage. As soon as Chen Xin appeared at the carriage door, Zhou Laifu hurried over to greet him. "My lord, your esteemed presence graces my humble home and brings light to this simple dwelling."

Chen Xin laughed heartily. "Laifu, you're being so formal. We're just here to see a neighbor. Back when Minyou and I first arrived in Tianjin, you were the one bustling about helping us. Today we're just visiting a neighbor's house. Except when we're discussing official business, just treat me as a neighbor."

These words made Zhou Laifu beam with delight, though of course he would not really treat Chen Xin as just a neighbor from Erdaojie anymore. Zhou Laifu then went on to greet Liu Minyou, and the three of them walked together toward the main hall.

Zhou Laifu's courtyard was quite large, with several layers of compounds inside, divided into seven or eight smaller courtyards. The main hall was situated where the central garden was.

Quite a few people were already standing in the garden, including many civil officials of Dengzhou Garrison and colleagues from the trading company. Military personnel were few; Chen Xin only saw Dong Yu chatting with someone in the courtyard. Chen Xin nodded inwardly. Zhou Laifu was fairly good at reading the situation. Although he was familiar with many people in the military, he deliberately minimized contact with them in daily life. Dong Yu was in charge of military supplies and logistics, and logistics outside the garrison had always relied on the trading company, so inviting Dong Yu was justifiable.

The outer perimeter here was already secured by the guard detail, and the guest list had been vetted in advance by the guards. Since Zhou Laifu had considered inviting Chen Xin, the guests he invited were mostly high-ranking and security was assured, so the level of alert here was not high.

People along the way all came to pay their respects to Chen Xin and Liu Minyou. Some shopkeepers from other regions who were not often in Dengzhou were rather nervous upon seeing the two. Two of them, who had been serving as shopkeepers away from home for a long time and were accustomed to kneeling before officials, directly dropped to their knees. Chen Xin and Liu Minyou returned every greeting, helped the two kneeling men to their feet, and chatted with them about everyday matters.

Like most chain businesses of this era, the Four Seas Trading Company required its out-of-town shopkeepers to leave their families in Dengzhou. Their families did not even know their specific addresses away from home, and all correspondence had to be inspected by the trading company before being sent. But what set the Four Seas Trading Company apart from other firms was that after one year as a shopkeeper, if they passed an evaluation, they received equity shares. For the first three years, they only received dividends; after ten years, if they passed evaluation, they could hold the shares permanently and even pass them on to their descendants. In contrast, ordinary firms in places like Shanxi and Fujian only granted equity shares when one was in their seventies or eighties.

Because they could obtain equity shares relatively early, working for the Four Seas Trading Company was also working for themselves. As a result, many shopkeepers had jumped ship from other firms and all had prior business experience. These shopkeepers worked very diligently, doing their utmost to meet the trading company's annual evaluations. And if they were ever caught engaging in corruption or similar misconduct, they were dismissed outright and lost their equity shares, which raised the cost of corruption for them.

Chen Xin and his companion became the center of attention. Everyone gathered around to hear Chen Xin speak. Chen Xin's manner was amiable, and laughter broke out from the crowd from time to time. Zhou Laifu brought his eldest son over to meet Chen Xin. This son was now studying at the Wendeng Academy, majoring in the relatively obscure field of winemaking, and he got along very well with Song Wenxian's eldest son.

Zhou Laifu kept directing servants to bring over chairs and refreshments, and he had a bonfire lit in the middle to keep everyone warm. Braving the severe cold, the guests sat right there in the garden holding an impromptu tea party, and the atmosphere was extremely lively.

Chen Xin looked around and spotted Lu You, the shopkeeper from Tianjin. Lu You was standing together with Lao Cai. Seeing this, Chen Xin warmly went over to greet these two old colleagues.

Liu Minyou, meanwhile, stopped the busy Zhou Laifu and asked, "Last time when you married off your daughter, Lord Chen didn't come. He said this time he specifically wanted to see your son-in-law. Why didn't you have Young Guan come over?"

Zhou Laifu lowered his voice. "He went to pick up his family. Three people came from his in-laws' side. Young Guan's elder brother and sister were both in the military before and couldn't make it last time either. Taking advantage of the New Year, they're also coming to get acquainted with the family."

Guan Dadi walked in front carrying a load on a shoulder pole, while his sister supported their mother, Old Lady Guan, behind him. Just as the three reached the vicinity of the main gate, they were stopped. They were told that if they were not guests, they could not proceed further. After they stated their identities, a household servant went back to report.

Young Guan came running over, his face full of anxiety. Old Lady Guan was just about to speak with a beaming smile when Young Guan complained impatiently, "I told you to come earlier, earlier, but you just had to wait until today to arrive."

The words his mother was about to say were immediately swallowed back. Guan Dadi was dressed very smartly today, wearing a red military dress uniform with his First Class Medal pinned to his chest. Although he was very brave on the battlefield, he was extremely cautious when facing this younger brother. "The snow on the road was quite heavy. The cart from the transport company broke down on the way, and we had to pay a high price to rent an oxcart from a garrison farmer just to get here. It's not like we're late anyway..."

"I only look at results, I don't want to hear excuses," Young Guan said, brooking no argument. "Since you knew there was snow on the road, why didn't you set out earlier? What day is it today? When you're a guest in someone's home, how can you make the host wait and wait? Even Lord Chen and Lord Liu have already arrived, and I still have to wait here for you. What will the Zhou family think of me? If the people in my workshop handled matters like this, I'd have told them to get lost long ago."

Guan Xiaomei, who had not seen her little brother for a long time, had initially worn a face full of smiles. Now her expression turned cold. Tilting her head, she said, "So you already consider yourself a member of the Zhou family. In that case, who did our Guan family come here to see?"

Young Guan snorted. Old Lady Guan quickly pulled Guan Xiaomei back and said to Young Guan soothingly, "Xiaodi, we're here now anyway. We seldom go out and didn't know about all those troubles on the road. How about you just stop scolding and quickly take your brother and sister to meet the in-laws?"

Only then did Young Guan turn around with a sullen face and hurriedly lead the few of them inside. Seeing that Guan Dadi was about to pick up the load from the ground again, he stamped his foot and shouted, "What time is it now? Why are you still fussing over that load?"

"This... this is honey, corn, and salted fish we brought for the in-laws..."

Young Guan cut him off. "Just leave it there. Their family has everything. What did you bring these things for? It's just a waste of time. Meeting Lord Chen and Lord Liu is what's important right now."

Guan Dadi stammeringly put down the load, rubbed his hands together somewhat at a loss, and followed behind. Young Guan hurried a few steps forward, then turned back and admonished, "Mother, my name is Guan Dehong now. Don't go calling me Xiaodi, Xiaodi anymore."

Old Lady Guan did not dare to ask further and could only respond with an "Ai." Guan Xiaomei pursed her lips and muttered under her breath, "Since you've even changed your given name, why don't you change your surname too?"

Young Guan had been a little afraid of this elder sister since childhood. He treated her words as wind past his ears and led the group through the main gate. The several Zhou family servants guarding the gate asked a few questions, then let them in, showing not the slightest respect in their attitude toward the group.

The grand residence covered a vast area, with layer upon layer of courtyards inside, all exquisitely decorated. Many servants and maids bustled to and fro. Guan Dadi and Guan Xiaomei had traveled around a lot over the years and had broadened their horizons considerably, but they had mostly only viewed luxurious mansions from the outside. Truly entering one and experiencing it was another matter entirely.

When they reached the entrance to the garden, several soldiers stood there. Their uniforms, all black, were different from those of ordinary soldiers. Guan Dadi had heard that Chen Xin's guard detail wore black uniforms. Not all of them were top experts, but they all basically had battlefield experience and came from thoroughly vetted family backgrounds. Their number was around two hundred. The security company controlled by the Aide-de-Camp Office, however, numbered as many as five hundred. All bodyguards for high-ranking officials in Dengzhou were drawn from the Aide-de-Camp Office's security company. Military adjutants and personal guards were also separately assigned by the Military Affairs Department. Therefore, whether civil or military, the high officials of Dengzhou effectively had no private armed forces of their own.

The squad leader in charge at the entrance came over expressionlessly and said, "Anyone entering must be searched."

Young Guan hurriedly said, "Sir, these are all my family members. My mother is a garrison farmer, my elder brother is a Master Sergeant in the combat troops, and my sister is with the Qingzhou theater troupe. Please let them in."

The squad leader sized up Guan Dadi. His expression softened slightly when he saw Guan Dadi's Tiger Head Medal. Remembering that this family's surname was Guan, he couldn't help asking, "Are you Guan Dadi, who fought in the great battle at Zhenhaimen?"

Guan Dadi nodded honestly. "That's me."

The squad leader nodded, his tone genial. "We're from the Regional Commander's guard detail. Lord Chen is inside today, and we have our duties to perform. I must still ask Master Sergeant Guan to understand — you must be searched before you can enter."

Guan Dadi was accustomed to obeying orders. In the army, he had seen all kinds of beatings, scoldings, and punishments, so he didn't mind being searched at all. But then he immediately hesitated. "But what about my mother and sister..."

The squad leader waved a hand behind him, and a woman in a black uniform stepped forward. The squad leader said to Guan Dadi, "We have female team members to search them."

Old Lady Guan said, "Then, then search, go ahead and search."

One male and one female team member immediately came over to conduct the search. Guan Xiaomei stepped back, her face full of displeasure. Watching the two search her family members, the displeasure on her face grew even more intense.

Young Guan walked over at this moment and asked Guan Xiaomei in a gentle tone, "Sis, I heard that Xu Yuanhua has a nephew named Xu Pingjie. Does he know you?"

Guan Xiaomei turned her head and looked at this younger brother strangely. "How do you know that?"

"His father is planning to partner with the Zhou family to open a workshop, one that specializes in making carriages. That Xu Pingjie is helping to arrange the matter, so he and I are acquainted. Once I heard him mention your name, and that's how I learned he was also in the propaganda team. His family is well-off. Now that Xu Yuanhua has staged a comeback, his future prospects are great. In a place like Dengzhou, these families all have power and influence. Lord Chen will soar to great heights in the future, and these people will all hold high positions and great authority. Don't keep ignoring him. If you can marry into one of these families, our Guan family will be more secure in the future, and it will also benefit my workshop..."

Guan Xiaomei suddenly let out a shriek, cutting him off. "Guan Xiaodi, I don't need you to teach me what to do! Let me tell you right now, your sister doesn't care a whit for that damn power and influence. Looking at you now, you've even forgotten who you are. If Second Brother hadn't joined the Wendeng Battalion back then and earned the whole family a place in the garrison farm, you'd be nothing more than a shepherd or a farmer. After all these years, when have you ever lit incense for Second Brother? When have you ever thought of Second Brother? Every day it's all about your workshop and your power. If you crave power, go chase it yourself. I'm not living that rich life where people search you. This old lady isn't putting up with it anymore."

Guan Xiaomei finished her tirade in one breath. Caught completely off guard, Young Guan hadn't even figured out how to retort before Guan Xiaomei tossed her braid, turned around under the dumbfounded stares of everyone present, and headed for the main gate. (To be continued...)