Chapter 780: The Prince of Lu

The Ceremonial Guard Retainers were military officers within the princely estate. Since the Prince's three guard battalions were abolished, only a few dozen Ceremonial Guard Retainers remained, responsible for protection and security. Though few in number, their official ranks were not low — most held hereditary titles of Centurion or Platoon Commander — but the majority were useless idlers merely drifting through their days.

"In the presence of the Administrator, I dare not accept such honor. Just call me Xiao Qiao." This Centurion Qiao was all deference and respect, yet his fierce, brutish appearance made the gesture seem exceedingly awkward.

Si Wenxuan shook his head with a rueful laugh and motioned for Centurion Qiao to sit, teasing him: "How many times must I say it? Xiao Qiao was Zhou Yu's wife — do you want people to take you for a woman?"

Centurion Qiao froze for a moment, then burst out laughing as well. Once the laughter subsided, Si Wenxuan spoke: "When you have the time, go take a look around Shan County and Yutai. Someone is making trouble for the estate's manors."

At these words, Centurion Qiao's brows shot up. Glaring fiercely, he said: "Who's eaten the heart of a wolf and the gall of a leopard, daring to lay hands on our estate's property? I'll set out tonight and bring back a few heads."

Administrator of the Right Si Wenxuan nodded. Among the estate's several Ceremonial Guard Retainers, this Centurion Qiao came from the poorest background and was the most ruthless in his methods. He had connections with the outlaw world of the greenwood as well as with local government troops. The other Ceremonial Guard Retainers were from wealthy families and only wanted to live peaceful lives within the estate, but Centurion Qiao was a man terrified of poverty. As long as the rewards were sufficient, he would do anything. For this reason, Si Wenxuan found Centurion Qiao the most convenient to use, and Centurion Qiao, for his part, fawned upon this Administrator of the Right with equal fervor.

"In our estate, when there's food or goods to be had, everyone rushes to the front. But when it comes time to exert real effort and shed real blood, not a single one is willing to step forward. You're the only one with any fire in your belly. This time, don't bring too few men — bring a few more of those friends of yours," Si Wenxuan said, as if casually.

The two had dealt with each other long enough that the hints within his words were perfectly clear. "Bring a few more friends" naturally meant those mountain stronghold gangs and the like, along with those government troops who were no better than bandits. Bringing such men meant unleashing a massacre — plenty of blood spilled, plenty of heads lopped off, to cow the situation into submission. But phrasing it this way also meant that the situation over there was somewhat troublesome, and killing had become unavoidable.

In the past, Centurion Qiao would have thumped his chest and agreed on the spot. Now, however, he looked somewhat troubled. With a dry laugh, he said: "Administrator, it's not that I'm making excuses, but at a time like this, I truly can't muster many hands. Every side is rather… inconvenient right now."

The smile on Si Wenxuan's face vanished at once. He stared coldly at Centurion Qiao and said: "Isn't it just a matter of spending silver? Every time you go off to commit crimes at some distant manor, you never lack for numbers. Why is it inconvenient now?"

As the voice suddenly turned icy, Centurion Qiao, who had been perched on just a sliver of the seat, scrambled to his feet in alarm. Fierce warrior though he might be, and though the other man was a pampered civil official, Centurion Qiao was exceedingly meek before Si Wenxuan. Flustered, he hurriedly explained: "Administrator, you misunderstand. Perhaps you are not aware, but during the twelfth month, every gang in Yanzhou Prefecture — no, I mean, every, ah, band of men — lost a great deal of their elite fighters. Then some saw an opening and moved to take revenge and swallow up rivals. The fighting is fierce right now, and I simply cannot pull anyone out."

"What about Vice Commander Bao's side?" Si Wenxuan asked with a frown. Yanzhou Prefecture housed the Prince of Lu's Estate, the Kong Ducal Estate of the Yansheng Duke, and the critical hub of Jining. A full third of Shandong's provincial forces were stationed here, with a detached Defense Vice Commander assigned specifically to this area.

At the mention of Vice Commander Bao, the bitter smile on Centurion Qiao's face deepened. Shaking his head, he explained: "Old Bao's situation is even worse. His own personal troops, along with the household guards and personal retinues of the Brigade Commanders and Company Commanders under him — they've lost over eighty percent. He can't spare a single man. Right now, he's in a frantic scramble, reporting plague and sudden illness to cover it up."

Hearing this, Si Wenxuan, Administrator of the Right of the Prince of Lu's Estate, was utterly dumbfounded. Setting aside his displeasure, he leaned forward and asked with curiosity: "What in the world happened? I've heard nothing of any major bandit-suppression campaigns or pitched battles. There shouldn't have been such a senseless bloodbath."

"It's said that every band of men in Yanzhou Prefecture was after some bounty, trying to surround and kill a group from Xuzhou…" Centurion Qiao himself was a man who moved in the outlaw world of the greenwood, so he naturally knew all about this major affair that had spread throughout Yanzhou and even all of Shandong. But he had barely begun his explanation when Si Wenxuan, frowning, cut him off.

"Did you say they were from Xuzhou?"

"Yes, from Xuzhou. That man is the overlord of the Xuzhou region — at a young age, he's already built up a tremendous operation," Centurion Qiao said hastily. At this point, he saw Si Wenxuan wave his hand and quickly fell silent.

"Take a few clever fellows and set out for Shan County and Yutai tonight. No need for you to do any fighting or killing. Just make a thorough inquiry into this Xuzhou business. I've had a strange feeling — why is it that whenever there's trouble in our Shandong affairs, these Xuzhou people are always mixed up in it?" Si Wenxuan said in a deep voice.

Mu Shulan's recovery of her mental state was faster than Zhao Jin had expected. By the end of the second month, Mu Shulan had taken the initiative to request a meeting with Zheng Quan and the others. By the common reckoning of this world, Zheng Quan and his wife were, in truth, hereditary retainers of the Mu family — to put it more pleasantly, they were practically family.

According to proper decorum, when Mu Shulan met with Zheng Quan's family, there was no need even to hang a screen between them.

The scene was deeply moving. The calmest ones present were Zheng Quan's son and daughter, for they truly had little memory of Mu Shulan. Zheng Quan and his wife, however, knelt and wept bitterly. Mu Shulan's own eyes could not help reddening.

This meeting, in fact, settled the arrangements. From this day forward, the affairs of the Xuzhou Sect of the Smelling Incense teachings would be presided over by Mu Shulan. Although Mu Shulan had been effectively kept under house arrest by her uncles all these years, she had indeed learned a great deal. After questioning Zheng Quan for only a few moments, Zheng Quan knelt once more — this time not from emotion, but from fear.

The methods of the sect were vastly different from those of the Internal Guard, forming a system all their own. Zheng Quan had started at the very bottom and had always relied on a bit of experience and hearsay to conduct affairs. It was no wonder the sect had been infiltrated until it was riddled with holes. Zheng Quan did not understand these things, but Mu Shulan had mastered every rule and detail, and had even continued her studies during those years of confinement.

"If you need to do anything, consult me first, and then you may mobilize the Internal Guard and the Cloud Mountain Firm's people," Zhao Jin said flatly. He had been sitting to the side throughout the meeting, and spoke up after hearing Mu Shulan point out the mistakes Zheng Quan had made.

Zheng Quan had been muddling through all along. Many of those who had originally served as Incense Masters had been retained, which inevitably meant a mix of good and bad. Moreover, Zheng Quan had not changed the secret signals and recognition codes. Of course, Zheng Quan did not understand this set of protocols, and there had been no one to teach him.

Zhao Jin was not the main figure in this meeting. He sat to the side listening throughout, his attention focused more on Zheng Quan's children. Zheng Quan's son, Zheng Lin, was fifteen this year and somewhat thin and frail. Considered one of their own, he had been sent from the very beginning to study with the Cadet Corps. However, he truly had no talent for martial arts and had been transferred early on to the Cloud Mountain Firm to learn bookkeeping and management. It was said that he was cautious, meticulous, and well-regarded.

Zhao Jin had also received a report from Liu Yong, however, stating that Zheng Lin had long since become a household retainer of the Internal Guard. Though his martial skills could not be called exceptional, his mind was meticulous and his work error-free — his future prospects were vast.

As for Zheng Quan and his wife's daughter, Zheng Xiaohua, she was a plain-looking girl. She had been brought to this meeting in accordance with current custom, with the intention of having her serve as Mu Shulan's personal maid. Mu Shulan had agreed with a smile.

Zhao Jin knew that Mu Shulan was a woman of deep thoughts. At present, the vast majority of the household servants and maids in the Zhao family's inner quarters had come with Xu Zhenzhen. The only ones who truly counted as members of the Zhao household were Old Woman Zhao, who served Zhao Jin's mother, and Meng Ziqi.

Although the servants and maids from the Xu family had long since received their instructions and were all exceedingly respectful toward Mu Shulan, Mu Shulan still went to Xu Zhenzhen and proposed that, in order to make the Xuzhou followers of the Smelling Incense teachings more loyal, she wished to select the daughters of some followers to serve as maids in the household — partly as hostages, and partly to draw closer the bonds between them.

The words were couched in high-minded principle, but everyone understood the real meaning perfectly well. Xu Zhenzhen, however, had no objection to this. She simply agreed with a smile, while adding a reminder that, since the followers came from humble origins, the girls of their families might well be ignorant of proper decorum, and that Mu Shulan would need to train and discipline them well.

There was certainly a subtle clash of wits between wife and concubine, but it had not yet reached the point of open conflict. Zhao Jin could see it clearly but could not be bothered to intervene. Whether it was Xu Zhenzhen or Mu Shulan, both handled matters with an excellent sense of proportion. Let them resolve their own affairs between themselves.

"Brother Jin, here in Xuzhou and the surrounding areas, there are indeed followers who are loyal to us, but there are far more who are half-hearted. The spies sent by Xu Hongru are hiding among these half-hearted ones. Some of them may not even have been planted deliberately, but when Xu Hongru gives an order, they dare not disobey." Mu Shulan's analysis was very methodical.

"There is not much I can do at present. First, I will identify those followers who are truly loyal." Mu Shulan already had her own plan.

As for Mu Shulan's efforts to sort out and take control of the Smelling Incense Sect, the Zhao Camp would naturally give its full support. But after observing Mu Shulan's interaction with Zheng Quan and his wife, Zhao Jin knew that he would not need to pay much attention to this matter in the future.

On the second day of the third month of the first year of the Tianqi reign, Zhao Jin's personal guard unit bustled about in a flurry of activity. Anyone familiar with the customs of the Zhao Camp knew at the sight of this that Zhao Jin was about to leave Xuzhou. They just did not know which of the surrounding areas he was headed to. The usual guesses had been Qingjiangpu, Suzhou, or the estate on the eastern shore of Luoma Lake. Now the four counties in Shandong had to be added to the list — it was truly impossible to tell.

"Master Jin, someone requests an audience."

Zhao Jin was in the middle of discussing the opening of a Suzhou branch of the Cloud Mountain Firm with Wang Zhaojing and Ruhui when a household retainer came to announce the visitor. Before anyone could ask who it was, the retainer added: "The visitor claims to be the Manager of the Seals and Treasures Office from the Prince of Lu's Estate in Henan, with six attendants. They arrived only last night. He just now demanded to see Master Jin by name, and his manner of speaking was not particularly courteous."

"The Prince of Lu's Estate? Manager of the Seals and Treasures Office?" Zhao Jin furrowed his brow. The others in the room instinctively glanced toward Niu Jinbao, who stood to one side. Within the territory of the Zhao Camp, Niu Jinbao was the only one with any connection to the Prince of Lu's Estate.

"Elder Brother, this Manager of the Seals and Treasures Office is the person in a princely estate who oversees wealth, goods, and properties," Wang Zhaojing explained.

Thank you, everyone. There may be double monthly tickets at the end of the year. For now, I continue to ask for subscriptions, monthly tickets, and tips.