Wife, you didn't really drug me, did you?

Chapter 627 Fabricating an Identity and Leaving Seclusion
This northward journey is different from the past. With my strength weakened, reaching the northern lands safely will be extremely difficult.

Especially considering that the time it takes for the dragon vein to open and the time it takes for his strength to recover are only two days apart, two days is too short. Chen Jie must set off ahead of schedule no matter what.

However, the world is not peaceful these days, so you have to be careful when you set out.

Chen Jie ate a vegetarian meal at Peng Yingyu's place, and then took his leave from Yuan Sanjia. The agreement between Yuan Sanjia and Chen Jie was that when Chen Jie was not in Huangzhou Prefecture, he would take care of the entire Huangzhou Prefecture and protect Chen Jie's family from foreign enemies.

Chen Jie was quite satisfied with this. As long as his family was safe, he could focus on his work without worry. As for external matters, he believed that as long as he was attentive, careful, and knew how to seize opportunities, he could always resolve them.

After leaving Peng Yingyu and returning to his residence, Chen Jie immediately made arrangements for his trip to the border region.

However, apart from Su Yunjin, Zhao Ya, and Huang Wan'er, Chen Jie did not tell anyone else about this. After all, walls have ears, and given Chen Jie's current status, other forces might have planted spies and informants around him to investigate his affairs. Therefore, Chen Jie was very careful.

Upon learning that Chen Jie was going to venture beyond the Great Wall to seize that sliver of opportunity, Su Yunjin, contrary to her usual behavior, did not object. The recent crises had taught her that simply standing still was absolutely not enough to protect the family she cherished.

They wanted to live a peaceful life, but the outsiders didn't want them to. They stared at Huangzhou Prefecture like jackals, wishing they could tear a piece of flesh off them and stuff it into their mouths to feel happy.

That's why Su Yunjin understood that since they had joined this post-apocalyptic battle for supremacy, no one had the right to rest halfway through unless the final outcome was decided.

Having understood all this, Su Yunjin also knew that there were some things Chen Jie couldn't be persuaded of. As a wife, it was already incompetent of her husband not to help him solve these problems. If she were to try to persuade him further and cause him to lose his motivation, that would be extremely inconsiderate of her.

Su Yunjin nodded and said, "Husband, it's very cold outside the pass. Shall I prepare some warm cotton-padded coats for you?"

Chen Jie said, "Just prepare one, but don't make it too luxurious. Just make one from ordinary fabric, something that looks like something a servant would wear."

Su Yunjin said, "Alright, but when you're out and about, you should at least maintain a certain image and not be too careless. So, I'll prepare two items for your husband."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie nodded in agreement. If he dressed like a servant when competing with other heroes, it would be beneath him and put him at a disadvantage. After all, he was a regional overlord and could not be too shabby.

Immediately afterward, Chen Jie said to Zhao Ya, "Do you have any bold and meticulous women under your command, with a dignified and elegant appearance, that I can borrow?"

Upon hearing this, Huang Wan'er looked at Chen Jie and said, "Husband, I am bold, meticulous, and dignified. Why would you seek out other women? Whatever you want to do, I can accompany you."

Chen Jie looked at Huang Wan'er's wary expression and laughed, "If your husband is the kind of person who wants to mess around, do you think you can stop him?"

Upon hearing this, Huang Wan'er immediately puffed out her chest and said, "I usually feed my husband so well that he has no appetite for food outside!"

Chen Jie ignored her unreasonable nagging and looked at Zhao Ya. Zhao Ya said, "What use is my husband? If we're talking about someone who is bold, meticulous, and dignified, what do you think of Qingzhu?"

Zhao Ya stepped forward with her head maid, Qingzhu. Each of Chen Jie's three wives was assigned two maids. Su Yunjin's two maids were Hongmei and Cuiju, while Huang Wan'er's two maids were Dujuan and Mudan.

Zhao Ya's two maids were also brought from the Prince's mansion; their names were Qingzhu and Molan.

Mo Lan is a chatterbox, while Qing Zhu is usually quiet and has a strong sense of self. Whenever Mo Lan has something to say, she goes to Qing Zhu for advice, and Qing Zhu gives her the answer to help her.

At this moment, Zhao Ya pushed Qingzhu forward, and Chen Jie said, "Hmm, very good. These next few days, Wan'er, you should teach her some rules for young ladies from merchant families, and also help her make up a background that can withstand scrutiny and be found out."

"What is my husband doing?"

Chen Jie said, "We need to escort her on a journey to the border region."

Huang Wan'er said, "Well, let me check. I should be able to find one that matches your identity."

Huang Wan'er was quite confident. She had information on thousands of businesses, and finding a way to modify one or two of them to match her identity was no problem at all. This was a small matter that Huang Wan'er could easily accomplish.

Everyone has their own strengths. Chen Jie discovered that Huang Wan'er's strengths were her strong ability to summarize and her ability to easily fabricate convincing lies.

Especially in the business aspect, it can be said to be very convincing.

Chen Jie gave the orders, and the women all went to get busy. The next day, they were all almost ready. Su Yunjin prepared two cotton-padded jackets for Chen Jie. One was a cotton-padded jacket made of black silk fabric with gold foil and embroidered with black tiger stripes. When Chen Jie wore it, he looked incredibly handsome.

The other item was a drab gray cotton-padded jacket. Chen Jie glanced at it and shook his head. No, it was still too new. Chen Jie thought about throwing the new cotton-padded jacket on the ground and rubbing it to make it look very old. Then Chen Jie asked Su Yunjin to patch the collar and cuffs of the cotton-padded jacket. Although it was not obvious, it was now a fine old cotton-padded jacket.

Chen Jie put on the tattered cotton-padded coat and his scarred mask, instantly transforming into a pitiful old servant.

At this moment, Chen Jie hunched over, using his bone-shrinking technique, and said with his hands behind his back, "How about it, can you still recognize me?"

Zhao Ya and Huang Wan'er looked Chen Jie up and down and shook their heads in unison, saying, "We don't recognize him."

Su Yunjin said somewhat absentmindedly, "I don't recognize him, but if we met on the other side, I'm afraid I would have a sense of familiarity. That feeling is very special, as if it comes from within my body, and it's very subtle."

Not to be outdone, Huang Wan'er stepped forward, sniffed, and said, "Actually, I can recognize it too. I remember this scent on my husband."

After hearing what the two women said, Zhao Ya shrugged and said, "I really don't recognize them."

Chen Jie said, "Hehe, if I can't even recognize you, who are the closest people to me, I'm afraid it would be even harder for the others to recognize me."

Thinking it over, Chen Jie asked Huang Wan'er, "How's Qingzhu? How's your teaching going?"

Huang Wan'er said, "Husband, look, it's green bamboo."

As she spoke, Huang Wan'er clapped her hands, and then the door was pushed open, and Mo Lan, Cui Ju, and Qing Zhu came out together.

Qingzhu is quite handsome, the kind of girl who is rather dashing. At this moment, she is wearing a gentleman's robe, and her face could easily be mistaken for that of a noble young man. However, those with sharp eyes can clearly see that she is a girl.

Chen Jie was somewhat surprised to see her like this, because her appearance was actually three-tenths similar to Zhao Ya's back then. Of course, Zhao Ya was more dashing and heroic than her, and she was somewhat imitating her.

However, the appearance itself is acceptable. But wasn't she supposed to look like a young lady from a wealthy family?

Chen Jie looked at Huang Wan'er, who then spoke up: "Husband, I've done some research, and the person who most closely resembles your description is a merchant surnamed Li from Huanggang Prefecture. He's a medicinal herb merchant, over fifty years old, childless, and has had three wives. Finally, he had a daughter named Shengnan!"

Sheng Nan!

Upon hearing this name, Chen Jie knew what a resentful name it was.

She's gone crazy wanting a son.

“That’s right, my husband. This medicinal herb merchant surnamed Li hopes to have a son to inherit the family business. This Miss Shengnan is also quite good. She has hoped to inherit the family business since she was a child, so she often identifies as a man and often wears men’s clothing.”

"Therefore, I think this person is more suitable as a reference for us. Moreover, there is an important piece of information about this Li-surnamed medicinal herb merchant: every year in early winter, he goes to the area outside the Great Wall to collect ginseng, deer antler and other precious medicines."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Huang Wan'er and asked, "How long until early winter?"

Huang Wan'er said, "It should be in about a month or two." "If we go to buy ginseng now, won't it attract attention?"

"Will not."

Huang Wan'er smiled and Chen Jie said, "Wan'er, you did a good job. Your husband will reward you handsomely."

Huang Wan'er smiled and said, "Don't lie to me, I'll be waiting for you tonight."

Looking at her seductive eyes, Chen Jie secretly thought she was truly as ruthless as a wolf.

Thinking about it this way, Chen Jie felt that this identity was quite suitable, after all, he was a doctor by profession and was no stranger to medicinal herbs.

So Chen Jie waited for Du Xiong's reply that afternoon. Soon Du Xiong returned and told Chen Jie that Zhu Chongba's caravans were very busy and difficult to contact. However, they had found a local escort agency in Anhui, which was said to have the backing of the Zoroastrian Church.

Zoroastrianism?
Chen Jie was taken aback. At this moment, Du Xiong said, "It is said that the chief镖头 of this镖局 was once a personal guard of Guo Zixing, Zhu Chongba's father-in-law. Later, Zhu Chongba became successful and Guo Zixing died of illness. Those of these personal guards who did not want to continue serving in the army were sent to civilian life."

"However, even though they were ordinary people, they still had a lot of contact with Zhu Chongba's wife, Ma Xiuying, so Zhu Chongba took good care of them."

Chen Jie asked, "You've made contact with them?"

Du Xiong said, "Yes, we've made contact. Our people have met with their chief镖头 (chief镖头 is a term used to describe someone who is very skilled or influential), and he's willing to have further contact with us."

Chen Jie said after hearing this, "Hmm, very good. Just tell them that we are the Li family of Huanggang Prefecture, and we hope they can escort us on a mission. Our young master is going to the border to collect ginseng for the pharmacy!"

"We need them to escort a shipment. We can increase the price by 10%, but they must be experienced and protect our young master's safety."

Upon hearing this, Du Xiong said, "I understand. This time, my lord is playing the role of the young master?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie shook his head and said, "No, I'll play the servant."

Du Xiong asked, "Then what role should I play?"

Chen Jie said, "You'll play the bodyguard."

Upon hearing this, Du Xiong said, "Alright then, but guards can usually command servants. I hope you won't be angry when I give orders to you, my lord."

Chen Jie chuckled upon hearing this and said, "I'm not angry, but after I finish playing the role of a servant, my lord shouldn't be too lenient when dealing with his generals."

"Ah, my lord, no need for that. Let's live in peace, let's live in peace!"

The negotiations were quickly reached. After Chen offered a price that was 10% higher than the market price, the chief镖头 (bodyguard/escort) agreed and arranged to meet in Liuan Prefecture.

And so, the group began preparations, and Chen Jie kept his promise, spending a passionate night in Huang Wan'er's room.

The next day, Chen Jie left while everyone was asleep. Su Yunjin and the others did not get up to see him off. After everything was prepared, Su Yunjin announced to the public that their lord had gone into seclusion and that meals would be delivered to his seclusion room every day.

Moreover, the food was always eaten clean and then returned, so the spies who infiltrated the Chen residence had no idea that Chen Jie had already left.

After Chen Jie left, he went straight to Huanggang, where a car had been prepared, and Qingzhu and the others had already delivered it the day before.

And so, once Chen Jie arrived, the two carriages that had set off from Huanggang Prefecture to purchase ginseng outside the Great Wall set off.

The group set off from Huanggang, stopping and starting along the way, and arrived in Lu'an Prefecture, where they happened to meet the Tianshun Escort Agency, which had already arrived.

The chief镖头 then clasped his hands in a fist salute to Du Xiong and asked, "Is this the Li family of Huanggang?"

Du Xiong clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Indeed, Tian Shun Escort Agency?"

The head镖师 (chief镖师) of the opposing party then clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Zhao Dapeng, head镖师 of Tianshun镖局 (Tianshun Escort Agency)."

Du Xiong clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Mu Xiong, the protector of the Li family."

The other party nodded and said, "Brother Mu, may I inspect the dart?"

Du Xiong said, "Please get out of the carriage, young master."

At this moment, the carriage curtain was lifted, and Qingzhu slowly stepped out of the carriage. Du Xiong then said, "This is our young master."

Qingzhu clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Li Sheng greets the head镖师 (镖头,镖头 is a term

Zhao Dapeng nodded and said, "Can we check the young master's car?"

Qingzhu said, "Of course."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dapeng immediately ordered someone to check the car. The bodyguard who was checking the car lifted the curtain, sniffed, and then frowned, saying, "Why does this man's car smell so good?"

The bodyguard next to him said, "Never mind that, check if there are any hidden compartments or anything."

After checking and finding nothing amiss, they immediately returned to report. Zhao Dapeng then clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Everything is normal. Then we will take over the escort. From this moment on, the safety of the young master to Erliji outside the pass will be our responsibility."

"Okay, then I'll leave it to you."

After saying this, Du Xiong clasped his fists and then said, "Old Sun, why don't you help the young master into the carriage?"

Just then, a hunched old man wearing a tattered, patched cotton-padded coat ran over. The chief镖头 (bodyguard/escort) glanced at him, and Du Xiong said, "Old Sun, our medicine boss."

The head镖师 nodded and immediately joined their group. At this moment, the镖师 reported: "There are two carriages in total. The front carriage carries people, and the rear carriage carries goods. There are no hidden mechanisms or compartments."

"Exactly, the car smelled too good inside, it didn't seem like a man's car."

Upon hearing this, the chief镖头 nodded and said, "The woman disguised as a man should be convincing. The goods are fine. Set sail and raise the flag!"

At his command, the chief镖头 (head镖师) immediately stepped forward and unfurled the镖旗 (镖旗). A flag bearing two lines of text appeared: a large "朱" (Zhu) character at the top, and two smaller characters below: "天顺" (Tian Shun).

This means that the escort agency is under Zhu Chongba's protection, and people coming and going have to give it some face.

At this moment, Zhao Dapeng shouted, "He Wu!"

(End of this chapter)