Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

Wu Chongxun hurriedly returned to the mansion. As soon as he entered, the steward stepped forward and said, "Master invites the young master to the study!"

"What is it?"

"The master didn't say anything, he just asked you to go see him as soon as you get back."

"I see!"

Wu Chongxun was also getting impatient with his father, Wu Sansi. His father was becoming more and more timid and cautious. How could he accomplish great things like that?

But a father is a father after all, and there was nothing Wu Chongxun could do but hurry over to see his father. He pushed open the door and saw his father standing by the window with his hands behind his back.

"Does your son greet his father?"

"Chongxun, what have you been busy with lately? Are you still searching for Wu Chengsi's hidden wealth?"

"Yes! But I want to find the Imperial Seal of the State even more. I am not willing to give up. The Zhang brothers have promised to get me a second Hidden Guard. They said that the Emperor has already given his word. The key is to find the Imperial Seal."

When Wu Sansi saw his son openly confess his relationship with the two Zhangs, he was genuinely displeased, but he kept quiet and held back.

"Did Wu Yanxiu mention the 20,000 catties of coarse silver?"

He said he'd go back and check, and get back to me in the next day or two!

Wu Sansi nodded and said, "Xue Wei went to Chenzhou to investigate a case. I'm warning you, don't do anything reckless. At the Prince Xiang's birthday banquet, he and Yuan Min were both arranged in the first-class guest area. This is the Emperor's attitude. Don't do anything stupid again."

"I'm only looking for the Divine Seal; I don't care about him anymore."

"That's good. Also, your wedding with the princess is scheduled for next month. She's already showing, so we can't delay any longer."

Wu Chongxun didn't know if the child in Li Guo'er's belly was his, but judging from the timeline, it seemed to be his. He couldn't deny it, so he had to nod in agreement.

"Go! It's just these two things."

Wu Chongxun bowed and withdrew.

If his father hadn't reminded him, he would have forgotten that his family also had influence in Chenzhou.

If he had the chance to kill Xue Wei, how could he let it go? Killing him would make him the only hidden guard.

After thinking for a moment, he imitated Wu Jizhi's handwriting and tone to write a letter, also signing it as Wu Jizhi. Wu Jizhi was now in charge of internal affairs and managed the family business.

Taking advantage of Wu Jizhi's absence from the room, he went inside and stamped the seal.

Wu Chongxun summoned a trusted aide and whispered to him, "Go quickly to Chen County and find Master Mo. Tell him this is a letter from the Second Young Master. Do it well, and I'll reward you handsomely!"

"Rest assured, young master, I will handle it perfectly."

........

After sailing for more than a month, Xue Wei and his party arrived in Chen County.

Chenxian County was the seat of Chenzhou Prefecture. It is an ancient mountain town with simple folk customs and abundant resources. Various mountain products filled the docks and were transported out of Chenxian by boat.

"Old Xue, these little lambs are so cute!"

At the dock, Yuan Min was surrounded by a group of little white goats. Their cuteness melted her heart. She looked at Xue Wei expectantly, "Shall we buy one and take it home?"

Xue Wei smiled and nodded, "Pick two to give to the bow of the boat; they can be kept on board."

Dugu Jiao rushed over like a gust of wind, "I want to buy one too!"

Since the incident in the dining car, Xue Wei has never spoken to Dugu Jiao alone again. Dugu Jiao doesn't take it seriously either, eating and drinking as usual, laughing without a care in the world, as if nothing had happened.

Xue Wei also believed Yuan Min's words: Dugu Jiao only liked him and never thought about getting him; the person she was going to marry was Yuan Mao.

However, Xue Wei still noticed a subtle change: Dugu Jiao's attire had become more conservative, whether because of what he had said or because of her own actions.

Dugu Jiao's see-through dress was no longer seen, and her ruyi (a type of traditional Chinese dress) was buttoned up with a single button, just like Yuan Min's.

The two liked it from both sides, and finally each picked a lamb to send onto the boat, leaving the negotiation and payment to the bow of the boat.

The captain of the ship is Zhou Shun, who has been loyal to Yuan Min's father for more than ten years. He is now the chief manager of the entire merchant fleet, and he took the lead as captain without hesitation when the owner went out this time.

Zhou Shunnian was about forty years old. He was tall and strong with dark skin and a distinctive cross-shaped scar on his forehead, making him unforgettable.

Being the captain of a ship not only requires navigating the boat well, but also taking care of the food, drink, and shore arrangements for everyone on board. Zhou Shun, having traveled extensively and seen a lot, arranged every detail with great care.

"Master, this is a specialty of Chenzhou, a dwarf goat. The meat is tender and delicious, perfect for hot pot."

Yuan Min's pretty face darkened. "Manager Zhou, did I buy it to eat?"

Zhou Shun was startled and quickly bowed, saying, "This humble servant knows his mistake."

Zhou Shun negotiated with the seller, paid the money, and the group headed towards the county town.

Yuan Min and Dugu Jiao sat on the eaves and left first, while Xue Wei lagged behind, smiling as he asked Zhou Shun, "Steward Zhou, have you been to Chen County before?"

"I've been here!"

This was the first time Zhou Shun had spoken to Xue Wei. His expression was somewhat unnatural, and he forced a smile. "The old owner used to invest in the silver mine here, but later sold it. He's never been here once; I've been the one running around doing it all, and I've been here many times!"

Xue Wei nodded. "No wonder, I felt that Manager Zhou was very familiar with this place."

"I know which inn is good, I guarantee that the owner and young master will have a comfortable stay."

After finishing his sentence, Zhou Shun left Xue Wei behind and hurried to the county town.

Xue Wei watched his retreating figure, still pondering his earlier words: "The old owner used to invest in the silver mine here."

He felt the truth lay in Chen County.

Soon, Zhou Shun booked an inn, ensuring that everyone could enjoy hot meals and hot water as soon as they disembarked. With such thoughtful arrangements, there was no need to worry about not being able to adapt to the new environment.

Chenxian County experiences frequent rainfall, and it started to drizzle on their first day there.

After lunch, Yuan Min took Xue Wei's arm, and the two strolled along the stone-paved streets of the county town under one umbrella.

The air was exceptionally fresh and moist, and exceptionally tranquil. Yuan Min loved the rustic and peaceful atmosphere here. Being with her beloved in a foreign land, she even had the thought of staying for a long time.

"Honey, let's get married here, okay? Let's buy a house here, leave all our worries behind, have children here, and live a peaceful life. Do you like that?"

Xue Wei put his arm around her waist and kissed her forehead. "I also really like this feeling of being detached from the world, but after living here for a while, I miss Luoyang. Actually, it's possible to do this without having to come to such a far place. For example, we can buy a big house in Yinchuan County or build a villa on Laojun Mountain. If we get tired of Luoyang, we can go and stay there for a few days. If something comes up, we can go back anytime. This is called being detached from the world without leaving it."

Yuan Min was delighted, but she knew that living in Chenzhou was not realistic. Any place you go deep into will have its troubles. The local people seemed simple and honest, but they would take advantage of outsiders. She found out when she bought the sheep. The seller saw that they liked lambs and asked for three times the price of fat sheep in Luoyang. They wouldn't budge on the price.

Besides, she couldn't possibly give up her hundreds of shops. Her lover's idea was good: to live a life of seclusion without leaving the world, and to buy a manor near Luoyang, which was entirely achievable.

Yuan Min nodded happily, "Your idea is good. We'll go back and look at houses. By the way, our household registration has already been transferred to Yinchuan County."

Xue Wei was overjoyed, never expecting that Yuan Min would actually start the process of changing her household registration in order to marry him.

He quickly asked, "When did this happen?"

"It was two days before we set off that I had the head steward handle it. I spent five hundred strings of cash to bribe him, and it went very smoothly."

"So, in a few months we can have our wedding night?"

Yuan Min lightly punched his shoulder. "I knew that's what you were thinking!"

"Food and sex are human nature, so why can't we think about them?"

Xue Wei gently pulled Yuan Min into his arms. "We've been through so many life-or-death situations already, what if..."

"Don't tell!"

Yuan Min covered his mouth, "I want you to be well. You promised me that we would grow old together."

"Okay! We will definitely grow old together."

The two returned to the inn, and Zuo Qingling stepped forward to report, "Young Master, Director Gao was looking for you just now."

Xue Wei squeezed Yuan Min's hand. "I'll be right back!"

Yuan Min nodded gently, "I'll wait for you!"

Xue Wei went directly to Gao Yuanli's room in front.

Inside the room, Gao Yuanli and Yuan Renjing were talking. Upon seeing Xue Wei arrive, Gao Yuanli and Yuan Renjing quickly got up.

"Any news from the county or prefectural government offices?"

Gao Yuanli went to the county government office in the afternoon, and Yuan Renjing went to the prefectural government office; they each had their own tasks.

The silver mines in Chenzhou were all under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Department. Yuan Renjing served in the Imperial Household Department for six years. Although he did not directly manage the silver mines in Chenzhou, he was familiar with the intricacies of the situation.

The imperial court has silver mines in Chenzhou, but there are also dozens of small mines around it, owned by local government officials and private individuals. Although the prefectural government does not own any mines, it is responsible for smelting, and its warehouses contain semi-finished products from various mines.

Yuan Renjing opened the bamboo basket, inside which were seven crude lead ingots. "These are crude lead from different mines. I'll find one from each. Captain, please take a look at this one."

Xue Wei took it and examined it closely. It turned out to be exactly the same as the batch of crude lead from Shaofu Temple, while the quality of the other six pieces was far inferior.

"In the past few years while I was in the Imperial Household Department, I have seen crude lead from various places. Although the refined lead is the same, the quality of the crude lead is very different. Therefore, I am certain that the 20,000 catties of crude lead were produced by this old Dankou mine. I want to check their old accounts to find out who they sold those 20,000 catties of crude lead to six years ago."

Xue Weixin said happily, "Brother Yuan, take a few brothers to take a look tomorrow."

Gao Yuanli, standing nearby, reminded him, "Be careful!"

Xue Wei was taken aback. "Is the security here bad?"

Gao Yuanli nodded. "I spoke with the county magistrate today. Li, the county constable, said that the imperial silver mines are very safe and no one dares to touch them. However, the dozens of private small silver mines around the county are fiercely competing. Among them, the Mo family and the Zhao family are powerful families in the county. They each occupy several good mines. They have powerful backers in the capital and send people to the capital to deliver silver every year."

Last year, a new ore vein with a high silver content was discovered in the mining area. It was located right between the mines of two powerful families, the Mo and Zhao. The two families had been fighting fiercely over this vein for the past two years, resulting in more than a dozen deaths. The feud between the two families ran deep. Therefore, the county magistrate instructed us not to go to the mine without authorization. We must first make arrangements with the local county government and then be accompanied on our journey.

Xue Wei pondered for a moment and then asked, "Did they say who their connections are in the capital?"

"I asked, and the county government said they didn't know either. Both of them are keeping their mouths shut. They went to the capital to get mining permits without any problems. The county magistrate might know, but they don't."

"That's not urgent. We can ask about it later. The most important thing right now is that we need to go to the imperial mines. We have to go tomorrow."

Just then, a messenger rushed in, shouting, "Commander Xue, something terrible has happened!"