Chapter 10

In the Immortal Hall of the Changyue Palace, an elderly man in brocade was feeling the cricket cage in his hand. The cricket inside chirped clearly. The old man's eyes were vacant and blank, clearly showing signs of long-term blindness. A beautiful woman entered with a charming child. The child had a fair complexion and a chubby little face that looked festive, like a ginseng doll from a New Year's painting.

"Mother, guess who I brought."

"A milky scent, it must be a little pig."

"Grandma, I'm Liu Zhi, not a little pig."

A child's voice, soft and tender, brought comfort to Empress Dowager Dou. She extended her hand, which resembled tree bark, and caressed Liu Zhi's tender face.

"Grandma, today I met a great hero at Father's palace. He killed a major chieftain of the Xiongnu and brought back the head and a gold medal."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Mother, it's true. Eldest Brother said he would grant him a village marquisate, but Chancellor Chao Cuo suggested a pavilion marquisate. In the end, the Minister of Clan Affairs compromised and granted him a marquisate within the pass, named Yun Hou. He has two hundred households as his fief, but the reward was a bit meager. Eldest Brother then ordered the inner court to give him fifty bolts of silk and a hundred taels of gold. He also had the Music Bureau select some servants for him. Chao Cuo seems to dislike this Yun Hou very much and exiled him to Ganquan Palace to raise horses."

"Hmm, your eldest brother did the right thing. Merit should be rewarded, but Chao Cuo was a bit too harsh. However, the state now advocates non-action. If the rewards are too generous, people might go to the Xiongnu to cause trouble, making the border unstable. The Minister of Clan Affairs' suggestion was good, after all, family is more reliable."

Empress Dowager Dou hugged her grandson and continued to listen to the cricket's chirping.

In the Weiyang Palace.

"Master, you seem to have a grudge against Yun Hou."

"Your Majesty, this boy, who is only fourteen or fifteen, could freely assassinate the Left Great Chieftain of the Xiongnu. This is too sensational. If it were true, perhaps tomorrow Your Majesty could receive the head of the Xiongnu Great Chieftain."

"You mean this is a Xiongnu ploy, but using a Left Great Chieftain as a pawn seems excessive."

"In the past, Prince Dan of Yan sent Jing Ke to assassinate the King of Qin, using Fan Yuqi's head as a token. Your Majesty must be cautious. Now, exiling him to Ganquan Palace away from Chang'an and secretly monitoring him with the Grand Inquisitor should prevent any trouble. To repel external threats, we must first stabilize the internal. This is the established policy of the late emperor, which cannot be changed."

"Hmm, Master is indeed wise. Have there been any recent movements among the feudal lords?"

"According to the Grand Inquisitor's report..."

Yun Xiao was frustrated. He had barely seen the magnificent Weiyang Palace before being driven far from Chang'an. The only consolation was that the inner court had sent him many bolts of silk and a hundred taels of gold, which were genuine, not just brass.

Yun Xiao had a deep love for gold. He brought the silk to visit Liu Ao, and the title of Yun Hou was something he had to fight for. Otherwise, he might have ended up as a police chief somewhere.

Liu Ao was very热情的, and he sent his elder brother, Liu Xin, to greet Yun Xiao personally. The Liu family might have a gene for this; Liu Xin was also a fat man, and a very fat one at that, so fat that he needed help to walk.

"Boy, I've done what I promised. Although the fief is small, it's better than a pavilion marquisate. Cheng'er wrote that you are very talented. I see that you have a unique bone structure, a good seedling. In the future, the world will belong to the young. We old ones will support you as long as we are in power. When we are gone, the world will be in your hands."

This was blatant flattery, almost saying, "Follow me, and you'll benefit."

Yun Xiao smiled and presented his gifts, then listened to the old man's instructions. He suddenly felt that leaving Chang'an might be a good thing. Chao Cuo's face, full of horizontal flesh, didn't seem so terrifying anymore.

People are passionate about money, not state affairs—Montesquieu.

Yun Xiao was sure that the old man in front of him fit Montesquieu's theory. The old man's words were all about the distribution of ghost salt profits, and he seemed to resent the two shares Liu Cheng had promised Yun Xiao. Clearly, he was trying to renege on the deal. The spirit of contract was not a recent loss, and thinking of Liu Bei's credit issues, Yun Xiao understood. The Liu family was like this.

He couldn't compete with this old coffin, so Yun Xiao generously transferred all his shares to Liu Ao. The Minister of Clan Affairs couldn't be too ugly, so on his way out, the old man forced two carts of copper coins on Yun Xiao as a return gift.

The seemingly happy meeting ended, and Yun Xiao returned to the inn with two carts of copper coins. Three thousand strings of cash, even the autistic Cang Lan's eyes turned red. Everyone's face was full of smiles, except for Yun Xiao, who felt very unhappy about being cheated.

In their love for money, adults and children are not much different. Wei Qing, carrying a basket of copper coins, huffed and puffed as he tried to enter the inn.

"Enough, pack your things. We're leaving now. These two carts are ours. Cang Lan, go buy another cart. We'll leave for Ganquan Palace early tomorrow."

After dinner, Cang Lan came over, huffing and puffing, standing behind Yun Xiao and rubbing his hands.

"Speak your mind. If you're willing to follow me, just say it. Guessing and hesitating only cause trouble and misunderstandings."

"My father sent my three uncles to be your guards. They are waiting outside."

In this era, being a guard is like being a bodyguard or a thug in modern times. When the master bullies others, you beat people; when the master is bullied, you protect them. Two roles in one, that's a guard.

Cang Lan saw Yun Xiao's face change, thinking he might refuse. He quickly said, "My three uncles are skilled in the Northern Army, but because my father offended someone in the court, they can't stay in the Northern Army. They are unwilling to become bandits and are now living in poverty. They beg Yun Hou to take them in."

He knelt down.

"I said, the knees are for walking, not for kneeling. Get up, and bring your three uncles in."

Cang Lan went out, and soon three strong men in rough hemp clothes came in.

"Cang Xiong, Cang Hu, Cang Ying, we pay our respects to Yun Hou."

Yun Xiao sized them up. Names and appearances are somewhat related, and now he believed it.

Cang Xiong, with his fur, looked like a big bear. Cang Hu, with his broad face and square forehead, looked like a tiger when he crouched.

Cang Ying had deep-set eyes and a high nose. No, his bloodline was definitely mixed. His eyes were blue. Anyone who said he was Han could be strangled by Yun Xiao.

Seeing Yun Xiao's eyes on Cang Ying, Cang Lan whispered, "My fourth uncle's mother is a Sari woman, captured by the Northern Army from the Xiongnu. Later, she was taken as a concubine by my grandfather, and my fourth uncle was born. Despite his appearance, my fourth uncle is famous for his archery in the Northern Army. He once shot down a Xiongnu cavalryman from three hundred steps away. Yun Hou can verify this with the Northern Army soldiers."

Three hundred steps, about two hundred meters. In an era without rifles, he was a sniper. Talent, in the 21st century, is the most important. Two thousand years ago, talent was equally important. He had to keep these three brothers.

"Since you are willing to stay, come with me to Ganquan Palace tomorrow."

The three brothers bowed but didn't leave, looking at each other and then at Cang Lan. Cang Lan's face turned red, and he walked in circles.

"I said, speak your mind. What are you doing, circling around me?"

Cang Lan hesitated but couldn't speak. Cang Hu, seeing his nephew's difficulty, said, "Yun Hou, we haven't had a job in Chang'an for a long time and owe some debts. We want to..."

"Oh, I see. Cang Lan, go to Aunt Wei for some money to help your uncles settle down."

"Yun Hou, our families are in Chang'an, and it's inconvenient to come and go. We want to move our families to Ganquan Palace with you."

I understand. They can't make a living in Chang'an and want to move with me. Recruiting talent also means arranging for their families.

A few more people, no problem. I still have two hundred households as my fief, so I won't be poor.

According to Han law, the two hundred households were granted to Yun Xiao. This was his fief, where he could collect taxes, judge cases, and impose penalties. In other words, it was a country within a country. He had to follow the emperor's orders, but everything else was up to him.

If it were a feudal lord, they could even mint their own coins. The feudal lords were now the richest tycoons. Some even had gold chamber pots.

"Alright, bring your families with you tomorrow."

The three brothers bowed gratefully.

"These are hard times. I'll help you support your families, and in times of danger, I'll rely on you to save my life. Who owes whom is unclear. Go to Aunt Wei for the money. Don't let people say that Yun Hou's guards ran away with debts."

"Yun Hou, from now on, our lives belong to you."

Heroes don't talk much. The three brothers bowed and left. Cang Lan hesitated, looked at Yun Xiao, and then followed them out.

Actually, when the three brothers appeared, Yun Xiao knew they were good people. A woman as beautiful as that could lead a gang of robbers, and these three brothers, if they went rogue, could start a rebellion.

The Cang family seemed to have attached itself to Yun Xiao. Just as he sent off the three Cang brothers, Cang Jingkong's high-pitched voice sounded outside the door.

"Yun Hou, these are the male and female servants sent by the Music Bureau. According to the regulations, there are ten strong male servants and twenty capable female servants. Come out and see, they were personally selected by me."

Yun Xiao followed Cang Jingkong to the courtyard and was almost angry enough to faint. The so-called strong male servants were all middle-aged men in their forties and fifties. The so-called capable female servants were all strong, tough women.

Some of them had waists that rivaled their height.