Even if in the future the garrison military office allocated three to four million coins annually to Han Qian, and besides the thirty to forty direct confidants, he could select another two hundred people from the garrison military office, Han Qian knew in his heart that to truly construct a usable intelligence system—how could that be easy?
That night at the Qiuhu Mountain villa, after Han Qian seemed to experience a different life in a dreamlike state, he was no longer a newborn calf unafraid of tigers.
Over the most recent three or four months, besides diligently studying and practicing, instructing the household soldier disciples, and reporting for duty at the Marquis Linjiang’s residence, his main energy was still devoted to compiling the “Annotations on the Chapter on Use of Spies.” The more deeply he thought about many matters, the more he knew how difficult they would be to accomplish.
That Wanhong Tower could have its current power was actually because before officially surfacing in the first year of Tianyou, it had already been lurking in the shadows for who knows how many years.
According to what Third Prince Yang Yuanpu said, Consort Shi had known the black-veiled woman back when she was in Guangling. Han Qian deduced that this was at the very latest an event from eighteen or nineteen years ago.
At that time, the previous dynasty hadn’t yet fallen, Emperor Tianyou had only been appointed Military Governor of Huainan for a few years, and even then had merely a marriage alliance relationship with Xu Mingzhen, the Military Governor of Guangling where Empress Xu was located. Even less had the various prefectures of Jiangnan East Circuit and Jiangnan West Circuit been brought under his rule.
For Han Qian now to place informants beside Anning Palace and the Crown Prince’s faction to monitor their movements for Third Prince Yang Yuanpu would give the Left Bureau of the secret bureau preliminary value. But to accomplish this step without leaving traces and without being detected was absolutely no easy matter.
Last night Han Qian hadn’t slept soundly, going through all the resources at his disposal. Pulling out the personnel the Feng family, under Feng Yi’s direction, used to sell quicklime in Jinling city and the capital region’s counties to establish a warehouse would be a shortcut to infiltrating informants into Anning Palace and the Crown Prince’s faction internally.
After careful cultivation over a full four to five months, regularly sprinkling quicklime powder in front of and behind houses to eliminate epidemic poisons had already taken deep root in the capital’s official and gentry circles.
However, quicklime powder easily absorbed moisture and wasn’t easy to store, so people bought and used it as needed.
Operating a quicklime powder business provided opportunities to maintain regular contact with the stewards of various residences. Only through contact could there be opportunities to gather information, even recruit informants, and conduct deeper infiltration.
Emperor Tianyou couldn’t hold on for four years. There was no time for Han Qian to make arrangements in a calm and unhurried manner. By leveraging Feng Yi, he could take the first step both without leaving traces and extremely quickly.
Han Qian pulled Feng Yi to a teahouse opposite the Han Family Copper Vessel Shop. Going to the second floor, he requested a private room facing the street to drink tea and told Feng Yi about establishing a warehouse.
Han Qian wanted Feng Yi to pull out the personnel the Feng family previously used to sell lime to newly establish a warehouse. The warehouse must operate normally under Feng Yi’s control or that of direct subordinates he could absolutely trust, while the matter of planting informants would be personally handled by Han Qian.
“His Highness and Marquis Xinchang are now having you handle these matters?” Feng Yi asked Han Qian in a lowered voice.
“Perhaps yesterday’s events at my family residence made His Highness and Marquis Xinchang feel I can still do some things for them.” Han Qian said.
At this moment, Han Qian also didn’t hide the matter of being bullied by Han Jun and Han Duan in Xuanzhou. But speaking with Feng Yi now, he only said that yesterday’s events were just him seeing an opportunity—no matter what, he had to first vent his private anger and take private revenge!
“Too damn satisfying! These evil servants dare to bully their superiors—only dismembering them could relieve the hatred.”
Feng Yi had a perverse nature. Although outside he threw his weight around using the Feng family’s power and influence, even committing misdeeds, within the Feng family he wasn’t the only heir. He inevitably faced contempt and disdain, even oppression from elder brothers more favored than him, who appeared more promising and more worthy of the Feng family’s hopes.
Hearing that yesterday Han Qian had someone shoot and kill the evil servant beside Han Jun, Feng Yi felt common hatred for the enemy and extreme satisfaction.
“I’ve also figured it out. In my old Han family, whatever benefits there are all go to the eldest son and eldest grandson. If I want not to be bullied by others, I must distinguish myself,” Han Qian imperturbably sold Feng Yi motivational chicken soup, saying, “His Highness at such a young age already independently commands an army. In the future, even if his circumstances worsen, he can still be enfeoffed like Prince Xin to independently control a region. If we now do our utmost to handle affairs for His Highness, in the future there will definitely be no shortage of benefits for us.”
“…” Feng Yi nodded deeply in agreement, deciding to be self-reliant. Eagerly seeking advice from Han Qian, he asked, “After I pull the personnel out on my side to newly establish a warehouse, where do you think would be best to set it up?”
“My family has a courtyard compound in Kaoshan Alley next to Shitang River. It’s convenient to transport any goods by boat from outside the city through Qiupu River into the city!” Han Qian said. “After you pull the personnel out, if you’re temporarily short of settlement funds, I still have twenty ingots of gold here. You can take them to use first.”
Feng Yi and Kong Xirong were generous in their spending, but precisely because of this, they couldn’t save money or goods. Usually, whatever money and goods they had in hand, they would squander completely in the shortest time.
“How can this work? I’ll find Xirong to think of another way.” Feng Yi also didn’t want to be looked down upon by Han Qian and said.
“His Highness instructed me to handle affairs and privately gave me one hundred ingots of gold. This is His Highness’s money,” Han Qian knew that the more capable Feng Yi appeared, the less the Feng family would restrain him, and said, “If the warehouse can’t turn a profit, so be it. But if there’s profit at month’s end, allocate half from it back to me.”
Li Zhigao said he would have the military office’s Provisions Bureau allocate one million coins to Han Qian to get things started first. Han Qian also believed Li Zhigao would do as he said. But to fully spread out a truly effective intelligence system in a short time absolutely couldn’t be accomplished with one million coins.
During this period, Han Qian had privately also saved up over two million coins. The only plan now was to take this money and goods out to advance it first.
Additionally, during this time he had also imperceptibly bought six rather large courtyard compounds near Shitang River in Wuli Alley, Lanting Alley, and Kaoshan Alley, which could now be put to use.
Taking out the two courtyard compounds along the river in Kaoshan Alley to build a warehouse, both the warehouse personnel and incoming and outgoing goods would be placed under his surveillance.
At the same time, he could also use the opportunity of renovating the warehouse and cargo dock to thoroughly transform the adjacent four courtyard compounds for use as the Left Bureau of the secret bureau’s main base within the city.
“Clop clop clop!”
At this moment, urgent horse hoofbeats sounded outside the building. Han Qian looked out the window and saw a group of mounted men, about forty to fifty people, all fierce and brave, with large bows on their backs and sharp blades at their waists, galloping from the western main street.
“Ha, your old Han family is going to be lively now.” Feng Yi leaned out to look and saw this group of people stop at the Han Family Copper Vessel Shop opposite the teahouse. Han Duan’s face darkened as he walked out from inside the shop. Shrugging toward Han Qian with a smile, Feng Yi spoke.
Feng Yi also had ancestral roots in Xuanzhou. When Han Wenhuan served as Vice Minister of War in Jinling, Han Jun and Han Duan had both lived in Jinling for quite a long time. Feng Yi recognized them all.
Seeing Han Duan now summon another forty to fifty skilled fighters, he naturally guessed this was targeting Han Qian over yesterday’s events.
From this scene, Han Qian could see more information than Feng Yi.
Even if these forty to fifty people were all household soldiers from the old estate, without formal official status and transfer documents, forty to fifty people openly carrying weapons, blades, and bows in formation entering the city—did they really think the four city guards and patrol soldiers were mere decorations?
Fan Xicheng, Lin Haizheng, Fan Dahei, Zhao Kuo, Zhao Wuji, and others who followed by Han Qian’s side could carry arms and armor in and out because they borrowed the status of marquis residence guards. Other household soldier disciples had separate sets of arms and armor inside and outside the city and couldn’t possibly openly carry arms and armor in and out of the city gates.
The old Han family’s household soldiers currently mainly followed eldest uncle Han Daoming stationed in Chizhou, having Chizhou provincial army status. But as provincial soldiers, so many people together couldn’t possibly enter the city at will.
The scene before his eyes could only indicate that Han Jun and Han Duan summoning household soldiers from outside had received permission from high levels of the Bureau of Military Affairs, possibly even directly from Vice Director of Military Affairs Niu Gengru.
This also indicated that yesterday in their anger, Han Jun and Han Duan had already reported the intense internal Han family conflicts to Niu Gengru or someone.
Han Qian smiled inwardly. For him, this was actually a good thing. This meant that in the future, when Anning Palace and the Crown Prince’s side suspected him, they would most likely start from the Han family’s internal conflicts rather than directly adopting the most violent measures.
Han Duan perhaps noticed Lin Haizheng, Fan Dahei, and others guarding downstairs at the teahouse. His eyes looked viciously toward this window, his hand pressing toward the sabre at his waist, making a threatening gesture.
Han Qian only smiled, saying to Feng Yi: “His Highness’s side is quite urgent. The matters we just agreed upon—let’s complete them in the next couple of days!”
……
……
Han Qian, wearing a long robe, separated from Feng Yi in front of the teahouse. With both hands tucked behind him, accompanied by three household soldiers leading horses—Lin Haizheng, Fan Dahei, and Zhao Wuji—he walked away with head held high.
At this time the evening sun was late, and Han Qian cast a long shadow on the stone-paved street.
Watching this scene, Han Duan was slightly stunned and swallowed his saliva.
Yesterday when Han Qian allowed household soldiers to shoot and kill Niu Erdan, Han Duan was initially surprised. But afterward, recalling the various past events that occurred in Xuanzhou, with Han Qian’s perverse and volatile temperament, momentarily gaining power and furiously venting private anger wasn’t particularly strange.
However, this fellow running to the teahouse opposite the Han Family Copper Vessel Shop to drink tea, being watched by fifty to sixty fierce mounted men on their side, yet leaving so calmly and unhurriedly—this made Han Duan somewhat unable to see through him.
Was this still the Han Qian with a perverse and volatile temperament he had identified?
Or was he relying on his status as Marquis Linjiang’s study companion and marquis residence aide, believing this side wouldn’t do anything to him?
In broad daylight, Han Duan truly couldn’t do anything to Han Qian. He could only grit his back teeth and walk back into the copper vessel shop’s courtyard filled with resentment and indignation.
When Han Wenhuan served as Vice Minister of War, he had purchased a residence in Jinling, located in Tianye Ward behind the Han Family Copper Vessel Shop. When Han Wenhuan retired and returned to Xuanzhou to live out his years, this residence had remained empty. When Han Daoxun was transferred to serve in the court, he didn’t move into this large residence. This time when Han Jun and Han Duan came to Jinling, they moved in.
Han Duan arranged the household soldiers transferred to Jinling for reinforcement in the courtyard where the copper vessel shop apprentices stayed, then walked through the streets and alleys back to the residence in Tianye Ward. Seeing Han Jun and Yang Shi directing servants to tidy up the house, he walked over and told Han Jun about seeing Han Qian.
“Han Qian isn’t worth worrying about. There will be time to torment him later. What’s truly incomprehensible is still third uncle.” Han Jun said with furrowed brows.
How could Han Duan know that Han Qian had changed so much over the past year?
Thinking carefully about Han Jun’s words, he felt it was also true. Without third uncle Han Daoxun’s indulgence and approval, how could the household soldiers in that residence have followed that bastard Han Qian’s orders to kill people?