Regarding wedding matters, Marquis Xinchang’s wife would enter the palace to discuss with Consort Wang. All protocols would be determined by the palace through the Palace Attendants Bureau. After Han Qian, Li Zhigao, and Li Chong chatted with Yang Yuanpu about some trivial matters, they took their leave.
“You’ve truly been putting your heart into teaching His Highness during this period,” Li Chong couldn’t help complaining sarcastically as they left Xiaoxiang Pavilion and walked through the corridor toward the front courtyard.
Han Qian saw Li Zhigao’s expression was somber and couldn’t fathom what he was thinking. After pondering a moment, he said, “I did tell His Highness things like there’s a difference between a hundred people loyal to Marquis Xinchang’s residence while Marquis Xinchang’s residence is loyal to His Highness, versus a hundred people directly loyal to His Highness. But you mustn’t forget—His Majesty won’t tolerate being deceived!”
Seeing Han Qian openly admit he had been sowing discord before the Third Prince, the corners of Li Chong’s mouth couldn’t help twitching.
Li Zhigao, however, pulled Li Chong back, telling him not to quarrel with Han Qian, saying, “Han Qian makes a good point. His Majesty founded Great Chu with grand ambitions and aspirations. In recent years he’s also intended to guard against generals monopolizing power. If he truly sees that when the Dragon Sparrow Army is formed, from top to bottom it’s all our Marquis Xinchang residence’s people, at that time he’ll either forcibly dismiss some military officers, or when considering the Third Prince he’ll have more hesitation.”
Han Qian smiled inwardly, thinking they still underestimated Emperor Tianyou. If he were Emperor Tianyou, even without detecting Evening Red Tower’s conspiracy, if he truly decided to support the Third Prince Yang Yuanpu’s succession, after the Dragon Sparrow Army truly formed combat effectiveness, he would first find a way to kill all three of Li Pu’s father and sons, letting Shen Yang command the army.
However, Li Zhigao already having this level of awareness obviously exceeded what Li Chong could match. No wonder that although he was an adopted son, he had far greater decision-making power than Li Chong at Marquis Xinchang’s residence.
Hearing Li Zhigao say this, Li Chong had no way to quarrel with Han Qian.
“The Commander is truly a man of understanding. From now on, having matters to discuss with the Commander, we won’t fear making mistakes,” Han Qian said.
Li Chong turned his head to look elsewhere.
“I sincerely hope you can take charge of the Secret Bureau. The Secret Bureau will be established in secret and won’t be publicly disclosed. You needn’t fear being unable to explain to Master Han,” Li Zhigao stared at Han Qian and said.
“I can’t command Evening Red Tower and Marquis Xinchang residence’s people,” Han Qian also brought the words into the open.
“The Han residence’s household troops’ children—during this period they’ve been occasionally going to prefectures and counties for training. Does Master Han need to use our side’s people to establish the Secret Bureau?” Li Zhigao exposed this matter, also indicating they weren’t unaware of Han Qian’s small private actions.
After the household troops’ children received six to seven months of preliminary training, in the past month Han Qian had arranged for them to disperse to nearby prefectures and counties, investigating and collecting information on local customs, geography, terrain, and commodity prices.
On one hand, the household troops’ children needed actual training to truly grow rapidly. He had no patience, nor time, to have them study in the residence for three to five years before releasing them.
Even if his father didn’t have a stubborn temper, this was already the thirteenth year of Tianyou. Emperor Tianyou had at most four more years to live. By then, bloodshed between the Third Prince Yang Yuanpu and the Crown Prince and Prince Xin’s sides would be inevitable. Huai could descend into chaos at any time.
No matter what, if he wanted to possess a certain degree of self-protection capability, his training of household troops’ children couldn’t proceed step by step.
Moreover, Han Qian’s personal energy was limited. In a short time, he also couldn’t possibly travel throughout all prefectures and counties of Huai. If he wanted more precise control over Chu’s situation, he had to rely on household troops’ children to collect intelligence and information for him.
As for collecting commodity price information, Han Qian mainly wanted to compare Jinling’s commodity prices to find business opportunities from them.
This era had absolutely no patent awareness. Seeing that producing lime brought huge profits, those grandsons Zhang Qian and Guo Liang also built kilns at Taowu Gathering to burn lime after the New Year. He didn’t know if this was Li Chong and Chai Jian’s side seeing that during this period he had intentionally befriended Zhang Qian and Guo Liang and instigating them to do this behind the scenes.
Producing lime didn’t have much technical content. Once multiple parties participated, profits would gradually thin. Though the manor hadn’t added people, acquiring horses, weapons and armor, and hiring craftsmen to create some special equipment—there wasn’t a single place that didn’t need money thrown at it. Han Qian could only think of other strategies to raise money.
He just hadn’t expected Evening Red Tower and Marquis Xinchang’s residence to watch him even more closely than he imagined.
Han Qian’s bright, spirited eyes stared at Li Zhigao. He held Li Zhigao in high regard, but how could Li Zhigao be confident of persuading Marquis Xinchang Li Pu and the black-veiled woman to let him take charge of a bureau?
Evening Red Tower had lurked in the shadows all these years and should understand the importance of controlling a secret force. When, or rather what happened, that they suddenly trusted him so much?
Han Qian pondered for a while and decided it would be better to speak some words clearly with Li Zhigao: “If the Commander hopes I’ll take on more tasks, I dare not refuse. But the Commander must also understand—if the marquis’s residence doesn’t lay out all the forces it controls, it’s impossible to gain trust. Not to mention His Majesty and the Consort—His Highness is intelligent and his will and ambition exceed ordinary people. At Marquis Li and Madam’s side, if you truly want to accomplish things, you should make His Majesty’s side firmly believe His Highness has the ability to control the Dragon Sparrow Army. Only then will more resources gradually be allocated this way going forward. Otherwise, His Highness will forever be an unvalued chess piece.”
“…” Li Zhigao pondered for a while, then said to Li Chong, “I’ll go to Evening Red Tower with Han Qian first. You return to the residence and tell Father that we should give His Highness a reply on this matter as quickly as possible.”
Li Chong was extremely unwilling and also felt the Third Prince had been coached by Han Qian somewhat beyond their control. But how to ultimately handle this matter still required listening to his father and Madam make the decision.
Han Qian thought that with Li Pu’s insight, as long as the words were spoken clearly, he could still distinguish priorities. After leaving the marquis’s residence, he and Li Zhigao rode separately toward Evening Red Tower.
After meeting with Yao Xishui and Su Hongyu, they hadn’t stayed long in Yao Xishui’s courtyard when Marquis Xinchang Li Pu and his second son-in-law Chai Jian came directly with Li Chong.
The black-veiled woman didn’t appear. Whether she was delayed by something at this time, or wasn’t in Jinling City during this period, Yao Xishui and the others apparently didn’t want to explain to Han Qian.
After listening to Li Zhigao detail what he had previously discussed with Han Qian, Marquis Xinchang Li Pu nodded and said:
“We could suggest His Highness establish Left and Right Staff Officers for the Secret Bureau. At that time, Evening Red Tower will incorporate two hundred households of vagrants into the garrison military headquarters to be governed.”
With Marquis Xinchang Li Pu saying this, he was laying out the two hundred elite forces they secretly controlled into the open. Moreover, being incorporated as military households into the garrison military headquarters, their family members remaining at the headquarters actually carried the nature of “hostages.”
Han Qian didn’t think this would be all the final forces Evening Red Tower and Marquis Xinchang secretly controlled, but estimating the scale of industries Evening Red Tower and Marquis Xinchang controlled, he guessed that even if they still controlled secret forces, they should also be limited.
“This son suggests Master Han serve as Left Staff Officer, but who is suitable for Right Staff Officer?” Li Zhigao asked. He still advocated using Han Qian for one position, but he hadn’t considered well who the other person should be.
“Let Chai Jian do it. Then recommend Gao Chengyuan to fill the Metropolitan Police Commander vacancy!” Li Pu didn’t veto Han Qian serving as Left Bureau Staff Officer of the Secret Office, but he knew that unless they sent out direct lineage confidants, no one could truly control this secret force.
Moreover, he didn’t want to treat the Third Prince Yang Yuanpu perfunctorily in this matter.
Han Qian’s reminder made sense. They could deceive Yang Yuanpu’s youth and could deceive the Consort deep in the palace precincts, but trying to deceive Emperor Tianyou might backfire cleverly.
Their current situation was actually built on the foundation that Emperor Tianyou felt the Third Prince could accomplish something. This was still opened up by Han Qian’s strategy献 to the Third Prince Yang Yuanpu.
What they needed to do now was strengthen this foundation, not destroy it.
Gao Chengyuan was originally a guard beside Emperor Tianyou. After the assassination incident, he was assigned by Emperor Tianyou to serve as deputy commander of the guard battalion for the Third Prince Yang Yuanpu.
Recommending Gao Chengyuan to succeed Chai Jian as Metropolitan Police Commander, on one hand, showed Marquis Xinchang’s residence had no ambition to monopolize the Dragon Sparrow Army’s military authority. On the other hand, through Gao Chengyuan they could transmit the Dragon Sparrow Army’s achievements to Emperor Tianyou, letting him know the Third Prince indeed had accomplishments.
Gao Chengyuan might not offend Anning Palace’s side, but before Emperor Tianyou’s death, he wouldn’t betray Emperor Tianyou.
Regarding this point, Marquis Xinchang Li Pu still had confidence in Emperor Tianyou.
Thinking of this, Marquis Xinchang Li Pu also said to Han Qian: “The Secret Office’s Left and Right Bureaus are established separately. For whatever people the Left Bureau wants to select from garrison military households, you needn’t worry that Chai Jian and Chong’er will interfere with you!”
The Dragon Sparrow Army’s foundation was at the garrison military headquarters. Besides properly appointed official positions and invited guest advisors and counselors, the vast majority of low-ranking military officers and soldiers under the various bureaus had to be selected from the garrison military headquarters. To select people from other places, those people and their family members also had to be incorporated into the garrison military headquarters.
Of course, Han Qian’s private escort household troops could be exempted.
However, most of the time, to show loyalty, generals’ private escort household troops would also be arranged to live concentrated in places closely adjacent to the garrison military headquarters.
Currently Autumn Lake Mountain villa was located within Taowu Gathering. The family members of Han family household troops were actually all under the garrison military headquarters’ control. Li Pu wasn’t worried about Han Qian recommending his subordinate household troops to hold military positions.
Through mutual integration, ultimately the larger side would always devour the smaller.
Seeing Marquis Xinchang Li Pu didn’t oppose Li Zhigao’s recommendation of him at all and even gave him such great authority to handle things, Han Qian became increasingly certain something had happened, saying, “I can take charge of one bureau and in the future definitely won’t disappoint you all. But I have one condition.”
“What condition?” Marquis Xinchang Li Pu narrowed his eyes and stared at Han Qian asking.
“Only if my father can serve in a local post will I dare to do my utmost to work for His Highness,” Han Qian said.
Without this side being so relaxed, Han Qian still made such a bold demand, even emphasizing doing his utmost to work for “the Third Prince.” Yao Xishui slightly narrowed her beautiful eyes, thinking this fellow wasn’t afraid of becoming estranged from this side.
“In this matter I can only do my utmost to plan…” Marquis Xinchang Li Pu said.
“All depends on the Marquis,” Han Qian said. Seeing Marquis Xinchang Li Pu didn’t directly oppose, he knew this matter had some hope and cupped his hands in thanks.
In fact, after the New Year Han Qian had been subtly working on his father, hoping his father could have an opportunity to serve locally. Only then would he no longer live in fear going forward…