Nowadays, as long as the escort vehicle carries the flag of the Fengyuan Escort Agency, the cargo is guaranteed to be safe. The only exception is for extremely important escorts, which require Liu Yiqing himself to accompany the convoy. Such escorts are valuable, worth tens of thousands of gold.
"Old Zhang, go and call the head of the accounting department. I want to see this month's accounts," Liu Yiqing ordered after taking a sip of tea.
"Understood, Master," the housekeeper replied, then hurried off to find the accountant.
Just as the housekeeper left, Liu Yiqing's eyes were suddenly covered by a pair of delicate little hands.
"Ran'er, are you up to mischief again?"
"Father, how come you always know it's me?" A little girl, wearing a blue satin long dress, jumped out from behind Liu Yiqing. Liu Yiqing chuckled and picked her up, placing her on his lap.
"Because apart from you, my mischievous little girl, who else would dare play such pranks on me?" The little girl thought about it and nodded in agreement.
"No wonder you always guess it's me. Alright! Next time, I'll have mother cover your eyes instead!"
"Your mother wouldn't join in with your mischief!" Liu Yiqing said with a smile, noticing the dust on the little girl's clothes. He asked, "Where have you been playing again? You're all covered in dirt."
"I wasn't playing. I was in the backyard learning swordsmanship with Uncle Zhang," the little girl answered proudly.
"A girl learning swordsmanship? Be careful or you might not be able to marry in the future."
"Hmph! I don't want to get married. Once I learn swordsmanship, I can do what my elder and second brothers do—escort goods like you, Father, and become a heroine in the martial world!" The little girl asked excitedly, "Father, do you think that's a good idea?"
"Haha! Good, good." Liu Yiqing answered with a laugh.
The little girl then glanced around, making sure no one was nearby, and whispered, "Father, I'm going to tell you something secretly, but you must promise you won't say I told you."
"Oh? What's so mysterious?"
"Well… last night, you were reading in the study, but Mother… she was secretly hiding in her room and crying. This isn't the first time I've seen her cry in secret," the little girl said with a serious expression.
Liu Yiqing's brow furrowed. "Why would your mother be crying secretly?"
"Maybe your mother is thinking about the younger brother you lost," Liu Yiqing sighed, then smiled and said, "Ran'er, go tell your mother that your elder and second brothers will be back today."
"Really!?" the little girl exclaimed.
"Of course, really. Do you think your father would lie to you?"
"Oh, that's great! I can play with my brothers again! I'll go tell Mother right away. She'll be so happy!" The little girl ran toward the backyard, her excitement evident.
This little girl was the one Liu Yiqing had used to replace his real daughter ten years ago—a baby who had been swapped as part of a secret plot. She had taken the place of his biological daughter, who died young, and became Liu Yanran. Perhaps it was because of the little girl's cleverness, or maybe because of the guilt Liu Yiqing and his wife felt for their lost daughter, but they doted on Liu Yanran as if she were their own.
Liu Yiqing's two sons, Liu Zheng and Liu De, were unaware of the circumstances and treated this "substitute sister" with even more care and affection. Liu Yanran truly had the love of the entire family.
As Liu Yanran ran off, Liu Yiqing smiled, then glanced at the distant, towering Yan Mountain. His expression changed, and in a low voice, he muttered, "Hmph! It's time to visit that troublesome person again."
After speaking, Liu Yiqing turned, flicked his sleeves, and headed toward the study in the back courtyard.
**Biyue Mountain Manor** was home to only two elderly servants besides Xiuning and Yanhuo: Old Man Yu and Old Madam Yu. Both were in their sixties, former servants of the Liu family. Since they had no children, they were assigned to live in the manor. Old Man Yu was in charge of buying supplies and handling miscellaneous chores. Simple things like rice and grain could be purchased from the Daoling Temple, where the monks had known Old Man Yu for decades. They regarded him as a local farmer, so there was no suspicion. Old Madam Yu was responsible for washing clothes and cooking. Although the manor wasn't large, it had one or two dozen rooms, but only three were in regular use. Xiuning kept the master's and mistress's rooms spotless.
At Liu Yiqing's request, Xiuning never allowed Yanhuo to learn to read. If Yanhuo ever felt bored, Xiuning would teach him to paint or play the zither. Xiuning was the only outsider who knew Yanhuo's true identity. Why had they brought Yanhuo to this remote manor? Old Man and Old Madam Yu never asked questions. They simply followed the master's orders and did as told. They understood that certain things were not for them to know. Ever since the mistress had sent Xiuning to the manor and Xiuning learned of Yanhuo's background, Xiuning knew that she and Yanhuo would be confined to this mountain manor forever.
During the Qingming Festival, after Liu Yiqing had finished his visit to Daoling Temple to pay respects to Daoist Qing Shan, he took the small path to the manor. As usual, he came alone, without any servants. Xiuning had been counting the days and knew the master would arrive soon, so she had prepared tea and snacks in advance. Every time Liu Yiqing visited the manor, his expression was grim, as if the trip itself was a painful task for him. Once Liu Yiqing had settled in the main hall, Xiuning carefully brought in the finest Longjing tea.
Liu Yiqing sipped the tea and asked, "Xiuning, has he been well this year?"
"Master, as usual, nothing is unusual. He's just a year older and has become a bit more aware of things."
"More aware?" Liu Yiqing hoped Yanhuo would never understand the truth. "He must never learn to read."
"I understand, Master," Xiuning replied.
"Has anyone come to the manor this year?"
"No, no one has come. Not even the people from the temple have visited the back mountain," Xiuning responded.
Upon hearing this, Liu Yiqing's stern expression softened slightly.
"Xiuning, you've done well. In two years, I'll have someone take over your duties and find you a wealthy family to marry into."
"Master, I've been with the mistress since I was young. My family has no relatives alive. I'm willing to stay in the manor and serve Young Master forever," Xiuning replied.
"Well… if that's what you want, so be it," Liu Yiqing said with a pause, then added, "But if you ever wish to leave the mountain, you can tell me anytime."
Liu Yiqing's question seemed like a test. Replacing Xiuning would be impossible. Liu Yiqing had no fear that too many people might learn about this matter. If Xiuning had answered differently, Liu Yiqing would have taken more drastic measures.