Now, whenever the Feng Yuan Escort Agency sends out an escort, as long as the escort cart bears the agency's flag, the escort will be guaranteed to reach its destination without incident—unless it's an extremely important escort, in which case Liu Yiqing himself would take charge. An extremely important escort means a reward of tens of thousands of gold.
"Old Zhang, go summon the chief accountant. I want to look at the accounts for this month," Liu Yiqing ordered after taking a sip of tea.
"Yes, Master." The old housekeeper quickly replied and went off to find someone. As soon as the housekeeper left, Liu Yiqing's eyes were suddenly covered by a pair of soft, fair hands.
"Ran'er, you're at it again."
"Father, you always guess it's me every time," said a little girl in a blue satin gown, who jumped out from behind Liu Yiqing.
Liu Yiqing lifted the girl and placed her on his lap. "Because, apart from you, who else in the house would dare to play such pranks on me?" The little girl thought about it and nodded. "No wonder Father always guesses it's me. Fine! Next time, I'll get Mother to cover your eyes."
"Your mother wouldn't play such tricks with you!" Liu Yiqing noticed that the little girl was covered in dust and asked, "Where have you been playing this time? You're all dirty."
"I wasn't playing. I was practicing swordsmanship with Uncle Zhang in the backyard," the little girl replied.
"What's a girl like you learning swordsmanship for? Be careful, or you might never get married."
"Hmph! I don't want to marry! Once I've learned swordsmanship, I'll be able to help you, Father, with the escorts, just like Big Brother and Second Brother, and become a heroine of the martial world!" The little girl asked, "Father, what do you think?"
"Heh, good, good," Liu Yiqing replied with a smile.
The little girl looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then whispered, "Father, Ran'er will tell you a secret, but you must promise not to tell anyone it was me."
"Oh? What's so mysterious?"
"Well... last night, while you were reading in the study, Mother... Mother was secretly crying in her room for some reason. This isn't the first time I've seen Mother cry secretly."
Liu Yiqing's face tightened after hearing this.
"Father, why do you think Mother was crying?" the little girl asked curiously.
"Maybe your mother was thinking about your late brother again," Liu Yiqing sighed softly, then quickly smiled and said, "Ran'er, go tell your mother that Big Brother and Second Brother are coming back today."
"Really!?" The little girl's eyes lit up with joy.
"Of course it's true. 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 now. She'll be so happy!" The little girl ran joyfully toward the backyard.
This little girl was the one whom Liu Yiqing had used to replace his real daughter ten years ago, the one who became Liu Yanran. She had taken the place of the real daughter who had passed away shortly after birth, and now became the beloved child of the Liu family. Perhaps it was because of her cleverness, or perhaps because of the guilt Liu Yiqing and his wife felt for their real daughter, but they doted on Liu Yanran with all their hearts.
Liu Yiqing's two sons, Liu Zheng and Liu De, did not know the truth of the matter, and thus treated this "adopted" sister with even more care and affection. Liu Yanran was truly the recipient of all the family's love and attention!
As Liu Yanran ran off, Liu Yiqing smiled and turned back. His gaze shifted to the towering Yanshan in the distance, and his expression darkened. He muttered to himself, "Hmph! It's time to go see that troublesome one again." With that, Liu Yiqing turned and walked toward the study in the backyard.
*Yanshan, towering at 8,600 feet, is perpetually shrouded in clouds and mist, its peaks rising high into the sky, the perfect setting for the mysterious journey ahead.*
Apart from Xiu Ning and Yan Huo, the only people at the Bi Yue Mountain Manor were the elderly couple, Uncle Yu and Aunt Yu. Both were around sixty years old. They were old servants of the Liu family who, having no children of their own, were assigned to live at the manor. Uncle Yu was responsible for purchases and miscellaneous chores, like buying simple grains, which could be sourced from the Daoqing Temple. After all these years, the priests there had become familiar with Uncle Yu, seeing him as just a local farmer living in the mountains. Aunt Yu took care of the laundry and cooking.
Although the manor wasn't large, it had about twenty rooms. However, only three rooms were used regularly, and Xiu Ning made sure that the master and mistress' room was always kept tidy.
At Liu Yiqing's request, Xiu Ning never allowed Yan Huo to learn to read. On days when Yan Huo felt bored, Xiu Ning would teach her to paint or play the zither. Xiu Ning was the only outsider who knew Yan Huo's true identity. Why was Yan Huo kept at this remote mountain manor? Uncle and Aunt Yu never asked. They simply followed the master's instructions. They knew that there were things they shouldn't know. Since the mistress had arranged for Xiu Ning to come to the manor, and since Xiu Ning had learned of Yan Huo's true identity, she understood that she and Yan Huo were destined to stay here forever.
During the Qingming Festival, after Liu Yiqing finished paying respects to Daoqing at the Daoqing Temple, he took the small path to the manor. As usual, he came alone, without even a servant. Xiu Ning had kept track of the days and knew that the master would come up the mountain soon, so she had already prepared tea and snacks in advance. Every time Liu Yiqing came to the manor, his expression was always grim, as if coming up the mountain was a painful task for him.
After Liu Yiqing sat down in the main hall, Xiu Ning carefully brought up a cup of fine Dragon Well tea. Liu Yiqing took a sip and asked, "Xiu Ning, is he still doing well this year?"
"Master, he is as usual, no abnormalities. He's just one year older and has become a bit more sensible."
"More sensible?" Liu Yiqing hoped that Yan Huo would never become more sensible. "He must never learn to read."
"I understand, Master."
"Has anyone come to the manor this year?"
"No, no one has come. Even the people from the temple have not visited the back mountain."
Upon hearing Xiu Ning's reply, Liu Yiqing's stern face softened slightly.
"Xiu Ning, you've done well. In two years, I'll send someone to take you down the mountain and find you a rich family to serve."
"Master, Xiu Ning has always been with the mistress. I have no family left in this world. I would be willing to stay here in the manor to serve Young Master."
"Then... then it's settled. You've worked hard. It's all because of this little..."
Liu Yiqing paused, then added, "If you ever want to leave the mountain, you can tell me anytime."
This line of questioning from Liu Yiqing was clearly a test of Xiu Ning. He had no intention of replacing her, for how could he fear that there were not enough people who knew the truth? If Xiu Ning had answered incorrectly, Liu Yiqing would have resorted to other methods.