IDWBE -Chapter 12 Gold Will Shine

In the pond, lotus leaves spread wide and lush, fish darting and playing among them.

Lin Yi, bored out of his mind, picked up small stones and tossed them toward the goldfish beneath the lotus leaves.

Instead of scattering, the fish actually swarmed toward the ripples made by the stones, thinking they were being fed.

No matter how much he thought about it, he still couldn’t understand the meaning of Prince Dai’s words. Had he said those things only to him, or had he also spoke similarly to the Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, Twelfth, and the others?

Why was Prince Dai in such a hurry to leave for his fief?

Was the old emperor on the brink of death?

Was the situation in the capital unstable, prompting him to flee early?

That didn’t seem right. At morning court, the old emperor had still been full of vigor, loudly berating the Court of State Ceremonial for its incompetence—clearly they had already defeated the Wadan in the northern frontier, yet the negotiations were still so difficult!

It looked like the old emperor still had plenty of life left in him.

Thinking of this, Lin Yi couldn’t help but feel sorry for the Crown Prince. What a bitter fate!

Still, Prince Dai was right about one thing: no matter whether it was the Crown Prince, Prince Yong, or the Seventh Prince, whoever inherited the throne would not be good news.

Especially Prince Yong. Though he appeared gentle, spoke little, and rarely clashed with others—seeming harmless—Lin Yi knew that among all the brothers, he was the most ruthless.

Perhaps in the future he really could eliminate all of them without even furrowing his brow.

Leaving aside the history Lin Yi knew from his previous life, even in this world, brothers killing brothers was all too common.

Before Lin Xun ascended the throne, his birth mother had only been a palace maid. Though she later gained favor because of her son and was granted a minor title, she remained insignificant in the vast palace.

Later, she offended a noble consort and then inexplicably fell ill and died.

From childhood, Lin Xun strove relentlessly. He went out to command troops and eventually built his own power base.

After ascending the throne, he did not hesitate to execute five brothers who had once looked down on and bullied him, sparing only the Prince of Liang, who had supported him in gaining the throne.

Yet in the end, even the Prince of Liang chose to rebel, and after defeat, he threw himself into the Luo River.

As for the concubines in his father’s harem, aside from those who had been friendly with his mother and whom he had never met, all were sent to the imperial mausoleum to be buried as companions to the late emperor.

Not many days later, the Empress Dowager also passed away—said to be from illness brought on by grief for the late emperor.

The victor becomes king, the defeated becomes bandit. It had always been cruel.

Since he couldn’t make sense of some things before him, Lin Yi decided not to think about them anymore.

When the boat reaches the bridge, it will naturally straighten.

That evening, after the sun gradually set, congratulatory gifts arrived—from the Crown Prince and Prince Yong to the Twelfth Prince, Prince Yong’an.

The most generous gifts came from the wealthy Fourth Prince, the Prince of Jin: jade, agate, gold and silver jewelry—roughly worth two thousand taels of silver!

However, none of them came in person. Each merely sent stewards or eunuchs from their residences to deliver the gifts.

“That’s a bit excessive,” Lin Yi muttered.

Apart from Prince Dai, why had none of them come personally?

Still, receiving so many gifts for free and saving the expense of a banquet wasn’t a bad thing.

At night, with mosquitoes everywhere, Lin Yi didn’t sit outside for long. After a day of exertion, he felt tired and soon went to sleep.

After Lin Yi fell asleep, Hong Ying quietly withdrew from the room and gently closed the double doors.

Looking up at the star-filled sky, he leapt over the courtyard wall without touching the ground, continuing across rows of houses, courtyards, and even the massive southern city wall.

At last, he stopped at an inconspicuous estate outside the city.

The room inside was brightly lit. With a push of his hand, the door creaked open.

“Chief Steward!”

Inside sat two men, one tall and one stout.

Seeing Hong Ying enter, they quickly bowed with clasped hands.

After sitting in the central seat, Hong Ying accepted the tea handed to him by the tall young man and asked calmly, “What hour is it?”

The tall young man replied respectfully, “Chief Steward, it is already the Hour of the Ox (around 1–3 a.m.).”

Hong Ying nodded. “The Prince departs for his fief tomorrow. Make your preparations.”

“Ah—”

Both men exclaimed in surprise and exchanged glances.

The young man asked curiously, “Chief Steward, why the sudden haste?”

Hong Ying snorted coldly. “Song Cheng, this is the Prince’s decision. Is it your place to question it?”

“I wouldn’t dare.” Song Cheng lowered his head and said no more.

But the stout middle-aged man beside him hesitated for a long while before speaking. “Chief Steward, we were told earlier that departure would be in half a month. Now it’s so sudden—the brothers aren’t fully prepared.”

“Luo Han…” Hong Ying suddenly opened his eyes sharply. “Don’t forget your place.”

“I understand,” Luo Han said, shivering slightly as he lowered his head again.

He had originally been just an ordinary cook in the Prince’s residence. But, to his surprise, the culinary skills he was so proud of did not satisfy the Prince.

The Prince said his habits were too ingrained and hard to change, yet couldn’t bear to dismiss him, so he reassigned him as a night watchman. With his bulky figure, even thieves might think twice before approaching.

After becoming a watchman, his income dropped significantly, but he still had an official post with stable pay, which he couldn’t bear to give up.

At home, telling people he worked at the Prince’s residence brought him plenty of face.

The job was leisurely—mainly walking around at set times, beating a battered gong, and shouting a few times along the walls of the residence.

Gradually, he found more time to practice martial arts. Under the guidance of Steward Luo, he unexpectedly reached the level of a recognized practitioner.

Driven by vanity, and egged on by kitchen hands, maids, and gardeners, he once demonstrated a feat of smashing stones with his bare palm.

By chance, the Prince happened to pass by and was astonished, telling him that he shouldn’t let his talent be buried—gold would always shine.

And so, in a daze, he left the residence and established the Dongfeng Escort Agency.

Following the Prince’s instructions, he first bought out an escort agency that was about to close, then spent heavily to recruit retired constables and veteran frontier soldiers as escorts.

Once the framework was set up, he naturally became its first chief.

The escort trade in Ankang City had long been controlled by canal guilds, salt guilds, martial artists, or disciples of prestigious sects. As a newcomer, he faced difficulties everywhere.

The pie was only so big—one more person sharing meant less for everyone else.

As a former watchman whose martial arts had only just entered the threshold, how could he possibly contend with rival agencies whose leaders and escorts were second- or third-rank experts?

Fortunately, with the backing of the Prince’s residence, Chief Steward Hong had assigned him two fourth-rank experts, and with Song Cheng’s assistance, over the past two years he had not only gained a foothold in Ankang City but also built a considerable reputation.

The Dongfeng Escort Agency—mission accomplished without fail—had become known to everyone.

Moreover, he himself was on the verge of breaking through to the third rank. When that happened, he wouldn’t feel so embarrassed when the Prince praised him as an expert.

Hong Ying said slowly, “If any idle rabble on the road dares to offend the Prince, the Prince may be lenient—but I will not be.”

“With you there, sir, what petty thieves would dare show themselves?” Luo Han forced a smile, though his heart skipped uneasily.