Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

Xiao Lan pondered for a moment and then said, "Uncle, have you heard the news that the Fifth Prince is coming to Jiangnan while you are in Shaozhou? Judging from the time, he should arrive in the next couple of days."

Yan Nanhui left two days earlier than Xiao Lan. Xiao Lan thought that Yan Nanhui should have taken the land route, and calculated that they should have arrived in Lingnan around the same time.

"Does Lanlan need to see him? Should Uncle send a message over there?" Lin Dayou didn't know why Xiao Lan was asking this, but he hadn't heard any news from the imperial court before coming to Lingnan.

"It's alright, Uncle Lin, let's continue discussing the opening of branch offices. In my opinion, we need to open at least five branch offices within a hundred miles of the capital before the New Year. And each branch office needs to be equipped with no fewer than fifty guards! We can proceed gradually, opening one branch per month. Of course, this doesn't include the branch offices you've opened in the south. However, there's still a problem ahead." Xiao Lan pondered for a moment before continuing, "Uncle, you and Uncle Li need to calculate how much capital I need to raise initially, and how much it will cost to open each new branch office. In addition, we need to carefully plan and properly arrange all the affairs for these new branch offices. After all, I severely damaged the Ye family this time, and we will inevitably have to compete with them for business in the future!"

After careful consideration, Xiao Lan decided to take action to compete with the Ye family for a share of the Imperial Merchants' license. She knew very well that successfully securing this share would bring numerous benefits. First, she could fully utilize the branch offices she had previously established, effectively reducing some expenses; second, by participating in the competition and establishing cooperative relationships, she could gradually build her own vast network of connections, while simultaneously weakening the Ye family's sphere of influence; finally, if she could successfully short-sell the Ye family, the support Yan Linfeng relied on would be further diminished.

At this moment, Lin Dayou spoke up, "If you want to open more branches, there's already one in Jizhou, within a hundred miles of the capital. When the time is right, the relevant personnel and land deeds will be handed over to you. As for whether other places are suitable for opening new branches, I think you might as well go back and conduct an on-site inspection with Li Yuan to carefully consider where to choose. However, it should be noted that no matter which branch it is, just purchasing the land deeds, arranging personnel, and other matters will require at least 50,000 taels of silver as start-up capital." After saying this, Lin Dayou's gaze fell on Xiao Lan, seemingly waiting for her response.

When Xiao Lan heard Lin Dayou say this, she was overjoyed! A branch could be set up for a mere 50,000 taels of silver. Even including other staff like laborers, a branch would only need about sixty people. At five taels of silver per person per month, that would only amount to three hundred taels a month. Then, considering daily food expenses and other allowances, a branch would only cost a few hundred taels of silver per month at most. Once her business expanded further, she could free up at least several hundred thousand taels of silver each month to support these people! This meant she could easily support at least a thousand branches! Just thinking about it made Xiao Lan grin from ear to ear.

Immediately afterward, Xiao Lan hurriedly said to Lin Dayou, "Then Uncle, please arrange for Uncle Li to set up the branch of the Beijing Escort Agency as soon as possible! As for the cost of the land deeds, I will cover it all, and I will allocate one thousand taels of silver to each branch as a subsidy every month. But I only have one small request, which is to make sure that these people are firmly under our control! Also, Uncle, do you think it would be more appropriate for me to look for suitable candidates locally or to go to certain specific places to recruit these escorts?"

Xiao Lan had some prior experience with the profession of bodyguard, knowing that the core requirements were superb martial arts skills and exceptional physical strength. Li Yuan, on the other hand, was a native of the south. Compared to northerners, he was slightly thinner, but surprisingly, his martial arts skills were quite profound. Looking at the bodyguards in Jizhou, they were mostly locals, each tall, robust, and powerfully strong. However, as their journey had been uneventful and they hadn't encountered any situations requiring combat, even Xiao Lan himself had no idea about their true martial arts abilities.

At this moment, Lin Dayou slowly said, "Lanlan, although it's certainly more convenient for us to find bodyguards in one place, there are some drawbacks! Think about it, these people from the same hometown tend to stick together and form small cliques. If it's just your Uncle Li and me helping out, that's fine, but if you plan to open many branches in the future, then this issue must be carefully considered!" Lin Dayou's words were not unfounded. After all, he had been in the bodyguard business for many years and knew a thing or two about it. The branch in Jizhou was originally started because of Xiao Lan's suggestion, and now, in just a few months, these potential problems have already begun to emerge.

“That’s easy to solve!” Xiao Lan’s lips curled into a confident smile as she said slowly, “We’ve opened so many branches at the same time, and each branch can provide food and lodging. So, when recruiting, we should make it clear in advance that newly recruited people will be assigned work according to the actual needs of the escort agency. If someone cannot accept this assignment method and does not obey the arrangements, then we don’t have to hire that person.”

Hearing this, Lin Dayou frowned, seemingly understanding Xiao Lan's words but not quite grasping their deeper meaning. He then asked疑惑地问道, "You mean...?"

Xiao Lan nodded slightly, her smiling face still on her face, and explained, "That's right, that's exactly what I'm thinking. Suppose we recruit a group of people from the same village, and if we concentrate them all in the same escort agency, the chances of them banding together and causing trouble will undoubtedly increase significantly. But if we consciously disperse these people from the same village and assign them to different escort agencies, keeping them far apart, then it won't be so easy for them to band together and cause trouble. Furthermore, I will also discuss the specific details of rewards and punishments with Uncle Li. In this way, in order to obtain generous rewards, everyone will definitely compare and compete with each other. Over time, this will not only make the people in the escort agency more united, but also provide an opportunity to continuously hone their awareness and ability to obey orders and follow commands."

Lin Dayou's face lit up with a smile as he listened, inwardly marveling. He had initially thought Xiao Lan was simply asking him a question, but it turned out the young girl was answering his questions. He couldn't help but exclaim, "No wonder this girl is not only busy with her studies but also manages to run a business! With such a clever and quick-witted mind, it's such a waste that she's not in business!"

After Xiao Lan finished speaking, Lin Dayou still had that kind and amiable smile on his face, and he praised her happily, "Lanlan, you are just like your mother, Nihuang, both of you are so intelligent and exceptional!"

Hearing this praise, Xiao Lan made no attempt to hide her joy, raising her little face proudly and replying, "Of course! I'm my mother's own daughter, how could I not be like her!" At this moment, Xiao Lan was exactly like a child who was smug and self-satisfied after receiving praise from an elder.

Immediately afterward, as if suddenly remembering something, Xiao Lan blinked her bright eyes and looked at Lin Dayou, asking with great interest, "By the way, Uncle Lin, would you like to come with me to Xiwu Prefecture to teach that Ye family a lesson and vent our anger?" In fact, Xiao Lan knew very well that Lin Dayou was usually very busy, but she still extended the invitation with great anticipation.

As expected, just as Xiao Lan had predicted, Lin Dayou refused on the spot without hesitation: "Send everyone here? No way! I have to rush back later. After you've selected the people you need, just let your Uncle Li know. He'll take care of arranging for the rest of them to return to Shaozhou."

Xiao Lan knew that Lin Dayou was too busy to stay any longer. She nodded gently in understanding, then slowly stood up and walked behind the screen. She reached behind the screen and took out several exquisite boxes, carefully presenting them to Lin Dayou. She said softly, "Since you are so busy, Uncle, I won't insist you stay. These things were a gift from Consort Tong of the palace. I had a physician examine them carefully, and they've confirmed there are no problems. You can use them without worry, Uncle."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Lan noticed a hint of doubt on Lin Dayou's face. She lowered her voice slightly and whispered in Lin Dayou's ear, "Uncle, you know the situation in the palace. There are many women, and all sorts of open and covert struggles and intrigues happen from time to time. So, it's always good to be cautious about these items from the palace. It's also very necessary to have a reliable doctor examine them."

Upon hearing Xiao Lan's words, Lin Dayou had a sudden realization and instantly understood the reason. A slight smile appeared on his lips as he said to Xiao Lan, "Oh dear, Lanlan, since that's the case, you should keep these good things for yourself! Your uncle is very healthy and doesn't need these tonics at all." As he spoke, he reached out as if to push the box back to Xiao Lan.

However, Xiao Lan reacted quickly, stopping Lin Dayou's actions in an instant. She hurriedly explained, "Uncle, the thing is, as you know, the Imperial Concubine is the Fifth Prince's biological mother. She bestowed upon me a whole cartload of precious medicinal herbs! But I left in a hurry and didn't have time to take them all, so I had the accompanying physician select some of the most valuable parts to bring back. It's full of top-quality ginseng, gastrodia elata, and lingzhi mushrooms—all the best tonics! Uncle, please don't refuse anymore. I'll ask the cook at the escort agency to make you some delicious medicinal soup to nourish your body." At this point, Xiao Lan suddenly changed her tone, adopting a pitiful expression and pleading with Lin Dayou, "Uncle, if you don't accept this gift, I'll be very sad and upset!"

Looking at his niece's aggrieved expression, Lin Dayou felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He knew that Xiao Lan's actions stemmed entirely from her concern and filial piety, so he didn't insist on refusing. He laughed heartily and readily accepted, saying, "Alright, alright, since my Lanlan has said so, wouldn't it be a disservice to your sincere filial piety if I didn't accept it? Okay, then I'll respectfully accept your offer. Thank you, Lanlan!" With that, Lin Dayou carefully placed the exquisite box in front of him and gently put it on the table.

"Uncle Lin, I wonder how my maternal grandparents' family is doing these days?" Xiao Lan frowned slightly, and the things she had overheard before couldn't help but come to mind.

Lin Dayou sighed softly and said slowly, "Not long after Mu An left, your eldest uncle returned to Lingnan. However..." He paused slightly, seemingly finding it difficult to continue.

Seeing this, Xiao Lan quickly comforted him softly, "Uncle, please speak freely. Actually, when my brother left home, we heard some rumors." She secretly pondered to herself, perhaps already guessing some of the reasons for Lin Dayou's hesitation.

Encouraged by Xiao Lan, Lin Dayou took a deep breath and finally mustered the courage to speak frankly: "Alright, since that's the case, I won't hide anything from you. To tell you the truth, your second uncle seems to have found his long-lost biological child. Even more astonishingly, your sister isn't actually your second uncle's biological daughter! Right now, your second uncle has decided to divorce his wife. However, only your godfather and godmother know the truth about this matter; even your eldest uncle is completely unaware. I'm telling you this today because I'm worried that the mother and daughter might come up with some malicious schemes to harm you." It turned out that Lin Dayou had already recognized Jiang Dechun and Jiang Huangshi as his godparents some time ago, so there was no need to hide many things about the Jiang family from him.