Expelled from the Duke's mansion, the fake heiress is richer than a country.

Taking advantage of a break, Yu Man couldn't help but ramble on about her previous thoughts: "Ranran, don't go on any more long trips this time you come home. It's too dangerous outside!"

Yu Wenbin, standing to the side, nodded in agreement.

He was so scared that he lay in bed all night and his legs still felt weak.

Yu Wanran sat with them inside the shop, drinking tea and looking at the deserted shop outside.

"Father, you and my elder brother can stay at home from now on. If we can sign a contract with the cloth merchants in the capital this time, I will still travel to the capital."

"Nonsense!"

Yu Man was angry for a moment. Then he realized he had been too harsh on his daughter, and softened his voice, saying, "Your father and your older brother aren't scared, we're worried about your safety!"

"Yes, Ranran, you are a girl after all..."

Yu Wenbin interjected. "What kind of girl goes out to do business? Unheard of! Moreover, if something goes wrong, they'll likely face a far more terrifying situation than men!"

Life is better than death.

Yu Wanran withdrew her gaze and looked at her family members who genuinely cared about her.

"Father, elder brother, everything is difficult at the beginning. Once we're on the road, we'll have money to buy influence, and running trade routes won't be so hard. Besides, you witnessed my skills yesterday. Do you think I'm inferior to those镖师 (bodyguards/escorts)?"

Yu Man hesitated and exchanged a glance with his eldest son.

They understood perfectly well that if it weren't for Ranran, the entire caravan would have been in danger. Therefore, their opposition to Yu Wanran continuing her trading duties wasn't actually that strong.

Moreover, with the hope of changing the fate of the Yu family right in front of us, how can we give up so easily?

After hesitating for a long time, Yu Man sighed heavily.

"Then let's see! Ranran, promise your father that you will never be a stick-up again?"

By not sticking out, one can avoid many dangers.

"it is good!"

Yu Wanran smiled and readily agreed.

In the afternoon, Wu Jian came in person.

"Uncle Yu, Miss Yu, we will depart at dawn tomorrow. The magistrate will send soldiers to escort us for part of the journey. Your luggage has already been placed in the carriage, so please rest assured!"

Yu Wanran found the old镖师 (bodyguard/escort) to be quite understanding. He noticed her family's poverty and even mentioned her luggage. Indeed, Yu Wanran looked at the head镖师 and found him to have a kind and benevolent face.

Wu Jian hesitated for a moment, his face showing a hint of embarrassment: "Miss Yu, you must already know that Young Master Yan has an extraordinary background. He still has several days to go on his journey to the capital. Could you please help our Zhenyuan Escort Agency continue to protect him?"

He added, fearing Yu Wanran wouldn't believe him.

"Those bandits yesterday were actually after Young Master Yan."

Yu Wanran couldn't help but ask, "What's the deal with Zhang Tang? Didn't your escort agency check his identity and find it legitimate?"

"His household registration and travel documents are indeed correct!"

Mentioning this, Wu Jian's face showed deep anger and indignation.

"However, this person was actually a bandit in disguise! He took Zhang Tang's place because he looked somewhat similar to him. According to his confession, the real Zhang Tang had already been murdered."

He clenched his fist and sighed, "What a pity for such a talented young man as Zhang Tang!"

Yu Wenbin, who was listening nearby, frowned: "Zhang Tang is truly innocent! What about his elderly mother at home?"

Wu Jian's face was grim.

"Young Master Yan is the Crown Prince's study companion, and his grandfather is the Emperor's Grand Tutor. Such a major incident in the Huangshan region, with so many deaths and injuries, is no longer just a matter for our escort agency. It may reach the ears of the Emperor!"

The mastermind behind this is chilling to contemplate. What will ultimately be uncovered, and what will the outcome be, remains to be seen. Wu Jian sighed briefly before quickly changing the subject.

"Zhang Tang suffered an undeserved calamity, and being a scholar, the government will likely offer some compensation. As for this matter… Elder Yu, you should keep it to yourselves. This attack on the escort agency must not be revealed to anyone else!"

Otherwise, it would not only cause unnecessary trouble but also damage the reputation of the escort agency.

Yu Wanran also took this into consideration.

With the eldest prince standing behind Yan Cheng'an and his grandfather, the Grand Tutor, providing a powerful shield, who would dare to be so arrogant as to lay a hand on him?

They can't escape the influence of those princes in the capital!

In the previous life, the eldest prince died young, and the second prince was the one who eventually sat on that throne. The other three princes either died or were demoted, none of them meeting a good end.

The struggle for the throne among royalty is far more brutal and bloody than the fight for inheritance among ordinary families.

When the emperor was critically ill and the succession was still undecided, for two or three years, waves of killings occurred at the execution grounds in the capital, with heads rolling everywhere.

Thinking back to the bloodshed of the past, Yu Wanran realized with lingering fear that if she were to get involved in the power struggle among the princes, she could very well bring the Yu family to ruin.

However, I've already run into Yan Cheng'an at the caravan, and there's no time to retreat. But those who escaped earlier should be killed without exception to silence them!

There's still halfway to the capital. The other party failed the first time. Will they reappear?

Thinking of this, she immediately made a request to Wu Jian: "Chief镖头 (Chief Escort), I can assist your镖局 (escort agency). But I hope your镖局 will not reveal our family's identities?"

Yu Man and his son looked at her in confusion, not understanding what she meant by those words.

"Miss Yu, please rest assured!"

Wu Jian understood perfectly well, and said solemnly, "The identities of all guests who hire bodyguards from our agency must be kept confidential. This is our basic bottom line in the industry!"

Fearing that Yu Wanran might not believe him, he explained further.

"We bodyguards who participate in this mission will not utter a single word about it, not even to our wives and children. Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

Upon hearing the last word, the three members of the Yu family were inevitably shocked.

What surprised Yu Man and his son was that the problem was so serious. Yu Wanran, on the other hand, was thinking about the power of Zhenyuan Escort Agency.

Did the镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) who joined the镖局 (escort agency) sign a life-or-death agreement? Would the government not care if someone killed someone within the镖局? However,镖局 are inherently dangerous businesses; a few deaths seem quite normal.

Does anyone know how he died?

No wonder Cai Tao looked dazed when he came to see her earlier; he was probably terrified. Of course, she didn't have time to complain to Wu Jian. Cai Tao was young and impetuous, and the thought of him causing so many deaths was infuriating.

just now……

Yu Wanran's eyes flashed.

She made a mistake and has a chance to start over. Cai Tao, however, may not. So… let's give him a chance and see if he'll be so foolish in the future.

He smiled and nodded, agreeing to Wu Jian's request, and saw the relieved head镖师 (chief镖师) off. Looking at the still somewhat bewildered Yu family father and son, he asked a question.

"Dad, we're leaving tomorrow morning, so let's go to bed early tonight?"

Yu Man snapped out of his daze and touched his money pouch: "I'll go find the shopkeeper and buy some dry food."

It's really not worth it. Most of the cured meat I took out of the house ended up in that fake Zhang Tang's stomach. What a beast! I'll never again be so indiscriminately kind!

Yu Wanran didn't care what her father and older brother were preparing. She paid a shop to rent a bathtub and boil water, and took a good bath.

This was only the second bath she had taken since her rebirth.

We were short of firewood at home, so we used it sparingly for heating. We were also afraid of catching a cold, so we only dared to wipe ourselves down with hot water every day. It's nothing like now, soaking in hot water, feeling like all the pores of my body are opening up – it's incredibly comfortable.