Wei Luo gently stroked her hair. “Next time you need me to help, just let me know.”
Yin Hui looked at his chest, still teary-eyed. “I don’t want to bother you, but in the past, every time my grandfather went out, Uncle Liao was with him. In my heart, Uncle Liao is my grandfather’s talisman. This time, Uncle Liao is not here. I just worry about what my grandfather said about it being his last journey. I can also arrange for Uncle Zhou to hire guards, but people who are motivated by money might abandon their duty if there’s real danger. How can they wholeheartedly protect him?”
Wei Luo responded, “Understood, I will certainly select two individuals who are both skilled in martial arts and loyal to serve.”
Yin Hui had faith in him, considering Wei Luo’s status as a grandson of the Emperor, finding suitable individuals should be a straightforward task. However, Yin Hui was mistaken; Wei Luo couldn’t arrange the matter with a simple sentence because he lacked personnel.
King Yan’s Palace was under the authority of King Yan, and all brothers had to operate within King Yan’s management. For instance, Wei Yang’s subordinate official, who worked in the front court of the palace, and other officials who listened to King Yan. He had no authority to cultivate his own people. The same applied to Wei Luo; aside from Chang Feng, he had no other guards. While he worked in the guard post, those soldiers were also loyal to King Yan.
With limited options, Wei Luo could only leverage favors. As the Chinese New Year approached, numerous banquets were scheduled. The Feng family hosted one, and they sent an invitation to King Yan. Since King Yan was occupied, he selected Wei Luo to attend. Typically, official family banquets were attended by King Yan’s sons.
Upon Wei Luo’s arrival at Feng’s house, he received a warm welcome from Feng Teng. Suddenly, Wei Luo inquired, “Has your wedding date been fixed?”
Feng Teng was momentarily taken aback. He first glanced at the sun in the sky and then asked curiously, “The third master has never been concerned about my private matters. Why are you asking about this today?”
Wei Luo had a ready-made explanation, “Wu Lang’s mother has always cared about Miss Liao and asked me to let her attend your wedding.”
Feng Teng was delighted. Initially planning to invite the third master, now with the third lady also attending, it would enhance Qiuniang’s reputation among relatives.
“Okay, okay. You should bring Wu Lang and Qi Lang too. By the way, our wedding date is on the tenth day of April. I wanted it to be sooner, but my mother insisted that preparations for the wedding banquet require more time. We’ll have to wait a few more months…” He started talking, and once he began, he couldn’t seem to stop.
Wei Luo listened patiently, and when Feng Teng finally paused, he glanced at him and said, “I’d like to borrow two guards from your mansion.”
Ordinary wealthy and noble families typically cultivate several bodyguards. Feng Su, being a military officer, had nursing homes in the Feng family that were on par with the elite soldiers of the imperial army, ready to be deployed to the battlefield if needed. This was precisely what King Yan intended. If all the guardians of King Yan’s various officials were assembled, they could form a thousand-man infantry.
Feng Teng blinked in understanding and cheerfully responded, “Okay, after the banquet, I’ll gather everyone, and you can make your selection.”
Wei Luo added, “They might be needed until the end of May, or there’s a chance they may encounter risks on the way.”
Feng Teng laughed and said, “It’s their honor to work for you, even to lay down their lives for you.”
Wei Luo looked at him and raised his wine bowl.
After the banquet, Feng Teng accompanied Wei Luo to select two guards who appeared stable and introverted. Facing them in front of Feng Teng, Wei Luo instructed, “In February, the old man of the Yin family will go to Jiangnan to buy goods, and you will accompany him throughout the journey. Your sole responsibility is to protect the old man and the second son of the Yin family. You don’t need to worry about the goods and money. If the journey goes smoothly, the old man will reward you well. In case of any mishap, I will take good care of your family.”
The two guards respectfully accepted the orders.
Feng Teng reminded them, “Don’t speak to anyone about this matter.”
Before Wei Luo departed, he requested Feng Teng to inform Feng Su, his father. Feng Teng, however, responded indifferently, “I don’t need to involve my father. I can decide this matter myself.”
Wei Luo interjected, “He should have already got the news; it’s a courtesy to inform him.”
Feng Teng, scratching his head, escorted Wei Luo away. He then went to find his father and saw him sitting in the living room with an expression that seemed to anticipate his confession. Feng Teng couldn’t help but marvel at the third master’s seemingly omniscient understanding of things.
He proceeded to report the entire incident to his father.
Feng Su let out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t concerned about the third master borrowing people; rather, he feared that it might lead to actions offending other nobles. Despite this, Feng Su seized an opportunity to report the matter to King Yan.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to conceal it for the third master, but keeping it from the prince was a difficult task.
Upon hearing about it, King Yan snorted, “This third son is also a soft-hearted one.”
Hearing that, Feng Su couldn’t help but express a doubt, “Does the lord know why the third master behaved like this? The Yin family’s caravan has traveled all over the country for so many years, and all the guards of the merchants have been carefully selected. They may not be inferior to my guards.”
King Yan had a conversation with Yin Yong, so he deduced the situation, saying, “This is Yin Yong’s last trip. He is getting old, so it’s natural for the third daughter-in-law to worry. Anyway, it’s his last trip. So when she asked the third son, he wanted to help.”
Feng Su grasped the situation, saying, “So that’s the case.” The third master didn’t seem like someone who would indulge his wife’s mischief, so it turned out that he made an exception this time.
As Feng Su was about to excuse himself, King Yan stroked his beard, clicked his tongue, and halted him, saying, “Hmm, you can choose two more. Just say it was the third son’s idea.”
Feng Su smiled, “If Old Yin finds out that you cared so much, he might wake up laughing from his dream.”
King Yan smiled mysteriously. He hoped Yin Yong would be wise enough not to squander their kindness in the future. Yet, as long as Yin Yong proved to be shrewd, they would never mistreat the Yin family.