Chapter 52: Raise a Private Army?

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

If they were to raise a flag and revolt, they would win. They had the resources and a head start.

And if they were to convert all of their resources into money, they might have more than what was in the royal treasury. It really made Jiang Pengji wonder how Liu She had accumulated this much wealth without anyone noticing.

Jiang Pengji quickly stamped out what she really thought. Even though she had only taken a quick glance, those words were imprinted into her mind. It was a pity that she still didn’t know the value of the items in this era. She did not fully understand what the recorded contents meant.

“Marriage? With Jing’er?”

“The Wei family has other plans, and their daughter’s personality does not suit you. They will probably come forward to cancel the arranged marriage. They need to protect her reputation, so they’ll try to make you look bad,” Liu She said with a cold smirk. He had foreseen the Wei’s plans.

They had kept the arranged marriage to prevent Wei Jinxian from having the reputation of a “husband killer.”

But the two families obviously could not allow their daughters to marry each other.

Even though the arranged marriage had been Liu She’s plan, the Weis were not happy about it. That was why they brought up their plan to dissolve the arranged marriage.

“After all, in this situation, the girl is always in the disadvantage. I don’t actually mind.” Jiang Pengji was not surprised.

The Weis had kept the arranged marriage agreement even though they knew that Liu Lanting was a girl. That meant that the Weis were either dumb, or they had ulterior motives, or there was something wrong with their daughter.

Liu She calmly hid his trembling hands inside his sleeves.

If Jiang Pengji were a man, Liu She would have thought his son was magnanimous and open-minded. But Jiang Pengji was a girl. What she had just said sounded weird.

He lifted his eyes and said, “Heh, my son’s honor is not that easy to bring down. I won’t let them take advantage of you.”

It was an arranged marriage that had been created when Liu Lanting and Wei Jingxian were young, and it would be broken just when they became of age. The man’s side was supposed to bear the consequences. But how could Liu She possibly be happy about that? Liu She was not picky, but he hated doing anything that would be remotely disadvantageous to him or his family.

Jiang Pengji: “…”

She secretly poked the System and said, “I think this father is a little two-faced.”

System: “Before you say that about other people, you should take a good look at yourself!”

Even though they were not technically related, Jiang Pengji’s style was very similar to Liu She’s. Who wouldn’t think they were actually father and daughter?

Liu She lightly coughed, and the rims of his eyes turned red. Under the wavering candlelight, he looked listless and weak.

“A few days ago, you dismissed some guards?”

Jiang Pengji was practicing her calligraphy, and she felt as though she was improving under Liu She’s tutelage. She stopped writing and looked at him.

“Yes. They were treacherous and irresponsible. I had the old head servant sell them away.”

Liu She was not trying to scold her.

“Though our mansion is small, we still need enough guards. Head out with the head servant tomorrow and get some good guards. Then come back and write out some rules and regulations for me. Write whatever comes to your mind, and be as detailed as possible.”

He paused and then continued, “These recent years saw some natural and man-made calamities. Bandits run amok, and Hejian County is not be as peaceful as it once was. If you hadn’t been so quick-witted during your kidnapping, you may not have made it out alive. Fortunately, the manor has some surplus grain. If you’re interested, you can use it to raise your own unit to defend yourself…”

“Unit?” Jiang Pengji’s eyebrows almost shot up to her hairline.

Based off of Liu Lanting’s memories, a unit was the equivalent of owning a private army; they were like guards or servants who protected the manor and master. Having a private unit was not limited to just the influential and privileged scholar-officials. Even a village scholar could have one.

Living in Heijan was currently unstable and dangerous. The current political state was unstable because the imperial power had restrained the county’s military power. Now one could be robbed, kidnapped, or even killed by bandits if they did not have some protection.

Of course, regular people just viewed the private units as guards. But for Jiang Pengji, they were the equivalent of a private army!

“Even though people think you’re a boy, you should still have some guards around to protect you.” Liu She sighed as he removed a folded piece of paper from his sleeve. He carefully unfolded it and passed it to her. “Have a look at this, and prepare for the rainy days.”

Jiang Pengji quickly glanced at the paper. She immediately understood Liu She’s intention.

The content on the paper was simple. The emperor was interested in the peace treaty and wanted the second prince to marry the princess from northern Xinjiang. But this decision had yet to be made public. Jiang Pengji wondered how Liu She had access to this information.

Normally, the lady of the house purchased the servants. A “man” like Jiang Pengji would normally not be involved. But since Liu She had ordered it, neither the stepmother nor Madam Hu could disagree.

The next day, the old head servant brought over two books. “The master said that all arrangements will be left to you for today.”

Jiang Pengji took the books and had a quick look. She asked, “Is this a record of the servants we’ve had over the past years?”

She noticed that the Lius’ way of record keeping was vastly different from others; It was more meticulous, and they used a table format.

The records listed the servants’ monetary value, name, and histories. Some servants had even been bought as a family. The records also stated the servants’ current positions and what they were good at. Jiang Pengji flipped through the book, filing all the information away in her memory.

This table format had been created by the first lady to keep track of the servants. It was much easier to understand at a glance.

The old servant was solemn. He replied, “Yes, this is the records for all the servants.”

Two books. One was used, but the other was brand new. She did not even need to think in order to understand what the new one was for.

“In that case, let’s follow the old regulations and head out to this slave shop to have a look.”

Jiang Pengji had no idea how many slave shops there were in Hejian County. But it would be easier to check out the familiar one first because the chances of being conned there would be lower.

Usually, the slave trader would bring the servants to the manor. From there, the first lady would pick the ones she wanted. But this was a test for Jiang Pengji that had been set by Liu She. After thinking about their conversation from last night, Jiang Pengji decided to head out. She could learn about the prices of the servants.

Instead of listening to what others had to say, it would be easier to experience it herself.

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