Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 693 The Intelligence Division's Grand Move

The next morning, after completing the transaction with Zhang Ming at the Qiongzhou bank, Duan Mengrou prepared to leave the bank and head to Lingao.

Zhang Ming witnessed the rise and fall of the Gao family, and Duan Mengrou's eventual replacement of them. He even saw the entire process of Duan Mengrou and Liu Ye's relationship unfold. Seeing this young girl about to become a concubine in the Liu family and soon wield financial power within the Qionghai Navy system, he felt immense envy.

He said to Duan Mengrou, "Congratulations, Manager Duan, on this double blessing. When you rise to a higher position in the future, don't forget to take care of your old friends in Guangzhou."

Duan Mengrou naturally knew which two happy events this meant: first, she was about to become Liu Ye's concubine, and second, she was about to become the chief financial officer of the entire Qionghai Army. Either of these roles was something to be envied.

She was a little embarrassed, but more so full of confidence. With a blush, she said, "Brother Zhang, you are too kind. How could I, a mere woman, possibly be worthy of taking care of a capable person like you in the business world?"

Zhang Ming said with a smile, "Manager Duan will surely be of immeasurable importance in the future, but it's best if we both understand this in our hearts and not say it out loud now. It's getting late, so please set off early, Miss Duan. I can't bear the responsibility of delaying the General's good deed."

These words carried a deeper meaning, which Duan Mengrou only vaguely understood. She had no idea that Zhang Ming meant: now she was a concubine in the Liu family, but in the future, as Liu Ye ascended to the throne, she would have the opportunity to become an imperial concubine, with a status many times higher.

After bidding farewell to Zhang Ming, Duan Mengrou returned to the Duan residence. A long line of carriages had already been set up in front of the gate, filled with her and Aunt Jiang's personal belongings and the wealth they had accumulated over the past two years. The coachmen were already prepared, waiting for her, the mistress of the house, to give the order to head to the dock.

Duan Mengrou gazed at the "Duan Mansion" plaque above the gate, feeling quite melancholy. With this departure, this house, which held so many of her memories, would be abandoned, and they would be separated by the sea from each other from now on. If she were to sell it, she couldn't bear to part with it.

Seeing this, a servant from Nanyuan asked, "Miss Duan, are you reluctant to part with this house? Don't worry, Madam said that Miss Duan can keep this house as a separate residence. When she returns to Guangzhou to visit her family in the future, she can bring you here temporarily. It will be considered Duan family property."

Duan Mengrou was overjoyed. This arrangement was perfect. She was indeed a good sister, always thinking of her in everything.

She climbed into the first carriage of the caravan and ordered the driver, "Let's go!"

The rumble of wheels filled the air as the long convoy slowly departed the Duan residence and headed towards the dock.

The fast ship "Yuanhang" cut through the waves and arrived in the evening. Duan Mengrou and her daughter stepped onto the cement dock of Bofu Port in the afternoon.

It had been two years since Duan Mengrou last visited Lingao, and Bofu Port had undergone a complete transformation. Looking at the densely packed merchant ships, the long queues waiting to pay taxes, the bustling shops along the streets, and the throngs of people, Duan Mengrou was speechless with astonishment. The last time she was here, Bofu Port, while well-equipped and clean, was rather deserted; apart from the Qionghai Navy's warships, very few ships passed by. She never imagined that in just two years, the changes would be so dramatic.

Aunt Jiang had no interest in watching the peep show. From the moment she set foot on the land of Lingao, she had been restless, thinking about the awkwardness of meeting her "son-in-law" later—even though the son-in-law was unaware of their past relationship, she still found it hard to get over the thought.

The attendant responsible for picking up Duan Mengrou and her daughter from Guangzhou guided them onto a horse-drawn carriage. The rest of their valuables were also written down from the boat and loaded into other horse-drawn carriages. As the bell at the front of the carriage rang, several carriages smoothly headed towards Nanyuan.

Contrary to Aunt Jiang's expectations, the awkward scene did not occur. They alighted from the carriage and boarded two sedan chairs that had been prepared in front of the South Garden Gate, entering the garden through a side gate. Liu Ye did not appear; instead, Lin Shiyue greeted them.

Lin Shiyue explained to Duan Mengrou, "The master has important business to attend to today and is not at home. He didn't know you could arrive today, so there's a time conflict. He told me to tell you to stay here and rest for a few days before taking up your post."

Aunt Jiang secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but Duan Mengrou's eyes slowly reddened.

She had already lowered her expectations considerably. A concubine, without any ceremony, carried in through a side gate in a sedan chair—that was fine, given the low status of concubines. Besides, most people took concubines this way; entering through a side gate was already considered good, but some even entered through a back or corner gate. However, the man who wanted to take the concubine wasn't in the mansion, busy with other matters. This was disheartening. At least she could have seen him today. Even though he left a message, he didn't mention the concubine taking or marriage at all, only telling her to choose a date to take up her post as some kind of director.

Looking at Duan Mengrou's expression, Lin Shiyue sighed and comforted her, "Don't overthink it. Master didn't neglect you on purpose. He does have very important matters to attend to, involving countless people. Don't worry, as soon as Master returns, I will urge him to consummate your marriage as soon as possible..."

Duan Mengrou thanked her softly, "Thank you for your concern, Madam."

Lin Shiyue wanted to explain a few more words, but she knew that her good friend was sensitive and proud because of her childhood experiences. Saying too much might backfire, so she held back and instructed the servants to take the mother and daughter to a room that had been cleaned in advance to rest.

The protagonist, who was taking a concubine, was at that moment meeting with several spies and envoys who were about to be sent to the Northwest and Liaodong in the intelligence department office not far from the South Garden.

This office was a four-story building that Liu Ye specially allocated to Wang Qinian after he officially took office. It wasn't very big, but it was sufficient. In Liu Ye's words, the main strength of the Intelligence Division was in dispatching intelligence personnel abroad. The headquarters didn't need too many people; it was enough to have enough manpower to make contact, analyze the enemy situation, and report in a timely manner.

After taking office, Wang Qinian acted swiftly and decisively, keeping in mind the tasks assigned by Liu Ye. After a period of preparation, he formulated a detailed plan, selected suitable candidates, and prepared to depart on a chosen date. This can be considered the first and most important major undertaking since the establishment of the Intelligence Division.

Liu Ye took these matters very seriously, even neglecting to take a concubine, and personally came to explain the things to pay attention to.

Wang Qinian introduced them to him one by one: "General, this is Zhang Geming, whose ancestral home is Shandong, but his mother is from northern Shaanxi. He speaks fluent northern Shaanxi dialect and will be the leader of the spies to be sent to the bandits. This is Chu Shengchang, whose ancestral home is Liaodong. He will lead a few men to infiltrate the Tartar territory. The two of them once infiltrated Dengzhou and made great contributions to the army's capture of Dengzhou and suppression of the rebels. This is Liu Heizi, a staff officer in the military discipline office. He is to be sent to northern Shaanxi as our army's envoy to contact 'General Chuang' Li Zicheng."