Ten Taels of Silver

During this period, with the suppression of bandits in Yuxi Prefecture, the various escort routes were not peaceful, and merchants dared not ship goods. Naturally, the Zhenyuan Escort Agency also had little work.

Lin Weiyuan, along with Lin Shan and his son Lin Yue, were all at the mansion, either tending to the courtyard or practicing their martial arts.

As the father and his two sons were talking, they heard a commotion outside. The gatekeeper rushed in, his face pale.

"Chief Guard! What's wrong! There are a lot of soldiers at the door, and there are two people sitting in two carriages produced by our family. They say they are princes, and they want you to go out and pick them up by name!"

Lin Weiyuan's heart skipped a beat, and his face immediately darkened.

Having spent half his life in the martial world, he knew better than anyone that unsolicited favors were either malicious or thieves. Moreover, someone of the prince's rank, approaching a local security escort agency for no reason, could not possibly be doing anything good.

"Let's go out and take a look."

He grabbed his outer robe and put it on, then led Lin Shan and Lin Yue quickly toward the front yard.

But as soon as they stepped through the second gate, a group of people strode into the courtyard.

The city garrison captain leading the way stood ramrod straight, followed by two richly dressed young men whose bearing far surpassed that of the local gentry. Behind them were armored guards, standing in rows that filled half the courtyard, making it hard to breathe.

Lin Weiyuan dared not delay, and quickly stepped forward, bowing and cupping his hands in greeting:

"This humble commoner, Lin Weiyuan, greets you two esteemed guests. I was unaware of your arrival and have failed to greet you properly..."

You're blind!

The captain beside him immediately shouted angrily, stepped forward, and pointed at him:

"This is His Highness the Third Prince of the current dynasty, and this is His Highness the Heir Apparent of Prince Jing's Heir! How dare you stand and speak? Quickly perform the full salutation and pay your respects!"

Lin Weiyuan's heart skipped a beat, and he turned to look at his two sons. The three of them had no choice but to lift their robes, bend their knees, and kneel on one knee.

"We, your humble servants, pay our respects to His Highness the Third Prince and His Highness the Crown Prince."

"Get up." Xiao Mingyuan said calmly, glancing around the courtyard without any extra expression.

Lin Weiyuan stood up and quickly stepped aside to lead the way:

"Your Highness, Your Highness, please come in. Tea will be served in the main hall."

The group followed them inside and entered the main hall of the second courtyard, where they took their seats according to rank. The maids quickly served them the finest tea and bowed as they withdrew.

Xiao Mingxuan picked up his teacup, glanced at it, but didn't touch it. He then looked up at Lin Weiyuan, who was standing below him, and got straight to the point:

"So you're Chief Escort Lin of the Zhenyuan Escort Agency? I've heard you're known for being a straightforward person?"

"Then I won't beat around the bush with you."

Xiao Mingxuan leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed on Lin Weiyuan, and went straight to the point:

"Tell me, are all the four-wheeled carriages sold in Chang'an and the Capital today made in your workshop?"

Lin Weiyuan's heart sank. The reason he had been guessing all along finally came to light; it was indeed the case.

He dared not lie; they'd come knocking on his door, there was no way to fool them. He bowed deeply and replied:

"Your Highness, it was made in my humble workshop."

"It's a good thing, though."

Xiao Mingyuan, who had been mostly silent, finally spoke, his tone calm yet carrying an innate air of authority:

"It carries a lot of cargo and travels smoothly, which is beneficial to commerce, travel, and people's livelihood. Did you know that? It can be considered a powerful tool for the country."

It's a pity that it ended up in the hands of your small, private workshops. Production is minimal, only enough for a few wealthy families to enjoy, a complete waste of such a valuable resource that benefits the country and its people.

He glanced at the three men, father and sons, his tone leaving no room for argument:

"The reason I've come here is to take over this carriage-making workshop. Only with the royal family in charge can production capacity be expanded and the workshop promoted throughout the land, truly benefiting the country and its people. Of course, I won't take your things for nothing."

As soon as he finished speaking, the chief clerk of the Prince's mansion stepped forward and placed a gleaming silver ingot on the table with a clang.

"Ten taels of silver, consider it compensation for the buyout. Your little workshop won't cost much in terms of materials and craftsmen, so this amount is my way of showing consideration."

Ten taels?

Lin Weiyuan's ears rang, and he almost thought he had misheard.

This isn't buying; it's blatant robbery.

Lin Shan and Lin Yue, who were standing next to him, instantly turned red in the face, their fists clenched so tightly they cracked. Just as they were about to step forward to argue, Lin Weiyuan secretly reached out and blocked them.

Having spent half his life wandering the world, Lin Weiyuan knew all too well the ways of the world.

The common people cannot fight against officials, especially when the other party is a prince of the current dynasty who holds the power of life and death. If things really fall apart, the entire Lin Household will not even know how they were wiped out.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the churning in his chest, bowed his head, and his voice betrayed little emotion.

"Your Highness is absolutely right. The purpose of building carriages is to make life easier for people. It is a blessing for all people to have Your Highness oversee their promotion. This humble subject... will obey Your Highness's orders."

"You're smart to know when to back down."

Xiao Mingyuan nodded slightly, showing no surprise on his face, as if this was perfectly natural.

The chief clerk immediately took out the pre-prepared contract from his sleeve, spread it on the table, and handed over a wolf-hair brush.

"Chief Escort Lin, please sign and affix your seal. After you sign, this workshop and its artisans will all belong to the Third Prince's residence. Here, keep this ten taels of silver safe."

There was no turning back now. Lin Weiyuan took the pen, his knuckles turning slightly white. His fingertips trembled slightly as he wrote, but he still signed his name on the contract and pressed his bright red fingerprint on it.

Seeing this, Xiao Mingxuan stood up, dusted off his clothes, and instructed the chief clerk:

"You take two people and stay here to inventory the workshop materials, register the artisans, and take over the site."

After giving his instructions, he didn't say a single extra polite word, and followed Xiao Mingyuan as they turned and walked out.

A group of armored guards followed closely behind, pouring out of the courtyard gate, boarding a four-wheeled carriage, and in the blink of an eye, carrying the two away in a cloud of dust.

In the main hall, the father and his two sons stood there, staring at the lone silver ingot on the table, speechless for a long time.

Lin Yue, being young and impetuous, felt a tightness in his chest and gritted his teeth, saying:

"Father! This is outrageous! They stole our workshop for just ten taels of silver? What's the difference between this and outright robbery!"

Lin Weiyuan slowly closed his eyes, exhaled a long breath, his voice tired and heavy:

"What else can we do? That's the Third Prince, a member of the imperial family. We're just commoners; we can't possibly fight him."

He opened his eyes, looked towards the door, and said in a deep voice:

"This matter... needs to be reported to your brother-in-law immediately. Now that the prince has forcibly seized the workshop, it will definitely be traced back to him."

The three members of the Lin Household left the escort agency and headed straight for the Shen Residence without stopping.

Liu Zhong recognized the chief escort and the two young masters, and saw that the three of them had solemn expressions. He did not dare to delay, so he quickly let in and asked his daughter Cui'er to pass the message inside.

Shen Jingchuan had just finished meditating in the west courtyard and was chatting with the two ladies in the garden.

Upon hearing that his father-in-law had arrived, he immediately got up to greet him. Lin Qingyao, upon hearing that her father had come, also hurriedly followed behind.

The group was ushered into the main hall of the second courtyard. As soon as they sat down, Lin Yue couldn't contain himself and recounted from beginning to end how the Third Prince Xiao Mingyuan had brought the Prince Jing's Heir to his door and forcibly bought out the carriage-making workshop for only ten taels of silver. His tone was full of barely suppressed resentment.

"Don't rush, sit down and have some tea first."

Shen Jingchuan poured tea for the three of them and tapped his fingertips lightly on the edge of the table twice.

He quickly considered the matter in his mind and suddenly remembered that Princess Shaohua, Xiao Mingshu, was currently living in the mansion. It would be most appropriate for her to inquire about and mediate this matter.