diskusbooks Chapter 363 Escort
Chapter 363 Escort
From a thirteen-year-old junior镖师 (bodyguard/escort) to a forty-six-year-old chief镖师 (chief镖师), Chief镖师 Chu became one of the pillars of Shunchang镖局 (镖局 is a type of security escort agency) through hard work and dedication, and was well-versed in all the rules and regulations of the镖局.
Secrecy is one of the rules of the escort agency. Except for the people delivering and receiving the goods, no one else may be informed of the journey and information of the goods being escorted.
Chief Escort Chu's gaze darted around: "Young Master, Shunchang Escort Agency is extremely busy, handling countless items and people every year. I've been slow-witted and have a poor memory since childhood, let alone things from over twenty years ago..."
Luo An took a sip of tea: "Logically speaking, it's normal not to remember things that happened more than 20 years ago. For example, I can't even remember what I ate yesterday."
Chief Escort Chu nodded emphatically: "Exactly, exactly, exactly..."
Luo An spun the teacup lid around: "My father asked your bureau to escort the child; it must be a big deal for your bureau."
Firstly, the journey is bound to be long, which is sometimes too much for even adults, let alone infants and young children. Given the high risks, extra caution is necessary.
Secondly, my father is not short of money. Since he asked your bureau to act as guarantor, the price he offered must be higher than your bureau's usual price. This is a big deal for your bureau.
Thirdly, my father holds a high position of power and influence, so even if we don't spend a single penny, the escort agency wouldn't dare to neglect him. I anticipate that if this deal goes wrong, it won't be resolved by simply paying money; it will not only affect your agency's century-old reputation but also the lives of all the escorts.
For escort missions that involve high risk, high price, expensive clients, and zero tolerance for mistakes, Shunchang Escort Agency would definitely select a highly trusted escort. If Chief Escort Chu had not been selected back then, he would not be sitting in the position of Chief Escort today.
If Chief Escort Chu is selected and contributes significantly to this mission, it will certainly be beneficial for his promotion. A person cannot remember every step they take, but they will certainly remember the key steps.
I'm not one for idle chatter, but for my father's sake, I'll explain the pros and cons to Chief Escort Chu. That way I can save myself some trouble. Even if you didn't tell me, I could find out later anyway.
Once I discover that Chief Escort Chu knew but didn't speak up, then you might not be able to hold onto your position as Chief Escort, which you've worked so hard for over decades. Chief Escort Chu, you can think about it carefully.
Luo An's analysis was spot on. Chief Escort Chu's face was full of admiration: "If I say anything today, it will be against the rules of the escort agency. If the owner holds us accountable, I would appreciate it if you would speak up for me."
Luo An said, "That's for sure."
Chief Escort Chu said, "Shunchang Escort Agency has always been a local escort agency. After arriving at the destination, the escorts will rest and recuperate at the local escort agency until they have a return trip or escort mission to a nearby place."
Back then, when Lord Luo entrusted Shunchang Escort Agency to escort the child from Penglai Palace, the owner personally selected fifty escorts from the headquarters in Bianjing to go to Penglai to pick them up, and I was indeed among them.
Upon returning to Bianjing, the Luo family bestowed upon all fifty bodyguards a reward five times their normal bodyguard fees. Later, over twenty of the fifty bodyguards joined the army, a few became constables, and aside from those who left the escort agency for better opportunities, the rest were all promoted.
Escorting goods for the Luo family could earn a year's worth of money in a single job, not to mention the unexpected future prospects. Who wouldn't want to do something like that? This kind of opportunity only comes around once every few decades, and it's something that the镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) always mention in their casual conversations; it's hard to forget.
The Penglai Palace is taking a child? Where would a child come from at the Penglai Palace? Could it be that after he was born, his father arranged for him to be raised at the Penglai Palace, waiting for the right opportunity to bring him back?
If that's the case, there's no way to investigate. Is adopting a child really that complicated? Even murderers leave traces, right? Is the father not providing any clues at all?
Luo An thought to himself, "As expected of the prime minister who once held immense power and influence, he does things without the slightest flaw."
Chief Escort Chu saw that Luo An was staring at his teacup without speaking, and assumed that Luo An thought he was not explaining clearly enough: "Back then, when I sent the child to Penglai Palace, I was also fortunate enough to be selected and received a large reward."
That year, I used my savings and the money from two rewards to repair my leaky house, so I could finally get married at the end of the year. All these years, I've remembered Lord Luo's kindness. Without the opportunity he gave me, I wouldn't be who I am today…”
Luo An suddenly looked up, his eyes blazing: "What did you say?"
Chief Escort Chu, realizing he might have said something wrong, said with trepidation, "I have always remembered Lord Luo's kindness, and I have never dared to forget it all these years..."
Luo An's tone was slightly urgent: "Send the child to Penglai Palace? From where?"
Chief Escort Chu said, "Back then, after Madam Luo gave birth, she was too weak to take care of the child. It was a hot time of year, so Lord Luo asked our escort agency to send the child to the Penglai Palace to escape the heat."
Because the child was so young, our journey was extremely slow. We got up late, slept early, and even had to rest at noon. We walked for an hour in the morning and another hour in the afternoon, and it took us more than fifty days to get there..."
Luo An only saw Chief Escort Chu's mouth open and close; he couldn't hear anything else he said after that.
A sound came from the roof, similar to the cracking sound of someone slipping on tiles. Luo An threw the cup in his hand at the roof, and a glazed tile fell down and landed in front of him.
The room suddenly brightened several degrees, and sunlight streamed through the roof into the main hall, falling on the glazed tile fragments and reflecting into Luo An's eyes, making him squint.
Chief镖师 Chu was startled. Seeing Luo An's uncertain expression, a sense of fear rose in his heart. He mustered his courage and walked to Luo An's side, stammering, "Young...Young Master, this escort contract...please sign it..."
As if he hadn't woken up yet, Luo An unconsciously picked up a charcoal pencil and wrote his name on the escort list, but didn't sign it in the proper place.
Chief Escort Chu dared not question or say more. He backed out of the main hall before turning around and hurrying out of the Luo residence as quickly as possible.
Xiaoman looked up and saw a masked woman in a pink dress running across the rooftops, leaping over tree branches towards the backyard. She jumped up and chased after her, calling out, "Go see the young master!"
Dongzhi, still worried, took a couple of steps after him before turning back towards the main hall. Chief Escort Chu had already left. In the vast hall, Luo An sat alone in the main seat, motionless like an old monk in meditation.
Dongzhi cautiously stepped forward, not daring to speak loudly: "Young Master? Young Master..."
Luo An slowly turned his head, his eyes unfocused, his voice weak: "What?"
Dongzhi was terrified: "Young Master, a masked person just passed by here, and Xiaoman chased after her. Did she hurt you? This must be reported to the Crown Prince. The guards at Xizhai are so lax; a thief broke in in broad daylight."
Luo An closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his mind was clear. He picked up the small box and stood up, only to realize that he had forgotten to ask Qin Jiu when he had delivered the items to the escort agency, and why the agency was only delivering them now.
Luo An instructed Dongzhi to go to the door to see if the bodyguards had left. If they hadn't, he told him to let Chief Bodyguard Chu come in to see him.
Dongzhi quickly returned to report: "They've already left. Young master, I'll go to the escort agency and have Chief Escort Chu come again."
The eldest sister was still waiting for him, so it must be something very important. Luo An handed the small box to Dongzhi: "Later. Go to the garden and see if Madam has finished arguing. Give this to her."