Jiapingguan Chronicle

"Something else?"

The group exchanged glances and nodded slightly to Shen Cha.

"Indeed, many things can only be accomplished by these women stepping in."

"The interactions between these ladies are always quite interesting." Xue Ruitian stroked his chin, a mischievous smile on his face, and said, "I don't know much about other things, but when it comes to this, I have quite a few thoughts."

He shook his head smugly, just about to show off, when Song Yaojia, who had just finished watching the arena and happened to overhear his words, patted him on the shoulder.

"Who?" Turning around and seeing Song Yaojia, he snorted and said, "Why did you hit me?"

"What's so great about that?" Song Yaojia rolled her eyes and sat down next to Xue Ruitian. "Keep your voice down. Do you want everyone to know about your little secrets?"

"There's nothing to brag about. I just know a bit more than everyone here. But what can you do about it? It just means I'm popular!" Xue Ruitian looked at Song Yaojia. "But speaking of which, Your Highness should know a little more than I do, right? Prince Ying and Prince Dai never go to those banquets; it's always Your Highness who goes, isn't it? Every time you go to those banquets, Your Highness never hears anything about it." Xue Ruitian raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "Is that so?"

"Then you'll be disappointed. With me around, they don't talk about those things much." Song Yaojia poured herself a bowl of tea, blew on it gently twice, and said, "You need to reflect on why they don't care about your feelings at all."

“No need to reflect on it. Because I’m young and I’m with my mother and Aunt Shen, of course they won’t care about me.” Xue Ruitian gestured with his chin toward Shen Haolin and Shen Cha. “They should have been there too, but they always avoid me. They don’t like these sarcastic chatter.”

“I really don’t like it.” Shen Cha nodded. “Although they all have smiles on their faces, the smiles don’t reach their eyes. Every word they say is like a knife hidden in their mouths. If you’re not careful, you’ll get hit and fall into the trap they’ve dug. However, these open and covert attacks are actually useless. They’re just some harmless showing off.”

“You don’t understand. They also find their own kind in these trivial conversations, and then develop some rather private friendships.” Xue Ruitian smiled at Shen Cha. “Didn’t you also say that Madam Luan might be involved in other businesses, right?”

“Yes!” Shen Cha nodded. “We investigated the shops owned by the Luan and Liu families, including brothels and gambling dens. Although the brothels weren’t large, they were quite crowded.” She sighed and said, “There are quite a few orphans among them, as well as many young girls from merchant and official families, and even…” She glanced at the others and continued, “the children of mistresses, concubines, or maids.” “That’s not unusual. Many families in Jiangnan do this.” Song Yaojia knew more about the situation in Jiangnan than they did. “As you know, it’s not that they can’t afford to raise them. After all, if they can afford mistresses, concubines, or maids, their family’s conditions won’t be too bad. But why do they do it? Because they have no value to them. These children, whether boys or girls, are all sent away around the age of fifteen.”

"why?"

"Because they couldn't find a marriage that would benefit the family, they used various connections to send their children away to maximize the family's interests."

“I understand!” Shen Cha sighed. “Sent out as spies, right? Brothels and casinos may be places where all sorts of people mingle, but they are also the places where information and intelligence flow the fastest. They send people in there to gather intelligence for their families, right?”

“You have to mention Xiao Cha, she’s a professional at this, her reactions are just so quick.” Song Yaojia chuckled and nodded at Shen Cha. “Marriage is one way to gather information, this is another, and there are even those who train from a young age to go on merchant caravans or do other things, all to quickly obtain information about interests. These are no secrets in Jiangnan, everyone does it.” He glanced at Shen Haolin, who was staring at him, waved his hand, and said, “Those who do this are the small families, the kind who are eager to establish themselves. The Qin family, a century-old prosperous family, would disdain doing this. These large families have developed for so many years and have their own sources of information. This is why after the Great Xia Dynasty was established, it resolutely prevented aristocratic families from continuing to hold official positions. If they continued to stand firm in the court, the Great Xia Dynasty would soon become like the previous dynasty.”

“Indeed.” Shen Haolin sighed. “But if these emerging small families want to gain a foothold in the territories occupied by these behemoths, they need to have their own methods and cultivate their own information channels.” He looked at Shen Cha. “That’s what Madam Luan did, and it’s also what Master Falian hoped to achieve. This is one of the reasons why they left the capital for Jiangnan.”

“Yes!” Shen Cha nodded. “If they want to gain a foothold, they must ensure that information flows smoothly. They are outsiders, and it is unlikely that they can enter someone else’s territory. All they can do is set up their own place and let others come and curry favor with them.” She took the tea that Shen Haolin handed her, took a sip, and said, “This is not easy, after all, they are outsiders. Now I understand why Boss Luan fell ill.”

“Being betrayed by the person you trusted most, and having your hard-earned foundation stolen, and that’s not all, they even want to kill you to silence you and completely erase all traces of your existence.” Song Yaojia shook his head slightly. “This Master Falian is really a scoundrel, but…” He sighed, “It is indeed the consistent style of the previous dynasty’s royal family, discarding them after they have served their purpose.”

"That's exactly how it is." Shen Cha nodded. "It's their usual practice. When they need you, you're the apple of their eye; when they don't, you're no longer even worth their time. Actually, Boss Luan doesn't need to be so upset. If they can abandon even their own son, what people or things can't they abandon?"

“That’s true, but we can’t tell him. After all, Master Falian has lived for so long; anyone who doesn’t know the truth would be terrified.” Xue Ruitian shook his head. “Isn’t he sick? Once he wakes up, he’ll probably realize his mistake and understand that he’s not that special to Master Falian and can’t replace the Empress Dowager as her true confidant.”

"Lofty dreams, but unfortunately, they'll never come true." Bai Meng stretched lazily. "This couple is really..." He sighed softly, "What pot needs what lid? They're more suited to each other than I imagined." (End of Chapter)