Jiapingguan Chronicle

That night, Mr. Luan's condition improved significantly. Although he was still listless, he was much more alert.

Despite Ying Er's objections, he insisted on meeting Shen Haolin, Shen Cha, and Xue Ruitian, saying that he had important news to tell them and that he would definitely satisfy them.

Shen Haolin, Shen Cha, and Xue Ruitian discussed it and then consulted Jin Miaomiao about Boss Luan's situation. After confirming that he could handle the conversation, they went to the prison late at night.

Seeing Boss Luan being carried out, looking sickly, the group exchanged glances.

"Let's skip the pleasantries. You can't hold out much longer in your current condition, so let's finish this quickly."

Shen Cha gently tapped the small table beside her and beckoned to Shadow Two, Shadow Five, and Merlin. The three of them quickly laid out everything they needed.

Boss Luan looked at the things placed in front of him, and his face turned even paler.

“If you don’t behave and make us make a wasted trip in the middle of the night, I won’t let you off the hook just because you’re sick, understand?”

Shen Cha gave what she thought was a friendly smile, but in Boss Luan's eyes, it was like a demon descending.

"General, I will absolutely not hide anything, and I will definitely satisfy everyone."

"Then tell me!"

Boss Luan looked at everyone, took a deep breath, and said, "Although I don't know where Master Falian lives, I have seen him before."

"Have you seen him?" Shen Cha looked at Boss Luan. "Can you draw a portrait?"

“That’s no problem.” Boss Luan nodded. “He goes to Daxia, Jin, and Liao once a year, and each time it takes about three months.”

"What time do you always come?"

“It was in May or June, because it’s already quite warm then.” Boss Luan thought for a moment. “The time I saw him was an exception; he came in winter.” He looked at everyone, took a couple of breaths, and continued, “When the late Empress Dowager passed away, he received the news and rushed over as quickly as possible, but…” He shook his head slightly, “it was still too late.”

"Let's talk about what he actually looks like."

Shen Cha tapped the table again. Ying Wu had already prepared the brush, ink, paper and inkstone and placed them in front of Jin Miaomiao.

Among this group of people, Jin Miaomiao is the best at portrait painting.

Boss Luan coughed twice, recalled what Master Falian looked like in his memory, and began to describe him.

"The only time I saw him was in the winter of the year the Empress Dowager passed away. He hurriedly knocked on my door in the middle of the night. At that time, my father was still alive, so he was the one who welcomed Master Falian in. Originally, I would never have been able to see him, and he would not have let me see him either. However, when I was young, I was quite curious and wanted to see what the person my family worked so hard for looked like."

"You went to see it secretly?" "Yes!" Although the high fever had subsided, Boss Luan still felt weak all over. After a while, he continued, "My father met him in a secret room in the study. This secret room has two doors. One is the one my father knows about, and the other one, I don't know if it was left by the original family, was discovered by me by chance. That door cannot be used to enter the secret room, it is sealed, but there is a gap through which you can see what is happening inside the secret room."

"You saw Master Falian through that crack, didn't you?"

“Yes!” Boss Luan sighed and said, “That day he was wearing a black robe, black from head to toe, and his face was very white, like the kind of deathly white that comes from crawling out of a coffin, which was very abnormal. He was a little over seven feet tall, about the same height as my father, and very thin. When he took off his outer cloak, you could see that he was skin and bones.”

"What about your face shape?"

"He's oval-shaped, and because he's so thin, his cheeks are sunken. He has long, narrow phoenix eyes and very light eyebrows, which you might easily miss if you're not paying attention. His nose is small but has a high bridge, and his philtrum is about..." Boss Luan gestured with two fingers. "His mouth isn't big. Overall, his features are very delicate. If he weren't so thin, he would be a very handsome person."

Following his description, Jin Miaomiao quickly drew a portrait of Master Falian. After finishing the drawing, she looked at it herself and then held it up to show Boss Luan.

"Look, isn't this how it looks?"

Boss Luan couldn't see clearly, so Ying Wu took it and held it in front of him. Boss Luan looked at it carefully, asked for a pen, made some adjustments, and nodded to everyone.

"That's almost it."

Shen Haolin, Shen Cha, and Xue Ruitian looked at the portrait that Boss Luan had adjusted, exchanged glances, and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

They had actually seen Master Falian's portrait before, but that was before he left Xijing City. They were a little worried that his appearance might have changed after so many years. But now it seems that the medicine can not only prolong life, but also ensure that no matter how many years pass, a person's appearance will not change much.

"Go on," Shen Cha gestured to Boss Luan to continue, and said, "What did you hear that day?"

“Master Falian said that the late Empress Dowager was his most important companion and the most important person to him, and he wanted to see her no matter what. But at that time, the late Empress Dowager had already been buried, so it was impossible. Moreover, because the things the late Empress Dowager did during her lifetime were exposed, she was not qualified to be buried in the imperial mausoleum. But His Majesty was benevolent and found a place with green hills and clear waters on the outskirts of Xijing City to bury her. But no matter how much my father inquired, he could not find out where that place was.”

"He was buried quietly; no one knows." Xue Ruitian said coldly, "We don't know, and we don't want to know."

“Yes, that’s what my father said too. He told Master Falian that the royal family disliked the Empress Dowager, so they secretly moved her out of the palace and out of Xijing City in the middle of the night. No one knows how she was moved, how she was buried, or who did it.” Boss Luan sighed and said, “Moreover, after the Empress Dowager passed away, Xijing City was purging and arresting her remaining followers. If we rashly entered the capital at this time, we might not return. Master Falian knew that my father was right, but he was still very angry. However…” He paused, took a couple of breaths, and continued, “His health seemed to be poor. After struggling for a while, he fainted. My father seemed used to this. He took a medicine bottle from his pocket, poured out a few small pills, and put them in his mouth. He woke up in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.”

"Your health isn't good." Shen Cha and Shen Haolin exchanged a glance. "And yet you still managed to cause so much trouble. What happened afterward?"

"Later, I heard the sentence that changed my life." Boss Luan smiled bitterly and said, "If I hadn't heard that sentence, I wouldn't have been able to follow him wholeheartedly, no matter how bitter or difficult it was, I would never have abandoned him."

"what did he say?"

"He said that since the Empress Dowager is no longer alive, all business in Da Xia will be handled by the Luan family. The Luan family, now and in the future, will always be his only and largest partner in Da Xia, as well as his best friend." (End of Chapter)