Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2604 Atonement for Crimes 67.0
“That’s for sure. The more you interact, the deeper your understanding of the other person becomes,” Shen Cha sneered. “Master Falian’s life experience and his consistent manner of speaking have always been very attractive to young girls of that age. But…”

"The Empress Dowager only had feelings of admiration for him, nothing more, after all," Boss Luan sighed and said, "he was a highly virtuous monk."

"He should be well aware of this: there is no future for the two of them."

"Yes, he himself said that the more he interacted with the Empress Dowager, the more he was attracted to this girl's imaginative and bold ideas, and felt that she was destined for great things. They discussed everything from the procedures of a Buddhist monk to the interpretation of Buddhist scriptures, and various classic works. They were surprised to find that they had completely identical or similar views on certain matters or on certain classic texts. Of course, they also had disagreements, and when they debated, they would get a little carried away, and although neither could win an argument, but..."

"They all really enjoyed the process, they were really immersed in it, right?"

“Yes, the General is right. They both enjoy it. They both feel that they have finally found kindred spirits.” Boss Luan took a sip of tea and continued, “The two are in frequent contact, and Master Falian visits them often. The Empress Dowager’s family has also noticed that there seems to be something different about these two. Master Falian said that they asked the Empress Dowager to keep a certain distance from Buddhist people. After all, a highly accomplished monk like Master Falian would not grow his hair and return to secular life for a young girl.”

"Although she is the white moonlight and the cinnabar mole, although she is in his heart, and although he risked everything to return to Great Xia after learning of the Empress Dowager's death, I believe that Master Falian only admired her and felt a deep connection with her, seeing her as another version of himself in this world, rather than developing feelings of love for her and wanting to make her his wife, right?"

“Yes!” Boss Luan gave Shen Cha a thumbs up and said, “The General is wise. What the General said is exactly the same as what Master Fa Lian said, only a few words are different.”

"He told your father?"

“Yes!” Boss Luan sighed. “I heard it clearly. He said he had never seen anyone so similar to him, whether boy or girl, he had never met anyone who could be so compatible with him. He said that seeing the young, energetic, ambitious, and hopeful Empress Dowager was like seeing his younger self, that indomitable spirit, that refusal to admit defeat, that absolute refusal to bow to fate, it was as if it were a carbon copy of his younger self.” He paused, sighed softly, and said, “What Master Falian said next, I still don’t quite understand. I just vaguely sense that his father and mother didn’t treat him very well, that he was abandoned after he was born.”

Shen Haolin, Shen Cha, and Jin Miaomiao looked at each other again, and simultaneously picked up their teacups and took a sip of tea.

What did he say?

"He said..." Boss Luan paused, searching his memory for that scene, and slowly continued, "He said I was born into a prestigious family, a century-old family. My parents had a very good relationship, and my siblings and I were also very close. However, apart from his heir, my father was indifferent to his other children because my mother focused most of her attention on them, neglecting him. He was very dissatisfied with this." He paused again, "When I heard this, I didn't understand. Why would there be such a father in this world? Competing for favor with his children—it's unheard of." "Although you don't understand, such people do exist, but they are rare." Jin Miaomiao looked at Shen Haolin and Shen Cha's expressions, then at Xue Ruitian's equally astonished face, and sighed softly, saying, "Boss Luan, you and Madam Luan have been married for so many years, why don't you have any children? Is it because you love your wife too much and don't want a child to disturb you?"

"No, it's not that." Boss Luan shook his head gently. "Actually, it's my fault. As you all know, we have a hereditary disease in our family. I'm lucky that I'm neither too good nor too bad, and I've lived to this age, but my brother died young. My wife and I have discussed it, and we've decided that families like ours shouldn't have children. There's no need to bring children into this world to suffer, right?"

"That's true." Jin Miaomiao sighed. "You fell ill yesterday, and I took your pulse. As for your condition," she looked at Boss Luan and asked hesitantly, "do you want to hear the truth?"

"Mr. Jin, please speak. I'm already this old; whether it's good or bad doesn't matter to me anymore." Boss Luan thought for a moment, "Is it not so good?"

"Your illness is milder than your brother's, so it can be temporarily controlled with medication. However, this medication cannot be taken for a long time. You should already know that, right?"

“Yes, I only used this medicine when I was young, before I turned eighteen. It was a pill, but it needed to be dissolved with a catalyst, just a small amount, about the bottom of a cup. One sip, and it was extremely bitter, the kind of bitterness that most people couldn't bear. Every time I took it, I had to recover for several hours.” Boss Luan looked at Jin Miaomiao. “I haven’t taken it since I was eighteen. Master Falian and my father both told me that I was cured, but that was a lie?”

“I wouldn’t say I’m lying to you. This illness doesn’t have a cure or a cure; it depends on your fate. The medicine only plays a supporting role.” Jin Miaomiao sighed. “It can help you fight against the discomfort in your body over the years. You should have felt increasingly tired and lacking in energy over the years, right? Sometimes, you’ll inexplicably feel pain here and discomfort there, but it will get better in a few days, right?”

"Yes!" Boss Luan admitted honestly, "It's related to this medicine?"

“It’s related to your medication and your illness. As I said before, I can help suppress it, but,” Jin Miaomiao gently shook her head, “it can’t last long, do you understand?”

“It’s alright.” Boss Luan gave a bitter smile and said, “I don’t ask for too much. I don’t want to live too long. As long as I can live to see him arrested and brought down, I will be satisfied.”