Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2609 Atonement for Crimes 72.0
Boss Luan glanced at Xue Ruitian and gently shook his head.

"What do you mean?" Xue Ruitian was taken aback when he saw his expression. "You still won't admit it?"

“She denies it, saying she was kidnapped along with the Empress Dowager and doesn’t know who the kidnappers are.” Boss Luan sighed. “That’s where Aunt’s brilliance lies. She accompanied them on their inspection tour, and the kidnapping happened along with them, so there’s no indication of anything amiss. The Empress Dowager knows she’s dissatisfied with her arrangements, and at most, she’s capable of throwing something dirty at people’s shop entrances to disgust them—that’s the limit. Kidnapping is illegal, and the Empress Dowager doesn’t think she has the guts to do such a thing. Moreover, she’s certain of one thing: Aunt doesn’t have that many people; her manpower was probably wasted during that incident with the dirty things.”

“That makes sense.” Shadow Five nodded, then thought for a moment. “She probably doesn’t show off how much leverage she has at home, right? That’s why the Empress Dowager thinks she should have a foundation so that she won’t be looked down upon, right?”

"That's how it is," Boss Luan sighed. "Actually, I want to defend the Empress Dowager. She wasn't always calculating, nor did she intend to use others. When she was young, she was quite kind-hearted, but..."

"At the beginning of life, people are inherently good. No one is bad from the start. They all become that way for various reasons." Shen Cha sighed. "Don't advise others to be good if you haven't experienced their suffering."

"That's true, but what kind of person you become is still your own choice." Boss Luan sighed. "Wrong is wrong, there's nothing to be dramatic about."

"It's not easy for you to have such awareness," Ying Wuyi raised an eyebrow. "Is it because of your recent series of experiences?"

"I've experienced the full spectrum of human nature in just a few dozen days," Boss Luan chuckled. "Let's not talk about me anymore. Let's continue with the Empress Dowager's kidnapping. From the time she was abducted until Master Falian rescued her, it only took three days in total. After all, the dilapidated temple they were staying in was far from the city, and just finding that temple would take a long time. At the same time, they had to keep it a secret from any potential accomplices in the city, so three days was already quite fast. Master Falian questioned both the Empress Dowager and her aunt, and they were indeed treated the same during those three days. So, even if Master Falian had some suspicions, there was no evidence to prove that her aunt was responsible for the kidnapping. The Empress Dowager never suspected her aunt from the beginning. Not only did she not suspect her, but she also felt that her aunt was implicated because of her. After all, she didn't have a plan to inspect the shop; it was a last-minute decision. If she wanted to kidnap someone, she couldn't have gathered so many people on short notice. Her aunt was a weak woman; she didn't have the manpower or the courage. So, she also treated her aunt as a victim, showing concern and feeling very guilty."

"When was it discovered?"

"It was about the second month after the kidnapping when the prefectural government officials came to the door and took the person away without saying a word."

"They took Auntie away?"

“Yes!” Boss Luan nodded. “Without the slightest warning, they took her away. For the next three days, the family and the Empress Dowager were trying to find out what had happened to her, but the money they sent out was returned. Not only was the money returned, but they also brought back a message saying that the matter that Aunt had committed was not so easy or simple to resolve, and that it was not something that their prefectural government could handle.”

“Remnants of the previous dynasty,” Shen Cha sneered. “It’s quite a coincidence that several major life events that the Empress Dowager encountered, those that marked turning points in her life, were all related to remnants of the previous dynasty.” She looked at Shen Haolin, then at Xue Ruitian. “Is it really not man-made?”

"That's hard to say." Xue Ruitian shook his head slightly. "Her kidnapping occurred two years before that incident. Logically speaking, Prefect Xie shouldn't have made such a big mistake. Only they themselves know what really happened." "That's right." Shen Cha nodded, looked at the puzzled Boss Luan, and gently tapped the table. "Continue, when did the Empress Dowager, her family, and Master Falian find out the truth?"

“Master Falian said that half a month after my aunt was taken away, a person came to the prefectural government office. The person made quite a show of force. Master Falian said that even the prefect himself could not make such a show of force. He must have come from the capital, and it was very likely that he was an eunuch from the palace.”

"What is the eunuch's surname? Did he tell me?"

"No." Boss Luan shook his head slightly. "This eunuch only told them that after a very thorough investigation by their prefectural government, both witnesses and physical evidence could prove that my aunt had a very close relationship with the remnants of the previous dynasty. Moreover, the uncle of the late Empress Dowager has been found out that his ancestors were Fengche Duwei, and he secretly kept a lot of private soldiers under his command."

"They've investigated so much, yet they haven't managed to implicate the Empress Dowager's family. They're really lucky."

"It's not that they weren't implicated. His house was searched inside and out, especially his aunt's courtyard and her two shops, but they found nothing. In addition, the victims of his aunt's two disturbances were her own brother, the Empress Dowager's uncle, and the Empress Dowager herself. If her family really had connections with the remnants of the previous dynasty, his aunt wouldn't have targeted her own people."

“That’s true. Judging from the ruthlessness they displayed in both incidents, they’re definitely not the same kind of people.” Xue Ruitian nodded. “The Empress Dowager already knows that my aunt was behind the incident with the dirty things, but this kidnapping is clearly a death sentence for her. She knows now, and she probably won’t let it go, right?”

“Yes, but for the Empress Dowager, who has never experienced betrayal by her own family, this truth…” Boss Luan shook his head gently, “is too cruel. Even the Empress Dowager’s father, mother, uncle, and so many elders in the family found it hard to accept. But with witnesses, physical evidence, and the aunt’s confession, even if they don’t want to believe it or admit it, the facts are there, and they have no choice but to accept it.” He sighed softly and said, “Master Falian said that when Grandfather learned of this news, he fell ill and never recovered. He kept regretting on his sickbed that he shouldn’t have arranged such a marriage for his eldest daughter, which not only made her a widow at a young age but also led her down a path of no return.”

"It's no use regretting it now." Xue Ruitian sneered. "However, none of that matters. You said before that because of this kidnapping, the Empress Dowager and Master Falian have become closer, right?"

"Yes, because it was a life-saving grace. Later, when she found out that it was her aunt who was instigating it, the Empress Dowager couldn't accept it and fell ill. She was in a coma for five days and couldn't even take any medicine."

"Was it Master Falian who saved her?"

"Yes, as for how she was saved, only heaven, earth, and they themselves know. However, Master Falian said that from the moment the Empress Dowager awoke, he felt that she was different from before!"