Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2612 Atonement for Crimes 75.0
As Shen Cha gently tapped the table beside her, she silently thought to herself, "The closer you get to Master Falian, the less you can see through him, and the less you know what he's up to."

Before Boss Luan explained, they all believed that Master Falian, as the only remaining gem of the former royal family, must harbor resentment towards Great Xia. After all, it was Great Xia that replaced the former dynasty and established a new dynasty, turning him from a high-ranking prince into a reclusive so-called master. If the former dynasty still existed, perhaps he would still have had the opportunity to sit on that chair representing supreme power.

But now, the Great Xia Dynasty has been established for over a hundred years, and he has no chance at all. So, as long as he lives, he will cause trouble for the Great Xia Dynasty every day. He has caused so much trouble just to show his existence and to tell them that the former royal family is still around, and who knows, they might make a comeback one day.

Moreover, she always felt that the attack her grandfather encountered by the remnants of the previous dynasty in Jiangnan was all orchestrated by Master Falian. He should have known that assassination was useless, but sending the Empress Dowager into the harem of Great Xia was still the right step. With the Empress Dowager as his inside man, it might not be difficult for him to completely destroy Great Xia, rebuild the glory of the previous dynasty, and sit on the dragon throne.

This was all perfectly logical and natural, but now, listening to Boss Luan's account and hearing Master Falian's resentment towards the remnants of the previous dynasty, it seems that he has no obsession with the throne and his hatred for the Great Xia is not that deep. All that he has done seems to have nothing to do with rebuilding the previous dynasty.

Shen Cha stroked her chin, looking thoughtfully at Boss Luan. She had a question she wanted to ask him, but she felt he might not know the answer.

Boss Luan was getting really annoyed by Shen Cha's scrutinizing glances, and he unconsciously curled up, wondering if General Shen was going to skin him alive next.

He frantically went over it in his mind several times to make sure he hadn't said anything wrong, and the heart that had been in his throat finally felt half relieved.

"Stop looking!" Shen Haolin patted Shen Cha and whispered, "You're making people confused." He looked at Boss Luan and said, "I have a question for you."

"Please ask, Duke Shen. I will answer to the best of my knowledge."

"Does your father mention Master Falian often? Every time he meets Master Falian, does he tell you in detail what they talked about?"

"Hmm," Boss Luan thought for a moment, nodded at Shen Haolin, then shook his head. "He's mentioned it quite a few times, but he doesn't talk about it every time we meet, though we do talk about it most of the time. What does Duke Shen want to know?"

"I want to know if they talked about the palace or the late emperor."

"The late emperor? The palace?" Boss Luan was taken aback by the question. After thinking for a long time, he gently shook his head. "Very rarely. They hardly ever talk about the late emperor; they only talk about the Empress Dowager. Back then, the Empress Dowager was sent to the palace as a concubine of the Crown Prince. Master Falian stood at the city gate, along with the local people, to see her off. However, he himself said that after the Empress Dowager left, he finished his business in Jiangnan and went to Xijing City as well. Later, he traveled between Xijing City and Jiangnan. At first, he stayed in the capital for a longer time because the Empress Dowager was new and not yet familiar with life there, so he accompanied her to get acquainted. After she was completely settled, he returned to Jiangnan more often. However, he would visit the Empress Dowager in the capital at fixed times every year. As for how they met, Master Falian never mentioned it, nor did he tell my father. He said that although some means were used to get the Empress Dowager into the Crown Prince's palace as a concubine, His Highness the Crown Prince respected her very much, never forced her, and gave her a certain degree of freedom."

"Freedom? What kind of freedom?"

“When she was in the Eastern Palace, the Empress Dowager could leave the palace every now and then. His Highness the Crown Prince knew that the Empress Dowager had been doing business in Jiangnan. She had shops outside the Eastern Palace before, so he asked the Empress Dowager to manage them for her.”

Hearing this, Shen Cha looked at Shen Haolin and Xue Ruitian with a puzzled expression. Seeing them nod at her, she frowned. "Is this alright?"

"Sure, anyone can do business and open a shop, but they must pay taxes as required and won't enjoy any special treatment," Xue Ruitian explained. "If a royal shop violates any rules or laws, the penalties will be even heavier. And if there's collusion among officials, and it's discovered and the censor reports it to His Majesty, then... sorry, it will be shut down directly. After compensating the aggrieved party, it will be confiscated, and the shop owner can forget about doing business again, not only him but also his family."

"I see." Shen Cha thought for a moment, then looked at Boss Luan. "So, they can take this opportunity to meet, right?"

"I think so. Later, Master Falian said that he helped open a Ciji Hall in Xijing City."

"I know that. Ciji Hall has indeed been a great help in Xijing City, that's undeniable."

"I," Boss Luan thought for a moment, looked at Shen Haolin, Shen Cha, and then at Xue Ruitian and the others, and said, "Actually, this is the first time I've learned that my father and my father-in-law were both sponsored by the Empress Dowager. Both of our families are native Beijingers, but we didn't live a very good life. However, after meeting the Empress Dowager, we were both promoted."

"How did you meet? Was it through Tzu Chi Hospital?"

“Yes, my father was a small business owner back then. He was young and responsible for delivering goods to the Ciji Hall. We got to know each other over time. One time, the Empress Dowager came to visit and accidentally bumped into her. She didn’t blame him. Instead, she asked my father many questions, comforted him, and let him leave without offending him. My father thought it was just a chance encounter. But half a month later, the Empress Dowager came to our shop.”

"Did she come alone?"

“No.” Boss Luan shook his head gently. “He came with Master Falian and several bodyguards. He first exchanged pleasantries with my father for a while, and then asked if we wanted to do business with them, or become one of them and do business for them.”

"Your father agreed?"

“Of course I agreed to such a good deal. Before, I was just running a small business with no support. Now that I have a backer, I can realize my ambitions. I will definitely do it.” Boss Luan sighed softly and said, “My father has never been one to settle for mediocrity since he was young. He is a very ambitious person.”

"So, going to the Tzu Chi Foundation was actually part of his plan?"

"..." Boss Luan hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly, "Yes!"