Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2619 Everything is Cause and Effect

"Redemption?"

Shen Cha looked at Master Jiang with a puzzled expression, unable to understand why this would be a salvation for the Empress Dowager.

"Don't you understand?"

“I don’t quite understand.” Shen Cha gently shook her head. “Back then, as a child, she witnessed the whole thing, seeing people she considered family stab her in the back. It’s highly likely that this instilled a certain degree of distrust in people, which shaped her suspicious personality. Later, she was betrayed again by family—her widowed aunt orchestrated her kidnapping—which made her completely distrustful of everyone. But…”

"You're mistaken. It's not about that direction, it's about the girl's reputation."

"A girl's reputation?" Shen Cha looked at Shen Haolin blankly, then at Master Jiang. "What do you mean?"

Seeing her like this, Shen Haolin couldn't help but cough lightly and shake his head at Master Jiang.

"Cha'er grew up on the frontier and doesn't know much about those things, so..."

"Hey, brother, if you put it that way, I understand." Shen Cha interrupted Shen Haolin, rolling her eyes in disgust, and said, "It's about damaging some kind of reputation again, right?"

"Yes!" Seeing the utter disgust on Shen Haolin and Shen Cha's faces, Fourth Master Jiang couldn't help but laugh. "You two shouldn't make that face. You are military men, so you certainly don't care about these things. But the Empress Dowager comes from Jiangnan. Although she comes from a merchant family, she still cares about these things to some extent."

"If they really cared, they wouldn't have let the Empress Dowager go out to do business at such a young age. And they wouldn't have left such a young child at home while the whole family went to pray for blessings. If nothing had happened, they naturally wouldn't have said anything, but since something did happen, instead of looking at their own problems, they've made things difficult for a little kid. Do they think that's appropriate?"

"It's not their family that's causing trouble, it's those gossipy people outside. Their rumors are incredibly damaging to a child." Master Jiang patted Shen Cha, sighed softly, and continued, "Didn't a guard run out for help before? It caused quite a stir, practically the whole city knew their house had been raided by bandits, and for quite some time. I don't know where the rumors came from, but they said all the adults were home, only a little girl, and that the bandits had..." He paused, "Anyway, these rumors just kept getting more and more outrageous, and the further they spread, the worse it was for the Empress Dowager's reputation. Although their family spent money to severely punish those spreading the rumors, while they stopped it, the damage to the Empress Dowager was still done, wasn't it?"

“That’s true.” Shen Cha nodded, thought for a moment, then sneered and said, “I can probably guess who spread this rumor.”

"The Empress Dowager's seventh grandfather was afraid that he would be exposed by the bandits, so he simply dragged his granddaughter into it, right?" Seeing Shen Cha nod, Fourth Master Jiang snorted, "He himself wasn't much better off. Apart from those who were killed, all the remaining bandits were captured. The second-in-command, who was the leader, couldn't escape either."

"He confessed?" "He confessed without even being beaten. He said that Seventh Grandfather personally came to them and told them to rob the mansion." Fourth Master Jiang spread his hands. "He told them everything from beginning to end, without missing a single word. He even revealed the location of their own stronghold, just to stay alive. So, neither Seventh Grandfather nor the bandit leader got a good ending."

"The wicked have received their just deserts, but the harm done to the Empress Dowager cannot be made up for." Shen Cha sighed. "Does Grandfather know about this?"

"Yes, the Empress Dowager told my brother the whole story, including all the rumors that circulated in Suzhou back then. She told him everything. Not only did she tell him all that, but she also told him that because of these rumors, no one in Suzhou would come to propose marriage. That was the reason her grandfather made the request. The Empress Dowager told my brother that if he didn't want to agree after hearing all this, he didn't have to agree at all."

"Grandfather still agreed."

“Yes!” Master Jiang nodded. “Not only did he agree, but he also told the Empress Dowager that this matter was not her fault. From any perspective, she was the victim and the aggrieved party.”

“Grandfather was a very kind and understanding person.” Shen Haolin nodded. “The reason why the Empress Dowager said that was because once the news of her marriage into the Eastern Palace spread, there would definitely be rumors. When they reached the ears of Grandfather and Great-Grandfather, they would be very unpleasant to hear. Therefore, the Empress Dowager had to say it in advance.”

“That’s right, that’s what she thinks.” Master Jiang nodded. “Instead of hearing it from others, she might as well tell him directly.”

"And then?" Shen Haolin looked at Master Jiang. "Was it as the Empress Dowager predicted?"

"Yes!" Master Jiang sighed. "As expected, when the news spread that the Empress Dowager was going to marry into the Eastern Palace, Suzhou was in an uproar. The events of that year were brought up again, and even the prefect advised Father and my brother to be cautious, as the royal family's reputation was of utmost importance. When Father and my brother saw that things had indeed happened as predicted, and all sorts of rumors were circulating, they wanted to use these rumors to purge a group of people. As it turned out, they actually discovered something quite interesting."

"Something interesting?" Shen Haolin and Shen Cha exchanged a glance. "What is it?"

"The source of the rumors was the mastermind behind that assassination attempt."

"The mastermind?" Shen Cha frowned slightly. "Remnants of the previous dynasty?" Seeing Master Jiang nod slightly, she said, "We've come full circle. It's all cause and effect. Because of Aunt's matter, the remnants of the previous dynasty deeply resent the Empress Dowager. Therefore, they will never let go of any opportunity to slander the Empress Dowager and create a rift between the royal family and the Empress Dowager."

“That’s right.” Master Jiang nodded. “But we should also thank them for jumping in and stirring up trouble. Otherwise, how could we have found and wiped out those remnants of the previous dynasty who hid during the assassination attempt?”

"Fourth Grandfather is right. It's all thanks to them stepping forward on their own. Otherwise, these cunning guys with multiple burrows would be really hard to catch!" Shen Cha nodded slightly, agreeing with Fourth Grandfather Jiang's statement, and said, "These things may seem unrelated, but in reality, they are all cause and effect, their blessings, and ours as well."