Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2622 Still Vigorous in Old Age 3.0
When Xue Ruitian and Bai Meng arrived in front of Yan Bo and Qin Zheng, they bowed and said nice things. Their obedient manner made them seem like completely different people, unlike themselves.

Watching from the side, Master Jiang couldn't help but chuckle, covering his mouth with his hand to try and suppress his laughter.

Like Master Jiang, Qin Zheng was someone who watched the show from the sidelines, leaving Uncle Yan to face the situation alone.

Yan Bo was initially a little angry when he saw Xue Ruitian and Bai Meng, but when he saw their ingratiating manner, his anger vanished without a trace.

In addition, the snow was falling heavier and heavier, to the point that visibility was reduced to almost zero. Yan Bo abandoned his earlier insistence and instead began to worry about the situation in the camp, the Duke's mansion, and the Marquis's mansion.

"Going back?" Just as she stepped down from the command platform, Shen Cha heard Yan Bo say that he wanted to return to the Duke's mansion. She looked up at the swirling snowflakes, frowned slightly, and said, "Not now. Let's wait until the snow subsides a bit. Although our journey isn't long, the road is difficult to travel after the snow. Master and you both have old injuries on your legs, so it's better to be careful."

“You don’t need to worry about the Duke’s Mansion. Fifth Prince and Xiao Jing are in charge over there. They are very experienced in these matters. As for the Marquis’s Mansion,” Shen Haolin thought for a moment, “with Xue Mu here, there’s even less to worry about. You, Uncle Qin, and Fourth Grandfather can rest peacefully at the Great Training Ground to avoid the snow. Once the snow lightens up a bit, we’ll go back together.”

"That's good, you've made arrangements."

"Cha'er has already sent Xiaoyun and the others to patrol the camp, the Duke's mansion, the Marquis's mansion, and the city. They need to check everything." Shen Haolin looked up at the heavy snow. "This snow came suddenly, and many households are probably running low on charcoal. We've already made arrangements to deliver coal or charcoal to any households that are short of fuel. We can't let anything happen because of this snow."

"well done."

Qin Zheng, Yan Bo, and Fourth Master Jiang exchanged glances. The children were indeed capable of standing on their own and no longer needed their care. Perhaps in a few years, they could truly let go completely and enjoy the little bit of happiness they had left.

"Don't stand there, come into the tent. We've prepared ginger soup, and everyone will have a bowl in a little while."

Shen Cha winked at Xue Ruitian, Bai Meng, and Xia Chen. The three of them rushed forward and, with a lot of persuasion and even hugs, coaxed the three old men into the tent.

When Merlin saw them come in, he quickly told them to wipe their faces with hot towels and wash their hands with hot water. He placed a bowl of steaming ginger soup in front of each of them and watched them drink it little by little.

"Fifth Brother and a few brothers delivered ginger soup and some hot food to each tent."

"Okay!" Shen Cha nodded and waved to Mei Lin, "Don't bother, come and sit down."

Merlin responded and finished his work, tidying everything up, before sitting down next to the falcon.

"It looks like the snow isn't going to stop today." After finishing his ginger soup, Master Jiang took a piece of candied fruit and put it in his mouth. "The arena fight can't go on. What other plans do you have?"

"That's all." Shen Haolin handed Shen Cha a piece of candied fruit, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "It's rare to have half a day of leisure, so let everyone rest. If anyone wants to go out and play in the snow..." He looked at Bai Meng, Xia Chen, Eagle Leopard, and Eagle Falcon, who were all excited, "When the snow lightens a bit, you can go out, form a team, and have a snowball fight to see who wins." "Hey, that's a good idea! It won't be a waste of this half-day." Bai Meng clapped her hands and raised an eyebrow at Eagle Leopard and Eagle Falcon. "Dare you?"

"Of course we dare! What's there to be afraid of!" Eagle Leopard and Falcon exchanged a glance, then bared their teeth at Bai Meng. "Commander, if we lose, please don't cry!"

"Just wait and see, we'll see who's crying!" Bai Meng pressed his fingers together, grinning maliciously. "Even though we've all lived in Xijing City for years, I'm not without my snowball fights." He shook his fist. "Let's settle this on the field."

Shen Cha leaned on Shen Haolin's shoulder with her eyes half-closed. Although she could hear the jokes and banter of these people, her mind was filled with the things that Boss Luan had said today.

These things basically match what Mianbai said before, as well as the information they had gathered from various sources; they are about 80-90% consistent.

Looking at it this way, it seems that Boss Luan didn't lie to them and spoke his mind.

"What are you thinking about?" Shen Haolin noticed that Shen Cha's breathing was not very steady, with a slight fluctuation. He looked down at her.

"I'm thinking about what Boss Luan and Mianbai said."

"Oh?" Shen Haolin touched Shen Cha's forehead and, finding no fever, breathed a sigh of relief. "Did you find anything?"

"I haven't found anything, but I'm very puzzled and find it hard to understand."

"It's hard to understand why the Empress Dowager is going through all this trouble, isn't it?"

“Yes, I really don’t understand what she’s trying to do.” Shen Cha sighed softly. “The Empress Dowager’s life, though seemingly glamorous, was actually full of thorns.” She shifted to a more comfortable position and continued, “It seems she was trying to prove something, but in the end, it seems she proved nothing.”

"The man surnamed Luan said that because of something that happened when she was a child, she couldn't get close to her."

“Brother is wrong. That’s only a small part of the reason. If she really had this problem, her grandfather sending her to the Eastern Palace would be deceiving the emperor.” Shen Cha sneered. “I always felt that she was unhappy at home, so she used this as an excuse to enter the palace. My grandfather is an understanding person, and the Empress Dowager brought this up very frankly, so they didn’t have any estrangement.”

"She's the girl in charge of her family; all the family's businesses pass through her hands. How could she possibly be unhappy?"

"Yes, it's impossible to say she wasn't valued in her family. After all, she managed the family business herself, and everyone respected her. Of course, that Seventh Grandfather and Aunt were blinded by greed, which led to their tragic end. But to say she was valued, they didn't even ask her opinion before sending her directly to the Eastern Palace, as if they were getting rid of some burden. Everyone knows that once you enter the palace, it's like entering a deep sea. If your family is in Xijing City, it's easy; you just need to present your nameplate to see her. But for someone like the Empress Dowager, whose family is in Jiangnan or outside Xijing City, seeing her is extremely difficult. Basically, once she enters the palace, it's no different from being separated forever. If her family truly valued her, how could they bear to let their child enter the palace? Just like Consort Hui, she entered the palace in place of the daughter of the merchant who adopted her. That's what it means to truly not want to part with your own daughter, isn't it? It's really hard to understand why the Empress Dowager's family is like this."