Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2623 Still Vigorous in Old Age 4.0
“It’s not hard to understand.” Shen Haolin patted Shen Cha and said softly, “This world is too harsh on women. Even an extraordinary woman like the Empress Dowager would be criticized for being kidnapped by bandits in her childhood and for being kidnapped by remnants of the previous dynasty in her adulthood. From any perspective, she was a victim, but the gossip of the world doesn’t care about these things. It only tears open her wounds again and again and hurts her again and again.”

“Indeed.” Shen Cha nodded. “These experiences must have been a deep pain for the Empress Dowager, but for those who point fingers, it’s just gossip. To them, it’s nothing more than idle chatter.” She sighed. “The phrase ‘public opinion is a fearsome thing’ is like a sharp knife that can wound or kill an innocent victim at any time.”

“That’s right!” Shen Haolin sneered. “So, the Empress Dowager’s grandfather wanted her to leave this place of trouble. If she lived somewhere else, she wouldn’t be bothered by gossip. But before rescuing the Emperor, there probably wouldn’t have been such an opportunity. Rescuing the Emperor was a chance occurrence, but it was this chance occurrence that gave them hope. Although the Emperor’s grandfather had no feelings for her, he sympathized with her plight, so he agreed to let her marry into the Eastern Palace, giving her a title and protecting her for life. But…”

“She clearly knew Master Falian’s identity, clearly knew that he hated the Great Xia royal family, yet she still colluded with him.” Shen Cha sighed heavily. “And she even repaid kindness with enmity. Indeed, there is always something hateful about a pitiful person.”

“Perhaps she didn’t know Master Falian’s identity when she was in Jiangnan, but when she found out later, she didn’t sever ties with him in time, didn’t tell her grandfather and uncle about his existence, and let him cause trouble.” Shen Haolin shook his head slightly. “No, to be precise, she helped him cause trouble. That was indeed repaying kindness with enmity.”

“She may have done some good for Great Xia, but her crimes are far greater, there’s no doubt about that.” Shen Cha paused for a moment. “By the way, what about her Ciji Hall? I’ve never heard of that place before. Ciji Hall has such a vast information network, could it have all ended up with Master Falian?”

"Of course not." Shen Haolin looked at the teacup on the table, reached out and touched it. It was still warm. He picked it up and held it to Shen Cha's lips. "Have a couple of sips."

Shen Cha slightly opened her eyes, glanced at the teacup, and took two small sips.

Seeing that she wasn't drinking anymore, Shen Haolin drank the rest of the water in his teacup and put the cup back on the table.

Jin Miaomiao was quite close to them, and had been listening quietly to their conversation. When she heard them mention Ciji Hall, she came over with great interest.

"Lord Duke, you're saying that Ciji Hall wasn't left to Master Falian?"

“Such a place would definitely not be left to him. After the Empress Dowager passed away, all her properties were liquidated, including Tzu Chi Hall.”

"Is Ciji Hall considered one of her publicly known businesses?" Jin Miaomiao frowned slightly. "As an intelligence network, is it a case of 'the great man hides in plain sight'?"

“Yes!” Shen Haolin nodded. “Like the communication points of many shadowy places, they exist in the form of shops, the kind with a lot of people coming and going on weekdays, such as teahouses, inns, and restaurants. When she opened Ciji Hall in Jiangnan, she didn’t intend to use it for intelligence gathering. Ciji Hall was relatively simple back then. It only became more complex after she came to Xijing City, especially after she got involved in politics. The existence of Ciji Hall became even more important.” “A good way to win people’s hearts. The refugees she helps and the poor students she assists will stand firmly on her side. She doesn’t even need to deliberately collect any intelligence. Those people will tell her what she wants to know in casual conversation.” Shen Cha sighed softly. “It’s just that such a huge information network didn’t fall into the hands of Master Falian, nor into our hands, did it?”

"Because it was completely destroyed." Shen Haolin saw Shen Cha suddenly open her eyes and look at him with an incredulous expression. He chuckled and said, "You heard me right, it was completely destroyed."

“This…” Shen Cha looked at Shen Haolin with a face full of regret, “How can it be destroyed? Such a huge information network must involve many people and many stages. It can’t be that easy, can it?”

“It is indeed easy.” Shen Haolin looked at Shen Cha, then at Jin Miaomiao, and explained, “The accounts of Ciji Hall basically match those found from the Empress Dowager, and the list of people involved is also complete. So, we just need to arrest people according to the list. Those poor students who were sponsored by her and have not committed any major crimes will not be dismissed, but they will have no chance of promotion. As for those who are already in high positions, they are the same as Ning Changguo; either their homes were confiscated or they were exiled.”

"When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. Once the seemingly invincible tree of the Empress Dowager collapses, it's already a stroke of luck that those who depend on her are still alive." Shen Cha sighed. "Those who are too deeply involved will not only lose their own lives, but also the lives of their entire families."

"But why can't we use them for our own purposes?" Jin Miaomiao asked, puzzled. "Wouldn't it be a waste not to use such a vast network of connections?"

“They won’t work for us. They are grateful to the Empress Dowager, so they only hate us.” Shen Cha sighed. “If we really use them, they might secretly sabotage our plans, just to avenge the Empress Dowager.”

"The Empress Dowager's factionalism and corruption are undeniable; it's not a frame-up. What's with the complaints?" Jin Miaomiao rolled her eyes helplessly and said, "These people are really something."

“They’re both clever and stupid,” Shen Cha said bluntly. “However, there are also some who are very righteous and have resigned from their posts voluntarily, no matter how you try to persuade them.” She sighed. “But such people are a very small minority. The vast majority still feel that the Empress Dowager has been wronged.”

“Then it’s really better not to use someone like that.” Jin Miaomiao nodded, then looked at Shen Haolin and Shen Cha. “Do you think that since the Empress Dowager was able to set up the Ciji Hall in Daxia to collect intelligence, will Master Falian follow suit and set up something similar in Liao and Jin?”

"Probably not." Shen Cha shook her head gently. "It was already quite difficult for him to bribe Wanyan Qingmu and the Xiao family in Liao and Jin. He really doesn't have the financial resources or energy to do this."