Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2655 Still Vigorous in Old Age 39.0
"That was indeed not easy." Chu Han saw Xue Ruitian's smug look and originally wanted to hold back, but he couldn't help it and complained to Shen Cha, Song Yaojia and Xia Chen, "If I hadn't arrived, those two would have strangled that Du family member to death. When I arrived, they were already half dead."

"What kind of half-dead state is it?"

"Those two little guys weren't very old at the time, maybe twelve or thirteen years old?" Seeing Shen Haolin and Xue Ruitian nod, Chu Han continued, "But they had quite a bit of stubbornness. Although they cried for a long time, and I was crying when I arrived, they still clung tightly to that crutch."

"Is he that powerful?" Shen Cha looked at Shen Haolin with curiosity and asked, "How did you two brothers catch him? That guy surnamed Du must be quite strong. He comes from a farming family, so it goes without saying that he's good at farming. Later, he did tomb raiding for many years. I'm afraid he couldn't have been caught easily, right?"

"It's not that difficult."

Xue Ruitian and Shen Haolin exchanged a glance and simultaneously grabbed Shen Cha's wrist, pressing on the Neiguan and Waiguan acupoints.

"how?"

"Ouch, it hurts a bit, and it feels a little sore and numb." Shen Cha looked at the two of them. "It's definitely not very comfortable!"

"A sore and numb feeling?" Seeing that Shen Cha was indeed not feeling well, Shen Haolin gestured for Xue Ruitian to let go, and then he massaged her hand. "If you're uncomfortable here, it's probably because you didn't sleep well."

"It's not that absolute, but I do wake up easily and have a lot of dreams." Seeing Shen Cha's worried expression, Shen Cha smiled, patted him reassuringly, and said, "Don't worry, it's just that things have been quite complicated lately, and I'm always worried that something might go wrong, or that I won't have prepared anything. When it's time to set off, I'll be even more flustered, so I've been thinking about a lot of things."

"You're overthinking things. You have to take things one step at a time. There's no use in rushing." Chu Han got a little tired of sitting, so he stood up and slowly strolled around the flower hall. "Even though this place is called a flower hall, there aren't many flowers here!"

"Although it's spring, the late cold snap is still severe, and no flowers can survive right now." Xue Ruitian smiled and looked at Shen Cha. "Plus, there's a group of people next door, which is indeed a headache."

“That’s right.” Shen Cha nodded. “With my brothers helping out at the main camp, I don’t need to worry. It’s just that there are many things to worry about in these two prefectures and cities. Besides,” she sighed softly, “we’re about to raise an army.”

"Who said we're going to start an army right away?" Chu Han stood beside Shen Cha and patted her shoulder reassuringly. "We can't send troops out anytime soon."

"Is it because the name is not legitimate and the words are not in accordance with the law?"

“Yes, we haven’t waited for a good opportunity yet.” Chu Han smiled. “Besides, the weather isn’t suitable for sending troops now. With the snow and ice, even supplies will be a problem.” “These past two years have been very difficult for the Jin Kingdom. Natural disasters have far outweighed man-made ones.” Shen Cha looked up at Chu Han. “Grand Uncle has been staying near the Jin Kingdom all this time. Do you know why?”

“When you do too many heinous things, you will naturally face retribution. Wanyan Zongcheng's ascension to the throne was illegitimate, and he has repeatedly harmed his own wife's family. In addition, he has openly and secretly killed many court officials in order to eliminate dissidents, which has already angered both heaven and the people. This does not even include the fact that he has increased taxes and corvée labor every year during his many years in power, which has long since alienated the people. Although Wanyan Ping abolished those exorbitant taxes after entering the palace, “Chu Han gently shook his head and said, “The lost hearts of the people are not so easy to regain.”

"Is this why so many people in the Jin Kingdom are hoping for Wanyan Xi's return?" Xue Ruitian asked lazily, stroking his chin. "They don't care about Wanyan Xi's abilities; what they care about more is that Wanyan Xi is the rightful heir to the throne. If they can set things right and honor Wanyan Xi, perhaps the Jin Kingdom's bad luck will end."

“No wonder!” Shen Cha sighed. “It’s just that everyone is holding back and watching, as if they are waiting for someone to lose patience and take this historic step.”

“What appears to be a calm sea is actually a turbulent sea beneath, just like the situation in the Jin Kingdom.” Chu Han continued strolling around the flower hall, “Everyone is watching Wanyan Qingmu, watching Wanyan Xi, and even watching us.”

"Whoever moves first is at a disadvantage."

"Haolin is right. In the current situation, it's a matter of who can remain calmer."

"But Wanyan Ping probably doesn't have the mind to fight right now, does she?" Xue Ruitian stroked his chin and looked at Shen Haolin and Shen Cha. "The siege of Yiqing Prefecture has been lifted, but the half of the city that was burned down probably needs to be repaired. The people need to get back to life, and there are many things for her to do. She's probably already overwhelmed with work."

“She’s been doing all this for years, and she has so many people around her, so there’s no need to trouble her. Just keep an eye on those people with ulterior motives so they don’t cause trouble.” Chu Han looked at Shen Cha and smiled. “You have to trust Xiao Hei’s abilities, and you also have to trust the people you’ve brought out. They’ve been in the Jin Kingdom for many years, and they’ve been by Wanyan Qingmu and Wanyan Ping’s side for many years. They know them too well and know how to easily provoke their emotions.”

"I'm not worried about that, I'm just worried that Wanyan Qingmu might suddenly do something."

“That’s what I’m worried about too.” Chu Han sighed. “This person is extremely arrogant, more arrogant than you can imagine, and incredibly stubborn. Once he’s made up his mind, he won’t easily change it. So, let me tell you, if we proactively expose his background, he won’t take it to heart. His style is that once he’s made up his mind, nothing anyone says matters, not even solid evidence. Besides,” he spread his hands, saying helplessly, “we don’t have any evidence at all.”

"So, he's convinced that the throne of the Golden King is his, and therefore it must be his, right?" Seeing Chu Han nod, Shen Cha was also very helpless. "Prince Wanyan is a well-educated and reasonable person. How did he raise Wanyan Qingmu to be such a stubborn person?"

“Although Wanyan Qingmu may not be Wanyan Yuwen’s biological son, stubbornness is a common ailment in the Wanyan family.” Chu Han walked back to his seat, poured himself a cup of tea, and said slowly, “The influence of being exposed to something for a long time is very important for a child. Wanyan Yuwen’s stubbornness naturally affected Wanyan Qingmu, so it’s not surprising that he grew up the way he is now.”