Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2661 Still Vigorous in Old Age 45.0
Hearing Song Yaojia's words, Chu Han smiled and waved his hand dismissively.

"Actually, neither my brother nor I care much about treatment or reputation. After living for so many years, the only obsession we have left is to catch that slippery little mudfish and to find out who or what is behind that little mudfish."

"Is he really backed by someone?" Xia Chen looked at the others and said, "If he really is, why didn't this person come forward when Master Falian was in danger?"

“I’m more inclined to believe that they did come out, and not only did they come out, they accomplished something. Otherwise,” Shen Cha glanced at Xue Ruitian’s sullen face, sighed softly, and said, “how would those things be accounted for? Even if the Empress Dowager and Master Falian had the power to reach far, it would be very difficult for them to achieve that kind of effect.”

“Xiao Cha is right. The things that happened to your parents back then, and Chenchen’s things, probably involved more than one side.” Chu Han looked at Shen Haolin and Shen Cha, then at Xue Ruitian, and said, “Since I’m free today, how about I tell you a little about it?”

“Grand Uncle!” Xue Ruitian looked at Shen Haolin and Shen Cha. “After Haolin and Xiao Cha returned from the capital, they told me a little about it. The eldest prince and my mother were voluntarily sharing the burdens of the country; they weren't involved in any of those messy things. The late emperor and my aunt both tried to persuade them, but they said that if they didn't do this, many people would be implicated. Although they didn't know exactly why, they were certain that the chaos back then was caused by the two of them.” Seeing Shen Haolin and Shen Cha nod, his gaze shifted to Chu Han. “That's what the elders in the palace and those who experienced those events all say.”

“You’re right, that’s exactly right.” Chu Han sighed softly. “Back then, my brother and I were ordered to go to the capital because of this matter.”

“The Empress Dowager said that the turning point in everyone’s fate was the Lantern Festival that year. That year, Uncle Xue, Aunt Xue, and my parents were not yet married. Although the eldest prince was a hostage sent by the Jin Kingdom, he had a good relationship with the young men of various families in the capital. They made an appointment to go see the lanterns together. During the lantern viewing, nothing unexpected happened, but they all said nothing happened, and everything was peaceful.” Shen Cha looked at Chu Han. “But the Empress Dowager said that from that time on, everything seemed to be different.”

"But if something happened during the Lantern Festival that year, it shouldn't have come to light so many years later. How could those people be so calm and collected?" Xue Ruitian asked, his face full of confusion. "Or perhaps they didn't even realize they had been exposed, and the elders didn't know what they had seen?"

“You’re right about that, that’s exactly right.” Chu Han nodded. “You need to know that what happened to your parents back then, including Chenchen…” He looked at Song Yaojia, “was all because they touched the tip of the iceberg.”

"The tip of the iceberg?" Xue Ruitian looked at Shen Haolin and Shen Cha, noticing their equally bewildered expressions. He then looked at Song Yaojia and Xia Chen, who shared the same look. "So, they've all had contact with the people behind Little Mudfish? What do they look like?"

"I don't know, I'm not sure." Chu Han honestly shook his head and said, "I don't know about them. Any of us could have come into contact with them, but maybe we weren't curious and didn't recognize them. But they were curious and recognized them, and then..." He spread his hands, "You have to understand, becoming like us might be because of our extraordinary bone structure, which led them to choose us, but if they killed us, it's most likely because they encountered something, and even after many years, they could still recognize them."

"You mean to say that my father, mother, and the eldest prince actually bumped into someone at the Lantern Festival, and many years later, they recognized that person again, so they were murdered to silence them?" "They weren't exactly murdered to silence them, but if they hadn't died, it would have implicated many people, even the entire Great Xia." Chu Han sighed and said, "Do you know that there was another person who went to see the lanterns with them back then?"

"The Prince Ning's mother, Consort Yan?" Shen Cha asked tentatively. "I heard that the Prince Ning's poor health is because Consort Yan was poisoned when she was six months pregnant, and it was a very difficult poison to cure."

“Yes!” Chu Han nodded. “Even Huilan was helpless, and it wasn’t just Huilan.” He pointed towards the direction of the Marquis’s residence next door and said, “That young brother Yelü from next door also went. The two of them, fellow disciples, could only save Chenchen and Consort Yan.” He shook his head slightly, “They didn’t last long before they died. In fact, since that time, many people have lost their lives or suffered various accidents because of that Lantern Festival incident.”

"But these people aren't powerful or influential figures in the capital, right?"

“Yes!” Chu Han nodded. “Not only that, we can also find all sorts of causes of death, and all sorts of murderers.” He looked at the children and smiled wryly. “Do you know how many cases Xijing City and the Jingzhao Prefecture receive in a day?” Seeing the children shake their heads in unison, he sighed and continued, “These cases come in sporadically, and many are even closed before they reach the Jingzhao Prefecture, so…”

"Nobody cares, right?"

"It's not nice to say it like that, but that's the truth. The person is dead, the murderer has been found, and the case is closed. As for the person behind it, they've been hiding well for a long time, and we can't even touch them." Chu Han sighed. "The only time we were able to catch them red-handed was with Madam Xue and the eldest prince. It was then that we found out there was someone behind Little Mudfish." He sneered and looked at Xue Ruitian. "So, whether it's the truth or overturning the case, it can happen anytime, anywhere. As long as we catch Little Mudfish, you can do whatever you want, and we won't interfere. Even now, with Wanyan Xi in your hands, you can make him come forward."

“Now is not the time. If we let Wanyan Xi out, no one will believe that Father and Mother didn’t collude with the Jurchens.” Xue Ruitian shook his head slightly, sighed, and said, “Knowing that Father and Mother were loyal to the country makes me feel at ease. As for the rest, we’ll talk about it after everything has settled down. Anyway, I’ve waited so many years, what’s another year or two? Right?”

"He's a good kid, I knew I wasn't wrong about him."

“But, Uncle, I have a question.” Xue Ruitian looked at Chu Han. “If there really is such a person or organization, it would be a great threat to Great Xia, Jin, and Liao, wouldn’t it?”