Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2671 Still Vigorous in Old Age 55.0
“Uncle is right. It’s far too early to wipe them all out. We’re in the open, they’re in the shadows. They know our situation, but apart from one of the princes, we know nothing about them.” Shen Cha sighed, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at the portraits of the three men. “We have no idea how many of them there are, or what they’re plotting. If we arrest the people from the dance hall, the trail will end there, and the real big fish might escape.”

“That’s right, but,” Chu Han snatched the fan from Song Yaojia’s hand, opened it, and fanned himself with it, saying, “I don’t really believe we can catch a big fish. It would be quite an achievement if we could keep them quiet for a hundred years.”

"Isn't this a coincidence?" Shen Cha and Shen Haolin exchanged glances and said in unison, "That's what we thought too."

"You..." Xue Ruitian looked at Chu Han, then at Shen Haolin and Shen Cha, "What do you mean?"

"The people behind the Little Prince aren't plotting a change of dynasty, nor do they truly want the aristocratic families to rise above the royal family. They probably just can't stand the peace and tranquility of the world," Shen Cha sighed. "Back in the capital, I discussed this with several elders, and they all felt that they were stirring up trouble because they wanted chaos. From Elder Tantai to the previous dynasty, and now to us, as long as the world is peaceful and there's no war, they'll take action. But if it's a change of dynasty, with all sides fighting fiercely, they'll also intervene to quell the chaos and allow the world to recuperate for a while." She looked at Chu Han, "Right?"

"Hmm!" Chu Han nodded. "The real people behind it have never shown their faces. No one knows what their background is or what they look like. Those who show their faces are just people who work for them. That's why I said that even if we arrest the people from the dance hall, we might not find anything. At most, we can make them cut off their ties with these people, and they can continue to live in seclusion until the time is right before they come out again."

"You mean," Song Yaojia looked at Chu Han, then at Shen Haolin and Shen Cha who were nodding repeatedly, "that we can't catch them?"

"I estimate it can only be a dance studio, or something similar in level," Shen Haolin thought for a moment. "If we keep an eye on them, we might be able to catch someone at a higher level, but that process will be very long."

“We should keep an eye on them even if it’s a long time. We can grab one or two people and ask them questions. I’m really curious to know why they did such a thing.” Song Yaojia looked at Chu Han and said, “Why would they turn perfectly good people into this?”

“Well said.” Chu Han nodded. “I also want to know. Once we find the answer, my brother and I can leave in peace.”

“Uncle Wang, you…” Master Jiang frowned, “Isn’t this very unlucky?”

"Oh dear, I've lived this long enough to not care about these things anymore, what's this about good or bad luck?" Chu Han waved his hand, looked at the portrait, and said, "Everyone here has seen these people before, have their appearances changed much?"

"Changes? Compared to these portraits, there are some, but not many." Xue Ruitian pointed to the portrait on the board. "This is how Fourth Grandfather remembers him, right?"

"Yes, this is what I've seen before." Master Jiang looked at the others and said, "You're all young; if you've seen it before, it should be..."

“Anji is a little older.” Song Yaojia stroked her chin. “No, this should be Anji’s mother, not Anji. Anji is slightly older than us, but not by much.”

“Yes!” Eagle Leopard and Falcon nodded. “We met the same people as His Highness.” They looked at Xue Ruitian and Jin Jing, “The same for you two?”

“That’s right.” Xue Ruitian nodded. “The people in the dance hall are very careful about their appearance, so it’s normal that they don’t look old. No one investigates, and no one suspects anything. Besides, the dance hall owner and her confidantes don’t appear often, nor do they frequently attend banquets. So, people don’t really have a deep impression of them; they only know what they look like, not how old they are.” “Brother Xiaotian is right. Moreover, with so many people coming and going in the dance hall, everyone is fickle, only chasing after the newly crowned courtesans and dancers who can come up with new tricks. As for others, they probably don’t care much. Besides, the people in the dance hall wear heavy makeup every day. I’ve heard that many of them look like two different people before and after makeup. I hope they’re not like that, otherwise, even if we investigate, we won’t be able to find them.”

As Shen Cha spoke, she began to redraw the picture, not only drawing the portraits of the three people on the board, but also the characteristics of Master Falian that Chu Han had just mentioned.

Shen Haolin glanced at Shen Cha, then at the drawing she had made, and guessed what she was thinking.

"What are you doing?" Xue Ruitian leaned closer to take a look. "Didn't you just draw that?"

Shen Cha simply glanced at Xue Ruitian, smiled at him, and did not answer his question, but continued to paint.

Shen Haolin glanced at Shen Cha, then at Ying Bao, and waved to him.

When Eagle Leopard saw Shen Haolin calling him, he was taken aback at first, but he quickly realized what was happening and walked over to Shen Haolin and Shen Cha.

Shen Cha glanced at him, pushed the already drawn diagram in front of him, and said, "Give each of the brothers who are keeping watch a copy of the Little Prince's characteristics. Once these characteristics are discovered, keep a close watch on him. Better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free."

"understood!"

Eagle Leopard knew this was of great importance. After the ink dried, he went to Merlin and asked for a bamboo tube specifically for storing secret letters. He then arranged for the Eagle King's army to deliver it to the dock as quickly as possible.

"As for these three portraits," Shen Haolin looked at the portraits Shen Cha was drawing, somewhat troubled, and sighed softly, "Jiangnan is not Shen Family Army's territory, and Shadow Army is still somewhat powerless there. It will probably be very difficult to find these people."

“Jiangnan is not the Shen family’s territory, but it is the territory of my Jingwang Mansion. Although the Jingwang Mansion has been away from Jiangnan for many years, its influence has never left; it has simply shifted from overt to covert.” Chu Han raised an eyebrow slightly and took a portrait from Shen Cha’s hand. “You want me to help you find someone?”

"Yes, I would like to ask my great-uncle for help."

"Then beg me!" Chu Han grinned mischievously. "Or you could try to charm me, and maybe I'll help you!"

Upon hearing this, Master Jiang couldn't help but cover his eyes with his hands. Here it comes again! His little Uncle Wang is good in every way, except for his habit of teasing young girls, which he will never be able to change.