Jiapingguan Chronicle

Merlin agreed, rubbed his eyes, and turned to go to the small room next to the flower hall. It was a room specifically for the Shadows on night duty to rest. It had several bedrooms and several bath rooms for washing up.

However, just as she reached the door of the small room, before she could even go inside, she saw Shadow Five and Shadow Thirteen appear not far away.

She was curious about what Ying Wu was doing in the middle of the night, so she turned around and went back to Shen Cha's side.

Shen Cha turned to look at Merlin, and seeing the curious expression on her face, shook her head helplessly.

"I've never seen you so curious before!" She reached out and poked Merlin's forehead, laughing, "Haven't you heard? Curiosity killed the cat!"

"I just want to know, what earth-shattering event could have made Fifth Brother abandon his duties and follow Thirteen?" Merlin looked at Shen Cha. "You don't even know about something like this."

As they were talking, Shadow Thirteen and Shadow Five arrived in the courtyard and bowed to everyone.

"We're back!"

"Turn around and take a look!"

Shen Haolin watched as the two of them turned around, and only after confirming that they were unharmed did he breathe a sigh of relief.

"How's it going? Have they all been arrested?"

Seeing Shadow Five and Shadow Thirteen nod, Xue Ruitian and Bai Meng simultaneously extended their hands, and Shen Haolin and Song Yaojia gave them a high five.

Shadow Five and Shadow Thirteen chuckled and came over, extending their hands to join in the high-five.

"It seems that the Duke and the others knew about it," Merlin whispered in Shen Cha's ear. "It's really unacceptable that the Duke has a secret he didn't tell you!"

"When did you learn to sow discord?" Shen Cha tapped her forehead and said, "Just because I didn't say anything before doesn't mean I won't say anything later. Your brother won't hide anything from me. Understand?"

Merlin knew Shen Cha was telling the truth, covered his forehead and snorted, continuing to stare at Shadow Five and Shadow Thirteen.

"Before going with Thirteen, I never imagined that anyone would dare to do such a thing in this freezing weather." Shadow Five couldn't help but roll his eyes. "But I have to say, old foxes are shrewd, and his judgment was absolutely correct. If it weren't for him, the person might have already escaped."

“They definitely can’t escape. The city gates are already sealed. At most, they can hide in the city.” Shadow Thirteen sighed and said, “Now it’s all good. They’ve all been tied up without exception. Now we just need to find time to interrogate them.”

Merlin listened for a long time but still couldn't understand what was going on. He turned to look at Shen Cha and Jin Miaomiao and saw the same confusion.

"What do you mean?"

“Don’t ask me, I really don’t know.” Shen Cha shook her head gently. “When Lao Wu left, I think I dozed off, I was half asleep, and I didn’t hear anything. When I came to, my brother told me that Lao Wu had been called away by Shisan to handle something. I was too tired to ask, anyway, they would have to explain when they came back.” She paused for a moment, then continued, “Actually, Lao Wu hadn’t been gone for very long, maybe just over an hour.”

Merlin yawned and then looked at Jin Miaomiao, who seemed a bit more energetic than before.

"Don't look at me like that. If even Xiaocha doesn't know this, then I know even less." Jin Miaomiao spread her hands, pointed at the group of kids playing with snowballs, and said, "If they hadn't been making such a racket in the yard, I would still be asleep right now!"

"I reckon it's just petty theft. If it were something serious, my brothers would have gone by now." Shen Cha looked at Mei Lin, nudged her, and said, "You're awake. Stop watching and go wash up quickly. Then go to the kitchen and get some ginger soup. Also, check if breakfast is ready and bring it over." "Don't forget your eldest's medicine. Take a few people to get it, and remember to bring the medicine stove along with it."

"Alright." Merlin responded, then glanced at Shadow Five and Shadow Thirteen, gave a soft hum, and turned to enter the small room.

Jin Miaomiao touched Shen Cha's cold hand and, without saying a word, dragged her back to the flower hall.

"Don't stay outside for too long, be careful not to catch a cold. Come in now!"

Upon hearing Jin Miaomiao's words, the people in the courtyard shook off the snow from their bodies, stamped their feet on the steps, and slowly entered the flower hall.

However, they didn't go inside. They took off their cloaks at the door and warmed themselves by the stove to dispel the cold before going inside.

Shadow Five and Shadow Thirteen were the same, except they sat at the entrance of the flower hall, warming themselves from the cold, and brewing tea for everyone.

"What on earth happened?" Shen Cha looked at Shen Haolin, then at Xue Ruitian, Bai Meng, and Song Yaojia. "Could it really be a burglar?"

"Amazing! How did you know?" Song Yaojia held the hand warmer, smiling as she looked at Shen Haolin. "You told me?"

"No!" Shen Haolin shook his head in denial. "In this kind of weather, not many things can happen, and there aren't many people that Thirteen and his men can arrest. At most, it's just a neighborhood quarrel or a burglary." He looked at Shen Cha. "You're really smart; you guessed it right away!"

"A thief really broke in?" Shen Cha frowned slightly. "What happened? Who is the thief? Whose house did they break into?"

Shen Haolin beckoned to Shadow Five and Shadow Thirteen, who were brewing tea, signaling them to speak.

“It’s Lai Mazi and his gang.” Ying Shisan sighed. “These dozen or so kids have been arrested countless times, and they still haven’t learned their lesson.”

"With the mountains blocked by heavy snow, are they going to starve again?" Jin Miaomiao sighed. "We've told them so many times, if they can't make it, they should come to us, but they just won't listen. Whose house did they steal from this time?"

"The inn, the inn where the Prince of Jing's mansion stayed." Seeing Shen Cha and Jin Miaomiao's surprised expressions, Ying Shisan spread his hands. "When I received the news, I was also very shocked. I knew they were bold, but I didn't expect them to be this bold. When I dragged Fifth Brother there, those kids were hanging from the rafters of the inn!"

"Who ordered them?"

"Hey, boss, you're amazing!" Ying Shisan gave Shen Cha a thumbs up. "You said exactly the same thing as that guy from the Jingwang Mansion. He said the same thing, telling us to go and catch the people who instigated them."

"Caught?"

"Yes, we caught them!" Shadow Five nodded. "The two old Taoists, who look to be around fifty years old, are locked up in the dungeon. We'll interrogate them when we have time. Originally, the one from the Prince of Jing's mansion said not to disturb you, but when Thirteen came to see me, apart from you and Sister Miaomiao, the Duke and the others were still awake, so they all knew."

"Did Lai Mazi say what those two wanted them to steal?"

"We're not stealing anything, we just need to find out where that person from the Prince of Jing's mansion lives." Shadow Five sighed. "You all don't know how amazing that person is. We haven't even asked yet, and he already knows what Lai Mazi and his group are here for!" (End of Chapter)