Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2715 Still Vigorous in Old Age 99.0
"This plan."

"What do you think?" Chu Han looked at Xia Chen, then at the others, raised an eyebrow at them, and asked, "What do you all think? If it can really be done, is it feasible?"

"Well, it's hard to say!" Xia Chen stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and said, "Theoretically speaking, it should be possible, but actually doing it might not be easy. There are many things to consider, and many uncertainties and uncontrollable factors. If it were up to me, I definitely wouldn't do it; it's a bit risky."

"Your Highness is too modest. It's more than just a little risky; it's more than just not easy to do," Xiao Fengqi couldn't help but complain. "My first reaction upon hearing about this was..."

"what?"

"These people are crazy, they must have been kicked in the head by a donkey to come up with such a stupid plan."

"I cannot agree to this anymore."

Shen Cha reached out and gave Xiao Fengqi a high five, both of them wearing expressions of disdain.

"It's not that serious, is it?" Chu Han looked at the two of them and said with a wry smile, "It is indeed difficult to do, but it's not impossible to do."

"To put it simply, if this plan could be made public, it might be feasible. However, they are all operating in secret, without being detected by others. If it were actually implemented, there would be numerous problems, all of which they could not have foreseen when they conceived the plan."

"Really?" Chu Han looked at Shen Cha, then at Xiao Fengqi. "You think so too?"

"My benefactor, have you never raised children before?"

"Children?" Chu Han thought about the children he had taken care of. "I guess I should count as having taken care of them!"

“What I said earlier wasn’t precise. Have you never taken care of young children before?” Xiao Fengqi thought for a moment. “I mean, very young children.”

“No, there really aren’t any. Children this age are all cared for by wet nurses.” Chu Han looked at him. “Why are you suddenly bringing this up?”

“Grand Uncle, do you know that when they asked the nobles of Liao and Jin to provide relatively young children, did they mention a specific age? According to their idea, these children should not be too old; those who can't remember things yet would be the best.”

"They mentioned it, and they said it themselves when they confessed." Chu Han nodded, looked at everyone, and said, "They said it's between two and five years old. If they're older, unless they're exceptionally talented, outstanding in every way, they might reluctantly consider it. Otherwise, it has to be between two and five years old, otherwise it'll be difficult to manage them." He looked at Song Yaojia, "Am I right?"

“That’s right, they are indeed this age.” Song Yaojia nodded. “I heard my uncle say that after the incident, they found those poor children at the address provided by those people. They were all about this age, and they didn’t look well. They looked listless.”

"Why?" Xue Ruitian asked, puzzled. "They went to so much trouble to bring these children here, just to feed and raise them well, to teach them what they should learn, so they can showcase their talents in the palace, right? To put it bluntly, the things they learn are things that ordinary families would never teach; they can only be cultivated if they have no worries about food and clothing. If the aristocratic families don't treat these children well, they'll develop a timid and submissive nature." He looked at the others and said, "Wouldn't they fail to achieve their goal?"

“You misunderstood, Xiao Tian. When I said they looked listless, I meant it was due to the long journey, not that they treated the children badly.” Song Yaojia waved her hand. “Those were the first and last batch of children transferred from Liao and Jin. The children had just arrived in Da Xia and hadn’t even had a chance to rest when this place was destroyed. Later, these children were sent back.”

“Yes!” Xiao Fengqi nodded. “I heard that after those children were sent back, their families were very dissatisfied, feeling that their relatives had gone back on their word and had no credibility whatsoever.” “Their relatives?” Shen Cha was taken aback, then realized, “So, those children’s families are related to those aristocratic families who were arrested? Just like you and the Shi family?”

“That’s right, it’s all this kind of relationship.” Xiao Fengqi smiled helplessly at the incredulous expressions on everyone’s faces. “If it weren’t for this kind of relationship, where would you find so many children this age?”

"Whether it's proposing this plan or mindlessly sending children here, they're just plain crazy."

"We really should open their brains and see what's inside them." Jin Miaomiao rolled her eyes in disgust. "Kids this age... tsk tsk tsk, they really dare to think like that."

"Right, right?" Shen Cha patted Jin Miaomiao, "Those memories from the past are starting to attack you again, aren't they?"

“I’ve been trembling ever since they said they were looking for young children.” Jin Miaomiao looked at Xiao Fengqi, who was also in pain, and said, “It seems that Young Master Xiao is one of us.”

"Hmm!" Xiao Fengqi nodded and patted Qi Zhifeng beside him. "When this guy was little, he basically never stayed at home. Uncle Qi would either take him to court, or take him to the Regent's Palace, or leave him with our family. Of course, my great-aunt was still alive then. After she passed away, he came to our house less often. He didn't like the elders in my family, and I didn't want them to have any contact with him either. But the longest he stayed at our house was when he was about three or four years old."

"An age when people dislike you and dogs don't like you either."

"A single blow!" Xiao Fengqi gave Jin Miaomiao a high five. "But it's not just him; it's all the same for children this age, whether boys or girls."

"When they're being good, they're really good; when they're being naughty, they can be infuriating. These are all instincts of theirs, completely uncontrollable." Jin Miaomiao patted Shen Cha. "You've met General Shen before, haven't you? Doesn't he look particularly composed now?"

"He's very composed."

"I was incredibly mischievous as a child, so the person who came up with this plan is truly a hero."

"Although it's been a long time, we still have to applaud their courage!" Xiao Fengqi clapped his hands and looked at Chu Han. "It's not just that they're prone to getting sick if you don't discipline them for three days; kids that age are also particularly prone to illness and fall ill at the drop of a hat."

“Yes!” Jin Miaomiao agreed with Xiao Fengqi again, then looked at the others. “I don’t need to elaborate. Everyone here has been through this and knows how easily children get sick, right?”

No one spoke; they all stared at Shen Cha and nodded silently.

Shen Cha felt everyone's gaze and sighed helplessly.

"Grand Uncle, how exactly did you track them down? They must have been very secretive in doing this, right?"

"It's quite a coincidence, because of a bowl of cheese."