Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2723 Still Vigorous in Old Age 107.0
"Dozens?" Jin Miaomiao exclaimed in surprise, looking at Chu Han in disbelief. "Children?"

"Yeah, kid!" Chu Han sighed. "When I first heard this, my reaction was the same as yours."

"Were all the children here that time?"

"The vast majority, and six children were sent directly to the Shi family's main residence. We went to their door and the Shi family had no choice but to hand them over."

"At this rate, they haven't even raided their house?"

"Confiscated their property?" Chu Han shook his head slightly. "Several powerful clans, including the Wang and Xie families, pleaded for leniency. Most of their assets were confiscated, and the mastermind behind the plan and his key henchmen were dealt with. The rest..."

"They've all been released?"

“They weren’t all released; they’re being confined to their own residence.” Chu Han raised an eyebrow slightly. “No one inside the residence is allowed to leave, and no one outside is allowed to enter. There are guards all around, both overt and covert. If anyone is found trying to escape or anyone outside tries to enter, they will be killed without exception.”

"So, weddings and funerals have nothing to do with them anymore?"

"More or less!" Chu Han nodded. "Don't worry, the Shi family mansion was already empty about five years ago."

"Completely deserted? Have they all passed away?"

"The Shi family isn't large. The main family, including all members, numbers no more than thirty. Adding the women, children, and toddlers, it's about forty or fifty people. Those implicated, including the women, total thirty-seven. Therefore…"

"These people have all been dealt with, and there are only about a dozen or twenty people who are actually alive? That includes children and toddlers?"

“That’s right.” Chu Han curled his lips into a wicked smile. “After this case is over, the Shi family mansion, including the other families involved, will be dealt with after the ringleaders and other important people involved are dealt with. The rest of them will be confined to their respective residences. They may not be exiled or imprisoned, but they can only live here. There are no servants, no maids, no helpers, only their own family members.”

"Self-reliance on our own efforts?" Seeing Chu Han nod, Jin Miaomiao sighed and gave him a thumbs up. "Brilliant, absolutely brilliant."

"Hey, don't praise me. I didn't come up with this idea. It was His Highness the Eagle King. The Wang and Xie clans came to negotiate, saying that these people were all innocent and that it was enough to deal with the guilty without implicating others. The Eagle King agreed, but he also set conditions. In any case, they are the families of criminals and can no longer live their previous lives. It is already a great favor of the Emperor to allow them to be confined to their own homes."

"So, there are no servants at all, and you have to do all the chores yourself?"

“Yes!” Chu Han smiled. “It’s already very good. Every morning, someone delivers fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as all the ingredients they need. Every season, they also receive fabric to make new clothes and shoes for them. They live much better than ordinary people, don’t they?”

“That’s true.” Jin Miaomiao nodded. “Then why?” “Because for people like them who have been born into luxury and have never suffered any hardship, this life is simply unbearable. They can’t stand not having servants to wait on them. After all, they don’t know how to do any of those so-called chores. Someone accidentally fell into the well while drawing water, or someone accidentally set fire to half of the kitchen while cooking, saving themselves and their sisters in the kitchen from the flames.” Chu Han spread his hands. “But the final fatal blow was their backbone. The old lady of the Shi family passed away in her sleep, and several of her daughters-in-law who were close to her all followed her. Only a few toddlers were left.”

"What about these children? Shouldn't they be sent to a charity?"

"They were indeed going to be sent to the charity, but unfortunately, they didn't live to see that day." Chu Han shook his head. "The eldest child, I remember he was about three or four years old back then. I don't know who told him, but the charity was a bad place that would abuse them and make them wish they were dead. The night before he was to go to the charity, he threw his younger siblings into the well and jumped in after them. When the officials came to pick them up the next day, they found the house was already empty." He looked at Jin Miaomiao. "The situations in the other houses were similar. Basically, everyone involved in this case, whether they were truly innocent or not, ended up in the same way."

"What did those powerful clans say after they found out about this?"

"What else can we say? They gave these people a chance to survive in front of us, but these people didn't cherish it and just gave up their lives. So they deserved this ending. However, they also learned some lessons."

"what?"

“They support their own children to travel, but they can’t bring too much money or servants. It’s just that the brothers travel together, and they have to rely on themselves for everything outside.” Chu Han sighed. “They realized that if they are used to a comfortable life from childhood, their children will not be able to survive if disaster strikes, whether it is a natural disaster or something they have to deal with.”

"Great clans are indeed great clans. They can quickly discover their own shortcomings and then make up for them." Shen Cha sighed softly and said, "This is how centuries-old families have survived and thrived for so long.

“That’s right.” Chu Han looked at Xiao Fengqi. “What’s the situation on your end?”

"Everyone involved in this plan?" Seeing Chu Han nod, Xiao Fengqi sighed softly and said, "Without so much negotiation and maneuvering, the entire family was wiped out, not a single one was spared. The late king's meaning was very clear: to tell those who still harbor illusions and want to do the same things as them that if they want to get involved, they should take this as a warning." He looked at Chu Han and said, "I know about those few children in the main family."

“They are good-looking and have good personalities. We saw them when we searched their homes, and we also questioned them during the subsequent interrogations.”

"Those children were favored by the Shi family?"

“Yes.” Chu Han took a sip of water to moisten his dry, itchy throat and said, “It is said that they were selected from those dozens of children. These children traveled thousands of miles from Liao and Jin to Daxia, and when they arrived in Yangzhou, they were required to participate in various assessments.”

"Everyone has to participate?"

“Except for those ten infants, everyone else will participate.” Chu Han sighed. “Those few got full marks in every assessment, so they were selected and are going to be given special training.”

"Then," Jin Miaomiao blinked, "the treatment should be better than the children in this other courtyard, right?"

"According to those children, they were treated quite well, but they had a lot to learn every day, and if they couldn't learn or were a little slow, they would be severely punished."