Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2725 Still Vigorous in Old Age 109.0
"No, no, no, Haolin, these two are completely different and cannot be confused."

After hearing Shen Haolin's words, Chu Han stretched out a finger and waved it at him.

"How can they be different? They can't be lumped together?" Shen Haolin tilted his head, looking at him with a puzzled expression. "Whether it's child trafficking or the so-called 'Tanuki Project,' aren't they both transactions targeting children?"

"Well, the word 'transaction' is quite accurate; that's probably the only thing they have in common."

"It's all about buying and selling, isn't it?"

“That’s right. Although they are both buying and selling, both are transactions, they are fundamentally very different.” Chu Han held up one finger and said with a smile, “Let’s talk about human trafficking first. It means abducting a target person and buying and selling them, right?”

"Yes!"

"Before the abduction is carried out, the abducted person and their relatives are unaware, right?" Seeing the children nodding frequently, Chu Han smiled with satisfaction and said, "After they know their family members are missing, they still have to go looking for them and report them to the authorities, right? That's the whole process of abduction. So, what is the 'Tanuki Plan'?"

"It's a pure transaction."

"Hey, you're right this time." Chu Han nodded at Shen Haolin. "Your word just now couldn't be more fitting. So, who are the two parties in this transaction?"

“The powerful families, the target individuals, and their relatives.” Shen Haolin nodded. “I understand. This is what my great-uncle meant. The two are fundamentally different. One is completely unaware, a sudden event; the other is fully aware, a premeditated plan.”

“That’s right!” Chu Han snapped his fingers, looked at Shen Haolin, and continued, “Think back to what details your master mentioned when he talked to you about this case.”

“Details.” Shen Haolin thought for a moment. “I don’t know if this is what you’re referring to, but my master said before that when they were raiding those villas, some of the children in those villas were unwilling to be rescued.”

“From our perspective, our actions are to rescue them, but from their perspective,” Chu Han sighed, “we’re ruining their future.” He looked at Xiao Fengqi, “Isn’t that right?”

“That’s right.” Xiao Fengqi nodded. “They came to Great Xia with important missions. They will be unwilling to be sent back like this. Not only will they be unhappy, but they will also hold a grudge against Great Xia, feeling that Great Xia has gone back on its word.”

"You think Great Xia would go back on its word? Why?" Shen Cha frowned. "Can a few aristocratic families represent Great Xia? Or..." She looked at Shen Haolin, then at Xiao Fengqi, "aren't you incredibly audacious?" "It's not what you think. They wouldn't stoop so low as to use the Great Xia royal family's selection of concubines to deceive people. Their plan is known to both the aristocratic families of Great Xia and the nobles of Liao and Jin. They know they're doing something shady, but if they succeed, they'll reap immense wealth." Xiao Fengqi sneered, spreading his hands at everyone, and said, "During the interrogation, they were very frank about it. Wealth is blinding, and if you want to climb higher, you have to be willing to risk everything."

"We have an old saying here: 'The timid starve, the bold feast.'" Jin Miaomiao saw Xiao Fengqi and Qi Zhifeng extend their hands at the same time, so she gave them a high five and said cheerfully, "Is there such a saying in Linhuang Prefecture too?"

"Yes," Qi Zhifeng nodded. "Many people say this when they're unsure about something, but whether they end up overeating or starving is anyone's guess."

“Therefore, the Liao and Jin nobles who cooperated with the Great Xia family thought the same way.” Xiao Fengqi looked at Chu Han. “They were not in a relationship of one obeying the other, but rather in cooperation.”

"Yes, it's cooperation, where each party gets what they need."

“But their goals are the same; they all want to reach a higher level.” Xiao Fengqi sighed. “The original proposal for the Tanuki Project was indeed made by a powerful family in the Great Xia Dynasty, but without a response, nothing could be accomplished. So, they have a common goal.”

"Is it just about elevating your family's status?"

“Yes.” Xiao Fengqi nodded to Shen Cha. “We want to change the current power structure of aristocratic families and nobles. Just like what our benefactor said before, their family status was rather awkward at the time, neither the best nor the worst.”

“Indeed.” Shen Cha stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, “It’s not easy to be surpassed by the families below, but it’s even more difficult to surpass the families above you. They have been in this limbo for a long time. If they want their families to move up a step, they can’t use conventional methods. They have to be unexpected. That’s why they came up with the Tanuki Plan.”

“But actually implementing this plan isn’t so easy. Everything else is manageable, but the most important thing is that they need a large number of children. But…” Xiao Fengqi smiled helplessly, “Where are we going to find so many children? Even if…” He glanced at Qi Zhifeng, who looked curious, then at Shen Jiu and Xia Jiu, and swallowed the word “born” that was on the tip of his tongue. He gave the others a wink, and seeing that they all nodded in understanding, he continued, “Right? No matter how fast we go, it’s too late. So, we need to think of a way to find so many children. The most important thing is that the children they want must have a clean background and be well-known.”

“That’s the most important thing.” Chu Han nodded, agreeing with Xiao Fengqi’s point. “That’s why they thought of their distant relatives in Liao and Jin.”

“That’s right, and to be honest, some of these so-called distant relatives aren’t actually that distant.” Xiao Fengqi raised an eyebrow at everyone and said, “As far as I know, some families are very close. If we hadn’t been caught this time, we wouldn’t have known they had so many connections.”

"So, it was a perfect match from the start?"

"Basically, it was a perfect match, and their goals were aligned. The only disagreement was about how much benefit each side would receive after the deal was done. But in the end, the Liao and Jin sides still sent the children over, which means they reached an agreement." Xiao Fengqi sighed. "As for the children sent over, apart from the infants who couldn't speak, the other children all knew what they were there to do, especially the four-year-olds. They knew that if they could make a name for themselves in the Great Xia and help their families rise to a higher level, then their status in their families would be higher, and they might even completely distance themselves from their brothers and sisters."