Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2832 Master Qingsong 50.0
“It’s not that Emperor Taizong was soft-hearted, but rather that he knew when to stop to avoid causing even greater trouble.” Shen Haolin gently shook his head at Song Yaojia. “Killing someone is just a matter of beheading them. Even for the most serious crimes, parading them through the streets for half a month is already the limit. It’s the greatest and most extreme humiliation a person can suffer, no less than being slowly sliced ​​to death. If we continue or use even more ruthless methods, it might backfire.”

“I understand what you mean, brother.” Shen Cha thought for a moment and said, “The capital and the surrounding towns already know the truth about what happened back then, and they all know what this lady did. That’s enough, isn’t it?”

"Yes."

"Now that the truth has come to light and been made public, there's not much use in keeping this person around. The best outcome is to deal with him quietly. When the time comes, we can announce to the people that this person and his vassals have been brought to justice. The people will only praise Emperor Taizong's wisdom and won't have any negative comments. In addition, Emperor Taizong has only recently ascended the throne, and there are many foreign envoys staying at the Court of State Ceremonies. Having witnessed Emperor Taizong's methods, they will be wary of him. At least in the short term, their spies in Daxia won't do anything particularly outrageous."

"Making an example of someone to warn others is a useful tactic at any time."

"That's true." Jin Miaomiao nodded. "What about her trusted confidants?"

"They were all executed; none escaped."

"Her henchmen," Jin Miaomiao said, glancing at Shen Haolin and then at Shen Cha. "A large number of them?"

"Not many. Although her confession made it seem like the operation was quite large and there were a lot of people involved, after they were actually arrested and the numbers were verified, it turned out to be less than five hundred people."

"So few? What can so few people do?"

"Besides causing trouble for the Great Xia, he probably couldn't do anything else. However, in the end, it became a great achievement."

"Five hundred men can be considered a great achievement?" Merlin frowned, looking at Song Yaojia with some skepticism. "In every battle we fight, we behead more than five hundred people, don't we?"

“This cannot be compared to war. Capturing five hundred remnants of the previous dynasty is a great achievement at any time.” Song Yaojia raised an eyebrow. “No one will think His Majesty has been too ruthless in dealing with these remnants of the previous dynasty. On the contrary, they will feel gratified and think that this method of making an example of someone is brilliant and can deter those remnants of the previous dynasty who are lurking in the shadows.”

"I see." Jin Miaomiao nodded. "But it was clearly a great achievement, so why did Emperor Taizong punish She Nanqi? Wasn't he the biggest contributor to this case?"

"Although there were hidden reasons, Emperor Taizong still disliked his brutal methods. In addition, even though he had massacred those rebels, he had carelessly let the culprit go, causing this farce, so he naturally deserved to be punished. She Nanqi also knew that Emperor Taizong would not tolerate him, so he voluntarily handed over his military seal. Emperor Taizu set a rule that is still in effect today: if a noble or military officer commits a crime, as long as it is not a serious crime like treason, he can pay silver to redeem himself. She Nanqi was also from a prominent family in Liuzhou, so he had the money. Therefore, after paying enough silver, he left the court for good."

"It's a real shame to lose such a great general, isn't it?"

"It is indeed a pity, but the Great Xia Dynasty has no shortage of talented generals, right?" "That's true. So, where did the She family go afterward?"

“They just disappeared without a trace.” Song Yaojia sighed. “As for how they got to Yangzhou and how they became related to the late Empress Dowager’s family, nobody knows. The She family reappeared in the public eye because they fell into the trap set by the Gong and Ma families. If it weren’t for the late Empress Dowager, nobody would have known that her cousin was actually the famous She from Liuzhou.”

"So that's how it is." Jin Miaomiao sighed. "Did the late Empress Dowager's cousin from the She family die because of them?"

“Yes!” Song Yaojia nodded. “This matter is even more tragic than She Nanqi’s massacre of those rebels. The She family in Yangzhou Prefecture wasn’t actually a prominent family. Everyone in the neighborhood knew that they ran a small security escort agency with only seven or eight escorts. Moreover, the family was very kind and hospitable. If any neighbors needed help, they would never be refused. So, when the maids and servants in the She family first heard that the house was haunted, they were terrified. The neighbors all suggested that they ask someone to come and take a look.”

"The She family is afraid of ghosts?" Jin Miaomiao rolled her eyes and retorted mercilessly, "It should be the ghosts who are afraid of them, right? Putting aside everything else, military generals all carry a kind of evil aura, and even after several generations, this evil aura will not disappear."

"really?"

"Of course, although their family stopped leading troops later, the same goes for those who run escort agencies. Traveling all over the country, they inevitably encounter bandits and such, and they still have to fight and kill each other."

"You know so much about this?"

"Before Dai Yi left, he came to see me, hoping I could get him some effective wound medicine. I was curious, since he shouldn't need these in Xijing City. If he were injured, the Imperial Guards and the Patrol Battalion should have them, so he wouldn't need to ask me for them. However, he explained that he was buying them for his family, not for his own use. He said that his brothers and sisters in the family's escort agency sometimes faced great danger when they went on escort missions, and they often returned with all sorts of injuries. The medicine from their escort agency wasn't actually that good, so he boldly asked me for it."

"You gave it to me?"

“Of course.” Jin Miaomiao smiled. “The wound medicine isn’t anything special. I happen to have a newly formulated batch on hand. I don’t know how effective it is yet, so I’ll let them try it. If it works well, I can equip each battalion with it.”

"You used Xiao Dai's family members to test the drugs, does Xiao Dai know?" Merlin gently nudged her. "Isn't that a bit unethical?"

"Hey, you can't say that about me. I'm very honest. I made it clear to him and got his consent." Jin Miaomiao raised an eyebrow at Merlin. "I told him that I wouldn't charge for the drug trial, but he insisted on paying, so I just charged for the cost. After all, my materials didn't come from thin air, right?"

"Alright, since it's a mutual agreement, that's good." Merlin pushed a plate of pastries in front of Jin Miaomiao. "So you think the She family can't be haunted, right?"

“That’s for sure. My master once said that the malevolent aura emanating from a military general is something that even gods and ghosts cannot approach. If a military general’s house is haunted, it must be caused by someone.” She thought for a moment, “I’ll make a bold guess: could it be that the Gong family and the Ma family have been eyeing the She family for a long time?”