Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2843 Master Qingsong 61.0
Song Yaojia glanced at Jin Miaomiao, smiled at her, but didn't respond to her comment.

"What I said was wrong?"

“No.” Song Yaojia smiled slightly. “As you know, when the She family case happened, my uncle had just ascended the throne and was preparing to grant a general amnesty. But then this major case occurred, and the amnesty was completely canceled. Not only was the amnesty canceled, but everyone involved was also punished more severely.”

“That’s for sure. It should have been a day of universal celebration, but such a disgraceful thing happened. Anyone would feel uncomfortable in that situation.” Jin Miaomiao spread her hands and said, “It makes them seem even more rebellious.”

"That's not quite right. Robbing imperial gifts, no matter what they are, is a capital offense at any time, let alone at such a special time. To spare the lives of the Gong and Ma families is already an extraordinary act of mercy." Shen Cha snorted coldly. "However, if we calculate it this way, the Gong and Ma families should have committed the crime again between the third and fourth year of the Emperor's reign."

“Yes!” Song Yaojia nodded. “And it also happened to coincide with a big day, the Mid-Autumn Festival that year.”

"Their luck is really bad," Jin Miaomiao couldn't help but complain. "But, is it the same old trick they used to scam people again? Like, targeting a specific person and then going to their house to haunt it or something?"

“Of course not. If that were the case, it would easily make people think of them.” Song Yaojia glanced at Jin Miaomiao. “Why do I feel like I just answered this question not long ago?”

“Hmm.” Jin Miaomiao recalled for a moment, “It seems like there was such a thing.”

"Your memory is really terrible," Song Yaojia shook her head helplessly. "This time, their methods are even more sophisticated."

"Exquisite? How so?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Song Yaojia gave a meaningful smile. "That year, Master Huilan was already assisting the Shen family army, and Old Master Yelü was also living a leisurely life as a prince in Linhuang Prefecture. He rarely showed his face and didn't follow their master much. After all, after Master Qingsong raised them and they completed their apprenticeship, he returned to the Yun family to become the eldest elder and look for a successor for his family."

"Was Master Qingsong in good health back then?" Shen Cha looked at Song Yaojia, then at Jin Miaomiao. "He should have been doing well?"

"It's expected that he would have some minor health problems as he got older, but overall, he was in good health at that time. Although he returned to the Yun family, he would occasionally play with his two apprentices or go out for sightseeing. He had no problems with either his physical health or his mental state."

"Listening to this," Merlin said, resting her chin on her hand, completely absorbed in the conversation, "Master Qingsong's health was still quite good, wasn't it? So how could he suddenly..." She looked at Jin Miaomiao with a puzzled expression, "...become so unwell? That's unlikely, isn't it?"

“You think the same way as my master. The reason my master has always been so troubled is because his master’s health had always been very good, with no signs of illness whatsoever. It was only five or six years before he passed away that he suddenly fell ill and never recovered; no medicine could help. My master always felt that, given his master’s condition, he should have lived a very long life. But,” Jin Miaomiao shrugged, “you know, that’s impossible.”

"There really is no way to achieve this. The Yun family is a family of celestial masters, and Master Qingsong is a genius of the century. Longevity is really wishful thinking."

“That’s what I said too. My grandmaster is a genius among geniuses; it’s already a blessing from heaven that he’s lived past fifty.” Jin Miaomiao snorted. “However, my master doesn’t really believe in this. He thinks that since my grandmaster is hailed as a genius the Yun family sees only once in a century, he should live even longer.” “He doesn’t know that Master Qingsong is a Celestial Master?”

“I knew a little, but not much. I only fully understood after my advisor passed away. It was a curse from heaven on the Yun family.” Jin Miaomiao sighed. “My advisor’s cousin said that since heaven bestowed such talent upon the Yun family, it would inevitably make them pay a price. And that price was lifespan. In the hundreds of years of the Yun family, eleven geniuses have emerged, and their fates have all been the same.” She spread her hands towards everyone. “My advisor was past the age of knowing one’s destiny, and he was already unique among these geniuses. These things cannot be forced.”

“Everyone says that man can conquer nature, but…” Shen Cha spread her hands, “it depends on the situation. Some things are possible, but some…” She shook her head, “we can only say that we are powerless to do anything about it.”

“Who says otherwise!” Jin Miaomiao looked at Song Yaojia. “So, at that time, my advisor was already in charge of the Yun family, so why did he suddenly go to the capital? And on a day like the Mid-Autumn Festival, when families are supposed to be reunited?”

"It was my uncle and father who invited me."

What do you need to do?

“We’re inviting him to the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet.” Song Yaojia smiled. “Since my uncle ascended the throne, there haven’t been any banquets except for the New Year. So, this is the first Mid-Autumn Festival banquet.”

"It's called a palace banquet, but it's really just a family banquet." Shen Haolin looked at Shen Cha and explained, "There are no outsiders, only family members attending."

“Yes!” Shen Cha nodded. “My imperial uncle has always been like this. He generally doesn’t like grand banquets, except for the New Year.”

"Yes."

“However, I remember that less than two years after that palace banquet, Master Qingsong’s health began to deteriorate. He was bedridden for several years, and we tried all sorts of precious medicines and methods, but…” Shen Cha sighed again, looked at Jin Miaomiao who had already sat down, and said, “There were rumors that the master was secretly murdered, but the master himself was a master of medicine. If something had really happened, he would have discovered it. Just like we said before, this was fate, and there was no escaping it.”

“Who can argue with that?” Jin Miaomiao thought for a moment. “But why invite my advisor to the family banquet?”

“Master Qingsong is also a close friend. Although he and my grandfather haven’t met often, they share the same ideals and can be considered brothers. Besides, the eldest elder of the Yun family has always been the royal family’s personal celestial master, so it’s not unreasonable for him to host a family banquet for his own people.” Song Yaojia raised an eyebrow at Jin Miaomiao and continued, “Originally, my uncle and my father wanted to invite Master Qingsong to stay at our home, but Gongsun Yue was not happy. He insisted that the two of them hadn’t seen each other for a long time and wanted to have a long talk by candlelight. As for what they talked about, that’s their business.”

"Her Highness the Eagle King and the Prince of Dai have agreed?"

"Of course we wouldn't stop them, and we even had someone escort them back to their residence. But we didn't expect that they would be targeted by a swindler not long after leaving the palace." Song Yaojia couldn't help but chuckle as she said this, "The swindler said that the two of them had a dark aura, and if they didn't make preparations soon, something bad would happen to their family."