Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2865 Master Qingsong 83.0
After finishing her bowl of wontons, Shen Cha took out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth and looked at Song Yaojia, who had already served herself her third bowl of noodles.

"Does Gongsun Yue think that with the support of the Eagle King Army's squad, those vicious bandits will no longer be a threat to them? Those people are used to killing and arson, they don't even blink an eye, how could they possibly stop?"

“It’s not that they’ve given up, but they’re somewhat hesitant. At least they don’t dare to act recklessly in a bustling place like the capital.” Song Yaojia sighed helplessly and said, “It’s not just Gongsun Yue who thinks this way. Jin Yi, Ning Zhou, and Yan Chen all think the same way. They believe that in broad daylight, in the capital of Great Xia, even the most vicious people have to keep a low profile.”

“That’s not without reason,” Shen Cha nodded. “Only someone who doesn’t want to live would cause trouble in the capital.”

“That’s right.” Song Yaojia smiled. “The soldiers that Uncle lent to Master Qingsong weren’t ordinary soldiers; they were scouts skilled in tracking and surveillance. So, Gongsun Yue felt that no one in the world could escape their eyes, and no one could run wild in Jinyang Lane without them. Therefore, since he got this group of men, he wasn’t too worried. Besides, Jinyang Lane isn’t a place where just anyone can come and go. Those Qingliu families aren’t nobody; every single one of them, if not all high-ranking officials, is a well-known figure. Even Gong Sheng’s few lackeys wouldn’t dare to openly trespass in Jinyang Lane.”

“What Your Highness is saying is something we actually know, but the Gong and Ma families might not, right?” Jin Miaomiao snatched half a plate of noodles for herself and Meilin from under Song Yaojia’s chopsticks. “That’s not quite right either. Like Your Highness just said, Jinyang Lane’s reputation has spread far and wide; it’s already known to everyone. Even those who aren’t from the capital should have heard of Jinyang Lane, let alone a prestigious family like the Gong family. They should be very familiar with this place, right? Not to mention, if I remember correctly, many prestigious families from the previous dynasty had their residences in Jinyang Lane.” She looked at Song Yaojia. “Perhaps the Ma family isn’t aware of it, but surely the Gong family members led by Gong Sheng and those from the Yun family wouldn’t be completely unaware? For them, this should be common knowledge.”

“While that makes sense, the Yun and Gong families are probably from very distant branches. How could they possibly know this?” Shen Cha took the hot water Merlin handed her, rinsed her mouth, and said, “Were they taught this in their families?”

"That's something I was also curious about, so I specifically asked Yan Chen. Yan Chen said that the Gong family was indeed unaware of it. Not only did they not know, but even the patriarch and elders of the Gong family's main branch did not know."

"This shouldn't be happening!" Jin Miaomiao looked at Shen Haolin, then at Shen Cha. "Right?"

"It's not surprising that the Gong family, being from a family of tomb raiders, wouldn't know these things," Shen Cha said, raising an eyebrow. "They're not exactly a traditional aristocratic family, are they?"

"However, many of the family members were scholars, and some clansmen had even served as officials, which is quite remarkable."

“Miaomiao, you should know that not all aristocratic families are the same. It’s not that they look down on each other, but that feeling is there.” Song Yaojia sighed. “Those truly powerful aristocratic families, unless absolutely necessary, will not associate with the Gong family, let alone talk to them about these kinds of things.” He snorted. “My uncle and father both said that those people aren’t necessarily bad, but they definitely want to see others make fools of themselves and laugh at them.” He looked at Jin Miaomiao. “Not to mention anything else, those people in the Yun family were fully aware of this, but they didn’t tell them.”

"Didn't you tell the Gong family and the Ma family?" Seeing Song Yaojia nod, Shen Cha sneered, "Are those people planning to let them be the first to stick their necks out while they hide in the back and watch the show?"

"That's one aspect. The Yun family wants to use the Gong and Ma families as pawns, making them charge ahead so they can either reap the benefits or escape unscathed. Of course, they also know that there's little hope of reaping the benefits, so they hope that if something really happens, they can absolve themselves of responsibility by not getting involved."

"And what about the other side?"

“Just like I said, they want to see us make a fool of ourselves.” Song Yaojia chuckled, stuffed the rolled-up noodle into her mouth, and chewed slowly. After finishing the noodle, she continued, “The traditional aristocratic families of Jiangnan look down on the Gong family’s background. The Gong family also knows that they are out of place. Their people can’t even hold their heads up in front of a traditional aristocratic family like the Yun family. So, they don’t dare to inquire with the Yun family, don’t dare to ask the Yun family anything, and don’t dare to recruit the Yun family.”

“One looked down on them, and the other didn’t dare to approach them; in the end, they both ended up in the same situation.” Jin Miaomiao sighed and said, “What’s the point?”

“Who says otherwise!” Song Yaojia sighed as well. “They don’t know that Gongsun Yue borrowed men from my uncle to keep an eye on them. However, the Eagle King Army’s surveillance is not so simple.” “They have to surround the courtyard where they are staying, surround the places where they usually move around, and also make arrangements with the patrol battalion, the imperial guards, and the city gate guards.”

“Yes.” Song Yaojia nodded to Shen Cha. “Not only that, but they also drew portraits of each of them, not even the lowest-ranking soldiers. Almost every soldier on patrol received a copy.”

"One for each person?" Jin Miaomiao took a sip of wonton soup. "There are so many portraits, how long will it take to complete them?"

"Not too long, about a day and a night!"

"Huh?" Jin Miaomiao was stunned upon hearing this, and almost dropped the noodles she had just put in her mouth. "How many people would it take to draw that?"

One person is enough.

Shen Haolin, Shen Cha, and Song Yaojia said this in unison, and then the three of them smiled at each other.

"One person?" Jin Miaomiao couldn't believe her ears. "How is that possible?"

Shen Cha and Song Yaojia exchanged a glance, and then both looked at Shen Haolin.

Shen Haolin finished the last noodle on the plate, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, took a sip of soup, and then slowly began to speak.

Have you ever heard of Pei Yaojie, the Thousand-Faced Scholar?

"It seems so." Jin Miaomiao thought for a moment, then nodded slightly. "I've heard a little bit about him. I only know that the Thousand-Faced Scholar came from a very wealthy family. When he was young, his family suffered a sudden misfortune. His father was framed by his close friend of many years, resulting in the confiscation of his property and exile. Later, he met some benefactor who, a few years later, helped him kill his enemies and clear his family's name. But after that, this person disappeared without a trace. He's most famous for writing a thousand petitions overnight, which were posted all over the capital." She looked at Shen Haolin. "Your Excellency, you suddenly brought this up!" She suddenly realized, "The benefactor who helped the Thousand-Faced Scholar... could it be..."

“Yes!” Shen Haolin nodded. “It’s my master, Uncle Dai, and Uncle Qin.”

"Uncle Qin?" Jin Miaomiao looked at Shen Cha, "Your master?"

“Yes!” Shen Cha nodded. “After Pei Yaojie took his revenge, he took the initiative to join the Emperor’s army and became his advisor.”