Chapter 158 The True Tiger Tally

The study was extremely quiet.

Xie Sangning looked at Lin Zhu, and the old man's face turned deathly pale. His eyes were fixed on the military token in the hidden compartment, and his chest heaved violently, as if he was about to faint at any moment.

His hands trembled violently as he reached out, his fingers quivering as he touched the cold tiger tally. He recoiled as if he'd been electrocuted, then ran his fingers over the patterns on the tally again and again, very slowly and carefully.

“…Sang Ning, girl,” his voice was hoarse and trembling, “this tiger tally…is real.”

He looked up, his eyes bloodshot, staring intently at Xie Sangning. Although he already had an answer in his heart, he seemed to want a more precise reply.

Xie Sangning didn't speak, but nodded slightly.

With just a nod, this upright and honest old minister, who had lived through three dynasties and served as an imperial tutor, and who regarded loyalty to the emperor and the country as his lifelong belief, suddenly covered his face and wailed heartbreakingly like a child who had lost everything!

The cries were mournful and piercing, filled with endless regret and sorrow!

Xie Sangning stood by and watched. Although she didn't know why her great-grandfather was reacting so strongly, it must be something serious, and he needed time to calm down.

Lin Zhu didn't know how long she had been crying. She slumped in the chair as if all her strength had been drained, her eyes vacant, her face covered in tears and glistening with moisture.

Xie Sangning picked up the teapot and refilled his tea.

Lin Zhu picked up the cup with trembling hands, not caring that it was too hot, and gulped down more than half of it.

After drinking the hot water, his face regained some vitality.

“Sang Ning, girl…” his voice was hoarse, “Your Majesty… if Pei Yan doesn’t have this, then… then he’s not only illegitimate!”

The old man took a deep breath, and the sadness in his eyes instantly turned into hatred:

"This tiger tally is genuine. That former crown prince Pei Zhao... my student, his death back then was definitely not an accident!"

"It must be Pei Yan! He killed him!"

Xie Sangning was puzzled. How was this tiger tally related to the death of the former crown prince?

"And...and the late emperor..." Lin Zhu trembled all over, "Everyone outside says the late emperor died of illness...bullshit! It wasn't illness at all! It was poison! They just haven't found the murderer yet!"

"Just when the late emperor was on his deathbed, he secretly summoned me to the palace..."

Lin Zhu's gaze drifted, as if he were back in that room filled with the smell of medicine and the aura of death, "Back then... the late emperor was already so thin he was barely recognizable as a human..."

The old man's voice seemed to drift from a great distance:

"He gripped my hand so tightly...it hurt my bones..." Lin Zhu's voice trembled violently. "He said, 'Lin Zhu, I'm dying. My biggest worry in this life is the empire and Zhao'er...'"

"Lin Qing! Remember this well... No matter what will I leave behind! No matter who sits on the dragon throne! Only the person holding this tiger tally is the one I truly intend to pass the throne to!"

"If...if the person who sits on the dragon throne doesn't have this tiger tally...then he is the murderer who murdered Zhao'er, killed the emperor, and usurped the throne! Lin Zhu! Open your eyes wide and see clearly!"

"Cough cough cough..."

A heart-wrenching cough interrupted him.

Lin Zhu coughed so hard he curled up and almost passed out.

Having finally recovered, he pointed with trembling hands to the tiger tally:

"The real tiger tally is here... in your hands..."

"The one enshrined in the palace is fake!"

"It's fake!"

The meaning is crystal clear!

The late emperor said before he died, "Whoever possesses the tiger tally is the rightful emperor!"

Anyone who ascends to the throne without the tiger tally is a murderer who killed his father and brother and stole the throne!

What did Pei Yan do to cover up this colossal lie and to sit on the dragon throne?

The study was eerily quiet.

Lin Zhu slumped in the chair, looking as if his bones had been removed. His gray hair was disheveled and stuck to his sweaty forehead, and his eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.

He was wrong. He failed the late emperor. He failed to recognize the fake tiger tally and even helped that beast ascend the throne!

How will he face the late emperor after his death? How will he live up to his trust and entrustment?

After a long while, Lin Zhu took a deep breath. His eyes no longer showed despair and sadness, but instead revealed a fierceness. Xie Sangning clearly sensed the change.

He struggled to sit up straight, his gaze fixed on Xie Sangning's face:

“Sang Ning, girl!” His voice was hoarse. “This thing is a knife hanging over your head! But you must hold it tightly in your hand. You have always been exceptionally intelligent, and your great-grandfather believes you can make good use of this tiger tally! But if Pei Yan suddenly finds out that it is in your hands… no! If he has even the slightest suspicion, he will grind you to dust! He will not hesitate for a moment!”

His withered hand suddenly gripped Xie Sangning's wrist with astonishing force, and his eyes held an unprecedented sternness:

"Hide it well! Hide it well! Hide it where no one can think of it or find it! Don't tell anyone except your great-grandfather!"

Xie Sangning's wrist ached from his grip, but she nodded slowly: "Great-grandfather, don't worry, Sangning understands."

Lin Zhu stared at her for a long time. Finally, as if he had exhausted all his strength, he slowly let go of her hand, slumped down, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes wearily.

He needs time to process the truth and make a decision.

After a long time, Lin Zhu left.

When he left, Xie Sangning clearly felt the change in him. Standing by the window, Xie Sangning looked at her great-grandfather's back and felt a sense of heroic grandeur, like the wind howling and the Yi River running cold.

Recalling what her great-grandfather had said before he left, a hint of worry flashed in Xie Sangning's eyes. She was afraid that her grandfather would act impulsively, and she was also afraid that her grandfather would forget to consider the Lin family, which was so large, because of the late emperor.

She stood outside the window for a long time, and because of this tiger tally, she had considered many things.

The tiger tally is inside the inkstone.

The inkstone was stolen by Xie Rubao and given to her; it was also a treasured possession of Xie Ji.

Do Xie Ji and Xie Rubao know this?

Xie Ji has treasured this inkstone for many years. Does he really only consider it a valuable antique inkstone, or does he already know that it contains something that could kill people, or even Pei Yan?

If he knew, why didn't he present it to Pei Yan to curry favor? Or why did he present it to Pei Yan's rival? Why did he treasure such an important item, only to have it so easily stolen by his daughter?

Xie Ji's face appeared in her mind.

This person is by no means as mediocre as he appears on the surface.

In any case, she must pay him a proper visit after returning to Beijing.