The next morning, the couple went about their own business as usual. They weren't in a hurry to look at the blueprints; they would look at them later that evening.

There isn't enough manpower in Jingzhou, so he plans to select a few to go back with him this time. He needs to carefully assess them.

As for He Jiuniang, she entered the palace as usual, and while giving the old emperor acupuncture, she told him the information she had gathered the previous night.

"You mean the fifth prince is going to rebel?"

The old emperor narrowed his eyes. In fact, seeing that he had been contacting his maternal clan recently, the old emperor had already guessed something. After all, he had gone through the same thing when his position was threatened.

However, he felt he wasn't as stupid as Prince Lin. Why was he so blatant with everyone he met? Did he really think no one would care about him now?

"Yes, but it probably won't be that fast. He needs time to prepare everything, since this idea was only recently proposed."

He Jiuniang calmly analyzed the situation and then said, "Your Majesty, while we're dealing with this matter, we can also find out and thoroughly deal with the disloyal officials that Prince Lin has been befriending over the years. Only in this way can we completely prevent anything from happening again."

The old emperor approved in his heart, but when he thought that these were all said by He Jiuniang, he was instantly displeased.

"Don't you know that women are not allowed to discuss matters of state?"

"Alright, if Your Majesty forbids me from speaking, then I will not speak."

He Jiuniang obediently shut up and didn't say another word.

The old emperor was surprised that she was so obedient. Usually, she would respond to ten sentences after he said one. What was wrong with her today?

"you……"

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I am still obedient. Since Your Majesty does not want to know why Dongting encouraged Prince Lin to do these things, then I will say nothing."

The old emperor: ……

This is outrageous! How dare they threaten him!

"explain!"

He Jiuniang glanced at him, but remained silent, seemingly unfazed.

"What are you still standing there for? Didn't I tell you to speak?"

The old emperor was holding his breath, having lived most of his life, and yet he still encountered such a nemesis, which was truly fatal.

"But His Majesty just said that women should not discuss state affairs, and as a mere woman, I naturally cannot..."

"Alright, I can stop treating you as a woman. Speak."

He Jiuniang: ...Listen to me, thank you...

In the end, He Jiuniang didn't really argue with the old emperor to the death, and told him that the people of Dongting wanted the Pangu Jade.

"Pangu Jade? How would those petty scoundrels know about Pangu Jade?"

The old emperor was still receiving acupuncture when he heard this and stirred. He Jiu Niang immediately slapped him, saying, "Don't move!"

The old emperor: ……

The other palace maids and eunuchs: !!

He Jiuniang didn't think there was anything wrong with hitting the emperor, and even said fiercely, "Do you know how difficult it is to insert this needle? Your movement has messed up the acupoints and the depth of insertion. Do you want to die?!"

The old emperor, who had intended to lose his temper, was rendered speechless by the reprimand. He promptly lay down obediently and changed the subject, asking, "Then what do you think they want the Pangu Jade for?"

“At first, we didn’t know what they wanted it for, but last night we asked His Highness Prince Chen and he said that the Pangu Jade was the key to some kind of treasure. So, they want the Pangu Jade because they want to find treasure. Your Majesty, their target is the Pangu Jade. Now that the Pangu Jade is in your hands, it is no longer safe. You should entrust it to me to keep it safe for you.”

"Do you know what you're saying? That thing isn't something you can just give to anyone?"

The old emperor was about to move, but remembering the slap he had just received, he remained still, only speaking forcefully to express his anger.

“Yesterday morning, the Emperor said he could exchange it with me, and said anything was fine. I thought the Emperor’s word was law, but I didn’t expect him to deceive me, a mere woman. If he doesn’t want it, he doesn’t want it. That way, even if something happens to the Pangu Jade, it won’t be my family’s problem.”

He Jiuniang wanted to keep the Pangu Jade for two reasons. First, she was curious and wanted to see what this national treasure looked like. Second, she naturally wanted to help, since there was no safer place in the world than her own space.

The old emperor is unreliable; he might be stolen from or replaced at any time.

She was reborn in the land of Beiyan, where her family also lived. She didn't want her peaceful life to be disrupted, so naturally she had to take on some responsibilities.

Even if the treasure exists, it can only remain in the hands of the Northern Flame people, and cannot fall into the hands of anyone else.

She is a person with her own desires; she would never give up something so good.

The old emperor was furious, feeling that the health he had finally managed to recover from was about to be ruined by this woman.

He took a few deep breaths as He Jiuniang had taught him before saying, "That's a national treasure, how could I just hand it over to you? Can you guarantee that it will be safe and sound in your hands?"

"Your Majesty trusts me, and I will certainly not let you down."

He Jiuniang wasn't going to keep pissing him off; if she really got so angry that she stopped giving him the money, it would be a loss for her.

The old emperor remained silent, wanting to consider it carefully.

That's something that only emperors of past dynasties could access; how could it be given away so casually?

Moreover, if the palace is not safe, then where is safe?

But for some reason, he felt that he trusted this woman exceptionally.

No matter how big the problem is, it seems like nothing is a problem for her. It seems that as long as she takes on a task, there is nothing she can't handle well.

He hesitated. Although he was an unreliable emperor, he still valued the things his ancestors had entrusted to him. He had never entrusted the Pangu Jade to anyone else since his father gave it to him. He had kept it himself all these years, and even the people around him did not know where he kept it.

Furthermore, the matter of the Pangu Jade has always been known only to the royal family, but now it has been leaked. Prince Lin is the primary suspect, but others must also be on guard.

The old emperor doesn't concern himself with court affairs much now, but he won't allow anyone else to covet the Northern Yan. His sons may fight for the position, but he will never allow anyone from other countries to take advantage of it.

If Prince Ruolin only wanted to compete for the throne like the other princes, he didn't care. He had gone through the same thing back then. The capable would be king, that was for sure. As for the crown prince, he tried his best to protect him, but he was still incompetent, so there was nothing he could do.

However, Prince Lin's collusion with the enemy is absolutely intolerable. Once the big fish is caught, Prince Lin's life will be over.

After thinking for a long time, he finally spoke slowly: "I will give you the Pangu Jade in a moment. You must take good care of it!"

In the end, he still decided to give the Pangu Jade to He Jiuniang. There was no other reason than that he trusted her and hoped that she would not disappoint him.

He was a suspicious person throughout his life and rarely trusted anyone. He only trusted a sorcerer and He Jiu Niang.

The sorcerer is finished, but He Jiu Niang, he is willing to give it another try.