Jiang Songyi raised her eyebrows and said teasingly, "The old lady is truly knowledgeable and shrewd!"
Madam Jiang frowned and retorted, "What do you mean by cunning and calculating? That's a derogatory term! When I get home later, I'm going to hire a tutor for Jiang Songyi. I don't expect him to be as knowledgeable as Jiang Yuyao, but at least he should be able to read and write!"
[This thing is obviously not a good thing. Open the talisman bag and you will find the birth dates of several cousins and the old woman Xu hidden inside. It must contain a life-saving contract. I wonder where Liao learned these evil and harmful techniques!]
Jiang Songyi deliberately touched the talisman bag and reminded Madam Jiang: "Grandma, there seems to be something strange hidden in this talisman bag."
Jiang Shu had already opened the talisman bag easily when she heard Jiang Songyi's thoughts.
Xu had no time to stop him and could only scream, "Put the talisman back quickly! This talisman bag must not be opened. Once the contents are taken out, the magic power will dissipate!"
However, Jiang Shu and Old Madam Jiang had already taken out the talisman and spread it out.
On the yellow paper, the cinnabar color is deep, and a delicate small seal script is engraved.
Jiang Shu read slowly, "Hao Qingzhi was born on the eighth day of the eighth month in the eighth year of the Yongkang reign, at midnight. I now wish to donate my blood, flesh, and lifespan to support my dear grandmother, Hao Xu. I sign this contract as a witness, and will wear it with me for forty-nine days to show my sincerity."
Jiang Shu's voice was trembling, and every word seemed to be struggling to be uttered between her lips and teeth. She glanced at the other two pieces of paper and found that their contents were exactly the same as the first one.
There were even bright red blood fingerprints left on those paper deeds!
Hao Qingzhi's face turned pale as paper in an instant, and a bone-chilling coldness spread from the bottom of his heart to his whole body.
She had assumed her grandmother was simply displeased with her mother, and therefore treated them harshly. She had thought that by marrying the following month, she would be able to escape the Duke's Mansion, a cold place filled with scolding and violence. However, she had never imagined that her grandmother would actually plot to bring them to their deaths!
Everything suddenly clicked—no wonder Grandmother, when handing them the talisman bags, had specifically asked them to confess their master through their blood, repeatedly warning them not to open the bags or expose them to anyone! It turned out this was all part of her cunning scheme, a cover-up for her evil intentions!
Jiang Shu's eyes fell on the contract date written on the paper. It was only less than half a month away, almost the day her daughter was getting married, which would be her death date!
Tears streamed down her cheeks, her voice filled with anger and grief as she demanded in a hoarse voice, "Mother-in-law, what on earth is going on? Tell me, what on earth is going on? How could there be an elder like you in this world who would let all of your granddaughters die, and after death, bear our sins and suffer in hell?!"
Hao Ren held her hand tightly and tried to comfort her: "Ah Shu, don't get excited. Maybe your mother has also been deceived."
Xu was panicked by Jiang Shu's angry rebuke. When she heard her son's defense, she immediately went down the stairs, nodding repeatedly, "Yes, yes, Ah Shu, mother-in-law, I knew nothing about this matter! How could I have known that this amulet would contain such an evil thing!"
However, Jiang Shu still held on to the longevity deed tightly, her eyes filled with suspicion. "Mother-in-law, you said you didn't know anything, but who revealed these birth dates to the talisman maker? Aren't these fingerprints yours? I want to find out who this talisman maker is, and how could he know our birth dates so well?"
Xu was speechless, and she kept in mind her son's instructions that she must never mention Liao's existence in front of anyone in the Yongding Marquis' Mansion.
Hao Ren continued to console her, "Ah Shu, these talismans are too bizarre. Don't believe them completely. The alchemist who created them has long since vanished. If such a magical talisman could truly prolong life, why would so many emperors throughout history have sought immortality but failed? All of this is nothing but fantasy. Why get angry about it and harm the harmony within your family?"
Jiang Songyi sneered contemptuously and retorted, "Pure nonsense! That so-called life-transferring contract is nothing more than an immature, risky sorcery, with numerous drawbacks and too many unknowns. Who would dare to allow the emperor, the supreme ruler, to attempt this before thoroughly exploring its pros and cons? Furthermore, this sorcery requires sacrificing the lives of loved ones. My three cousins have suffered tragic misfortunes, and even if Xu Shi is lucky, she might not even survive another year. If the emperor seeks immortality, wouldn't he have to sacrifice countless loved ones?"
Massive casualties within the imperial clan would inevitably lead to unrest within the palace, jeopardizing the nation's stability. Furthermore, this technique violates the laws of nature. If abused by the emperor, it would inevitably harm the nation's destiny. What wise monarch would dare to gamble with the legacy of their ancestors and the well-being of future generations? Xu may have believed that Liao offered a life-saving strategy, but she had no idea that Liao was actually using the lives of Xu and her three cousins as experimental subjects.
The old lady's eyes were deep, her heart surging with anxiety. It was obvious that if this longevity magic was truly effective, it would be abused by some selfish and greedy dignitaries. The Liao family's ambitions were clearly revealed! It could even be said that Hao Ren's ambitions were equally not to be underestimated!
The most urgent task at the moment is to completely destroy this life-transfer contract!
Her three granddaughters were in their prime, so how could they let their precious lives be ruined because of Xu's selfish desire to save her life for just one year?
"Since it's a misunderstanding, it's best to get rid of these unpleasant objects as soon as possible."
As the old lady spoke, she took the yellow talisman papers from Jiang Shu and tore them apart fiercely.
However, to everyone's surprise, these seemingly ordinary talisman papers were as tough as cloth and difficult to tear.
Except for Xu and Hao Ren, everyone present felt a little surprised, and their sense of the evilness of the talisman became even stronger.
Hao Ren's eyes moved slightly, and he spoke slowly: "Mother-in-law, let me deal with this talisman. I will definitely remove it and prevent it from bothering you again."
"How can this life-transferring contract be easily destroyed? It must first be broken with spiritual power, then burned with fire to completely dissolve the contract. Only then can the life span stolen by the old woman be returned to my cousins. Well, I can't bear to see the Duke of the Protectorate's conspiracy succeed, so I'll lend them a hand."
Jiang Songyi sighed inwardly, took the talismans from the old lady, and said softly, "Grandmother is old and unable to do this, so let me do it for you. It's just a few talismans, why would you need to trouble the Duke to do it personally?"
The old lady showed satisfaction on her face and sighed, "Song Yi is kind-hearted, filial and loyal. She is worthy of being my granddaughter."
Jiang Shu silently thanked Jiang Songyi in her heart.
Jiang Yuyao, who was standing behind the old lady, had a hint of sarcasm in her eyes and the corners of her mouth rose slightly.
Jiang Songyi's desire to win favor from her grandmother has reached the extreme level of madness!
Liao had asserted that those talismans were indestructible even by swords, spears, and flints. Who could have imagined that Jiang Songyi could actually tear them apart? Hao Qingzhi and the other three were doomed!
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