Chapter 854 The Truth - Twenty Years Ago 15
The old lady had caught her breath and felt a little better, so she looked at the two of them and smiled, "Don't worry, Grandmother is fine."
Although she said this, the old lady knew perfectly well that her life was coming to an end.
Looking at the maids waiting in the room, the old lady waved her hand, "You may all leave! I want to have a few private words with the two princes."
The old lady was already nearing the end of her life, and the maids who were guarding the room immediately nodded in agreement when they heard her say that.
Once only the three of them—grandmother, grandmother, and grandson—were inside, the old lady slowly sat up.
"Princess, go under that dressing case and retrieve a small wooden box."
Even though she was the eldest princess's maternal grandmother, the old lady still had to call her "princess" because of her status.
The eldest princess looked in the direction the old lady pointed and quickly took out a small box from inside.
The old lady pulled a hairpin from her hair, put it in the lock of the box, and turned it. The box opened with a click.
Upon seeing the nine-tailed phoenix hairpin in the box, both the eldest princess and the seventh prince were startled.
In the Great Zhou Dynasty, only the Empress could use the Nine-Tailed Phoenix Hairpin. As a symbol of power, the Nine-Tailed Phoenix Hairpin could not possibly be given to anyone else.
Suddenly, both of them turned their gazes to the old lady, as if asking her about the origin of the phoenix hairpin.
The old lady noticed their confusion but did not intend to tell them the truth immediately.
Looking at an oil lamp not far away, the old lady gestured to the seventh prince. When the oil lamp was brought over, the old lady reached out and took out the phoenix hairpin, then took out two pieces of paper from the bottom of the box.
"Why don't you take them out and examine them over the oil lamp?"
The brother and sister did not understand what the old lady meant, but they still did as she said and placed the paper near the oil lamp.
Soon, lines and characters appeared on the pristine white paper. As all the characters emerged, the Seventh Prince couldn't help but gasp.
"Grandmother, could this be... could this be a treasure map from the previous dynasty?"
The old lady looked at the seventh prince and nodded. "That's right, this is the map of the treasure that the last emperor hid before the fall of the previous dynasty."
The Seventh Prince was stunned by the old lady's words. The Eldest Princess looked at her paper, which had no map but only words and drawings, and asked curiously, "Grandmother, what is this thing? Why is there a phoenix hairpin drawn on it?"
Compared to the Seventh Prince's confusion, the Eldest Princess was younger and simply felt incredibly curious about it.
Hearing her granddaughter's question, the old lady slowly said, "This is a drawing of the steps to open my maternal grandfather's tomb. It also shows the precautions to take and how to obtain the elixir of immortality."
The old lady's words completely stunned the Seventh Prince. He looked at the map in his hand and then at the paper in the Princess's hand. Could it be that his maternal grandmother was terminally ill and had gone mad?
"An elixir of immortality? Grandmother, are you...are you alright?"
The Seventh Prince looked at the old lady with concern, wondering if she knew that her body couldn't hold on any longer, which was why she had come up with such a whimsical idea.
The old lady knew that the whole thing was absurd, and it wouldn't be easy to convince them.
So the old lady simply put the paper away and started telling the two of them a story.
Half an hour later, the Seventh Prince finally figured out what had happened.
It turns out that the old lady of the Duke of Zhenguo and the old lady of the Marquis of Yi'an were both descendants of the previous dynasty's royal family. After the previous dynasty's royal family was destroyed, their maternal grandfather fled around with his wife. Eventually, they were released from the capital by the head of the Gu family, who had followed the founding emperor in the uprising.
With a vast treasure in their possession and a newly concocted elixir of immortality at their disposal, the couple naturally became the target of pursuit by various forces.
To escape persecution, the couple had no choice but to entrust their young daughter to an old friend for upbringing, while they themselves hid deep in the mountains.
Later, her daughter grew up, married, and had two daughters, who then married into the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion and the Yi'an Marquis's Mansion, respectively.
"Before my mother passed away, she called my sister and me to her bedside, and this is what she gave us. As for the jade pendant and bracelet on it, they are in the possession of your great-aunt at the Marquis of Yi'an's residence."
After the old lady finished speaking, she put the phoenix hairpin back into the box. "According to my mother, the phoenix hairpin is a precious hairpin passed down from the empress of the previous dynasty. Princess, you are of noble status, so you shall keep it safe."
The box was handed to the eldest princess, who looked at the old lady with some complicated feelings, but finally accepted it.
Seeing this, the old lady smiled a little more, and then looked at the seventh prince.
“I know that Your Highness has deliberately kept your distance from the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion all these years, so as not to cause any suspicion between the brothers. Your Majesty has many sons, and I understand Your Highness’s lack of interest in the throne. However, things are unpredictable, and Your Highness should be more careful.”
As she spoke, the old lady handed the treasure map to the seventh prince, saying, "Your Highness may never need this map in your lifetime, but if one day, for the sake of the people, you need money, I hope this treasure map can help you."
Upon hearing this, the Seventh Prince did not go to take the treasure map. Instead, he looked at the old lady and said with a serious expression, "Grandmother, why have you never thought of using this treasure map all these years?"
The old lady was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter.
"You silly child, trying to play tricks on me?"
The old lady knew that the Seventh Prince had doubts about her words. Indeed, if someone told her now that he was a descendant of the previous dynasty's royal family and possessed a huge treasure, he wouldn't believe it either.
“My mother once admonished me: ‘Do not take what is not for the people, do not delay what is not for profit, do not enter what is not necessary, and do not employ what is not benevolent.’ Even if there is much wealth, if it is used by selfish people, it will only cause bloodshed. Even if there is an elixir of immortality, if it is taken by an unbenevolent person, it will only lead to all kinds of evil.”
After the old lady finished speaking, she looked at the seventh prince with a smile and said, "I believe my judgment is correct. Although Your Highness is not related to me by blood, you are the most qualified holder of this treasure map."
The old lady trusted him so much that the seventh prince blushed with shame for his own despicable behavior.
He had heard many rumors about the fall of the previous dynasty, but he never expected that they were also people worthy of respect.
The seventh prince silently memorized the old lady's words, then knelt on one knee before her and kowtowed in gratitude, saying, "Grandson will never let down his grandmother's expectations."
Carefully tucking the two pictures into his arms, the Seventh Prince slowly stood up from the ground.
After leaving the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, the Seventh Prince felt as if a huge stone was pressing down on his heart, making him feel incredibly heavy.
The princess held the phoenix hairpin in her arms, and after hearing the old lady's words, she was still unable to calm down.
Everything that happened today was so sudden for them that they still felt like they were dreaming when they left.
Seeing that the two looked unwell, none of the followers dared to say anything.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
