After the acupuncture was finished, He Jiuniang followed the old emperor down a secret passage, which led to his bedchamber.
This secret passage is quite something; the steps to open it are very complicated. After passing through numerous mechanisms, the old emperor still needs to pry a key out of his sock to unlock it before he can enter.
Looking at the old emperor's series of actions, He Jiuniang retreated in disgust.
In this cold weather, don't you feel the coldness of putting your keys in your socks?
The old emperor walked ahead, oblivious to her disdain, and urged, "Keep up, don't get lost."
Just as He Jiuniang was about to say how could a secret passage be lost, she saw several forks in the road.
"Wow, they actually repaired so much!"
He Jiuniang couldn't help but praise him, saying that although the old emperor was not a proper emperor, he really cared about his life. He built so many passages just in case.
It has to be said that with so many secret passages, anyone unfamiliar with the area would definitely get lost.
"Besides me, only you have ever been to this secret passage."
Seeing her so surprised, the old emperor couldn't help but feel a little smug.
He Jiuniang clicked her tongue but didn't say anything.
Those who built these secret passages back then must have been executed. This has always been the case with emperors; they need someone to keep secrets, and in this world, only the dead cannot speak.
He Jiuniang suddenly thought of something and said, "Then I'll go outside and wait."
"What are you up to now?"
The old emperor was somewhat displeased. Shouldn't she be grateful for the first time he brought people in? Why was she thinking of leaving?
Besides, we haven't even arrived yet.
"What could I possibly be thinking? I'm just worried that if I see something I shouldn't see, His Majesty will kill me to silence me."
He Jiuniang was bold and could say whatever she wanted. Of course, she wasn't afraid of the old emperor taking action against her, since he didn't have that ability.
However, some things need to be said beforehand: who can guarantee that the old emperor didn't have any bad intentions?
"laugh!"
The old emperor sneered and continued walking forward: "Enough talk, hurry up and follow me!"
If he truly intended to kill her, why would he have brought her here? And why would he have personally given her the Pangu Jade?
The old emperor felt he trusted her even more than he had trusted that sorcerer before, perhaps because she was the first person who dared to tell him the truth.
The most important reason is that, although she spoke in a way that was very infuriating, he never actually got angry, a situation that had never occurred in the previous decades.
This woman is perfect in every way, except that she got married.
Cough cough, he doesn't want to die, he can't have such thoughts, cut them off!
He Jiuniang said "oh" and followed behind him.
As they walked further and further, they could see some golden things on the road. He Jiuniang wiped away non-existent drool and continued walking.
Compared to the old emperor's little treasure trove, her treasure trove is nothing!
Finally reaching the end, the old emperor lit the candlestick on the wall, then went into a large box and found a small box inside. He opened it, and there was another small box. He continued opening boxes like this, and finally took out a small cloth bag. He reached in and rummaged through it, and a jade pendant the size of half a palm was displayed in front of He Jiu Niang.
The old emperor handed it over, and He Jiuniang took it and examined it carefully. It was a piece of pure white jade, with dragons and phoenixes carved on the front and back respectively, exuding a majestic aura.
Such a small piece of jade, yet it can be carved into such a vivid pattern; the craftsman is truly amazing.
"Looking at it this way, it doesn't seem so strange at all!"
He Jiuniang examined it for a long time but couldn't see anything special about it.
The old emperor sat down on the box next to him and said, "Is that so? I don't think it's anything special either, but our ancestors treasured this jade, so I can only keep it safe."
As he spoke, he casually turned his head away and began to look at his other treasures.
Golden ingots, sparkling gemstones and pearls, calligraphy by various literati, and priceless porcelain and jade artifacts...
The old emperor felt that any random object was more valuable than that piece of Pangu jade.
However, this ancient jade plate is their family heirloom, so it is naturally different from others. Therefore, even though they don't like it very much, they have kept it safe all these years and have not let anyone touch it.
Yes, He Jiuniang was the first.
He Jiuniang put the jade back into the small cloth bag, then stuffed it into her bosom and put it into her spatial storage.
"Okay, when I come tomorrow morning, I'll bring you an identical fake. Then you can find an opportunity to display it and let those people know about the national treasure Pangu Jade. Then we'll see what those people from Dongting do."
"Tomorrow morning?"
"Yes, one day is enough to replicate one, don't worry."
The old emperor rolled his eyes. Even if there were such skilled craftsmen, they still needed to find such fine jade.
Such crystal-clear jade is very hard to find.
He Jiuniang didn't bother to explain further; she figured she could just give him a fake one tomorrow.
She turned to look at the glittering little trinkets and said with a fawning smile, "Your Majesty, you're a grown man, you don't need these things. Why don't you give some to your humble wife?"
The old emperor rarely saw her smile so ingratiatingly at him, and waved his hand, saying, "Go and choose for yourself."
He Jiuniang didn't stand on ceremony and picked out a purse full of pearls.
"Is that enough?"
The old emperor was somewhat surprised. He Jiuniang nodded: "That's about right. These beads can be used to make quite a few pieces of jewelry."
The old emperor frowned, took out a box, grabbed a handful of pearls and put them in, along with several pieces of fine jade and a large bunch of small trinkets such as hairpins and rings made of gemstones.
"Take it, take it. If you don't take more when you come in, you'll say I'm stingy when you leave."
The old emperor handed her a box crammed full of jewelry, then gave her a string of jade and gold bracelets, saying, "Lu Baichuan is of low rank and power. When you come to the capital, there will be many places to spend money, so you certainly won't have much money to buy jewelry for your families. Look at your bald and poor appearance. Take these, take them. I heard that you have several young girls in your family who are just at the age where they like these things..."
He Jiuniang: ...
She didn't think her family was poor. She had jewelry and such, but it was inconvenient to wear them while practicing medicine, so she didn't wear them much.
But when it came to the old emperor, it became a sign of poverty and stinginess?
However, she felt the old emperor's goodwill. The jewelry he gave her was not only suitable for little girls, but also had several styles suitable for her age. Fortunately, her sisters-in-law and younger sisters also received some. What's even more amazing is that there was a set of headdresses that could dazzle the eyes, which was obviously meant for older ladies. The old emperor had even considered Lady Sun.
These things were difficult to carry, so the old emperor emptied a larger box and stuffed everything into it.
He Jiuniang: ...
Is it really okay to waste such a precious resource?
All these wonderful things were carried out by He Jiuniang alone, while the old emperor strolled leisurely ahead, showing no intention of helping at all.
After she emerged from the secret passage, the palace maids saw her carrying so many boxes and hurriedly went to help her carry them.
He Jiuniang had her things put on the carriage, and then had several large bags unloaded from the carriage and delivered to the old emperor.
"Your Majesty, these are the seasoning packets for Lu Hei Ya (a type of braised duck). I've already prepared them all. The cooks will just throw one packet into the pot each time they cook, and that'll be a serving of Lu Hei Ya. This should last you for a while. By the time we finish these, we'll probably be able to come to the capital to develop our careers. Then we can eat as much as you want!"
After He Jiuniang finished speaking, she left happily without waiting for the old emperor to reply. She needed to go back and count how many good things the old emperor had just given her.
The old emperor, forgetting his anger at her rudeness, quickly came to check the seasoning packets and immediately ordered several portions to be made.
As soon as He Jiuniang returned home, she sent someone to the Prince Chen's residence to inform him that she had obtained the Pangu Jade.
Prince Chen's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Had his father really given it to him?
Was it really given voluntarily?
Father Emperor is too good to Lady Lu!
Lu Baichuan is in grave danger!!!
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