After hearing the old man's account of the bizarre fire and the mysterious treasure, Chu Chenxiao remained deeply moved.
In the days that followed, she visited the Imperial Garden more and more frequently, trying to extract more information from the old man, while Ning Yuyuan secretly kept an eye on the movements of everyone in the palace, in case anyone discovered their intentions.
One afternoon, Chu Chenxiao came to the Imperial Garden as usual, only to find the old man staring blankly at a withered peony.
She stepped forward and asked softly, "Grandpa, what's wrong with these flowers?"
The old man slowly turned his head, his eyes full of worry: "This peony is a rare variety, yet it withered for no reason. I'm afraid it's an ominous sign."
Chu Chenxiao's heart skipped a beat. Her intuition told her that this might be related to the secret of the Chaos Spirit Pearl, so she asked, "Old man, why do you say that? Is the withering of these flowers related to the fire many years ago?"
The old man looked at her deeply, remained silent for a long time, and then sighed and said, "Princess, knowing too much about some things will not do you any good. You only need to remember that once the secrets of this palace are revealed, it will surely unleash a bloody storm."
Meanwhile, in Ruifeng Dynasty, Ning Ci, through clever arrangements, met an old servant who had served in an ancient family.
I learned from the old servant that this family has guarded a mysterious seal for generations, and the sealed object is said to be inextricably linked to a treasure that can alter time and space.
Upon hearing this, Yin Yuyao had a vague feeling that this might be the same item as the Chaos Spirit Pearl.
However, when they tried to find the location of the seal, they discovered that important figures in the family seemed to have noticed them and began to be wary of them, making the atmosphere in the palace increasingly tense.
During the Jinglan Dynasty, the ancient book interpreters that Chu Qiaoling found made initial discoveries about the mysterious map.
The marker on the map seems to point to a secret chamber located beneath the forbidden grounds of the palace, but the entrance to the chamber is guarded by an ancient mechanism that requires a specific token to open.
Chu Yanxi and Ning Qianyun searched everywhere for clues, trying to find the token to open the mechanism, but unexpectedly discovered that the royal family of Jinglan Dynasty seemed to be secretly conducting a research related to mysterious power. This research also seemed to coincide with the secret of the Chaos Spirit Pearl, which made them realize that things were far more complicated than they had imagined.
Meanwhile, in the imperial palace of the Zhaoxi Dynasty, a conspiracy targeting Chu Chenxiao and Ning Yuyuan is quietly brewing.
A favored concubine of the emperor heard from somewhere that they were inquiring about palace secrets. She saw this as a good opportunity to suppress them, so she whispered slanderous words in the emperor's ear, accusing them of plotting a rebellion.
Upon hearing this, the emperor was furious and ordered a thorough investigation.
Upon hearing the news, the old garden keeper hurriedly found Chu Chenxiao and said anxiously, "Princess, you are in danger. You must find evidence to prove your innocence as soon as possible, or your life will be in danger. I have a key here that may be related to the fire from back then. Take it to the abandoned woodshed in the northwest corner of the Imperial Garden. You may find something useful there."
Chu Chenxiao took the key, his heart filled with doubt, but he had no other choice but to go to the woodshed with Ning Yuyuan and Xixi.
The woodshed was covered in dust and cobwebs, and had a musty, rotten smell.
Chu Chenxiao carefully used the key to open a dilapidated wooden box in the corner, and found a yellowed diary and a jade pendant that emitted a strange light inside.
The diary's paper was fragile and easily broken, and the handwriting on it was somewhat blurry, but Chu Chenxiao could still barely make out some of the contents.
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