Chapter 449: Digging for Treasures Deep in the Palace (4)

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Ye Jingtang had already received permission in the morning to bring the two women to the Roaring Dragon Pond to practice martial arts. After he showed his token, rhe palace gate opened.

Ye Jingtang followed the old path and brought Ning’er and Third Lady through the corridors to the Eternal Joy Palace. They saw that there were only a few lights on in the huge Imperial City and basically no one walking around.

As for the Peaceful Hall, the empress’s resting palace, because all the personal attendants had followed her to Clear Water Villa, there were no lights.

After Ye Jingtang arrived at the Peaceful Hall, he looked around but couldn’t find anyone. He went to a side hall near the Roaring Dragon Pond, took out the key given by Dumdum, and opened a door. “You’ll stay here for the next two days. The Prince of Jing told the palace servants in other places. Don’t worry about being disturbed…”

The room was a place for palace maids to stay. It was very clean, and there was nothing much to say about it. After the three people and the bird took a quick look, they walked toward the waterside pavilion in the center of the lake.

Ye Jingtang had been keeping the Jade Bone Picture for the past few days and carried it on him. After arriving at the center of the lake and letting rhe two women study it seriously, he went to the garden outside the hall and began to examine what the previous dynasty had left behind.

Dumdum and Little Tiger Girl trusted him a lot, so it was impossible for him to give the important items buried by the previous dynasty to the Pacifying Heaven Cult to help in their rebellion. If the buried items were good things that benefited the country and the people, they might be able to help the Imperial Court instead. However, he had learned this information from the Pacifying Heaven Cult, so he could only secretly open it and take a look.

The mechanism built by the previous dynasty was very strange. The way to open the secret chamber was to move a few landscape stones in the garden near the rockery to the corresponding positions. As the weight pressed down, the quicksand underground would begin to slide down. After a day or so of draining, the door to the secret chamber could be opened. After closing it, the water flowing out of the Roaring Dragon Pond would lift the quicksand back to its original position.

Ye Jingtang was only experimenting. After so long, if the mechanism were broken, he could give a reasonable answer. However, this was the secret chamber of the emperor. If something went wrong, he would lose his head. The artisans had built it according to millenia-lasting engineering standards. As soon as he placed the landscape stones in the proper positions, he faintly heard a subtle rustling sound underground. It should have been activated.

Ye Jingtang waited in front of the rockery for a while. After feeling that there was nothing wrong, he went to the waterside pavilion. “The mechanism is still usable. Tomorrow, we can see what the previous dynasty left behind. You guys practice for now. I’ll go out and investigate the case. If there’s anything, get the bird to inform me. I’ll be back anytime.¹¹

“Chirp.” The bird, who was lying in the waterside pavilion, agreed.

Pei Xiang]un reminded, “There are times when Martial Chiefs make mistakes. Be careful when you go out alone.”

Luo King said, “Take the bird with you. The palace is so tightly guarded that even a mosquito can’t fly in. What can happen?”

Ye Jingtang knew that the Prince of Yan’s heir also had something guarding him. If he disguised himself and brought the bird with him, his identity might be exposed. For this reason, he only asked the two of them to practice hard before quickly walking out of the palace.

But before he left the palace, Ye Jingtang suddenly remembered something very important: the ginkgo tree!

Now that the empress dowager had also gone to Clear Water Villa to rest and relax, and the secret guard Yang Lan was accompanying her, the Longevity Palace, which didn’t have many palace maids to begin with, was completely empty. If he didn’t go take a look at what his foster father had told him, then what was he waiting for?

Thinking of this, Ye Jingtang turned around and went straight to the Longevity Palace in the northwest of the Imperial City.

The Longevity Palace was dark. The ginkgo tree behind the bedchamber, whose crown was taller than the palace, looked especially eye-catching under the moonlight.

There was a swing hanging under the ginkgo tree, and the slender rope was wrapped in colorful cloth. The workmanship was very beautiful, but it was hanging here alone, malting it look a little bleak.

Ye Jingtang went to the tree and looked around for a moment. Then, without delay, he began to search the courtyard.

According to the instructions in his foster father’s letter, a picture of the Roaring Dragon Chart was buried under the third stone brick against the wall on the west side of the ginkgo tree.

The ginkgo tree was very big. There was a tree altar at its roots surrounded by white stones, and the ground tiles were all big bricks. From the traces, they probably had some history. It didn’t look like they had been replaced.

Ye Jingtang walked over to the west side of the ginkgo tree, found the third ground tile, and flipped it over to take a look.

The ground tiles were very big, and there was compacted soil under them. After he flipped the tile open with his saber, he stabbed the saber into the soil to check. Bur before he could insert his saber deep, something hard blocked it.

Ye Jingtang s eyes lit up. With the help of rhe moonlight, he dug out the soil and saw a jade box buried inside. The texture was exactly the same as the box containing the Jade Bone Picture. His heart beat faster. He thought that this should be the picture in his mind and slid open the jade box.

Whoosh!

A soft sound rang out, and the scene in the jade box entered his eyes.

Ye Jingtang took a closer look, and his expression froze slightly.

There was nothing golden in the jade box the size of a page. Instead, there was a hairpin that looked extremely exquisite. It was a rare hairpin in the shape of a kitten, and it had clearly been worn by a young girl.

“What the hell…¹‘ Ye Jingtang picked up the young girl s hairpin and looked at it carefully. Then he looked at the pit in the ground, his eyes baffled.

Could Foster Father’s information be wrong…

Or rather, Kuang Yazi fell into a chaotic battle back then. After snatching the box, he didn’t open it at all. He directly buried it here and escaped from the palace city… No, its just a matter of sliding it open. He even dug a hole. How could he not look..

Sixty years later, a young palace maid who was cleaning accidentally discovered this place. She didn’t recognize the item inside and sold the picture of the Roaring Dragon Chart for gold. She found a piece of jewelry and buried it here to commemorate her youth…

Ye Jingtang frowned and thought for a long time. Although he was a little disappointed that the item was gone, at least there was a clue left. As long as he used this hairpin as a clue to investigate, he might be able to find its whereabouts.

Thinking of this, Ye Jingtang put away the hairpin and buried the box again because it wouldn’t be easy to deal with.. After compacting the ground and covering it with the ground tile, he cleaned up all traces and left quietly…