Rebirth: The Time-locked Girl
Chapter 136: Sister Lan, the true ancestor of the Xiang Family [2 more - s]

Chapter 136: Sister Lan, the true ancestor of the Xiang Family [2 more Chapters]

Ye Wanlan came to a stop, and naturally, Professor Foo stopped as well.

"What’s the matter?" Xiang Lefeng was somewhat puzzled, "Isn’t this just a jade piece? It looks like discarded jade, otherwise it wouldn’t be here."

The several major veins of Wanta Country were all tightly controlled by the local major families.

The goods, after being sifted through batch by batch, would render the jade materials in the hands of small traders the least valuable.

There were people who would find leaks, but very rarely, and there had been instances where those who had found leaks failed to leave the Jade Material Market safely.

"Take a closer look," Yan Tingfeng’s eyes narrowed slightly, his voice cool and mild, "What does the shape of this jade piece remind you of?"

Xiang Lefeng was startled, then bent over as well to take a meticulous look at the jade piece, just as he’d been told.

The jade piece was stained with blood, but there indeed were tiny patterns on it.

These tiny patterns formed the traditional character "Ning," which would be unrecognizable to someone not very familiar with Shenzhou’s script.

Ning...

All of a sudden, Xiang Lefeng’s mind was struck by lightning, and he blurted out, "This is gold—"

He quickly covered his mouth, leaving the last three words unsaid.

Professor Xue and Professor Foo exchanged looks with grave expressions, clearly recognizing the origin of the jade piece in Ye Wanlan’s hand as well.

The Gold Thread Jade Clothing was an ancient burial item for princes and nobles, made by connecting jade pieces with gold threads in the shape of armor.

The Yunjing Museum housed a complete Gold Thread Jade Clothing.

But the jade piece Ye Wanlan was holding—

Was from the Gold Thread Jade Clothing of Princess Jingan, the regent princess at the end of the Ning Dynasty!

Historical records showed that this Gold Thread Jade Clothing was assembled using 1,600 grams of gold thread, connecting 2,878 jade pieces of various sizes.

Just the manpower alone spent on this Gold Thread Jade Clothing was astonishing, taking three and a half years to complete by three hundred craftsmen—it was a national treasure of the Ning Dynasty, the pinnacle of Shenzhou’s art.

Four years after Princess Yongning’s death, Ning Zhaozong also passed away due to excessive grief, and the ten-year-old Emperor Yongshun ascended the throne.

With the Four Directions Nobility waging wars on the border, defending Shenzhou, the youngest sister of Ning Zhaozong, Princess Jingan, became the Prince Regent, assisting Emperor Yongshun in governing national affairs.

This Gold Thread Jade Clothing was also bestowed upon her by Ning Zhaozong, granting her the right to use it upon burial.

However, three hundred years ago, as foreign armies crossed the borders and Fengyuan fell, all nine armies died in battle, and in the end, there was simply no one left to fight the enemy.

At that moment, the thirty-seven-year-old Princess Jingan took up arms once again to protect the young Emperor Yongshun and Princess Yongle.

But how could she possibly defeat the foreign army that had slain the Four Directions Nobility?

The beauty of a generation fell, torn apart by horses, leaving no trace of her corpse.

And the Gold Thread Jade Clothing, initially intended as her burial item, was also destroyed by looters in the process of raiding treasures.

Over the years, the Cultural Relics Bureau has collected many shards, but still unable to piece together an entire Gold Thread Jade Clothing.

The Ning Dynasty, once the most recent dynasty, became so devastated that there was only a small exhibition hall for it in the museums.

This was Shenzhou’s indelible regret and remorse.

Xiang Lefeng gasped, and his look at Ye Wanlan changed in an instant.

Although the Ning Dynasty’s Royal Family had perished, the bloodline of the Xiang Imperial Family had not been severed.

There were many royal secrets, and only direct lineage descendants of the Xiang Family were privy to them.

If even he hadn’t noticed the mystery of this jade piece immediately, how could Ye Wanlan have recognized it at a glance?

Was this really just an abnormal gift for archaeology?

From the beginning to end, Ye Wanlan’s demeanor had been calm as she picked up the jade piece and then set it down, instead finding a few jade materials suitable for bracelets and starting to haggle with the vendor.

What shocked Professors Xue and Foo was that the language she spoke was not English, but the local Wanta language of Wanta Country.

Professor Foo asked tremulously, "You, you all, Ye Wanlan, also know the language of Wanta Country?"

"I, I don’t know either!" Professor Xue was equally bewildered.

"Tingfeng, I feel something is not right," Xiang Lefeng said, his nerves tense, "How did she figure out that was a jade piece from Princess Jingan’s Gold Thread Jade Clothing? Forget about me; even if the Great Elder of our Xiang Family were here, it would be absolutely impossible to notice it!"

Yan Tingfeng’s eyes held a clear and deep probing light as he let out a light chuckle, "That’s because you guys are not up to par."

"That’s absolutely not the case!" Xiang Lefeng retorted, "You don’t understand, we Xiang Family members are naturally more perceptive and sensitive to the things of the ancient Imperial Family than others; otherwise, how do you think my cousin collected so many shards of the Gold-threaded Armor?"

"Oh?" Yan Tingfeng’s lips still carried a smile, but his gaze became razor-sharp, "Are you suggesting that she is one of you Xiang Family members?"

"I never said that," Xiang Lefeng shrugged, "I just think it’s unscientific. Don’t you think so?"

Yan Tingfeng coughed twice, then smiled slightly, "No."

Having lived for over three hundred years, he was already quite unscientific.

What could be unscientific to him?

No matter how unscientific it was, he could accept it.

Xiang Yuefeng: "..."

In the end, Ye Wanlan bought several pieces of jade materials and jade pieces for a price of one hundred thousand.

"These are for you." Ye Wanlan handed the jade materials to Yan Tingfeng, speaking lightly, "They can be made into several bracelets and could probably sell for three hundred thousand based on the domestic market price."

Yan Tingfeng accepted them one by one, his smile deepening, "Thank you very much, Miss Ye."

"Let’s go to the front." Ye Wanlan put away the jade pieces, "The goods here are too low-grade and too few."

If it hadn’t been to buy that piece of jade, she wouldn’t have bothered buying a few pieces of jade just to divert attention.

Professor Foo followed with an expressionless face: "You, you Wanlan even understand jade?"

Professor Xue: "..."

Don’t ask him; he doesn’t know anything!

"Miss Ye... Miss Ye!" Xiang Yuefeng squeezed through the crowd to Ye Wanlan, "How much did you pay for that piece of jade? I can pay a hundred times that price to buy it!"

"Rest assured, even a thousand times won’t be any use, I’m not selling," Ye Wanlan said indifferently.

Yan Tingfeng spoke up, his voice soft but with a warning tone, "Xiang Yuefeng."

"Alright then..." Xiang Yuefeng looked reluctantly at her pocket, also feeling very regretful.

Ah, why didn’t he have that kind of discerning eye?

But today, he must cling to Ye Wanlan; holding onto this major support might allow his collection to surpass that of his cousin!

Ye Wanlan’s eyelashes drooped as her fingers gently stroked the jade piece, feeling the uneven textures beneath her touch.

Auntie...

She silently murmured in her heart.

She remembered that when she and He Jia returned to the palace, it was Princess Jingan who came out to welcome them first.

Although she had just returned to the palace, Ning Zhaozong had already chosen a title for her—Yongning.

It signified eternal peace.

"Yongning, just like your younger brothers and sisters, call me Auntie," Princess Jingan held her in her arms, "If you ever feel wronged, tell Auntie, and I will take care of it for you."

The pattern on this piece of Gold Thread Jade Clothing was also drawn by her; naturally, she had a deep impression of it and could recognize it at a glance.

Ye Wanlan clenched the jade piece tightly, her heart trembling uncontrollably.

Why not one of her relatives... left behind a whole body?

Emotions surged like a tidal wave, nearly engulfing her heart.

Suddenly, her wrist was grasped by an icy hand, and at the same time, a voice came from above her head, "Miss Ye, watch where you’re going."

Ye Wanlan snapped back to reality, realizing that there was a large rock just an inch away from her.

"Sorry," she paused, "I was lost in thought, a bit out of sorts."

"It’s only natural; Miss Ye, there’s no need to apologize," Yan Tingfeng slightly bowed his head, gazing into her eyes, and then smiled abruptly, "Why don’t you talk to me about it, Miss Ye? Speaking about some things can make them easier to resolve."

Ye Wanlan’s emotions had already recovered, "I was thinking about how to negotiate prices with the suppliers here."

"Hmm, sourcing goods is not easy," Yan Tingfeng looked up, "Wanta Country’s Five Major Families each have their channels, this is their territory, so it is best to be cautious."

As they spoke, the group had already arrived at the core area of the Jade Material Market.

The security here was much stricter than before, mercenaries could be seen everywhere.

And at that moment, nearly all eyes were focused on Ye Wanlan.

It was no surprise, as there were hardly any Eastern-faced women here, especially ones so young and beautiful.

"Ah, this is trouble," Professor Xue spoke in a low voice, "Wanlan, you should have worn a mask; it’s really chaotic here."

Even he, an old man, felt a bit intimidated.

"Professor, don’t worry," Ye Wanlan spoke serenely, "If someone really wants to cause me harm, even if I wear a mask and a hat and wrap myself in a long robe, it wouldn’t change their vile thoughts."

"But, but..." Professor Xue was about to say more when several mercenaries were already walking towards Ye Wanlan.

Seeing this, the ten-member team from Bureau 723 also became alert.

Wanta Country was a melting pot of good and bad elements, with numerous international criminals seeking refuge there.

"Are you here to look at the jade materials?" The Mercenary Captain spoke in Chinese, quite politely, "Which family’s jade materials would you like to see? We can escort you in."

Professor Xue breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed they were not here to cause trouble.

However, before he could fully relax, the Mercenary Captain had already reached out to grab Ye Wanlan’s shoulder, "However, we’ll have to take this lady with us."

Women here were goods, with no right to enter and talk business.