He had noticed last time that the location where the old jujube tree was planted was no different from the one in the old house where their brother and sister lived when they were young.
But now in Jingrong's memory, all she remembers is the original tree from beginning to end.
"Dig it up and take a look——"
Emperor Qingming walked over and ordered the guards beside him.
The weeds in the yard had just been cleared away, and there were two shovels left not far away. The two guards took them and started digging.
Emperor Qingming paid careful attention to his steps.
The jujube tree is surrounded by green bricks, and the color and degree of wear of each brick are the same. There are still some withered white roots left after the weeds have been removed between the bricks.
It can be seen that these bricks have never been tampered with.
And the land beneath the bricks has become flat and solid over the years.
The soil was quickly turned over by the guards' shovels.
"Your Majesty, there is something."
The shovel touched something hard that was completely different from a clod of soil, and the guard hurriedly reported it.
"Look, I just said it was here!" Princess Jingrong was happy and proud, and urged with her hands on her hips: "Hurry and help me dig it out!"
Emperor Qingming nodded with a smile and said to the guard: "Dig it out. Be careful and don't damage the things inside."
However, if it was really buried the year the late emperor passed away, over the years, if it had not been properly preserved at the beginning, it would have been almost corroded.
Thinking of this, Emperor Qingming couldn't help but feel that he had really thought too much today.
How could it be what he thought?
He did remember that after his father left, Jingrong told him about burying things - if it was really what he guessed, how could Jingrong tell him?
Besides, it really doesn't make sense that something important now has been buried here for so many years.
But when the two guards carried the box out, Emperor Qingming's eyes changed again.
Even if it has been buried under the soil for many years, the surface of the wooden box is still moist and the texture is beautiful and clear.
This box is made of dark wood.
Dark wood is precious, rare and resistant to decay, far beyond the comparison of ordinary wood——
"Such a big box..." Princess Jingrong knelt down, with some doubts in her eyes, but more of surprise and expectation: "Open it quickly!"
"Dingning, do you have the key?" Emperor Qingming asked her, his tone still warm.
"The key..." The eldest princess shook the lock on the box, shook her head and said, "I don't remember locking it... the key... could the key be with Ye Man?"
After saying that, he quickly stood up and said: "Brother, I'm going to find Ye Man to get the key!"
"It doesn't have to be so troublesome."
Emperor Qingming expected that Ye Mian would probably not know where the key was, so he directly ordered the guard: "Break it open."
"yes."
One of the guards pulled out a long knife from his waist and chopped open the thin copper lock in a few strokes.
The box was opened, and although there were some traces of insect damage inside, it was only a few, and the contents inside were still intact.
The eldest princess bent down and rummaged through the box with her hands.
There were many knickknacks in the box. While rummaging through them, a copper bell jingled, and some faded silk flowers were thrown out by her.
Then she stopped, turned around, and said with joy on her face: "Brother, I found it!"
Emperor Qingming looked at the exquisite and small rattle in her hand and said with a smile: "It's really here."
While he was speaking, he squatted down half-crouching, with a doting attitude that matched the child's play, and looked at the miscellaneous things in the box.
Finally, his eyes settled on a long brocade box.
"Dingning, what's in this?"
The rest of the things are mostly clear at a glance, only this brocade box is different.
"This..." The eldest princess thought for a while, shook her head, put the rattle in her hand between her knees, and freed her hand to take out the brocade box, wondering how to open it.
She moves quickly.
As soon as the brocade box was opened, the contents fell out.
The thing fell to the ground in an instant, and there was no time to see what it was——
However, the flash of bright yellow in front of his eyes made Emperor Qingming's pupils shrink instantly.
He lowered his gaze and looked.
The bright yellow silk is rolled up and tied with golden silk satin.
One hand quickly picked up the silk: "...Brother, what is this?"
Either she didn't recognize the thing, or she wasn't interested in it. Without a reply from her brother, Princess Jingrong threw the silk fabric back into the box.
She stood up, shook the rattle in her hand, and ran away with a happy smile.
Emperor Qingming slowly stretched out his hand and took out the things from the box.
This is an imperial edict——
Could it be the edict written when Jingrong was made a princess?
Or... it's something he has never seen or known...
Holding the silk in his hand, Emperor Qingming slowly straightened up.
The golden silk satin was opened and fell on the uppers of the emperor's azure-colored soap boots embroidered with auspicious clouds in gold thread.
The silk unfolded little by little in front of his eyes, revealing rows of elegant small regular script.
Emperor Qingming's eyes instantly became frozen and cold.
This is his father's handwriting...
And he clearly remembered that the edict when the four brothers and Jingrong were granted the title were not written by his father!
And what is written on it...
Emperor Qingming's eyes scanned each densely packed word inch by inch, and his originally stagnant eyes shook and surged.
After reading the last line of words and the red seal stamped on it, a sudden laugh burst out from his clenched teeth.
good……
So good!
His good father, the one who really wants to pass the throne is not him!
It's not that he is suspicious, he has never wronged anyone...!
It was never his fault!
Emperor Qingming suddenly clenched the silk in his hand and looked at his sister who was squatting in the corridor playing with a dead bonsai, his eyes were cold.
Perhaps she found it boring, so Princess Jingrong quickly ran back.
"Brother, let's bury these things again and dig them out when I need them." She pointed to the box with the rattle in her hand.
Emperor Qingming had been looking at her quietly. He smiled when he heard this, raised the imperial edict in his hand, and asked: "You will take it out when you need to use it, right? Dingning - no, Jingrong... tell me
, when were you originally planning to use it?”
"Brother, what is this?" Princess Jingrong looked confused and reached out to get it.
Emperor Qingming lowered his hand, put away the cold smile on his face, and slowly approached her.
"Jingrong, why have you kept it and hidden it? Are you still unwilling to take it out or destroy it? Is this your father's explanation, or is it your own selfishness? Or is it both?"
Princess Jingrong took back her outstretched hand and backed away subconsciously, as if she was aware of some terrible danger, and her expression gradually became nervous.
