CHAPTER 541: CHAPTER 541: TREASURES

Outer courtyard, inside the study.

Xie Jingchen was searching for something.

He searched very carefully.

He had actually searched the Prince’s study many times, but always found nothing.

This time was no different.

After searching for a long time, he found nothing.

His brow was tightly furrowed.

Outside on the tree, two Hidden Guards were watching the study.

One of them said, "I don’t know what the Young Master is looking for?"

"Should we go take a look?" he asked.

"He’s probably looking for something the Prince has hidden," said the other Hidden Guard.

"Then why not go stop the Young Master."

The Hidden Guard was about to jump down, but he was stopped, "The Prince’s hidden things cannot be found by the Young Master."

The more he was stopped, the more curious the Young Master became.

The Prince never stopped the Young Master from entering the study, and they had no right to stop him from looking for something.

Xie Jingchen turned over everything again, finding nothing.

Having thought of something, he walked out of the study.

The servant looked at him, "Is the Young Master leaving?"

"Call the Heir’s wife," instructed Xie Jingchen.

The servant dared not delay and rushed to the Agarwood Pavilion to deliver the message.

In the backyard, inside the bamboo house.

Su Jin was preparing ointment for Old Madam Li.

Though her arm still hurt, she couldn’t just sit still.

Being cooped up in the room all day long would drive anyone crazy.

Doing something she liked was a way to pass the time.

Just as she was about to start, having prepared the medicine.

Bi Zhu ran over and said, "Heir’s wife, the Young Master wants you to go to the outer courtyard study."

Going to the outer courtyard study?

What for?

Not knowing what urgent matter Xie Jingchen had for her, Su Jin quickly put down her work.

Su Jin headed to the outer courtyard, with Xingxing closely following behind.

As she stepped into the study, she saw Xie Jingchen standing by the bookshelf flipping through books.

Rocks were as pure as jade, and pines stood like emeralds.

His beauty unparalleled, unmatched in the world.

From the side, his face was striking and stunning.

Seeing this scene, Su Jin felt that sweating all the way here was worth it.

For a moment, Su Jin was dazed.

Xie Jingchen turned his head to look over.

Their eyes met.

Su Jin’s ears turned slightly red, and she raised her hand to scratch her forehead, asking, "Why did you call me here?"

"Help me find something," said Xie Jingchen.

"...."

Su Jin rolled her eyes.

She thought he called her for something important, but it was just to help him find something so simple?

Just as she was about to ask why, Xie Jingchen provided an answer, "You have good luck."

Su Jin, "...."

Finding something depends on luck these days?

This wasn’t like finding a rare item.

Even finding a rare item mostly relies on skill.

But since she was here, and Xie Jingchen thought she was lucky, she might as well give it a try.

Su Jin walked over and asked, "What are you looking for?"

"A jade pendant," Xie Jingchen replied honestly.

Outside on the tree, the two Hidden Guards looked at each other.

No one expected the Young Master was looking for a jade pendant.

Even more unexpected, the Young Master couldn’t find it and asked the Heir’s wife for help.

The Heir’s wife was indeed lucky.

But they really didn’t believe the Heir’s wife could help the Young Master with this task.

The two Hidden Guards stayed on the tree, just short of getting some sunflower seeds.

Su Jin still didn’t know about the fake jade pendant that broke.

When Xie Jingchen mentioned it, Su Jin inwardly praised the Prince as a sly fox.

If not for Prince NanAn’s familiarity with Master Liu, they might have been fooled by the Prince.

"Where haven’t you searched?" Su Jin asked.

"The walls and the floor," Xie Jingchen replied, exasperated.

"Then we’ll search the walls and the floor," Su Jin said.

Xie Jingchen thought she was joking, but Xingxing was serious.

When it comes to hiding things, who can match their Marquis at home?

When looking for things, their Young Master would dig three feet into the ground.

Su Jin knocked on the walls one by one.

Xingxing lay on the ground knocking on the floor.

Xie Jingchen, "...."

Not to mention how earnest Su Jin was.

Give Xingxing a rag, and she could scrub the floor until it gleams.

After crawling around once, with the hem of her skirts at the knees turning black, Xingxing looked at Su Jin and said, "Miss, the floor is solid."

"The walls are also solid," Su Jin said.

"...."

Xie Jingchen held his forehead.

Should he not have called them over?

The places that could be found, Su Jin and Xingxing did themselves, and the places they couldn’t reach, they directed Xie Jingchen.

Like behind plaques, or on the beams, they were just short of removing the roof.

Xie Jingchen jumped down from the roof.

Bringing along a cloud of dust.

As Su Jin dodged, she accidentally bumped into the screen by the desk.

With a clang, the screen fell to the ground.

The rosewood base of the screen had a wooden plank fall off.

Xingxing, quick-eyed and quick-handed, said, "There’s something hidden in the base."

Su Jin, "...."

Xie Jingchen, "...."

Xingxing lifted the screen back up and took out the brocade box hidden in the base.

Su Jin looked at Xie Jingchen.

Her mouth twitched violently.

Your father hides things in quite a unique way.

If it weren’t for an accident.

Even if they turned the study upside down, they wouldn’t have found it.

But Xie Jingchen didn’t notice Su Jin’s gaze.

His entire attention was focused on the brocade box.

That brocade box couldn’t have been more familiar to him.

Every time he saw it, his father would hide it away, not letting him see it.

He had also searched for it before, but could never find it.

Unexpectedly, he unintentionally discovered it.

Taking the brocade box from Xingxing’s hand.

Xie Jingchen opened it to see two paintings inside.

Xie Jingchen took one, Su Jin took the other.

Su Jin slowly unrolled the painting.

A familiar painting came into view, Xingxing exclaimed, "Isn’t this the painting by Young Master Zhao?"

Su Jin looked toward Xie Jingchen.

The painting in Xie Jingchen’s hand was also of a woman.

The painting in Su Jin’s hand was more hazy, while the one in Xie Jingchen’s hand, the woman’s features were more exquisite, clearly beautiful beyond compare.

The most important thing was—

Both paintings depicted the same person.

Xie Jingchen bore some resemblance to the woman in the painting, especially the eyes.

The painting in Su Jin’s hand appeared to be a new work not long made, but the paper of the painting in Xie Jingchen’s hand was yellowed, indicating it had been painted many years ago.

The Prince, for the sake of Xie Jingchen’s mother, refused to make Princess Nanzhang a Princess Consort, only granting her the position of concubine.

And now he cherished two paintings of that woman.

If this wasn’t Xie Jingchen’s biological mother, it wouldn’t make any sense.

Xingxing looked at Su Jin and whispered, "Is that the Young Master’s mother?"

Su Jin nodded lightly, "It should be."

"But isn’t it Young Master Zhao’s mother?" Xingxing was a bit confused.

Not only was Xingxing confused, but Su Jin was also greatly confused.

Young Master Zhao seemed to be younger than Xie Jingchen.

Moreover, wasn’t Xie Jingchen’s mother said to have died in childbirth?

Young Master Zhao came to the Capital this time to find his biological mother, who was the person in the painting.

It turned out he and Xie Jingchen shared the same mother.

Are they biological brothers or half-siblings?

The door creaked open.

Su Jin walked out, followed by Xingxing, then closed the door.

Xie Jingchen wanted to wait in the study for the Prince, allowing them to leave first.

Although Su Jin was quite eager to stick around and see what happened, she had to leave.

She carried her curiosity away with her as Xie Jingchen had asked her to leave.

Liu Song must have known that.

How could he still be Zhao Xu’s brother?

Su Jin felt a slight tremor in her heart.

Sunlight shone through the leaves.

All the voices around her seemed to disappear for a moment.

She seemed to see Xie Jingchen standing on top of a mountain, his eyes fixed firmly on her, his figure tall and straight.

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