CHAPTER 2024: CHAPTER 2026: THE SECRET OF THE GOLD BAR

"Hehe, I like this one!"

She quite liked the Imperial Decree from the Marquis Mansion, at least from now on when she encountered people like the State Duchess or Marquis Mansion folks, they wouldn’t say she was a nobody.

Although she didn’t care about others’ opinions, she was quite annoyed by the constant pointing and whispering.

"But Brother An, was that really the ancestral decree you brought out?" The ancestral Emperor was really far-sighted, wasn’t he?

"Of course it’s real. I’ve never seen the ancestral Emperor’s handwriting. Plus, that parchment clearly looks aged. Even if I wanted to forge it, I couldn’t."

"That’s strange." Yang Chuxia felt something was off about this whole matter.

"What’s strange?"

"I remember when the Grand Emperor ascended to the throne, the fight was quite brutal." Yang Chuxia propped her chin up and said, "From what you mean, back then, the Grand Emperor went to Yangshu Village for this gold bar, meaning he knew about the existence of this ancestral decree, and moreover, knew it was with the Luo Family. Since he knew about this decree, why did he go through so much trouble and effort to seize the throne?"

"This can be explained. As far as I know, when he ascended to the throne, he knew about the secret decree but didn’t know where it was. He later got this information because back then, when Noble Princess Consort Luo got into trouble in the palace, the old master of the Luo family leaked it to the Emperor to save the Luo family. Later, the item ended up in my hands, and since he didn’t need it anymore, plus at that time, he valued the Emperor, so naturally, he didn’t take it back."

"However, don’t underestimate this gold bar. It’s not just as simple as two decrees inside."

Ye Zi’an thought about the Great Zhou’s ancestor, who was indeed capable. Not only did he leave a secret decree, but he also left an opportunity for the Great Zhou to rise again.

"Are there more secrets?"

"Of course!" Ye Zi’an beckoned, "Come over here, and I’ll tell you."

Yang Chuxia was itching to know what exactly Baili Yan and the others had been searching for all this time.

"Smooch..."

"You actually launched a sneak attack?" Yang Chuxia shot him a sidelong glance, "Be serious, we’re discussing serious matters now."

Ye Zi’an replied earnestly, "When something’s delivered right to you, it would be a shame not to take a kiss."

"Thick-skinned, hurry up and talk business."

Seeing that her hand was still on his shoulder, Ye Zi’an leveraged her weight to pull her onto his lap. Yang Chuxia struggled for a moment, but Ye Zi’an held her tighter, "If you want to listen, don’t move. Otherwise, we’ll have to go to the bed to communicate our feelings."

Hearing this, Yang Chuxia indeed stopped moving, but tugged at Ye Zi’an’s face playfully and said, "You rascal, hurry up and spill it!"

"Alright, alright." Ye Zi’an quickly said, "This gold bar not only contains decrees but also an undercover army and treasure. When Great Zhou invaded the palace of the previous dynasty, not a single item from the treasury was taken. With the wealth left by the previous dynasty, the Great Zhou shouldn’t have been impoverished during its initial founding."

"But when I look through the historical records, it says that fifteen years after the founding, the Great Zhou’s people were still struggling to get enough to eat and wear, and even the treasury was empty. When natural disasters occurred, there wasn’t even relief money in the treasury. At that time, someone raised the question of where all the gold and silver treasures from the previous dynasty’s treasury went, but the ancestral Emperor couldn’t answer. Shortly after, the minister who raised the question died of illness at home. Later, rumors spread that the treasures of the previous dynasty’s treasury went into the ancestral Emperor’s private stash."