Bride Swap Backfire: My Cousin's Rebirth Made Us a Power Couple-Chapter 31 - 28: Treasure Chest

Fortunately, she was experienced now. This time, not only had she wrapped the handle of the mattock with thick strips of cloth, but she had also brought an extra pair of gloves.

She insisted Zhao Jing take the gloves.

A scholar’s hands were far more precious than those of a young woman like her.

She already felt indebted to Jing for his help. If he were to injure his hands because of it, her conscience would be troubled.

The huangqi was indeed difficult to dig up.

The soil was hard, for one thing. For another, the huangqi was growing exceptionally well this year thanks to the ample rain and fertile ground. In previous years, they would grow to be a foot long, but this year many had exceeded two feet, and their tangled roots added to the difficulty of digging.

They dug like this for some time. The sky, clear just a moment ago, suddenly began to drizzle. By now, the three of them had only managed to clear a small patch of ground.

Their progress was slow, but the results were impressive. The pile of huangqi they had set aside would overfill two baskets.

It looked like the rain was about to get heavier.

Chen Wanqing swung her mattock and said to the other two, "Let’s finish digging up these last two and then head home. Jing, you’re coming to our place for dinner today. We can’t let you work for nothing."

Zhao Jing seemed about to refuse again, but before he could speak, Chen Wanqing cried out in surprise, "What’s this?"

Before the other two could react, Chen Wanqing was already frowning and bending over to peer into the pit she had dug. ’It looks like a chest...’

"What chest?"

"What did you see, sis?"

Zhao Jing and Chen De’an both dropped what they were doing and hurried over.

One look, and they too were stunned.

In the pit Chen Wanqing had dug, huangqi grew on one side, while on the other, red lacquer peeked out from under clumps of dirt.

Perhaps she had used too much force while digging for the huangqi, as the red lacquer was chipped, faintly revealing the wood grain beneath.

Chen De’an reached out, brushed the dirt clods off the wood, and upon closer inspection, saw that there were characters carved on it.

There was no mistake. It was a chest.

Why would a chest be buried deep in a remote mountain forest? 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Chen De’an swallowed hard. "Sis, step aside. Jing and I will dig this thing out."

With grave expressions, Chen De’an and Zhao Jing began to work carefully, and soon the general outline of the chest was exposed.

They had expected a small, palm-sized box, but it turned out to be quite large. After digging for a while, they had uncovered most of it. But even that was enough to tell them this was no ordinary object.

It was a classic official’s leather chest, rectangular in shape with a high, domed lid. The body was coated in yellow lacquer for moisture-proofing, reinforced with brass rivets on the sides, and fitted with bronze handles on both ends. Its corners were bound with leather to cushion against bumps.

Two things stood out.

First, in the very center of the lid, there was a red-lacquered section flanked by two soaring golden dragons. In the middle were four words written in large script, outlined in black and sprinkled with gold dust: "Wu Dynasty Qian De Year".

Second, the front of the chest was fitted with a Mandarin Duck Mechanism Lock. This type of lock was typically used on the strongboxes of escort agencies or on chests holding valuable official documents in a government office. It required two keys to be used simultaneously to open. If the wrong keys were used, or if it was forced open, the contents within would be destroyed.

All three of them frowned. An official’s leather chest, buried for who knows how many years in the remote wilderness—this affair clearly involved a major secret.

Zhao Jing said, "We can’t keep this a secret, and we certainly can’t handle it ourselves. We should report it to the government office."

Chen De’an nodded quickly. "I’ll go to the government office and get Dad and the constables. Jing, you stand guard here. Sis, you go back and get a rain cape and a change of clothes for Jing."

The other two both nodded in agreement.

And so, Zhao Jing was left to stand guard while Chen Wanqing and Chen De’an ran down the mountain as fast as they could, not even bothering with the huangqi.

The reason they didn’t send Zhao Jing to the county seat was because Chen De’an, as Chen Song’s son, had been to the county seat many times to find his father. The people at the government office knew him and he could bring the constables back the fastest.

Besides, Chen Wanqing was a young woman, and no one would feel at ease leaving her alone on the mountain.

Understanding the reasoning, Zhao Jing naturally had no objections.

He didn’t just wait idly, nor did he try to pull the half-buried chest from the ground. He simply picked up a shovel and continued to unhurriedly dig up huangqi, as if that were the most important task at hand.

But his gaze was lowered, his handsome features shadowed and pensive. As the events of the past few days surfaced in his mind, his movements grew slower and slower.

Holding an oil-paper umbrella, Chen Wanqing quickly returned with a change of Chen Song’s clothes and a rain cape.

She had run too fast and was still breathing heavily when she reached Zhao Jing. A faint blush colored her bright face, making her lovely features seem as clear and vivid as if they had been washed by a spring.

"You don’t need to rush, Wanqing. It’s not like I was going to run away."

"I know you wouldn’t run away, but the rain is getting heavier, and I was worried you’d get soaked and fall ill. Here, go change your clothes and put on the rain cape. I didn’t go to your house because I was afraid of startling your mother, so I brought a clean set of my father’s clothes for you. I hope you don’t mind."

"Of course not. Thank you, Wanqing."

"Don’t stand on ceremony. Go get changed."

Zhao Jing didn’t hesitate. He took the clothes and rain cape and went behind an old locust tree.

He didn’t want to go too far, and though the surrounding vegetation was lush, only this ancient locust tree was large enough to conceal him, so he decided to change right there behind it.

A rustling sound came from nearby. Chen Wanqing hadn’t thought anything of it a moment ago, but now an image of what was happening behind the tree flashed through her mind. An uncontrollable shiver, like a jolt of electricity, ran through her.

Her face flushed, and she immediately turned her back, clutching her handkerchief uneasily.

"Wanqing, do you have any guesses about the origin of this chest?"

Zhao Jing had appeared behind her at some point.

He was wearing Chen Song’s clothes. They were the right length, just a bit loose. But with the rain cape over them, it wasn’t noticeable.

He wore a conical hat, and his handsome features looked even cleaner and brighter, washed by the steady rain. The scent of ink from his robes drifted uncontrollably to her nose.

Chen Wanqing quickly regained her focus. "I remember my father once said that when he was still a child, some rebels were beaten back again and again by the court’s army. Cornered, they fled to Xiaoao Mountain."

"You think this chest was left behind by the rebels?"

Chen Wanqing nodded. "What do you think, Jing?"

Zhao Jing glanced at the faded chest. "I think so too."

The official’s leather chest had been buried for a long time, and its colors had faded significantly. But the inscription, "Wu Dynasty Qian De Year," was clearly visible in the daylight.

"The Wu Dynasty was the previous dynasty, and Qian De was the reign title of its last emperor."

Zhao Jing was also aware of the events Chen Wanqing mentioned, and he too leaned toward the theory that this was something left behind by the rebels during their desperate flight.

"I wonder what’s inside?"

"It’s probably gold, silver, pearls, and jade... Speaking of which, it’s all thanks to you digging for huangqi, Wanqing. Otherwise, this thing might never have seen the light of day."

"I don’t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing... I just hope it doesn’t cause any trouble for my father."

Zhao Jing looked down at her, his gaze burning with a restraint he himself didn’t even notice.

"It’s definitely a good thing. You don’t need to worry, Wanqing."