freenovelworld Chapter 893 The Supernatural
Chapter 893 The Supernatural
Jing Chunxi felt relieved when he heard this, but then more complicated emotions surged up in his heart.
She watched her father carefully scrape off the thick moss on the surface of the "stone" with a dagger, revealing the cold, slightly rusty metal underneath.
It was indeed not a natural rock, but a carefully cast iron plate that blended in with the surrounding environment. There seemed to be a very tiny gap in the middle, which would be difficult to find unless you looked for it deliberately.
"There's something fishy going on," Xu Dingchun said, his voice lowered. His eyes scanned the surroundings sharply, making sure no one was paying attention to what they were doing. He gently traced the crack with the tip of his dagger, trying to find the mechanism that would unlock it.
Jing Chunxi also moved closer, reaching out to help brush away the fallen fern leaves around them, and whispered, "My daughter also finds this incredible. The way she looked just now clearly showed that she knew there was something here, and she was very excited. Daddy, do you think this could be..." She paused, her voice almost inaudible, "Some kind of induction in the blood?"
Xu Dingchun paused, glanced at his daughter, and said seriously, "Don't say such things anymore. Since the things were left to Your Highness by the Retired Emperor and the Empress Dowager, they have nothing to do with us."
Zhao Zhao is so young, if he really has a perception different from that of ordinary people, it is hard to predict whether it will be a blessing or a disaster.
He was silent for a moment before he said, "Don't think too much about it yet. When Your Highness came back, Xi'er didn't tell him that Dad knew about this place."
He continued to feel around, his fingertips carefully probing the edge of the iron plate. Suddenly, he touched a tiny bump in the upper right corner of the iron plate, almost blending in with the rust. He tried to press it harder.
A very slight "click" sound of a mechanism came from inside the stone wall.
Both father and daughter held their breath.
However, the expected secret door did not open. The iron plate remained motionless, only the slight sound proved that the mechanism had indeed been triggered.
Xu Dingchun frowned and tried pressing and rotating the bulge again, but there was no response.
"The mechanism down there must have been activated," Jing Chunxi observed. "That's why there's no movement up there?"
"Then Xier wants to go down?" Xu Dingchun looked at her hesitantly, as if he wanted to dissuade her.
He put the dagger back into his waist, smoothed out the ferns that were already a little messy, and covered the metal mechanism again, restoring it to its original state.
"Wait until Brother Xiaokang comes back, and Xier will go in with him."
Jing Chunxi's words made Xu Dingchun feel relieved. In fact, he was not worried about Jing Chunxi going in, but was worried that she would drag him in.
He said in a deep voice, his tone returning to his usual calmness, "Now that we know the exact location and have confirmed the existence of the mechanism, it's a major breakthrough. There's no harm in waiting."
He looked at Jing Chunxi, his eyes filled with warning: "Xi'er, don't mention Zhao Zhao's abnormality to anyone for now, not even your mother or the Crown Prince. Wait until Daddy has thought it through."
He knew his wife's temperament very well. If she knew that their young daughter might be involved in a dangerous secret, she would definitely be worried. Although the eldest prince was reliable, in the future - Xu Dingchun glanced at Jin Chunxi, who knows.
Jing Chunxi nodded seriously: "Daughter understands." She understood her father's concerns. The stability he had finally achieved, he didn't want to cause any disputes, especially to his family.
A gentle smile returned to Xu Dingchun's face, as if the discovery just now was just an insignificant episode between father and daughter. "Let's go, don't make your mother wait anxiously. I'm afraid Zhao Zhao is making a fuss in her arms again."
Jing Chunxi also smiled and walked ahead: "It's just that Daddy, Zhao Zhao..."
"It's okay," Xu Dingchun patted her hand, his tone firm, "No matter if she's lucky or not, she's still daddy's precious daughter. We're here to protect her."
He paused, a gleam in his eyes, "Who knows, maybe our Zhao Zhao can really bring us unexpected luck."
The father and daughter smiled at each other, temporarily suppressing their shock and doubts, and turned to walk towards the stone bench, hearing Zhao Zhao's babbling and Xiao Yu's childish laughter coming from not far away.
The fern still swayed in the wind on the rockery, as if nothing had happened.
Not far away, Jing Qiurong was sitting on a stone bench holding Zhao Zhao, playing with her with a small ball of colored string. Zhao Zhao was smiling with her eyes curved and grabbing things around with her little hands. She no longer had the clever look she had just now, but was just a confused and cute baby.
"Let's go." Xu Dingchun straightened his sleeves and his expression returned to normal, as if he had just been admiring the scenery of the rockery.
Jing Chunxi collected his thoughts, nodded, and followed.
Returning to the stone table, Jing Qiurong looked up with a smile: "What are you two father and daughter talking about in private? You've been gone for so long. Zhao Zhao almost made the ball wet." As she spoke, she gently took the ball out of Zhao Zhao's mouth. The little guy immediately protested with dissatisfaction.
Xu Dingchun naturally sat down beside his wife, reached out to take Zhao Zhao, and held him high, making her giggle. "Nothing much. Xi'er complained to me that Pu'er was slacking off academically, and asked me, as his father, to talk to him." He lied calmly, his tone relaxed and natural.
Jing Qiurong believed it and gave Jing Chunxi a reproachful look: "You kid, why didn't you tell your mother just now? Do you think I can't call you?"
Jing Chunxi lowered her head and pretended to be aggrieved: "Daughter just feels that mother is too busy and doesn't want to distract you." But in her heart she admired her father's quick wit.
Xu Dingchun held Zhaozhao in his arms and paced seemingly casually. After a while, he returned to the vicinity of the fern, but stood a little far away.
Zhao Zhao was held in his arms, with a higher field of vision, and his little head twisted back and forth.
Suddenly, her eyes fixed on the lush green fern again, and a slight "oh oh" sound came out of her mouth with a hint of barely perceptible excitement, and her little finger curled up subconsciously.
Xu Dingchun turned his back to his wife and daughter, his eyes suddenly fixed. He clearly felt the subtle changes in the little girl in his arms at that moment.
He turned back calmly, shielding Zhao Zhao's view with his wide sleeves. He smiled and said to Jing Qiurong, "It's been a bit hot in the sun, and Zhao Zhao's skin is tender. Why don't you take her back? Xi'er should come too, so she can talk to your mother. Dinner will be served soon."
Jing Qiurong didn't doubt him and stood up and said, "Okay, it's time to go back and feed Zhao Zhao."
While Zhao Zhao was drinking milk, Jing Chunxi had specially brought a round huanghuali wood stool to sit beside her. He sat upright, his eyes fixed on Zhao Zhao's face without blinking. His expression was so focused that he seemed to be observing some important ceremony, even his breathing was light.
The wet nurse felt uneasy when she was looking at her. Her hands holding Zhao Zhao were shaking and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. In her opinion, the princess was staring at the two things in her arms.
She sometimes suspected that her posture of holding the baby was wrong, sometimes worried that her milk was not enough, and even began to recall whether she had said something she shouldn't have said or eaten something she shouldn't have eaten recently. She felt so uneasy that even the back of her clothes was soaked with cold sweat.
Because the baby Zhao Zhao had done something important today, he ate extra diligently. His little mouth would not let go of his food. His two chubby little hands were unconsciously clenched into fists, and he let out a satisfied hum.
She inhaled quickly and urgently, making occasional swallowing sounds in her throat, as if she hadn't eaten for three meals. Her large, watery eyes remained closed, her long, curled eyelashes casting a light shadow on her rosy cheeks. She was completely immersed in her own world, seemingly oblivious to her surroundings.
Only when her belly was full did she relax her body contentedly, but she still smacked her lips unconsciously and fell into a deep sleep with a drop of milky white milk stain hanging at the corner of her mouth.