Hearing Shen Qing's question, Yuan Zhao seemed to suddenly remember something and abruptly stood up from the chaise longue.
"Oops, look at my forgetful head. I forgot to show you something. Wait for me here. I'll be back soon."
With that, Yuan Zhao dashed into the room behind in a flash. Immediately afterwards, Shen Qing heard a rummaging sound.
There were no servants nearby, as if Yuan Zhao had specifically instructed them. So the whole courtyard was dead silent, with only the noise made by Yuan Zhao inside the room.
A moment later, Yuan Zhao rushed out of the room excitedly, holding a box in her arms.
She handed the box to Shen Qing, gasped slightly, her big eyes glistening with a trace of expectation. She stared at Shen Qing intently. "Shen Qing, open it quickly. There's an important thing inside."
Shen Qing was puzzled. She didn't know what was in the box. But when Yuan Zhao placed the box in her arms, Shen Qing could clearly feel a huge amount of energy surging out from it.
There should be a very powerful magic treasure inside.
With such a guess, Shen Qing opened the box. Inside was a clear jade stone placed on a soft cushion made of silk. It was obvious that it had been well cherished.
Shen Qing also smelled a faint scent of incense ash on the jade. It should have been enshrined for a long time, thus being stained with it.
Seeing this, Shen Qing understood at once. She immediately voiced her speculation. "This is the Merit Stone enshrined in the Ling family's ancestral hall, isn't it?"
Yuan Zhao's eyes widened in admiration. "Yes, yes. This is the Merit Stone that has always been enshrined in the Ling family's ancestral hall."
"Shen Qing, you're so amazing! You cultivators are really good at divination and understand the yin and yang. That's why you recognized this Merit Stone at once, right?"
Looking at Yuan Zhao's admiring eyes, Shen Qing didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
She wasn't as amazing as Yuan Zhao described. She just recognized it based on what the Ling family had said and the characteristics of this stone.
"Why is this stone here with you? I thought it was sealed in the Ling family's mansion."
Shen Qing looked at the jade stone and felt that the energy contained in it was somewhat familiar, as if she had seen it before.
Yuan Zhao looked a bit disappointed. She placed her hand on the box and gently stroked it. "There's no longer a Ling family mansion..."
"After the Ling family members were imprisoned, Father ordered the direct personal guards, the Imperial Guards, to ransack all the Ling family's mansions."
"The water in the ponds was drained, the houses were all destroyed, and even the beams on the roofs were broken open. The ground under the Ling mansions was dug three feet deep. All the good things were confiscated into the palace, and the rest were divided up by the national teacher and the officials."
"Father... he didn't leave any way out for the Ling family. He was determined to eradicate them completely..."
There were tears in Yuan Zhao's eyes, and a trace of resentment was hidden beneath them.
Shen Qing felt complicated and knew Yuan Zhao's pain.
She and Ling Yunchuan were in love. But judging from the luxury of this princess mansion, it was obvious that the emperor doted on Princess Yuan Zhao very much.
Caught between her beloved and her father, how could Yuan Zhao be happy?
"I secretly took out the Merit Stone and hid it in the princess mansion. Originally, I was afraid that the national teacher would harm the Ling family members, so I sent people to guard outside the Heavenly Prison and the Bright Prison. When Li Tianyun brought you guys to the outside of the Heavenly Prison today, I received the news. To avoid any accidents, I also brought people there."
"If there was any movement, I would immediately lead people to rush in. But... a strange thing happened."
"Because I was afraid that the Merit Stone would be stolen again, I carried it with me. Guess what? Outside the Heavenly Prison, the Merit Stone suddenly emitted light, and your image was reflected on the stone!!"
"The Merit Stone is telling me that only you can save the Ling family, clear their name, and restore their innocence!!"
It was really that miraculous...
Out of curiosity, Shen Qing picked up the Merit Stone from the box. As soon as she touched it, the stone began to emit light.
Shen Qing held the stone with both hands, and a strange energy spread throughout her body. It was a very strange feeling.
Seeing the glowing Merit Stone, Yuan Zhao was even more convinced that Shen Qing was the one who could save the Ling family.
"Look! The stone doesn't react to anyone else. Only you, only you, Shen Qing! Please, you must save the Ling family."
"Save... Yunchuan..."
As Yuan Zhao spoke, her voice choked with sobs, and her eyes were red.
Before Shen Qing could figure out what was going on with the Merit Stone, a sound of the barrier breaking came over.
Yuan Zhao looked up in surprise, her face solemn. "This is the sound of the princess mansion's barrier being broken!"
Shen Qing became alert. She was about to take out Wu Wang, but then she sensed a familiar aura and relaxed.
Li Xian descended from the sky and landed steadily in front of Shen Qing. Seeing that Shen Qing was unharmed, Li Xian heaved a sigh of relief.
Li Xian had followed the carriage all the way here. Originally, he wanted to sneak in from the roof, but he didn't expect there to be a barrier outside the princess mansion.
And he couldn't break this barrier for a while. Finally, because he was worried about Shen Qing's safety, Li Xian had no choice but to use some brute force to barely break the barrier.
When Yuan Zhao saw someone intruding, her first reaction wasn't fear but to point at Li Xian and scold. "How dare you break into this princess's mansion without permission! Are you tired of living? You're so presumptuous!!"
Yuan Zhao's little face was full of displeasure, and her imposing manner suddenly flared up.
Only then did Shen Qing feel that Yuan Zhao's aura as a royal princess was fully revealed. She was completely different from the Yuan Zhao who had just had a heart - to - heart talk with her.
Li Xian also knew he had been rash. He took out a barrier stone from his storage bag and threw it to Yuan Zhao. "Compensation."
Yuan Zhao held the barrier stone in her arms. She had been full of anger, but after seeing Li Xian's appearance, her anger was halved. Now that Li Xian had directly compensated her with a barrier stone, her anger completely disappeared.
"Don't do this again!"
Yuan Zhao clapped her hands, and a black - clothed man fell from the roof.
"An Yi, go and set up this barrier stone for this princess. Keep a close eye on it and make sure no one else breaks into the princess mansion again."
"Yes! Your Highness Princess!"
The black - clothed man took the barrier stone from Yuan Zhao's arms and left in a flash.
However, just as the black - clothed man left, Hong Chaoyang and Xue Ling descended from the sky and landed on the ground.
Yuan Zhao's face darkened, and she said angrily, "Are the secret guards of the princess mansion just for show? Can't they even stop a few people!!"
The secret guards hidden in the dark were on the verge of tears.
Although they had some skills and cultivation, Your Highness Princess, you should take a look at these people. The lowest among them is at the late stage of the Golden Core realm. How dare they stop them...
But seeing that these people were all with Shen Qing, they just turned a blind eye...