Chapter 455: The Study in the Purple Hall

After a moment, the two slowly opened their eyes.

"Wow! So bright!" Tuan Tuan widened her eyes, "Hey! Is anyone there?"

Xiao Ningyuan gazed at the scene inside, also stunned speechless.

This is a hall wider and taller than the outer Ming Tang, with huge ever-burning lamps everywhere, staggered in height, illuminating the entire hall as if it were daytime.

These ever-burning lamps have been burning for years without going out!

The hall is extremely spacious; at its deepest point stands a massive Han white jade coffin bed, upon which lie three coffins.

Xiao Ningyuan led his sister forward slowly: "There's no one here, only the coffins."

"Tuan Tuan, look, these three are the emperor's, empress's, and consort's. See, the middle one is the emperor's."

"Oh," Tuan Tuan nodded, following her brother to the stone spirit platform before the coffin bed, gazing at the middle coffin, "Did you leave those treasures behind? Thank you!"

Xiao Ningyuan gave a slight smile, patting his sister's little head: "Do you remember the Golden Well? Brother will tell you now—the Golden Well lies beneath this middle coffin."

Tuan Tuan pointed at that coffin: "Big brother, why does he sleep on top of a well?"

"Because it is the dragon's lair of the whole tomb, able to gather earthly qi and communicate between heaven and earth."

"The emperor's coffin rests upon it, meaning that even after his demise, the emperor remains the sovereign of all under heaven."

Tuan Tuan suddenly understood: "So he hasn't had enough of being emperor yet!"

Xiao Tuanzi shook her head: "Being emperor is so bitter, yet he still wants to continue—how strange."

"Big brother, could the thing we're looking for be inside that well?"

Xiao Ningyuan pondered: "It's possible; the Golden Well is actually small but bottomless—if we were to stuff the Nine Gates Dragon Vein Diagram into it, that would make sense."

Tuan Tuan gazed at the huge coffin: "Big brother, can you push it?"

"Ugh..." Xiao Ningyuan choked, "It won't budge; even if your second uncle and seventh uncle were here, together they couldn't move it."

"Oh, then may I let whatever's inside come out on its own?"

"Sure!" Xiao Ningyuan felt relieved; fortunately he came with his sister—she alone could match ten thousand troops.

Tuan Tuan opened the embroidered pouch, took out a shard of stone she had picked up beside the spirit road, and murmured: "Let whatever's in the Golden Well come out to find me!"

She loosened her little hand, a faint light flashed, and the stone shard vanished.

The next moment.

"Grind—grind—grind..." the low, heavy sound of stone grinding rolled, echoing throughout the vast hall.

The massive emperor's coffin in the center slowly shifted backward, revealing a pitch-black opening.

Rather than calling it an opening, it's more like a hole, about the size of a palm.

Tuan Tuan grabbed her brother's arm: "Big brother, look! Is this the Golden Well?"

Xiao Ningyuan nodded, eyes fixed: "I've only seen it in books, never in person—this must be it."

The two stared at the tiny opening; inside, golden light gradually grew, and a pearl the size of a dragon's eye floated out.

Xiao Ningyuan pulled his sister around the spirit platform and walked to the coffin bed.

"What a beautiful pearl!" Tuan Tuan reached out with her little hand to grasp it; Xiao Ningyuan hurriedly lifted her up, and Tuan Tuan took the pearl—clear, translucent, and cool to the touch.

When the pearl left the Golden Well, the golden light vanished in an instant.

Tuan Tuan held the pearl, overjoyed: "Big brother, look—this is the loveliest pearl I've ever seen! I'll take it home to give to Mother."

"All right, keep it safe, don't drop it." Xiao Ningyuan still stared intently at the opening of the Golden Well.

But the Golden Well remained still.

After a moment, "grind—grind—grind..." the coffin slowly shifted back, completely covering the Golden Well.

Xiao Ningyuan frowned: "The Nine Gates Dragon Vein Diagram isn't in the Golden Well? Where could it be then?"

Tuan Tuan put the pearl into the sachet: "Let's keep going, big brother—if it's not here, it must be elsewhere."

Xiao Ningyuan nodded: "That's all we can do. Come, Tuan Tuan—we've taken someone's things; let's pay our respects before we leave."

"Mm-hmm."

He held his sister and walked to the spirit platform.

The brother and sister knelt down again to kowtow.

Xiao Ningyuan rose: "I have come for the people of the world; if Your Majesty can sense it, please bless us to find the Nine Gates Dragon Vein Diagram."

Tuan Tuan rubbed the pearl in the sachet: "Thank you for the pearl—I love it; being emperor is exhausting, look how comfortable you are lying here!"

Xiao Ningyuan: "……"

He stood up, took his sister's little hand: "Let's keep going."

"Mm-hmm!" The brother and sister went around the coffin and headed for the rear door of the hall.

But when Xiao Ningyuan thought he was about to see either a stone door or a passage, his steps halted.

There was only a wall, nothing else.

Xiao Ningyuan looked at the wall, then at his feet—where is the road?

He released his sister's hand: "Be good, play by yourself for a while."

"All right!" Tuan Tuan obediently stepped aside, took out the pearl, and played with it, reluctant to put it down.

Xiao Ningyuan pulled a dagger from his boot, tapped the wall here and there—thud, thud, thud—solid sounds, no hidden chamber behind the wall as imagined.

He also tapped the floor below; the gold bricks were fine and extremely solid, with nothing unusual.

"No way?" He sat on the ground, rubbing his forehead—how could there be no road?

According to the book, shouldn't there be a hidden hall, Jiang Yong, and the Ruins Gate?

Tuan Tuan walked over and sat in his arms: "Big brother, are you looking for that diagram?"

Xiao Ningyuan helplessly embraced his sister, ruffling the little cowlick on her head: "Brother is looking for a path, or a door—we must leave this place and go to the next location."

"Oh," Tuan Tuan lifted the pearl before her eyes: "Big brother, this pearl is fun, you know? Through it you can see the outside."

Really? Then have fun, brother will go look again.

Huh, isn't the door right there? Tuan Tuan raised her hand and pointed at the wall blocking the way.

Xiao Ningyuan looked up and asked, "Where?"

Nothing at all!

Isn't it right there? Tuan Tuan set down the bead, took another glance: "Oh, big brother, you need to look through this bead to see it; come, let me show you."

After saying that, she lifted the bead before her brother's eyes.

Xiao Ningyuan looked through the bead, and sure enough, a door-like relief appeared on the previously bare stone wall.

He picked up the bead, examined it closely, then laughed: "Ah, I see! I never imagined this bead had such a wonderful use. Tuan Tuan, let brother use the bead for a moment."

Okay. Tuan Tuan stood up.

Xiao Ningyuan held the bead before his eyes, seeing only through it, slowly walked to the wall, reached out, felt the door seam, pushed hard, and the big door slowly opened inward.

Tuan Tuan cheered, "Big brother, you're awesome!"

Xiao Ningyuan set down the bead and handed it to his sister: "Thanks to you finding this bead! Let's go! Let's keep looking!"

Okay! Tuan Tuan took it, put the bead back into her sachet, took her brother's hand, and they walked in together.

This place, Xiao Ningyuan looked around, how it's so like...

The study in Imperial Uncle's Zichen Hall! Tuan Tuan said.